Leaving Nijūkan

[Nakajima Kimiko]

Kimiko had been ready to simply lay down her thoughts on the matter and leave them there for Lucien to ponder upon their meaning. Given that Ruhe had left the restaurant, she believed it best for both she and the Captain-Supervisor to leave the establishment as well. Now was not the time to waste time, after all. But just before she could fully raise herself from her seat and attempt to trace the girl's presence outside of the Il Fiore, she would stop herself as Lucien further added to the conversation. Quite frankly, the fact that he still wanted to converse right then and there was a bit of a hassle, and it was just about as frustrating to Kimiko as just about everything that composed the man's belief, whether it be his supposed pacifism and his complete dedication to a man she believed treated him like nothing but a stepping stone in his plans for conquest. Nevertheless, she stayed put and listened to him... because at this point, that was the only thing that she could realistically do.

The way the man explained his perspective was clear to the Shinigami. She agreed with him in regards to the way Ruhe saw the world and how she wanted to fit in it, and she also agreed with him in regards to the child's past. There was just no way this kind of behavior could have possibly been birthed from a healthy childhood, even before the child met that dreadful Lady Amalia, whose name just kept being brought up. However, the more Kimiko heard about what kind of person she was, the more she felt that Ruhe's condition had quite simply been dreadfully worsened Amalia in every possible way. It was her who supposedly had forced Ruhe to join the Vandenreich, and from the looks of things, it was also her who had made sure that this forced integration would be as punishing as possible. In other words, she had molded Ruhe in a way that would forever prevent her from completely detaching herself from the Vandenreich.

Kimiko didn't want to hear that. She didn't want to hear Lucien tell her that the child would potentially always attempt to come back to the Vandenreich now, even if he tried his best to prevent such a thing from happening, and she most especially didn't want to hear that there were other people out there - specifically, people who outranked Lucien and therefore could void any one of his decisions if they want to - who were just as disgusting as that Amalia woman. But unfortunately, she had to hear those things, and the more she did, the more she felt her already-faint control over the situation fade away. She couldn't even bring herself to formulate some insulting remark to Lucien. Instead, she stared back at him with a silent gaze of deep disappointment. At first, it seemed as though she was about to say something, but eventually, she gave up as her gaze then turned to one of pity. Pity not just for Ruhe, who had been integrated into such a disgusting world, but also for Lucien himself.

Eventually, she rose from her seat and spoke her will to go check up on the girl. Lucien did not appear to be against the idea, or at least not entirely, seeing as he had recognized that his presence was not bringing any comfort to Ruhe and that it was therefore best that he kept his distance for the time being. She saw the many bills that he put on the table, a number of Yen papers that briefly made her question how he was even able to acquire such an amount to begin with, but she did not voice that question openly. For all she knew, it was currency that she had inherited from his Emperor or his organization in one way or another, and there really was nothing more to it than that. This conclusion would bring her to only nod at Lucien so as to acknowledge the Vandenreich officer's own perspective of the situation, then move onward towards the door of the Il Fiore restaurant without saying a word. Once she would be fully outside, she would begin her search for the little Quincy girl.

It fortunately did not take very long for Kimiko to find Ruhe. Again, she wasn't far from the restaurant, and on top of that, nobody who wasn't Human had given her any kind of attention just yet. There was no Hollow nearby, no Shinigami nearby. Hell, there wasn't even a Human nearby, all thanks to the Il Fiore's popularity. But when the girl broke down as she responded to her apology, the Captain could only stand there as she realized one of the things that she feared the most could happen throughout this entire situation. As she remained there motionless, she understand that there was... nothing that she herself could do for the girl, not without employing measures that would further risk the both of their lives. She could not bring her back to the Soul Society, else the both of them are more likely going to be executed. She could not let her stay in the Living World, else Ruhe will eventually be attacked by a Hollow or a Shinigami, and Kimiko knew that she could never let something like that happen on her watch. She could not even let her stay in the Silbern, else it was possible Ruhe would simply return to her own abusers.

So, of course, a child in such a situation, devoid of all love and all other options... would believe that the best solution there was amongst them all was the one that would allow them to end it all.

Kimiko's eyes shot wide open when she finished listening to Ruhe. She felt her heart beat faster than it should've, her thoughts race faster than they've ever had thus far. A part of them were fueled by a great hatred aimed towards everything and everyone that had allowed the girl to reach such a low point, as made apparent by the way she clenched her fists so powerfully, but in this hatred was also something else. She wasn't really sure how to describe it in the moment, but she knew that she had felt it a couple times before, namely whenever she imagined herself losing those that she had come to care about greatly over the course of her afterlife. It squeezed her heart and her throat and her soul like a vice, more so than any proper being could themselves, and it gave her this awful feeling of restlessness. It was like someone had dropped in the middle of a burning sea, where the waters are so impossibly hot that the only thing that she wants to do is escape them.

Perhaps "restlessness" was not quite the right word to describe. Regardless of what may better do such a thing, however, was pointless to the Captain. In the end, she just knew that it was the worst... and that it was the one thing that pushed her onward towards the little girl in that moment. Before Ruhe could say anything more, she had brought herself forward, quickly crouched down to the height of the child the best she could, then put her hands on her shoulders. Once she thought she had forcefully snatched away the girl's attention away from her dark thoughts, she breathed rapidly and let out:

"I don't want to kill you, and I don't want you to kill someone!"

The way Kimiko went at it was arguably too brash. Her grip on Ruhe's shoulders, soft, but still a tad too strong; her breathing, accelerated, perhaps even a tad jerky; her voice, loud, yet shaky and lacking the confidence she carried. But at this point, the Shinigami couldn't hold these emotions in anymore. She couldn't remain soft all the time around Ruhe, whom she had come to unironically care for more than she should've at this point. "Stop saying things like that! Just... Just stop!" She repeated as her scarlet eyes stared into the blues of the child's, then would pause just to stare at the girl as she tried her best to find anything more to say. It was very clear that she was shaken to a point that she wasn't really sure of what to even say anymore to the girl without somehow making everything so much worse than they already were for Ruhe. But even so, she wanted to say something, anything to at least make Ruhe feel a bit better. Just anything.

With this in mind, the Captain would briefly look in the direction of the Il Fiore restaurant, just to see if Lucien was nearby. She was able to see him standing not too far away, but ultimately, she didn't feel like she wanted his assistance here. If anything, she almost wanted him to leave, even though she had come here specifically to make sure Ruhe would be brought to him. Regardless, she would eventually find herself slowly sitting onto the sidewalk by Ruhe's side. For a moment, she allowed the silence to settle in as she tried her best to find her words again. Then, she spoke: "... You did not make the choices that brought you here. It wasn't you. None of them was you. You're not to blame for anything you've done." Her eyes looked onward towards the cars passing by them on the street. "I don't know what the future holds for you, but... Ruhe, I want you to be happy. That's all I want. I don't want you to throw your life away, and I don't want you to work for people who don't care about you... That's all..."

