Down and Dirty

[Satoshi Fuuko]

Fuuko pushed her glasses up her nose as they drooped. She had spent a long day doing nothing but paperwork and she was surprisingly exhausted. She didn't mind it, in fact, she found tedium a bit relaxing. It was like going into a trance where all she had to do was scratch her signature across a piece of parchment. And, while it kept her away from fighting the good fight, being in the Yonbantai had a habit of doing that already. As much as she wanted  to go out and brawl, she did get her fill of action in Nijukan. It also kept her away from her brother. Now that Kazuhiko was back, Fuuko was still  adjusting to how he looked. When he was taken to Hueco Mundio, he was still a boy, barely entering manhood. Now, he looked ... old... maybe even older than Fuuko herself. 

It wasn't that she suddenly stopped loving Kazu. She still loved him with all her heart, but the people here, even in his squad, barely knew him. She had spent a whole lifetime with his cherubic face imprinted in her head. She was having trouble finding the words to say. She was not sure what the proper way to express herself was, which was always something unusual for Fuuko, who normally wore her emotions on her sleeve. It wasn't just that, though. Something else was bothering her about Kazu and she couldn't quite place it. A nagging feeling that he had come back from Hueco Mundo with more than just a manly body. 

'Fuuuuuuuck...." Fuuko hissed as she pulled off her glasses and stood up. She fixed herself a drink and took a quick sip. As she let it burn down her throat, she lit up a cigarette and sucked in some smoke. She let the smoke hiss from her lips and glanced at her stack of papers. There was a folder marked "URGENT" mixed in the pile. "What the fuck...?" 

With the way things had been in Squad Four, it wasn't uncommon for things like this to get lost. Passed from person to person and ending up on the bottom of a pile. Fuuko took another drag and then pushed the file open and gave it a look. It was a several reports dealing with incidents inside the Seriretei. Missing persons and even the remains  of lower ranked shinigami found in various places. There seemed to have been an investigation, along with some autopsy notes from right here in the Yonbantai. It seemed as if there were some kind of animal attacks being perpetrated from within the Serieitei. These attacks seemed to be sporadic, but they all seemed to be coming from the sewer system. 

The final suggestion was that Yonbantai, being in charge of the sewer system, send a patrol to help find the source of the attacks. There was a suggestion to bring in members of other squads for the extra combat ability, considering the Yonbantai's reputation, but Fuuko scoffed at that. She had already started looking over those under her as potential warriors- as much combat as medic. Fuuko nodded and grabbed the file. She took one more drag from her cigarette, stuffed it out in the ash tray and then gulped down her drink. 

This was likely something Fuuko could handle herself. Her lack of medical and healing ability meant her usefulness while she was low ranking had been almost exclusively for janitorial and sewer work. She knew the pipes like the back of her hand. Not to mention, she'd be stronger than anyone any other squad was going to send, outside of a Vice-Captain or Captain and she doubted any squad had one of either of those to just send off to the dirty sewers. "Prissy bitches." Fuuko mused. 

And considering how long this might take, if Kazuhiko happened to come knocking, she wouldn't be around. She'd have one more legitimate excuse not to have to deal with those feelings. Even if it was just one more day or a few more hours. She packed her things, cleaned up her desk and grabbed a map of the sewer system. The attacks were happening in remote locations in nearly every part of the Serireitei. She'd have a lot  of work to do to find the source. She was going to start with the most recent attack, though.

[Satoshi Kazuhiko]

So much had changed so quickly... A few months ago he'd been a fresh-faced recruit who was eager to join the Yonbontai. He'd be helping people. Healing them and providing care. He'd been naive... It was damn near his first act as a Shinigami to get kidnapped. He'd been trapped in Hueco Mundo... A land where the only person who needed help and healing had been himself.

"It's fine... She isn't mad at you." The boy- No, that wasn't true anymore. He looked his age now. No longer meek and feeble. -The young man let out a sigh. His forehead was pressed against the door to his sister's office. He was trying to embolden himself to step inside. Or at least to knock.

His right hand balled into a fist and hovered over the door. The metal of his fingers creaked as the components shifted within his strange alien limb. His zanpakutou had become a prosthetic arm, healing his amputation. He was still getting used to having it. Something he needed to do, as he lacked the control to turn it undo his own release. It wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't for the ever presence of his sixth sense.

His eyes closed in desperate search of focus... But it brought him no solace. He could see the world in even more vivid detail. A constant static. It had its applications in battle. But it meant there was no peace for him. He couldn't turn it off. The best he could do was find an environment where there was no movement at all. That was why he'd moved his bed to the center of his room since getting back. So much had changed...

"You can do this!" He whispered to himself. He was so blindly confident most of the time... But his sister had barely looked at him since he'd come back. There was so much to explain. She'd been happy to see him of course. And he'd made his reports. But she didn't know everything about -him- and all of his strange changes.

