The Wait Is Over [PG13, DE, Medium]

[Sozen Kuchiki]

Name: [The Wait Is Over]

Participants: [Specifically: Kuroi Naito and his Fraccion]

Location: [Fictional Nobunaga City]

Difficulty Level: [Medium]

Setting: [Death Enabled]

Plotline:

A mysterious invitation to do business has brought the Segunda Espada and his Fraccion to a very populated business district in Nobunaga, where at present they are having lunch with Xcution member Kento Sasaki, who has explained to them a billion Ryo deal he would like to hatch out with Kuroi in the human world. However, he has another idea for a business proposal lurking in wait, to be sprung on them when the fancy wine of this five star establishment has simmered in their stomachs. And, little do they realize, there is a devil in red lurking in the shadows.

Estimated Enemy Strength: [4-1, final boss is class 1 and for Kuroi alone]

Estimated Time Until Completion: [3 pages]

Starts: [Now]

Special Conditions: [Participants are Kuroi Naito (with Nijuu Tentei), Marcelius Despres, Asuka Tan'O (with Li Mei), and Miho Shoga.]

Participants should go ahead and intro, and then we can begin!

[Zou ۞]

The entirety of the group could be found here, though Kuroi did not know why. Seated in his black suit, white dress shirt tucked in and dry cleaned, collar stiff and perfect, black tie adjusted perfectly to Kuroi's body, the Segunda Espada was carefully analyzing the human. His black hair was kept neat on this day, along with his shoes being polished. Something had told him to be at his best, and thusly he was, even if his black eyes were cold, and condescending to the likes of a mere Fullbringer. Kuroi, after all, was well aware that he was dealing with an Xcution man, an apostle of he who had been the most powerful Shinigami ever to live, Satsujun, and who was now the most powerful force in the human world. If Kento Sasaki was a representative of this man, then even in private affairs, Kuroi must be careful here. Also, he had seen in advance the suit styles that Kento wore, and had taken the time to clean up a bit, because Kuroi was always better dressed. The Segunda Espada, therefore, sat there with a steak in front of him, and an untouched glass of wine. His goal was simple. Discover what kind of proposal this was, and then go about it and earn money for later use.

"Tell me about your proposal." Kuroi commanded of Kento Sasaki. Despite being a guest, Kuroi was the one in command. It was his group which outnumbered the human, after all. Kento Sasaki was alone at the table, while Kuroi had all of his subordinates with him. Not only were Nijuu, Marcelius, and Miho all present, but Kuroi had even run into Asuka, also on a mission, and who had joined them along with her own Fraccion member, Li Mei. In total, this meant that Kuroi possessed five allies at the time, marking a number of six to one. Kento was alone here with six Arrancar. With Kuroi as the strongest at the table, and the leader of these Arrancar, it was clear that the Segunda Espada was the one in charge. Therefore, it was Kuroi who would be determining the deal, and calling the shots. Kento Sasaki was operating on Kuroi's terms, and not the other way around. "You claim that it will be worth a billion Ryo, yet you called us here with hardly any details." Kuroi was informing the Xcution member. "I am aware that you do a great deal of business in this world, and that you have established a massive amount of wealth as a result. However, this does not make you trustworthy."

Kuroi paused, and then resumed speaking. "You are a member of the group that follows under the God of Murder, a former Shinigami of tremendous power. It seems likely to me that even if you are a human, and are opposed to the Gotei Thirteen, if you operate under Satsujun, then part of your long term goals would be the annihilation of Las Noches and of all life within Hueco Mundo. Therefore, on even a simple economic venture, which speaks of financial power and political power as opposed to military, how can you be trusted? Even if the entire dealing is about money, are you truly trustworthy, Kento Sasaki?" Kuroi was being cautious here. He was speaking a great deal on purpose, and was attempting to prod Kento for reactions. Something, after all, did not add up. Certainly, Kuroi possessed a financial presence in the human world. But why call him out of the blue for this deal, when calling someone else, particularly an ally, would have been so much more rewarding in the immediate and long term? Something did not add up, and Kuroi did not trust this human. Still, the steak was good. Perhaps this was at least some form of recompense.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats}

Strength - [200{1/2}(100)] Points

Speed - [400] Points

Spiritual Pressure - [400] Points

Reiatsu Strength - [400{x2.5}(1000)] Points

Light Aura - [0] Points

Dark Aura - [100] Points

Instinct - [200] Points

Senses [200] Points

Energy sensory - [100] Points

Healing Expertise - [400] Points

[Deleted]

"Gah!.... Big...nono! Aha!"

