Connections

[Satoshi Fuuko]

Once Fuuko unleashed her Sakugen, she continued to thrust forward with her lance, following it behind the wreckage caused by the mighty wave of reiatsu. as it demolished the buildings around her, Fuuko pushed the point of her spear past the point where the Sakugen was cresting. She stopped when she felt felt her lans finally pierce flesh. With the way her zanpakutou worked, she was always able to tell when she connected with a hit. Shukketsubuki would start drinking immediately or she wouldn't. That was all there was too it. The Sakugen was able to clear away the remaining rubble and Fuuko was left staring at what left. The seeming mastermind behind all the corpseball puppets that had attacked Kimiko en masse.

Fuuko just had to wait for the dust to settle to be able to see what kind of damage she actually had done. She panted as she leered down at the dust. She could feel Shukketsubuki drinking even as she waited. The huge lance began to glow, ready to transform again. Fuuko could feel the weapon taking her time, though. Honestly even Fuuko wondered if Shukketsubuki could get any bigger. She was already practically wielding a building. She had known full well that the whole reason  Shinigami sealed their power into zanpakutou in the first place was so they didn't carry around massive weapons. Clearly Shukketsubuki didn't get the message. Though, the weapon never ever seemed to be heavy in Fuuko's hands. No matter the size, she could always wield it in one hand if she wanted to and it always felt as light as the pocket knife it started out as. She always wondered what it might weigh to someone else who might try and pick it up. seeing someone else struggle to wield Shukketsubuki put a smile on her face. Soon after, the dust cleared. 

Fukko regarded the beast as it coughed up blood. She looked at the rest of the warehouse, spackled in more blood that was slowly being absorbed into Shukketsubuki. Fuuko wasn't really sure what to say t it and was content to watch it die silently, but when the thing spoke, Fuuko's eyes nit. "I ain't a fuckin nurse!" She barked. "I'm a... wait a fuckin second. How the fuck do you know me!? Oi!" Fuuko lifted her huge lglowing weapon up and leered at the beast as it also spoke about Captain Nakajima. "Nakajima-sensei!?" Fuuko's eyes widened. Then the words and Fuuko pursed her lips. "Why don't ya tell her yer damn self!?" Fuuko barked. 

She whipped her arm in the direction Kimiko was and sent the body flying. She knew it wouldn't live, but as it flew through the air, it slowly dispersed, the Konsou being performed by Shukketsubuki. "What the actual  fuck?" Fuuko muttered to herself. She looked at her zanpakutou and sighed. "How was it?" She asked. In return, she heard a loud burp that seemed to resonate from everywhere and nowhere at once, followed by a very meek and embarrassed sounding 'Sumimasen.' 

Fuuko let out a small grunt but then tilted her head. "I don't know why the fuck it knew me, but... clearly sensei knew it." Fuuko closed her mouth. 'Does she know about vizards?' Fuuko thought to herself. 'Could she know how to help fix Iroka-chan?!' That was her first thought. Then, she wondered why Kimiko might have this kind of knowledge. Fuuko inhaled. If Kimiko was involved with some secret Vizard factory... Fuuko shook her head. Fuuko trusted Kimiko. She was a captain after all. She took Fuuko under her wing, even after Fuuko was kind of a bitch. Not only that, but she was now taking care of her brother. 

But then... Fuuko thought about her very first words to Kimiko. She had been joking when she had accused Kimiko of flirting with Kazu, but that was when Kazu was a boy. Now he was a man. Maybe there had been a connection. Maybe Kimiko had  lured him into Squad Eleven because she was attracted to him? Fuuko shook her head. She could feel herself squeezing the handle of her sword so tightly, Shukketsubuki was makinhg gagging noises. 

Fuuko sighed. She had to return to Kimiko before the woman got suspicious. She had a lot of questions and she was sure they weren't quite done anyway. She glanced at Shukketsubuki and saw the new form it had taken. Fuuko's eyes rose up into the sky as the wide base of the lance was replaced by a long, red pole. It was not much more than an inch and a half in diameter and rose about fifty feet into the air. On top of it was a red hand making a claw with sharpened fingernails. Fuuko wrinkled her brow. 

"The fuck is that? Di-Did you just turn into a backscratcher?" Fuuko barked. 

'Hmph! It's a Zhua! It's an ancient Chinese weapon designed for removing shields from men, men from horses and flesh from pretty much anything!" Shukketsubuki scoffed, her tone extremely patronizing.  Fuuko opened her mouth, but the weapon continued. 'Besides, you're always whining that I don't do blunt trauma, even though you know I don't like pulp' Fuuko wasn't going to argue. As far as she  was concerned, any weapon was fine and Shukketsubuki was like an encyclopedia when it came to knowledge about weapons and armament. In fact, Fuuko was downright surprised that the mostly stupid (Fuuko's words) weapon was such a savant when it came to the subject. Arsenal was in her name, though, so Fuuko figured it made sense enough and Fuuko had to admit, that Shukketsubuki usually have her the weapon she needed for the moment. The blonde just hated that ahe never got to keep the weapon for very long. 

Fuuko let the Zhua drop against her shoulder. It was time to get back to Kimio. She turned on the Shunpo and hopped back as quickly as she could. "Oi, Sensei!" She called out as she approached. "Are you alright?! I killed the motherfucker, did the puppets stop!?" She asked as she rushed to see what scene laid before her. 

_______________________________

Reiatsu: 2975/3400 - Blood Bank: 529,050 - | Greatswords/Polearms | OMEGA Zhua (3 Posts)


Blood Collection - [15] Passive | Fatal (Pierced) [750]

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}

[Nakajima Kimiko]

The creature's feeble attempt to speak to Fuuko was, admittedly, one that was born from blind faith in the medic's patience. When that crimson blade had stabbed its chest and then almost shred its entire skin off with the spiritual residue which exploded from its metallic body, it knew that it was not going to survive, but that it would at least have enough time to at the very least speak a few final words. Moreover, it believed that someone like Fuuko - a medical practitioner of the Fourth Division - would have had the patience to listen to it as it spoke to her, if only because she had most likely seen her fair share of wounded soldiers telling her a couple of things before they succumbed to their injuries. Unfortunately, however, such a thing would not quite be what he would gain, for Fuuko was most probably the one medic in the entirety of her squad that was the least qualified to be described as a patient woman, and so he would not be able to gain her sympathy. Instead, he would only gain her wrath.

But that, ultimately, didn't really matter. What mattered in the end of it all was that it was freed from what was bringing it pain, and that the chaos that it had caused for the Shinigami officers had come to an end. Such would be made apparent as, while its body flew across the city and found itself gruesomely smashed against a multitude of the buildings nearest to where Kimiko was positioned, it would gradually dissipate under the effects of the Konsō ritual activated by Shukketsubuki until it was no more. Soon after it would disappear, the clones that it conjured would follow suit, falling forward into a mess of melting air until, finally, they would all be gone with no proof of their previous existence aside from the small bits of urban destruction that they have left in their wake. No more hissing. No more snarling. No more stomping and jumping and slashing. All would become silent in Jodanapur once again, just as it was only but a few minutes ago.

By the time this silence had returned, the Captain had found herself simply standing near the fountain. Her eyes were still widened, though at this point, it was not out of surprise, but rather out of desperation. Her disconnection from the reality that was being currently inflicted onto her, her ability to sink herself in the fold of battle without every worrying about everything that was currently pushing her further and further down towards the ground... It was gone. Her infinite army, her endless battle, had been taken away from her, and now she was right back to where she had started. Now, she needed to think and strategize and create questions again, needed to worry about everything and everyone that was dear to her again, needed to ensure that not even a single one of those things would find themselves heading straight towards their doom again. It shouldn't hurt her so much; after all, it was normal for anyone to worry about others. Yet... right now, as she stood there with her swords drawn, it felt as though her spirit had been emptied of her happiness and of her relief.

For a brief moment, she felt the spirits of her blades stand behind her. The elderly one of the white blade appeared regretful, maybe even remorseful, while the young one of the black blade was giving her the same stern, sharp look he always carried along whenever he appeared. They understood her. They knew of her worries, of her struggles, of her pain. However, they also knew that now was not the time to reflect upon those things. At the very least, not while she was near one of her students, and not while the unpredictable machinations of the dark creature within retained their course. And of course, Kimiko knew that too. She didn't need to hear their words nor needed to gaze upon them to understand what she needed to do. So, after a time, she would take a deep breath and attempt to push the sorrow behind, then another, and then another one again. Only once the fourth breath was accomplished that she achieved a conclusion that she found to be somewhat satisfying, and in so doing, she would find herself calming down and return to the matter at hand.

Her scarlet eyes would then turn towards Fuuko had gone. With the Hollow eliminated, the bad-mouthed student's return was now to be expected. Kimiko had also fully expected her to be strong enough to take the beast down, and so did she not think she would need to go get her partner out of there. What she had not expected, however, was... the massive red pole that suddenly extended from beyond the rooftops of Jodanapur. In an instant, the Captain's sadness was replaced with complete incredulity as, with a comical expression of shock, she would raise her head up and up and up until, finally, she would be able to see the very tip of the weapon.  What in the actual f-  her thoughts would almost swear at the sight of the incredible weapon before she would then be able to see the tip of the weapon. From where she stood, it was somewhat difficult to see what it was meant to be, but once she recognized it, she would blink.  Is that thing... supposed to be a zhua?

Yes. Yes, this thing was indeed supposed to be a zhua, the Chinese weapon of old. Being somewhat knowledgeable when it came to the matter of swords, Kimiko was able to recognize most of the blades she saw out there. In fact, she was pretty sure that she had seen a couple of her students actually use such a weapon in order to execute techniques of the Nijū Kanmeki-ryu in their own way. With that being said, she had never once seen a zhua that was that long. The damn thing must be more than 10 meters tall! Kimiko had a hunch that the blood Shukketsubuki could absorb was able to influence it in one way or another, but she never thought that it could influence to such an extent. In a way, it made her proud in Fuuko's abilities. To think that the medic could conjure such a formidable blade... Ah, indeed, it was a shame that she wasn't able to see it with her own eyes during training. She would have loved to learn more about it during their spare time.

Eventually, Fuuko would be able to properly return to Kimiko's position. At that point, the oversized zhua was resting on her shoulder, and needless to say, it was still very much getting quite a fair bit of Kimiko's attention. Nevertheless, she tried her best to ignore it in the moment, instead deciding to use the awe of the weapon to her emotional advantage. "Yeah, I think they're gone! Looks like they couldn't survive without their master around. It kinda sucks that they went out that way, but hey, at least they gave me one hell of a fight!" She would laugh heartily as she commented on the situation, returning her blades to their scabbards after the fact. At a glance, it would be difficult for Fuuko to even think that she was still horribly disappointed by the fact that she couldn't fight them anymore. Then, after taking a glance at Shukketsubuki, she would find herself staring at it, still impressed. "Man... look at that thing. I didn't know Shukketsubuki could grow like that. Heh, that Hollow probably never saw it coming."

