Making friends [Closed,R]

[Deleted]

Dark and gray clouds began to form over the Seireitei. Reconstruction of the once proud Shinigami Armies base had been put on halt for the news of an upcoming storm. The rebuilding had been near successful, and only a few things remained to be fixed. Many of the wounded had been treated and many of them could continue on being proud soldiers of the Gotei 13. However, a few of them where required to step down from duty due to injuries done to them by the Quincy. Many nameless Shinigami had been killed or seriously wounded, while many named Shinigami had been wounded. Some, had it worse than others however.

”YOU DID WHAT!?” the Squad 4 nurse, Connie, shrieked. Raygin slammed into the office door, causing it to fly open as he pressed himself against the wall with hands raised to block any sort of blow. ”What did I tell you!? I said no fights! And you went and picked a fight with the Captain…CAPTAIN OF SQUAD 5!?” Connie shrieked as she grabbed the terrified Raygin by his robes collar. ”waaaahaaaaaagh I’m sorry!” Raygin cried as he suddenly turned into a dwarfed version of himself thanks to the Chibi Kido. ”You’re sorry? You’re sorry!? Your heart nearly tore itself open again! At least you were smart enough to call off the fight before something seriously bad happened!!” Connie shouted, dropping the horrified and crying Chibi. ”Get out of my sight!” the Nurse growled, slamming the door shut and leaving Raygin lying there on the floor.

A poof of gray smoke and Raygin was back to his regular self. He stared up at the door before he let out a sigh and go to his feet. ”Well….alright then” Raygin said as he walked down the hall and exited the Squad 4 medical area. Once outside he looked up at the sky to see the darkening skies, wondering when the rain was going to get here. I wonder if it’s gonna be a big storm or just a little wind and rain.[/i] Ray wondered as he stared up at the sky and rubbed his chest. He stared to head down one of the many walkways of the Seireitei, deciding to simply just walk. Even if it started raining, Raygin would not mind. The rain would probably feel nice on him. Besides, getting wet wasn’t really the worst thing that could happen.

The long roads of the Seireitei acted almost like a maze, causing anyone who did not memorize their layout to become horribly lost. Luckily, Raygin knew his way around the Squad 3 and Squad 13s walkways quite well. But the problem was, Raygin did not really know Squad 4s walkways like he thought he did. While Raygin was busy thinking, he ended up taking a right where he shouldn’t have which would lead him down a path he had never seen. But the problem was, he wasn’t paying attention to that either. His mind was so clouded and jumbled with his own troubled thoughts he didn’t even realize he was lost.

Can…can I really go on like this? I mean, after what happened to Hokori I don’t see any way I can even continue being a Shinigami.[/i] Raygin thought as he lifted his hand and placed it over his heart. He could still feel the muscle pumping, giving Raygin the pleasure of feeling he was still alive. The heart beat felt weak for some reason, possibly because of the injury. Raygin sighed as he pulled his hand away and continued walking. And finally, he became aware of his surroundings. The walls of the walkway had disappeared at some point, leading Raygin into some sort of small garden. There were about six trees, three on each side, with various plants growing along the sides of the cobblestone path. A small roofed patio was behind the trees, and Raygin blinked as he saw a man heading in his direction. Looking at the man Raygin recognized him, but did not know his name. He had seen the man once before, at the funeral of Raygins closest friend. Not wishing to pass this opportunity up Raygin stopped walking and looked at the man and said ”Hey, I recognize you. You were at Hibikis funeral.” Ray said with a small smile.

[Zou ۞]

Please insert a header in the title of your thread. Example [Open, PG13] or something.

[Zeich Yajuu]

The air smells of rain. Amber eyes tilted upwards as a rumble of thunder echoed, mentally tracing the outlines of the darkening clouds as they spread across the sky. Zeich found himself staring upwards at the growing wall of black and gray even as a flash of lightning flickered into being. Narrowing his eyes at the briefly blinding light, the newly-promoted Third Seat continued on his patrol of Seireitei. Every day he traced out a route for himself and walked it carefully, keeping an eye out for any trouble or anything that would require or draw his attention; while it was not always criminal activity, the Shinigami did his best to keep his eyes open. Even good experiences made it worth his patrol, though those were few and far between. Zeich tended to expect trouble more than he did a moment of pleasantry.