Ruhe would most likely respond negatively to these words, but Kimiko did not care in that moment when she expressed them. She wanted to be honest with the girl about everything she has done for her thus far. She wanted her to understand that, regardless of what has happened to her thus far in he life, Kimiko did not want Ruhe to remain in the darkness that had been fabricated around her by the people that had made it so. Obviously, it was a childish thought, something conjured not by logic, but by emotion. Even so, she hoped that her words, even if they were meager, could reach the Quincy in one way or another, if not minimally. 

SPOILER: Click to show

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

Technique Type: Other | Strength of Will Buff

Technique Element: None

Usable by: All races

Class: 3

Technique Reiatsu Cost: N/A

Technique Description and Effects

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


Drawbacks & Weaknesses

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


Made by: Nakajima Kimiko

Reserved? : No

[Lucien Dantes]

The silence that followed their conversation wasn't surprising to Lucien though it was disappointing. Kimiko was so headstrong, confident, and stubborn. Some part of him had hoped she would fight him on the point. To argue against him and provide a course of action he could take. ...She didn't. She was as lost with how to handle Ruhe as he was. Lucien had thought he had made it clear that Ruhe was welcome. He had seen her abilities, he had tried to form a connection with her, to be a support structure, but somehow, all he had succeeded in doing was intimidating her. He wasn't sure what he was doing wrong, and he didn't know what he needed to do to make it right. Your Majesty, grant me clarity. He paused, almost in mid-step, and revised his prayer. No. I apologize your Majesty. Grant Miss Krieger mercy. It is too soon for her to join us.

Of course, Lucien did not know if the Emperor could truly hear his silent prayer, but he truly wasn't sure what else to do. He had not exactly been trained on socializing. His life had led him to a development of philosophy, numerous academic studies, combat doctrines, and talent as a musician, but none of his training really prepared him for this. All he really could do in this situation was pray. That was an area that Kimiko surpassed him in, so he intended to observe, and see what he could learn from her.

Then there she was, and Lucien stopped as soon as he saw Ruhe, standing as well back as he could. Still within earshot, and unfortunately within line of sight, although somewhat obscured by the crowd. Lucien decided he would only do more harm if he tried to conceal or hide himself. He simply bowed his head instead, so that he wasn't looking directly at Ruhe, the last glance he gave the girl was the same melancholic stare from before. He wanted to do his part to avoid intimidating her.

But he heard every word, and slid his hand into his pocket, so that Ruhe, were she to chance a look Lucien's way, would not see his hand tightening into a fist. How could Amalia have done this to Ruhe- no. No, this wasn't Amalia. Amalia had a cruel streak to her, but this could not have been done by one person. This was what Ruhe's life had conditioned her to believe. And well.... Hate was a strong word. A word that Lucien reserved for very, very few circumstances. He could not truly say he hated this fact. But he did hate the world that had made it possible. A silent affirmation of his belief that a world that allowed such things was wrong, and needed, desperately to be righted.

He listened to Kimiko's response, hanging on every word the Captain said, desperately hoping that something would reach through the Ruhe. Lucien couldn't abandon his mission. Not without great threat to Ruhe. But he hoped, so very much hoped that Ruhe heard Kimiko's words and understood them. Understood and believed them. He did not know what he could do or say to make things better. He felt powerless. Utterly and completely powerless to save someone. Again.

[Ruhe Krieger]

When Ruhe found herself lamenting, regretting everything, a voice came to her. A scream. A desperate plea almost, telling Ruhe to stop it. To stop talking. Before she was told that all Kimiko wanted for her was to be happy. Her eyes widened, and with it, there was something in Ruhe that just snapped. Like a thousand shards of broken glass. How she didn't want for her to work for people that didn't care about her. To which Ruhe found herself tilting her head down towards the floor. To which she'd felt as if nobody understood. But in a way, convinced her to tell her story. To talk about her life in a way nobody had heard before.

"When I was born, my family...Never wanted me. Never wanted me to learn. Had always reminded me of my mistakes. How my brother gave his life to save mine, in some incident that I didn't even remember. They dyed my hair blue. So that when I saw others in our community. They knew not to talk to me. Even look at me. And I'd never felt more alone. So, I tried to teach myself. And my father when he found me? He beat me badly...My mother beat me harder." She says, her voice sounded clear, and yet so resigned. Her hair hid her eyes, as she voiced out what was actually the truth. The whole truth.

"...When I learned a technique. I thought that I'd done it. Shown talent. Thought that I could make my family happy. Show that I had potential. My father beat and tugged on my hair. I screamed. Begged. He was going to kill me, I think. So I ran away. I was homeless." She'd come to realize, thinking about how she was forced onto the streets. How she'd abandoned her schooling. "When I saw my father again? I was so happy. Thinking for the first time. That the reason why he came for me was because he cared about me. Because he was sorry. Because he loved me...and..."

"He wanted me so he could marry me off. Because I was his. His property. I belonged to him." She says, and with it, the story of Cochem. "I ran, ran off to an old Quincy ruin. To try to learn my powers. To know what it was to be Quincy. Only to be nearly eaten alive. And then, she saved me. Amalia. My mentor. My savior. And with it, she told me. That this was my war. That I was a Quincy. That the Soul Reapers would kill me just because I exist. That I had no choice but to see it through. That it was by the will of the Emperor. That I belonged to him." She found herself slowly standing then, as she slowly walks onto the sidewalk. Looking at how serene and beautiful the world looked right now.

"...That day, a Soul Reaper tried to kill me. And when I saw you for the first time? How couldn't I be terrified? He wore the same sigil and markings as you did. He peeled and flayed my skin. And from then on? I was alone for the longest time. Until I was found. Brought to Silbern. They joked about how they were going to kill me. Traitor. Deserter. Until they realized who I was trained under. Who vouched for me. Who I belonged to." She found herself coming to realize? Ruhe had always "belonged" to someone in her life. Her family. Amalia. The Vreich itself now.

Little Ruhe slowly turns towards Kimiko for a moment, and with it, she smiles. A genuinely bright smile, as she looks towards Kimiko. Then Lucien. "I think...I think my time with you, as short as it was, may have been the first time I've actually been happy. And I-I realize something now." Ruhe says, as she smiles and closes her eyes. "I realize...That it wasn't all bad." She says, before she sighs softly, looking just so tired. Before she takes a quick hop backwards. And as she did, she mouthed two words. Though it might have been difficult for anyone to hear. 

"Thank you." 

And is almost immediately then hit by a speeding truck that barrels down the street at some nearly forty-five miles per hour, which then immediately barrels its horn, and then sends her small form flying across the street, rolling and skidding, as she is run over by a second car, the sound of blaring horns and traffic, the skidding of tires, and a crash. A loud sound of beeping filling the air, as the two of them are left to digest what they just saw.