He drew in a deep breath. "Okay... No more stalling." He whispered before drawing back his fist. "Just... Do it!" It took what felt like a full twenty seconds of hyping himself up despite his mantra regarding stalling. And then he suddenly and decisively brought his fist down upon the flat of the door! Once! Twice!! Three times!!!

And not a one of them made a sound. "OH!! COME!!! ON!!!" He shouted aloud as palmed his own face so hard bent backward until the top of his head nearly touched the ground. His new arm couldn't harm the physical world. That included even the simple act of knocking! His shout would certainly alert his sister, unintended as it might have been. And when the door opened, she'd find (or perhaps not) the young man cartoonishly bent backward in an arch across the threshold of her office. His face grasped in a surrender cobra.

[Satoshi Fuuko]

Juat as Fuuko was about to leave, she felt something. She didn't have to look, she just knew. Those with spiritual pressure so great that they couldn't even contain their release were very bad at things like stealth. Her brother, Kazuhiko, was one of those beings. He had learned shikai when he was in Hurcoi Mundo, or so she was told, but even before that, he was always a prodigy. Fuuko, despite her strength, always had to work hard to keep getting better and better. Things came easy to Kazu, but that never bothered the blonde. 

If it had just been that, Fuuko wouldn't have considered sneaking out a window when she felt the approaching reiatsu. No, instead, she just stepped and waited. She crossed her arms at first, waiting for the knock, but it didn't come. She rolled her eyes and lit a cigarette and gave it a puff. She didn't need it to calm her nerves. Kazu's aura  did that. She could feel a sense of ease and that only made her smoke the cigarette harder. She couldn't just let him in. If he was here, it was probably for a reason. She couldn't just blow him off with work, either. It was late enough that she would have gotten through most of it. No, she really didn't have any excuses. So, she just stood there, letting the cigarette ash while she leered at the door with her arms crossed. 

When nothing came at first, Fuuko took a few steps to the door and turned to listen. She could hear him muttering and mumbling, but what he wasn't  doign was knocking or entering. She didn't understand what he was doing, but even the calming aqura wasn't enough to keep her annoyance from filtering out. Then, there came the loud bark and Fuuko exhaled. She ran her fingers through her hair, undid her ponytail and then tied it up again, extra tight. Then, she looked at the door again. It felt like she had been standing in front of the door for an hour. She couldn't take it anymore. 

"Fer fucks' sake! Knock on the fukin door, will ya, Kazu!?" Fuuko barked. She grabbed the door handle and yanked it open. "WHAT?" She snapped, staring at Kazu. Except, she was staring at Kazu's chest. That's right, his eyes were higher now. She lifted her eyes and met his and immediately looked away. She didn't need to see the look on his face. She reached out, grabbed his cheek and pulled him forward. She kissed the top of his head and then shoved him into her chest and clapped an arm around the back of his head to complete the headlock. She yanked Kazu in and closed the door with her free hand. 

When they were both inside, Fuuko drove her knickles into the top of his head and gave him a noogie. "Onee-chan didn't mean to yell at you, Kazu!" She said. "It's just been a long day! I thought it might have been someone droppin off more paperwork." Fuuko said, lying to Kazu. She released him and set him at shoulder length, looked at him and then pulled him into another tight, but comforting hug. 

"Fuck..." She hissed and closed her eyes. 

She only held it for a moment before she stepped away. "You want somethin ta drink?" Fuuko said and pointed at Kazu. "But just bvecause yer not a baldy anymore doesn't mean ya can drink my shit! I got some milk or juice if yer thirsty." Fuuko said and walked off to the small kitchen. "Why were ya just standin out in front of my office, anyway?" Fuuko asked. 

[Satoshi Kazuhiko]

Fuuko's bark back caused Kazu to right himself quickly! He'd just managed to return to his full posture before his sister threw the door open! His eyes went wide as she screamed at his chest. His gaze jumped up to meet Fuuko's and found her eyes cast downward past his. That's right... He was taller now. He still had to look up to see his big sister's eyes. But it was a tilt of the head rather than a craning of the neck. It felt uncomfortable. All of this felt so uncomfortable...

He held strong, resisting the urge to frown. Though he didn't need to resist for long. Fuuko was quick to grab him by the shoulders and pull him in. She placed a kiss atop his head and it drove the tension out of him. A moment later and she'd captured him in a headlock. His face was awkwardly pressed against the side of her breast and he panicked and flailed! "Oi oi!" Neither his helpless flapping nor his desperate kicking did him any good! But it was accompanied by a reflexive smile.

He staggered and spun as he was thrust inside. He turned to face Fuuko, still within her grasp as she stepped inside. Just in time to catch a noogie. He winced and tried to duck away from it. It used to be so much easier. "Hey!" He complained before peering up at her through one eye, the other still locked in the wince. "It's okay. I didn't mean to startle you by shouting either." He apologized as well.