Asuka Tan'O squirmed about in her seat uncomfortably. Hello, red wine~ We meet again... bitch. Emerald irises were narrowed, filled with hate and fear for the glass filled with the eerie red substance. "Gah.....Disgusting!" she whined. Her face twisted into something of disgust. "H-Hey...Mr. Broccoli Guy?" She spoke, addressing the human because, well, she didn't know his name. She still wanted to be nice though.. "Do ya want my no-no juice? Aha. I really don't like no-no juice. I don't know if anyone else here does. I think it's like an old guy drink. Are you old? You really don't look old though...Ohohoh! But we have senior citizen here too...Hey uhm...mister old guy? Do you like wi- er.. no-no juice!? Want mine? I really really really really reaaaaaally don't like it!" She poked at the glass with a breadstick and pouted like a child who didn't want to eat her peas. Of all the things to present to Asuka, wine was the worst thing. She feared it because it reminded of her death. Death of her family. Death of old lovers. Death of innocent people. It made her scared.

Though, Asuka was always a special case. Not only that, but it's waaay too early to get into death. She pushed aquamarine tresses over her shoulders as she looked down, kind of trying to hide the fact that she was quite literally terrified of wine. ...She glanced at the glass again. Whether the broccoli man wanted to or not, Asuka would continue to attempt to avert her fearful gaze away from the infernal glass of red satan juice. She could whine right now. Whine like a puppy had it not been for Kuroi and other people lurking about. Man, what a way to end a mission. Here was, with sweet ol' Li Mei, on a mission. The twins were busy training. Gen was off on his own training as well and Aimo...Well, Aimo was being a good guard puppy like he always was. She just happened to run into Kuroi after doing a little spying and infiltration...maybe some graffiti that included 2 leaf clovers with little dots sticking out at the end. Li Mei tried to say those were lady parts buuuuuuut....Asuka knew what she was dealing with. The Sexta KNEW what she was talking about.

Yeah. Good day...until now...

The teal haired Espada tapped her foot nervously under the table as she stared at the wine any longer. Chomp There goes half of that breadstick. Asuka just gradually move her chair back away from the evil no-no juice. She eyed a certain red haired girl who was innocently playing with her food. Making little people with peas for heads and other various things. Asuka sighed. How Li Mei always managed such a placid expression was beyond her. The girl remained perpetually happy and sweet enough to give cavities almost all the time.. It brought a smile to her face. "Whatcha makin', Li Mei?" Her silver eyed fraccion looked up. Her once concentrated gaze now softened as she looked up at the Sexta. "The village of pea-ple! If I could, I'd make bunnies and flowers... then the village pea-ple would be super happy~!!" They both giggled. It was pretty punny to them both. Alas, they were not the only people there.

Harsh scarlet eyes focused on the other two girls. Putting a hand on both their shoulders, sharp, black pointed stiletto nails dug into their skin. The hellion bent down and whispered in their ears. "I suggest you two get your fucking act together and stop playing with your food." ..were the words that fell from Miho Shoga's lips. Livid that these two morons were fooling around when the Boss was making a proposal. Didn't these morons know how to fucking act in public!? Miho flipped her long ravenous hair and moved away from the embarassment-of-an-Espada. She released her grasp of the two girls and walked to her seat where she had her own food.. and refused to touch it. Instead, the demon settled on crossing her legs and waiting patiently for his goddamn human to hurry up with his proposal.