Today was another normal day it seemed, aside from the rain; Zeich could feel that it was about to storm any minute now. While not as attuned as others were to the weather, the Third Seat had been out in it enough to recognize several signs. The smell of ozone was strong, suggesting lightning discharges, while the air was a bit heavy despite the cool weather Seireitei had experienced for the last few days. Unfortunately, he had also not noticed it before leaving the Barracks, meaning that he had not brought along a heavier hooded cloak in order to keep the rain off of him. While he could stand getting wet, Zeich was averse to making his day more miserable if he could do so, and so he decided that it would probably be best to take a rest from his patrol if it started getting too bad.

Can’t stand a little rain, master? Zeich’s lips curled upwards in the slightest of smiles; despite the tragedy they had experienced with Polaris’s loss, Haiiro was retaining some of his old spirit, some of his humor. I can’t blame you, though; it only rains here when you’re sad. That killed the smile, however, and the Shinigami let out a soft sigh. It must be raining in there often, he thought; his moods had swung between neutrality, fear, and a slight depression of late as he tried to consider his situation with the Shadow. It wasn’t something he was comfortable discussing with others, yet at the same time he couldn’t deal with it himself; the Shadow was too strong, and in their next encounter it might kill his consciousness to take over his body. It seemed hopeless sometimes.

It appears to be raining again…

Zeich kept quiet again, tucking his hands into the pockets of his leather pants. Unlike most Shinigami, the Third Seat had a custom outfit that he preferred over the standard robes unless he was attending a formal event. The short-sleeved black jacket reached halfway down his forearms, and was left unzipped to hang loosely on Zeich’s shoulders. A sleeveless gray undershirt was revealed, hanging comfortably on his frame. Black leather pants reached down until they covered the upper-most edges of his boots. The rust-colored scarf he wore hung loosely around his neck as well, though tightly enough to conceal the rope scars around his throat, the ends fluttering slightly in the growing wind of the storm.

Deciding it would probably be best to take shelter as the first drops began to pelt his face, Zeich looked about and spotted a rest station off to the side of the street. The Third Seat picked up his pace slightly, arriving beneath the canopy just as another peal of thunder echoed through the area and released a mighty deluge from above. The rain came in a powerful onslaught, crashing down on the tiles above, sounding like stones drumming on the ceiling. Zeich found himself slightly relieved as he managed to avoid the worst of it, turning to stare out into the storm. He would be stuck at the rest station until the rain blew past, but it wouldn’t be much of a delay; storms like this one tended to last for only a short time.

“Hey, I recognize you. You were at Hibiki’s funeral.” Zeich turned to see another person in the rest station with him, a taller man with a slim frame that seemed vaguely familiar. It was only natural that there was some recognition; the Third Seat had indeed been at the funeral of Vice-Captain Kuchiki, who had been an important figure in Seireitei at the time. Though the two had only met, Hibiki had started to teach Zeich about something greater than power through strength, something that had driven him to be far more powerful than the then-unseated officer would ever have been. That was the change of Zeich’s growth as a better person, he reflected; Hibiki Kuchiki had truly touched many people.

“I was.” Zeich confirmed briefly before striding over to the bench beneath the canopy, sitting down quietly. He didn’t really have much to say, yet he had the feeling the individual expected more of him. Unfortunately, the other occupant would find himself disappointed; Zeich said nothing else, not even giving his name. Instead he closed his eyes, letting himself sink into a half-meditative state so that he would be aware of the world around him while he relaxed his body. There was nothing more that needed to be done until the rain let up, after all.

[Deleted]

The Vice Captain blinked when he had gotten such a little response. "I was" well, that really didn't give Raygin much of anything. But then again, all Ray had said was the man had been at Hibikis funeral. What else was Raygin going to get out of that? Maybe this man was the sort of guy who gave the perfect answer from the question given to him. Raygin rubbed his hair when he felt the rain coming down and in his search for cover he ended up going to the same rest area has Zeich had. However, the Vice Captain had sat on the opposite side of the canopy as Zeich, giving the man his space.

