Rippling Waters

[Ruhe Krieger]

Thread Title: Rippling Waters
Participants: Ruhe Krieger and Kimiko Nakajima
World: Soul Society
Death Setting: Non Death Enabled
Rating: R
Location: Located in the outer regions of the Wilderness of Rukongai following the invasion of hell, the area is scattered with various fauna, trees, stones, and teeming wildness. About them stands a brook stream.
Special Conditions: N/A
Circumstances: Private Ruhiger Krieger and her detachment had been sent to gather reconnaissance on Soul Society after their battle with the hellions. Unfortunately, even the best of plans can have poor executions, leading them to be discovered by members of the eleventh division. Quickly this breaks out into a bout of violence.

[Ruhe Krieger]

"We've been spotted! Everyone get moving now!" Those were the first words Ruhe had found herself garnering on that cold morning. They said it was a simple assignment. Go in, observe the perimeters, as close as they could without drawing too much attention. Their assignment was supposed to last a few days on the field. Crackers and nutrient bars to sate them as they hid in the shadows and observed for Shinigami activity. Now, here they were. A battle raging about them.

Taken by surprise, there was little use for bows. Though the few that did try swiftly found themselves slashed or cut down. Arrows were less effective at close range. "Hohle Schneide!" She heard a voice call forth. Raising their blade to clash swords, only to find themselves battered, blow after blow, before being slashed down soon afterwards. Small Ruhiger stood before what seemed like a dance of violence. Blood being spilled as her people found themselves forced on the retreat. 

"Private Krieger! What are you doing?! Fight! Fight! They're going to kill us all!" A sharp yank and a slap to the face sent her reeling out of her stupor. "Hold until we gain permission to leave!" The sharp sting on her cheek brought her into reality, as she looked outwards. Until she found herself looking out at a particular figure. One she could instantly tell was powerful. If not from their general essence, then by the coat they wore to distinguish them from most others. 

Her eyes shook, and for a second, her knees felt weak. Forming the bow within her hands, it looked "blockier" than others. Thicker, as she looked at the woman before her. This would be Ruhe's first time meeting a Captain of the Gotei Thirteen. Based on the stories told, they were tremendous warriors, the best of them. So much so that they were a match for the Emperor's Sternritter, some Captains able to kill multiple at the same time or in quick succession so the stories went. Ruhe always hid parts of herself.

Though it seemed like that was no longer an option now. Was it? Her breathing wasn't easy going. Her heart pounded in her chest, and with it, as the slaughter was brought before them all. Perhaps Kimiko might have noticed the small girl standing before her, with a lingering terror on their face. A small splatter of blood on their clothes and cheek as a Vreich Quincy was slashed down before the two of them. 

[Nakajima Kimiko]

It is known across the many realms that compose this world that the heavenly dimension known as the Soul Society is the main resting place of the typical Soul. Over there, whether they be fortunate in their past lives or more unfortunate than others, they remain together as one, part of a community that transcends the conventional laws of mortality. This Soul Society has historically been composed for a few consecutive millenniums of two sections. The first section was the holy city of Seireitei, the birthplace of those of noble blood and those who wish to protect the ideals of the realm with a bland in hand. The second was what composed the great majority of this immortal community, the encompassing Rukongai, where most of the souls remain. Most of the people who are aware of the Soul Society would believe the heavenly realm to end there. However, in doing so, they would become unable to fathom the emptiness that is found across the deepest horizon of the drifting spirit town.

There was no real name to describe what is found beyond the outskirts of the Soul Society. All that remains there across these endless stretches of green, brown and gray is but a place devoid of the life which comes from Human souls, plain wilderness. Over there, behind the trees, the earth and the mountains, there is nothing that could really be classified as a community which fits the norms of the Shinigami. The indestructible material of the holy city cannot be found anywhere, and neither can the wood of the houses constructed by the people of Rukongai. What is there to be found instead is nature. Indeed, many beastly souls could be found here, all of which made their presence known through many sounds. The chirping of birds, the distant cries and howls of various animals, the buzzing of nearby insects... Together, they form a distinctly-natural cacophony, one typically associated with peace and tranquility. One could even say that there is technically no place in the Soul Society where life is left most untainted by Humans.

Considering this, the area beyond the 80th district of Rukongai remained mostly disconnected from the rest of the Soul Society. There was no need for many of the Souls who remained within the holy city to find themselves wandering there, and there was an even lesser need for those who were instead unlucky enough to find themselves living amongst the dredge of the last Rukongai districts. However, today, this would change. Recently, there had been numerous reports of activity located within the distant wilderness, all of which had been written by members of the Ninth Division. Much of this activity boiled down to movement being perceived near the borders of the forest nearest to the 80th district, which was located somewhat close to the outskirts of the Soul Society. With no clear visuals recorded for the culprit behind this movement, swift action was immediately recommended by the Ninth's operators. They did not want this to be the precursor of yet another attack against the heavenly realm, after all.

There were many officers who, upon being made aware of this report, immediately asked to act as volunteer patrols. Whilst the demonic invasion was still fresh on everyone's mind, the time that had passed since had emboldened a good number of the officers who had survived the attack. In spite of this, there was a group amongst them all that showed more energy than any one of these volunteers. They were the people of the Eleventh Division. They - mostly all people who came from the deeper parts of Rukongai - had watched their home being destroyed several times over by the invaders. They had watched their friends and families torn apart limb from limb, and the places they had remained since their coming to the Soul Society ravaged. As such, upon hearing the mere potential of more people attacking their homes, they immediately made their energy known. It was like a great mass of angry spiritual energy had exploded from within their very headquarters, both from them... and their Captain.

Ever since she became the master of the Nijūkan dojo, Kimiko had found herself to be intrinsically connected to Rukongai and its people. Having trained many of them personally, and having seen their growth as potential warriors to be seen amidst the ranks of the Shinigami, she has found herself believing that there was no other group of people that deserved to be remained alone than those that remained outside of Seireitei. With every day that passed, her respect from them grew and grew ever further, and she found herself becoming further dedicated to their utmost protection. They deserved to rest here, away from the Hollows, away from the Hellions, away from anything that could consider them to be nothing more than something to eat or something to kill. Thus, once she heard of the potential existence of invaders wandering around the wilderness, she instantly decided to put her duties on hold and go forward to immediately put an end to the threat. So long as she was here, she was not going to allow these invaders to reach the Soul Society alive.

It was with this train of thought that the superior officer marched forward towards the outskirts of Rukongai. With many of her officers, she would move from rooftop to rooftop, using multiple Shunpo jumps to reach her destination alongside the many officers who followed her. Together, they were like a swarm, appearing and disappearing out of sight with great speed as they exited Seireitei and followed headed towards the forest. They would stop at the 40th district to take a brief moment of respite, and then once again, they would move. Upon reaching the 80th district, they would stop again for another rest, with the presence of the sword-wielding Captain enough to cause those who believed they could ambush the Shinigami to immediately be driven away. There would be no threats given or remarks, only stares that were left wide-eyed upon feeling the contact of Kimiko's overwhelming spiritual energy against their skin. Finally, they then reached the forest.

The soldiers and their leader proceeded between the trees at a walking pace. At first, they were silent, unified by their intense emotions. One of them in particular was a large and tall man with wide shoulders and a mean look to himself. His finely-cut hair was slightly more disheveled than usual due to the sheer amount it went through during the travels of the group, and his thick eyebrows were locked into a perpetual frown. With a burning gaze, his eyes scouted the forest in a seething silence. However, after a time, the silence the group shared with one another would eventually be broken. "Come on! Show yourselves! We know you're here!" The man's powerful voice would echo throughout the area. It was seething, burning with a kind of rage that had been seen many times before by those of the Eleventh. "Stop hiding and come face us!"

Soon, the voices of other officers would be raised alongside the brutish man's. It was clear that they were tense. Their emotions were high, and their blades ready to be unsheathed at any given moment. Some would believe this to be a mistake, to be something an enemy could take advantage of in lieu of an ambush or a surprise attack. However, in this case, to do so would have most likely been disadvantageous. For as intense as these people seemed to be, they did not appear as an uncoordinated band. Instead, they seemed more so a battalion, a group of wild soldiers ready to attack with force. There was no better proof for this than the energy that came from Kimiko as her voice then followed. "Well said for once, Bushida!" The words were bellowed from her lips as she shouted, aiming to immediately get the attention of those who were hiding from the Shinigami's naked eye. "Enemies of the Soul Society! We are Jūichibantai, Shinigami of the Attack Squad! Reveal yourselves immediately, or you shall face our wrath!"

As to be expected, nothing would come out of this order. None would reveal themselves to the officers, as to do so would most likely be quite foolish. However, there was something about the energy that came from the Captain that caused everyone around her to appear more energetic than usual. They would clench their teeth and appear more motivated to fight whoever was in the forest, solely to protect their Soul Society at all cost. This would eventually reflect in the way they walked forward through the forest and the manner in which they pushed away the foliage of the bushes in their way. Their footsteps crushed fallen leaf after fallen leaf, and their arms swiped at the branches with strength, precision, and emotional energy that was not quite their own. It was needless to say that this made for quite the frightening sight at a glance, the image of a rabid gang of locusts moving onward, waiting to explode upon the sight of the intruders.

This silent yet deadly march would go on for a bit longer until the group reached a brook nearby. It was an opening of sorts amidst the forest, a place where wildlife would typically come in order to satiate their thirst. The gaze of the Shinigami could be felt from a mile away, causing the nearby fauna to quickly make their way out of the area before they could somehow become part of something that was beyond them. Kimiko's scarlet eyes was the one pair that appeared to be the most intense of them all. The two beaming orbs almost shone beneath the cold cloudy skies, watching over the area. It did not take very long for her to eventually spot something in the dark of one lone tree, a figure clothed in white with its back turned to them all. Beneath the leaves, it appeared to be moving at first, but eventually, it stopped as it felt the gaze of the Captain be locked onto it. Shaking, it would begin to turn. Bit by bit, it slowly revealed itself to the group of Shinigami.

It appeared to be a man. He was young-looking, somewhat frail, and he appeared to be frozen in fear. He was draped in what appeared to be some kind of military outfit, the sort that you would typically note having been worn by officers of old from the Living World. Nothing about him seemed remotely hostile... which was quite unfortunate for him, as he appeared to be very well-aware of what he was currently looking at. "A-A-A-A-Ah...!!" A quiet mutter came from him as found himself staring back at a horrifying wave of jet black. His fingers were twitching, shaking, as though his body was attempting to fight back against the terror in his heart. It appeared that the emotions were also affecting his legs, much to his dismay, as they too trembled in horror. It was, in every sense of the word, a pathetic sight, one that would have left many staring back at him with many questions needing to be answered immediately.

Naturally, some of the Shinigami were at first clearly confused by what they were looking at. The man was evidently alone, did not seem to have any hostile intentions, and frankly, barely looked like he wanted to fight them. However, some of them knew what he was supposed to be. Kimiko also knew. In fact, the sight of his clothes were enough to cause her scarlet eyes to almost burn at a glance. She would stare at the man for a moment in silence alongside the others, doing so with a very angry gaze. Then, suddenly, at a Speed of 700, she appeared before him. Screaming, he recoiled against the tree, but even he knew that there was no way out of this. Kimiko was a Captain, and he very clearly understood that. "You're a soldier of the Vandenreich," she accused quickly as she stood there with clenched teeth. Within the dark of the leaves above, her red eyes appeared to glow even brighter. "I'd say you have guts for coming here alone, but you clearly have none, so I'm gonna ask this only once. Where is the rest of your team?"

"P-Please! Please don't hurt me! I did nothing wrong, I sw- AH!"

A section of the tree's trunk behind the man would be swiftly cut by the Captain as he tried to defend himself. Since the execution of the cut was so swift, the untrained eye would have been unable to perceive it, as it was also delivered at a Speed of 700. It was clear that the man's eyes were amongst those untrained ones, as he practically appeared as he was just about to soil himself. "ANSWER ME! NOW!" Kimiko's voice this time boomed all around the area, causing the Quincy to scream once again in absolute fright. It had gone to the point that his eyes were now starting to tear up. Upon witnessing the tears, the Captain only grew more frustrated. "Coward," she hissed before looking back towards the rest of her officers. "All of you, search the area! If you see anyone wearing clothes like these, capture them! I want to know why they're he-!"

"Hohle Schneide!"

The cry came from the man as powerfully as it could have been from a coward such as himself. With a quickened breath, the man had pushed himself off the tree trunk before taking a step forward and beginning to summon what appeared to be some kind of blade from his right hand. The process was achieved through the means of spiritual energy. It would be accumulated within the palm of his hand before it would be elongated in the shape of a long sword, one shaped like a cross with its tip pointed straight at Kimiko. Losing himself to the great panic that had gripped his heart whole, he would grab the hilt of the weapon with both hands before then attempting to shove the weapon straight into the Captain's back. Unfortunately for the man, he was too slow. Much too slow. Such would be what he would realize in the moment following the beginning of his attack, as no sooner than a split-second later, he would notice that Shinigami had turned her gaze to look at him straight over her shoulder.