"Aha. Ow!" Asuka squeaked. She pouted angrily and shot a grumpy glare at Miho. Gosh, Ms. Grumpy pants. Drop caca all over everyone's fun why dont'cha!!! She was like a mini Kuroi. It was almost sad to her; Mimicking her boss and what not. Heh. Well, she couldn't blame him. Not only was he the best dressed here but he was super strong and stuff. As scary as Kuroi was, she was happy to have had him as a teacher. She was sure some part of Miho found Kuroi scary to an extent. The only difference was that Asuka wasn't afraid to admit it and Miho would rather keep up the tough bitch act. Ah, who was she to judge! Miho had some redeeming qualities. Honestly, the only real person to be concerned with was lovestruck Li Mei who was blushing and rubbing her shoulder as she stole glances at Kuroi like a shy school girl. Ah. To be in love...

"So lame...Right? ...I know you hear me geezer...Don'tcha just wanna throw wine over these fools?!"

Miho smirked at the thought. Throwing wine on the girl that was terrified of the silly drink. The possible sounds of her screams sounded delicious to the malicious girl. Such a shame she had to be on her best behavior. Especially around Kuroi. Since his warning to her, Miho made sure she wouldn't step on his toes. Yeah, yeah. Family and shit. She got that. It just takes some time. After her bout and night of partying with Nijuu, Miho decided against drinking when he was around simply because if she saw Marcelius wearing her goddamn boots again, she was going to raise hell and lose her shit... and beat the shit out of daddy dearest... and not a fucking being human. ghost, spiritual or whatever could fucking stop her. It made her angry thinking back to the time he wore her clothes... Egh.

So here we are... all three girls waiting on...something to happen. Miho looked at the human and soon, Asuka did too. Li Mei looked at him shyly and returned to looking at her food village... rather nervous that he'd look back and fearful he'd say something... and the same went for Nijuu and Marcelius. Though...she was more scared of Nijuu and his loud voice. He yelled so much, Li Mei didn't know why but it was so scary and angry sounding. The thought of him yelling at her sent shivers up the red head's spine. Listening carefully, Li Mei figured this was pretty important. Asuka already knew it was. If you had over 1,000 ryo, you were rich as hell. Imagine all the Legos you could buy! Man oh man! So many Legos! Would this broccoli man like Legos? Wait no... that's not what this was about. Power, ryo and killers oh my~!!

[Marcelius]

Rubbing gently against his temple, the resident senior seemed quite vexed. It was though something worried, or stressed him unnaturally. If one were to suppose at the reason for his discomfort, it could be the surroundings. A seat at this table, was quite a dangerous property to own. He was to play audience to the brokering of a deal. A proposal which had been issued to the Segunda, of all souls. And who was to bargain with the Espada? A human, Fullbringer, by the name of Kento Sasaki. The individual had lured the Espada here with the promise of a very sizable reward. 1 Billion Ryo, an amount to tremendous to be outright ignored. But was that the reason enough to risk an incursion into the human world? Not likely. Kuroi did not seem the type so singularly guided to simply follow the money, so there must be other reasons for his consideration.

Curiosity, perhaps? What could be so important to earn such a large price tag? More so...what could be so important as to provoke a human to seek the aid of Arrancar? Truly, it was a devilish question indeed. So tempting. But temptation rarely provides comfort for those of the more cautious nature, so here we have Marcelius. Sitting quietly. Calming himself with a repetitive massage. But again, was this really the source of his woes? Anticipation of conflict? No. Not in the least. For what really troubled Marc's mind, were all the other's in the room. Yes, it was quite the crowded affair...and the poor, ol Fraccion was having difficulty shutting out all the clashing stimulation. There was the ever domineering presence of Naito himself. A gravitational well of killer instinct and unsympathetic considerations. The iron focus of the Espada was quite the burden to observe, especially in such close proximity. If he wanted to listen to the songs of others, he first had to tune out the grinding gears of the murderous automaton.

As if this was not enough, there was also Nijuu. The senior Fraccion, when considering time in service. A former Arrancar turned human, with a permanent rage hotter than the hell's radiator. Just by sharing air with such a hostile soul, Marcelius could feel his own blood burn. Anger was such an infectious mood, after all. With each moment spent waiting for the discussion to move along, the oldster felt more and more impatient. It was almost enough to make him fidget, or shake his leg, or...rub his forehead anxiously...huh. Such was the effect of Nijuu's residence, and in no way typical of the kindly old man. Yet...it continues to get better. For there were also the women to consider. The Sexta Espada Asuka. Her too sweet for words subordinate, Fraccion Li Mei. And of course...the Hellion. Add their varied mentalities to the pot, and you have one outlandishly whacked train of thought. Well, for the Empath anyways.