Raygin rested his arm on the railing as he turned to look up at the sky. It was kind of funny how the spiritual world was still subject to mother natures whims. How long was it going to rain? It was coming down quite heavy now, making it near impossible to see anything. Almost like a grayish curtain had come down all over the Seireitei. Surely any other Shinigami might run indoors to escape being wet. Ray just had to get lost because now he had no way of knowing which way was to the Kawada Manor. The young Shinigami twitched his nose when he felt some droplets get on it and blinked to clear his eyes as the splashes got in his eyes.

Turning around to look at the man who he shared the canopy with, Raygin began to ponder who exactly this guy was. He had seen him at Hibikis funeral and yet thats all he knew. If Hibiki had known this guy, and this guy had paid respects to Hibiki, then he couldn't have been a bad guy. Ray decided to make a little small talk, unaware that Zeich was in a sort of resting state. "Really coming down aint it?" it was a rhetorical question, but hopefully it would lighten the mood a bit. Ray returned his gaze to the sky despite the fact you couldn't see it for the rain. The downpour was something like a lullaby, relaxing Ray and bringing a smile to his face. It was small, but he needed to smile after all the bad news he had been getting.

Not knowing how long he would be sitting there, Raygin decided to try and at least get a little conversation going with the stranger. Making a new friend would always be nice, and it could be a really good way to pass the time. "I don't mean to pry but how did you know Hibiki?" Raygin asked softly. It wasn't loud, rather it was a relaxed question to match the peacefulness of the rain. Ray had given Zeich his gaze. He had a curious look with a small smile on it. If Zeich didn't wish to answer, it was fine. Raygin would have taken it as a hint he didn't wish to speak and would respect his wishes. On the other hand, if Zeich did choose to answer the question he would be in for quite the treat. The medic had played an important role in both these Shinigamis lives and yet neither of them knew it. It was more than possible that Hibikis actions had unconsciously fated these two Shinigami to meet.

[Zeich Yajuu]

“Really coming down, ain’t it?” Zeich fought a mental sigh, opening his eyes instead and turning amber eyes towards his unwanted companion. The other Shinigami seemed to be enjoying the rain, watching it fall down with a soothed, calm expression on his face. Zeich couldn’t see his pleasure with the rain, nor did he see the point for small talk; both were inconvenient and uncomfortable in their own ways. The rain, for one; it was great for crops, great for keeping lakes and rivers filled and flowing, but besides that it was inconvenient. Being wet was uncomfortable, making clothes heavier and cold. Not only that, but it weakened and distorted vision, and made it impossible to see under certain conditions. Overall, the rain was a nuisance.

Of course, so was the person next to him. Zeich knew he was antisocial, a loner, someone who just didn’t care to be around others, contrary to the natural human need for companionship and society. He knew it went against society in general and put him into a state of self-exile that separated him from others. But Zeich just couldn’t bring himself to care about being around others, couldn’t begin to enjoy that social interaction. He was too stern, too jaded, too determined to do his duty; he was not free of his emotions, but he was so used to bottling them up and keeping his feelings to himself that he was not good at social interactions even if he did attempt to join in them. He really was a mess when it came to relating to others, but it wasn’t something he found necessary to change, and so had let his social skills remain underdeveloped.

Things could have been left at that, with the two of them remaining silent, but the other man had to speak up again. “I don’t mean to pry, but how did you know Hibiki?” Zeich stiffened briefly; he did not want to speak, as this was a particularly sensitive topic to him. Normally, he would have remained silent anyway, as it didn’t bother him to be considered rude by others. In fact, he almost didn’t say anything. But at the same time, it would be a disservice to Hibiki to let the man’s name fall in silence, without being spoken of. The man had made such a powerful impact on those around him, and had been a truly good person in his life; even in his death, he had touched many lives. Many people remembered him, wanted to do good by him. Though Zeich was not as deeply touched as others, Hibiki had awakened in him a realization, an ideal that had driven the Third Seat forward.