There was a moment of pause as she held him at arm's length. There was a space between them. Not only physically. But even within the constraints of the Gotei 13. He was technically her superior now. It didn't feel right and he wouldn't deign to act as such. Everything felt unnatural. Like someone was in the room watching them put on some sort of pantomime.

"Onee-..."

All of that melted away as his big sister pulled him into a hug. He melted into it. The familiar smell and warmth of her embrace caused his eyes to tear up in relief. An arm wrapped around her to hug her back. His face buried into the crook of her neck, wetting it with his tears. All while his right arm hung, unmoving like the lifeless imitation it was. An elephant in the room. But at least it was a quiet one.

He let his sister release the embrace. He took a step back as well. "Mil-" he stopped himself. "No, I'm okay. Thank you." It was good to have those old familiar feelings back. But there were things that he'd -wanted- to change. He'd promised himself that he wouldn't be someone who needed to be taken care of anymore!

Kazuhiko placed an arm atop one of the chairs in her office and used it to support his weight in a lean. He preferred standing to sitting at pretty much all times. "I tried to knock." His right arm finally came to life as he lifted it above his head. It was certainly in the shape of an arm. But it looked strange. It was uncanny. Like stop-motion in cinema. "But it turns out that knocking is one of the many things I can't do with my new arm." He certainly could have used the other hand... But in his fear, he'd reflexively utilized his prosthetic. It made him feel capable. Ironically.

He waggled the fingers. It had full articulation. He let it descend back to hang at his side. "I didn't bring any paperwork. But I was um... Hoping you might want to take care of some work with me. An order to look over the sewers came across my desk. They requested getting someone from another squad to assist, but I can't think of anyone more capable than you. Besides, the Yonbontai can handle its own business. Right?!"

[Satoshi Fuuko]

"Heh." Fuuko grabbed two glasses. She got a tall one for Kazu and a small one for herself. She put some ice in her glass and poured some alcohol into it, then filled up the tall glass with milk and walked back to Kazuihiko. She handed it to him and then took a deep drink of her own, practically finishing it in one glug. She then looked at him and wrinkled her brow. 

"You got that fuckin message too?" She hissed. "Fuck. Did these pricks just send it to every  seated officer?!" She asked, potentially calling out her own squad. "Yes. I got the message. I was just about to head out to take care of it. Motherfuckers think we need help. I think they forget who is actually  in the yonbantai sometimes." Fuuko grumbled. "You don't need to go." Fuuko said, looking at Kazuhiko. "In fact, why do you want to go?" Fuuko said, raising an eyebrow. "Have you even been  to the sewers? You got kidnapped practically our fist day on the job and then you come back and get promoted ta third seat. I doubt  they'd want you  goin down there... whoever they is." Fuuko growled. 

"Plus, it's late. Shouldn't you... I don't know, be in bed or somethin?" Fuuko asked. "Don't you have Third Seat shit ta do? This is definitely fourth seat shit. Besides, I know these sewers pretty well. Since I can't heal der shit, I spent most a my time sweepin the damn things. Fuckin nasty, but someone's gotta do it. Heh. All those tough talkin motherfuckers probably would squeal like a buncha pussies if they had ta go down there!" Fuuko said and took another sip from her glass. 

Fuuko set the glass down a bit harder than she had meant to. "Nnnn...." She pursed her lips and turned her head. Then, she turned her back and grabbed a cigarette and lit it. She took a drag and ashed it without looking at Kazu. She exhaled through her nose, blasting the smoke sharply into the room. She didn't know what to say or do while Kazu was around and she hated  it

[Satoshi Kazuhiko]

"Thanks!" He said with an abundance of cheer as Fuuko handed him the glass of milk. He took the glass in his right hand. The metal of his prosthetic fingertips clinked in a slow rhythmic line as he grasped it.

He brought it to his lips and the chill of the milk was a strange shock to his system. He hadn't felt the cold through his prosthetic and so it came as a surprise to him. "Heh." He laughed humorlessly as he brought the cup down.

Kazuhiko opened his mouth to answer Fuuko's first question, but she continued on. He tried again at her second. And her third. Eventually, he gathered that they were rhetorical. He was happy to wait for her to be done. Until she brought up his kidnapping.

Her words were resentful and cruel. Fuuko always wore her heart on her sleeve. Sometimes it made it easier to engage with her. Sometimes it just pumped blood everywhere.

"That isn't fair!" He barked back. His left hand clenched with anxious tension. His face twisted. Not with anger. But with something worse. Hurt. He was as easy to read as Fuuko. A Satoshi family trait. His right held the glass of milk with an unmoving and surgical delicacy. Alien. Disassociated.