[Nakajima Kimiko]

Happiness. Truthfully and most thoroughly, Kimiko believed that everyone deserved it in one way or another. From the richest to the rags, from those who most deserved it and those who least deserved it, she liked to think that no matter what, it needed to be there, for to live without happiness is to live a life without soul. Yes, even those whom she believe did not deserve happiness did deserve it in the end, if only to at the very least prevent them of experiencing even the slightest modicum of misery. Quite frankly, she had never really thought about this too much prior to her Shinigami career. Hell, in all certainty, it could be said that she had never really thought about much as of late, aside from perhaps Ruhe herself and the dedication of her students. However, in this very moment, she couldn't help but understand that particular fact about one's happiness as much as she have physically been able to... and all it took was but one sad little girl to make her come to this realization.

As she sat there by Ruhe's side, she began to remember the times at which she herself was happy. Since so much time had passed since she became a Shinigami, it was somewhat difficult for her to remember it all. By this point, a lot of it had devolved into mere bits and pieces of almost-forgotten memories. But as she accomplished this exercise then and there, it would surprisingly not take very long for her to remember her happiest days, from the newest to the oldest. She first remembered the founding of the Nijūkan schools and her acceptance of Emile as her first disciple. Then, she remembered when she learned Shizukakane's true name after all of those games of shogi, and all of that time spent with Celes, whether it be during training or socializing. And then, of course... there were the arcades from way back when and all the time she spent there, all so that she could avoid the problems she once had in the Living World as a Human. Just thinking about those things... It almost brought a smile to her face.

She wanted to think that Ruhe had similar memories. That way, she could have perhaps reminded the Quincy that there were things out there that she could look out for, that she could truly be excited for enough to not wish to die. But just as this thought came to her, the little girl then began to speak of her own past. She recounted everything from top to bottom: the way she was treated by her family and by her community, the way she was raised so terribly and beaten senseless simply for trying to learn about her abilities... the way her hope and her love for others was manipulated by her parents and what she once believed to be her mentor. And then, of course, there was Amalia. Then, of course, there was the promise that she belonged to the Emperor and no one else, and the fate that awaited her with that one Shinigami who tortured her so. It was all, to put it bluntly, an utter deluge of dreadful information, a maelstrom of past pains and sufferings.

When Kimiko heard all of those things, she couldn't say anything. There were no real responses for her to give. In that pit of misery that Ruhe called her life, the Shinigami just wasn't sure if there was anything that she could use to make the Quincy happy. No wonder the little girl wanted to end her life right then and there. She had no home to speak of, no people to love, nothing that felt like it could make her matter. Well, no. There was someone out there who could help her. They weren't even out there either. They were right here all along, standing by the girl's side, and Kimiko very much knew that that person was... herself. And now, she was rejecting Ruhe just like everybody else beforehand, albeit not as aggressively. She was pushing her away from the place that may as well have been the happiest in comparison to every other place she has gone to, and bringing her towards the place that had rejected her before and will most likely reject her again.

For a moment, the swordswoman tried to fight off the increased weight of the dreadful responsibility set upon her shoulders. It left her quiet and immobile, with soft eyes aimed towards the pavement of the street below her feet. But then, just as the pieces of a decision began to assemble themselves within her head, she heard Ruhe's voice again. This made her raise her head towards her and freeze. The girl was smiling. She was telling her that, for once, she had actually experienced happiness, that her time with her had proven her that her life wasn't all that bad after all. But there was something in her eyes, her expression, her tone that was undoubtedly off-putting to Kimiko. It was too calm, too serene, like she had made for herself a final choice that was going to bring her to do something drastic. The Captain wasn't sure of what she was going to do in that moment. Simply taking into account everything that she had been told had already left her somewhat exhausted. So, for a brief moment, her mind skipped a beat.

By the time she noticed the truck, it was too late.

She tried to move. Tried to raise herself from the ground as fast as possible and dash in the very middle of the street out of sheer instinct, just to save the little Quincy that had deliberately hopped towards the vehicle. But in the end, Kimiko was unable to reach her. It was as if, in that particular moment, something had prevented her from reaching her properly, like her body had suddenly become heavier than it should have. Whatever that something may have been, it caused her to witness what may as well have been the very worst thing that she has witnessed in recent memory. Powerless, she watched with widened eyes of utter shock as, without warning, the truck in question rammed into the little girl's body and sent her flying across the street only to be ran over by yet another car. There were no noise of flesh tearing or blood spilling amidst the chaos, but there was most definitely the familiar dent of metal and tires screaming against gravel as they forced the many vehicles to a stop.

By the time it all came to an end, the owners of the vehicles quickly exited them to rush towards Ruhe. It was clear that they looked horribly worried, less so for themselves and more so for the safety of the little girl. But they were not as concerned as Kimiko. Not nearly as much. She, in her stupor, was finally allowed to move appropriately again, but she did not move. At least, not at first. Instead, she just stood there, as though she was trying to understand what had just happened. Even for her, someone who was considered to be amongst the fastest in the entirety of the Soul Society, it was just a lot to take in. But of course, after a time, the information slowly started to being acknowledged bit by bit. Once that happened, she began to move. At first, it was a mere walk, or rather, something that was closer to a limp. Then, it evolved into a faster jog, and then a full blown sprint. All of this was done without an apparent word. However, if one listened carefully, they would have been able to hear her muttering beneath her breath.

"No... No! No, no, no!"

When she brought Ruhe to Nijūkan North, she had effectively promised her that she would protect her from harm. That protection was never meant to be permanent, only temporary, but it had remained legitimate all the same. She wanted her, in every sense of the word, to be safe from all that wanted her grief and pain and suffering. But throughout all this time, she had never realized that she had ignored the one common enemy that they all shared. In her dedication and loyalty to the little girl, she had effectively ignored the girl's own mind. The conversation that they were having in this moment was proof that death was something the girl wanted to an extent, but Kimiko believed that there was still something that could have prevented her from thinking this way. And here she was, about to stare at that very same little girl's mangled body. Here she was, about to witness what she believed to be the final moments of someone that she had learned to care for more dearly than everybody else.

Here she was, a failure of a guardian.

A failure of a makeshift parent.

[Lucien Dantes]

Lucien's shoulders sagged. He could hear Ruhe's story from his position. Why. Why was the world cruel to someone like this. Ruhe had done no wrong to deserve this treatment. He agreed with Kimiko. Ruhe deserved better than this. He wanted to provide that "better", but how when the girl clearly was so afraid of him? He knew most of Ruhe's story, but hearing it from her. Like this? It wasn't fair. People like Ruhe... This was why Lucien was willing to fight for the Emperor's World. He wanted a world where nobody would ever have a story like this to tell again.

But alone he was powerless. Alone, Ruhe was powerless. Kimiko didn't stand alone, but she stood for a group that liked the world as it was, and would gladly continue to perpetuate this status quo, wielding Kimiko as a tool to do that. The Vandenreich was the only hope for a world where Ruhe didn't want to suffer. The only group trying to make the world better.

