Cradle of the Night (Sojukin and Asuka)

[Sokujin Akai]

Governing all the laws of time and space, Chronos was considered a God amongst Gods; so powerful was he that he bent the fabric of time and space at his whim, he could view all of it at once; however, he could change nothing. A depression overcame him, but still he fought against fate. So did this man, knowing what one of his offspring would do, attempted to alter his fate. He devoured his children as they were born, but his wife deceived him and wrapped a bundle of stones in a blanket, giving it to him instead of the child. This child was Zeus, the king of all Gods. Sojukin read the pages of his book carefully, gingerly turning the pages, still scared he might shred it; despite the Scientists telling him he had nothing to worry about. Sojukin had never trusted people of extraordinary intelligence, but he went along with it anyone. They had no reason to lie to him, unlike Thasos, who had manipulated him…caused him to kill his own…..Sojukin stopped himself, he would not bring that up. It was in the past. He needed to leave that there, closing the book of greek mythology and slowly rising from his place to stretch out his body; Sojukin realized that he hadn’t seen any of the other espada recently. In fact, he hadn’t really seen anyone, this pleased him greatly, but at the same time…made him feel his loneliness to the extreme. It had been only three months since his rise to the Primera, yet already the burden had grown. Even at a distance now, one could see how down-trodden the Arrancar had become and feelings deject and neglect oozed out of him. Such was he in these days, primarily spending his time doing missions or locked in his room, on rare occasions like today, wandering took place. It was on this wandering that he found himself face to face with the Nuevo arrancar.

It was just past three-a.m., but in Hueco Mundo there was no day, only an infinite night. So there was nothing to tell one when it was best to be awake or asleep. At intervals Sojukin would sleep during the ‘night’ and at other times during the ‘day’. As it was, he had switched his sleeping habits to prepare himself for a mission in the human world. This required him to at his utmost potential for something occurring at night. The details were fuzzy, but he believed it involved a group of spiritual aware humans trying to breach into Hueco Mundo. Sojukin didn’t understand why this required him, it was overkill, but maybe there was a reason for it; perhaps the shinigami were watching this as well. Who knew…who really cared at this point, this pointless war was tearing everything apart, there was no reason for it. Two races, both souls often held in the contemporary yin-yang balance, the shinigami were the black…the pure, the good…the male and the arrancar were the white, the violated, the evil…the female. So what was it that Sojukin was supposed to do? How could he awaken these beings to the understanding that they were the same, but different. At times like this he had wished for a stronger basis of relation with Shinigami; laughing to himself and smiling for the first time in almost two weeks, Sojukin told himself a joke. I would have loved Martin Luther King to have to deal with this crap. If he thought HIS segregation was bad, then he would have crapped himself aiming at this one! The laugh did him some good, his body felt oddly rejuvenated from it, as he turned the corner. He noticed something, a tuft of teal hair…then a naked body.

Nudity had no effect on him at this point. All he saw was the Nuevo espada standing alone in the middle of one of the most dangerous places in the universe. Having been wandering around for a while, Sojukin realized that at least another two hours had passed. It was now five-a.m. and the light of the moon was just barely creeping out over the horizon of their eternal night. It was in this facet that Hueco mundo experienced ‘sunrise’; however, it was still a pale comparison to a real sunrise in Sojukin’s mind. Seeing the Nuevo out looking towards the horizon, he shrugged before speaking to her.

“Asuka, what ails you? Why are you out here at this hour?”

[Deleted]

'Twas the night before the next 'day', when all through Las Noches. Not a creature was stirring, not even a hollow...wait! Someone was stirring! It was Asuka Hitotoki! Noveno Espada at your service! Not that kind of service. no. She was naked, but it didn't mean she was that kind of girl like everyone else assumed. Unlike everyone else in friggen' Las Noches, Asuka had horrible luck. Example? Tonight. She was sleeping peacefully in her bed until something stupid happen. Fricken' Miho...Asuka really didn't think the ravenette was capapble of pulling a 'Nijuu & Chisoku- caliber' prank. She didn't even think that Miho would do it at all because she was a little lazy. "I hate the Segunda's fraccion...Except for Kouen. Why couldn't he have a nice fraccion that just left me alone..?" Granted, she was an Espada, but they never stopped with the pranks. She spent the entire night, chasing after Miho for her clothes until she finally shredded it to scraps with her saw-like zanpakuto. Now, she was left here...Naked and pissed off. The scraps were useless...why bother? She also wasn't going to bother sleeping either. Miho woke her up...and now that she was awake, she couldn't go back to sleep. Her fraccion her sound asleep within their respective rooms. She couldn't disturb them. With that being said, all that was really left for the Noveno to do was to wander the desolate, stagnant-esque halls of Las Noches.

Asuka found herself taking aimless steps for a while, just seeing where her legs take her. The teal haired Espada didn't really care about where she was going or what direction she was going in. She didn't care how far she strayed. She didn't even care about who or what she might encounter. Asuka just kept walking like she did years ago. She didn't quite know where she stopped but she found herself looking at something she'd never really seen before. Sunrise. It was much prettier than Sunset in her opinion. The sunset was composed of colors all in disarray; messy, blotchy. The sunrise was nice in the sense that..it didn't have that confusion. It was serene. Wow...something was actually 'serene' in Las Noches. Hn. Who knew? Peace and Serenity were words that weren't even in most people's vocabulary. Asuka just continued to stare at it and then she began to think. It's been a while since she'd actually had the time to do that what with missions, training, trying to not die...you know, the usual stuff in her crazy, hectic lifestyle. Millions of thoughts ran throughout her head. Would she get another mission tomorrow? What if she actually dies tomorrow? How was Shinsei? Was he doing well? Was he...okay? What if she lost one of her own fraccion?...Li Mei, Kin, Gen, Aimo...Would she be able to make it to Sexta? Would Kuroi finally get fed up with her and kill because of her personality and weakness?

People just couldn't give her a break. Why? Who knows...All Asuka knows is that she hates it with a goddamned passion. This was exactly why she wanted to plow through the ranks of the Espada and work her way up to Sexta; get stronger, become more powerful. She truly did want power. Maybe then people would respect her? That how it always was in Las Noches. No power? No respect. It was a harsh life and she didn't even know how she'd manage to deal with it up until this point. Her old self would have been crying endlessly at the harshness of it all. Though, early on, she had learned to accept her new lifestyle. She learned that this was her new life and that she'd have to deal with it whether she liked it or not. It was kill or be killed and Asuka would rather kill than be killed. Speaking of 'be killed', surviving the last 40 something years was a miracle. A real fucking miracle. With all the crap she's dealt with on all her little escapades, it was amazing that she was still alive and well. Surviving up until this point meant something. It had to. She just knew it! It vaguely reminded her of her human life. She was alone right until the very end. She was even lonely until she somehow met Shinsei. Loneliness sucked. Not that she couldn't deal with it, but it was a shitty feeling.

“Asuka, what ails you? Why are you out here at this hour?” In the midst of all of this, Asuka would hear someone call out to her. She'd snap out of thought, blinking repeatedly as if she were finally coming back down to earth...er...Las Noches. This voice was rather familiar. Asuka turned to see that it was none other than the Primera. Did this mean he couldn't sleep too? Insomniacs unite!! "Hello Sojukin.", she greeted him with a small smile, "Aha. Just thinking I guess. I ran into a bit of trouble...and I can't really sleep.'" It would be then she realized that...she had no clothes. Lovely. "Aha. Excuse the er...lack of clothes. Had to do with an earlier problem." she sheepishly grinned. Wait! Why was he up? She never really had the chance to talk to the Primera before. So this was good! It was really nice to know he wasn't a power hungry go-hard that wanted to kill her. If he was then she'd die naked and that was embarrassing. The thought of it actually scared her.

"What about you? Why up so late?"

[Sokujin Akai]

“Ahh…Insomnia is your issue? I suppose I know much about that, as would Kuroi but tonight that is not what has driven me from seclusion. I’m currently getting my body ready for a mission into the human world, our ‘master’.” Sojukin said the world with mild disgust, not at the fact the man was a shinigami, but simply because of who he was. He had no judgement on the matters of race, but personality always struck him. Asuka was making herself at least somewhat less of a whore than he originally thought her to be…and as awkward as their first meeting had been, when he had said the word directly to her face with unabashed directness. Sojukin had always been to the point on things like that, but now alone with her he regretted it and he had reason to. She was one of the primary people he needed to get to work with him, sure she wanted power like the rest of them, but he could give that to them. He could give all of them power, once he learned how his hierro worked, he could spread it to the rest of them, but for now…it was impossible. Not even he knew how it worked! He noted that he had subconsciously been moving forward and noted that he was on a collision course with Asuka. Immediately his eyes grew wide and he leapt backwards, creating a few feet of distance between them, but also piercing the ground where he had landed.

“I’m sorry about that…I didn’t realize how close I was getting…anyway nudity does not bother me, I do not base how attractive a person is by their looks. I gauge that by their personality; perhaps there is something I am missing in life because of this, but I have yet to regret it. Ahh…by the way…I just remembered that you’ve been having trouble with Cierro, if he bothers you again let me know. I’ll be sure to take care of the problem…the same goes for any of the espada. Just because you are the Noveno does not mean they have the right to pick on you. In fact, if anything we should be nurturing you…you have the most potential out of everyone simply for where you are. Surely Kuroi sees this and Cierro..well we both know what’s on his mind.” Sojukin said with a wink and pointed to her backside as he walked around her, keeping a solid distance between them as he looked out at the rising moon. “It is ironic isn’t it? This place is so intent on nothing but power, power, power! I have it…yet I don’t want it…I don’t want more of it and I never wanted what I have…I was simply born with it all. I don’t know what I did to deserve it or what I was in my previous life…but I wish it had never occurred. I wish I could rip it out and disperse it amongst all the arrancar, but I can’t can I? So I have to do what I can to aid the others and make them stronger…until the time I die…or become…uneccessary.”