A second later, the man's cries resonated across the area as he now knelt on the ground with two bloody stumps in the place of his hands. They were long, filled with pain and horror, and heavy as his blood was being let loose from his body at a rapid pace. Kimiko remained silent as he screamed, staring down at him with judging eyes before she eventually growled: "This is on you." Her voice was dark, cold, and angry. It was clear that she did not appreciate what that man had tried to do to her. "Last chance. Where is the rest of your team? Where. Are. They?" 

The hand-less man would begin to hyperventilate from the agony and terror he was both experiencing in the moment. In an instant, the fear of death had completely destroyed his sense of logic and reasoning, and he had dearly paid the price. Though he now realized this, it was much too late for him to come out of this unscathed. Therefore, upon being asked the question again, he would tearfully look up again towards Kimiko and sniff. "T-They are... w-with the Emperor..." he attempted to answer then, with a trembling voice that was suddenly becoming calmer and calmer then. "The E-Emperor... protects us... a-and he... he will punish you... Y-You will pay for what you did... a-all of you...!" A smile then came to him. Somehow, it breached through his cries and his pain. "The Emperor... T-The Emperor... protects..."

Kimiko would watch then as the man then stumbled forward and simply continued to breathe heavily. It was clear to her that his usefulness had come to an end, as he was now beginning to go into shock, which will eventually culminate with him ultimately falling unconscious. The only thing that would then follow that without treatment for his arms would be death by blood loss. As shameful as it was for the Captain to kill someone in such a way, especially someone who could have allowed her to learn more about what was going on in this forest, she at least knew that of the intruders' nature now. They were Vandenreich, there were more than one, and they were as driven to serve their leader than just about any member of the shadowy empire one could imagine. That was more than enough for Kimiko to then and simply listen to her surroundings. If he was not alone, and if he was here just now... then that meant that there was at least someone out there running away.

It would not take long for her to hear footsteps in the distance. It was faint, but she could hear them heading north from their position, following the brook. Upon hearing this, the Captain would clench her teeth before unsheathing her sword towards the direction of the noise. "Jūichibantai! Charge! Don't let them escape!" She called loudly then, causing her subordinates to immediately let out various war cries before starting to run in the direction of the fleeing Quincy, with Kimiko leading them just to make sure that they were going the right direction. Since there a bit of foliage in the area, it would be somewhat difficult to spot the figures in the distance. However, as they proceeded further and further onward, they would begin to see specks of white in the distance. Here they were, the people of the Vandenreich who had suddenly decided to come to the Soul Society. Only about a minute later, the Shinigami were able to reach them in-between the trees... and what ensued was a bloody battle between archers and swordsmen.

Instantly, the peaceful forest would explode with cries and shouts expressing various intense emotions. Some were angry, some were fearful, some were brave and others foolish. Either way, in such a place filled with many obstacles, it would be difficult for the Quincy to pull out their bow before the Shinigami could reach them, and so they found themselves on the losing side of the battle. As the battle went on, officer after officer would fall, with each corpse clad in white finding themselves covered in horrible sword wounds. It was clear that the previous order which had been told by the Captain was being ignored in favor of something else. With their heightened will, this band of the Eleventh had begun to form the idea that the recent invasions against the Soul Society were partly caused by the people of the Vandenreich, in part due to their presence here and the presence of a Quincy during the attack against Central 46. Unfortunately, the sneak attack of the cowardly swordsman from before had only accentuated that belief, and now, this battle was slowly turning into a one-sided massacre.

As the battle raged on, Kimiko would stand by, watching as her eyes went from officer to officer. It was very clear to her that most of the Quincy here were not responsible for whatever they were doing here, and that they were too committed to their cause to bother informing her about it. Like the man with the golden eyes she had met only a few months prior, they most likely believed that to reveal any information about their operation would be an affront to their Emperor's will, and unlike him, they would most likely not talk in detail about their decision. So, she waited for a culprit to show up. She waited, and waited, and waited still, hoping to see someone amidst the archers who was responsible for this mess, all the while doing nothing to stop her people. At this point, the Quincy had attacked first. They entirely deserved what was happening to them for the time being. They should have never come here, not when the Soul Society was still recovering from its wounds.

It was during this period of observation that Kimiko's eyes eventually found themselves locking onto an anomaly. The sound of the killings around her stopped, and she simply found herself staring with a look of confusion. There stood... what appeared to be a teenager. She was much shorter than the Captain, blonde, with a strange bow in her hands. For a moment, the superior officer thought that she was perhaps akin to one of the younger-looking souls of Rukongai, people like Kazuhiko who appeared young, but were rather old in reality. However, eventually, she was reminded of the fact that the Quincy were not souls, but rather Humans in nature, and that therefore, child-like beings were rarer amidst their kind. Moreover, the look that this one was giving to her was one of inexperience, of terror. It was the kind of expression that only a pure soul would sport upon witnessing the horrors of war, one of utmost innocence.

Taking a few steps forward, the Captain would keep an eye on the small Quincy. She did not fear her bow. If anything, she felt worry, mainly for what she thought this person was supposed to be. Should this person not shoot her, she would eventually stop not too far from the girl, perhaps three or four meters away, all the while the battles raged on all around them. In spite of this, for Kimiko at least, it would almost seem as though the entire area had gone silent. She herself would remain as such for a time, before eventually, she would feel the need to speak.

 "... How old are you?"

The question was asked with a softer tone. It was devoid of the fury that once fueled it, of the frustration, of the sheer unadulterated energy. Instead, what remained within it was disbelief, and perhaps a bit of hope. She wanted to be wrong on this. She wanted her assumption to be wrong, to be so far from the truth. Deep down, however, she felt that what she was seeing was exactly what she thought this girl was, if only because Lucien was a living proof of the Emperor's repulsive charisma.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Technique Used}
Technique Name: Akuma no Ishi (剃るかんめき, "Demon's Will")

Technique Type: Other | Strength of Will Buff

Technique Element: None

Usable by: All races

Class: 3

Technique Reiatsu Cost: N/A

Technique Description and Effects

The projection of one's own will to empower the hearts of others. The user channels the strength of their very soul within themselves before shouting it out, most typically either in a short inspirational speech or a motivational war cry. By accomplishing this, the user is capable of bringing forth the Strength of Will skill of all of their surrounding allies by one point for the next three posts, inspiring them to go further beyond towards victory even if such a thing may cost their lives. A master of this skill is said to have such a powerful will that they are able to instead bring the aforementioned skill of their allies up by two points.


Drawbacks & Weaknesses

As saddening as this may be to those who may be interested in learning this technique, not everyone is born with a powerful will. That is simply a natural, uncontested fact that cannot be refuted even by the greatest minds there is in this world. In so doing, it is not difficult to imagine that this technique will not always show any kind of positive effect onto the people surrounding them, especially if they are used by naturally-uninspiring individuals. In order to guarantee this technique's proper success, the user must possess a 2 in at least one of the following skills: Acting, Charisma, or Strength of Will. This technique can be executed by those who have a lesser version of these skills if they so will it; however, upon execution, there will be a 50% chance of this skill failing to provide any kind of inspiration to allies altogether.


Made by: Nakajima Kimiko

Reserved? : No

[Ruhe Krieger]

Ruhe found herself in this moment asked a crucial question. Approached by the worst of the worst potential foes. How old was she? The little girl before Kimiko froze for a few seconds. Before then she answered the most horrible answer. "T-Thirteen." So she recalled. Though as people were being slain about her, she slowly found herself taking faster and faster breaths. As her unit was facing the brink of annihilation. This was different. It felt like her world was cracking and falling apart.

Her eyes were filled with horror, uncertainty, and with it, she could feel as if multiple eyes were on her. Tears welled up in her eyes at this slaughter. Memories filled her, of when she begged for her life. How they flayed her. Grated her flesh with their blade. Why did it have to be this way?! She wanted someone to hold her right now. Tell her it was going to be okay. For everyone to stop dying. It was there that Ruhe's hands dropped her bow, letting it deform, as she held both sides of her head.

Stop it. Stop it! Stop it! "STOP IT! STAAAAAAHP!" She cries out in a shrill scream, and with it, a powerful spiritual presence fills the area. So much so that the trees and stones crack underneath the force. A reverberating shaking as the world goes numb. Power unrestrained as everyone in the area could feel it. From the members of the eleventh division, even those wielding Shikai would feel the weight of gravitational pressure, bearing down upon them as they might feel bogged down. Though the same went for her allies.

Within the next few moments. The weakest members of either faction may find themselves weak kneed, perhaps even falling to the floor, or unconscious from the force exerted. Rune had thought she'd seen horrible things before. She'd lived through many bad things in her short life. However, she'd never seen a proper war front. Never seen a skirmish or people die in such numbers. Never seen a slaughter. Her eyes shook with tears for a moment, and all she knew was she desperately wanted an end to the fighting. She wanted to shrink. Fade away and be small. Vanish. 

A hot stream of tears flashed her face, and with it, she found breathing was hard. Looking to the members of the Vreich. Looking to the black robed reapers around her, she found herself remembering what Amalia told her. That they would kill her. Maim and torture her simply for existing. That the battle between Shinigami and Quincy was just as much her battle as was her ancestor's. Ruhe desired a loving touch. She wanted it all her life, and as a result she always tried to act like the ideal soldier, despite hiding her true strength.

A paragon of virtue. Religious but not uselessly zealotous. Honest. Ruhe tried to be a light in the eyes of others and save her comrades. Now she was reduced to tears, looking at Kimiko, with that terror filled gaze as her breath hitched. Her chest rose and sank unsteadily as she looked to the reapers around her. As they focused inwards on her. They were going to kill her. Weren't they? She could tell based on their look. It was just like the nightmare she had. Vengeful. Angry. 

[Nakajima Kimiko]

Thirteen. The girl that was standing before Kimiko was only thirteen years old. For a moment, the Captain would simply stare back at the girl as she probably registered that answer. At first, her gaze was simply frozen, stuck onto the early emotions she felt when she asked her previous question. "Thirteen..." she would repeat to herself then with that same softened voice, with her eyes blinking slowly. However, as it went on, this gaze would begin to break. Twisting itself, it would go through several emotions once. Confusion, disbelief, anger. They all flew off with great speed, with each emotion she displayed becoming worse and worse until, eventually, it settled onto a final visage. It was one of disgust, of hatred, not for the girl who was standing before her, but rather for the people that she and her comrades had slain. No, not them. They too were lost. More specifically, this look of hers would be directed towards the one true culprit responsible for this mess: the Emperor of the Vandenreich.

It had now become official to Kimiko. In her eyes, in her thoughts, in her very core, she now believed that the Emperor - in his shameless display of control and dominance - believed that using children was a worthy tactic to employ in the war between himself and the Shinigami. He was so dedicated to his work, so driven to put an end to everything, that he believed his cause worthy to be carried forward by the poor, the weak, and the undeserving. How... dare he? How dare he put this child in danger? How dare he sent her to war with the likely pretense that he had saved her in one way or another, like how he had saved Lucien? How dare he manipulate her in her first years, and attempt to turn her into something that she did not need to be? How could someone had fallen so far as to think that a child was actually worthy of being sent on a battlefield in his name? And for what? To put an end to the world? To condemn her too, like how everybody else but himself will be condemned as well?

For a very brief moment as she experienced those intense emotions, the Captain wished to appear before the Emperor within his Silbern and put an end to his wretched life right then and there. She wished to cut his head off, and leave his headless corpse there for everyone to see, as an example of what not to become. But of course, she knew that was impossible; after all, she did not know where the Silbern is, and even she did, to attack the Emperor so directly would be akin to suicide. Her instincts would not allow her to do such a thing and neither would her Inner Hollow. As such, instead, she would look on towards the nearest wielder of the cross, a woman who had somehow survived the damage that had been dealt to her, albeit not enough so that she could currently push herself off the ground. The look she gave to the fallen woman was akin to a fearsome dragon's. "So this is where the Vandenreich is at now? Child soldiers?!" She asked the officer as spiritual energy began to be expelled from her being, causing the grass and the grounds nearest to her to crack from the pressure. Unbeknownst to her, her eyes almost appeared to turned more silvery as she expressed her anger right then and there. "How dare you! This is no place for a child!"

The female archer would shiver as she experienced the Captain's intense gaze. Like the man from before, she was absolutely terrified of Kimiko. Something about the way she spoke and allowed her spiritual energy to increasingly push everything down around her as she became angrier and angrier was enough to create a great fear within the woman's heart, enough so that it left her mute. Fortunately for her, Kimiko would not be the one who would kill her today, and therefore, she would be spared the horrific death that would have most likely awaited should the Captain have had it her way. Unfortunately, she would die anyway, as all so suddenly, she would feel a great pressure on her body that would cause the blood from her wounds to seep out even faster, accelerating her blood loss. She would not be the only who would suffer this fate, as many others would be affected by this rising pressure, whether they be Shinigami or Quincy. The only one who was not affected by this new force was Kimiko, who now found herself looking at the person responsible for its presence as everything around them was pushed away.