The words of the Segunda, were enough to draw the elder's eyes. Like the rest of his bretheren in the room, his oculars seemed to shimmer like those of a beast. Despite the lightening, it was always easy to see where he or any of the others might shoot a glance. At this time, his eyes fell on his superior...before slipping carefully to the representative at the opposing end of the table. It would seem his speculation had yielded some minor truth. Kuroi was not truly convinced the billion Ryo was sufficient reason for their coming here. The seasoned assassin knew the game well enough to know, that a very juicy plot laid hidden behind the mountain of promised riches. Through his questioning of Satsujin's representative; Marc made sure to examine what really needed to be seen. Kento's reactions, the ones which the Segunda hoped to incite, were to be meticulously studied by his skillful eye. Whether ordered or not, whether desired or not...it was his responsibility as a Fraccion to utilize his talents at every opportunity. So that is what he did. For all of a few seconds. Up until he heard that voice, which rang like a choir of baby cherubs. Too unbelievably cute and bubbly, to ever frighten or alarm.

It was Asuka, causing him to turn in the middle of Kuroi's demands and lose all concentration on their liaison. By the time he made sense of either her thoughts or her words, she had already managed to offer up her drink to him. In the mix of his shock and confusion, all he could manage was a smile. Shaking his head to let her know, "No". But while he denied her gift, he could not help but notice the motivation behind it. The look on her face quite reminiscent of a child trying too hard to ignore the shadows on the wall. Was...was she afraid of her drink? The way she stared at it would have him believe, yes. By the time he could make this conclusion she had already moved on to her next distraction. That is when her Fraccion chose to speak up, drawing his eyes to her food creations. Playing with her peas...in a moment like this? How he envied such blatant innocence and abandon. But what his tender soul might find heartwarming, others found advantageous. As quickly as the pair began to giggle in their amusement, a raincloud came their way. Hearing the sinister condemnation of the raven haired demoness, Marcelius broke free from the siren song of happiness. Just like Miho, to destroy the good vibes.

Reaching in front of the little triad, Marc placed his napkin over the lip of Asuka's glass. The flowing cloth quickly covered the redden content, freeing the Sexta from it's continued torture. This simple act would be catching enough to their eyes, that he would not need to speak for them to look his way. From there he would continue to smile like any amused chaperon might, but this time with a finger raised in front of his lips. The universal, child friendly way of instructing the trio to be quiet...while their Superior discusses terms with their host. It was a gesture he knew even with Asuka's patented brand of juvenility, could understand. Once the quiet would return, so that business might resume, he pulled away Asuka's glass. Distancing her from the dreadful liquor. All the while, turning his glare towards Miho...giving her a much more stern look than the others. This was not a cruelty in anyway, it was nothing but serious reminder of the importance of this meeting. With here he had to be more stern. Treating that particular monster the way one might a child, was simply not going to work. Letting her run rampant, was even less of an option. That is why the glass of wine was coming with him. Far from the bully’s reach.

They way she eyed it and the other girls, made him worry she might consider disrupting Kuroi's...their meeting, despite the trouble it my cause for her. She was practically singing her desire to ruin the Sexta’s chipper mood. Could he have answered back, he would have reminded her of the scolding she got the last time she acted poorly in the Segunda’s presence. She had been lucky then, that there was no one outside the family around. Had Kuroi been required to make more of an example of her...say, if there were some important Fullbringer within view of her display...it would end most tragically. That was something the old man desperately wished to avoid. For her and himself. So...he played caretaker of the troop while the boss went all carpe diem. This effort to keep the little ones in line, was quite poorly timed. For while the human spoke, and opened up his thoughts and feelings to Marcelius’ unique form of inspection...the Fraccion would be too distracted to make full use of his skill. Here is hoping that is not added to the list of regrets...