Lucien saw the truck coming, and he saw Ruhe step back into its path. His body surged into motion, freezing for only half a moment when he sensed a tremendous surge of power coming from Ruhe. "That's--"

Even if Lucien realized what Ruhe was doing.... Or perhaps more accurately, what she was about to unleash, he wasn't prepared for her to be struck by the vehicle. He wasn't going to allow it, and allow that sight to be imprinted in his and Kimiko's nightmares for weeks to come. He was halfway into his Hirenkyaku when his knee hit the pavement and he violently hacked and coughed into his sleeve, blood staining the fabric of his suit. "Not... now..." The coughing fit extended, stopping a moment too late, as the loud honk of the horn rang out.


Lucien lunged forwards, skidding across the pavement, and extending his arms to catch Ruhe, limiting the exposure she had to the pavement. "Ruhe!" The words came unbidden from Lucien's throat. Despite what he had sensed, it didn't matter, his chest was tight and his heart in his throat and not just because of the recent bout of battling his illness. This was a nightmare, awful. Even if he was right, this moment was indescribably horrifying. The sight and sound caused Lucien's stomach to churn and it was half a miracle he hadn't already started another coughing fit so soon after the other....

[Ruhe Krieger]

Blut was said to be a power that was only able to be used by the Emperor's more favored servants. His more powerful Quincy. More importantly, it showed the Emperor's blood flowed strongly within them. So, of course, Ruhe had never thought that she had such potential. For despite being a pure blooded Quincy, she had to be converted to the Emperor's cause. She was an outsider. What more, the time she'd spent within the Vandenreich was short comparatively to those that had grown within it. Years. Decades. However, something that Ruhe had never considered in the first place was how she herself was an anomaly.

Having drawn the eye of several Sternritter, it was as if destiny had desired this to varying extents. However, in those next moments? Ruhe was hit by a powerful impact, and sent flying. And whilst Blut made the skin as hard as iron, it did not make the impact delivered upon her any more pleasant, as she was sent barreling and rolling. The impact on the pavement was one thing. The second car rolling on top of her body with a skid was another. As she'd laid there. A dishveled and mangled form as she rest there. Though, other than the pain of which was ripping through her? There was something she realized.

Miraculously. She was alive. Perhaps the Emperor had deemed her unworthy of going to another world. Or perhaps it was some sadistic level of pleasure, amusement, or satisfaction at her suffering. However, as she laid there, she gasped, trying to understand what happened. Her mouth gasping for aid as she laid there, the blue veins stretching along her body fading, as she felt an incredible surge of power for but a moment. Her veins felt like they were on fire, as she laid back along the floor. Looking likely very out of place with her almost archaic japanese looking kimono. She found it hard to think straight, as the adrenaline rushed into her body. Soon followed by a deep sense of pain.

Though, it wasn't as if pain was anything new to her. As people began to get out of their vehicles to check upon her. The first thing she found herself doing was trying to move, only to stumble, as she looked over to see her right leg was twisting in a way that didn't look right. She felt a sharp pain in her side, and she quickly found a portion of her vision turning red as a small trickle of crimson dribbles down her face. The next thing Ruhe did? Was cry. She cried into the air, a shriek as horrid as a Hollow's agony. As she found herself mad with grief. The pain of her body only adding to the sensation as she sounded like a little girl in severe pain. To which, to be fair, she was.

"W-Why?...W-Why?! I-...Please. Please!" She sounded to plead, as she coughs, sputters, as she drags herself along the floor, her head lifting up, as she slams her head into the floor. Only for that blue force to permeate and make her head thunk into the stone, as she speeds up, as if in a seizure. Only for her to clench her fists, hopeless, as she feels tears and blood mingle and drip onto the floor. "I-It hurts." She says, before whimpering, and looking like a whipped dog. "AHAHAAAAAAAAAH! UHAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" She screams, as she finds herself feeling like she was going to lose herself to insanity.

Though in her mind. She had a voice tell her something. Her subconscious maybe? Her parents? Amalia? The Emperor himself maybe? Perhaps all of the above and at the same time. "You belong to me." And in that moment, Ruhe seemed to just go completely still. As if she was in a state of shock. To which she finds herself legitimately speechless. Regardless of anything, she'd realized that people make their own Gods, and Ruhe's was her desire to be loved. To be needed. Wasn't it? 

[Nakajima Kimiko]

"Oh my god! Little girl! Are you okay?!"

"Oh, no, NO!! You poor thing! YOU!! What the HELL were you doing?! Are you blind?!"

"Wha-? IT'S NOT MY FAULT! She... She jumped in front of me! Argh, it doesn't matter! Just call an ambulance! Call an ambulance!"

"Right! Oh, no, no...! STAY WITH HER! Please! She... She might be okay!"

"I... Okay. Damn it..."

All it took was for a couple of seconds following the exit of the drivers from their respective vehicles for them to begin panicking about the situation. In total, it was perhaps five or maybe ten seconds. It could have also been fifteen for all intents and purposes. But for Kimiko, the one who had sworn to protect Ruhe at all cost, it was an eternity. Every millisecond that passed as she took one more step forward towards the front of the car standing not far from the truck lasted for what felt like hours. Each one of them, barring none at all, made her eyes go wide with worry, her ramblings of denial continue below her breath, and her focus heighten to such an extent that she could barely register the very appearance of the Humans who were technically responsible for the crash to a degree. She had not even noticed that her breathing had stopped either. In other words, in this moment of potential loss and mental focus, it was as though she had forgotten almost every one of her vital functions.

She arrived to where Ruhe's body was located before the driver of the truck was able to do so. It was to be expected from her at this point; after all, she was one of the fastest in the Soul Society, as painfully ironic as this point was now starting to become. When she got there, her senses were so set ablaze by adrenaline and sheer, utter panic that she could barely see the little girl. At least, not during the first few seconds she was before the girl. She merely stood there, mouth agape and her ramblings finally gone as her mind desperately tried to deal with what was happening in every level. There was confusion and worry and fear and chaos, all bundled in a cocktail of rising misery that was leaving her still very much breathless. But of course, this inability to breathe and this irresponsible use of her sensory abilities would finally cease to be by the time someone would reach her position. Or rather... by the time someone tackled her from behind.

Tripping to the side, the Captain would first recoil, then snap her head towards whoever was responsible for the tackling. Her eyes, by then, had grown murderous, and it appeared almost as if she was about to let out the loudest scream in her life towards that particular whoever's direction. However, she quickly realized that this whoever was the Human truck driver who had finally reached their position. The tackling had been completely unconscious and unwanted, or in other words, completely involuntary. Such was to be expected from those who lacked the divine sight. That said, in this moment of extreme grief and guilt, it took every ounce of Kimiko's strength to prevent herself from lunging at the man and pummeling him with her bare hands. While he was not entirely responsible for what happened, he was the one who drove the truck. He was the one who had allowed it to smash itself against Ruhe, even if there would have been no way for him to stop it in time by the time she had jumped in front of it.