Somehow, the girl was the one who expelled the spiritual energy. In her horror, the little one had let out a scream, and upon doing so, she had liberated a portion of her power. This caused several of Kimiko's subordinates to be taken by surprise, with a few becoming unconscious, which was enough to cause the Captain to clench her teeth.  You gotta be kidding me...  Her thoughts swore then as her scarlet eyes analyzed the situation. If her deduction here was correct, this sudden release of energy proved that the child was unfortunately gifted with great spiritual power. No wonder the filthy Emperor had decided to send her here on this very battlefield. He wasn't sending her to her death like Kimiko had first believed; instead, he was most likely betting that she could develop her power with combat experience, all so that she could then potentially become a better asset for him. There could not be any other reason within Kimiko's judgemental mind. None.

In any case, it was becoming very clear that the child was not in a right state of mind. Whether it was her first time witnessing such a battle or not, she had been left a panicking mess, and there was no way to tell what would happen if this would be allowed to go on. But what was Kimiko supposed to do here? She was not going to slay this child, and she was not going to allow her subordinates to slay her either. In fact, she'd rather they entirely leave this matter to her, as it was doubtful they would be able to handle her. It did not even seem as though Bushida himself was able to withstand her energy, and he was among the stronger officers that had decided to join this operation. Upon being left with his problem to solve, the Captain would frown in an attempt to further focus on the matter at hand. Eventually, she would call towards her subordinates with a swift tone: "Stay away from her. All of you. Don't come close."

The words would not really reassure the nearby Shinigami. Although their surprise and frustration to the idea of being taken by surprise by a meek little girl was palpable, they too appeared unsure of what to do. Most of the Vandenreich officers had been taken care of, whether through immobilization or plain death, so the only person around that needed to be dealt with was the child. It was not fun for them to have to deal with a child soldier, especially not when it was clear some of them were reminded of their siblings living in Rukongai, but a mission was a mission, and they thus needed to take care of her in one way or another. After all, if they do not finish the mission and reveal the reason behind their leave to anyone within Seireitei, what would happen to them would be rather unclear. Even so, upon receiving their directive, they would stand back from the fallen men and women of the cross, and simply watch from further away, giving space to Kimiko and the child.

Once this space was made, the Captain's gaze returned to the child. The superior officer could tell that she was not well. The tears, the panic, the fear, it was all there. In a way, she was acting very similarly to the man she had dismembered only moments prior. The difference between him and the girl so far, however, was that her behavior appeared to be less so defensive and more so pleading. Kimiko didn't feel as though this girl was going to attempt to attack her while she was not looking, and she didn't feel as though her faith in the Emperor was going to make her do something stupid. As such, upon coming to this conclusion, the Captain would remain there. She would not approach the girl, and she would not unsheathe her blades. Instead, she would speak with her hands positioned away from her weapons, as a sign of peace. "Okay. We're done. We stopped," she would say then with a slow and soft tone, trying to reach the girl as calmly as she could. "The fighting's over. We're not gonna do anything else."

She would then purposefully remain silent then, mostly as a means to make sure the child could understand that she truly did not mean any harm to her. It was doubtful that the Quincy was going to believe her, but she'd rather start off this conversation like this than in any other way. If she held even a shred of intensity in her voice, the girl would most likely panic again and a battle would most certainly ensue, which is the last thing Kimiko wants to do right about now. Just seeing this little one wielding a spiritual bow was enough to remind her of the infected children she has had to slay so long ago. "My name is Kimiko. I'm from the Eleventh Division. I don't want to hurt you," she eventually continued once she believed it was right for her to do so. "What's your name?"

[Ruhe Krieger]

There was a seeming raging outcry, and before she knew it? Ruhe was alone. Largely. Up until there was an ask of what her name was. An approach, even with open hands, as she looked out at all the dead before her. "Private Krieger", a voice called to her from along the ground. "Fool." Those words reminded her of Amalia. How she often called her foolish, naive, or misguided. Before he then looks upon her through gritted teeth. "Fight. Do you have no loyalty?! No devotion? No respect for authority?!" Ruhe looked on, and with it, she was aware of how terrible this looked. "You deserve execution for this cowardice. Auschwalen." 

It was there that Ruhe looked to the sky. As if expecting the bathing white light to slam down upon her. Reduce her into nothingness as the Emperor would come claim his due. Yet. It never came. Maybe because the Emperor pitied her. Maybe because he knew that she did hold some devotion. That she would do as he bid, one way or another. "My name h-h-is Ruhe." She claims, wiping her eyes, though she didn't seem any less afraid. She took a few steps backwards. Stopping, as she felt her foot step on something soft. Turning, she saw one of her fellow privates. Gutted with a blade, their head lolled to the side, as their life's blood coated her boots. She stepped on his hand.

Her heart was hurting. It was pounding like a drum. 

"Mother. M-Mother!" She wanted her so desperately right now. Even though the only looks she'd ever gotten from her were looks of disgust and disdain. Because she'd robbed her of the firstborn. Because she had no talent. How she remembered when they dyed her hair blue. To mark her. How they disdained and rejected her, taken from her the childhood she perhaps could have had. How she had been told that her life meant so little at the end of things. They said they weren't going to hurt her, and yet, they just killed everyone around her. Her emotions were running rampant and wild.

Her right hand had risen to the cross around her neck, she clenched onto it most desperately. Something that was drastically different between Ruhe and other Vandenreich Quincy was that she was not born and raised into the life. She had become part of it, through coercion and a need for protection. A promise of love and community. Though she did not feel as if she'd gotten those things. Ruhe found herself with an outside perspective, and though her experiences were limited, she wasn't so brainwashed as others were. Yet, when she saw something like this? She couldn't help but be afraid, and find validation in what she'd been told. Everything they talked about seemed real in more ways than one. Ruhe didn't want to die.

Nor did she truly desire to kill people. Stepping backwards further, she found her hands rising to her face, feeling an instinctual need to sob. After all, it felt like as if there was no way out. As if everyone was going to die, or already had. As if she was powerless in more ways than one. Ruhe found herself looking at Kimiko and her supposed softness, that look she gave, and yet, couldn't see what she was trying to convey. Instead, she saw the dark robes. The blades along her hip. She saw everyone around her, and she couldn't help but feel anxiety. Ruhe felt as if she was about to piss herself. How couldn't she? She was letting everyone down. Wasn't she? 

Tension was rising, and it seemed as if there was a seeming interest in Ruhe. Who she was. What she was. Though Kimiko's squad viewed her as a blatantly evident threat. One that needed to be rid of. Yet, what did that mean? It almost felt as if she was being lulled into a false sense of security. So they could capture her. So they could do that again. Ruhe desperately realized she was being boxed in, and she felt as if she was running out of options. The pressure was gnawing on her. This little girl had seen and experienced another terrible thing. There was only so much she could take before she was going to snap. 

[Nakajima Kimiko]

With the girl quietened and the battlefield somewhat cleared for the Captain to use in her attempts to solve the problem at hand, Kimiko believed that the situation could be kept under control. It was going to be difficult for her to do so, especially in such a tense situation, but she believed that it could work. All she needed to do was be patient, not resort to any form of violence or intensity that could scare the child, and talk it all out so as to come a satisfying conclusion for both parties. This way, she could perhaps learn more about the girl, about why she was here, and ultimately, why these people of cross were even here to begin with, all the while not even so much as unsheathing her blades once again. It wasn't how she usually did things, especially when the person she was speaking to was clearly meant to be her enemy; however, this particular case was exceptional, and she knew that there unfortunately would be no way around it.

But as she tried to remain patient in the silence that she settled for herself in the moment, she would hear a voice. It was mean, commanding, authoritative, and it held great contempt. Ignoring the fact that it called the child a Private which meant that she had some form of combat experience already, Kimiko would note the awfully-critical tone that it carried along with it. It called the girl names. It asked her to fight, accused of her being incapable of serving those who have ordered her to work as a warrior. It even went as far as to call for her death. The more it continued, the more Kimiko felt a great need to shut it up. Nevertheless, she remained quiet. It took every ounce of energy within her being for her not to unsheathe her blades and cut his jaw in half, but she did it. "Don't listen to him. Ignore him. Just look at me," she spoke slowly again, trying to reach the girl who had been fearfully looking away towards the sky in her panic. If the owner of the voice becomes problematic again... Hopefully, she will be patient enough by then to resist the urge to kill them.

The girl would eventually reveal her name to the Captain: Ruhe. This confirmed that her full name, in accordance to the voice's words, was Ruhe Krieger. It was a very German name, the kind to expect from members of the Vandenreich or from Quincy altogether, so Kimiko wasn't too surprised. However, she felt that this was good. Now that they knew each other's name, they could better converse with one another, and perhaps this could lead to be capable of forming some kind of connection. It didn't need to be a great connection or even so much as a good one. No, of course not, for that would be impossible now that the girl had seen such horrors. All the Captain needed was the minimum, the flimsiest of connections. That way, the tension could be slowly tuned down, and there would be no need for anyone here to fight one another. Such a thing would most likely lead to the girl's capture... but it would at least not lead to bloodshed.

Such a thing would have been possible should the battlefield have been empty. Unfortunately, however, Kimiko had failed to realize that there were still many Quincy bodies currently surrounding their positions. Therefore, it would not take long for the little Ruhe to find herself stepping back, and then have her eyes fall upon one of the fallen. The expected came to be almost instantly. Shocked, Kimiko would watch as the child would then begin to feel another panic attack and outright call for her mother. The reaction was such that the superior officer barely knew what to do when the attack started. She dealt with children from time to time; after all, she was a dojo master, and there were many children who wished to become her students. With that said, even when they almost made a terrible mistake while handling their blade, none of her younger students had even so much as shown such a deep need to run to their parent. None of them.

"Ruhe! Ruhe, calm down! We're not going to hurt you!" She would try to call to the girl, somewhat overwhelmed by the horror of the situation. Dealing with a child soldier was one thing, but dealing with one that found herself so entrenched in the terrors of war that they were practically having an emotional breakdown right in front of her was another matter entirely. Unfortunately, deep down, Kimiko knew that this was not going anywhere. She was not a good enough talker to properly calm the child down, and she was not in an ideal environment to convince her that everything was indeed going to be okay for her. But then, again, what else was she supposed to do? Would she need to knock the girl out? Worse, would she actually need to fight her in order to protect her subordinates from whatever Ruhe had expelled from herself earlier? The signs were pointing her towards the latter path, yet she was deeply hoping that there could be another way for her to deal with this.

The girl's sobbing continued, and so did Kimiko's powerlessness. Her soft voice was not convincing. Her demeanor was not reaching the child. Instead, the longer this went on, the more panicked she appeared to become, and it was making the Captain worried of what she may have to do. The men and women under her command were watching it all unfold from a distance with looks of horror and clenched teeth of hesitation. They too understood that this was a difficult situation, and they too did not know what to do. As she remained there, standing with her hands firmly away from her blades, Kimiko began to think again... yet as she thought, options would not be what would come to her. Instead, it would be the awful reminder that she heard from a man with golden eyes. Even now, she could almost recall their conversation perfectly, atop a building near a burning restaurant within the Living World.

The Shinigami oppressed the Quincy, and forbade us ever wield our powers, even in self-defense. A mother would be expected to stand by while a Hollow butchered her child in front of her eyes, possessing the power to save her beloved child, but forbidden to wield it,  Lucien's voice would echo in her mind then, while he explained the still-ongoing feud between Shinigami and Quincy. It was soft, yet studious, the kind of voice that would be used by a preacher or a man of good faith.  Simply being a Quincy was enough cause to bring a Shinigami's sword down upon one's neck. Even the Quincy who wished to cooperate were massacred without trial or question.  Kimiko did not believe that was the case. Really, she only thought that he was exaggerating in order to make his cause appear more just, but now, she was beginning to realize how engraved the fear of the Shinigami had been within the very souls of the Quincy now that she witnessing Ruhe's reactions. This wasn't simple fear of the Shinigami. This was... utter terror, the kind that could be brought about by trauma.

It was possible that the terror in question wasn't really caused by anything special, but rather by the fear of death. Ruhe was surrounded by Shinigami, after all, and she was on her own. For all Kimiko knew, she was simply horrified by the fact that the possibility of dying either by the Captain's hands or by her subordinates' was there, which would not be surprising considering the state of her squadmates and her age. However, the swordswoman knew the difference between the fear of death and any other fear; after all, she had seen the former firsthand about a thousand times now, maybe even a couple of times more. This was purer, fear brought about by something deep within the girl. What could have this girl gone through to make her fear the Shinigami so powerfully? What could make her this desperate to run away from her right then and there, away from it all, before any of nearby officers would be able to take her into custody?