For all intents and purposes, it most certainly didn't. That Hollow wasn't fighting them out of its own free will; rather, it was trying to kill them in order to keep them away from the particular industrial facility that was still standing behind them. In so doing, it couldn't have known about the abilities of Fuuko's Zanpakuto. Still... if that thing was just like Walker, there was no way that it was fighting them with strategy in mind; after all, it had attacked a Captain seemingly against its will. If it was also like Walker, that meant that its master was still around, much like how that bluehead from back then ordered Walker to attack them once he had liberated it. The thought was enough to cause Kimiko to look back towards the building with a more serious look. "Anyway... We should probably get going before something else decides to ambush us," she would tell Fuuko then as she considered what was going to happen next. "I don't think those civilians got all day before something else happens to them."  With that said, Kimiko would then head towards the main door of the facility. Her scarlet eyes remained alert once again, making sure that there was nothing out there who would attempt to attack them from out of the blue like that Hollow. Fortunately, this time, they would both be in the clear. 

Once the two of them would have gone through the doors, they would quickly find themselves heading into what appeared to be some kind of reception. Instantly, the air would shift from the cleaner outside breezes to the standard wheezes of your typical aeration system. The walls, the floor, as well as some of the furniture were a mixture of beige and light grey shades, the kinds that you would expect in most governmental offices, and overall, there didn't seem to be anything abnormal at a glance. In fact, the area was just as normal, yet also as eerily empty as the rest of the city. Strangely, even the receptionist's desk was empty, completely devoid of any kind of papers that could hopefully help steer Kimiko and Fuuko towards some kind of direction. Such a sight was enough to cause the Captain to let out a frustrated hiss. "Tch. So much for gathering any clues about the place." Her frustration was somewhat apparent, a residual of her earlier disappointment. "Let's look around. That guy from earlier couldn't have gone far."

The Captain would then attempt to continue to look around the reception area in an attempt to perhaps find more information about what was happening to the people of this city. However, after a time, she would begin to head down the halls. There, the two Shinigami officers would be able to find offices behind closed doors and shuttered windows... but oddly enough, they too had been completely emptied. There were no signs of paperwork, no reports of any kind or some kind of document that they could use for their little investigation. All that remained was, instead, a few fliers and brochures which had been stapled to the walls, all of which were centered around entertainment, such as sports and conventions. The most publicized of them all appeared to be centered around a meeting at a bar where alcohol was served. Meanwhile, the spiritual energy of the entity within the building still continued to boom around the Shinigami, completely filling their senses.

[Satoshi Fuuko]

Fuuko stepped up towards Kimiko when she found her and could see the fading look of delight still passively lingering. Fuuko wanted to call her teacher out on her earlier words about not merely battling for the sake of it. It seemed she was lying just a bit about that, but Fuuko kept her mouth shut. She just grinned, nodded and gave a thumbs up to Kimiko. "Good! Can't really say the same for me. I didn't really know the bastard was dead until he was dead. Pinned em to the ground and pretty much tore em in half." Fuuko explained. 

Then she noticed the look. As Kimiko looked at her zanpakutou, Fuuko grinned wider. She thrust her hips rather crudely at Kimiko. "Don't let anyone tell ya size don't matter." She said and laughed. She patted the end of her zanpakutou proudly. "Yeah, when she drinks, she just gets bigger n' bigger." Fuuko said. "And, yeah, like I said. It was dead before it knew it, but." Fuuko said, remembering what the Hollow said. However, before she could get in a word edgewise, Kimiko was ready to move on with the investigation. Fuuko shrugged and nodded and let Kimiko take point. She knew she wasn't walking into the building with Shukketsubuki in the state it was but she really  didn't want to sheathe Shukketsubuki just yet. 

Fuuko let her arm drop and dragged the claw behind her, even as she walked intot he building. She let the pole stick out as she stood in the reception area. She looked around, but didn't see anything. A quick whiff told her no one nearby was bleeding that she knew of. As Kimiko looked around, Fuuko held out her hand. "Sensei. The thing knew me." She said. "And said, just before it died, that it hoped it gave you a good fight. Well, it called me a nurse, so maybe it didn't know know me, but it definitely  said Nakajima-sensei." Fuuko explained. "But the voice was familiar too." Fuuko then motioned for Kimiko to follow Fuuko back outside. 

"I think we're looking at this the wrong way anyway." She said. "We're treatin this like a regular city that's supposed ta function like a regular city... but it ain't. Obviously it was designed with somethin in mind. I think the city part was just fer show, or, at least just until whatever was going on could get off the ground, or, rather under ground. Maybe we need ta see what's deeper?" 

Fuuko then jumped into the air and used Shunpo to boost herself up. Then, she drove Shukketsubuki into the building, trying to use the claw and precise pole of the Zhua to smash through as many floors as she could. If there was, indeed, an underground facility, then she could no doubt smash Shukketsubuki through at least five or six floors, if indeed, it went that deep. Plus, this would give Kimiko time to think about Fuuko's words. 

_______________________________

Reiatsu: 2950/3400 - Blood Bank: 529,050 - | Greatswords/Polearms | OMEGA Zhua (4 Posts)

-25 Shunpo

Blood Collection - [00] Passive |

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}

[Nakajima Kimiko]

It would appear that the Hollow wasn't really able to properly defend itself once Fuuko was able to reach it. Well, at the very least, that is what Kimiko understood from her student's explanation. While the Captain was somewhat disappointed for the blonde berserker, given that she didn't really have a proper fight of her own unlike her teacher, she couldn't really say that she was entirely surprised to hear about that. From the looks of things, the creature was primarily the kind that summoned minions in order to aid it in battle, and if there was one thing that summoners were typically not very good at, it was fighting by themselves. Sure, these minions weren't entirely "minions" if she solely referred herself to the true meaning of the word, but there wasn't much of a difference between a real minion and a clone whose sole purpose was to follow orders until its inevitable demise, especially a clone who was not only pretty fast for what it was, but also moderately powerful to potentially easily overwhelm most of its targets.

Well, not that it mattered much in the end. The Hollow was not dead, and although Kimiko again would have preferred Fuuko to have a real fight, it nevertheless was eliminated properly, and so they could now move on with their real task at hand. But they would not be able to move on quickly enough before the raunchy blondie would find herself commenting about her weapon. The sight of her student's crude gesture was enough to cause Kimiko to shake her head with an amused smirk, one that only widened once she remembered how much Fuuko appeared to hate Shukketsubuki only moments earlier. "Heh, and here I thought you hated keeping her around! Size really does matter after all," she would first reply to her student as she observed the scarlet giant. Once she finished doing so, she would then cross her arms and smirk. "Or rather, it matters when you try to fit it into something. But, I guess it doesn't matter as much in battle now, does it, Fuuko?" 

A double whammy. Just like that, Kimiko had unleashed two innuendos back-to-back alongside a remark about Fuuko's property damage, with barely any breaks between the both of them. They weren't just simply innuendos either. Oh, no, they were the subtle kind, the kind that could have only been crafted after having heard many, many similar word plays throughout her entire career. This subtlety accentuated their crudeness, and at this point, one may say that that they only sounded crude, but also downright cruder than what Fuuko had just said. Kimiko did not think she would have been able to go that far with Fuuko's crudeness, and yet, here she was. It was needless to say that she wasn't used to doing such a thing, even around her raunchy student, but she had to admit that it felt rather nice to let loose, so to speak. Maybe it was the many years she has spent working as a teacher and being as cordial as possible with her students that were allowing her to do so. Maybe it was instead her disappointment from her latest battle's end that was responsible for it. 

Either way, she didn't care. It was liberating enough, so liberating that she didn't even hear Fuuko's last comment as they then moved on and proceeded into the facility. By then, the pleasantness of said conversation had faded away for Kimiko, replaced by a growing frustration as she attempted to find anything that could allow them to find out more about what was happening here. Evidently, something had happened here that caused every single person in this facility to store their belongings, their paperwork, and whatever else which was useful for their work away before they left their workplace. It wasn't normal for a building which contained officers and was visibly being used not that long to be completely emptied of its content in such a way, after all. The problem was that there really was nothing out there that could really be used as a proper hint, or at least there was nothing concrete aside from these mundane entertainment brochures... Although...

Frowning, the Captain would find herself approaching one of the billboards set about the reception area before ripping off a paper detailing the meeting at the nearest bar. For all intents and purposes, it was a normal brochure. There didn't seem to be anything wrong with it in particular, and really, it was probably only a simple event that the employees had organized between themselves. However, considering that practically everyone in the city appeared to be parked in this facility, and there was nobody around for the time being... "Huh... I'm starting to think we probably got a few clues after all," she would conclude as she held onto the brochure, still trying to decipher it as much as she could. For now, this was nothing more than a simple guess, since there was nothing that really confirmed that these events had anything to do with what happened. With that said, it was the only guess they had for now, and it was much better than the nothing she first believed they would have had to work with.

But before she could read the brochure a little bit further, she then heard something from her student. No, it wasn't the metallic noise her oversized zhua kept producing as it banged against the interior of the reception area, which Kimiko couldn't help but somewhat cringe at, but it was rather the words that came from her then. "What thing? That Hollow?" She would first ask, confused about what Fuuko was trying to tell her. Her eyes would then slightly widen as she heard her student's explanations, and her body would freeze. That Hollow, a creature that should have lost all of its memories by the time it had grown that powerful... It apparently knew her. Not just her, but the both of them, to the point that it was able to recognize Fuuko as a nurse of the Fourth Division and Kimiko as... its teacher, with the medic making sure to precise that it had called her "Nakajima-sensei" and it hoped that it was able to give her a good fight.

The revelation was almost enough to cause the Captain to drop the brochure she was holding onto. How... How can a Hollow that she has never met know her to such an extent? How could it recognize their professions and their affiliations? Was it trying to engage in psychological warfare right before it died? Was it some kind of tactic to make them doubt themselves and, therefore, grow weaker before meeting their next enemy? The questions... Kimiko could feel them coming back in one fell swoop. It was making her head hurt. It was making her see her again, forcing her to watch as she quite literally sat on Fuuko's zhua. It was difficult for Kimiko to overcome those things, but eventually, as her teeth clenched so powerfully behind her closed lips that they almost hurt, she was able to maintain some semblance of strength before her student. Now was not the time for weakness. "... Earlier this year, an Arrancar attacked the 30th district of Rukongai. I remember that a lot of people were transformed into Hollows by that bitch back then. I thought the people of the Hakabe and I slew them all, but..." she could only guess for the time being before she eventually let her teeth bare, "... I guess we missed a couple of them."

This was the only explanation that the Captain could muster from this mess. There was no other answer, not if the Hollow was really telling the truth to Fuuko before it succumbed to its wounds. On one hand, Kimiko was somewhat glad now that the creature was slain and its soul had been returned to the Soul Society alongside those of the ones it consumed before its demise. On the other hand, if her assumption was right, then that meant that she had failed to protect one of her students. They were transfigured into a creature of Hueco Mundo against their will, forced to consume others to survive in spite of what appeared to be a minimal amount of consciousness, and it then found itself evolving into an Adjuchas before they somehow found themselves here, possibly enslaved by something that was ordering them to fight. She couldn't even imagine the pain they must have gone through. Worse... She couldn't believe that they had survived up until now.