This decision of hers make the swordswoman freeze again. The want for violence and brutal indirect retribution though burned at her throat, her lungs, her heart and her soul, but so too was the want for understanding and for patience. The accident was terrible for sure, but she remained optimistic in the moment. Ruhe could still be alive. Perhaps barely alive, but... alive nonetheless. She could be healed through various magicks and then taken care of to make sure she would never do such a thing again. Right. Right, this all could still happen. So, with this mind, she would allow the truck driver to carefully crouch down to get a look at Ruhe. As to be expected, he did not really speak at first, for he appeared to believe that she was simply dead on impact. On that note, Kimiko could not blame him. Quite frankly, in spite of the optimism, she too somewhat believe that that was exactly what had happened. But soon... without any warning...

"... Oi. Oi! OI, SHE'S ALIVE! I can't believe it! Shoujo-chan, oi! Oi, listen to me! Don't move, okay? Don't move!"

The man was calling towards the driver of the car at the back, who was currently speaking with the local authorities on the phone. Like him, she had not noticed Kimiko, but she was also shocked to hear that Ruhe was indeed alive. The swordswoman, however, was perhaps the one who appreciated the news the most out of them all. With life slowly returning to her senses, she let out a loud "RUHE!" before crouching down by the man's side, trying to do so in a way that would allow her to check on the girl. She had not noticed it yet, but tears were starting to form in her eyes. "Ruhe, listen to him! Don't move! Your leg, it's... Just don't look at it! Look at me! Look at me, please!" She started calling to the girl, doing so quickly and urgently as she completely ignored everything that was happening around her all for the sake of the little girl who was very clearly soon going to realize what had happened to her in the following moment. She even went as far as to ignore the blue veins on the girl's skin, if only to further reassure to the girl. But of course, that was completely futile.

Soon enough, the Quincy exploded in what could only be described as a pure tantrum. The force of it all was such to cause the truck driver and Kimiko both to stand back with their relief soon turned into confusion and horror. Taken aback, they watched as the child made a complete mess of herself, shouting and coughing and rambling like a mad girl who was still attempting to commit self-harm. The truck driver had no idea of what was happening and what he was supposed to do, and so only shouted at the car driver to tell the authorities to hurry up. Kimiko, however, would crouch down and - perhaps in complete desperation - try to hold Ruhe in place, just so that she would be able to smash her head again against the pavement. It was needless to say that the longer this went on, the less she was feeling like she had control over the situation. Not like she really had any to begin with. Yet, somehow, this was far, far worse than anything she predicted could have happened.

"RUHE! RUHE, STOP! STOP IT! STOP!!" She shouted over the girl's screams to try to convince the girl to cease her tantrum. Obviously, she knew that this was far from an ideal solution to this terrible problem, but realistically, there was just nothing else that she could do. She didn't know how to deal with children this way, didn't know how to calm them down or to reassure them. She didn't even know what had caused Ruhe such horrible pain for so long before she was finally told about it all in what she had previously assumed to be the girl's very last moments of existence. Right now, the only thing that she was trying to do was at least prevent Ruhe from further damaging herself. It was a foolish plan, a stupid plan; after all, she was very much aware of how dangerous Ruhe could be. For all she knew, the girl could simply transform this entire town into a damn lake in the next few minutes, even if she doesn't really want to do such a thing. But she didn't care. She just couldn't.

And then, suddenly... the tantrum came to an end. Just like that. The screaming stopped. The head-banging stopped. It was over. Frozen, Kimiko would find herself staring at the girl in confusion again, unsure of what to do. However, as the stillness seemed to remain, this confusion then slowly turned into worry. Finally, her mind was able to function properly now... but she wished it hadn't. It was then that she finally paid attention to the blue veins. It was then that she further noticed the evident lack of heavy damage on the Ruhe's body, the cracks in the pavement left by her forehead, the shock that was practically painted on her face... Those were not normal reactions. Not normal reactions that occur after such a terrible accident followed by a massive tantrum. The Shinigami had no reason to believe this for the time being, but it was as if the little girl had seen something. Either that, or she had heard something in one way or another.

Seeking answers, Kimiko would find herself eventually looking towards the Captain-Supervisor who was standing not far from her at this point, and most likely still coughing his lungs out. She remained silent at first, unsure on how exactly she was supposed to proceed. She wanted to know what had caused Ruhe to go quiet the way she did. However, first above all else, baby steps had to be taken. "Lucien," she started slowly, "what happened to her veins? Why are they glowing like that?" She was asking in a patient yet very concerned tone, less like a soldier of her caliber. "... Is this a Quincy thing?"

[Lucien Dantes]

As Ruhe tried to slam her head to the ground, Lucien pulled his arms around the girl and tried to pull her back in an embrace. "Ruhe.... Hold still, Ruhe." He said, trying to reassure her with her name, as opposed to "Private Krieger". He briefly looked at Kimiko, a flicker of uncertainty flashing through his eyes. He didn't know what to do here, and it showed. All he could offer was physical support to the girl, as best he could, and he wasn't even sure that Ruhe wanted that. At least not from him.

He glanced at the driver, who came rushing over. "Could you please get an ambulance? She needs medical attention. And a First Aid kit if you have one, I happen to know some basic first aid." He asked, focused on keeping his voice calm. He'd seen death and kept his cool. Lucien could freeze his heart, if he needed to, but... he felt that that was not appropriate here. And that sort of thing was all or nothing. If Lucien needed to be stone cold, yes, he could force himself to be, but if that was the case then that was the case, and Ruhe did not need a block of ice to be holding her right now.

Lucien could stomach the death of soldiers, to an extent. He could see death on the battlefield and keep his cool. He could watch the deaths of civilians, as he had now on multiple occasions and remain unmoved (at least on the surface). But Ruhe wasn't a soldier, and that was abundantly apparent to him now. Not in the least. She was a frightened child, forced to grow up too soon and had no idea how to handle it. He could however, answer Kimiko's question at least.

"It is a technique called Blut. In some ways it is analogous to the Hierro of the Arrancar we have fought, in other ways different. Hierro hardens an arrancar's skin, Blut reinforces a Quincy's very blood with His Majesty's power-- and I do not mean that symbolically, metaphorically or even religiously, but very literally. While its strength may be drawn from the user, this is a power that only Quincy that have been taken in and accepted by His Majesty can use. Quincy outside the Vandenreich are incapable of it, even if a Vandenreich, for whatever purpose tried to teach them. In any case, it is a defensive ability that protects the user from harm. The skin may be torn or damaged, but the blood beneath stops the blow." He replied.

"...I didn't know Ruhe was-- no. ...I don't think she consciously used this technique. I believe the power of Blut was released when her life was imperiled." He ultimately answered. Lucien saw this as a very clear sign of the Emperor's hand at work. He didn't know Ruhe was able to use Blut, and there was no way that Ruhe had chosen to use her incident with the truck as a practice run for it. She had been forced to use it. And there was only one who could possibly have done that. Only His Majesty could have unlocked this ability in Ruhe and forced her to use it.

"Kimiko, please hold her, and support her. I'm going to try to check her leg." Lucien tried to hold Ruhe to Kimiko, so he could try and check her leg. Hopefully the dislocation wouldn't be too bad, and he could set it himself. If not, he was willing to wait for the professionals to arrive.