The final words were distasteful in Sojukin’s mouth, causing his shoulders to sag and his glistening emerald eyes to drop toward the ground. The very idea of becoming obsolete…and useless in Hueco Mundo was something he would have to come to terms with, one day he would become too old to keep this up, but for now…he was the Primera. Someday, someone would come along with more power than him and on that day…he would feel the greatest catharsis in existence, but suffer a tragedy of equal proportion. So be it, it was what was necessary, his race could not stagnate…it would have to continue onward…pressing forward through this endless night. Eventually…the espada and Arrancar would make the majority of the hollows, then press past even that. He thought to himself as his eyes cut across the horizon, he could see two hollow fighting down there, but it was of no concern to him right now. He had to ignore it, despite the pains in his heart. It was how they evolved…even if one had to die.

“Ahh…I suppose I expressed to much at once…you don’t need my life story…you need sleep. Well..forgive me for that..umm…” He was struggling to find something to talk about, before he thought of something on the spot. “Do you have any dreams?”

[Deleted]

"Kuroi...One day, I'm going to snap and kill that man....Oh shit..What if he can read my thoughts?..I"m thinking about werecoowwws~ , Mister Primera. Werecows. Please don't kill me for that first thought if you still happen to remember it even though I'm rambling in my thoughts now..." That was Asuka's immediate thought once she heard the name 'Kuroi'. He instilled so much fear in her in under a week. Not even. It was around her third day of training when she started to realize "Holy shit..He's going to fucking kill me.". It was a kind of fear that she didn't even know she was capable of feeling...at all. Bad enough to make the writer here consider adding it in her personality change during the next update. Asuka shook her head. He said something about a mission right? "Aha. Sorta." she said, replying to his first question about insomnia. Was it even right to call it insomnia? Probably yeah. "A mission? Ah..I see. I wish you good luck then!" she smiled. Asuka could tell right off the bat that Sokujin didn't like Kouhai. She was a bit too scared to think about it. He'd trapped her in a horrid illusion once. Probably for his own enjoyment...but it wasn't something she wanted to go through again. She was also afraid of Kouhai being a mind reader. He was good at being able to tell what the others were feeling. He scared many people save for Kuroi, Grimoire and Sokujin perhaps. They definitely were courageous.

As she talked though, she noticed him coming closer and she backed up, green eyes narrowed in apprehension. Was he going to seriously try something on her?! Just because she was nude? Oh no. Just because she was Noveno didn't mean she was going let him get away with something like that. Another asshole that just wanted to try something dirty because he thought she was a whore. She should have known better. That was at least 90% of the people in Las Noches. No. Hueco Mundo. Asuka held out her palm, about to charge a cero until he leapt backwards. Asuka blinked confusedly and lowered her palm. It would be then that he began to speak. “I’m sorry about that…I didn’t realize how close I was getting…anyway nudity does not bother me, I do not base how attractive a person is by their looks. I gauge that by their personality; perhaps there is something I am missing in life because of this, but I have yet to regret it. Ahh…by the way…I just remembered that you’ve been having trouble with Cierro, if he bothers you again let me know. I’ll be sure to take care of the problem…the same goes for any of the espada. Just because you are the Noveno does not mean they have the right to pick on you. In fact, if anything we should be nurturing you…you have the most potential out of everyone simply for where you are. Surely Kuroi sees this and Cierro..well we both know what’s on his mind.” Well...that's new. She just looked at the Primera absolutely dumbfounded. She literally tried to soak up and absorb every word he spoke right down to the syllable. Gauge by personality? Take care of Cierro and the other Espada? Body guard?! Kuroi seeing potential in her? Que? This was unreal. People like this exist?!

Ok Asuka. Words. You know how to talk! You also know how to form sentences and paragraphs. Speak woman! "Aha. I-It's okay." she said smiling sheepishly as she scratched the back of her head. Albeit, rather nervously. "Nah. That's a good thing. I actually wish people did that more. Aha!...You're right. He's a bit...er..troublesome but I have to stand up for myself too. If I don't assert myself, all the others would just go on thinking that I'm some kind of pushover. The Espada are supposed to be resilient and strong........What kind of Espada would I be...if I couldn't do that?" Well, that's how she saw it. Cierro was Octava. Just one ahead of her. She had to be able to stand up to him, right? How was she going to become Sexta if she couldn't? "Though...I can only do that within reason aha. Some of the higher tiered ones are extremely cruel...." That sentence spelled out KUROI in nice big caps. He was a cruel man. How dare he threaten to kill Shinsei...How dare he threaten to kill her in front of her him! He was a dickhead beyond belief and it was a comment Asuka wouldn't let go. Maybe Sojukin would get what she meant? Wait..Oh shit. He was a high tiered Espada too! "N-Not you though!! You don't really strike me as that kinda person." she said backing up a bit, waving her hands as if to say she didn't want any trouble.

“It is ironic isn’t it? This place is so intent on nothing but power, power, power! I have it…yet I don’t want it…I don’t want more of it and I never wanted what I have…I was simply born with it all. I don’t know what I did to deserve it or what I was in my previous life…but I wish it had never occurred. I wish I could rip it out and disperse it amongst all the arrancar, but I can’t can I? So I have to do what I can to aid the others and make them stronger…until the time I die…or become…uneccessary.” Interesting. So he was born like this? "Whoa. S-Seriously?....Aha. I wish I had that kind of power. You should be glad!.......Er..Maybe it's hard to understand what I'm grasping at...Hrm. Maybe if you were in my shoes, you'd understand.." About 40-45 years ago, Asuka was a newborn arrancar who could barely move at the same speed as most people. It took blood, sweat, tears and more blood to get here. Asuka would then notice the Primera's downcast look. "Aha. H-Hey! Don't look so down! People with strength don't die so easily. They don't suddenly become useless! If you want to stay strong and useful that badly, you'll stay that way!" she grinned. Words of encouragement from the Noveno. Hey, if she wasn't dead yet, something was clearly working here.

“Ahh…I suppose I expressed to much at once…you don’t need my life story…you need sleep. Well..forgive me for that..umm…Do you have any dreams?” Asuka gave a half smile. "Nah. It's fine. It's always nice to hear stuff like this every once in a while. Aha." She heard Cain, the Decima's, story once. That was really interesting. Alas, it was the closest she'd ever really gotten to another Espada and screwy part about it was that the Decima honestly had no emotions. It was always nice to talk to others. "Yeah! I have lots of dreams! I have dreams of becoming the Sexta Espada. I have dreams of me and my fraccion going on exciting missions in exotic places. I have dreams about food too. Aha." There was simply too much to list. The teal haired espada was still a bit of kid when it came to this stuff. She always dreamed big.

[Sokujin Akai]

In Sojukin’s mind, this conversation had already lasted an eternity and that wasn’t a bad thing. He was relating to another espada, opening up slowly and learning more about them, but still apprehension filled him. He had noted that the Noveno had began to charge a cero at him, before he had leapt backwards. Cautious…what has this place done to you Semillero? What have Kuroi and Cierro put you through that I do not know of…such things are not for espada or arrancar to decide to put upon others. I wish I could have been here prior to protect you…to illustrate to them what life can be like. Alas…I was far from here…far, far away…in some far of place…sulking like Achilles in his tent. What purpose did that serve? How many had to die because I was no here…because I refused to show my face and let others suffer, but how many more saved? This is like some giant game of chess, but I’m playing it trying to avoid taking any pieces, so I am always losing. Sojukin thought to himself as he stood next to Asuka, listening to her respond to him. It was obvious she had never experienced kindness…at least not any that didn’t involve a blade at her throat or something forced into her body. Trade offs…that’s what they called them…the ability to stay alive in exchange for sexual gratification…how many times had Asuka been subjugated to that? Asking such a question would be taboo, but…Sojukin’s mind would continue going to it and he would ask…he always did. So he fought for now, but he knew it was a losing battle.

“Strength shouldn’t be measured by what you can do alone, but what you can do working with others….The espada shouldn’t just be listed off as the single strongest members of the Arrancar, but the closest knit team of Arrancar who can get a job done with the least number of causalities. Right now…all this competition is killing off more of us than it is saving, so what you’re noveno and I am primera, what difference does it make? Every day more of us die, every day someone tries to usurp a position and one of the two dies or is severely injured. We spend so much time bickering amongst ourselves, and yet…nothing good ever comes from it…so what is the point? I understand the necessity for hollows to do so, but our abilities do not come from the devouring of others anymore, our emotions not limited to that of wrath, avarice, lust, envy, pride, despair, sloth, gluttony and vanity. We are much more complex now…but why do we retain that bestial nature and make ourselves no more kosher than pigs wallowing in the mud?” Sojukin spoke out as Asuka stopped speaking upon what it meant to be an espada, then listened carefully to what she had to say next, his thoughts buzzed rapidly about himself as she spoke about how he should be glad that he had the power that he did. Sojukin put on a small smile, his brow dropping and his eyes closing with them; that face…the most beautiful one he could make…it was serene, but hinted at sadness…like a father looking down at a child and understanding them.

“I hate my power Asuka…the only good thing I can do with it…is protecting others, but even then I endanger others by my mere-presence. I can kill people by merely touching them…by bumping into them by mistake.” Sojukin had a few tears rolling from the side of right eye by this point…it truly was something sad for him…something that he could never regain and no matter how much he tried…he was stuck in that position. “Asuka…let me ask you something…how would you feel…if you could never touch anyone? Never know the experience of a first kiss…never relish in someone holding you? Could you imagine that…that you have to sacrifice all those things, all forms of physical contact with anyone and locking yourself away in fear that you’d kill someone close to you? Even then…some come to you…use you…get on your good side and whisper things in your ears. Little pretty words that make your heart soar, build you up so high and make you feel wanted…only for them to turn on you once you’ve been used. It happens over and over again…no…power is curse.” Sojukin ended this flatly, wiping his eye just where the tears had made his face most. A single flick sent all the moistness soaring out into the sands of Hueco mundo, but in response to hierro against hierro, a scrapping sound occurred, like two pieces of metal scrapping against each other. He had chosen to completely ignore the comment about the upper tier espada being cruel, he supposed he was the one exception to the rule, except when it came to bounts…the little bastards.