There was pride in the Hollow for its ability to remain sane in spite of it all. Even though they had been subjected to a terrible fate, they were nevertheless capable of remaining somewhat whole, and it was something that Kimiko could truly admire. However, the regret she felt was apparent... and it made her angry. Maybe, if they had met the creature as they were and not under the enslavement of that being, she could have salvaged things. She could have taught them to act like Caballero, to only nourish themselves on other Hollows so that they could remain somewhat sane. However, now, it was too late. She would have to live with the fact that she had to kill yet another one of her students who had been Hollowfied on that day, and hear yet another comment from the Inner Hollow who watched as she laid onto Fuuko's weapon. "Did you really think you could teach him how to act like their Shinigami self again? So optimistic~," she would comment with a soft teasing tone and a wide smirk before she shook her head. "Remember this, Kimiko-chan. This isn't the first person you knew that you had to kill. They also won't be the last. I'll make sure of that."

Upon a following blink from Kimiko, the Inner Hollow would be gone, and the Captain would simply find herself staring at Fuuko with that same serious frown on her face. Her fists were clenched tightly, so much so that their nails almost drew blood as they jabbed against the skin of their palms. Soon, however, she would calm down once she heard her student speak. The blonde officer believed that there was some kind of underground section beneath this particular facility. While, at first, this didn't make much sense to Kimiko, she would find herself blinking, then humming as she gave it some thought. There was an awful lot of cars parked outside, and yet there was nobody around the reception area and the offices nearby... If they weren't here, then they must be elsewhere nearby, and it was pretty damn clear that they weren't in the buildings outside. As such, indeed, the only place there could look was, ironically, underground... just like that facility from back then.

The Captain gave that particular theory some more thought, and the more she thought about it now, the deeper her frown became. And then, once Fuuko jabbed her weapon at the floor, she started outright baring her fangs in anger as she watched the tip of the zhua blast through what appeared to be the basement underneath the facility... and then absolutely nothing. It was as though the bedrock had vanished, instead having allowed mere air to take its place. There was no doubt about it. The people of Jodanapur, for some unknown reason, had decided to go underground. However, Kimiko knew why they were underground... or rather, she had a very precise assumption of what was happening here. "... First, that Hollow, and now another fucking basement. It's just like back then." A rare curse would leave Kimiko's lips then as anger would briefly consume her. "It better not be what I think it is, or I swear, I will rip Nanabantai a new one."  

Quickly, without warning, multiple metallic noises then exploded around the spot where Fuuko had planted her weapon's pole. They boomed against the floor, leaving deep scratches into its material until a circle pattern could be perceived by the blonde student. Then, finally, the circle would suddenly found itself falling right through the floor before it loudly crashed into the basement below, the floor which preceded the open space beneath it. Without hesitation, Kimiko would swiftly jump into the hole before landing on what appeared to be some kind of fallen shelf. Her legs somewhat strained from the landing, as she had unconsciously landed onto the shelf rather than made use of Air Ground in order to mitigate the fall, but she could handle the slight pain for the time being. Once all was done, she gave a rapid glance to her surroundings, then turned her head towards the hole she had made above her before calling: "Come on, Fuuko, let's go!"

If Fuuko followed suit, she would find herself gazing upon what appeared to be another storage area. Unlike the one she had destroyed in the toy shop, this one was unsurprisingly much larger, the kind that should be expected from any industrial facility. Here, there were several great shelves containing boxes after boxes, and there were also a few pieces of moving machinery here and there, all set beneath many neon lights that lit the entirety of the floor. There was also a visible amount of destruction. Unlike the cleaner offices above, many shelves here had fallen, leading to the destruction of the content of the boxes they once held. The smell of chemicals and metal was apparent. Meanwhile, it the far-end of the floor, strangely enough, was what appeared to be some kind of massive elevator designed to transport vehicles and many boxes at once. The sight caused Kimiko to calm down, as her previous assumption about the space beneath the basement was now somewhat strained... but her frustration remained, pushing her to go onward.

The swordswoman would attempt to move towards the elevator. However, should Fuuko follow suit, the blondie would suddenly be able to smell blood in the vicinity. Perhaps it was to be expected with the destruction that had been caused here; after all, where there was destruction, there usually were casualties. Yet the blood in question was fresh. It came from an open wound, perhaps a cut or a gash. Should she give it her attention, she would notice that the blood came from behind a door near a flight of stairs that supposedly led upward towards the reception area and main offices of the building. A janitor closet? From the looks of it, that seemed to be apparent. Maybe someone had survived this mess after all.

[Satoshi Fuuko]

Fuuko raised an eyebrow as Kimiko threw a lewd innuendo back at her. Most people did not really engage with Fuuko when she was being crass. Either they didn't know how to or they were already embarrassed. It didn't help that her primary victim was Iroka, who was about as innocent as a child. Half of Fuuko's jokes just went over her head anyway. The other half just made her so flabbergasted that she just sort of forged ahead with a new conversation. Rather than get into it, however, Fuuko put a pin in it and gave the captain a sly grin as they investigated. 

Once Fuuko had jammed her Zhua into the building, she slid down it like a pole, crashing through the ceiling and landing near Kimiko in a heap of rubble. "Yeah, the Hollow I killed. Pretty smart for a damn Hollow." She muttered. Fuuko said as she listened to Kimiko's explanation. She shook her head. "Shit happens, sensei. You can't blame yerself for missin somethin like that. Either way, that might explain you, but not me." Fuuko said. She wasn't around for whatever happened with Kimiko. She certainly didn't know whoever she was talking about. 

However, Kimiko decided to take Fuuko's advice and words to heart and dropped down rather uncouthly. Fuuko winced and then grabbed her Zhua and slid down it like a fireman's pole and looked around. "See? More basement shit." She said with a mode and then looked around as Kimiko spoke. "Wait? Squad Seven?" She asked, grabbing Kimiko's Haori to stop her for the moment. She stepped in front of Kimiko and looked her in the eye. "What is goin on with Squad Seven?" She asked. "Cause I have some fuckin thoughts of my own." She hissed. "Cause if you start sayin shit about them...." Fuuko pursed her lips. "I wanna believe that they are just incompetent. I just wanna believe that Kaen is thinkin with h is dick more than his brain." Fuuko said. "But... ya know what they say: Once is happenstance, Twice is coincidence, Three times is enemy action. I could only ignore so much, ya know?" Fuuko said. 

As she talked, the scent of blood caught her and she looked at Kimiko. She lifted her finger to her lips and then nodded towards the doo in question. Without Shukketsubuki in hand, it was up to Kimiko to do any slicing or dicing that was needed, but she walked slow and hoped Kimiko was behind her. She sniffed the air like a hound and then made her way towards the door. She pointed to it and then reached out for the handle and gave it a hard yank to open it and see what was inside. 

_______________________________

Reiatsu: 2950/3400 - Blood Bank: 529,050 - | Greatswords/Polearms | OMEGA Zhua (5 Posts)

Blood Collection - [00] Passive |

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}

[Nakajima Kimiko]

Kimiko wasn't particularly surprised to see that Fuuko seemed to be mildly impressed when she shot an innuendo back at her. While they both talked to one another a couple of times throughout their training sessions, the Captain had never really had the chance nor the will to reach such a level of crassness, and so she more often than not simply opted to ignore her student's raunchiness. It was how the woman was, all things considered, and thus, there wasn't much she nor the people that have conversed with could do to stop her from speaking in such a way. However, it was rare for someone to indulge Fuuko with a similar level of crassness; in fact, Kimiko couldn't quite remember the last time something like that happened. In so doing, there wasn't really any way for Fuuko to mentally prepare herself for her teacher to say something like that. In a way... that too was somewhat satisfying for the Captain. It was as though she was able to accomplish an achievement of sorts, as childish as that achievement was.

What was less satisfying to her, though, was the way Fuuko treated the Hollow the both of them had fought against. It was somewhat clear - or, at the very least, it appeared to be the case from Kimiko's point of view - that the blonde did not see the common creature of Hueco Mundo as an intelligent being capable of thought and strategy. Rather, it seemed to the higher officer as though her student instead perceived them as nothing more than animals. In a way, there was a bit of a truth to that statement; after all, the majority of Hollows indeed act like savage beasts and do not even attempt to correct that behavior. Yet if there was one thing that Kimiko was able to learn throughout the years, it was that not all Hollows were to be treated in such a way. Ailene, Caballero, even that cowardly magician Teresa... Each of them had the will to surpass the expectations set upon their kind and, in turn, become something that is distinctively more powerful and worthy of respect. One day, she hoped that Fuuko would be able to understand this, even if it will take her countless battles in order to do so.

At the very least, it seemed as though the explanation Kimiko had provided to Fuuko in regards to the Hollow they had slew was somewhat able to tamper the student's opinion of Hollows. With that said, it did not quell the rising frustration the dual swordswoman was beginning to experience as she further deciphered the apparent meaning of both what they had just gone through and this particular facility. Even now, she could feel the memories return to her. Slowly but surely, she remembered Walker and the device that held him, and the torture that they were put through. Furthermore, she remembered the clandestine operation that she had shut down years prior, near the beginning of her career as a Shinigami officer. It was like she was experiencing a cascade of flashbacks, a deluge of sickening sights that kept making her angrier and angrier, and the smile of the inner creature that was observing her from Fuuko's zhua widen and widen.

The Captain knew why she was experiencing these flashes. It was the work of the dark being within her, most likely as an attempt to push her on and reveal some kind of weak spot she could exploit for her own benefit. As such, she attempted to calm down... but admittedly, it was difficult. The more memories she perceived, the further and further she found herself moving onward. It was only once Fuuko suddenly grabbed her haori that she found herself stopping and realizing that she wasn't on her own. Inquisitive, she would find herself turning her frustrated expression right towards her student, as though she was demanding answers behind why the blonde was suddenly trying to get her to stop moving. It did not take long, however, for that expression to lessen a little bit further as she realized that Fuuko really wasn't in the know at all about what was going on, and visibly didn't really seem to understand what was happening. Explanations were truly in order.

Taking a deep breath, the higher officer would then let out a brief sigh as she forcefully brought her emotions to a standstill. She needed to calm down, to take control of her emotions like someone of her position should. Then, once she believed that her temper was in the right place, she would place a hand on Fuuko's to at least get her to let go of her haori. "It's a long story, but... I'll try to make this short," she would start before she her expression would switch to a more serious one, the kind to expect from a superior officer. "A while ago, I found out about some kind of criminal operation. Basically, Fullbringers were capturing Hollows, and they were then enslaving them with some kind of chemical. If the Hollows didn't follow orders, the chemical would make them feel pain. A lot of it. I don't know how that worked. I just know that it did." Her explanation was short, but hopefully concise, with Ailene and that one Fullbringer conveniently exempt from the conversation. "Officers within Nanabantai were helping these Fullbringers get what they wanted in exchange for Ryo. I told Nanabantai since then to make sure that shit never happens again. And what do you know... it happened again after that, and now, we have this whole thing."