Kimiko did not know, and slowly, she was starting to think that she needed to. Thus, with a slow breath, she would attempt to reach the girl again. "Ruhe, please, listen to me. Nobody here wants to fight you. Nobody wants to hurt you," she spoke slowly once again. "Look... I don't know why you're here, but we can talk this out. I promise you that we can. I will not let anyone here hurt you, not even this guy." She would quickly hang her back towards the direction of the commanding officer on the ground. "You don't deserve to be here. I can make sure that we bring you away from the Soul Society, somewhere safe."

[Ruhe Krieger]

They tried to reassure her. Yet, as she saw the scale of everything around her? She realized she was in a small field of dead. They said they wouldn't hurt her, and yet, they killed everyone else. Her superiors were either dead or downed. The thought of being killed was one thing. She'd nearly died a few times now. The thought was what they would do to her if she was captured. Her voice was caught in her throat, and as she clenched tightly to her cross, she found herself retreating farther and farther back. As she was circled. Up until the terrified thing screamed out to them all.

"STAY AWAY! AHAAAAGH!" Instinctively, she activated something. Her heart property becoming active, as she found herself overwhelmed. Everyone might have felt that spike in energy for a second. The moment where Ruhe would become a threat. Though that energy swiftly died down. For in those next moments, she felt something. Looking downwards, she saw the blades, sticking out of her chest. The blood stained blade, as she slowly looked upwards in shock. In truth. This was the first time using her power in combat this way. From the blood that rest on it, she truly believed that she'd been run through. Her eyes looked widened with shock. 

The blood wasn't her own. Though she thought it was. 

Ruhe's small hand rose to the blade sticking through her, until her hand seems to go limp. Because she realized it didn't hurt. Was this what dying was like? As the blade was wrenched out from her back, she falls onto her knees, before then falling forward. Amidst the corpses. Her white cap falling from her head. As she laid still. Her eyes so stunned that one might think she was a corpse. Before she realized it. She was alive. Though face to face with the corpse of one of her fellow Quincy, she could see her own reflection in its eyes. It was there that she felt it. The blood. It smelled like iron. She could feel it run in and soak into her body. With a gasp. 

She gives a gag of disgust as the blood reacts. Spraying from her mouth along the ground. Because that crimson substance went inside her. It became part of her. Though it would only further add to that illusion of death. Ruhe had just experienced what it was like to die. To have been stabbed through the heart. Thump. Thump. Ruhe suddenly felt everything become incredibly still and yet loud at the same time. As her heart pumped even faster. Thump. Thump. Ruhe felt the terror wash over her, as if it were waves. The crushing pressure as she felt her heart pounding even faster. Harder.

Thump thump thump thump thump. Thump! If anyone was still paying attention to her at this point. She felt reiatsu flow into her person. Both along the cross on her neck and the bracelet along her wrist. Her spiritual energy began to skyrocket and wash over the area, as the pressure was overbearing. Everyone around her. Kimiko could then see that the blood that spilled from Ruhe began trickling back inwards towards her. The blood of her comrades.

The blood that was spilled. The blood of his Majesty was strong in her. It beckoned, and as it fell inwards, Ruhe moved. The hole sealing shut. It might have made Ruhe look as if she magically healed. Slowly, she began to rise onto her knees and feet. Though she didn't seem to say anything. How could she? After that experience? Though her eyes were still stricken with that terror lashed expression. Her clothes splattered with blood. "Ah...h..."

SPOILER: Click to show

Reiatsu Remaining:
1500/1500

-400 Heart Property (Sundering)
-200 20 feet of water absorption

+600 Cross / Fragment (75% Reduction)

+10 feet of water passive absorption.

30 feet of water (blood) absorbed.

Stats:
Strength:(100x.7)=70
Speed:300
Spiritual Pressure:150
Reiatsu Strength:(400x1.5)=600
Light Aura:100
Dark Aura:0
Instinct:150
Senses:100
Energy Sensory:0
Wound Expertise:0

Total:1200




Skills:

Battle Analysis:3
Pain Tolerance:2
Damage Recovery:2
Weapons(Bows):3

10/16 SKP

[Nakajima Kimiko]

Kimiko could feel the effects of her words lessen and lessen the further the seconds flew by. Though she was able to get Ruhe's name, it was once again clear to her that the child could not be reached, whether it be by a wielder of the cross or a wielder of the blade. No matter how calm her tone could be then, and no matter how truthful she was then with the girl, the only thing the Captain's words brought about within Ruhe's heart was simply more fear, and it showed. It was like watching an emotional car wreck somehow evolve into a train wreck.  This isn't working... She's not calming down...  the fact echoed within the superior officer's mind as she analyzed the situation a little bit further, all the while a faint chuckle could be heard from the darkest corners of her mind. Combined, the crying and the cackling only made things worse, and together, they brought about yet another fault within Kimiko's behavior. Once again, she hesitated and froze.

In this moment of weakness, the world around the Captain became mute. She could no longer hear Ruhe, the nearby trees, the rushing brook, and her subordinates that made sure to keep themselves away from it all. Instead, all that remained was but the beat of her heart and the flow of the thoughts which pulsed against the insides of her mind.  What do I do? What do I do...?  The thoughts asked over and over, with each spoken question becoming louder and louder every time they would be brought about. This was not Kimiko's field of expertise. She was not good at calming people down. What she was good at was bringing them up, encouraging them to become beings greater than themselves. However, this was not the time for encouragement. There was no way she would be able to encourage a child to become a better warrior while she was experiencing the equivalent of a mental breakdown, all the while being surrounded by her dead comrades. To do so would be heartless and potentially just make things so much worse than they already were.

So then, what could she do? The truth of the matter that kept appearing in Kimiko's mind was... nothing. There was nothing that she could really do here. No matter the path taken or the decision she would make, there would always be a deep negative. Talking to Ruhe was seemingly impossible, and it appeared as though the mere idea of a Shinigami talking to her was enough to traumatize her. Leaving her here on her own would cause her to be stuck in the wilds alone, and it would be akin to killing her. Capturing her would most likely lead her into a cell within Seireitei, after which she would then either be tortured in order to gather information about the Vandenreich's operations, or plainly executed solely because she was a soldier of the Vandenreich. In the end, despite her efforts to summon an alternate path, Kimiko would always find herself being shot straight towards what she was starting to believe would be the eventual conclusion to this situation. This conclusion was death... either Ruhe's, her soldiers', or her own.

Death is to be expected in war. It is a logistical outcome that simply cannot be avoided, for to promote the efforts of war and to lead these efforts into war is ultimately a means to bring death upon an enemy. As the Captain of the Attack Squad, Kimiko was very well-aware of the fact. She herself had caused death so many times that, at this point, she could barely recall the amount of beings she has killed. There were Hollows, of course, creatures that she purified for the benefit of the Soul Society and the cycle of souls. The demons that attacked the heavenly realm were amongst them as well, the wastes of the world whom she believed their death to be right, for they were swiftly returned to where they belonged after their demise. Then, there were Fullbringers, Quincy, and even fellow Shinigami who had betrayed the Soul Society. The Captain of the Eleventh battled them all equally as responsible warriors, people who had made their choice willingly. Thus, she warred as the leader of the Attack Squad should. She fought and she killed, because in the end, she believed herself to be right.

All it took for this belief to be twisted for one particular context was a child soldier. No, not a child soldier. Ruhe could really barely be called as such. She was a child who was brought here against her will as a meat shield, something to parade in order to make the Shinigami ashamed of themselves. It was the work of monsters, of a filthy community worshiping a filthy leader, one who was brought down so low that he now promoted the use of the innocent as means to defend one's self and promote the "evil" of the Shinigami. It was all so disgusting from Kimiko's point of view... but it worked. She was not happy about this, and was already beginning to regret what was going to happen once she would find herself forced to employ self-defense against Ruhe. However, with the way things were going, it appeared as though she would not have a choice. Either she would have to kill Ruhe, or somehow, she would need to incapacitate her, something that she wasn't sure of how she would do just yet.

But as she slowly came closer and closer to that conclusion, another voice within Kimiko's head would resonate. It was more powerful than the ones who asked the questions. First far away, it could barely be heard, but after a time, it became louder and louder still. It was the voice of denial, of refusal.  No!  It called loud and clear within the Captain's head, causing her to take a deep breath. Eventually, the calling became clearer, and it turned into orders.  Don't justify them! Don't prove them right!  It ordered, pushing Kimiko towards the path that she refused to take from the beginning. She was good at encouraging people. She knew that, everybody knew that. So if she was good at encouraging people, no matter how heartless it may appear right here and right now... then she might as well try to encourage Ruhe out of this stupor of hers. It was worth a try, if not to at least bring the child further up towards the Captain's level. Thus, even as the girl's spiritual energy rose before her as she screamed once more, the Captain clenched her teeth and called as her own power began to rise. "No, Ruhe! I won't stay away until you pull yourself together! I want to help you, but I can't do that unless you calm down! Push the fear away! I know you can do it! Push it!"

A wave of spiritual energy would then be emanated from Kimiko. However, unlike Ruhe's, it would not push anything away. Far from it. Instead of doing so, it would inspire. It would hearten, motivate. The Captain had achieved this process several times before with a multitude of people, even Hollows, and every time she did it, they always felt stronger as they partook in her emotional power. She wasn't sure of what kind of effect this was going to have on Ruhe, especially given that she feared the Shinigami. For all she knew, it would maybe incentivize her not to cooperate, but rather to fight back against Kimiko. Hell, it might even convince her that killing Shinigami would be a good idea. However, at this point, it was worth a try, and quite frankly, the dojo master would much prefer fighting someone who was at the very least somewhat in control of themselves rather than someone who felt as though they were about to fall apart at any given moment.

But then, just before Kimiko could see if anything positive would come out of this... she saw a blade suddenly come out of the child's chest, immediately putting an end to the hope that the superior officer had been holding for this process. Witnessing the scene unfold, her eyes would widen and she would freeze as she watched the girl appear as though she almost immediately succumbed to shock before falling down onto the ground. Upon doing so, she would reveal a man with a blade in his hand. His piercing eyes were wide open, burning with venom as he remained on his knees, barely able to stand due to a wound on his left leg that almost caused it to be dismembered. He was not a Shinigami. No. He was a member of the Vandenreich, one who owned a voice that Kimiko recognized instantly. "Calling out for your mother before our mortal enemies... You stupid child!" He spat as he removed his blade from Ruhe's chest following her fall. "Such waste... is unworthy of carrying the Emperor's name!" 

The Captain and the surrounding Shinigami stood in what seemed like shock after what just happened. The most of them knew that the Vandenreich were dedicated to their mission. However, this was beyond anything they had seen thus far. Never would they have thought that they would both use and discard child soldiers so easily and with such hatred in their heart, and upon seeing this, a flare of spiritual energy came from them all. The greatest flare amongst them, though, came from Kimiko. She had been trying to save this girl from the fate that awaited her so long as she remained in the Soul Society for a while now, and all it took for her efforts to come crashing down... was this. As her spiritual energy quickly began to flatten the grounds around her, the Quincy would clench his teeth before looking up towards the Captain. Upon seeing her, he burning gaze deepened. "So this is the fearsome Captain of the Attack Squad? You... are so weak!" A scoff then came from him, one of derision and loathing. "Did you... really think that kind words would be enough to convince us to stand down?! Did you?!"

The man's anger was palpable as it echoed throughout the area, and at this point, the officers who were following Kimiko's orders by now had grown tired of doing so. Slowly, they would find themselves stepping forward with clenched teeth and angry eyes, ready to put him down. Yet as they found themselves staring at their Captain, they would quickly stop and find themselves standing back as they noticed the bodies around her crack from the rising pressure. Given the degenerating state of the swordswoman's surroundings, it was perhaps best that they do so. Blinking, the man would watch as Kimiko's eyes focused onto him, wide opened as she herself remained quiet. Eventually, though, her voice would come out of her lips in a low tone. "No. I didn't think I could convince you. There was no way that I could do that," she first replied before she then clenched her teeth and growled. "But I thought I could convince her, and you made sure that wouldn't happen." 

For a split-second, it would almost appear as the Quincy was about to immediately provide a retort to that claim. Unfortunately for him, he would not have the time to proclaim this retort, as the moment he was about to open his mouth, the Captain would suddenly appear in front of him. "Shut up!" Her voice boomed in the man's ears before, suddenly, the sound of metal being swung in the air ringed powerfully between both she and the man of the cross. This process occurred very quickly, though no one would be unable to witness the man being pushed down towards the ground as Kimiko's black blade entered his mouth in a horizontal fashion, then slammed itself straight against the insides of his jaw. The sheer power behind the act as well as the cutting proficiency of the Zanpakuto was enough to cause the jaw to immediately be cut off and sent flying across the battlefield. A yelp came from the main after this all occurred, and quickly, he retreated away from Kimiko after he was "freed" from the blade's pull. However, by the time he realized what had happened, he could only gurgle, all the while his white clothes would quickly cover themselves in blood.