[Ruhe Krieger]

In truth. The pain Ruhe felt was bad. But it was far from the worst she'd ever had. A lifetime of abuse, either by family, or those that indoctrinated you made you stronger. Pain wasn't an unfamiliar teacher to the young Krieger girl. However, when she heard the shouting, Kimiko telling her to focus on her. Lucien trying to help her by holding her down and checking on her leg respectively? She could almost hear it then. Show me what you're worth. And in that moment, as Ruhe rest there, she felt her spiritual energy explode. Begin to swell and radiate it began to bathe over the area. And with it, she found herself thinking of a story. Of how God had destroyed the world in forty days and forty nights. God watched people die slowly as they suffered.

How the world had been flooded, and how God had swore by the covenant that he shall never destroy the world again with water. But the next time. It would be fire. She didn't know why she thought it in that moment. But what she knew in that moment? Was that God lied. In that next moment, Ruhe twists, and with a sickening motion, her leg slowly snaps, and then twists. Her leg was so badly warped, that it bent at an abnormal angle, and while bone had not broken out thanks to Blut, she found her leg rotating once, and then again another ninety degrees with a cracking snap. What's worse? She didn't say a thing. She couldn't even think straight.

And with it, as sweat dripped down her face, so too did twin trails of tears. As she found herself slowly looking to the floor. As water began to seep. So much so that it began to absorb into the asphalt. The blacktop, as her irises began to shake. Tremble. If any of their clothing came into contact with Ruhe, they'd find that in the next moment, looking upon themselves, it was as if their clothes had just come out of the laundry. Or as if they'd just stood in the rain. And as Ruhe felt as if her heart was on fire.

As she reached out and touched her hands along the car which hit her. All of a sudden? Water would begin to spill out. Pour along the earth. For when they looked, they'd see from a mix of her spiritual pressure, as well as the car filling instantly with water to the very brim, the glass would crack from the sudden increase in pressure. The engine. The fuel tank. Water exploding outwards as it'd spill out in a cacophony, as Ruhe's powers made themselves evident. Pooling along the ground, she possessed the water, made it part of her, as it seeped and spread along the ground, and with it, as it touched every other car around her? They too filled. Cracking. Exploding now outwards in a similar manner.

Where there was a small amount of water now? Now it was as if a small flood was bursting, rushing out of every vehicle as a pool began to form all around them, and what's more. The people. Oh. The people. She watched them, and with it, she'd begin to see them wretch, clutch at their throats as water began to spurt from their mouths and noses, water flooding out of them, vomiting out onto the floor as it added to the pool. The reiatsu she was exhausting. The signature she gave off. It was that of a Captain. That of a powerful Sternritter. A Captain Supervisor at the least. And with it, the more the water spread, the more obscene the damage was becoming as every container began to fill.

And with her irrational feelings, the water she controlled, it began to twist, and contort, and bulge, shattering steel. The only reason why Lucien and Kimiko were unaffected was because of the sheer differences in their strengths and rank. Ruhe's breathing began to grow faster. Faster. More erratic, as she holds her hands to her head, and with it, miraculously, her wounds began to heal, as she began to experience the Emperor's power in full. Manifesting. Or perhaps no longer held back, as she tapped into the true latent power and potential. Though it was clear. If the two didn't do something? This entire street would be flooded. They could probably tell that when the cars in the restaurant's parking lot began to burst and explode with water, flooding it out onto the street.

SPOILER: Click to show

Class 1 Soul Property: "Broken Covenant"

A representation of the promise that was made by God that after the forty days and forty nights of endless rain, that God shalt never destroy the world with water again. This allows for Ruhe to break the promise of such a vow. This soul property allows for Ruhe to fill anything Ruhe or her reiatsu touches to the brim with water. "Reiatsu" in this case is not considered her general aura or spiritual pressure, but instead arrows, and or any techniques that utilize her spiritual energy to contact. A conceptual power that brings devastation the longer she remains in an area.

When Ruhe walks, she leaves watery footsteps. When she is in possession of containers on her body, they are always filled with water. When it is cold at night, the very air becomes saturated with mist as she moves. No matter the size of the container, by the next post, it will be filled with water. A power that is forbidden to use in Silbern due to its destructive capabilities.

When this power is used upon those five classes or more below Ruhe, or she outclasses the individual by more than double their offensive stat, she is capable of filling every orifice of an individual that is not filled with water including their head and lungs with water. Often to such an extent that they will burst.

When used otherwise on individuals less than 1.5x her highest offensive stat or not of superior class, it will only fill them with so much water that it will induce the opponent into forced vomiting, a physiological response, as if the victim is experiencing the sensation of waterboarding, or drowning. Through prolonged contact, the target will drown. For any individuals that are higher than 1.5x her highest offensive stat or of a higher class, they are immune to the general effects of Broken Covenant.


Class 2 Heart Property: "Sundering"

When activating the Heart Property, Ruhe gains the ability to assimilate, control, and turn into water. This allows for her to gain a major resistance, if not immunity to slashing, piercing, and blunt forms of damage, alter her physical appearance and form, as well as assimilate any other water she comes into contact with. In addition, in terms of offensive capabilities, water assimilated may be fired as "arrows" with the caveat that they are incredibly fluid, may change shapes, and be manipulated in mid flight by the user so long as "Sundering" is active and the user may focus on the projectiles. A powerful ability. While water may be fired as arrows, normal arrow projectiles are still useable if the user desires.

However, in exchange for this fluid form, she becomes more susceptible to elemental damages or changes in the environment, especially freezing or electrical attacks, of which their damage becomes far more dangerous, if not mortally wounding. Utilizing either form of attack may force her to exit her liquid form. In addition, in order to avoid taking damage, she must be consciously aware that an attack is coming, or otherwise, divert her focus to be in her liquid form for extended periods of time.

Some examples of her assimilative abilities would be to absorb water to make multiple limbs, shapeshift, or to turn their own body into a form of extensive weapon. In addition, when wounded, or otherwise harmed, by assimilating into a larger body of water, or assimilating it into herself, she may otherwise heal wounds that have been afflicted to herself. She may heal from one major wound per post by spending four hundred reiatsu. Ruhe may assimilate ten feet of water passively every post or an additional ten feet for every one hundred reiatsu she expends so long as the source of water exists.

[Nakajima Kimiko]

Kimiko didn't know what to do. Not anymore. Whereas she once possessed something that was the closest thing to a notable plan that she could have figured out for Ruhe's case, she now had absolutely nothing, because it was quite clear that the little girl didn't want to follow it. All this time, she had thought that bringing Ruhe out of the Soul Society to save her from the Twelfth Division and, potentially, the Captain-Commander would have been more than enough to bring her to safety. All this time, she had thought that, really, Ruhe wanted to be safe from practically everything life had thrown her thus far. But she had not understood what the girl truly wanted out of that safety. She hadn't understood that what she wanted was not safety through location, but rather safety through death. And now... now, it was costing the Captain quite dearly, as she was forced to watch the most awful scene she had seen thus far throughout her career unfold before her very eyes.