As she would explain, Kimiko would then notice Fuuko nodding towards the aforementioned closet door near the stairs leading towards the floor above. She hadn't noticed it at first, assuming that it was either empty or vandalized just like the rest of this storage basement, but after observing it for a bit, she would notice that there were small droplets of blood on the ground near it. It wasn't old blood either, the kind that was a bit darker at a glance; no, it was the bright red kind, the fresher kind. There was someone else in this building with them after all. Were they that one man they had followed while they were outside the building? Maybe. Or maybe they weren't. Either way, Kimiko would continue her explanation as her student approached the door. "I don't think this is Kaen's fault. He isn't that squad's Captain, and although he might be their leader right now, I see him as a warrior more so than a leader. I know this, because in a way, I'm like him," she would first go on before she would then fully turn her body towards the door, "but... if there's one thing that he and I are not..."

There would be no warning for what happened next. Right after Fuuko yanked the door opened, Kimiko would use Shunpo to suddenly appear within the closet and grab onto what she believed to be the source of the bleeding. A cry of fear and panic instantly boomed from the closet, followed then by the Captain's own cry: "It's cowards who hide in a janitor's closet!" 

Right after the Captain's shouting was finished, something was then thrown out of the closet. Fearful, they would let out a cry as they flew before they then hit the floor and slid onto it. At that moment, Fuuko would be able to get a good view of what had been bleeding all this time. From the looks of it, they appeared to be a rather-meek... Japanese man, of all things they could find here. They were wearing a standard office work attire, a white blouse over a black suit with a red tie coupled with fancy shoes, and their brown eyes were opened wide behind big rectangular glasses. Meanwhile, his hair was messy, presumably left frantic by everything that has been happening to him as of late. As for the source of the blood altogether, it appeared to be a cut left on his stomach. Considering where it was positioned, it would have been pretty dangerous for his life should it had been any deeper. However, it appeared to now be closed with stitches. Had he applied this to himself?

Either way, it didn't matter now, for the man was in a state of utter panic. Frozen with eyes widen open, he would attempt to pick something from underneath his blouse before he would remove from it what appeared to be a modern pistol. The firearm wasn't special in the slightest, a typical 9mm that he had probably found in some kind of security room somewhere in this facility for his own safety. However, it was still a firearm, and considering that he was aiming straight at Kimiko as she left the closet, it was quite clear that he knew where he had to shoot. Unfortunately, he would not be able to achieve what he had set himself to do, for the safety pin of the gun had apparently been left on. Moreover, weapon didn't even appear to be loaded yet, for it possessed no magazine. As such, after attempting to shoot at Kimiko, the only thing he would hear from the weapon is a couple of damning clicks. It would be enough to cause his fear to skyrocket.

Beginning to hyperventilate, the man would shiver in absolute fright as Kimiko approached him. Her look was severe, and frankly, how could it not? She was looking at what appeared to be a worker from an entirely-different country, and unlike the rest of this city, he appeared to be totally fine, else he would've been gone with the others. That wasn't even mentioning the stitches over his covered, yet still somewhat-bleeding wound, and the man's overly-frightened behavior. She found this to be suspicious. Even so, she would at least allow him to express himself, if only to hear what he would say in the moment. "P-P-P-Please stay back! Please!!" He shouted as he tried once again to find something underneath his suit. Considering that was where he had found his gun only a moment ago, it was possible that it was also there that he stored his magazine. What an amateur move. "I-I'm armed! I-I have a gun! I don't want to shoot you, please!" 

A metallic noise that suddenly resonated across the room, one that Fuuko would be much familiar with by now, and in the instant that followed, the man's eyes would lock with his pistol as, suddenly... his gun was cut in two. There was, again, no warning that this would happen. However, this time, it didn't cause him to scream out loud. No, instead, it caused him to completely freeze in horror as his widened eyes then found themselves looking straight at Kimiko who was now standing in front of him. "There. Now, you have nothing," she would huffed with visible frustration, clenching her teeth angrily as grabbed him by the collar, raised him up with ample-enough strength, then pushed him away from her so that he would be forced back onto his feet. Once this was done, she turned towards him and gave him a strong glare. "Usually, I'd be more patient with people like you, but I can tell that you're not from here, so we're gonna do this another way. Who are you, what are you doing in this facility, and how can you see us? You have a minute to give me an answer to each of those questions! If you can't do that, then I'm gonna cut you down right here, right now!"

The Captain was evidently using a scare tactic in this moment. She was trying to intimidate the man into giving her answers, to exploit his apparent emotional weakness so as to force him to reveal more information about this place. The questions alone would have most likely not been enough to get anything out of the man, but the way Kimiko spat them out towards him was frightening. They held the same energy that her lessons conveyed while she was teaching things to her students, and in a way, it made them much scarier than they should be. This was enough to cause the man to freeze, gulp loudly, then look towards the floor, visibly dejected and dreading what he believed would be his end. "M-M... My name is... Hayasaka Yū... I was sent here by my employer to b-bring medical assistance to... to the people here... after an incident..." he would answer the first two questions with a voice that was akin to nervous mumbling. Then, with the last question, his eyes would widen again as he panicked. "A-Am I not supposed to see you? What does that mean?! Who are you people?!"

[Satoshi Fuuko]

Fuuko opened her mouth at Kimiko's explanation, but quickly closed it as the captain went to investigate where she pointed. Fuuko steamed inwardly. Another time Squad Seven fucked up. She took a mental note of it. She'd have to have a talk to Vice Captain Youji. His problems always seemed to be her problems and she wasn't the brash rookie she was when she had first met him. She was still quite brash, but she had gotten a lot of experience under her belt since then. Heck, she was almost on the verge of getting a Bankai herself. She could feel  it.

Fuuko let Kimiko push her way past her and swing open the closet door. What Fuuko found was.... anti-climactic. Some salaryman looking guy scared out of his wits, trying to pull a gun  on a pair of shinigami. When she heard the clicks, she could feel  Shukketsibuki getting anxious, even as the blood that spilled and trickled fromt he man seemed to float off towards where FFuuko had left her zanpaklutou. "Ha! This motherfucker! I bet he pissed himself!" Fuuko chortled. "Yeah, buddy, yer lucky the captain disposed of that little pea shooter. Wouldn't wanna get into a gun fight you stand no chaance in." She mused. 

Fuuko listened to Yuu's words and frowned. "Ok." Fuuko said. "I think this guy is full of shit." She said and reached out. She said and grabbed the man. "You know about this place and an incident but don'[t know about us? Your emplyer sent you without any knowledge about a ghost town?" Fuuko barked. She then looked at Kimiko. "Who is your employer? What incident?" Fuuko asked. "Why is this place deserted?" Fuuko's hand tightened around Yuu's shoulder. 

"I think we should take this outside. Clearly the man needs some fresh  air to collect his thoughts." Fuuko yanked Yuu up and towards Shukketsubuki. She turned back and glanced at Kimiko. 'Follow along.' She whispered and winked. Shukketubuki was now glowing again and Fuuko used Shunpo to hop up through the hole into the building and onto the top of Shukketsubuki. Then, she used her strneght to whip Yuu straight up into the air as high and as hard as she could. "Better give us somethin worth our time." Fuuko said just before heaving the main into the air. She then held out her hands and in each appeared two full sized tridents. She lifted them up off the ground and took a step forward, aiming the points of her tridents at Yuu.


If he wanted to talk, or Kimiko wanted to save him, it would be up to the two of them to decide. Fuuko didn't want to turn the man into a kebob, but if there was one person, there was likely more. Especially if there was some kind of incident that involved employers and things that sounded extremely clandestine. "Human flesh sounds pretty tasty to this ghost! Ya better talk!" Fuuko barked out to Yuu. With her strength, she could probably throw him pretty far in the air. That should give him time to think, at least.  

_______________________________

Reiatsu: 2925/3400 - Blood Bank: 529,050 - | Greatswords/Polearms | Twin Tridents (6 Posts)

-25 Shunpo

Blood Collection - [15] Passive |

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}

[Nakajima Kimiko]

Yū was, at a glance, someone who appeared to be nothing more than a normal Japanese salaryman. That much, Kimiko was able to understand. He seemed to be completely Human in accordance to every single meaning of the word, with nothing noticeably abnormal about him. He wasn't able to respond to the speed at which she had grabbed him until she shouted at him, which meant that his reactions were not even on the level of what you should expect from someone who was moderately trained in the physical department. He also wasn't particularly heavy, else she would have had a bit of difficulty attempting to properly left him up, and he didn't show any potential in regards to strength as a whole, as he has so far been completely unable to even attempt to get himself out of her grasp. In other words, he was a bit of a wimp. This should have been enough to conclude that he was just an unlucky guy who happened to be at the worst place at the worst time... and yet...

Why would he - a normal Human with barely any physical capability to speak of - be sent here to Jodanapur, considering that all contact to it had been lost? Was this some kind of cruel task set upon him by his boss, whoever they may be? Why would he even remain here after realizing that the entire city was empty? Surely, if he had been sent here to deal with a medical incident of sorts, he would've realized by now that the situation had evidently gone completely out of control, and that his life would thus be in danger the very moment he passed the entrance of the city. There was the Hollow she and Fuuko had just slain, yes, but that creature's only goal was seemingly to defend this facility, nothing more, nothing less. If he could see spiritual beings such as the two officers, then he would have most likely experienced the worst fright of his life upon seeing the beast, and would have most likely turned tail. That is, unless he did not have some kind of influence over the beast, like that Fullbringer from before. But then, if that was the case, why had he even bothered to retrieve a gun for himself?

Nothing about this added up. Even if the man was somehow completely innocent, there was still a ton of information that was missing in order for it all to make sense. Fortunately, it wasn't only Kimiko who realized this, as no sooner than right after Yū had finished speaking, Fuuko immediately called him out. Unsurprisingly, her sudden interjection caused him to freeze, and for a moment, he could only stare at her in horror. Ironically, this was when he realized that the blood of his wound was steadily floating towards Shukketsubuki, which only caused him to freeze even further, almost like he had transformed into a living statue. It was only once the blonde suddenly moved forward and grabbed him by the shoulder that he jolted back to life. "A-Ah, no!! P-Please, don't hurt me! I s-s-swear I'm telling you the truth! I swear, I swear, I swear!" He protested then, entering yet another state of panic. At this point, these emotional bouts were starting to get on Kimiko's nerves... but admittedly, they were starting to become more and more realistic to her.