Wielding an expression of great rage, the woman would then quickly move forward before sheathing her blade, then grabbing its scabbard with a firm hand. Then, with wild red eyes, she would slide the scabbard out of her obi sash before smashing it straight against what remained of the man's left cheek. This would cause the man to gurgle in pain as he was sent flying before sliding against the ground towards the nearby Shinigami officers. None of the officers were disturbed by the sight; if anything, they all appeared quite glad that the Quincy had ended up in such a terrible state. "Stop the bleeding! We're gonna take that child-murderer back with us, and give him to Squad 12!" Kimiko's voice would resonate angrily throughout the area as she gave an order to her subordinates. "I want to know why these assholes were here, and why Ruhe was with them! We won't allow these cowards to attack the Soul Society like this! Not now, not ever!" 

Needless to say, she was incensed. The anger was flowing within her like a valve had suddenly exploded, and now all that remained was a wild rush of uncontrollable water barging through any and all resistance there was. To think that this situation ended like this. To think that a soldier of the Vandenreich would be so cruel that not only would he treat a child like nothing more than a weapon for a man on a throne with barely any agency here, but also as something that he could discard at any moment like a wet towel once her use came to an end. All this proved to her was that Lucien was wrong, or worse, he had lied straight to her face. The Vandenreich was just about as awful as she imagined it to be, and if some of its followers were that bad, then so was the Emperor. A perfect world could not be built upon the blood of the innocent, no matter if these innocents remain away from battles or are forced into them.

But then, just as the Captain scoffed and began to move away from Ruhe's body, she would find herself stopping. Suddenly... the area felt odd to her, strange. She was not quite sure of what had changed, but she could hear a sound akin to someone gagging on something. Frowning confusingly, Kimiko would look over her shoulder towards the source of the noise in an attempt to understand what was happening. What she saw would immediately cause her and the surrounding Shinigami to stop and watch. "... What...?" The word came out of the superior officer almost automatically as she witnessed what was happening. Then, the waves of spiritual energy came. With clenched teeth, the Captain stood her ground as she watched her fellow officers be pressed down by the effects of gravitational pressure once again. The most of the officers were able to move away before the waves could hit them too powerfully, but there were a few who were not as lucky, and so found themselves immediately smashed against the ground. Sounds of cracking bones could even be heard throughout the gang of mooks, which caused Kimiko to clench even harder.

She wasn't sure of what was happening, but somehow, Ruhe was alive. How exactly this was even possible, Kimiko was unable to say, but the child was alive regardless and it appeared as though it was the work of some kind of ability. Naturally, a wave of relief came to the superior officer then. She was of course very glad that the child was somehow safe, even though this was only another traumatic moment to add to the pile at this point. However, if she continued to release such a great amount of spiritual energy, it was only a matter of time before she would begin to lash out and potentially be a danger to everything around her, potentially even herself. Knowing this, the Captain would quickly look towards her officers before calling to them: "Go back to Seireitei without me! I'll handle this!" The officers did nothing at first, stunned by what was happening, which prompted Kimiko to shout with a little bit more fervor. "Go!"

Eventually, the officers would begin to leave, carrying along with them the wounded Quincy. The people in black would disappear in droves with the aid of Shunpo... until only one of them remained: Bushida. For some reason, the brutish man decided to stay, which caused Kimiko to huff. "Bushida, what the hell are you doing? Don't just stand there! Move!"

"No! I want to stay here!" The man suddenly replied to her then with a strong, yet somewhat hesitant tone. "I bet there are other bow freaks around here waiting to ambush you!"

"Tch... Fine! But you better stay there! Don't engage!" A scoff would come from Kimiko then as she took in what he had to say about the situation. As much as she hated the fact that that was a possibility, it was unfortunately something that could indeed happen here. With Ruhe suddenly revealing herself to be somehow capable of wielding great spiritual energy, while also possessing some kind of regenerative ability, it was possible that the Vandenreich was using this scenario as an opportunity to test the child's capabilities on the field. Hell, the rank "Private" probably didn't really mean anything, and this was indeed her first battle. Thus, considering this, it was indeed a better idea for Bushida to remain at least nearby. He may not be an exceptional swordsman, as he himself hasn't even learned how to use his Shikai yet, but he was a strong fighter who would most definitely be able to take down a few members of the Vandenreich if need be.

With this in mind, the Captain would then go on to try to place herself between her subordinate and Ruhe, as if to make sure none of them would somehow find themselves attack each other without having to deal with her. Once this was done, she would focus on Ruhe again. "Ruhe! Look at me, Ruhe! I took care of the man who stabbed you! He's gone!" She tried to explain to the girl as much as she possibly could right then and there. "I don't know know how you came back from that, but this proves that you're strong! We can fix this together! I'll send you back to wherever you came from! I'll even try to get the attention of one of your Captain-Supervisors so that they can come pick you up!"

"Wha-?! Nakajima, are you insane?!"

"Not now, Bushida!"

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats & Skills}

Statistics

Physical	Spiritual		Sensory	Miscellaneous
Strength: 158 (210-52) Speed: 700 (400+300)	Reiatsu Strength: 30 (40-10) Spiritual Pressure: 700 (400+300)		Instincts: 400 Senses: 300 Energy Sensory: 50	Light Aura: 50 Dark Aura: 50 Healing Expertise: 0

Skills

Mental	Battle		Body	Utility
Strength of Will: 3              Analyzing: 2	Iaijutsu: 4 Martial Art - Hohō: 3 Battle Analysis: 3 Battle Focus: 1		N/A	N/A

SPOILER: Click to show

{Technique Used}
Technique Name: Akuma no Ishi (剃るかんめき, "Demon's Will")

Technique Type: Other | Strength of Will Buff

Technique Element: None

Usable by: All races

Class: 3

Technique Reiatsu Cost: N/A

Technique Description and Effects

The projection of one's own will to empower the hearts of others. The user channels the strength of their very soul within themselves before shouting it out, most typically either in a short inspirational speech or a motivational war cry. By accomplishing this, the user is capable of bringing forth the Strength of Will skill of all of their surrounding allies by one point for the next three posts, inspiring them to go further beyond towards victory even if such a thing may cost their lives. A master of this skill is said to have such a powerful will that they are able to instead bring the aforementioned skill of their allies up by two points.


Drawbacks & Weaknesses

As saddening as this may be to those who may be interested in learning this technique, not everyone is born with a powerful will. That is simply a natural, uncontested fact that cannot be refuted even by the greatest minds there is in this world. In so doing, it is not difficult to imagine that this technique will not always show any kind of positive effect onto the people surrounding them, especially if they are used by naturally-uninspiring individuals. In order to guarantee this technique's proper success, the user must possess a 2 in at least one of the following skills: Acting, Charisma, or Strength of Will. This technique can be executed by those who have a lesser version of these skills if they so will it; however, upon execution, there will be a 50% chance of this skill failing to provide any kind of inspiration to allies altogether.


Made by: Nakajima Kimiko

Reserved? : No

[Ruhe Krieger]

Everything was really numb. Come and gone in a flash as she slowly rose up. She'd stopped shaking, as she looked around herself. Her gravitational pressure was intense. In reality, she'd never known how powerful she truly was. Because she never wanted to be strong. She wanted to be soft, held, and loved as if she were delicate. As if she were a treasure. It was within those moments, as she looked down at the life's blood around her, she felt stronger. So much more powerful than she ever could have imagined.

Kimiko spoke to her. Pleading almost in that voice. That they could fix everything. That she could go back home. That they could fix everything together. She felt incredibly odd. In before she convulses, and with it, from her tailbone, there comes an eruption of crimson. As she expends reiatsu. The back of her coat and tailcoat ripping to shreds as three long crimson tails come forth. Seemingly made out of the crimson blood that she'd just previously absorbed. With long serrated edge blades, whipping in the air menacingly. 

Three of them, ten feet long. Her hand is held out, and with it, the blood on her clothes begins to be pulled. As well as more blood from her fallen comrades along the ground. It pools along the ground, and with it, she clenches her fist. From this small pool of blood, it forms a neat circle, rows of small sharp teeth seemingly rising along its edges made out of the blood itself. Before Ruhe flings her arm outwards. Suddenly, the circle moves along the ground at a surprising pace, and as it nears Kimiko a few feet away, a shark made from blood rises from the earth and soil.

Some ten feet long, it roars a hideous cry as it lunges upwards, opening its large jaws, attempting to slam into Kimiko and send her flying back with its crushing force and many serrated teeth, farther away towards the tree line, perhaps looking to make her crash through a tree or two as it moved surprisingly fast for its size. A monstrous entity to say the least. "Stay away!" Kimiko might find if she collided with this monstrous creature with her blade, with her monstrous power and spiritual power, slicing the semi hard construct wasn't hard.

As it'd splash and disperse not long afterwards. Turning into a burst of bloody liquid that'd coat Kimiko itself, and the surrounding floor. 

"I don't want to hurt anyone!" At this point, she wasn't sure if anyone was left alive other than her. If she was left here with Kimiko and her subordinate. Trying to collect herself, shocked out of her panic, she absorbed reiatsu into herself through the cross and fragment of which she possessed. All the while, her tails erratically twisted and wrapped around her, as if threatening to slice and impale anything that got too close to harm her.

SPOILER: Click to show

Reiatsu Remaining:

1500/1500.

-240 Reiatsu [Made 4 Class 2 "Arrows"] aka, her blade tails as well as her shark projectile.

+10 feet of water assimilation [Shark Arrow]

+600 Quincy Cross / Spirit Fragment.

[Nakajima Kimiko]

Kimiko hadn't expected she would face today someone who was capable of exhuming so much spiritual energy from themselves. That much was a fact. Amongst the people she has faced, there was only a limited amount of opponents that were able to release a power great enough to progressively destroy everything that's surrounding them. Just now, off the top of her head, she could remember only four. There was Teresa, the cowardly Hollow who preferred to remain at a distance, but not without flaunting her ability to flatten surfaces whenever she could; Shizukakane and Taishokukane, her Zanpakuto spirits who would only do such a thing within their respective sides of Kimiko's Inner World as an attempt to train her; and finally, Camila, the blood-bending berserker who seemingly only has fighting and destroying on her mind. These people were proper warriors, beings who had dedicated themselves to battle in one way or another. In comparison to them... Ruhe was different. Kimiko could tell.

And yet, here the child was, releasing wave after wave of energy that caused the world around her to bow before her will. The nearby trees would creak as they would find themselves pressed down by the invisible force that was unleashed upon their top, and the rocks would growl as they would slowly be pushed downward against the cracking earth. Not even the bodies of the nearby Quincy would be spared from this process, as much like the Shinigami officers who had by now moved far away from the scene, their bones would become broken from the pressure. Fortunately, Kimiko herself would not be affected by this. Her body had long since gotten used to the pressure she herself brought about with her own spiritual energy, and so this would be nothing new to her. Unfortunately, however, the same could not be said for Bushida, who was clenching his teeth as he tried his best to remain on his feet. "Argh... Damn it, little girl, stop!" He huffed as he shuddered, holding on to the best of his ability. Needless to say, it was clear that he was having a bit of a hard time.

The Captain would notice his struggle immediately, though admittedly, she was impressed by the way he was able to keep himself standing in spite of the energy pressed onto him. So far, the impression she had gotten from Bushida even after multiple training sessions with him was that he was strong, but undisciplined and unwilling to learn. She was able to get him to learn the basics of the Iaijutsu technique, and she was proud of the fact that he was able to do so to an extent; however, his impatience coupled with his brutish attitude often made things difficult. That was not even mentioning the problems he has had with the rest of the squad ever since he became one of its officers. So to see him actually fight back against the pressure that was being violently pushed onto him by Ruhe visibly against her will... Frankly, it was the kind of stuff that could only be done by officers occupying higher seats within the Gotei 13. Maybe being a punching bag for Binita for so long made him really sturdy.

But perhaps thinking about Bushida's progress as a warrior was not the best thing to do right about now. Indeed, the superior officer had much greater things to worry about, as made apparent by what seemingly came out from Ruhe's back in the moment. Upon witnessing what was happening, Bushida would let out a quick "What is that?!" of astonishment, though Kimiko would not say anything. Instead, she would only stare at it with widened eyes. Somehow, tails came out of Ruhe. Luckily enough, they were not literal tails, which would have been quite disturbing for her to see after fighting that mutated Human in the Living World not that long ago. However, they were tails nonetheless, great extensions of liquid red that appeared as sharp as blades. It did not take long for Kimiko to realize what the liquid that formed the tails was. "It's the blood she absorbed," she told her subordinate before clenching her teeth. "She's just like that Vizard."

"That Vizard" here was Camila. Unsurprisingly, this manipulation of the natural liquid was making sure to remind Kimiko of everything that had happened them during their battle in New York. She could recall the formation of an armor of blood, the creation of blood weapons, and even a transformation into bloody bats, almost as if Camila herself was not being of flesh and blood, but rather only a blood. She wasn't entirely sure that Ruhe perfectly shared this ability to the point that it was identical to the Vizard's. For all that she knew, it could be control over every liquid that surrounded the child in some way, including the water from the nearby brook or, worse, the condensation from the many clouds above. Regardless, it would become clear to the Captain that she would most likely not be able to face Ruhe without using Shikai, as she was most likely not going to get rid of or past this blood by simply cutting through it with her sealed blades.