Powerless, she watched as the scene continued without her. A sort of trance was beginning to set in. Her limbs had become slow, her thoughts vague and aimless. She saw Lucien hold onto Ruhe like she did and beg her to stop, but she didn't. She saw the Humans further attempt to call an ambulance and retrieve the first aid kit that the Quincy had asked them to bring to him. She even saw a few passerby stop on the sidewalk and watch with various expressions of horror and worry. She also saw something else. Something indistinct, unclear. It remained far above in the bright blue sky, a figure of darkness who watched everything down below in silence. There did not seem to be any more reaction from the figure, but somehow, Kimiko knew what they were supposed to be... because she heard her voice on repeat in the back of her head, becoming progressively louder and louder as she continued to remain there and do nothing in the shock of the moment.

"Just pull out..."

"Just pull out your..."

"Just pull out your swords..."

"A N D  S L I C E  T H A T  L I T T L E  B I T C H ' S  H E A D  O F F  A L R E A D Y ."

The adrenaline came again, the very same that she felt when she first met Ruhe and had the chance to eliminate her. Somehow, it felt more painful than ever before. The fire in her veins was searing, the urge in her brain to dash forward and follow the order that was screamed in her head was maddening. And of course, she heard that damn word too again, the very same that she's heard so many times before. This time, though, it was deafeningly loud, like it was deliberately attempting to shatter her eardrums from the inside. KILL. KILL. KILL. And the worst part about it all? Kimiko was almost agreeing with it this time. She was recognizing her mistake. She was starting to see that her inaction and her inability to put an end to Ruhe's life back then had allowed the Vandenreich's Emperor to finally intervene and bring something to him, something terrible that he will use as nothing but a weapon of mass destruction in the form of a child.

But again, she resisted. Desperately, she held on to her appreciation for the girl's situation, to her sympathy... and turned her rising frustration in her own actions from Ruhe to Lucien shortly after he finished explaining to her the source behind the little girl's glowing veins. With wide eyes, the Shinigami listened as she was told that this was a defensive ability granted only by the Emperor, something that could not be used by any Quincy who were not under his care... and then, slowly, her expression began to contort into one of anger. "You mean to tell me that your Emperor has decided to give her that ability NOW?! AFTER EVERYTHING SHE'S BEEN THROUGH?!" She shouted at him with utmost fury in herself and the being that Lucien called a god, with her emotions being so high that her tears had started to fall from her eyes in the moment. "He wanted this! He let her come to me just so that this could happen! That's what he fucking wanted, THE BASTARD!"

There was delusion in her words. Obviously, she and Lucien both knew that she was not nearly powerful enough to face something akin to a literal god on her very own and live to tell the tale. Even so, the sheer emotion that she had for this moment was there. So was her spiritual pressure. With every word she screamed at the top of her lungs, a burst of energy would explode from her body, causing it to affect her environment. It would push onto the nearby cars, crack a few windows and destroy the pavement below her feet. But even so, she tried her damnedest to resist slicing a hole through the thing that was closest to her in the moment and instead turned her face back towards Ruhe so as to forcefully attempt to put an end to her rising anger. Then, she would hold onto the child's leg and take a deep breath. "Damn it, Ruhe, just... just don't move alright! Forget what I said! The ambulance is gonna be here any time soon and- Oh... no... NO!"

The leg. It was twisting. Even as Kimiko tried to hold onto it and prevent it from moving, it would keep twisting and twisting until a sickening CRACK! was heard from it. The girl wasn't saying anything in response to the horrible pain that should have been felt then, but the Captain, at this point, clenched her teeth in horror. Somehow, her loss of control over the situation had risen. And yet, this loss was only furthered when she realized that Ruhe's spiritual energy had also arisen sharply since this gore show began... and that her surroundings were beginning to become wetter and wetter by the second. "Oh, shit," the swordswoman first let out. Then, she watched as the rest of the world around her began to fill up with water. She saw the nearby cars begin to explode from the inside. "Oh, shit." She even saw nearby sewer and manhole covers burst open with further water. "Oh, shit!" She even saw the nearby people began to cough obscene amounts of water as they appeared to drown. "OH, SHIT!"

Ruhe's ability wasn't related to blood after all. Kimiko had been wrong this entire time. It was... water. Water was her ability! The feeling of danger that exploded within the Captain's head in that moment practically exploded as hard as the rest of the world around them in the moment. The potential that this girl had as a super-weapon for the Vandenreich was downright limitless! Instinctively, she would raise herself from the street following this realization and grab onto the scabbard of her white blade. Then, with clenched teeth, she would begin to fill it with her spiritual energy before cutting at the air behind the little girl. This would leave a crack in the very fabric of the world, one that would begin to tear further and further by the second. "LUCIEN!" She shouted at the Captain-Supervisor as Ruhe's ability continued to go haywire and as the dimensional tear that she had formed with her blade became even greater. "FORGET THE FIRST AID KIT! WE'RE LEAVING! NOW!!"

Once she was done shouting, the tear behind Ruhe became even greater until, finally, it shattered like glass, opening itself onto a tunnel of red leading into the darkness. It was doubtful that Lucien knew what this was all about or if it was even safe. Kimiko, however, couldn't care less. Right now, she wanted him to be still alive for Ruhe, in spite of his belief in his sickening leader, and she wanted Ruhe as far away from everything else in the Living World before she could cause any more damage to it. So, once the tear was completely open, she returned her white blade to its sheath, then clenched her teeth before attempting to tackle the little girl into the tunnel. She didn't care if this would hurt Ruhe or somehow mess with her leg even further. This... This was for the best. 

Right now, they needed to be somewhere where they could be completely alone, away from everything that could harm or be harmed by Ruhe's ability.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Technique Used}
Technique Name: Shibori (絞り, "Aperture")

Technique Type: Zanjutsu - Hohō | Dimensional Breach

Technique Element: None

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

Class: 1

Technique Reiatsu Cost: 0 (Cinematic), 750 (Combat)

Technique Description and Effects

A variant of Sukima designed not to transport attacks, but rather proper living beings. The user takes a deep breath before they begin to raise the spiritual energy within their body, bringing about an intense vibrational force that permeates throughout its entirety at a great speed. Once this energy reaches a level that causes it to pour out of the user as a blurry aura that can be seen by all, it is then abruptly moved towards their blade. This abrupt movement causes the creation of an immense cluster of energy to suddenly inhabit their very weapon. As it remains within the weapon, it begins to change it, forcing it to progressively lose its physical form as it enters an ethereal nature which beams brightly with the color of the user's Aura with almost blinding intensity. After this transformation has caused the weapon to become so warped by the energy that it can no longer be affected by the laws of physics attributed to the world which surrounds it, the user then focuses onto a particular point in space which remains in front of them, then brings about a single slash to that point with their weapon.