The Shinigami medic then began to bark a few more questions to the man, though at this point, the poor guy seemed so absolutely afraid of everything that was happening to him that he was beginning to lose his voice, like he was on the verge of entering a state of complete shock. Considering that he was wounded in what appeared to be a very dangerous situation for his life, that his weapon was immediately destroyed by what might as well have been completely nothing in his eyes, and that he was evidently being accosted by super-powered individuals with unnatural abilities who both were very clearly much stronger than him in every way... Kimiko couldn't exactly blame him for feeling this way. Hell, for all they knew, he probably did piss himself. But even so, her conviction to question the man did not wane. They needed more information, and there was nothing for now that suggested that this wasn't an act. So, when her student suggested that they talk outside, she would nod and tag along. "Fine. Just don't kill him," she reminded her then, still frustrated by everything that was happening. 

What followed happened rather quickly. In the span of perhaps a few seconds within Yū's eyes, he and the two officers would quickly move from the basement of the facility back to the reception area through the whole Fuuko had created with Shukketsubuki's zhua form. Then, through another hole that the blonde left in the ceiling of the facility, they would find themselves outside where, without warning... she threw the man as hard as she could right up in the air. Downright impressed by her student's bold interrogation tactic, Kimiko would remain briefly stunned once the man was thrown in the air against his will all the while he screamed like a maniac. However, once she realized that the blonde officer had formed tridents out of Shukketsubuki and had positioned these tridents in a way that would cause Yū's to land straight onto their sharp extremities once he would return to the roof of the facility, she would decide to intervene.

Right before the man would find himself pierced right through Fuuko's weapon, Kimiko would quickly speed up with the aid of Shunpo and grab the back of his black suit. To both him and Fuuko, though most certainly to the man, it would almost appear as though she had downright teleported to his position in order to do so. By the time his body had fully stopped moving thanks to the Captain's efforts, the very tip of one of the tridents was right in front of the very middle of his glasses. He looked mortified, seemingly hesitating between continuing to scream or keeping his mouth shut for the rest of whatever remains of his pitiful life. If he hadn't pissed himself before, he sure would have pissed himself now if he could. "We're going to repeat this until you give us an answer to every single one of our questions. Now, spit it! Or else, I'll be the one who's going to throw you, and I'll make sure I don't catch you this time," she threatened then. 

"AAAAH, NO, PLEASE, PLEASE!! I WAS ALREADY GOING TO TALK! PLEASE, SPARE ME!!" The poor man then screamed out of his lungs. At this point, tears were starting to stream from his eyes, and he looked like he was much going into a nervous breakdown. This time around, the Captain visibly winced, even going as far as to sport an expression of disbelief mixed in with a little bit of cringe. Seeing such a behavior from someone who was very much not a child anymore was bad enough, as it made it clear that the man was very much so emotionally incapable of dealing with such situations, but the fact that his outburst had now been going on for some time was a tad bit worrying. This guy... He really was just a normal office worker, wasn't he? After all, there was again nothing that suggested that he was anything more. Well, if he was somehow not physically normal, then he at least was emotionally normal. Had they been too harsh?

Upon forming this question in her head, the Captain would find herself frowning at the thought, then huff before lightly dropping Yū onto the roof. Once his body landed on it, he remained lying on it for a moment in a state of hyperventilation, shaking tremendously before he eventually quickly pushed himself up. Then, with quick haste, he rushed towards the outskirts of the roof before vomiting over the railings onto the empty streets below, all the while he held his badly-stitched stomach. It was a sorry sight for sure, and it once again made the superior officer cringe in discomfort. Fortunately, though, the man decided not to run. Instead, once he was done emptying whatever he had eaten either earlier today or throughout the last few days, he wiped the filth off his mouth and turned himself towards the women. "I-I'm... I'm gonna tell you everything... J-Just p-please don't hurt me... please," he begged, shaking his head as he tried his best to push away the shock and the nausea.

Kimiko would allow him to recover for a moment. Whatever the reasons behind his presence here may be, she was now starting to feel like this guy really wasn't meant to face a situation like this. Then, once she felt it was the right time to ask questions, she would go on to repeat, albeit with a calmer tone: "Alright. Let's do this again. Who are you? What are you doing in this facility? How can you see us?" 

The man would take a deep deep breaths as he attempted to stave off the nausea even further. At times, it almost seemed as though he was going to throw up again, though he appeared at least strong enough to not do that. Instead, he gulped and answered the best he could: "My name is... Hayasaka Yū... I'm a nurse of t-the Yumiya Aid & Healthcare Foundation. I... I was supposed to be stationed here within Jodanapur alongside t-the rest of my team at the city's hospital. It's... It's right over t-t-there," he would detail this time around before pointing towards a singular building in the distance with a shivering finger. It was a tall edifice marked with what appeared to be a square lit with neon lights containing two primary elements: a larger white cross and a smaller red cross inhabiting the former. "It's... I think it's been about three days now since I've been here. I... I think. I'm not sure! B-But... when my team and I arrived, the whole town was just... gone. Or at least, most of it was."

"Most of it? There were survivors?"

"They were... Some of them were actually survivors, but... there were others who..." For a moment, his tone became more frightened, as though he was experiencing a horrible memory. Then, his eyes widened as he looked straight into the officer's eyes. "They... They looked wounded! Sick! We tried to help them, but then, they just... they just attacked us! They were trying to shove these... these things into us! They looked like... like tentacles, or roots!" This time, the man couldn't contain himself, and he turned around to vomit once again. His legs were now starting to shake from the weight of his experiences. Coughing, he took a few more deep breaths, then shook his head. "They took Ketouin-san away... Then, they took Maja-san, Fukosa-san, and Banja-san too... I tried to save them! I was even trying to get back to them! But... But I can't! I know they're all down there, but I can't do this! You even took my one weapon away from me!" 

The man then started crying, most probably as a result of the trauma he was evidently experiencing. Meanwhile, as the man remained there, Kimiko would frown as she considered the information that was given to her and her student. Yumiya was not a name that was completely unknown to her, but it was relatively new. She was aware that it was some kind of Japanese company, namely because she had passed by a few facilities of theirs throughout her latest hunts, but she didn't know that they had a healthcare foundation. Moreover, she didn't know that this foundation actually held operations outside of Japan. Had they evolved into some kind of multinational? Well, whatever. At the very least, they now knew where the people of Jodanapur were located: right under the facility. However, the presence of the Hollow currently remained a mystery. "What do you think?" She would thus eventually ask Fuuko, if only to gather her input. "As much as I feel like he could still be lying to us... it doesn't seem like he is." 

[Satoshi Fuuko]

Fuuko was sure that Kimiko wouldn't let the man get skewered and she was right. She hadn't flinched one bit. If the Captain had been less quick or less forgiving, then the man would have experienced a grisly fate. Instead, he was saved and pulled away. The histrionics that followed made Fuuko laugh, but when he calmed down and  began to speak, Fuuko listened intently. She set Shukketsubuki down and walked over to him. She pulled out her med kit and took out a small pack of water and handed it to him. "Drink this." She said and then lifted up his shirt, the source of the blood. 

She shook her head and ran a finger over the stitches. "Someone fuckin sucks at stichin." She said. "Yer lucky to be alive. I'm guessin this is from those attacks?" She asked and then looked at Kimiko. "More hollows?" She asked and then looked down again. She stood up and then grabbed Shukketsubuki, which was already cgowing again. "Yer gonna feel a prick." She said and then jammed the end of her zanpakutou into his stomach. The tip pierced him but didn't go much further. Sudddenly there was a sound of audible gulping, like someone drinking loudly. Shukketsubuki seemed to be glowing and remained a nebulous glowing pole. 

"Shukketsubuki is givin you a blood transfusion. She's replacin yer blood with healthy blood and toppin you off, so, if you were close ta dyin from blood loss, yer gonna be ok." Fuuko said and then pressed a hand against his forehead. She glanced up and then shrugged at Kimiko. "I don't really know humans that well, but Shukketsubuki will drink anythin, so in that way I'm prepared." Fuuko explained. Any blood that dribbled from the wound immediately got sucked back into Shukketsubuki. 

"As far as what yer sayin goes? Maybe you ain't lyin, but there's still more we need to know, like what the fuck is Jodanapur? Someone builds a big ass city away from everything and then it becomes a ghost town, but all the humans just seem to go on like there's nothin wrong? Yeah, fuck that." She said and shook her head. "But, whatwever. I can accept your premise, but, what doesn't  sit well with me is why  you can see us? Clearly you have no clue what we are. Not to mention the fact that you think that your gun would hurt anything  that's still here is fuckin laughable. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were already a plus and ya don't even know it, but..." Fuuko lifted the man's shirt higher just to see if she could spot a soul chain. Then, she dropped the shirt and stepped away. 

Fuuko pulled out a cigarette and struck a match to light it. She took a drag off it then offered it to Yuu. "Obviously our next step is the hospital, but what're ya thinkin Sensei?" Fuuko asked. "Do you think it's the same kinda Fullbringer shit from before?" She asked. "Not gonna lie, I don't even really know what that is. My job is to patch up Shinigami, so everything else kinda slips past me." Fuuko said. Of course she had recently  learned about some people with inner hollows who called themselves Vizard, but now wasn't the time or place for that. Maybe once things were settled here in Jodanapur, she'd see what Kimiko knew about it. 

_______________________________

Reiatsu: 2925/3400 - Blood Bank: 529,050 - | Transfusion Mode | Transfusion Mode (7 Posts)

Blood Collection - [00] Passive |

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}

[Nakajima Kimiko]

Yū had gone through a lot. Or, rather, he had gone through things that a normal Human such as he should have probably never gone through. In what appeared to be only but the span of a single week, he witnessed the product of some kind of monster that was capable of turning friend into foe, watched as his coworkers were all kidnapped by things that were beyond his comprehension, and then realized the extent of his cowardice. Kimiko had to admit that, all things considered, it was a pretty heartfelt story. In a way, she even admired the man's efforts for at the very least attempting to confront his fears by going down into the facility and trying to sort things out by himself. However, there was something about that last attempt that bothered her. No, it wasn't really the attempt itself that bothered her. That was perfectly fine; after all, if she would have been in her place, she would have probably attempted to do something similar. Rather, it was the intent behind the attempt.

From the way the nurse spoke of the others who accompanied him to Jodanapur, it seemed to the Captain that he treated them less as coworkers and more so as actual friends. Not just friends, but close friends. He remembered each and every one of their names, could recall what happened to them supposedly in detail, and even attempted to fight back against those who had taken them away. If this was truly the case, then his mind most likely took a hit that was much stronger than any it had received in the last few years, nay, throughout its entire existence. That could break a man. Kimiko knew, because she saw some officers go through this exact same process during the invasions of the Soul Society. She saw them crumble before her eyes after all was said and done, saw them attempt to achieve things without thinking. Most important of all in this conversation, however... she also saw many of them outright attempt to kill themselves.