"I didn't ask for that! And I didn't ask to be promoted!" He yelled back. It was difficult to seem passionate with his milk mustache, but he gave it his best shot. "If that's what you're angry about, then fine! I'll resign! I don't care!" His shoulders shook. The liquid within the glass was undisturbed. It was eerie.

He paused and closed his eyes. Again, no relief. The world came to him louder now. He wanted to be alone with his thoughts. To calm himself. But instead, he felt surrounded. Claustrophobic by way of his own super senses. His eyes opened in slow, frustrated defeat. They lowered until they locked onto the pure white of the milk in his glass.

His tone sank like a rock thrown into the center of the ocean. "I just thought- that if it was work, that maybe you'd want to spend time with me again..."

[Satoshi Fuuko]

Fuuko inhaled as Kazu clapped back at her. She didn't like it. She didn't like to see Kazu mad at all. Especially when it was her  fault. She finished the drink with a second, much faster, much more terse gulp. "It ain't what I'm angry about, Kazu! I ain't angry!" She barked back. "Especially not at you! How could I be? You ain't done a thing  ta be mad at, but... I really don't get why you got promoted." Fuuko asked. She then held up her hands. "You know... it don't matter. I'm proud  of ya." She said and started rubbing her temples. "Don't resign. It's a good spot for ya. The perfect spot, honestly." Fuuko looked at Kazuhiko and sighed. 

"And... of course  I don't mind doin some work with ya, it's just... it's either gonna be dangerous or it's gonna be borin. Ya really  wanna walk around some shitty sewers all night long lookin fer somethin that might not even exist?" Fuuko shook her head. "I just want you ta be safe." She said. "Yer the one who wanted ta join the Yonbantai. I figured that was cause ya wanted to keep people healthy and safe too! Well, you ain't gotta go traipsin around ta do that. There's practically an unlimted supply of jackasses tryin ta get their asses killed that show up in our barracks and need patchin up!" 

Fuuko paced away from Kazu and went to the door. "Well..." She said. "It's not like there's anything I can say ta change yer mind, is there?" She asked. She needed another drink, or five, and at least three more cigarettes. She glanced back. "I guess I haven't really  gotten a chance ta see what you can do, either..." Fuuko said, nodding to the arm. She sighed again. 

[Satoshi Kazuhiko]

He felt foolish and defensive as his sister started to explain herself. Her emotions and reasoning were complicated. But she wanted the best for him. She'd always wanted the best for him no matter what. "You really think so?" He asked, frowning somewhat. It might have been the best spot for him at some point... But now he didn't feel so certain. And Fuuko's reflexive apprehension had nothing to do with it. Well... Mostly nothing.

He nodded as Fuuko spoke. Her words rang true. "I know that you just want to protect me..." There was some guilt to his admission. "I didn't mean to yell. I'm sorry. Things have just been..." He turned away from her and took a deep breath. "They've been really different since I got back from Los Noches." He turned back around to face her. Following her as she moved towards the door.

"I do want to keep people healthy and safe... You're right. That is why I joined the Yonbontai. And I know you only joined it to look after me!" He nodded. "But I want to protect -you- too!" He admitted, rubbing the back of his head bashfully. "I don't want to be the one being protected anymore. I swore to myself, that if I escaped from that place, it would be me who started to protect -you-!" It was a bold proclamation. One made as he hurried to her door and opened it for the both of them.

And one somewhat undercut by his next confession. "Besides... I can't exactly heal anymore." He presented his hands towards Fuuko, both palm up, offering only empty air. "That's the way it's been ever since I got back..." And it was the reason he'd been patrolling so often. He couldn't fix damage after it had been done anymore. Not like Iroka. Not even like an academy grad.

"But you're right. You haven't seen what I can do!" He nodded, trying to brush his confession under the rug. "I'm strong now. You wouldn't believe how much I've changed! So let's go, and I'll show you!"

[Satoshi Fuuko]

"Yes." She said stiffly. She didn't really want to talk about it, or anything for that matter. Unfortunately, Kazu had more to say on the subject. Fuuko pursed her lips and crossed her arms. "No fuckin shit." She barked and then turned her head. "Fer one, I don't need protectin." She said. "My mistakes are my mistakes and I can take it. Fer two, No. Wantin  to protect you is nice, but I gotta. I already fucked it up once, but....Nnnngh." Fuuko shook her head. Kazu said something else that made Fuuko pause. 

"The fuck?! What do ya mean ya can't heal anymore!?" Her eyes widened and she looked at Kazu's arm and then at the door and then at Kazu again. "How the fuck  does that happen!?" She asked. She needed another drink all this was too much. "We can talk about it later." She barked. "Yer right, show me what you can do." Fuuko was glad to change the subject and get going. The next stop was the swer system. She got as much gear as she thought she needed and led Kazu out the door. 