As of now, he was blushing, embarrassed from making himself all emotional like that in front of the noveno, but what else could he do? He had to continue to the conversation, otherwise it would become even more awkward, things already being weird enough. He had just turned on the water works to a woman whom he had only known for a short time, geez…what the hell was he thinking? God damnit…I really wish I hadn’t gone into that cave for so long. Nothing good came out of it! He told himself in anger, but didn’t let the emotion reflect on his face, no reason to scare semillero. It was at this point she began to express her dreams…simple dreams…dreams of power, dreams of seeing new locations…dreams of food…, ok that last one was a little bit weird than the other too, but made him smile and laugh despite himself. “I wish my dreams were that easy, semillero, but I’ve got some grander ones…ones that will probably never happen in my life time. Hell…if I could see even one of them come to fruitation…I’d die a happy man…I could be dragged to hell and still have a smile on my face everyday! If only one of them came true.” Sojukin’s mind was about to burst now, the previous question about asking her how many times she had to trade, satisfaction for her life was boiling out of him, forming into complex little bubbles, rising through his orifices. Heaving a small sigh, his bright eyes turned to her and asked her the question.

“Asuka…tell me…how many times have you…well…I noticed you had began charging that cero when I got too close, so…umm…well….how many times have you been raped…whether by an opponent who wanted something or by an acquaintance?” He wanted to slap himself, but what had been said was said…nothing could be taken back, so he held his position, eyes gleaming with traces of pity and his body held rigid.

[Deleted]

What this place done...Hm Better question: What hasn't this place done? What adventure hasn't Asuka been through? What injury hasn't she sustained? Whatever pride she had was long gone. Dignity went out the window despite her trying her hardest to maintain it. This place stripped her of everything; clothes included. It was rare to experience kindness here. The Baker was rather kind, but she hardly go to see him and he was technically a hostage here. Shinsei was in the Zero Division...which meant she hardly got to see him too. While no one in Las Noches cared about her relationship with him all that much, the shinigami wouldn't be fond of it in the slightest. It was a secret...so he had to be careful and she understood that completely. Li Mei...That girl was a God sent. She didn't think it was possible to meet an arrancar that was so pure of heart and innocent.

She also didn't think it was possible that someone so sweet could fall for someone so.... savage, But hey, who was she to complain?

Asuka had been in too many predicaments. So much that if she tried to count it off, she couldn't use her toes anymore. Asuka heard his response. She seemed to have an answer. "....Because we're left with nothing but our lives. We want to survive and continue to best ourselves. Hueco Mundo is like a pot of crabs. No one ever really reaches the top because the crabs from underneath keep pulling you down." Crabs seriously do that? When you put a bunch in a pot and one tries to climb out, the other just drags them down in their own selfish attempt to escape. "No one wants to see the other reach the top so we pull each other down and no one wants to fall; we naturally revert back to that bestial nature despite our not wanting to because we have to. she replied. That was how she saw it. If she let others climb on top, then she knew she'd never get to catch so much as a glimpse of it. She had to fight her way to reach this imaginary pedestal as did the others.

Awh...Fuck. Waterworks. “I hate my power Asuka…the only good thing I can do with it…is protecting others, but even then I endanger others by my mere-presence. I can kill people by merely touching them…by bumping into them by mistake. Asuka…let me ask you something…how would you feel…if you could never touch anyone? Never know the experience of a first kiss…never relish in someone holding you? Could you imagine that…that you have to sacrifice all those things, all forms of physical contact with anyone and locking yourself away in fear that you’d kill someone close to you? Even then…some come to you…use you…get on your good side and whisper things in your ears. Little pretty words that make your heart soar, build you up so high and make you feel wanted…only for them to turn on you once you’ve been used. It happens over and over again…no…power is curse.” Asuka jaw dropped for a bit. The Primera was...crying? "Ah! Nononononono! Don't cry! I'm sorry!" she said trying to make him feel better. But it was probably doing more harm. Her eyes began to water. "Awh man...Now you're making me cry.." What he said...sounded like a curse. A horrible one. It would have kept alot of perverts away, but that was only half of her life. There was the other half that she cherished and to not be able to even embrace someone made her realized that perhaps she was taking what she already had for granted. She felt shitty after complaining to him.

Dreams. If they weren't grand then don't bother! "Aha. But it's good to dream big. I'm sure they'll come true. I didn't think I'd even make it to Espada...but look at me now!" she grinned, pointing to herself. Weak little Asuka from 40+ years ago would probably die of happiness at seeing herself today. Even if she wasn't Sexta like she wanted to be, she made it to Espada level. That in itself was a feat to the teal-haired arrancar. “Asuka…tell me…how many times have you…well…I noticed you had began charging that cero when I got too close, so…umm…well….how many times have you been raped…whether by an opponent who wanted something or by an acquaintance?” It was cool until he asked that. It struck a chord. A big one. So he figured it out....What the hell? What does she even say? The truth obviously...it just that...it was so awkward. Sigh. Here goes. "....Believe it or not, I wasn't raped...It's a miracle that I wasn't...but I was....er...hmm..starts with an "M" aha...." Asuka looked at the floor, teal hair falling over her eyes. It was too embarrassing and awkward to even say it let alone form a coherent sentence. Now she was really crying. The first time it happened, she wasn't sure what she was going to tell Shinsei. She was scared out of her mind. When that little incident happened, she literally felt like her entire world crashed. It was a new kind of pain that she couldn't even deal with. Instead, she simply ignored it and decided to deal with it when the time came. It was all she could do. Even now she was scared because the same thing happened again with a different opponent. Though, he was stronger than the first one.. She felt disgusted with herself. Truly disgusted. Shinsei had forgiven her the first time...but what now? She was strong enough to defend herself properly this time, but she failed and it happened. "...Escudo. I fucking hate the Escudo."...For they were the culprits.

"C'mon! Cheer up! You look weak right now. Assert yourself!"[/i][/size]

[Sokujin Akai]

Hueco Mundo was cruel and unstable yes…but that was little excuse for what had happened to Asuka. He had hoped she was just the overly cautious type, thankfully she hadn’t been raped, but he knew well enough what she meant by the ‘M’ word. Rage overcame him, no one was allowed to do that…NO ONE. The sanctity of the body was on to be respected by everyone, murder and violence were one thing; they happened because that was how their races were designed, but to molest someone? Hell no; whoever had done it had crossed the line, they had been marked permanently down for death in Sojukin’s book. No excuse could make up for it and no amount of pleading would see them spared, at this point his reiatsu had become a maelstrom about his body, spiraling out of control around himself. Asuka, whom was not the target of his anger would feel the light in it, would feel relaxed and protected by it, but anyone who did not know Sojukin or was currently on his hit list…they would feel the hate…the rage and the raw power. It was an overwhelming force, Sojukin’s completely non-calloused soul was spread outward, breaching through the gaps of his hierro and igniting it. Few people ever got to see a physical manifestation of it, partially because it shouldn’t exist outside of his release; however, rare moments of intense anger like this…it lit every shard of it up, made the blades over his body visible. Rin could see them now, the valleys and mountains of knife like blades across his entire body, in areas it was jagged, savage and in others it seemed straightened and sharp enough to cut through anything. The whirlwind subsided, Sojukin relaxed his emotions, calmed himself and in his erudition turned to Asuka and apologized. “I’m sorry…in my book…doing anything to another person’s body of a sexual nature, without permission, is an offense that can only be punished by death. Can you tell me which Escudo did it and if anyone else has? I’ll be sure to kill them without hesitation should I ever meet them.” Sojukin said his demeanor now calm, relaxed and back to his usual self. The emotions that had been there moments ago had dissipated, all the anger, all the sadness…most people would have gotten whip lash by this point, but Sojukin dealt with the fluctuations in his emotions constantly, nothing new. Though, at the moment he didn’t realize that his emotions had revealed to Asuka that there was a spike of hierro that was the equivalent of a fifty-caliber round aimed directly at her skull and only a few inches of space between them. Heaving a sigh, he turned the conversation to something else.

“I am sorry for bring that up…salt in old wounds I would assume. I curse my head sometimes and my horrible lack of tact in conversations. Generally have to smack myself a few times after I do something.” He said spontaneously, the gaiety in his voice unmitigated by anything else in the region. After all, how often was it that he got to talk to someone like Asuka? This was a chance he wouldn’t have missed for the world, Asuka out of all the espada, was the most like him. Cierro was a close second, but the perversion of his nature had made him too much for Sojukin to handle. In fact, Sojukin was nearing the point of dislike; he wanted to see how he acted on the professional level before he did anything though. As of now, he had already worked with Adalo and Kuroi, Kuroi was…Kuroi there was no other way to express it, a vicious man with his sights set on nothing but power…he was backwards in Sojukin’s mind and Adalo…was a psychopath. He had no idea what to even do with someone like that, sure there was some hope for him, but damn…just what the hell did he think he was doing? There was no scholarly attributes to be seen and his constant use of profanity made him the most immature of all the espada. Everything about him was in direct opposition to Sojukin’s ideals, but perhaps there was hope for him as well? Saintly would be a good way to describe Sojukin, he hated to view any form of taint in people, but would express it plainly when he did. In fact, he had already told the three exactly what he thought of them, calling Adalo a childish psychopath, whom needed to expand his vocabulary. Cierro, a worthless lay about who was so busy trying to get laid, that he couldn’t see the fact that he was a laughing stock and Kuroi…a hard-ass with a rod shoved so far up his ass that it was a surprise he could walk. Not that any of them had changed, not that anyone ever did when Sojukin directed his ‘ardent opinions’ as he called them. Rubbing the back of his head in a slow motion, he shifted the conversation about to the crab thing.