Was Yū's attempt to go down the facility an attempt at suicide? Was it a way for him to apologize to his friends for having allowed the infected to take them away? Considering how the man was feeling right about now as well as both his lack of skills and his obvious lack of firepower, it seemed as though that was the most plausible theory Kimiko could come up with in the moment. This brought her anger and disappointment. The man knew that he was completely outmatched. There was no way, not even with his greatest strength, that he could overcome this threat. Yet, he figuratively tried to throw himself to the wolves all for the sake of his friends, even though it was entirely possible that his friends were already completely gone. In other words, there was no victory he could have gained from this, no achievement beyond a supposed "redemption". He would have just gotten caught too, assimilated by the infected, and he would have become another victim.

There was a difference between willpower and abandon. Possessing willpower is equivalent to possessing enough strength to believe that you can do something. It is, in her mind, the greatest quality anyone should hope to develop throughout their life. In comparison, to achieve something with abandon is to not achieve that something, but rather to outright give up on achieving it successfully. Those stricken by that sickening feeling know that they will lose everything once they go down that path and that there is no proper reason even if they wield some kind of excuse, be it flimsy or otherwise, and yet they nevertheless bring themselves forward without hesitation. If his story was entirely truthful from top to bottom, then Yū did not show willpower in Kimiko's eyes. No, he showed the complete contrary, total abandonment of his cause, of his people, and ultimately, his life. It was so sickening that it almost made Kimiko pity him.

As she pondered about this, the man would be taken care of by Fuuko, who was unimpressed by his medical work. While he at first seemed hesitant to follow the blonde Shinigami's commands, if only because she was previously outright about to kill him more than anything else, he would eventually accept her aid. Nodding slowly, he took the water pack that she gave him with a shaky hand, then uncorked the top before taking a swing. He drank quickly and greedily, an obvious sign of dehydration spurred about by his lack of awareness to the time that had passed since his arrival to the city. However, once the blood-wielder ran a finger against his stitches, he shuddered before gulping his last bit of water rather awkwardly, then coughing as he recovered from the burst of pain that he just felt. "Argh! Y... Yes... One of them was trying to grab a hold of me, but I was able to get away from them... I k-know it's terrible work, but I didn't have t-iih!" 

His body froze upon the contact of Shukketsubuki into his stomach. It wasn't a particularly deep stab, but the surprising aspect of the jab as well as the pain that came with it was enough to cause him a stupor. Fortunately, before he could start panicking about what the Shinigami had done to him, she would quickly explain that she had simply granted him a blood transfusion. The thought of this process being achieved with the likes of some kind of fantastical weapon was not particularly pleasant to him, as he was used to simply achieving these processes with the aid of standard medical equipment, but he would not be against it. "I-I... Thank you..." he mumbled, sighing in relief as he felt the scarlet fluid began to course through his body again. He wasn't experiencing any kind of heavy blood loss per say, but at the very least, he wouldn't be too affected by his horrible stitching job for the time being. Well, at least he won't be for a one more day or two.

For a brief moment, Yū's eyes would focus onto Fuuko, then Kimiko, who made sure to respond to the blonde's question about more Hollows with a brief "No, not for now". He seemed exhausted by all that's happened in the last ten or so minutes, but at the same time, he was evidently calming down, even if the process of doing so was somewhat slow. It was obvious that he was now starting to see the two officers as his allies, or at least the equivalent of such. In a way, this helped him relax in spite of the fact that the women could most likely kill him in a split-second. Thus, when Fuuko asked him a few more questions, he looked up to her in a half-daze, a symptom of the blood transfusion as well as his continuous shock to everything that's happened, then he sighed. "I don't... really know much about this place... I never came here before. To be honest, I never even came to India before either. The only thing Ketouin-san told me about it was that it was a new city for innovation," he answered as he slowly sat down on the roof. An attempt to recover from his shock.

A moment of silence would then come between the three as the man took a few deep breaths to further calm himself down. For now, this moment would be granted to him and he would be quite thankful for that. With that said, it wouldn't last for very long. "Well, he's right about that. Our reports told us the same thing before we came here. Jodanapur is probably gone now, but not too long ago, it was supposed to be a sort of a city of the future," Kimiko suddenly interjected then as a response to Fuuko's first question, all the while her scarlet eyes kept an eye on the rest of the surroundings of the facility. Then, once the blood-wielder understood that, she continued: "If this place really is supposed to be something like that and not just another normal city, then they could have made a bunch of things here. A bunch of Human things, yeah, but also other things. Maybe one of them involves what I told you about before, Fuuko... or maybe it was something else." 

The possibility was unfortunately there indeed. For all they knew, someone around here could have been part of some kind of new operation involving the enslavement of Hollows. However, right about now, it was that "something else" that bothered Kimiko the most. Even now, she could still remember what happened back then in Kyoto and what she had brought to the Squad 12 headquarters shortly after. Recalling it was enough to cause her to turn herself towards Fuuko and quickly recapitulate another experience of hers. "I was sent to fight a certain Hollow not too long ago. I didn't think much of it. It had gross skin powers, but I've seen worse from a few other people I fought. But after I beat it, its body didn't disappear like a Hollow's would. It just stood there," she explained with a serious expression on her face. "Jūnibantai confirmed to me that the body was actually one of a Human. They and I believe that it was the result of an... experiment of sorts. Do you wanna know what was the most important thing that creature told me before it died, though? It gave me a name. Chiba Chimon. Unfortunately, that's the only really lead we had up until now. It's a reach, but... maybe that has something to do wi-"  

"C... Chiba Chimon...?"

That small mutter. That one, one tiny spec of noise that came out of Yū in that moment... It was just loud enough to cause Kimiko's face to turn towards him with widened eyes. That tone the worker used was not one of misunderstanding. It was one of confusion, an inquisitive tint that meant that he knew something about that man that she and Fuuko didn't. In an instant, her gaze darkened and she found herself quickly stepping towards him. "You know him," she concluded on the spot. There was no hesitation there. In an instant, the poor wounded man's feeling of safety was snatched away from him as the superior officer gave him a glare. Once she reached him, she crouched so that her eyes would be at his gaze's own level, then stared deep into his soul. "I'm gonna assume that you're not related to him in any way... but you're going to tell me exactly who he is supposed to be."

"A-Ah, n-no!" The man quickly started to hyperventilate again. He could feel the cold stemming from Kimiko's eyes, the pressure that was beginning to be exhumed from her body. It was suffocating, like it was about to bring ruin to his body at any given moment. "W-We never spoke! He's... He's the head of our company's technological group!" He could see the vibrancy of the scarlet color of Kimiko's gaze, their intensity, their power. "He... I don't know why he would do something like that! I've never heard about any of that! I... I... Does this... Does this mean that what took over this place could be... my company's fault...?"

Shock came over the man as he made this realization, and slowly, his eyes widened again as he stared back at Kimiko. The Captain stared back with that same glare, remaining silent for a time. It was enough to keep the pressure going onto the man, still threatening to reduce him to ribbons when he would least expect it. Then, eventually, she would find herself slowly standing back up before looking down at him. "There's nothing that confirms this for now. For all we know, this entire city doomed itself with whatever they decided to do around here... but if we find out that your company has had any involvement in this in any way, I will make sure that you tell me absolutely everything about them! Everything!" She would tell the man then and there. Her tone was louder this time, chilling, as though she decided to make her previous threat more obvious this time around. Then, she would turn towards Fuuko and huff. "Let's go, Fuuko."

"N-No, wait! Let me come with you!"

[Satoshi Fuuko]

"Yeah... innovation my ass. Humans can only move onward and upward on the backs of other humans. For every skyscraper and CEO, there's a thousand more buried in the foundation. Figuratively, if not literally." Fuuko hissed. She said and took a seep drag on her cigarette. She lifted her head and blew the smoke into the air and listened to Kimiko. All of it was stupid, but when the name came up, Fuuko watched the change in Kimiko. The way she demanded Yu give him answers and the way she threatened him. Fuuko sat up, ready to try and calm Kimiko down for Yuu's sake, but it seemed she had come to some conclusions on her own. 

"So, does that mean we gotta go stompin back to Japan and rough up some Zaibatsu?" Fuuko asked. She then looked at Yuu and shook her head. "Yer gonna feel a prick." She said and yanked out SHukketsubuji. There was a little spurt of blood, but Fuuko quickly pulled out her sack. She pulled out a small syringe and jammed it into Yuu's arm. "That should numb the pain." She said and then pulled out a small needle and thread and quickly sewed Yuu up. "Hopefully that's good enough." Fuuko said and walked over to the edge of the building. 

"I'm only taking you because you might be useful and you will probably die if yer left alone. Remember, in all of this, yer just a cog. Someone's tool and they didn't care that you got thrown away with the rest of this bathwater they call Jodanapur." Fuuko said grimly and then held out SHukketsubuki. It sealed itself and when it was back to being a Katana, she flicked it and held it over the edge. Unlike the few drops of blood of a normal sword, gallons of blood poured out from the sealed zanpakutou until there was nothing left. 

She sheathed her zanpakutou once it was empty and then flicked her cigarette over the side as well. Once her hands were free, she grabbed Yuu and heaved him onto her back. "Hold on tight." She said. "And if there's anything else ya got to say, ya better start talkin." Fuuko said and bent her knees. She nodded to Kimiko, expecting to take off for the hospital. As they moved, she looked at the captain. "Who's fuckin job is it ta keep track of this shit?" This is outside of Shichibantai's jurisdiction, right? Is it the Nibantai? Omnitsukidou?" She asked. "You think Fullbringers are doin this shit too?" She asked. Suddenly she had a million more questions. 

"How long ya been workin for this company and how'd you end up pullin the short straw and gettin sent out here?" Fuuko asked Yuu. 

_______________________________

Reiatsu: 2925/3400 - Blood Bank: 000 - | Sealed Tachi

Blood Collection - [00] Passive |

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}

[Nakajima Kimiko]

"Fuuko, we are dead Humans. So are our enemies. Don't forget that."

This would be the only reply Kimiko would give to Fuuko in regards to what the blonde had to say about Jodanapur. She delivered it with a tone that was evidently one of disappointment, with a clear-cut absence of the more intense energy she usually carried along with her, and it was no surprise that she had done as such. This wasn't the first time she had heard such an opinion. At least once per week, whenever she witnessed the return of some of her officers from the Living World, she would at least hear one comment about Humans and how inferior they were in comparison to Shinigami. Sometimes, it came from Dai, which was most probably the least surprising thing that could come out of his mouth; after all, even after his incident with Ruhe, he still had a long way to go when it came to his overall behavior. However, there were other times when they instead came from some of her closest subordinates, such as Binita. At a certain point, the comments had become such a common occurrence that she had been forced to intervene by outright scolding whoever spit them out.

Why did she bother to do such a thing? Quite simply, it was because she hated what that opinion brought along with it. It birthed arrogance within the ranks of the Shinigami, a lack of empathy for those who they needed to protect, and a will to refer to Humans not as souls in need of guardians against monsters beyond their comprehension, but rather as vermin that need to be taken care of. Moreover, it birthed prejudices and stereotypes that, in the end, will serve no other purpose than undermining their heavenly work and give credence to the will of those who wish to destroy the Soul Society. Of course, there were times during which Kimiko was no better. Whenever her spiritual energy runs wild into the Living World, she once tended to ignore the casualties who were crushed by its power and treat them as nothing more than mere collateral damage. However, that was during a much different time... a time during which she was not quite herself.