The sewer system underneath Seireitei was expansive. Even Fuuko, who had become very  familiar with the underground tunnels was still surprised to find old passaged, unused and out of the way. If someone wanted to hide here, they could probably do it forever. It would be easy  for some kind of ... well, anything  to live down here as long as they were able to have a fresh source of food. 

"I don't know what we're lookin for, but for the moment, let's assume it's some kinda hollow. If it's not, it should have weird reiatsu or somethin like that." Fuuko explained. "Ok, then, Kazu." Fuuko asked. "What can  ya do now? Aside from not  heal and not knock on doors?" As upset as she was, she was, at least  a little interested. "The arm is pretty cool. Is that yer zanpakutou?" She had to admit, at the very least. "I got my name outta my  sword too, whle you were gone." Fuuko added. "She's a whiney bitch, though." 

[Satoshi Kazuhiko]

Kazuhiko spent the time between leaving Fuuko's office and their arrival at the sewers of the Sereitei thinking about her words. She felt she had to protect him because of how they had died. That wasn't fair... Not to her. And why couldn't he feel the same sense of duty? He wanted to argue with her... But he knew she wouldn't listen. It was due to the same Satoshi Stubbornness that was in his heart as well. The same stubbornness that would see him trying to protect her with, or without her permission!

_____

Kazuhiko's sandals clacked upon the stone of the sewer causeways. The sound of them echoed throughout the dimly lit passages, reverberating within the cylindrical architecture of the underground passages. It was damp, but the smell was more like mold than he would have expected. His robes of white were already turning dark at their extremity as they soaked up water-slickened grime.

"Okay. Stay close and I'll make sure nothing sneaks up on us!" He replied to his sister. He'd never been the best at sensing reiatsu. Average at best. But when it came to physical sensory he was now among the best. Well.. as long as they were within fifty feet of him.

He paused, considering that his sister, however, didn't know this. And given that she was asking about his abilities it seemed a proper time to explain. "For starters, I can't turn it off." He balled up a fist and gave a knock upon his arm. It made a solid, metallic sound. Like someone knocking on a vault door.

"Oyabin- Err, Hyakujuunouu, has been like this ever since he saved my life." He understood that it was because he lacked control. That, and he possessed an overwhelming amount of reiatsu for his inexperienced body.

"But that's why people can't sneak up on me anymore. He's currently releasing reiatsu, like a constant purr. And I can feel it. Every particle. As it touches the world and flows through it. It's a sixth sense... Like echo location. Or that thing sharks can do with magnetism!" He looked at his sister with a smile. "I can feel your heartbeat. Your breathing. The contractions of your muscles." And he couldn't turn it off.

He looked back forward again, continuing to explain. "And this arm can't hurt the physical world. Even to knock on a door, it seems." He smirked mirthlessly. "But it can blast the ability to hold reiatsu out of anything it strikes. Kind of like a Sanrei Glove!" A punch that could do no harm. His naivete made real.

"But... yours? What's her name? What can she do?" He asked excitedly. There was a childish anticipation to his inquiry. He looked up to his sister. He was confident that her Zanpakutou would be soooo cool! Where his was subdued. Hers would be bombastic and exciting! "Come on Onee-san! Tell me!"

[Satoshi Fuuko]

"Nnngh." Fuuko grunted as Kazu proclaimed he would keep her safe. The thought was unsavory to her. It made her want to smoke. At the very least, unlike Kazu, Fuuko wasn't getting anything dirty thanks to her mini skirt tailored Shuhakushou. When Kazu stopped, Fuuko did too. "Which is it?" She asked. "Oyabin or Hyakujuunouu?" Fuuko asked, tilting her head and turning to look at the arm properly. "It's always like that?" Fuuko suddenly found a small chuckle percolating out of her mouth. "Course it is..." She muttered and then rested her hand on her own zanpakutou. 

"Oh, yeah?" Fuuko said, generally interested. She looked around, like she might be able to see it too. "That's pretty fuckin cool!" Fuuko said with a genuine grin. "Look at you, pumpin out all that reiatsu!" She said and ruffled Kazu's hair. She then stopped. "Yeah, but, what about shit like bugs or rodents or birds and shit? That must drive ya inane?" Fuuko asked. 

As if on cue, Fuuko felt something tickle her toes. She looked down at a rat that was sniffing around. Instead of freaking out, she waited for a moment and then flicked her foot, sending the rat hurling into the darkness where there was, eventually, a faint splash. "Fuck off." She muttered and looked back at Kazu. "Looks like yer not doin so hot, Kazu! He almost got me!" Fuuko teased. "But, there must be dozens of em skitterin around here and there." Fuuko suggested, both knowing it was true and also saying it to not deflate Kazu. 