“We’re all just crabs in a pot that is full of boiling water at the bottom. No one wants to be at the bottom, because you die there, but those at the top are constantly being dragged down? It makes sense, but we have our lives…why is that not enough? Can we not make a society here…one that thrives without the interruption of the Shinigami and without the blood of humans? We have no reason to go to the human world anymore…we have no need to fight with shinigami. There could be peace now…we could set ourselves up in such a way that…that there would be no need for any of these wars. No one thinks of it though, we’re too angry at the world. We’re too pissed off at what happened in the past. So we don’t let it go, we let that hate build, we let it fester and consume us. We could out and murder, pillage and devastate everything around us and for what? Some millennia long feud that has no reason to exist other than the fact we’re different? We are arrancar, not hollows…we have humanity, we are not mindless beasts continually feasting on the souls of humans. We can choose now…we will not die…we can grow strong through other means. This is my dream Rin…to see all the races at peace with each other, to see the Arrancar grow strong without the need of violence. I want to see us become a great nation, I want to see you become as strong as I am….I want to see everyone become stronger…I want to see Kuroi soar even higher, I want to see Rio, Adalo, Cierro, Yuki, Shinda and even Cain…I want to see all of them grow…Asuka, Semerillo…grow mighty…become strong enough to break this cycle, if I can not. I know not how you feel about all of this, perhaps I have touched a deeper chord, but it is simply how I feel. I want to see this place become beautiful…and I want to see everyone here become stronger than myself.”

Sojukin said this all promptly as he looked up at the sky, the moon had just edged over the horizon, breaching the reality of the other hemisphere and now entering theirs. Pale light spread outward, thrusting little fingers into their irises. It was bright…too bright for Sojukin to look at directly as his eyes had been dilated so far. One well built arm came up, shielded those gleaming gems and just watched it rise up higher. It was a beautiful thing, something that could possibly match the sunrise, but far less brilliant. In this case, he and Asuka were still wrapped in the shroud of night…and it was cold, a belligerent mistress who sought to harm them at every turn. At this point…Sojukin had grown silent, as he stood there next to her. What else was there to say, he had just spilled his guts on exactly what his dreams were, the antithesis of everyone else’s. He sought not power, he sought not fame or the eradication of other races; instead, he sought peace…he wished for nothing more. Anything that couldn’t be done through peaceful means usually wasn’t worth doing in his book. Fight was necessary, yes, but in the world of Hueco Mundo. Only two beings threatened him at this point, Kuroi and Kouhai, there was a possibility of their being others, but they had yet to show themselves to him. He had put Adalo on the list to watch for, but that was all. At this point he was still confident in his ability to protect himself and defend others. A blade need not be used solely to cut, it can be used to block…it can be used to defend others and in some cases, it makes an effective shield. He couldn’t remember who had said that, but he had taken that saying to an extreme. His entire body was a blade and he was a shield for everyone, hell in some cases…he was the perfect shield. Few people knew of the single weak spot on his body and fewer had techniques that allowed them to bypass his hierro. Still, in the coming days he would have to be careful. As if on cue, Sojukin activated pesquis, just to get a feel of everyone in the area and could feel another presence…darker, a few meters away, hiding behind a wall. Of course, he didn’t bother to seek the person out, but he would speak with them later. After all, the last thing he needed was a stalker.

“What other dreams do you have Asuka…you said you had dreams of food…what kind of food and just what will you do once you reach Sexta? Will you just continue to grow stronger? If that is what you want, I will help you. That is why I am here.” Sojukin said all of this quickly, but in a calm demeanor of someone who was decently skilled in conversation, despite the fact he sucked.

[Deleted]

Oh, trust me, Asuka was feeling the same amount of rage Sojukin was feeling right now. If not, then it was worse. She hated them for what they did. They jeopardized most aspects of her life. It sucked. It sucked alot. No not even...there had to be a word better than 'sucked' to describe this. It was horrendous, abominable, disgusting, despicable. All kinds of bad! Things Miho considered to be good! But she was a bloody hypocrite. A certain Nakabakki had been hounding her and just wouldn't leave her alone and she HATED it. Sigh. Girls in Las Noches really could get a break. Period. How on earth did the Tercera manage? Well, Kuroi always said that she was an alcoholic. Maybe she got over it by drinking? Hmm...interesting. Maybe she should try? Wait! NO! ASUKA! Why would you think of such a thing! Have you forgot about your human life?!

Yeah, Asuka didn't drink. Period. She was afraid of wine. However, it soon grew into a fear of alcohol all together. Wine was what killed her family. Well, there was a poison in it but it did kill her family. Her immediate family and other relatives. In fact, Asuka's entire family was wiped out. She didn't have a single family member living in Japan. She would if none of what happened happened. But now, Asuka was alone. Completely. No mother or father to console or hug or laugh with. No siblings to fight or play with. No aunt. No uncle. No cousin. No grandparents. No new generations. No Hitotoki's period. It was like the family altogether ceased to exist. No new generations. Asuka was alone and she knew it. It was that very feeling that turned her into a hollow. It was so strong, that she ate and ate until she finally became an arrancar. It was this way of life that forced her to create new goals. Asuka was a normal girl mean to live a normal life. Yet, here she was. In Las Noches. The Espada even found herself wishing she was a shinigami sometimes. It was a harsh life.

"It's horrible. It's the worst feeling imaginable..." She felt sullied and disgusted with herself. She didn't want it to happen, but at the time, she was outmatched in skill and strength. She retaliated, but it wasn't good enough. She constantly cursed herself for not being strong enough to fend them off.
"Well, Cain killed Makoto Escudo. He's in hell right now..,So he's gone for now I guess. The other one was Hiruma Escudo. He's a scary one. Well.....to me he was....I still hate him though. " she said, her voice trailing off. "Aha. It's okay..." she said with a half smile. This conversation got so deep so quick that one might need scuba gear to get the teal haired girl out. This was information not even her fraccion knew of. Well, Kin might if he foresaw this coming earlier...but as far as she knew he didn't release today...so maybe her secret was safe. These were Asuka's skeletons, buried deep within a huge, dark closet filled with many other skeletons and creepy things.

"It's not enough cause we always strive to better ourselves. It's the same everywhere else if ya think about it, aha. Humans want to become famous. Shinigami want to strengthen themselves so that they could protect and defend and Arrancar struggle for survival. Survival of the fittest. Aha. We could do all of that, but we're here because we couldn't let go of certain feelings we harbored. The feelings that brought us here in the first place..." she sighed. It really would be nice to see Las Noches turn into some kind of paradise. "I'll definitely grow strong! I have to be able to protect my fraccion and well..for my sake, I have to stand up for myself. I can't let anyone push me around. When I get to Sexta...Hmm..I'll stay there! I'll continue to grow though. Kind of like Kuroi. He's Segunda, but he's alot stronger than most people think because of his rank" As Asuka and Sojukin talked, a certain ravenette was listening. She leaned against the wall with arms crossed; listening in on their conversation. we let that hate build, we let it fester and consume us. We could out and murder, pillage and devastate everything around us and for what? That statement caught Miho's attention. Tch. Time to interrupt. "....And what's wrong with it? I embrace that hatred. It made me stronger. It made me grow. Such emotions and feelings should be embraced. " she said as she turned the corner, walking towards the two. She took slow, antagonizing steps. Her voice was callous and uncaring. Miho was everything dark and everything evil. Not a trace of kindness was within this girl. She used words like knives; she sliced you down and cut you to ribbons eventually reducing you to the worthless spec of dust your really were.

When Miho finally made it over to the two, she smirked and wolf walked around Asuka...who glared at her. "You? Sexta? Ahaha...You ain't gonna cut it. The Sexta we have right now is already a bitch to deal with. If I'm having trouble, what makes you think that you have even a fraction of a chance?!" she laughed. Unlike most people, Miho held zero respect for most of the Espada. Kuroi's the only she'd stick with and that was only because he was powerful. She actually wasn't loyal to him. He was aware of it. Hell, she'd TELL him to his face that she wasn't. The second he's knocked off that pedestal, Miho would take full advantage of it and take control. Evil. Dark. Malicious. No good can come from this girl; She was an abomination beyond hope of salvation. She'd turn to look at the Primera, ready to cut him to bits...but he was hot. He was also Primera. Ehhh.....maybe she shouldn't piss him off. Miho just continued to stare at the Primera, waiting for some kind of reaction.

[Sokujin Akai]

Sojukin slowly patted his chest, he hadn’t been wearing his clothes that night, summer weather usually saw this out of him. As male he was not restrained to the same code of conduct as the females of this place, not that many found themselves that restrained. Asuka herself was naked right now. Regrettably, he could not feel the same emotions that Asuka had, he knew not the pain of molestation or rape. Any that had even tried a passing grope would find themselves bleeding horribly, at which point Sojukin cringed at the mere thought of someone doing so. At first he thought of it almost on a pleasant term, the feel of another person touching him so to speak, but the more he thought, the less it appealed. Loss of control and the penetrating touch of a stranger, it was far from desired. Even for someone such as himself, the invasion was one that could not be taken lately; it truly took a true monster to consider such an action allowable. In time, he would have to find this Hiruma Escudo and bring him to justice. In time, he told himself, in time all the sins of the malicious and evil will be brought to light…those who have harmed my ‘family’ will suffer for what they have done. This Hiruma Escudo will be only the first…the one that poisoned the escudos’ ears will suffer far more than Hiruma ever will; after all, most arrancar are too fearful of Kouhei to pull something like this…someone has to be pulling some strings. His train of thought was interrupted by small beads of sweat forming around his neck line, then sliding down slowly across his body. A welcome distraction to aid him in the removal of the excess heat of the area, had it not been for that, he might have had to excuse himself for water.