Humans make mistakes. That much was certain, if the current state of Jodanapur was anything to go by. Yet for Fuuko or any other Shinigami to see themselves as anything else but literally dead Humans because live Humans can make mistakes was simply wrong. In the Captain's mind, most Humans not possessing any kind of supernatural ability did not mean that they could thus make mistakes a Shinigami would not do. The same could be said for Hollows, for the people of the Vandenreich, and even Hellions. No matter how powerful they can all become as spiritual beings, they could still be as ignorant as Humans. They could still be arrogant individuals who avoid common sense in favor of elitism and narcissism, idiotic warriors who favor boldness over logic during countless military campaigns, and cold scientists who are so preoccupied by whether or not they can do something that they have never once stopped to ask themselves if they should do it...

... which brought them back to their current predicament. Evidently, Yū's company - this "Yumiya", who the Captain was now supposing had many different sub-companies that each acted differently from one another - was involved in the Rider case. Either that, or they at least partially were, for Chiba Chimon was one of their leaders if the coward's words were anything to go by. Maybe they truly had nothing to do with what happened to Jodanapur, but now, that possibility was becoming less and less certain. If that were actually the case, there wouldn't be a hospital owned by Yumiya in this city. This still didn't explain why there was another Hollow who appeared to be enslaved here, as there was still nothing that suggested that Chiba Chimon or his company was involved in that. For all they knew, those who had been responsible for Walker's horrible treatment had been hired by Yumiya to protect this place... and somehow, Yū was completely unaware of what was happening.

She wanted to think that Yū was lying. She truly wanted to. However, he truly seemed to be nothing more than an innocent bystander. She didn't believe that he was lying to her and he seemed on the edge of suffering from a heart attack with each and every one of his breaths. But then, if he really was innocent, how was that Hollow here? If they truly were enslaved, than they needed someone to command them, to give them an order from afar so as to force them to defend this facility. Maybe the chemical fluid that was bringing them pain whenever they did not follow orders had been bettered so as to somehow allow for greater range? That was possible. Hell, it was also possible that the person who commanded the Hollow had indeed come here before and given their order, but they've since then completely left India. Argh! How frustrating! There really was absolutely no good answer to be had to any of these questions and theories!

For a very brief moment, Kimiko felt the darkness within her heart. In that moment, it almost bloomed into a fully-fledged surge of power that would have most likely threatened to completely consume Yū, Fuuko, and the rest of this forsaken city. Fortunately, before she succumbed to the induced rage, her student would ask her a question. The following instant, the darkness disappeared and a heavy sigh would then leave the Captain's lips. "For now, we should focus on what's going on here. Then, once we get more answers out of this... we'll see," she concluded, then looked on over to the rest of the city. Her eyes briefly skimmed over the hospital's neon sign in the distance, with them narrowing at its sight for a few seconds. Then, she would look towards Yū again to see how he was faring for the time being; after all, the man did just express that he wanted to come along, even if it was evidently because he now knew he would be truly unable to do what he wanted to do on his own.

Thanks to Fuuko's patchwork, the man appeared to be a little pale, shivering and groaning as he suffered one pick after the other. However, all things considered, he was holding on fairly well... even if he still appeared as though he was about to throw up again. From Kimiko's point of view, this was probably the result of his training as a nurse. It was entirely possible that he had already dealt with such situations before and so the pain he was feeling at the time being was entirely expected. Either way, though he was glad that he had been patched up to a certain extent by the blonde Shinigami, he appeared to be much less glad about his company's possible involvement in this. In fact, his gaze now appeared almost distant. "I... I thought they actually cared about me... about everyone... I even worked so hard to get that position..." he mumbled in disbelief, like his entire world had suddenly started crumbling before his very eyes. It was a bothersome attitude to witness for the Captain, but not even she could quite blame him for feeling this way. 

Fuuko would eventually raise him back up onto her back. By then, he was taking deep breaths to fight the apparent nausea, but he was still standing. The fear was still obviously affecting him, but he appeared more resolute now, as though he truly wanted to see where this would end now that he learned his company could have been responsible for this disaster. "R-Right... Right, I'll try." His reply to Fuuko was shaky, but affirming. He wanted to help, he truly did, and in a way, this did make Kimiko somewhat admire him. He had finally decided to confront his fears proper, even if what required him to move forward was the involvement of people in his nearest vicinity who could truly take care of things in his place. Hopefully, this newfound conviction of his will allow him to continue standing properly for the next few hours, because the dual swordswoman was pretty sure that what they were going down there in the basement of the facility will be nothing short of nightmarish for him.

With that, Kimiko would then return to the hole Fuuko had left in the roof of the facility they were standing on, then descend once again towards the basement. As they moved, she would tell Fuuko that they would first deal with whatever was down there for the time being and then potentially head to the hospital to see if there was anything else out there that they could find; after all, the threat was very clearly here in this facility alongside practically every citizen of Jodanapur, and therefore, there was no real point in leaving this place to come back later. For all the trio knew, things were about to become much worse now that one of the facility's main line of defense - the Hollow - had been eliminated. Once this would be settled, the Captain would then wince at the sheer amount of questions that her student would ask her. They all came in quick succession... and ultimately, she really had only one answer for each and every one of them. "I don't know," she would huff it out in frustration. "Any investigation should have been given to Nanabantai, but I think Nibantai should now get involved. They'd be able to check if that company really is involved in all of this. Chiba could also be checked out then, just to see if he's a Fullbringer or... something else." 

Yū was trying his best to keep up, but unsurprisingly, he appeared to be completely lost in the many terms that were being thrown about by the two officers. He had no idea of what the Second Division, the Seventh Division or even the Stealth Force were all supposed to be, and it was clear that he knew even less about Fullbringers. In his mind, it sounded like complete and utter nonsense. Then again, he was being carried by two women with superpowers who could literally walk on the very air itself... so unfortunately for him, there was evidently nothing he could do but accept it all as the truth. As he tried his best not to be affected by the heights as they went headed back through the hole in the roof, he would turn his attention towards Fuuko again and sigh. "A-Around two years... I had been working at another hospital before that, but... I couldn't support my family with my previous salary..." he gave a rather mundane, yet understandable answer. "They... Well, my boss, Hirabayashi-san... She wanted me and the others to come help people here... I... don't think she thought it would end up this way..."

As they moved forward, Kimiko would find herself looking back over her shoulder towards him: "Were you able to contact her since you arrived here?"

"No... I... I guess the infected is preventing us from making any calls outside the city, but... it could also just be the infrastructure..."

"Either that, or whoever is controlling them was smart enough to shut everything down."

[Satoshi Fuuko]

"Yeah? I think that proves my point." Fuuko muttered under her breath. She didn't know how much Kimiko remembered of being a human, and Fuuko's time as a human was becoming more fuzzy everyday, but the last moments of her life, from the gunshot that killed Kazu, to her seeing the hole in his head and cradling him, to everything else after that (which, admittedly, was also a blur but for very different reasons) was seared  into her brain. She could live a thousand more years and she would never  forget her final moments. She wasn't a shinigami because humans were nice, that was for sure and if she and Kimiko had a moral disagreement about it, then they'd have to agree to disagree. It didn't stop her from doing her job and she didn't hate  humans. She saved Yuu's life and could have let him bleed out. 

Speaking of... She glanced up as Yuu spoke as they were on their way tot he hospital. "How very Japanese of you." Fuuko barked. "To work a thankless job and think you will be thanked if you just keep your nose to the grindstone. That's exactly  the reason I was a delinquent when I was alive. Heh." Fuuko barked. 

"The Shichibantai doesn't have the resources to do outside investigations. They can't even do inside investigations right now. I can always talk to Captain Shihoin. If there's something going on, she needs to be brought to speed anyway, right?" Fuuko furrowed her brow. This was exactly why she wanted to be a captain. At least part  of why. As a Captain, it would not be unreasonable to speak with other captains about matters that required their attention. Especially  as the captain of the Yonbantai, she would be doing her job disseminating any information that might save lives through prevention. She wanted to ba a proactive  division instead of a reactive division. She knew that would also go a long way in helping erase the stigma that the Yonbantai were a bunch of weak shinigami who couldn't hack it in other, more combat oriented, divisions. 

"Here's the thing." Fuuko said once Yuu had added his two cents. "Someone did think things would end up like this. Maybe not exactly  this way, but someone who is involved with Jodanapur, or had access to it, was using it for ill intentions. Probably from the very beginning." Fuuko shook her head. "That being said, what are we supposed to do with this guy now?" She asked. "Obviously until this resolves, he needs protection, but ... I don't think I need to spell out how that complicates things even more. Tch. Maybe just figuring out what happens will be enough. I sure hope  so." 

Fuuko shook her head. "This whole situation is pissin me off. The two of us can only do so much." Fuuko added.  "We need people. We need to be looking through the wreckage and rubble. Why did we only find this jackoff and one other guy?" Fuuko said. "No offense." She added. "And not his team? And no one else and, not a single other plus or menos? That's what's fucked up if you ask me." Fuuko picked up the pace. "There better be answers at the hospital." 

_______________________________

Reiatsu: 2925/3400 - Blood Bank: 000 - | Sealed Tachi

Blood Collection - [00] Passive |

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}

[Nakajima Kimiko]

It would appear that Fuuko was not ready to acknowledge her wrong judgement of Humans. At the very least, it appeared to be this way, for instead of giving credence to Kimiko's criticism, she instead decided to merely brush it off and retain her current opinion. The Captain wasn't particularly surprised by this; after all, she knew that her student was a very stubborn woman, one who was much stubborn than even she when it came to what they believed in. With that said, she couldn't say that she was satisfied by her answer, and quite frankly, it made her want to correct that belief as soon as possible. If Fuuko truly couldn't see that, in the end, practically every being in this world - be it living or dead - was a Human in the end of it all, then it was possible that the medic was going to commit to a bad decision in the near future because of that very belief. Worse, it could shape her into someone that Kimiko did not want her to become, someone that she believed that the Soul Society did not need right about now.

Moreover, there was something about that particular opinion that made her briefly think about Vizards again. If Fuuko couldn't respect Humans and appeared to be more so inclined towards the belief that the Shinigami were superior in comparison to the other people of the afterlife, then how would she feel if she ever learns about her brother's current state? How would she feel if she learned about her state and Celes'? Would she be able to set aside the shock that such news would grant to her and actually consider the power that such a condition could grant to her for the safety of the Soul Society? Would she try to support them all by helping them find a way to stabilize their condition? For the time being, Kimiko did not believe that she would be capable of doing that. Instead, she felt as though she would detest their condition and react in accordance to that hatred. The thought alone was enough to cause the swordswoman to worry about Fuuko's future with her brother, and if anything, it only further proved that she was right in requesting him to keep his condition a secret from the medic.