Due to the sheer amount of energy fueling both the weapon and the power of the strike which it has delivered, this single action causes a great tear to appear between the location the user is currently located in and the Valley of Screams, the world between worlds. This tear first appears as a crack within reality - as though something akin to glass has somehow been broken in front of the user - before it then suddenly expands into what could only be considered as something that is similar to a tunnel which beams with the color of the user's Aura, after which it remains open until the user decides to go inside of it or to close it during the course of the next three posts. Whichever of these options have been chosen, the closure of the portal causes the user's weapon to return back to normal and the tear to disappear completely as the world swiftly reconstructs what was damaged by the great mass of energy which affected it.

After passing through the beginning of the tunnel and closing it behind them, the user can then decide to guide its end throughout the Valley of Screams by simply moving forward. This causes the tunnel to slightly pass by them and to push anything that dares to approach it. Since the Valley is connected to each of the main realms, this characteristic of the tunnel allows the user to choose where they wish to go within the realms, much akin to how a Hollow moves between the realms via the use of Garganta or Descorrer. The destination of the user can be located within any realm, which can allow them to effectively appear within any location at any given time, without warning.

The user of this technique must be proficient with it before being able to execute it properly in combat, as it requires a proper amount of reiatsu in order for it to be executed. However, though this amount is required, no reiatsu is ultimately spent by the user during the technique's use outside of combat, as unlike the energy delivered onto an enemy with Sukima, the energy used to create the tunnel is returned to the user upon its closure. Complete mastery of this technique allows one to use this technique during combat, and thus to quickly bring themselves towards their opponent with a process akin to teleportation. Most opponents with less than 300 Senses will have a difficult time properly ascertaining the location of the tunnel's end as it appears near them, which permits the technique's user to strike them in a more efficient manner.


Drawbacks & Weaknesses

As a variant of Sukima, this techniques shares some of the difficulties related to its use, given that the process required in order to form a tear in reality is similar. It too requires the user to be able to understand how quickly they can vibrate the spiritual energy contained within their body, and to consider how much of this spiritual energy is required in order to properly achieve the technique's main goal. However, there are other factors that one must take into account while executing Shibori, as noted below:

• The user's weapon is completely intangible during the creation of the portal. This means that they cannot use their weapon in any way against an opponent or the environment that surrounds them before the portal has been created, as doing so will merely cause it to pass through them.
  
  
• The user's tunnel can welcome as many visitors within it - whether they be alive or not - before its closure. This can include allies or even troops, which can be quite useful for commanders who wish to use this technique. However, it can also include enemies. In certain cases, such an occurrence can drastically affect the course of a battle and greatly endanger the lives of those within the tunnel, as the user may be distracted and thus be unable to properly guide the tunnel towards its end.
  
  
• The user and the rest of those who are within the tunnel cannot physically get out of it by any other means than through its destination, as its structure is solid. This property also affects each ends of the tunnel, as although they appear to be open, an invisible force blocks the path leading into the Valley of Screams.
  
  
• If the user is not within the portal upon its closure, the tunnel within the Valley of Screams begins to fold into its beginning until it is no more. Upon the end of this shrinking process, anything and anyone that are within the tunnel at this point of time will suddenly be launched throughout the Valley of Screams. While this process is surprisingly harmless, it forces the Valley of Screams to recognize the presence of intruders within itself, and thus to forcefully spit them out into one of the main realms. This imposed destination is dependent of what the Valley of Screams believes to be the most appropriate for the intruder depending on the quality of its spiritual energy. For example, Shinigami are returned to the Soul Society, while Hellions are returned to Hell. Due to the strangeness of their Soul, beings with split souls (namely Vizards) will be chosen a destination at random which fits their own energy.
  
  
• The user's destination must have been witnessed by them at least once before their arrival there. This must have been accomplished in-person or through other means, such as looking at a picture of the destination or by watching a video recording of it. Moreover, if the destination is located in Hell or the Silbern, demonic or Vandenreich reishi must respectively be present within the tunnel in order for the user to access them, either in the form of an object (ex: the horn of an Akki) or a person.
  
  
• While the user can use this technique during battle, doing so causes it to be much more exhausting to use than usual, as the reiatsu spent to properly create the tunnel is not returned to the user. This is due to the fact that the presence of hostile reiatsu disturbs the returning process, preventing it from being successfully completed.

With these factors in mind, it is thus imperative that one must be capable, but also knowledgeable enough in order to execute this technique. Proficiency requires a Martial Art - Hohō skill of 3 as well as any skill related to swordsmanship (ex: Martial Art - Zanjutsu) of 3, while its mastery requires the first skill to be raised to 4. Any attempts to use this technique without properly respecting these criteria may result in severe consequences to the user, such as a blast of energy upon creating the tunnel which may harm or even kill the user... or somehow worse.


Made by: Nakajima Kimiko

Reserved? : No

[Lucien Dantes]

Lucien could feel the murderous intent radiating off Kimiko, and for an instant his own eyes flashed, and he moved to pull Ruhe closer to him, as if to try to shield her from Kimiko. As she raged at Lucien, the Vandenreich's eyes narrowed, and his own spiritual pressure surged forth as if to counteract Kimiko's, still focused on defending the girl in his arms. Their two reiatsu's clashing one thing would be abundantly clear to Kimiko. For all his illness, and his talk of pacifism, and his withdrawn demeanor, Lucien's spiritual strength was immense. His position as Captain Supervisor wasn't for show. "This is not the time to fight or rage, Kimiko--" He warned, but stopped when he saw Kimiko retract her strength, and so-to did he in turn. He had about to add that if she had persisted he would have no choice but to defend himself, but with Kimiko dialing back her aggression, he chose not to provoke or antagonize her further. Not when he had Ruhe to protect.

But no sooner had he let his own reiatsu die down, that Ruhe's erupted. Lucien visibly flinched as the torrent of power surged forth. Though weaker than either Lucien or Kimiko's, it was a tremendous blast, that almost caused Lucien to release the girl. He did not, but he could see what was unquestionably Ruhe's soul property at work. Lucien knew the girl manipulated water, so the water filling the recepticles around them had to mean this was her doing. To some extent he marveled at her progress. To unlock such a power at such a young age. But he was more concerned for the immense damage she would inevitably do to the surroundings. A power like this could hurt-- and it was, as vehicles filling with water risked drowning the inhabitants. Ruhe had to be removed from the area immediately

Lucien was prepared to retreat right then and there to remove the colateral damage, but Kimiko had another plan. Lucien trusted the woman, as he did not sense the killing intent from before. So when she cut open a path in the very air, Lucien decided to trust her. The Vandenreich scooped Ruhe into his arms and launched himself and the girl forward into the tunnel. He knew Kimiko wasn't tricking him or anything like that. That wasn't her style. If she wanted to kill him or Ruhe, she'd have attacked-- head on and honestly. That was the kind of person she was. So he knew this passage was safe.

"Please, as quickly as you can, Kimiko. Get her somewhere safe." Emphasizing Ruhe over himself. He could easily have said "us", but no. Ruhe was his mission. She took priority.