“…I didn’t really know him that well.” Zeich began quietly, honestly. “Truth be told, we only met once. We sparred, though in my mind it was a fight as serious as any other.” The Shinigami closed his eyes and let himself drift back into memories of that fight, of his immaturity, his cold focus on nothing but victory through strength. Nothing mattered back then besides being strong. “He lowered his own strength in order to make it an even fight, and fought me in a purely physical battle with only weaker Kido, and no Shunpo. At the time, I might have considered it a mockery, but I was too caught up in the battle.”

The two of them had fought, clashing blades, while Hibiki had also used a combination of hand-to-hand fighting and Kido in combinations that made him incredibly effective despite his weak strength. Zeich had nothing to his name but his swordsmanship and the ability to use Shunpo; he had not yet been able to use his Zanpaktou at the time, had not even known their names. “I was… arrogant, then. I had nothing but my two Zanpaktou, and couldn’t even communicate with them. I had no Shikai, so in the end, they were just two swords, simple weapons to me at the time. I had no skill in Kido, no fighting techniques, nothing.” The other man might have found that statement interesting, as Zeich only wore Haiiro at his side, and possessed no other visible Zanpaktou. He hadn’t taken up another sword since the incident in which he had lost Polaris, and would never be able to develop another Zanpaktou to replace her loss.

“…I performed admirably, or so he said at some point. What I remember was taking a Byakurai to the side of my head, a deep injury that had thrown me off, left me feeling dizzy, weakened. But I remember, more than anything else, my drive to win. Despite the injury, the blood flowing down my face, the severity of my wound… I was determined to win. I attacked relentlessly, without hesitation. And in that moment, despite it being a ‘loss’ in terms of his own rules, Hibiki used several Kido along with his Zanpaktou to bind, immobilize, and heal me within the space of several moments. After that, I was unconscious for a few hours, and that was that. We didn’t really meet again.”

His story given, Zeich sat back and let out a soft sigh. It hurt to remember those days, back when he had been so foolishly proud of his skills and his talents coming out of the Academy. He had been reckless in a way, though not in his combat strategy; the Third Seat had been willing to face anyone at the time, and had been so bold as to challenge a Vice Captain. That day, however, had changed him severely, made him realize that his strength was weak in the end. His strength had been the strength of power, of the physical body; Hibiki, instead, had shown his force of will, his drive to do his job as a medic, healing at the cost of victory because it was what he believed in. That strength of belief was what had overpowered Zeich’s will to be powerful, and had caused him to realize what he thought was strength was nothing but a delusion of superiority. Strength was not in the body, not in the power of one’s attacks or muscles; instead, it lay in the level of conviction, the belief in one’s self, and the determination to move forward.

“In that one battle, he taught me much. He showed me that my strength was hollow, that my drives and motivation were weak. He taught me all of that. That was why I went to pay my respects to him, to remember the things he embodied in my memories. That’s how I knew Hibiki.” Zeich turned away, staring back out into the rain. It was probably the most he had spoken at once, more than he usually chose to. He didn’t know why, but Hibiki had touched him profoundly; that was what had driven him to speak.

[Taien Hadohou]

-Some Thirty Minutes Earlier-

"Oh wow! Look at that, we're going to have a gigantic thunderstorm today it seems! We haven't gotten one this big in quite a while. . . If I recall correctly anyway. Hum. I wonder, what is it like to be out in the middle of a storm like this? . . . I suppose there's only one way to really find out! Taoso-San! Please inform Kyomei-San that I have gone to investigate what being in a gigantic thunderstorm is like! Please also inform him that I have finished with my duties!"

"Of course, Taien-Fukutaicho."

Taien walked out of his office, into the corridor of the Kidou Corps Complex, and out into the courtyard, looking up at the rapidly darkening sky. Oh me oh my, it'd been a very nice day a few hours prior to this! Taien grinned as he looked up at the sky, the last vestiges of the sun's light dancing in his eyes. This looked like it'd be quite a fun thing to discover! However, it did seem like there would be a bit of a wait; the storm wasn't quite there yet after all. So Taien decided to go on a walk as the storm began. This was going to be fun to experience! Or so Taien thought. . .