"Blast?" She tilted her head. That sounds super fuckin cool. I wish  mine blasted. She said with a laugh. She pulled her zanpakutou out of her obi and hefted the sealed sword up in the air. "Her name is Shukketsubuki. The Bleeding Weapon, the Exit Wound Arsenal. She, uh... drinks... alot." Fuuko said. "And never shuts the fuck up!" She added, yelling at the sword before she  tucked it back into her obi sash. 

"Aside from that, well, unlike yer zan, Shukketsubuki is always changin. Aside from the initial release, it just turns into a bunch a different weapons." Fuuko explained. "That's pretty much it." Though it was a simplification, it would probably work well enough for Kazu. As she finished, she tugged at his sleeve so that the two of them could walk and talk. They were getting to a point that Fuuko wasn't too  familiar with at this point. Where the sewers became much more labyrinthine. 

[Satoshi Kazuhiko]

"I think maybe it's both? Oyabin Hyakujuunuou?" He rubbed the back of his head with his human hand, turning a bit red with embarassment. "You're much better at the gangster thing than me... Which do you think it should be?" He looked at his sister with a cheeky, teasing grin.It was clear that though he'd heard the name, he didn't truly know it. A lack of control.

"Mmhmm. It's always here. I don't know how to make it turn off." He confessed, his cheeks still red. "It is a pretty impressive output!" Fuuko's hair ruffling put a warm smile on his face.

"It's amazing to resonate with the world. There are so many things we can't see or hear! I can -feel- it all. But... also." He paused. "But also, there are so many things." He repeated himself, but the emphasis was different. Exhausting. Confirming his sisters speculation that it could be too much for him to handle at times.

He couldn't control it. He couldn't control anything. And with his condition... The thought caused him to frown. He did his best to hide it under his smile... But he was never very good at lying.

Distracted and in his own head, he hadn't thought to tell Fuuko about the vermin all around them. He'd been moving through them without touching, instinctually. There was never a concern pf them accidentally crossing paths, as he knew where they would skitter before they did.

The splash of the rat and Fuuko's vulgar farewell to the pest brought his attention back to reality! "Oh! He-" He paused, it was too late. "Was just curious about you." Curiousity killed the cat. Or kicked the rat, in this case.

"Sorry. I didn't think anything of it. I'll try harder to save you from the big bad rats!" He rubbed the back of his head with a sheepish grin. "Dozens is right. But, they don't pose any danger though. None of them are sick." He didn't bother elaborating. Their heartbeats were all regular. Their breathing normal. Their temperatures proper. He was a walking physical exam.

Fuuko continued, detailing her own release! And as expect, it was cool! His eyes lit up with chuuni glee! He was still a boy, after all. "Exit Wound Arsenal!? And it transforms!?! What can it become?" So cool!!!

"She... Drinks? Like. Alcohol? My partner seems to like that too. And Karaoke..." Were both of their spirits degenerate? "It's probably nice to have someone you can akways drink with though, right?" Kazu was always happy to share cups with his sister. But milk made for a poor companion drink.

He seemed almost envious as he looked at her sealed sword held aloft. It was great to have two arms again, but it also felt like he was walking around with an unholstered gun at all times.

"She sounds like a really great partner! She sounds reliable! Like I can trust her to take care of you when I'm not around!" The words were innocuous at the moment. But he knew that they held more weight than his positive affirmation let on.

[Satoshi Fuuko]

"Heh. That's cause I am a gangster!" Fuuko said and then puffed out her chest. She then deflated quickly. "Or... was..." She scratched her head. "I know we're supposed ta forget this shit. That stuff that happened when we were alive or whatever, but... it hasn't really left me." Very specifically the last few moments of her life. It seemed seared into her like a tattoo. Just one reason why it was hard to look at Kazu. Even all grown up, the could only see him dead in her arms, a bullet in his head. Then there was the rage.... and then enjoyment. Then, nothing. "Oyabin's easier ta say." Fuuko said with a shrug. "Least ya don't have ta hear "Anego!" This and "Anego!' That every fuckin second of the day." Fuuko hissed. 

Fuuko rested her hand on Kazu's head. "Just don't get too excited." She said and ruffled his hair. She looked down at where her foot was. "Well, think of what I did was like ridin a roller coaster or sommethin. I don't know. Ain't nothin on me he needs ta be sniffin." Fuuko muttered. She had no issue with rats, but she wasn't going to get cozy with them. Kazu's words, however, gave Fuuko pause. "Sick?" She repeated. "What do ya mean? Like Soul Rabies or somethin? Cause if one of em is sick, that could be the lead we need." She reminded that they were on a mission. 