“I’m sorry Asuka…I can not imagine what it would be like…there is too little I know about physical contact to make a guess. I know the invasiveness of the act must have been worse than any sword stuck in your side, I wish I could teach you Navaja Hierro…so that you wouldn’t have to deal with it anymore. Actually…I’ll make you a promise, as soon as I figure out how it works…you’ll be the first person I teach how to use it. That way, you won’t have to deal with it anymore…you’d be able to shroud yourself in a defensive impenetrable by all but the most powerful of opponents. Cierro would never be able to get close to you and those escudo monsters would think twice before ever attempting it? How does that sound to you, Asuka?” Sojukin started to laugh when Asuka brought up Kuroi again and talked about his rank; he bit his finger chuckling at the thought. They had both recently had their conflict out in the middle of the desert, which ended in a stalemate and crawling back into Las Noches. Primera and Segunda, arm in arm and extremely vulnerable. Yet no one had been there to see it, so it was as if it never happened. As primera Sojukin was supposed to be the most powerful, but it was more there had been a tie between him and Kuroi. Kuroi was offensive, a force of destruction on a near unstoppable scale. Sojukin was the opposite, instead of offensive he was defensive. The pair were the sword and shield of the espada, Sojukin an impenetrable wall of a fighter and Kuroi an unstoppable force, nothing else needed to be said; however, they shared something…they shared a dream and that was one thing Sojukin could not tell Asuka, instead he give her another bit of information.

“Asuka…Kuroi…is where he should be I believe. If I could, I would hand him primera as he is truly a destructive force, but…he lacks something right now. He would not be a suitable leader…he could lead, but he would lead in fear and kill off more of our kind than we could stand to lose. Kuroi’s power and mine are on equal plateau’s, they are vastly different, but when we fight, we always fight to a stand still. Sure, we hack each others limbs off, we bruise and bloody each other, but never has anything come out of it except laying face first in the dirt. Kuroi is segunda not because he isn’t powerful, but because his beliefs contrast with what a good leader should do. We rate ourselves on strength yes, but the primera should exhibit qualities that will keep the other espada alive on the battlefield. Kuroi wants to win no matter what the cost, but…he has shown me another side. Said things that you would feign believe that it was Kuroi speaking; perhaps, you do not give him enough credit. In due time…I believe he will show us a true primera and I can step down from this burden.” Sojukin said quietly, his chest stuck out in pride for his fellow espada. In his heart, he knew Kuroi was destined for the primera position, or something greater, but as of now, there was much to be done. Kuroi needed to be groomed and taught some important lessons first.

Darkness spread out from the area in an instant, a presence putting a choke hold around Sojukin, but the tendrils were weak and could not penetrate him. As wicked as the presence was, it was a paper-bag attempting to conceal an inferno, an impossibly weak thing that did no more than burn in the presence of a fire. So he turned, slowly toward the source of the voice and found himself enthralled in a sense, but disgusted in another. Such a spiteful thing was this girl, that the malice and decadence on display in here overpowered the other senses for a moment. She smelled only of sin, her visage was of darkness and her voice like a thousand raven’s taking flight. Such was this woman’s essence that Sojukin felt his body revolt at her mere presence, but he did not let it show; instead he knew immediately what to call her. Podrido, the rotten one. Everything about this girl just seemed rotten to him, her soul…her mind, even her appearance was a far-cry from what any normal being should be. In Sojukin’s mind, he could think of nothing more repulsive, nor anything more attractive. She was the opposite of him in pretty much every facet, weak, dark, arrogant, mindlessly derogatory to others. Yes, she was something to be vilified, yet he found himself drawn in. She was something that needed to purified, a specimen of the utmost corruption that needed care. Sojukin would have hugged her…had he not been afraid of stabbing her to death. Gazing at her, his eyes penetrated deep, found the spiraling black hole within her, it sucked at emotion, draining it down like life force, but she was otherwise empty. A void attempting to fill another void…that is what he saw.

“So, whom might you be?…By your strength, I would rate you to be a fraccion, but your presence is so disgustingly dark, that I find myself repulsed and drawn at the same time. A light to the parlor of your void…interesting. You cut down dreams, Podrido…yet do you, yourself have any? I wonder if you just feast on these because you can…or maybe there is something locked deep inside of you, that you do not wish to express? I could attempt to draw that out of you, but how far would you run little one?” Sojukin had moved up closer to Miho by this point, extending one of his hands and rising it slowly. As he did so, his hand was a few inches away from her face, but she could feel the tips of his hierro rising up slowly across her pale skin. Each one just teasing the flesh, threatening to slash it if she so much as moved, in a moment, her hair started to lift, then he retracted his hand. The movement had taken no less than two seconds, but for Sojukin and possibly Miho it might have seemed like an eternity. Sojukin’s careful motion had been a clear measuring her up, taking in everything about her in a cold motion. A silent threat had been issued during it, it told her that if she moved, she would die. Nothing more and nothing less. In that moment, when eyes had locked with each other and the abrasiveness of Sojukin’s nature came out in a full extent. There could be no mistaking the message, he had seen her and he had just told her what he thought of her. No words required…he said it through his actions, that she was nothing more than a frightened little girl.

[Deleted]

“So, whom might you be?…By your strength, I would rate you to be a fraccion, but your presence is so disgustingly dark, that I find myself repulsed and drawn at the same time. A light to the parlor of your void…interesting. You cut down dreams, Podrido…yet do you, yourself have any? I wonder if you just feast on these because you can…or maybe there is something locked deep inside of you, that you do not wish to express? I could attempt to draw that out of you, but how far would you run little one?” Scarlet eyes simply flared with insanity and amusement as they stared back at the Primera's own pair. She'd grin something devious and sinister. Did the good-looking Primera really want to play the intimidation game? Huh. Miho invented it! He might be the Primera, but she wasn't scared. She just knew not to mess with him. Miho knew how to pick her battles and this was one she knew she should stray away from for now. Something was a bit off though. She could feel something being brushed against her skin. Almost like a blade. What....What was it? Nonetheless, her grin was as wide as the Cheshire's as she locked eyes with him. A taunting, callous laugh would escape the ravenette's lips as he brought his hand back. Miho was no fool, she knew what he was getting at. It clearly was a threat. "My, my~ You just can't wait to slice me to bits, can ya? Hahaha...Podrido?", she said the nickname with a heavy spanish accent, "It sounds nasty....I like it. I am Miho Shoga, Segunda's Fraccion...you MAY be repulsed, but you are drawn to me.." she said with a wily grin as she took a step closer to him. She wasn't running. She wasn't going anywhere. Threat, shmet. It amused to her no end.

Miho did actually have something locked away. She was a sweet girl at some point. But she clung on to the dark memories of her human life more than anyone else here. Most people would have forgotten by her age, but Miho hung on to them and she couldn't forget either. Miho had a horrible life. She was used like a ragdoll and she was tossed away so innocently at that. A sweet young girl's life was changed because a cult wanted to take her in and use her as a sacrifice. Home and Parent's burned down. Even the cult hideout burned down. Moved on to homelessness...then abusive foster parents. Then she was homeless again and then the worst thing that could possibly happen to her happen. She met her old master, Yuka. That man was like a father to her; one she loved and was so loyal to as well. She'd developed a few strange bonds and they were ripped away from her so abruptly. Torn and slashed into bits. Those bonds that she cherished so much were destroyed and it was at that very moment she died with a blade through her heart. Miho could go on. There was SO much more to this. He understood nothing about her and it will continue to be that way.

Asuka on the other hand raised an eyebrow and shook her head. "...And people thing I'M the slut. Geez. Don't you have something to destroy or put in a microwave?" she asked the arrancar clearly annoyed. Some people didn't know this, but Miho was strong enough to be somewhere in the middle ranks of the Espada. She was much stronger than Asuka. In fact, all of the Segunda's fraccion were good enough to be Espada. The only reason they weren't was because they chose not to. Miho turned her head to look at the teal haired girl. "Annoyed are we?...Say, Asuka, aren't sluts the only ones that run around naked?...What happened to your clothes?" she asked, turning around fully to face Asuka. She batted her eyelashes innocently at the last question as if she had no idea. This was EXACTLY what went on in Las Noches. If it wasn't Nijuu or Chisoku, it was Miho and they ALL got away with it while Asuka looked like the whore-ish one. It wasn't freggin' fair!! Green eyes slanted in mild irritation at the scarlet-eyed girl. Miho's goal was achieved and despite the fact that she knew it, she could help but be pissed off. "Don't play stupid, YOU woke me up and DESTROYED my clothes, bitch." Asuka growled. Miho threw her head back as she laughed at Asuka's irritation.