This would normally not be a problem. Kimiko had used Shikai plenty of times before; in fact, she typically always used it in a serious battle, as it was how she expressed her excitement for the upcoming fight to her opponent. It was a form of greeting, so to speak, a way to communicate her feelings in the heat of battle. However, here, the Captain was not excited. She was not happy about this, and she was not ready to see what would happen next. No, she was worried. While the powers Ruhe was showcasing did seem to be quite powerful, they also didn't seem to be totally under her control. If anything, it was as though everything she had done so far, from the absorption of the blood to the creation of the tails, was purely reactionary, as though it was an ability that was fueled not by skill for the time being, but rather by instinct. Kimiko did not want to fight that. She did not want to fight an opponent who not only didn't want to fight, but also one who could potentially hurt herself. Therefore, she did not want to unsheathe her blades.

But she needed to do something. Already, she could tell that Ruhe was about to do something as she held out her hand forward and allowed the blood that covered it to flow again. She needed to do something now, else not only will she potentially be left wounded by Ruhe, but also Bushida. Worse... with that kind of power, Bushida might die at Ruhe's hands, and Kimiko did not want that to happen. Thus, she would clench her teeth, raise her right hand, then focus as her spiritual energy began to hum around her. "I don't want to hurt you, Ruhe, but you're giving me no choice! I have to cut those tails off before you hurt yourself or my subordinate!" She called to the girl then as she straightened her hand vertically in front of her face, ignoring the annoyed "Oi!" coming from Bushida in the moment. Shortly after, this same spiritual energy would be suddenly extended from her hand, causing it to almost appear akin to a red blade which glowed brightly with power. "Just stand still!"

Of course, Ruhe did not stand still. There was no way she would.

It all happened quickly. Not long after Kimiko had finished creating her arm-blade, the blood-bender would suddenly conjure what appeared to be a circle of teeth on the ground. Noticing this, the Captain would quickly and instinctively move out of the way at a Speed of 700, not even attempting to question what the circle was supposed to be; after all, a circle of literal teeth couldn't mean anything good. Turns out, she was right, for the moment she distanced herself from her initial position, some kind of blood shark would suddenly jump out of the ground. Its roar was loud, thundering, enough so to cause the swordswoman to wince in surprise. However, there was no one most surprised by this sudden conjuration than Bushida, who could only watch as the creature headed straight for him due to his positioning behind Kimiko's initial position. Seeing this from the corner of her eye, Kimiko could only call loudly: "Bushida, look out!"

"Ah!" The man would first yell before clenching his teeth and grabbing the scabbard of his sword. Once the shark would be close enough to him, he would unsheathe his Zanpakuto and send it straight towards the shark. Unfortunately, despite the strength of his swing, the execution of the Iaijutsu technique would not be done well-enough to allow for a good cut. As such, mid-swing, he would realize that his attack would not be fast enough... and so, instead of fully finishing the swing, he let go of the scabbard, pushed himself forward, then grabbed the shark by its jaw. This move was accomplished with such strength that it would potentially cause the shark to be unable to close its mouth well-enough, and positioned in a strange vertical angle as it was raised upward. "You'll have to... do better than that... to kill ME!" The man shouted as the shark would find its body positioned ninety degrees upward, before he would then go on to literally throw the shark across the forest. The show of strength was such that the shark would find itself barreling through multiple trees. This would most likely not be enough to destroy the shark... but it was a start.

Meanwhile, Kimiko would attempt to focus on Ruhe entirely. The child, once again, was panicking, and it appeared that her tails were positioned in a way that would allow them to fully protect her if need be. The Captain would not trust their attempts to protect her, nor would she trust the Quincy's ability to control her conjurations. Thus, she would swiftly move forward at full speed towards the tails with the full intent to cut them at the very source. If a tail would shoot forward to strike her, she would quickly dodge out of the way to not get hit, analyzing the tails' movements as much as possible before doing so. Upon reaching a good angle around Ruhe, the superior officer would take a deep breath before attempting to target the beginning of the child's bloody tails sprouting from her back. "Stand still, Ruhe!" She repeated then before she would crouch forward, position her arm blade near the scabbard of the white blade, and then, finally, disappear with a Shunpo.

If her attack was successful in the moment, she would be able to reach her target and swiftly cut through it with her arm-blade in the blink of an eye, reappearing not too far away from the child only after the attack would be completed. She wasn't sure of what was going to happen following this cut, especially given that she definitely had some kind of proficiency with blood all of a sudden, but at this point, it was worth a try. Better strike now than do nothing and suffer the mortal consequences.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Reiatsu: 6750/7000  |  Cutback: Kakudai : 3 Posts Remaining }
Technique Name: Cutback: Kakudai (減らす: 添加, "Cutback: Extension")

Technique Type: Cutback | Weapon Range Buff

Technique Element: None

Usable by: All races

Class: 4

Technique Reiatsu Cost: 200

Technique Description and Effects

An extension of a weapon's reach. The user focuses their spiritual pressure onto a particular section of their body or an object that they are currently holding onto. This process causes the formation of an extension of energy around the target which lasts for three posts. How far this extension goes is delimited by the user's proficiency in this technique, as can be seen below:

• Mastered: 3x
  
• Proficient: 2x
  
• Learned: 1.5x
  

Depending on what has been extended, the user can use melee techniques that are unusable in hand-to-hand combat with the aid of Cutback: Kakudai, such as sword techniques. Should it be necessary, this additional range of the target can be rendered smaller by a Proficient or Masterful user. For example, a Master of this technique can decide to extend their weapon only by 150% instead of 300% when confronting an enemy in a small location.


Drawbacks & Weaknesses

All attacks delivered by a target extended by this technique is to be treated as only using Spiritual Pressure as their Offensive Stat. No weapons which typically exclusively relies upon the Strength or the Reiatsu Strength of the user may be an exception to that rule. In other words, though this technique can allow those of lesser physical strength to be able to wield their weapon with greater power without releasing it, it may lead to a negative outcome to others who instead have lesser Spiritual Pressure. The extension of one's reach, although impressive, can also lead to complications depending on where the user is actually fighting. Small, cramped spaces can lead a few to become stuck inside of surfaces they once didn't need to interact with at all, and they may also cause these few to suddenly collide into things that they originally would not have actually been required to deal with. 


Made by: Nakajima Kimiko

Reserved? : No

---

Technique Name: Iaijutsu (居合術, "Sudden Strike Technique") [3x Speed version]

Class: 4

Technique Type: General Physical Technique

Technique Element: None

Usable by: Any

Technique Description and Effects

The user of this technique draws their sword and strikes with one fluid, lightning-fast motion. This technique can easily catch an unprepared opponent off-guard. This attack is made at 2x the user's Speed, or at a speed of 600 (whichever is faster). Due to the sudden nature of this attack, characters with less than 200 Instinct are caught completely flat-footed and unable to react to this attack, unless they meet one of the alternative requirements (see drawbacks below).

Except where noted, this is otherwise an ordinary melee strike and has no reiatsu cost. Proficiency with this technique allows the user to immediately sheathe their weapon after making their attack.

Mastery of this technique allows for it to be combined with Shunpo to draw, strike, and sheathe the weapon in the blink of an eye. This variant costs 50 reiatsu to perform, and gains the benefits of a 3x Speed Boost (instead of the usual 2x). This variant is imperceptible to characters with less than 200 Senses. Characters with 200+ Senses detect a blur of movement from the user but may not be able to react to the attack unless they have 200+ Instinct and/or one of the benefits listed in drawbacks below.

How to use technique

Simply draw your weapon and strike in a single fluid motion.

Drawback

This technique rarely works more than once per thread, as any opponent who witnesses this technique being used can react to it normally (regardless of Instinct). Even against aware opponents, this attack retains its speed however and should not be underestimated.

In addition, characters who know this technique or have Battle Analysis of 2 (or above) can easily identify the ready stances used in this technique and predict the user's intent. Such characters are never caught off-guard by this attack but will still need to react to its incredible speed.

This technique can only be used with a sheathed sword. In order to use this technique more than once during a single thread, the user must sheathe their weapon prior to using this technique again. This technique requires 2 SkP in Weapons (Sword) in order to be used, and 3 SkP to be mastered.

Made by: Kerrigan

Reserved? : No

[Ruhe Krieger]

Ruhe was in an infinite state of emotions. Panic? Despair? Melancholy. Hopelessness. The gravity she released out on others was nothing compared to the weight she felt within her own heart. It was akin to a Hollow's emptiness. It consumed her quite often, and as the battle continued to rage in its swift pace? For Ruhe? She wasn't there. She found herself trying to protect herself, enter a safe space, be small, and soft, and hidden. Like a mouse. Though her heart too had wanted her threats to go away. They'd hurt her.

Everyone did...

When Bushida had grasped her Shark, she looked at it, being tilted, and lifted upwards. Though with a slight bit of imagination, and a twist of her whim? As he threw it, he might find that the shark's tail suddenly began to morph. Turning into another head. Biting down on his protruding arm, looking to rip it off at the elbow, or at least clamp down and bite horrendously hard upon it. For so long as Ruhe focused on her arrows with an idea or goal in mind? They changed to her will and whim. As if it were her own body.

Ruhe found herself though multi-tasking, for her battle analysis allowed her to focus sharply on the field of battle, even subconsciously, as she noticed her opponent blur in a blitz of motion. The power bursting from her. Ruhe's eyes widened. For she put it together. 'She's going to cut me.' A thump and a skipping of her heartbeat.  'She's going to cut me!' Another thump as she can hear it ringing in her ears.  'SHE'S GOING TO CUT ME!' The order was pretty simple.

"Stand still Ruhe." Surprisingly? The little girl did. She stood still, and miraculously, the tails never swung in that moment, as she lashed out and sliced through all three of them with surprising ease. It was as if they weren't there. As if they were as soft as a cushion, as there is that instant of pause. Serenity. Kimiko would have had to have slashed around Ruhe's tailbone region, or at least closer to the lower spine. They slid and fell. Only for them to rapidly explode. A violent eruption that would envelop Kimiko and Ruhe herself.

For her "tails" were versatile and flexible weapons, but yet, they were also arrows. All three exploding outwards in a powerful radiant blast of red that would likely send Kimiko flying backwards, burned, and quite possibly bursting through several trees, skidding along the ground until she enters the brook. Unless she can stop herself prematurely, or can avoid the brunt of the powerful explosions. As several trees around Ruhe are blown to oblivion, and the bodies are enveloped in the blast. 

Ruhe found herself thinking for a moment again. Was that death? Why wasn't it painful? Before she realized. She was too shell shocked. As she laid out along the floor, in a puddle pool of blood? She slowly turns her head to realize. Her legs were gone. Ruhe's eyes looked with some confused shock, as the liquid pulls inwards again. The blood pools, more of it than before even. Even the blood shark would disperse into a liquid and begin to pool inwards, moving rapidly towards Ruhe. Assuming it was paused, instead of collecting along her body, it'd form a dome around her. Though instead of seeming incredibly rock solid, it seemed more semi solid. A dome of constantly moving water. 

It was becoming increasingly thicker and thicker, until eventually, it'd rest so thick and expansive, it'd over twenty feet thick from any direction and the top. As if daring anyone to approach. What one might not realize? Was there was also blood inside. Making Ruhe submerged, feeling as if she was drowning, even though she could breath. Formless as if she was melting as her inner psyche was tormenting her. Breaking her down. Her power was incredibly potent and devastating. For she held the key to life. 

One might find that even if Kimiko held the offensive power to destroy, which she did, could she even swing into a substance so deep and thick? Ruhe was going through some form of change, a metamorphosis, as she lingered deeply within this seeming "ultimate defense". A voice did soon sound out from the dome though, despite it's impossible thickness. "I-I'm sorry for being a bad girl. I-I have blood all over my clothes. I- Mommy. I-I'm sowrry..." She seems to slur, maybe shocked into a state of mindless words. Though the voice did sound so much smaller, and meek. All hidden away in a dark red dome. 

SPOILER: Click to show

Reiatsu Remaining: 1500/1500

-180 Reiatsu [3 Class 2 Arrow Tails Explode.]
+10 Feet of Water / Blood Absorption [Passive]
+40 Feet Water/Blood Absorption [-400 Reiatsu]

+600 Quincy Cross / Fragment Reabsorption

Total Blood Amount: 90 Feet

 

[Nakajima Kimiko]

The maneuver that Bushida had decided to employ as he wrestled with the blood-made shark was a risky one. It was one born of urgency and improvisation, something that could have undoubtedly risked his life should he have failed to properly accomplish it, but in the moment, it was a better option in comparison to simply suffering the consequences of a failed execution of the Iaijutsu technique. In fact, at least at a glance, it appeared to be the superior option in many ways, as it initially allowed him to grapple his adversary with the kind of ease that could only be associated with someone of greater strength and resilience. Simply raising and titling the shark was almost enough to please the arrogant side of him to a degree, as his mind raced with the delight of power and glory.  Ha! I don't know what's wrong with that child, but if that's all she can do to stop us, then we should be fine! There's no way something so weak could defeat the Captain and I, Bushida-dono!  His thoughts would conclude as he handled the shark. Unfortunately for him, it would quickly seem as though fate would have other plans for him.