[Kento Waffles]

"No, you're quite right," Kento admitted with a smile, taking and accepting Asuka's glass of wine graciously, going so far as to take it right out of Marcelius's hand, since it was he who had been offered. His chivalry, his white suit, and his calm demeanor were all reminiscent of someone else whom Kuroi had met. Indeed, Kento's teacher, unknown to Kuroi, was someone that the Segunda was very much familiar with. Kento sloshed the wine around in his glass just a little bit, though not a drop spilled. His own glass of wine had already been emptied, and he was holding his alcohol remarkably well. Considering that he was a human, he seemed to have the best tolerance for the liquid out of anyone in the room, within that fancy restaurant. Considering that Kento had the best tolerance was probably not fun for Kuroi. Inferior to Kento at something? Despaaair.

The lights of the well lit restaurant were reflected not only in the wine, but also in the expensive, pristine glass, flawlessly polished and sparkling. And reflected in that glass was the restaurant, which had grown startlingly empty. There were no other guests eating. There was music, and there was sound. The sound of a crowd had been mixed in with the music, and if no one had noticed before, then the sudden change in the atmosphere of the room would tip them off. They had been alone for a while, and had been distracted from it, having not noticed at all. Kento continued to smile coyly. "You're quite right..." Kento said. "I cannot be trusted. I do hope that you enjoyed your food, though..."

SPOILER: Click to show

{Play this }

Kento splashed the wine all over Asuka, staining her face and her clothes red, and covering her in the scent of the liquid, the oh so toxic no-no juice. And then, just as she thought that things couldn't get any worse, everyone's food exploded. Not with fire or smash or anything like that, but with smoke, a loud bang, and food fragments flying everywhere. Loud and powerful gusts of wind from the food explosions rocked the room, and while their table miraculously stayed put, other tables around the room flew everywhere because of the explosion from their plates of food. Worst of all, large chunks of gravy flew at Kuroi's suit, endangering it with a stain. A horrible, overwhelming, impossible to clean stain. Of gravy... Puke colored beige all over Kuroi's nice, black Armani.

From out of the smoke in front of Li Mei, there emerged a huge green ball monster that looked and smelled like...one of the small peas from a pod. Except it was several times the size of their table, and much larger than Li Mei was. The pea had a face that looked like it had been drawn on, yet it shifted around in a cartoony way, and was an actual face. It also had gigantic green legs and arms, both extremely huge and muscular. In fact, the muscular arms and legs were both bigger than Asuka and Li Mei combined. Their whole bodies. The pea monster roared at Li Mei with breath that stank of rotting beans, getting a hot, vegetative wind in Li Mei's face. "DON'T PLAY WITH YOUR FOOOOODDDD!!!!!!" the pea monster screamed at Li Mei with a voice loud enough to fill the whole room.

Asuka was left dealing with a very skinny and tall mime in a white shirt with black stripes, black pants, and brown sperries, with a black beret. He was pale white, with a twirly mustache, and a baguette in his hand. The baguette mime tapped the baguette against his hand. He had his right hand free, and the baguette was in his left. He tapped his right palm with the baguette, and sneered at Asuka while he twirled his mustache. In front of Miho, there was something worse. A giant floating beast of orange noodles and red sauce. It was a flying spaghetti monster, with a clearly defined mouth and evil, sadistic eyes. The flying spaghetti monster was several times larger than Miho, and looked very hungry.

While no enemy sat in front of Kuroi, Marcelius had the worst enemy of all. An enormous black fish with glowing red eyes stood before Marcelius. It had naked black human legs, a penis covered by a seashell, and a fish body attached to the human lower half. But it also had muscular black human arms on the fish body. And, worst of all, when it narrowed its face to look at Marcelius, its mouth opened, and agape, it poured out drool. But it wasn't drool. It was piles and piles of anchovies. The worst of all fish flavors came pouring out for Marcelius. The anchovies were on the fish's breath, and their stank started to fill the room as well. Yes...evil food monsters. Evil food monsters had come to terrorize Kuroi and his allies.