The Captain obviously doubted that retaining such a secret was going to be necessary for very long. As... brash as Fuuko could sometimes be, she had the capacity to become better like any other Shinigami. Perhaps the experience that she will receive throughout the next few years or even decades under the branch of the Fourth Division will allow her to properly understand the faults behind her current ideology and attempt to correct it. Then again, perhaps she could also not do that and instead retain this ideology of hers. Only time will tell, really. Either way, it doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things. Whether she becomes capable of doing such a thing, Kimiko will try to keep her brother safe as much as she possibly could, whether it be from the people of the Gotei 13 who believe that all Vizards should be unconditionally eliminated at all cost... or her student, as painful as the mere prospect of that last possibility may be.

Of course, Kimiko wasn't the only one who was taking notes of Fuuko's belief. Yū, too, had taken a listen to their words. Unsurprisingly, he was still shaken by everything that was happening, but he did appear to be somewhat concerned by what the blonde woman had said about Humans. It was no surprise that he appeared to side with Kimiko for the time being, even though she was the one who had threatened him and his entire company only moments prior all because she believed him to be related to Chiba Chimon. But he tried to keep his mouth shut for the time being regarding the matter, mainly because he didn't believe it was the right time for him to say anything. After all, both of the Shinigami officers were speaking to one another about things he clearly he didn't understand, which Kimiko's responses to Fuuko only made more evident. "Once we come back, try to get in touch with her as soon as possible. I'll see if I can try to do the same, as well as Ningen-taichou," she quickly told her student before she then sighed. "As for him, let's just keep him around for now. Letting him go is not gonna be a good idea. For all we know, he might try to stab us in the back while we're not looking." 

Her tone was analytical, but ultimately just. It was indeed again true that there was no certainty behind Yū's actions. He certainly appeared to be nothing more than an innocent man who had been wrapped up into the wrong situation at the wrong time, but for indeed all they knew, it was entirely possible that he was something else entirely. He could have controlled the Hollow they have just slew minutes ago back in front of the facility, or worse, be some kind of spy for that "Hirabayashi" he worked for whose purpose was to retrieve information on the officers. Hell, he could even be under the control of the monster much like the rest of the people of Jodanapur. Ultimately, all of those possibilities demanded that they keep watch over him and quite simply not allow him to leave. Besides, if Yū's hurt expression was of any indication, it was clear that he did not want to leave anyway. His friends were still down there in the basement of this facility and he did not want to give up on them so easily.

But Fuuko's assertion of their current situation was entirely correct. They did need more people and they did need more information on the situation. The city was indeed too emptied of both Humans and non-Humans, and the hospital the man had mentioned was indeed a bit too suspicious to be left alone, given that it was related to Yumiya. But again, she believed that they still needed to proceed onward down towards the basement of this facility. "Again, we should focus on what's going on here. You saw that guy from before driving to this place, so surely, that means that whatever's controlling the people of this city is down here. It also most likely knows we're here too. We did kill that Hollow, after all," she grunted, then found herself briefly looking towards the doors of the facility while they were passing by the reception hall again. "But I agree with you on that one. There needs to be answers there. Whatever's going on here can't have been caused by just one thing."

The trio eventually reached the basement once more. Nothing seemed to have changed since they had left the place. It was still just as deserted and also just as oddly vandalized in comparison to the rest of the empty yet pristine city. Yū was trying his best to remain standing as he was held by Fuuko, but ultimately, he appeared to be quite glad that his feet were finally touching the ground again. Needless to say, he was not at all used to the simple fact that these "Shinigami" could even walk on air. Panting, he'd appear to find himself thinking for a moment, seemingly still stunned by all of the new information suddenly coursing through his head. Kimiko would notice this, though she would pay him no mind for the time being. Instead, her attention towards the industrial elevator located at the far end of the basement. "I'm guessing if they have something like that around here, then there's a ton of space underneath this building," she found herself humming as she theorized before she began to walk towards it, hoping the others in tow.

It did not take long for Yū to try to follow her, though he was evidently still worried for his safety as they proceeded; after all, the poor man had lost his firearm. Still, there was admittedly a certain tenacity to his stop as he tried to rummage through the contents of the fallen shelves. He was looking into boxes after boxes, quickly searching for something that could perhaps be useful. Then, he found something that seemed sufficient-enough for the time being in his eyes: a crowbar. A red and grey one, to be exact. It was somewhat lengthy, enough so that it spanned from his upper body to his head, and it was somewhat heavy, as denoted by the way he held the thing with the both of his hands. Well, at least he was heavy for him. Kimiko and most certainly Fuuko could most likely lift it with a finger. Nevertheless, he seemed to be happy about his find. That was, until he noticed Kimiko staring at him, which caused him to blush in embarrassment. "L-Look, I-I know I might not be useful to you, b-b-b-but I'd... rather keep this... I'd rather h-have a gun, but... it's... Mhm," he tried to explain. 

The Captain wasn't actually trying to criticize him in this instant. If she was in his place, she would have tried to find a weapon for herself too, even if she did have to admit that it was perhaps a bit overkill for him to actually bring this thing along; after all, there was no way that she and Fuuko would not be able to take care of any threat through offensive means better than he could. With that said, his attitude was still be appreciated. It even made Kimiko's smile return to her in that instance, which was the first time she actually showed it to the office worker. "Heh. Don't worry about it. The fact that you're still willing to fight even though we're around says a lot about you," she complimented positively, which caused the man to blink in surprise and just stand there, dumbfounded. Eventually, though, she would call to him and Fuuko with a quick gesture to the hand. "Now, come on, let's go! I want to see what's down here before we go to the hospital! Fuuko, get ready. If what Yū said is true, then we're most likely gonna have company very soon." 

And with that, Kimiko would then reach the aforementioned industrial elevator. From the looks of things, it currently contained only a forklift as well as a few crates scattered about on top of one another. There was also a control panel that contained several buttons onto it alongside what appeared to be a key slot and a few lights above it. Fortunately, the lights in question were all glowing green, which most likely meant that the elevator was online. More curiously, however, the key slot was actually occupied. It was probably left over by one of the people who were supposedly infected by the creature here... but even so, it did pique Kimiko's curiosity. Either way, she would look at the panel for a moment before pressing on the button that she believed went to the lowest floor. Two yellow lights would then brighten up above the elevator, and soon after, it would begin to descend forward towards the lower parts of the facility. Huh. Interesting.

Unfortunately, the elevator was also somewhat slow. Perhaps this was because of the fact that it had to take into account the weight of several crates at once as well as whatever carried them, though it did cause the scene to become rather quiet for the time being. Noticing this, Kimiko would naturally found herself turning her head towards the crates, if only to try to remain steadfast. There, she would realize that there were various brands plastered onto the crates. She couldn't really recognize any of them immediately, which wasn't particularly surprising; after all, she was a warrior, not a manufacturer, and especially not one from the Living World. Yet, there was one familiar red logo present on one of the crates. It was just the one that she and Fuuko had seen outside while they were observing the hospital: the brand of the Yumiya Aid & Healthcare Foundation. "Hey, Yū, was this place supposed to be some kind of storage unit for the hospital?" She would ask the man then, curious. 

Upon hearing this, the man would blink and look towards the crate. "I believe so...? I... thought everything was kept at the hospital, though," he would say then, confused, before he approached the crate. Then, seemingly just about as curious, he would lift his crowbar and place its edge into the extremities of one of the crates before pulling up. It took a bit of time for him to be able to do much to the crate, but eventually, he was able to properly open it. Inside of the crate was contained several steel boxes with a small glass window showcasing several vials. These vials should have contained normal medicine, but something about what filled them seemed a bit odd to Kimiko. Somehow, the silvery liquid held by them... glowed. Just like that. Even Yū seemed to be confused by what he was seeing as he grabbed one of the boxes. "Huh...? W-What is this? I've never seen this kind of medicine before," he muttered in bewilderment before he tried to find any specifications on both the boxes and the crate itself. "It's n-not branded either? But... But we need to brand every medicine... Did the people here make a mistake?"

[Satoshi Fuuko]

"Right. Shouldn't be an issue." Fuuko said in response to talking to the Nibantai taichou. Fuuko liked that  Kimiko as much as her sensei. She might have been the nicest person in the Gotei 13 outside of Iroka, and Iroka's quirks sometimes led people to believe she was aloof and uncaring. It would be nice to work with Kimiko again and show her how far she had come since she was helplessly watching other people rescue her brother. 

"I more meant after. Obviously if he turns out to be a piece of shit, he's getting obliterated." Fuuko grinned and turned her head enough to look at Yuu. "I'm sure you wouldn't do that, though, right? I didn't feel any big balls slapping against my back! Ha!" Fuuko chuckled. "Not that you got tiny balls, but, ha, whatever. I like you so far, Yuu-san, so don't fuck it up by tryin to fuck us over, got it?" 

Once the dropped to the basement, Fuuko let Yuu off her and watched as he pulled out a crowbar. "Heh. Whatever gets ya through this. Leave the heavy liftin to us, though." She mused and unsheathed her zanpakutou. She then looked at Kimiko. "I am guessing they dug a hole, built a city underground and then built a fake city on top of it. Or built a real city and then fucked off or somethin along those lines." Fuuko theorized. 

As they entered the industrial elevator, Fuuko was glad that they had a moment to reflect. While Kimiko looked around, Fuuko began pulling open boxes and rifling through them. pulling off the top of a crate was like opening a bag of chips to her and she wanted to get an idea of what was coming and going. Not to mention, as Kimiko spoke, if there were potential medical supplies, that could be useful in and of itself. That's when she saw Yuu pry open a crate with about as much difficulty as she would expect. 

His crate seemed much more interesting, at least from what was pulled out of it. Fuuko immediately went over to him and peered at the crate. "Yuu, yer still thinkin like a regular old human. I hate ta say it, but yer not  anymore." Fuuko said and gave him a comforting pat. "The fact that you can see us  is proof enough. Maybe some exposure to this place caused it, or maybe you always had it in you and that's precisely why  you were sent here." Fuuko surmised. 

"But whatever is in there isn't designed to cure anything. That's my guess. Well, maybe it's a cure for bein alive. Heh." Fuuko shook her head. Fuuko grabbed a box. "Obviously we need to take some of this back and do some research on it. I'll take enough with me so that the Yonbantai and Juunibantai can study it separately and together." She said and stuffed a box into her medic bag. 

"So, how much of this shit did you or your company log?" Fuuko asked. "I'm half tempted to pur one of these out and see what happens, but I ain't that dumb." Fuuko mused. "I'm sure this shit is right where it's supposed to be." Fuuko said and glanced at Kimiko. She rubbed her chin. "Were you ever given a map of Jodanapur? Like a proper city map? what if they were dumpin this shit into the water supply? Maybe that's not right, but I don't have much more than wild guesses until some asshole comes at us barkin about how awesome he and his shitty plans are while tryin to murder us." 

_______________________________

Reiatsu: 2925/3400 - Blood Bank: 000 - | Sealed Tachi

Blood Collection - [00] Passive |

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}