It was true that the shark Ruhe had conjured could not rival the Shinigami officer for as long as it remained within its base form. At least, it couldn't do so in the context within which it found itself residing. However, what Bushida failed to comprehend was that the shark was, well, not quite a shark. It was a construct of blood, something that could be morphed and transformed at any given moment. Thus, shortly after he attempted to throw the shark away from his position, he would not be able to notice what was happening to it in the first second following the throw. It would only be once the bloody being's new head would find itself lowered and facing the Shinigami's general direction that realization of the situation would begin to settle in his mind... but, by then, it was already too late. In an instant, it had already opened its great jaw, and with shocking power, it bit at the man's arm, sinking its teeth as far as it could through the flesh and bone.

Letting out a loud cry of pain, the man's eyes widened as he began to understand what was happening. Foolishly, he had underestimated the child's ability and the innate killer instinct which came with the ability she had supposedly just awakened, and now, he was paying the price for it. Taken aback by the noise she heard from her subordinate, Kimiko would quickly look over her shoulder to see what was happening. However, before she could say anything or even so much as completely divert her focus away from Ruhe, the man would shout back at her as he battled the rising pressure within his arm by flexing the muscles within. "I'M FINE, NAKAJIMA!" His voice boomed across the area as what constituted the insides of his arm would slowly push the shark's horrible fangs upward. It was a very swift and short statement, but it was a necessary one nevertheless. As much as he did somewhat appreciate his Captain's concern, she had much better things to do than to come help him get rid of that damn thing. Besides, he wanted to do his on own. He wanted to prove himself.

Kimiko felt a great need to come help her subordinate right away. As much as she did not really appreciate the man's behavior and overall demeanor within the Eleventh Division, she has known him ever since her graduation from the Academy, and she felt like it would be unfair for him to die here. Yes, he was rude, and yes, his attitude was often unbecoming of both the old and the new standards of the Eleventh Division, but he deserved to die in a better battle against a true opponent. Even so, she could see that the man truly did not want her help. His immediate denial of the aid she would have usually granted must mean something. In so doing, she was not going to rip that away from him. Instead, she would allow him to prove that he was indeed worthy of being left on his own and that, perhaps, he would be best fit not for a lower position like he has been occupying for so long, but rather a proper high-seated position within the Eleventh Division, like the ones Charles, Binita, and Gideon each occupied. If he perishes as a consequence of that decision... then she will have to bear the brunt of it.

In any case, with that matter out of the way, the Captain would go on to take care of the tails which had sprouted from Ruhe's back. While intimidating at a glance, they would prove themselves to be quite easy to cut down. Upon hearing Kimiko's command, Ruhe somehow made them stop, and by then, it would be easy for the superior officer to sever them away from the Quincy girl. In fact, slicing through them was... shockingly easy. No force would be pushed against her spiritual blade as its energy sliced through the blood that composed them, and thus, not even a second later, they would themselves lying on the ground. The lack of any form of reaction from the tails would cause Kimiko to turn towards Ruhe after her attack was completed. Her scarlet eyes would find themselves staring at the tails, then the little girl. "Okay..." she hummed as she attempted to judge the situation from where she stood, frowning a bit as she tried to come to a conclusion.

Something about the way the tails remained there without doing anything felt strange to her. She didn't know much about the girl's ability just yet, but in her mind, she'd have thought that detaching the tails would have made them become normal blood splatters. Instead, they simply remained there on the ground, solid as any kind of spiritual construct of the sort would be. It didn't feel right. Was this... a trap? Were Ruhe's powers so potent that they really did have some kind of mind on their own developed enough to actually devise some kind of trick? It didn't make much sense to the Captain, but at the same time, she couldn't help but feel as though it would be best for her to remain cautious and expect the worse, much like how she had expected anything could happen while fighting Camila. Ruhe might not be as experienced as the Vizard with her blood-bending abilities, but regardless, any mistake on her end could cause either great injury or death.

Thus, taking a deep breath, the swordswoman would eventually begin to release spiritual energy around her being, letting it crack the grounds around her even further. At first, it would not seem as though she was doing anything in particular, but suddenly, shortly after she began, the energy would begin to pour out of her body in the form of what appeared to be some kind of red aura. Then, as it reached half a meter away from her body, the energy would suddenly solidify to become a sort of outer layer. It appeared to be solid to the touch, and resilient enough to handle any form of attack... or at least, Kimiko believed that it would be able to handle it. Unfortunately, she hasn't had many chances to actually use this technique in proper combat before, only during training and spars. It was effective at that time, but if there was one thing she had long since understood, it was that training and proper battling were two very different things from which could be created very different outcomes.

With her armor created, the Shinigami would find herself staring at Ruhe for a brief moment before taking exhaling quietly. So far, so good. It didn't seem as though the little girl or her abilities were about to prepare or do anything in particular. "Ruhe," she called to the Quincy, approaching her slowly as she did so. She took a step, then another, and then another. None of them would lead towards an attack or any form of offensive maneuver from the blood-bender. This lack of reaction would cause a part of the Captain to become hopeful once more. Perhaps everything that had preceded this very moment was nothing more than a childish outburst, something that could really be resolved with words rather than actions. Perhaps she really could just convince the girl to make that blood shark disappear, and with that, this could all end. But then, just as she was about to close the gap between herself and Ruhe a little bit further, Kimiko's instinct would shoot up again. Something felt wrong. Deeply, deeply wrong... and that something came from the tails. "Ruhe. Ruhe, no, NO-!"

Before she could attempt to reach out to the girl to protect her from what she thought was going to happen in the following moment, Kimiko's lungs would suddenly be completely emptied of the oxygen that resided within them as the tails suddenly exploded. It was a very powerful blast, one that completely filled the Captain's vision with a vibrant red color as her body was sent flying. The armor she had conjured around herself protected her body from the brunt of the blast as well as the burning which came with it. However, after it blasted through several trees, the layer would begin to fade before finally, after it bounced a few times against the ground below, it shattered completely, leaving Kimiko defenseless as she slid against the ground.

Eventually, perhaps out of sheer instinct or otherwise, she would quickly angle her body and slam her arm against the ground so as to push herself up, then find herself on her feet again. However, once she would finally find herself completely immobilized, she would be dazed and confused with her ears ringing quietly. "Unh..." she groaned then as her senses slowly returned to her. Stumbling a little, the Captain's eyes would twitch as they attempted to focus on her surroundings, with a few coughs coming from her in the moment. What she saw then would leave her almost speechless. Everything that had surrounded Ruhe then - from the earth to the bodies of her comrades - had been completely annihilated. All that was left of the battlefield from only a few seconds ago was the brook that stood not far from her position, and a few rocks here and there, the most of which had been shot up by the explosion. Everything else had been turned either to ash or a burned thing that Kimiko could not identify at a glance.

With a few quick breaths, the superior officer would attempt to find her subordinate and the shark that was presumably stuck to him. Like her, it appeared as though he had flown away too, albeit not as far as her; after all, he was not as close to the source of the explosion as she had been. Despite this, he was now lying on his stomach not far from where the explosion took place. The shark was not close to his position, but it appeared as though the blast allowed it to be successful in its endeavors, as a large chunk of Bushida's arm had been ripped off, leaving only but exposed flesh and bone. Needless to say, he needed immediate medical treatment, else he would most likely bleed out right then and there. Unfortunately, Kimiko knew that said medical treatment would need to wait, given that the main threat hadn't been taken care of just yet. This was made apparent once she would find herself focusing onto Ruhe once again... or at least, where she thought Ruhe now was.

The Captain wasn't entirely sure of what she was looking when she first saw it, though as the shock of the explosion slowly left her, she would begin to understand. Somehow, the girl had surrounded herself with some kind of dome made entirely of blood. It was a large dome, one that was just about almost as big as the domes Kimiko herself created whenever she released her blades, and it was also quite thick, enough so that it hid Ruhe's form, which appeared to remain at its very center. Well, it appeared it hid it, but in reality, the Captain wasn't entirely sure. It would be more accurate of her to say that whatever was inside was somehow changing into something else. A monster, perhaps? No... perhaps something else entirely. A monster didn't speak like a really young child, not unless it wanted to trap its prey. "It's... fine..." she could only mutter as she tried to analyze the situation, doing so in a way that was almost tired and exasperated.

At this point, she didn't really know what she was supposed to do. In her mind, she had tried everything to resolve the situation in a matter that she thought would be as peaceful as possible. Yet, upon witnessing this dome, she didn't know if that was going to be a realistic outcome anymore. Ruhe appeared to have completely lost control of her sanity, and now it seemed that all that remained was some twisted thing enslaved by an ability which was more powerful than its owner in every conceivable fashion. What was she supposed to do now? Destroy the dome? If she destroys it, then what's going to happen next? Will Ruhe make something explode again? Will she come out stronger, and potentially want to kill Kimiko because she'll interpret her help as an attack? So many questions. So many assumptions. The more she heard them appear in her mind, the more Kimiko felt herself becoming further and further frustrated.

Why not just kill her, Kimiko-chan~?

The Shinigami froze as she heard the voice in the back of her mind. Suddenly, it took the spotlight amidst her thoughts, shoving itself into the forefront so as to get her attention as quickly as possible. To suddenly hear it now, again in the most importunate of times, was enough to make her frown deeply.  Because I don't want to,  her thoughts would respond almost automatically then, knowing full well that a conversation was now taking place within her head. Upon detecting these words, the voice would let out a quiet chuckle.

Oh, is that so? You don't want to kill her, because you just don't want to? How childish, Kimiko-chan, how so very childish~.

A pause would follow the voice then, during which Kimiko's body would freeze completely. This time, it would not be against her will. Clenching her teeth behind her lips, the officer would breathe quickly as her eyes would begin their scarlet hue, turning into a bright silver sheen.  I don't want to kill her because killing a child is wrong.  

Is it? Why must things be different when you're fighting a child? She is like any other Quincy you've killed, right? Just another girl with a bow. Come on, now~... Just pull out your swords...

... a n d  s l i c e  t h a t  l i t t l e  b i t c h ' s  h e a d  o f f .

Kimiko felt it then. The adrenaline. It rushed through her veins like a violent torrent of rushing lava. It set fire to her limbs, her chest, her head, no, her entire body, causing her to clench her teeth openly as she breathed rapidly. One familiar word would be repeated several times in her head as she stood before the dome, the same that she heard being repeated before as she slew Hellion after Hellion, Hollow after Hollow, Quincy after Quincy. Kill. Kill. Kill. It was like a deadly loop designed to make her go immediately awry, and for a split-second, she almost fell for it. With widened eyes, she began to lower her hands towards her blades and prepared herself to lay waste to Ruhe. However, just as she was about to make her arm-blade disappear, her hands stopped and began to tremble. Resistance. Somehow, she was resisting the deadly temptation, the urge to destroy, to annihilate, and it took every fiber of her being to do so.

Her energized gaze looked up towards the dome then. Although wide, they were resolute and ready to deal with the problem that had taken shape before her. She was going to destroy the dome... but she was not going to kill the one inside. She was going to save her from this violent metamorphosis, even if it was going to be difficult. She was going to do so not because her Inner Hollow was trying to forcefully change her into something she refused to be, but out of her own volition. "I'm sorry, Ruhe... but I need to get you out of there! I don't want you to hurt yourself anymore! I just want you to be safe!" She called powerfully before slowly taking on a combat pose and beginning to fuel her blade with some of her reiatsu. Already, it would begin to shake, doing so at a very swift speed beyond Ruhe's comprehension. "I'm going to break the dome! Please, don't attack me, and don't use my subordinate's blood! Just control yourself and your powers! I know you can do it!"

The Shinigami would then stare at the dome as the spiritual energy continued to rise around her. Focus. She needed to focus. Her eyes would continue to stare at the blood, making sure to concentrate on what surrounded its core and not the core itself. Then, clenching her teeth, she would position herself before, then, all at once, she shouted: "HAGESHI HŌKŌ!!" The very instant the words left her mouth, her body disappeared, and what followed could be accurately described as a a literal explosion of sword slices. Each slice would be accurately delivered onto the dome at a speed of 2100, designed so as to reduce it to such smithereens that it would be utterly annihilated. In spite of the sheer overwhelming nature of the attack, none of the slices would be directed to the core. It was like a chaotic, yet controlled burst of absolute power, all designed not to hurt, but rather to save.