"Yeah, it can turn into anythin, I guess. As long as it's a weapon, I guess? I ain'[t seen it turn into any kind of club, which makes sense. Couldn't really drink that  way. And, yeah, she likes to drink alvohol. Sometimes I drink with her. There's a fully stocked bar inside my inner world but." Fuuko paused. "I don't really like goin there." As peaceful and tranquil as Fuuko's inner world was at first blush, she knew what it was really  like and how it worked. How it needed to be cleaned and attended to. "It ain't set up for Karaoke and I'm sure Shukketsubuki would be terrible at it. Somehow she's got a whiney coice that's also deep. Heh." Fuuko finally smiled at that. 


"Aneeeego! Why are y ou saying all these mean things about me! I have a beautiful voice! Let me do Karaoke with Ototo-chan and Lion King-kun!" 

 "Fcuk off, bitch. That ain't happenin." Fuuko muttered under her breath.  She then looked at Kazu and shook her head. "She's the complete opposite. She just fucks around. She's lazy, stubborn, indecisive, moody  and thinks she's super cool even though it's a pain in the fuckin ass just to get her to actually work! Baaaah!" Fuuko shook her head. "If anyone else woulda gotten this zanpakutou, they woulda quit bein a Shinigami a long time ago. Or, they probably would have just died." Fuuko rolled her eyes as Shukketsubuki continued to whine. She just ignored it. "I'm more worried about yer weapon. Is it really enough ta keep ya safe when I'm not around?" 

In the distance, where the rat had panged into the sewer water, when it had come up from the water and crawled onto the walkway, a blurred shadow scooped it up. It vanished and a second later, there was a loud *crunch* That was followed by a disgusting sound, like someone throwing up. Then, there was a pair of red, piercing eyed staring down where Kazu and Fuuko were. Then, the eyes disappeared into the water. 

[Satoshi Kazuhiko]

The young man couldn't help but smirk at his sister's degenerate boasting. However, it fell away just as quickly as she continued her train of thought. He nodded slowly to his sister. "It hasn't left me either." He agreed. "However, maybe that's a good thing, right? I mean. It led us back to each other. I'm sure there are probably plenty of souls in Soul Society who were related when they were alive, but don't know it now, right? It's strange... But it's kind of a gift if you ask me." He finished his assertion by looking towards his sister with a smile of genuine happiness and admiration.

"Instead of Anego, it's Wakashu." His eyes upturned to the hand on his head. Wakashu was what elder members of the Yakuza called their prospects. Not yet full-fledged members. Runners. Errand boys.

"Soul Rabies?" He couldn't help but laugh. Illness was of course possible in their world. But it was very different from the human world. Fuuko's assertion was of course correct. Any irregularity in the rats could very well be evidence of the irregularity they were hunting. "Don't worry. I'll let you know as soon as I sense something is awry."

The focus of their conversation was once again brought back to Fuuko's Shikai. "How versatile! That sounds really strong!" Fuuko seemed to have gained some sort of wisdom in regard to her weapon transformations. However, to Kazuhiko, it didn't make any sense that a weapon of any sort could drink. He managed to resist asking if her weapon forms had a mouth. But just barely.

"I've only ever been to my inner world once, but it was certainly set up for Karaoke. I'm certain there was plenty of alcohol there too." His face twisted up in disapproval. "It was dark and bright at the same time. And impossible to hear much over the loud music. It seems more set up for Hy- Oyabin than me." He rubbed his chin considering that. It was supposed to be -his- inner world, wasn't it?

Fuuko didn't seem to much like her zanpakutou at all. She was resentful of her partner. Even as they walked she couldn't resist privately arguing with her. "I'm sure Shukke-chan has some positive qualities, right? I mean... I have to trust her to keep my precious sister alive!" He noted optimistically.

"As for me. You can trust Hyaakujuunuou!" He brought his prosthetic arm up and flexed it. He grasped it with his left hand and gave her a big grin. "He's way stronger than me. He kept me safe in Hueco Mundo. He might be a bit gruff, but he's reliable-" He stopped mid-way through speaking as he heard the crunch of bones.

The rat was outside of his sensory range. As were the piercing red eyes. Kazuhiko couldn't really see either of them in the dark. Within 50 feet he could 'see' every speck of dust in the air. Beyond it, however, he was practically blind. "Onee?" He asked nervously. "What was that?"

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[Satoshi Fuuko]

"Heh, yeah. I s'pose." Fuuko said and looked at Kazu. She could imagine that he probably remembered something other than the moments before his death. Maybe the accident. Maybe not. Even if his last moments were imprinted into him, Kazue had died suddenly, probably painlessly. Sure, there was the terror and fear of the predicament, but they had Kept Kazu relatively safe up until Fuuko showed up. She was sure that he probably wasn't supposed  to die then and there. Fuuko's own attitude, an itchy trigger finger, nerves. Everything before  the gunshot went off was almost a blur at this point. It was everything after that Fuuko couldn't forget. The rage, the blood- so much of it. The pain, and Kazu's face frozen in hr mind. Unblemeshed except for the hole in his head. Fuuko's fingers twitched. How could she even begin to explain that to him. 