Okay, getting pissed was getting her nowhere, right? Right! Let's ignore the insignificant girl for now. He'd talked about his hierro too...“Asuka…Kuroi…is where he should be I believe. If I could, I would hand him primera as he is truly a destructive force, but…he lacks something right now. He would not be a suitable leader…he could lead, but he would lead in fear and kill off more of our kind than we could stand to lose. Kuroi’s power and mine are on equal plateau’s, they are vastly different, but when we fight, we always fight to a stand still. Sure, we hack each others limbs off, we bruise and bloody each other, but never has anything come out of it except laying face first in the dirt. Kuroi is segunda not because he isn’t powerful, but because his beliefs contrast with what a good leader should do. We rate ourselves on strength yes, but the primera should exhibit qualities that will keep the other espada alive on the battlefield. Kuroi wants to win no matter what the cost, but…he has shown me another side. Said things that you would feign believe that it was Kuroi speaking; perhaps, you do not give him enough credit. In due time…I believe he will show us a true primera and I can step down from this burden.” Sojukin had a point...but after what Kuroi told her, it was extremely hard to give him credit at all. Shinsei was Asuka's husband. Kuroi knew it. Kouhai knew it. They both had that kind of leverage against her. With Kouhai, words didn't need to be exchanged, she was already aware. As for Kuroi, back on the beach mission, he threatened to kill her in front of him and for that alone, she hated him. She knew she was forever indebted to his help for getting her to this position, but that comment alone destroyed any bit of 'credit' she had for him. She wanted to believe that Kuroi was a good guy, at some point she did. She was in his fraccion after all. But all the threats to Shinsei ticked her off. Hm. Maybe she should stop being so sour and give him credit? Eh...We'll see. "Aha..You do have a point about Kuroi...maybe he'll come around. Who knows??...As for Navaja Hierro, that sounds wonderful! I'd love to learn it!!"

[Sokujin Akai]

Foreshadowing Music:

SPOILER: Click to show

“Drawn only in the sense that I have a desire to cure this infection in you. That is my nature, you mistake my words for something of a sexual deviation…which I can not even express how impossible that would be. Already you are in danger, you’ve gotten close to me and have put your body on the line. Do you not feel it? Thousands of tiny points touching your skin right now, each and everyone of them ready to penetrate you, drain you dry? Podrido, I would suggest backing up…I do not wish to kill you by mistake…it would take only a step forward…a sneeze or even the slightest movement for me to do so. That is no threat either, you felt it when I moved my hand, you felt that invisible blade caress the flesh easily. It knew you far more intimately than I could ever desire, so woman of the night, step back…this flesh is not for purchase and it shall never be available to you, nor anyone else. As it is, you have no hope of surviving that encounter…no one really does. Hierro does not protect the insides of the body and my organ just happens to be on the outside…you can not even touch it. If you so wish to try, then proceed but you will not gain my sympathies when you find yourself minus most of your arm.” Sojukin said calmly, keeping his voice level. He had indeed just called Miho a whore, whom was after his body at the moment, but he did not care much else. As initial thoughts proved…she is in dire need of aid…she needs someone to really open up to…ha…so like Kuroi…only she is even deeper in the darkness than he was. If I was not already in a conversation with Asuka I would aid here, but as it stands…I can not leave Asuka here. Ahh…such a dilemma, but I will always have time to do other things. Sojukin’s thought process was a burst rapidly expending the neurons in his mind to spread outward like the hand on his skull. Sidestepping, he removed himself from Miho’s immediate presence once he found her no longer threatened by his hierro, he turned his head back to Asuka.

Asuka the teal-headed and Miho the dark…both had interesting things about them, most needed help and both would probably become influential in the events that were unfolding. Such was life…so many things could be considered ironic, but Sojukin saw beyond that. He knew only of fate and the processes that built up to it, he could see an infinite number of possibilities stretched out before him; however, the very idea of many of them were absurd. A mere smirk came to his face, as for a brief moment, no longer than a second….he could see Miho and Asuka as best friends…happily existing together despite their differences. It was filed away in the ‘perfect world’ folder of his mind, but what did that matter at this point. Miho and Asuka right now were a cat and a dog, the victim and the antagonist. Miho struck him as just the girl to constantly lash out at everything and what of it? It didn’t make her a bad person per say, it just made her weak…scared and lonely. She had forced herself into a position that Sojukin would have given anything to be out of. So he made up his mind and decided he would cross the Rubicon with Miho later…right now he needed to speak with the espada of the group. As such, he would have to get her away from this area. Miho was a liability to his cause, so he would speak to her later. “Miho, forgive this interruption and withdrawal. We’ll have more time to speak at a later date, as for now…I must be you adieu.” Sojukin’s hand came up and he began to charge a cero, the intensity of the power made Asuka’s former seem like a dull gust, but he did not release it in the traditional manner. Instead, he let it charge about half way, the four points of energy, spear-heading into his palm in a lavender color. At that, he released it, instead of a massive ray of energy exploding from his palm, a large concussive blast, essentially an extremely heavy wind erupted from him.

Unless Miho did something to get out of the way, which what could she do in this cramped corridor? She would be sent flying down the wall, far to the other end. Sojukin knew the momentum of the blow would wear out long before she hit anything, so she would feel no pain…only a brief tinge of powerlessness before she realized he was primera. “Adieu Podrido…I will speak to you once I return…as for now…enjoy the cradle of this night and rest yourself. Insomnia is not easy on the eyes.” Sojukin called after her loudly and almost cheerfully before he turned back to Asuka. “Our conversation is far from over, but I’m afraid my time is running short…if you wish you can accompany into the human world for this mission. There shouldn’t be much for us to do, so we will have plenty of time to speak with each other on the way. Of course…we’ll need to get you some clothes first and find me a shirt.” Sojukin said to her teasingly as he began moving back around the corner. “That choice is yours Asuka…if you wish to know how I function and how my form of combat works…then you’ll follow. If you are willing to leave all of your training to Kuroi…then don’t. Navaja Hierro will be yours either way in the end, but as it stands…I can teach you many things that Kuroi will never be able to.” Sojukin said with a bright smile as he stood there in anticipation of her answer. If Asuka would have anything to relate Sojukin to, it would be like a father-figure, always watching with that knowing smile. He understood and listened, he held no feelings of romance and no lust in his heart...he was just a being that existed to aid; perhaps that was all he would be, but then again there was so much more potential for him in Hueco Mundo. As it stood, he was the most level headed of all the espada and the one with the grandest and most peaceful dream.

[Deleted]

“Drawn only in the sense that I have a desire to cure this infection in you. That is my nature, you mistake my words for something of a sexual deviation…which I can not even express how impossible that would be. Already you are in danger, you’ve gotten close to me and have put your body on the line. Do you not feel it? Thousands of tiny points touching your skin right now, each and everyone of them ready to penetrate you, drain you dry? Podrido, I would suggest backing up…I do not wish to kill you by mistake…it would take only a step forward…a sneeze or even the slightest movement for me to do so. That is no threat either, you felt it when I moved my hand, you felt that invisible blade caress the flesh easily. It knew you far more intimately than I could ever desire, so woman of the night, step back…this flesh is not for purchase and it shall never be available to you, nor anyone else. As it is, you have no hope of surviving that encounter…no one really does. Hierro does not protect the insides of the body and my organ just happens to be on the outside…you can not even touch it. If you so wish to try, then proceed but you will not gain my sympathies when you find yourself minus most of your arm.” Miho's eyes widened with amusement. It was so funny, that it was practically driving her to insanity. Miho laughed hysterically, clutching her stomach with both hand and buckled her knees together, nearly falling. This man...he was truly amusing. It's amazing how much bullshit someone can spew. "AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA~!" yeah she at the point here here laugh was "Lmfao" level. "....When was the last time I was able to laugh like that. It's been so long...hahaha..." she said wiping away a tear from her eye. So funny it brought her to tears. She looked at the Primera once more. "Pfft.....AHAHAHAHA....I can't.....I can't with this bitch...Ahahahaha!!!" she said stumbling away a bit, her callous laugh ringing throughout the entire corridor. He spent so much time talking and trying to get his damn point across. All he wanted to say was she was a whore...and he couldn't say that in a simple fucking sentence?

He literally wasted his life away just by giving his lecture. Miho heard him loud and clear and literally couldn't believe someone was stupid enough to think that she would 1) care, 2) meet someone so long winded & 3) oh yeah...care. What a fucking fool. Asuka on the other hand, pulled her back, away from Sojukin via the hood on her jacket. Normally, Miho would have punched her lights out, but she was in a fit laughter so it didn't matter to her right now. Asuka looked at her and simply shook her head. "You are officially an idiot..." she stated. Asuka and Miho best friends? If Miho was nicer, sure. If Asuka was more trusting, sure. They both had their flaws. It's true. Miho needed serious help. But she was in so deep, was getting out a possibility? So many factors weighed into the reasons as to why she was the way she was. Chernobog, her zanpakuto relied on negativity heavily. In order to survive, she had to invoke it where ever she went. It's the only way she'd survive. Otherwise, she had nothing to go off of. It also relied on her own negativity. No negativity = a very useless Chernobog. Even her zanpakuto had a dark meaning. It was Slavic for "black god". The girl was doomed to being stuck in darkness for eternity.

“Miho, forgive this interruption and withdrawal. We’ll have more time to speak at a later date, as for now…I must be you adieu.” He'd threatened her before. Miho wasn't stupid. She could feel him charging a cero. If he could feel those blade things against her cheek, it meant his reiatsu was world's stronger than hers. Possibly even Kouen. She'd Sonido above his head, planting her feet on the air-ground thing. Yeah this place was cramped, but it wasn't like she couldn't get above him either. Asuka on the other hand, was amazed. His cero...he didn't even finish charging and the power was insane. Green eyes widened and she'd blink a few times, trying to register the whole intense cero thing. It was worse than Kuroi's. In her opinion it definitely was! And he TRAINED her. Miho watched in mild horror as he blasted that cero. Okay. He's fucking' dangerous. Her eyes narrowed. He was hilarious...but dangerous. Ugh. “Adieu Podrido…I will speak to you once I return…as for now…enjoy the cradle of this night and rest yourself. Insomnia is not easy on the eyes.” Miho waited until the cero finished and jumped, landing far from the pair and walking out the same way she came in. "Tch....This isn't over." she spat as she walked out, hands pocketed. Asuka sighed. Why does she have to be like that? “Our conversation is far from over, but I’m afraid my time is running short…if you wish you can accompany into the human world for this mission. There shouldn’t be much for us to do, so we will have plenty of time to speak with each other on the way. Of course…we’ll need to get you some clothes first and find me a shirt. That choice is yours Asuka…if you wish to know how I function and how my form of combat works…then you’ll follow. If you are willing to leave all of your training to Kuroi…then don’t. Navaja Hierro will be yours either way in the end, but as it stands…I can teach you many things that Kuroi will never be able to.” Asuka blinked. "...Really!? I can come?! Seriously!? Yeah!" This Sojukin guy was DEFINITELY cool beans! "Of course!! I definitely wanna come and learn cool stuff!!...Of course..I have get clothes first..ehehe.." she sheepishly grinned at the last part. "I'll be right back! I'm gonna get dressed!" she said running off. Dude, she was so excited to learn new stuff. She was really grateful. This Primera is awesome. Totally.