-Present Time, Twenty-Five Minutes after the storm began-

Hum. I have come to a conclusion about standing in the middle of a storm: It is cold, loud, wet, and very windy. It's freaking awesome!

Taien was standing in the middle of the downpour, shivering like crazy with a huge grin on his face. He was quite thoroughly soaked by this point, though he didn't quite care about that at the moment. He was sort of numb from all the cold that was being dumped on him. At this point, it would likely be a good idea to get out of the rain and dry off. . . Or what would be a good idea for most people. Taien, through much experimentation and skill, had practically found a different use for a lot of Kidou. In this case, he had a specific, if modified, form of a fusion spell he normally used. He fused Sho and Tzuri Raiden to create a veil of force normally. However, with the introduction of the thread of Elemental Water Reiatsu, he gained the ability to manipulate a veil of water. In this case, the water came from all of the water soaking his clothes and body, it all quickly formed into a circle of water above Taien's head, connected by water that was attatched to Taien's index finger on his right hand.

Taien had a literal umbrella of water above him, which prevented the rain from coming down on him. He was dry now, but still fairly cold. At least his clothes would get warmer now. It struck him at that moment that other Shinigami might have gotten caught in the storm. Glancing upward through the disc of water, he observed the storm. . . . It wasn't going anywhere for a while, at the very least it probably would go on for a few more hours. They would probably be stuck at the rest areas and other places around the Seireitei that were there for such an occasion. So! Taien had a new mission! He was going to go around and help out the other Shinigami that were trapped in the storm! Taien to the rescue!

So, he went down a random path, extending his energy sensory, as well as sending out his own Reiatsu so others would know he was nearby.

SPOILER: Click to show

Set Goals/Unfinished Goals

Finished Goals


• Find other Shinigami and assist them in escaping the rain!

[Deleted]

Raygin sat in silence as he allowed Zeich to speak. There was no reason to interrupt, no reason to interject, only to listen. Ray gave his gaze to Zeich before looking away and back up into the clouds. Apparently, Zeich had once sparred with Hibiki who had weakened himself to fight on this mans level Sounds like Hibiki alright[/i] Ray thought with a warm smile. It did sound like something Hibiki would do to help out this other Shinigami. As Zeich continued to talk he said something that caught Raygins attention, causing him to return his gaze to the man. Two Zanpakuto? But he only has one...[/i]

That statement did make Raygin curious, but there was plenty of reasons for why he could only be carrying one. Maybe he had forgotten the second one? Maybe it was being repaired? Either way, there wasn't any real reason to sit on that thought. Raygin listened to Zeich as he finished speaking. Hibiki had touched Zeich in a way almost like he had touched Ray and many others. It was a comforting thought that the medic was as kind as he was strong. The Vice Captain couldn't help but smile as he looked up at the clouds.

"My story..." he began "Is something similar to yours. I challenged Hibiki, wanting to test my strength. Long story short; I ended up getting blasted to kingdom come." Ray chuckled as he remembered that. "After that, we developed a interesting friendship. Hibiki saw something in me that other Shinigami didn't...or don't. He saw my weakness and wanted to try and help me move past it." Ray said as his smile vanished as he closed his eyes. "A Shinigami who can't kill is a soldier that isn't needed. Hibiki saw that and for whatever reason he wanted to fix that." Raygin said.

He remembered the training session with Hibiki. In that spar the medic had ended up pushing Raygin over the emotional edge, making him explode. The Vice Captain couldn't help but smile as he remembered how immature he had been back then, trying to find ways to prank people rather than preparing for battle. "He was always trying to help me..." Ray began to say, the tone in his voice had changed as his smile vanished yet again "but I've let him down again. I can't even fight any-" Ray had began to say when he held his tongue. He turned and gave Zeich a decent smile. "Well, it's nice to know Hibiki was as kind to others as he was to me. My name is Raygin by the way. Raygin Sakubara. What's your name?" He asked before turning his gaze again. "Someone else is out their in the rain." His energy sensing could detect the person, so he figured he should let Zeich know.