She just hoped that this would be enough.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Reiatsu: 5850/7000  |  Cutback: Kakudai : 2 Posts Remaining  |  Cutback: Kakuchō : Instantly Broken }
Technique Name: Cutback: Kakudai (減らす: 添加, "Cutback: Extension")

Technique Type: Cutback | Weapon Range Buff

Technique Element: None

Usable by: All races

Class: 4

Technique Reiatsu Cost: 200

Technique Description and Effects

An extension of a weapon's reach. The user focuses their spiritual pressure onto a particular section of their body or an object that they are currently holding onto. This process causes the formation of an extension of energy around the target which lasts for three posts. How far this extension goes is delimited by the user's proficiency in this technique, as can be seen below:

• Mastered: 3x
  
• Proficient: 2x
  
• Learned: 1.5x
  

Depending on what has been extended, the user can use melee techniques that are unusable in hand-to-hand combat with the aid of Cutback: Kakudai, such as sword techniques. Should it be necessary, this additional range of the target can be rendered smaller by a Proficient or Masterful user. For example, a Master of this technique can decide to extend their weapon only by 150% instead of 300% when confronting an enemy in a small location.


Drawbacks & Weaknesses

All attacks delivered by a target extended by this technique is to be treated as only using Spiritual Pressure as their Offensive Stat. No weapons which typically exclusively relies upon the Strength or the Reiatsu Strength of the user may be an exception to that rule. In other words, though this technique can allow those of lesser physical strength to be able to wield their weapon with greater power without releasing it, it may lead to a negative outcome to others who instead have lesser Spiritual Pressure. The extension of one's reach, although impressive, can also lead to complications depending on where the user is actually fighting. Small, cramped spaces can lead a few to become stuck inside of surfaces they once didn't need to interact with at all, and they may also cause these few to suddenly collide into things that they originally would not have actually been required to deal with. 


Made by: Nakajima Kimiko

Reserved? : No

---

Technique Name: Cutback: Kakuchō (減らす: 拡張, "Cutback: Expansion") [No Cutback]

Technique Type: Cutback | Spiritual Armor Expansion

Technique Element: None

Usable by: Any

Class: 4

Technique Reiatsu Cost: 300 (no Cutback), 600 (with Cutback)

Technique Description and Effects

The expansion of the usual range of one's Spiritual Pressure. The user fuels their Spiritual Pressure with greater spiritual energy than usual so as to eventually cause it to pour out of their skin in the form of an energetic outer layer which lasts for three posts. When fully created and expanded far enough so that it is located half a meter away from the user, this outer layer then acts as spiritual armor which defends the user against incoming melee attackers depending on how high their Spiritual Pressure is. Truly a simple, yet extremely effective technique that can potentially save the lives of many who were graced with great Spiritual Pressure rather than Strength.


Drawbacks & Weaknesses

The creation of this outer layer is considered to be a rather unnatural technique that tampers with the laws which are typically associated with Spiritual Pressure. The reason that it is treated as such is because it requires one to sacrifice the Cutback Effect typically associated with those who possess high Spiritual Pressure altogether. So long as the outer layer is active around the user and grants them protection, they will be completely unable to benefit from the Cutback Effect in any shape or form. Only those with both total mastery of this technique and a Spiritual Pressure stat equal or above 500 may be able to reintroduce the Cutback Effect to themselves while the outer layer is active. However, doing so will require them to spend double the amount of reiatsu in order to generate the outer layer.

Moreover, like every physical piece of armor or shield, the outer layer does not bestow the wearer any form of invincibility. Though their harmful effects are most definitely reduced by the presence of the layer, incoming attacks will still be felt to a degree and also damage the outer layer. Should it receive too many attacks at once, the outer layer will eventually shatter and vanish into thin air, leaving the user defenseless once again.

Made by: Nakajima Kimiko

Reserved? : No

---

Technique Name: Hageshī Hōkō (激しい咆哮, "Raging Roar")

Technique Type: Zanjutsu - Hohō | Area of Effect

Technique Element: None

Usable by: Shinigami, Rogue, Vizard & Beast-Clansmen

Class: 2

Technique Reiatsu Cost: 600

Technique Description and Effects

The process of quickly slicing anything daring to be in one's personal space. The user takes a deep breath before grabbing the hilt of their weapon, then fueling it with reiatsu. Shortly after, they then let out a loud war cry in an attempt to surprise or immobilize the targets with a burst of Spiritual Pressure before then unleashing several sword swings that are three times faster than a normal one. Usually, this results in something almost akin to a large explosion all around the user spanning about ten meters, a discharge of cuts and slices that turn lesser targets into pieces in an instant if caught off-guard.


Drawbacks & Weaknesses

As to be expected from the nature of this technique, this "slicing detonation" can be exhausting to the user to a certain degree depending on when they actually decide to use it, so much so that they can only realistically use this technique three times per thread with each use requiring a cooldown of two posts. Any more uses can lead to the complete destruction of the bone and muscles within their arm. With that in mind, it is thus preferable to only use this technique in times of absolute need, most notably whenever one is surrounded by a multitude of targets at once. Additionally, executing this technique requires a certain outburst of emotion that can only be controlled by a Strength of Will skill or a Calm Mind skill of 3. The fact that each attack delivered is essentially an Iaijutsu strike makes it so that it is also imperative for anyone using this technique to possess a Iaijutsu skill and a Hohō skill of 2 so as to prevent any mistakes created during the attack. A Speed stat of a minimum of 500 is also required to even execute it appropriately to begin with.


Made by: Nakajima Kimiko

Reserved? : Yes

[Ruhe Krieger]

Ruhe found herself resting within the warmth of the blood dome. A liquid herself for a period of time, nestled and surrounded in a sensation of drowning anxiety, pressure, and expectation. For a moment, everything felt safe? Warm? Until all of a sudden? It wasn't. For Kimiko delivered forth an incredibly powerful burst of energy. A feat of martial prowess that could be seldom manipulated, and gave off a foul energy. That was the moment she lashed out with a powerful burst of destruction. 

Her dome utterly exploded. Though awkwardly enough, once again, Kimiko would hardly feel any resistance to the dome. It was as if she was slicing through well...water. The dome exploded outward and into the air in a crimson rain, dropping and spilling down upon everyone. Kimiko said something that finally got through. She said she wanted Ruhe to be safe. It was there, as the dome was ruined, she'd see Ruhe on her knees. Looking upwards, but very different than what Kimiko might expect.

She'd see a much smaller looking Ruhe. If she looked young before, she seemed more youthful and childish than before. A reflection of her psyche as she had been told what she always wanted to hear. Someone wanted her to be safe. Even though the bodies lay around her, blown up, or ruined, or otherwise? Ruhe held her hands over her eyes and cried. Weeped, as her back rose and fell rapidly as her breathing was uneven. Ruhe now looked to be around 3'8", lithe, and scrawny. Before she slowly shakes her head no.

"P-Please don't hurt me." The voice sounded so adorably small and meek. Before all of a sudden? Ruhe makes her way, wrapping herself in a hug around Kimiko's waist. Crying harshly into her. "I'm sorry for being bad. I...p-please don't hurt me. N-No more!" Hugging her head into Kimiko's stomach, she was terrified of her, and yet, also wanted it all to stop. She wanted to be held, and caressed, and told everything was going to be alright. Ruhe wanted a warm bed to sleep in right now, warm covers, with warm eyes and faces.

[Nakajima Kimiko]

The waves of energy which came from Kimiko as she prepared her attack were overwhelming. With each burst, they would cause the already-ruined grounds to be pushed further and further down, and for the mangled corpses to be rendered asunder even further. More importantly, however, they would indeed be foul. For a split-second, they would feel cold, merciless... maybe even cruel. Ruhe, being as inexperienced as she was, would perhaps not entirely understand the nature of this energy. They would present something that was completely opposite to the image that the Shinigami had been attempting to show to the little Ruhe throughout the last few minutes. No, worse yet, they would showcase something that was opposite to the Shinigami's very nature, a creature of pitch black that usually lived not to protect life, but instead only to grow more powerful by consuming the lively and the dead. Fortunately, it this energy would not be what would destroy Ruhe's dome.

By the time the Captain disappeared from sight and cut into the liquid which surrounded the Quincy, her energy became clear. Once corrupted and darkened, they had now turned into something that was brighter, perhaps even purified. But this purification did not take away from the power of the slices they followed. The Shinigami's arm-blade cut through the liquid with ultimate speed, doing so with such superhuman precision that everything which composed the dome was instantly cut in two, from the greater drops of water to the smallest of molecules. There would be no notable resistance as the blade cleaved through it all, but even if there would have been any, it was doubtful that the source of the resistance would have been powerful enough to properly survive such an attack. Regardless, with everything composing the dome laid to waste, its structure would almost instantly collapse, and with that, it would explode.

Kimiko appeared less than a second after the destruction of the dome, standing there composed and with her blade-arm pointing down. Her scarlet eyes looked straight towards where Ruhe was supposed to be standing, wide open in spite of the blood that then began to fall from the sky. Well, it looked like blood... but it felt lighter, clearer, something which Kimiko - a person who has been absolutely covered in blood several times over in the past - recognized almost immediately. But that didn't matter to her. The liquid could have been fruit juice for all she cared. No, the only thing that mattered right then and there was Ruhe, and with the dome now broken, she felt that it was the best time for her to be able to reach out to the girl. "Ruhe?" She called then as the silhouette of the girl amidst the crimson rainfall began to become clearer and clearer. Eventually, she would be able to get a good glimpse at what the girl had become within the dome... and upon seeing her, she would almost balk in shock.

She wasn't sure of what exactly happened to Ruhe. In fact, she still didn't really know what the hell her ability was all about, aside from the fact that it looked like she could control blood in one way or another like Camila could. However, regardless, it seemed as though that ability allowed the Quincy to downright change her entire body, because what came out of the dome was not Ruhe. Or at least, it wasn't the teenager that Kimiko met only a few minutes ago. Instead, it was a much younger version of the girl, one that was almost twice as small in comparison to Kimiko. At a glance, she couldn't have looked older than seven or eight to the Shinigami, maybe even younger, and that was a fact that she would have preferred not to realize then. Whatever happened to Ruhe in that dome... no, during this whole awful situation... somehow led to some kind of mental regression. In other words, Kimiko might as well now be dealing with an even younger child on this battlefield.

It was needless to say that the swordswoman did not like where this was going. While the dome had been taken care of, there was nothing that suggested that Ruhe's abilities were under her total control just yet. It was possible that they were still incredibly volatile and ready to lash out at any given moment, especially now that Ruhe appeared to act even younger than her true age. The poor girl was even crying too, still very firmly stuck in a perpetual panic attack. It was all enough to make Kimiko hesitate again, frozen and unsure of what to do.  This... sucks...  her thoughts muttered as she tried to think of what to do, half-expecting her Inner Hollow to mock her once again in the meanwhile or, worse, induce her with more of that blasted adrenaline that was still burning her every being. However, she heard nothing from the dark creature. Instead, she saw the little Quincy girl suddenly stand up, innocently dash towards her... and just hug her.

For a very brief moment after Ruhe began to hug the Captain, the latter's instincts instantly shot up through the roof shortly. After all that's happened, she was fully expecting this to be some kind of trap. The girl had the ability to use blood, and so far, the ability had been so unstable that it practically had a mind of its own. Who's to say that this ability couldn't suddenly want to use the blood that was covering them both to suddenly attack her? Hell, who's to say that she wouldn't be able to transform her body again and attack her right then and there? Worse yet, what guaranteed that the the ability couldn't somehow be used on the blood that was currently flowing through her veins? Respectively, there was no one and absolutely nothing that could answer these questions for the time being, and quite frankly, it almost made Kimiko want to push Ruhe off of her, use Shunpo to get as far away from her as possible, and retaliate.

But that was only that. It only almost made the officer retaliate, for in reality, she did absolutely nothing. In fact, as the girl hugged her, she simply looked down and blinked slowly. There was pity in her eyes, a sadness of sorts. Perhaps it was the hug itself that did it, or perhaps it was the frantic begging that came out of the little girl's mouth. Either way, there wasn't a battle to be had here any longer. At least, Kimiko didn't feel as though there was one. She wasn't sure if Ruhe could be trusted for the time being, especially not after what happened to her and Bushida, but in the state that the little girl was, she really couldn't help but trust her. The girl wanted to stop. Therefore, they were going to stop. "Alright. No more," she sighed quietly before she slowly released the energy that allowed the arm-blade to exist, causing it to dissipate, and then carefully wrapped her arm around the Quincy. She would say nothing then, allowing the little girl to cry as much as she could.

Whether this happened or not, the Captain's attention would then turn towards Bushida. The man was still unconscious, and his arm was still in bad shape. Considering that she had ordered every one of her soldiers to leave the area, there was no one out there who could carry both him and the little girl. In other words, she would need to bring them both to safety, the first to Seireitei and the other... away from Seireitei. Worse, she needed to do that while being absolutely covered in blood. As this train of thought occurred, she would try to think of wherever else she could bring the both of them. Eventually, she would find herself blinking and realization, and take a deep breath. "Ruhe? I'm gonna bring you and my subordinate to my dojo," she told the girl. "It's not far from here. If we're fast enough, we can go there and no one will see us. We have beds there, baths, and food. After that, we can figure out where you could go. Is that alright with you?" As much of a question as that was, she truly hoped that Ruhe would not say no. They had no time at all to waste.