[Sokujin Akai]

“Ahh…se la vie…” Sojukin said to himself as he watched Asuka bounce off excitedly from him after prompting her to join him. As it was, he could see that she was not only the lowest ranked espada next to Cain, but also the least mature. Hell, she was even the youngest of them. So much energy…and such youthful vigor, a girl like that should be swooning over boys in a movie theater or worrying about fashion issues, not living in Hueco Mundo. Fate does seem to have a funny way of choosing the least likely people. Myself included of course…hmm…Miho…she could really be something…I wonder…all zanpakuto are, are reflections of one’s true soul. If a change did occur…what would become of her zanpakuto? Would it change alongside of her as Shinigami’s do…or would it remain a stagnate reflection of her hollow self. Hecatoncheries has changed much sense my hollow days, but what of others…it has changed in order to be usable…would hers change from a personality change? I wonder…I wonder. Sojukin asked himself inside of his head as he watched the younger woman walk away, chuckling to himself, he pushed up his pinky, drawing a small circle around Miho’s ass before firing a quarter charged bala at it. The strike was four times faster than a normal bala, but would feel like someone had pinched her, versus an actual strike. He watched the tiny orange stinger fly from his finger, nearly breaking the sound barrier and striking Miho on her right cheek, it would probably leave a small heart shaped mark later, but that wasn’t his concern right now.

“Oh…you are right about that Miho, this is far from over. I do believe we’ll be seeing a lot more of each other.” Sojukin smiled at her, just another one of his charismatic and understanding smiles. Not that, that really mattered to Miho or himself really, looking good had nothing to do with it. It was just one of those smiles that pierced people, made them feel exposed and spread out before the one smiling. People with icy blue eyes had the same effect, those eyes that simply pierced a person’s very existence, they could see anything with those eyes. Sojukin had a smile that did the same thing, just a flash of it and a person felt as if their entire world had been spread wide for him. On top of his hierro, this was another reason most arrancar avoided him…that stupid smile. So many had secrets they never wanted to reveal…never wanted to see the light of day, but he made them come out. He exposed so many lies, so many empty promises and so many old wounds with that smile, not that he knew this. How could he? He was socially inept, always speaking far too long and saying things others didn’t understand. So much he said was taken the wrong way, but he was getting better. At least, that is what he thought. In this case with Miho, he hadn’t picked up on the social cues and hadn’t realized her absolute revulsion to kindness; perhaps he should have picked up on it. So there Miho stands, her entire life and every old wound opening up before her…from a simple smile. That was a power Sojukin that cost him nothing, he did not even know he did it, yet it was akin to Miho’s in every way; at the same time though…it did more. It influenced both the positive and the negative, maybe that is why many hated it. It confused people, but in Hueco Mundo kindness was a rarity for all.

“I think you’ll seek me out eventually…or you’ll be drawn to the negativity I produce whilst alone. You’re personality seems to be like that so I should be your favorite drug soon enough. An endless pool of loneliness and regret waiting for you to tap, think you can resist that? I’ll be waiting for you Miho.” Sojukin said with a laugh and vanished from the room quickly, heading to his own to grab his shirts and prepare for the mission. It was approximately one a.m. in the human world, his mission required utmost stealth and careful precision. He was informed to leave no collateral damage and make all of the deaths clean if it came to that; as it stood; Kouhei had made many strict demands on this mission. If anyone was to die during the mission, he was to make sure their deaths appeared accidental or there was no hope of body recovery. He was to gain as much information as possible during the time, examine every single possibility and tag anyone for further investigation if they seemed interesting. The group meetings had made Kouhei nervous, which in turn made him nervous…Kouhei was beyond himself and Kuroi combined…what aside from a few spiritual beings could possibly oppose him? He didn’t know…he just knew to do his mission quickly and efficiently. Sojukin was back beside Asuka’s room, leaned against the wall next to her door. He was primarily waiting for her to change and secondly making sure no one tried to enter as she did so; already a few arrancar had attempted, only for Sojukin to throw them clear across Las Noches. Such pitiful creatures…what is it about a naked body that inspires such callous actions? It is such a wasteful thing, they could be out improving themselves; instead they’d rather spy on a young woman preparing herself. Though…I do have to commend them on their determination. Sojukin thought to himself, grabbing an arrancar by the scruff of his neck, whom thought he could sneak a peek by making himself invisible.

“What how did you find me!?”

“I can smell ya laddy. Next time don’t come around reekin’ o’ blood.” Sojukin answered quickly, before spinning the young arrancar about by his clothing, then launching him across Las Noches with his friend.

“Anyone else want to try?” As soon as those guttural words escaped his lips, several arrancar appeared then shot away rapidly, fearing that the fate of the others would become theirs if they did not flee now. Sojukin chuckled to himself and flexed his hand in a casual manner, scrapping and sharpening his hierro as he waited.

[Deleted]

In the instant his bala hit her, Miho stopped dead in her tracks. Her trademark scowl was on her face and the fact that she was irritated was clear. Miho slowly turned and sent a deadly, menacing glare his way. His bala hurt and while she had the urge to grab the spot he hit in an attempt to quell the pain, she wouldn't. Why? Cause Miho Shoga wore her scars proudly! She showed no mercy! She showed no signs of her faltering! Mercy and faltering were for whimps like Asuka. “Oh…you are right about that Miho, this is far from over. I do believe we’ll be seeing a lot more of each other.” and then...he SMILED. Ugh! Eww. Miho could feel shivers run down her spine and it was more than enough to make her skin crawl. She cringed at the very sight of it; shoulders unrelaxed, teeth gritted, eyebrows furrowed. "Don't..you..fucking...smile at me.." she hissed. “I think you’ll seek me out eventually…or you’ll be drawn to the negativity I produce whilst alone. You’re personality seems to be like that so I should be your favorite drug soon enough. An endless pool of loneliness and regret waiting for you to tap, think you can resist that? I’ll be waiting for you Miho.” Miho relaxed for a moment. She tilted her head and her lips would curl into a cynical smile. Once again, he amused her. He read her like a book. Her favorite drug? Hun, you have a long way to go.. "Hn. Don't flatter yourself..." she said turning around to walk off towards her room.

Asuka on the other hand was getting dressed. A white-collared shirt that hugged against her body. A black tie that was loosely hung around her neck along with a pair of tight, black pants and black combat boots that reached her ankles. It felt good to be in clothes again. She grabbed her belt, which she also used as a holster to keep her twin whips on for easy access, and fastened that around her hips. She'd grab that reiatsu crystal she'd gotten an extremely long time ago. It was useful. Whenever you go on a mission, you can never be to careful, right? Sojukin might find her style extremely weird, but this was how Asuka had been dressing all the time. She was used to it. Kuroi pretty much trained her and brought her up this way. He wanted everyone in his fraccion to wear a suit for some reason. While Asuka didn't exactly wear a suit, she retained some business attire dressing habits. She'd been so used to it that it felt weird NOT dressing that way. She even had her fraccion do it. But not the exact same thing. That could get a little stuffy. She quickly rushed over to her mirror, giving herself one last look over before she left. Hair? Check! Clothes? Check! Weapons? Check! Okay! She was ready to go!

Asuka headed for the door. She'd turn the knob and start to rush out. She hoped she hadn't been keeping him too long. Once she stepped out, she noticed he was waiting for her, leaning against the wall nearby her door. "W-Whoa!" The teal-haired Espada jumped, not expecting to see the Primera there. She placed a hand over her heart and let out a sigh of relief. "Oh! Sojukin! Wasn't expecting you there. Aha." she sheepishly grinned. Asuka honestly had no idea there were others trying to sneak into her room. She looked up at the Primera with a face that read "I'm so excited for this mission!". Literally. This mission sounded super cool and James Bond-esque. She'd gone on a mission to Rome once. That was nice. She made a new friend...but then the old Primera, Cero, tried to kill her....and then a vampire attacked her...but she healed it and it turned out to be a guy that looked like Kouen. Tou. He was really nice! Alot nicer than she had anticipated. She thought everyone on the Escudo side was a freak. Well, they were...but Tou was an exception. In Asuka's mind, he wasn't one of them so it was okay. If that makes any sense. She went to France to find the Baker. She traveled many places and fell in love with every location she'd been to. She wanted her fraccion to have the same experience. She wanted them to enjoy it just as much as she did. This was a dream of hers. "Ready!?" she chirped excitedly. Yay! Mission!