[Zeich Yajuu]

Zeich listened quietly as his companion gave his own story, describing his own experiences with Hibiki. As he did so, the Third Seat’s opinion of the late medic grew only further; Hibiki truly had the good of everyone in mind. That he was willing to push someone to be willing to kill, even at the risk to his own reputation, spoke a lot of the man. A Shinigami that could not kill a Hollow or even a human enemy, such as a rogue Fullbringer or Bount, would be useless on the front lines if such confrontations came about. Especially lately; with the invasion of the Vandenreich leaving Soul Society crippled and with a much smaller fighting force than it had before, Quincy were an obvious enemy that Zeich expected to confront many more times in the future. The Third Seat didn’t have a problem with killing human enemies; he would not make the first strike, but he had no qualms about self-defense or retaliation for an unwarranted attack.

When Raygin stumbled over his words, Zeich reflexively went to finish the sentence. He couldn’t fight anything? That was possible, if he was having morale issues, or had been unable to defeat an opponent that had threatened him. He was alive, though he certainly didn’t look to be in the best health. The other alternative that the Third Seat could immediately guess was that Raygin had meant that he “couldn’t fight anymore.” That was equally possible, judging by the paleness of his skin, the general sickly appearance he had, and the overall way he held himself. Zeich had no intention of pressing the question, however; if Raygin didn’t want to explain what he had meant then it was his business and on one else’s. Zeich knew all too well that some things were best kept to oneself; the Shadow that lurked at the edges of his Inner World was one such thing.

When asked for his name, he replied simply: “Zeich Yajuu.” There was no need of rank or squad at this point; they were just two Shinigami speaking to one another on casual but brief terms, and their interaction would end here. It was one of the many things about social interaction that Zeich didn’t pretend to understand; it was such an ephemeral thing, and more often than not such a meeting never happened again, yet people insisted on making conversation with complete strangers anyway. If it was someone from his Squad, Zeich could see it; he would be working with that person quite often, and so creating a social tie would be beneficial to both sides for easier communication as situations required it.

At Raygin’s comment about someone being out in the rain, Zeich finally showed a bit of interest, his head turning as his eyes roamed the rain-slicked streets. It wasn’t his eyes that found the stranger first, however; it was his ability to sense the Reiatsu that was radiating from the person, clearly left unhidden on purpose so as to advertise their presence. Zeich stood quickly, a hand resting on his Zanpaktou lightly, his muscles tensing. There was no indication of whether or not the figure out in the rain was an ally or enemy, and both were possible given the recent Vandenreich invasion. Not many Shinigami within Soul Society possessed such a strong Reiatsu presence, but the enemy Quincy that had attacked had all possessed enormous strength. Whoever they were, the odds were in favor of it being an enemy, a confident one that had no need to hide their spiritual presence.

“You, out there in the rain,” Zeich raised his voice slightly so as to be heard, which was unusual given that he spoke quietly on average. “Identify yourself immediately, or be treated as hostile.”

[Taien Hadohou]

Taien walked along, extending his senses outward as he looked around. Geez, the rain was really pouring down now. Taien had gathered enough rainwater to make a freaking tunnel made out of all the water that had fallen in the last few minutes. Though he supposed it was pretty cool. He was walking around with a personal tunnel made of water after all! Taien grinned as he shivered. Sadly having a tunnel made of water did not a warm Taien make. He needed to find a rest station, and if there were Shinigami there, he'd help em out! He had to find them first though. That was proving to be the tricky part.

As Taien moved along, he took the time to observe the effect the torrential downpour had on the visual quality of the Seireitei. Sure he had seen it at night and in the day, and both times made the place seem like two different worlds, and he wanted too see what kind of change the Seireitei underwent in these kinds of conditions. Sadly, it didn't seem like he'd be able to get a good viewing while he was at ground level. The gray mist that the water droplets were making as they smashed into the ground sort of obscured everything within a few feet of him. The rain was just coming down that hard. It was fortunate that Taien wasn't subjecting himself to it anymore. As he looked around at the gray mist, Taien extended his senses farther outwards. He still couldn't hear anything, and he didn't seem to sense anything. . .