"I'M GONNA KICK YOUR ASS!!!!" the pea monster bellowed at Li Mei, and he flexed viciously for intimidation. The pea monster immediately jumped at Li Mei, rushing at her in an attempt to punch her in the face. Then, while he was doing that, the baguette mime smiled coyly and waved his baguette around like a blade, and then stabbed it toward Asuka's chest, as if he was trying to stab her in the heart. With a baguette. Well, she was also covered in wine, so that might be her disadvantage. Simultaneously, the flying spaghetti monster flew at Miho, as if it was going to engulf her whole and assimilate her. All of this while the evil fish blasted a huge stream of anchovies at Marcelius, attacking him with anchovy breath. How vile...

Notations:

Pea Monster has 800 in both physical stats, and 250 in both sensory stats. Has no other stats, no powers, and no weapons.

Flying spaghetti monster has 1000 in speed stat, 250 in both sensory stats. It has no other stats, but the spaghetti is very hot and can cause intense burns if you are engulfed in it.

Baguette mime has 400 speed, 200 strength, 800 reiatsu strength, 150 in both sensory stats, and no other stats, powers, or weapons. But the baguette is indestructible.

Finally, anchovies. The anchovy fiend has 50 in all stats, and can shoot ghastly breath.

[Zou ۞]

"How worthless..." Kuroi said coldly, unperturbed by the sudden revelation of this betrayal. As he had expected, the human could not be trusted. Not that it mattered. The likes of Kento Sasaki, a mere Fullbringer with ties to a dying organization such as Xcution could never amount to the same level as the Segunda Espada, Kuroi. He sat there, seeing all of the food explode. His eyes traced every movement in the room. It was child's play for Kuroi to step off to the side and go from sitting to standing instantaneously. He dodged the gravy stain, which instead splattered across his chair, and kept watch of the room. That the Fullbringer had been foolish enough to betray Kuroi without first achieving more of a field advantage was discouraging. Had Kento played his cards better, then perhaps he could have achieved some degree of success in his ploy. As it was, he would gain nothing, and find no triumph or victory. Instead, he would watch in horror as Kuroi crushed him and killed him for daring to assault either the Segunda, or the Segunda's subordinates. There was no pride which would stand for such an act as this one.

There were enemies for each of Kuroi's Fraccion members, and Asuka had been struck by wine. Kuroi was aware that she had some aversion to alcohol, not unlike how he did, and perhaps this would hinder her. Ultimately, however, the monsters were all childish creations, and were worthless, and far too weak to pose any real threat. It would be child's play for any of his subordinates, current or former, to defeat these creations. An arm grabbed across Marcelius's shoulder with a huge, drunken grin. Kuroi noted smugly how good Nijuu Tentei seemed to be feeling as he breathed in the smell of the rotting anchovies. Unaffected, Nijuu looked at Marcelius. "We're gonna fuck this thing's shit up!" Nijuu exclaimed. He then looked at the anchovie fiend, and started to crack his knuckles, one at a time. Nijuu stamped his foot, causing a powerful blast of rubble and debris, and the whole room to shake. "HEY, SCUM!" Nijuu bellowed at the monster. "WHY THE FUCK DO YOU SMELL SO BAD? HAVE YOU NEVER LEARNED TO TAKE A SHOWER? GO TAKE A FUCKING SHOWER, SCUM. I'LL FUCK YOUR SHIT UP." Nijuu slammed his knuckles together, and got ready for battle.

This left Kuroi to look at his present foe, Kento Sasaki. The human Fullbringer had opted to continue sitting quietly, almost innocently, as if all of this was mundane, and none of it was his business. However, the Segunda intended to make it the Fullbringer's business, for Kuroi would not stand for such betrayal. Kuroi was not the sort who allowed his opponents to beg for their lives, though he was also certainly the type that allowed his opponents to die screaming once in a while. He had no use for this one, least of all for this one's Despair, as it was unlikely a mere human would ever get to the level to fight Kuroi a second time, and thus Kuroi would probably never see Kento againa fter this incident. Therefore, Kuroi had no need to let the Fullbringer live. He had every intention of killing Kento Sasaki then and there. Kuroi approached the Fullbringer, black eyes staring with a hard, cold glare like white marble into Kento's eyes. The killing intent behind Kuroi was enormous. It was easily the most immense feeling in the room, more potent than the killing intent of any other Arrancar or Hollow in all of Hueco Mundo.