"I'm just glad we're finally together." She and then hid the rest of her feelings under a soft sigh. "I guess it's the reverse for us." Fuuko said with a little chuckle. Anego was the term girl gangs used to refer to their sukeban. Fuuko had been one in her living days, so the term was familiar, it was just obnoxious to hear it whined at her all day and night. As far as her zan was concerned... "It is... until it isn't. If there's a weapon I like, I basically only get one chance ta use it." Fuuko explained with a frown. 

At the mention of Kazu's inner world, Fuuko winced. "Yeah? Well, maybe you should keep  not goin there. Yer too young ta be drinkin! I'll go in there an beat up whoever thinks it's a good idea ta be givin kidsa alcohol!" Fuuko snorted gruffly. When it came back around to the usefulness of her own Zan, Fuuko opened her mouth, only to hear a squealing, nasally voice in her head. 

"Shukke-chan!? Anego! Did you hear that?! That's adooorable! Did ya hear what Ototo-chan called me, Anego!? Why can't yooou call me Shukke-chan!?" 
                                                         
"Because, I don't wanna be that fuckin familiar with ya..." Fuuko muttered under her breath. Her words were followed immediately by a whiney pout from Shukketsubuki. "Sometimes I think it's the other way around. We found each othder so I could protect her." She sighed and smiled as she looked at Kazu's arm. Then immediately frowned when Kazu spoke about Hueco Mundo. She turned her head and then looked back shyly at him. "Kazu... what happened in H-" She had finally worked upt he courage to speak, and then, she felt the presence. 

"Shit!" Immediately, Fuuko had her weapon drawn and thrust it forward as golden reiatsu wrapped around it. "Sakugen!" She whipped a blade of Reiatsu down the tunnel and her eyes widened at the brief flash of what she saw. She didn't think she hit anything, but emerging from the darkness was a large rat, about three times the size of a normal rat with red glowing eyes and a hollow mask. Hit was hissing and almost ethereal. Behind it more glowing red eyes appeared. More and more until the rancid sewer water looked like it was crawling towards them. 

"I think... we found what we were looking for. Fuuko grabbed Kazu's real arm and turned. She started dragging him backwards away from the writhing swarm. As she looked back, she saw the large rat open it's mouth and a small red orb started glowing inside. "No, fuckin way!" Fuuko barked. "Kazu, I need ya to tell me when anythiin even remotely rat-like gets close enough ta sense, ok!? You call em out and I'll try and pick em off!" Fuuko huffed, even as she  contonued to run. 

Then, she heard the sound, the unmistakable hum of a Cero and watched as the sewer was practically engulfed with a red light. Fuuko three up her shoulder and tried to step in-between it and Kazu. She's been seared by a Cero before. She knew she could handle one or two of them, especially from something so small, though the size of it was much bigger than she had expected. 

____________________________________

Reiatsu: 3375/3400 - Blood Bank: 000 - | Unreleased Katana

-25 Sakugen

SPOILER: Click to show

{Sakugen}
Technique Name: Sakugen (Cut)

Technique Class: 7 - 10 TTP

Technique Type: General Shinigami.

Usable By: Shinigami, Vizard, Rogues.

Technique Element: N/A

Technique Cost: 25 Reiatsu.

Description: The user pours Reiatsu into their body, and their sword, and releases it in a mighty slash attack. A small slash of Reiatsu shoots outwards, and can cut with the same force as the user, if it hits. It also bypasses the cutback effect, as well as comes with the user's weight. It feels like it hits the enemy with the user's body weight, on top of cutting into them or their tools.

How to Use: Charge and slash in an instant.

Incantation: N/A.

Drawbacks: It drains some Reiatsu and some stamina, but also comes with a requirement. One must have a minimum of 200 in strength to be able to use this technique, or it cannot be used.

Made By: Ozuru Ren.
Reserved?: No.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats & Skills}Stats:

Reiatsu: 3400

[[Strength - 400 Points (600) +50%
Speed - 300 Points
Spiritual Pressure - 272 Points (340) +25%
Reiatsu Strength - 45 Points (31) -30%
Light Aura - 95 Points
Dark Aura - 05 Points
Instinct- 75 Points
Senses- 68 Points (51) -25%
Energy sensory - 40 Points
Healing Expertise - 0 Points

Total: 1200/1200 SP]

Current Skills 15/15
• [Battle Focus] {1}
• [Pain Tolerance] {2}
• [Lack of Fear] {2}
• [Zanjutsu] {1}
• [Strength of Will] {2}
• [Damage Recovery] {2}
• [Bleeding Tolerance] {2}
• [Anti-Stealth] {1}
• Blood Scent {2}