Wait, what was that? Taien blinked. Something was flickering on the edge of his spiritual senses! Was it some Shinigami trapped in the gigantic storm? Maybe! He'd have to go and check it out! Taien's grin turned into a full blown smile. Sadly, he couldn't just Shunpo. While he definitely would be speeding towards the source of the Reiatsu, his water barrier wouldn't. Which would end up with him being soaked quite a bit as he sped through the rain. So, Taien couldn't do that, but he could simply speed up a bit. Or rather, he would, were he not so cold. So his pace was set at that of a brisk walk.

As he got closer to the sensation, he could see parts of buildings in the fog-like downpour. He hadn't been able to before, but that was probably because he was too far away. Now he was getting closer to the buildings. Which probably meant that there was a rest station around here, confirming his suspicions that these were, most likely, Shinigami trapped in the downpour! Well, he'd get to help out some people yet, wouldn't he!? He continued onwards. The rain was roaring still, though by the point Taien was near where he was going, it had quieted down enough that he could possibly hear someone over the rain. He didn't have the best senses, after all. He did hear something though. It sounded like a voice!

“You, out there in the rain, identify yourself immediately, or be treated as hostile.”

Taien blinked for a moment, and then responded with a raised voice of his own.

"Taien Hadohou, Vice-Commander of the Kidou Corps! Do you mind if I come in?"

SPOILER: Click to show

• Find other Shinigami and assist them in escaping the rain!

• Get to know the Shinigami that are in here!

[Deleted]

"The...Kidou Corps?" Raygin repeated at low volume. What was the vice commander of the Kidou COrps doing out in the rain? Raygin had some knowledge of the group, considering a friend of his had begun to lead them. Kyomei Kuchiki, according to the rumors, had completed his trials and became the Captain of the Kidou Corps. It was a good role for him, one that suited his talents at magic. When Taien asked if he could come in, Ray looked over at Zeich and pondered a reply. Would Zeich mind? Would Zeich find it rude for another random Shinigami to interupt him? Raygin figured that the twos brief conversation had come to an end, so maybe the man wanted peace and quiet during the rain?

However, it would have been rude for Raygin to just leave the man out in the rain. "I don't see any reason you should stand out in the rain while we remain dry." Ray responded, taking the iniative. It was an invite for Taien to join them if he wished to.

[Zeich Yajuu]

Zeich’s eyes narrowed as the man out in the rain gave his identity, considering it briefly. It would not be odd for a Kido Corps member to have such a strong spiritual presence, though it was indeed unusual that the man would not conceal it for worry of startling those who sensed it or drawing unwanted attention towards himself. Still, it checked out for his identity, so the Third Seat relaxed slightly. He didn’t let his guard down, as any ally could become an enemy on a moment’s notice, but Zeich took his hand off of his Zanpaktou and sat back against the bench once more. He had little to say at this point to greet the new arrival as Raygin instead spoke, leaving the two of them to converse.

Closing his eyes, Zeich let himself sink into half-meditation again, his senses still attuned to the area around him. He was a bit bothered, however; something about this whole situation just fell odd. It was likely coincidence but… Is something wrong, master? Zeich sighed; he should have known Haiiro would sense his mental state. The others probably noticed the sigh as well, but he ignored them, just letting his gaze go back out to the rain. If they wanted to assume something was wrong, that something was on his mind? Fine, they were welcome to. If they wanted to ask questions, to get into his head and “understand him better,” however, they were going to be met with a cold front. Zeich had already surprised himself with how much he had spoken; he had little else to say to them.

Call me paranoid, but—

You’re paranoid, master.