[Sokujin Akai]

“A little skittish are we semillero? You should relax, I’ll do you no harm…come I’ll open up the garganta for us and fill you in on everything as we walk. This is an order from Kouhai himself, so everything needs to be done with the utmost care and precision; however, he didn’t tell me I couldn’t bring along a companion for this. We’ll be in the human world for a few hours so we’ll be put into special skins to make us pretty much normal humans.” Sojukin said this calmly mounting the edge of railing that separated the entire of Las Noches to Hueco Mundo. He stood there for a moment, one leg forcing itself up like a piston after the other; then he was silent and calm. No sound came from the surroundings as he inhaled slowly and motioned for Asuka to follow him, stepping out he walked about seven steps away from Las Noches, before waving his hand and creating a gargunta. The gateway between worlds opened rapidly, like a giant mouth, several teeth formed and spread wide, chipping away at the boundaries of dimensions. You know…I have to wonder if us doing this has any negative side effects on the other dimensions? The possibilities for problems are immense and even tiny tear like the one I’ve just corrected could create a massive issue for many areas. My mind keeps taking itself back to the butterfly effect, if a butterfly beating its wings is strong enough to create a tornado…then what could a high-level spiritual being opening a dimensional gateway do? What truly scares me though, is what if our gateways are wearing down a barrier to another dimension filled with horrors? The Lovecraftian ideas could very well be true in this case…we spiritual beings are celestial and earth-bound reapers…but could we possibly be heralds of the end as well? Such things scare me, though it is necessary for us to do our current job; besides, I’m sure we’re strong enough to deal with anything that might come through. Sojukin thought to himself, but without any confidence, he had already seen many things that overpowered the arrancar…or worse still…outsmarted them completely. Considering there could be something out there so intelligent and old, that it made even the smartest of them look like idiots…that was something to truly fear.

The mists of Avalon are said to be the most euphoric forces in existence and mythology. A mist produced by thousands of years in a mythological forest somewhere in Europe. This area was said to be near the site of Camelot, a kingdom that is likewise buried deep in mythology. Such perfect places were these two regions that no one would dare to damage them, but Avalon was a gateway to hell. Monsters of all types and sizes were said to dwell there. Mythology had a habit of making the best places at the other end of hell. The translocation and parallelism of these ideas had wormed its way into every ideal, Buddism, Christianity, Islam, just about every faith followed the same idea. A separation of good and evil by some boundary, usually Earth. Sojukin couldn’t help but realize that all of these religions were right on this simple fact, Hueco Mundo, Hell, The Living World and the Seireitei were all separated by dimensional boundaries. So who could say anything to the effect that any religion was wrong in this facet? It made him laugh he was sure so many of the arrancar and shinigami hadn’t believed in anything prior to their deaths. It was actually really ironic, those that didn’t believe had to be born again and realize their beliefs were wrong. It didn’t matter now, he had a mission to do and he had only thirty minutes to get to his location and set it up. Stepping into the gargunta, he couldn’t help but inhale the mists of Avalon that existed there. It was a thick, almost syrupy smell, nothing rotten about this; instead it simply drew in the image of trees and sap as he walked along it. The rot came later, towards the center of the dark-purple pathway, the smell of death, sweat and blood was strong there. Shinigami came here in droves to train he had heard, he understood that time was slower in this place…that one could gain two months of training in the course of a few minutes. Sounded like some plot device in a poorly written novel or some anime, at least that was what Sojukin thought of it. Why shouldn’t he? He had read a great deal of books and had dabbled in the realm of comics and manga for a while, not really finding much difference in them. They had been fun to read sure, but the juvenile nature of them slowly began to wear at his nerves; the artists always began to drag things out and their explanations became poorer and poorer. Eventually, he just stopped reading them. His foot outstretched and crunched through the remains of some shinigami who had died in here. Sighing and scratching his head, he muttered a small prayer for the soul of the departed then continued to walk forward without much heed. It was a straight path and the Dungai had been destroyed years ago; now Squad four members had to be deployed to clean up the pathways from time to time. That was something he couldn’t afford right now…to be sighted before the mission even started. “Asuka…the gateway is approaching, so now would be a good time to start explaining the nature and purpose of our mission. “

Sojukin continued to walk forward, but made sure to slow down his walk so that he’d finish before they reached the light. “Alright, Kouhai is sending us down to Dalian Harbor, China; we’re to listen in on a conversation between five people, all are from mixed nationalities and seem to have nothing in common. Amongst them, none of them have any significant power….though they are all known fullbringers. We have no information about their abilities, but they’ve all been marked as only a step above normal humans. Amongst them, the most dangerous is a wheelchair-bound German. We have yet to witness his fullbring, but what we do know about him is that he is the most powerful sensor we’ve seen in a long time. His current range for sensing expands outward in about a five mile radius where he can pinpoint a FLY at the edge of his radius. Now then…we’re going to be stationed about six miles offshore in a small fishing vessel that is anchored. We’ve been given a few commodities and of course the vessel is equipped with a bathroom and several other devices like a kitchenette and beds. Our entire mission is simply to observe and intercept. We have reason to believe that these humans are going to be meeting a sixth unknown person, they’ll be producing something of value for purchase. Kouhai wants us to witness the transaction, then proceed to intercept the package once it has been traded off. We are to promptly return to Las Noches after the mission. Amongst everything else, failure is not an option…now then…we have several rules regarding this mission Asuka. First and foremost, we are not allowed to leave the boat until the transaction has been completed. Secondly, we are to make any deaths that may occur appear accidental. If we can…we are not to kill anyone. Instead; make it appear like they were pickpocketed or someone robbed them. Remember they are all foreigners in China, an area with a decent rate of crime. It is also in the middle of the night, so it would be a fair guess that some unsavory people would be around. Professionalism is key here as is stealth, this mission can not be traced back to the Arrancar under any means. Kouhai has yet to divulge the importance of this, but for him to be this upset over this…I’d imagine it is fairly important. Anyway…that’s all…we’ll be arriving in the human world in a few moments…anyway here’s the gear that the R&D guys gave me. “

Sojukin reached behind his back and pulled out a small package, producing a small canister, that looked a lot like an airhorn. Pointing it at himself, Sojukin was immediately stripped off all spiritual presence and put into a body similar to a gigai…in fact it probably was a gigai. Sojukin turned it on Asuka and pushed the top button. The dull roar of the horn was soon overshadowed by the feeling of being shoved into a skin tight suit. “These will be our bodies for the night, think of it as a second skin so that no one can sense us; instead they’ll only feel a normal human. Aside from that, they only gave me a few spiritual surveillance bugs and a monitoring laptop. I swear they are getting lazy….the first time I did something like this, they actually had me going in like a real James Bond.” Sojukin laughed at this and smiled as he exited the gargunta, stepping down into the fishing vessel that had been ‘borrowed’ for this mission. Of course, by borrowed he meant that he convinced the owner to part with it, for a good deal of money. Unlike most of the Arrancar he was fairly understanding of most human situations; the fisherman of China were probably the most underpaid humans on the plant next to the child labor in a few of the companies in underdeveloped nations. Stepping out onto the boat, the smell of the sea and freshly caught fish hit him hard, it was a nice change from the smell of dirt that was over Las Noches constantly. Moving down the bow, he realized there was about thirty by fifteen feet, that gave him and Asuka plenty of room to move about; however, there were boxes, a chair and a single television. The chairs themselves were just tiny things, no more than overturned boxes really. At least the place was clean. The television set was an old black and white model, portable and so small that unless one was right next to it, they’d never see a thing. A single box was left empty with only a enough space for the laptop to be placed there. Next to it was a miniature tea-set and coffee pot, both just get ready to boil and produce for the two espada. The boat rocked beneath Sojukin for a moment, leaving him to balance himself as he was unused to the sea. Grabbing on of the boxes, he slowly moved to the inside of the boat, it was just as clean the outside, though scented with some crappy air freshener…he couldn’t even place the scent. The night was drawing to an end in the human world, it had just hit two a.m. but Sojukin couldn’t tell. The position from the harbor had made light unable to reach his eyes; instead he could see all the stars in the sky. Each of them spreading out before him in a infinite tide of brilliant points across the dark horizon. If he hadn’t been on this mission, he would have been soul searching as he stared at the stars.

“Well, here is our temporary residence for the time being Asuka…what type of tea would you like? We have Chai, Earl Grey, Celtic Breakfast and several other blends. We also have coffee as well.” Sojukin said quietly as he slapped down a few of the packs of tea. He had already begun pouring himself a cup of coffee, setting it down on the box meant for the laptop. Immediately after, he pulled the laptop out, placed it on the box and began to boot it up. As soon as the loading screen appeared, he punched in a quick seven digit password, then watched as the surveillance bugs did their job. He could see every single detail of the warehouse where the meeting would take place; in fact he felt a little creepy looking at it. Every square inch of the warehouse was being transmitted back to him. He could hear the sound of machinery in the background and the sound of orders being shouted at workers. The work shifts were wearing thin though, many men were already leaving and the sounds of bicycles and automobiles suddenly filled in the background. “Alright, now we have about ten minutes to wait before the targets arrive. The bugs and the computer will record everything, but we need to carefully listen for any clues to where they will be staying. Remember, these aren’t pros, most of them are greenhorns that don’t know jack about professionalism. Hell, even their meeting place is pretty cliché, but at least they aren’t packed away into some hotel like every other bond villain or espionage thriller. Sighs…they’re still idiots though and remember they are considered V.I.P.s we are not to kill them unless completely necessary. Alright it’s show time." Sojukin said calmly as the first man, a young Hispanic walked in, from the camera he appeared to be the muscle, at least seven feet tall. He was ripped up and down, but he looked dirty…almost haggard. His hair was a mass and he appeared to be in some slipshod coat, he even was holding a cup with numerous dollar bills in it. “Freaking panhandler, I know for a fact this guy has money…ugh these guys drive me nuts.” Sojukin said as he pointed out the fact that he was removing his bookbag and removing the homeless man’s clothes. Moments later, he was dressed like a typical college student and slipping a Rolex around his wrist. “He’ll be an easy target if he gets the package.” Sojukin said to Asuka as he took a sip of his coffee.

“Why is the meeting place always such a dump….couldn’t we have rented a room at some hotel or something? Geez…for such a wealthy company, they sure are stingy with their clients.” The man said and his voice, husky and rasp…hinting at a completely spoiled nature, came through the computer speakers.

“Please let him get the package….”