…Please don’t take that so literally. He could almost hear the wolf’s mental chuckle, and though he was at least happy that Haiiro had kept some of his sense of humor after the trauma that had destroyed Polaris, this just wasn’t the proper time for it. I’m on edge. After the Vandenreich attack a powerful signature just shows up, with no concealment. Either this man, this Vice-Captain, is a fool that is more likely to rile up his allies than not with his power, or there’s something more to it. I don’t know if he’s trying to be intimidating or something either; it just bothers me that he’s wandering about freely in the middle of a storm with no apparent purpose, and displaying that presence.

Perhaps you’re thinking too hard about it, master; just relax. Zeich let out another sigh; it wasn’t so easy for him to relax. He was always on edge, always tense; that moment he let his guard down was the moment that something happened. If he let down his mental defenses, the Shadow could come and take his body, or at very least take Haiiro away, consuming him like it did Polaris. If he let down his physical defenses, his wariness and his guard, then any remnants of the recent invasion could take him by surprise. Every ally had the potential to be an enemy as well; there were rumors that some Shinigami had defected and been taken in by the Vandenreich voluntarily, turned to the side that had just destroyed their homes. No one was to be trusted until trust was earned.

With that resolve in mind, Zeich sat back to let Raygin and Taien talk; he had no reason to involve himself in their conversation, nor did he wish to.

[Taien Hadohou]

"Right then, one moment!"

Taien walked in, leaving all the water he had collected behind him as he entered the rest station. Turning to face the water, he flicked his finger downwards, causing all the water to cascade outwards into the misty depths. He was still shivering a bit as he dusted himself off, making sure he was completely dry. After doing so, he looked up and smiled a bit at the two Shinigami who were stuck in the torrential downpour with him. He was rubbing his arms to get some warmth back into his system. He glanced at the other two Shinigami before asking,

"Would you mind if I warmed this place up a bit?"

With their response, Taien held his right hand out in front of him, palm up, and channeled some Reiatsu into it. Mentaly casting the Kidou, Taien produced a combined Tzuri Raiden and Sokkatsui. A blue-ish orb flickering with phantom flame appeared a few inches off the surface of his hand. Moving his right hand to the right of it, and his left to the left, he started manipulating the Kidou till it was a disc in shape. Spreading his hands apart, he created a ring of blue fire floating in the middle of the space. After tampering with it a few more times to make sure that the temperature was consistant, and that it wouldn't just explode or move from it's position, Taien dropped his hands away from it.

The space was lit up with blue light and heat, though Taien had made it so it wouldn't blind them, and the temperature wasn't too hot. Having done that, Taien leaned up against a wall. His eyes lingered on the ring for a moment. It wasn't all that wide, and really wouldn't hurt someone unless they ran into it. Satisfyied, Taien turned to Raygin first, since he had been the one to let him in to the rest area.

"So! What are you two fine gentlemen doing outside in a storm like this?"

[Deleted]

Raygin raised his eyebrow as the green haired Shinigami walked into the rest area. He was certainly a interesting fellow with that hair color, along with the fact that he had been walking around with spiritual pressure being exposed. Why would he do that? This guy, so far, seemed rather friendly. In fact, he seemed like a good guy. Maybe he had his reiatsu out to let people know he was out and about? Well, it was a interesting way to do things that was for sure. When the green haired Shinigami asked if they minded if he warm the area up, Raygin raised an eyebrow.

The green haired shinigamis use of Kido was absolutely incredible. The use, the control, the manipulation, it interested Raygin. The Vice Captain himself was once a decent use of Kido, so seeing magic being used in new ways interested him. He couldn't help but be impressed by it. "Ooooh. Which spell is that?" Raygin asked, tilting his head slightly as he looked up at the circle of energy. It definitely light the place up as well as warm it up. When Taien spoke Raygin directed his gaze back at him.

"Well, what does any Shinigami do out in the rain? We simply got caught in it. It's nice to meet you, Taien Hadohou. My name is Raygin Kawada Sakubara. And this-" Raygin moved his arm over to point at Zeich "-is Zeich Yajuu." Raygin introduced the second Shinigami, without the others consent. "So, what are you doing out here as well Taien-san?" Raygin asked with a smile.