Kuroi's presence dominated the entire room. "You must be joking, Kento Sasaki." Kuroi said. "If you were going to betray me and seek my death, you would have been better trying yourself in individual combat, or doing so when I was alone and you had help from other skilled assassins. As it is, your subordinates and abominations will all fail against my followers, and you yourself are not at the correct level with which to do combat against me. Your weakness is a flaw that you cannot even hope to overcome. Right here, right now, I will prove that by crushing you." Kuroi lashed outwards, materializing before Kento. His left hand shot outwards, taking the form of a snake head fist, with fingertips aimed at Kento's chest. Kuroi was using his steel skin, his Hierro, to attack. His fingers would come off as durable, almost sharp, with this exchange. As a result, if Kento were to be struck, Kuroi's hand would spear clean through the human's chest, and take Kento's heart. It was not the first time that Kuroi had done so to a human, and nor would it be the last. It was Kuroi's every intention to slaughter and massacre all involved with Kento's side of this battle immediately.

[Kento Waffles]

"Betray you?" Kento asked with an amused smile. "I was never on your side, Segunda. From the beginning, I was working with another. This whole situation was a set-up for his goal." He had not shifted from his seat, and still had a glass of wine, which he was drinking as relaxed as possible. His entire body was loose, and his smile was smug, and confident. It was nearly mocking, if not completely arrogant. Actually, his face was quite similar to that of another whom Kuroi had had the (dis)pleasure of already encountering in his lifetime. All of this so far was in response to Kuroi's long monologue, speaking downward to Kento, as if the Arrancar was somehow better than him. It was not unusual for Arrancar to behave in that way.

Kento's face then retracted the smile, and he looked more serious. The bags under his eyes were deeper than had previously been noticeable. He was a weary man, who was probably always very busy and extremely preoccupied. Being able to use up precious time like this on Kuroi was most likely a result of this being very important. "And besides, Segunda," Kento continued. "I didn't do this with the intention of killing you myself. I have nothing to gain from that. No, your death is desired by another, who will kill you himself when the time is right. My lone role here is to make sure that you are quite easy to find when my accomplice is ready to come see you, which won't be long now."

And then, just like that, the chair beneath Kento burst into pieces, and the force of the blast propelled Kento up and into the air. He was narrowly able to dodge Kuroi's attack by doing this. As it happened, a burst of green light could be seen from the chair. The table also suddenly exploded in a flash of green light, splashing all of the food, sauces, and drinks toward Kuroi as the table fragments rushed at him. If he was hit by these, he would get nasty splinters and really might be a bit injured. More importantly, if any of the other things hit Kuroi, then his suit would be ruined beyond any possible form of repair or rejuvenation. The Segunda had much to do.

After this, Kento landed back on the floor gracefully, and continued to smile. He had made clear what his mission was. He was stalling, and waiting for someone. Kuroi had come upon the misfortune of encountering Kento Sasaki, one of the top assassins in Xcution, and a brilliant strategist that had planned an entire large scale scheme ahead of time. "I warn you not to approach me," Kento said to Kuroi. "If you fight me here, you will waste precious energy, and will be an easy target for my accomplice." Kento knew that his accomplice was weaker than Kuroi, but his accomplice was lethal enough that Kuroi could lose to him if he was not careful, or was not on his A game.

[Deleted]

..And suddenly, all hell broke loose.

Things were going nicely considering the table of weirdos and savages. Li Mei was playing with her food. Asuka was watching over her happily. Miho was watching over Asuka angrily who was watching Li Mei happily. Things were normal for the time being. The broccoli people guy took her glass of wine and she smiled. It was a nervous smile though. If Kuroi was on edge, she was too. Kuroi normally wasn’t trusting of others that weren’t his own and he was sharp as a tack. Unfortunately, Asuka didn’t have that filter; she liked and trusted everyone. The safest thing to do was to assume everyone that wasn’t your own or your teacher was a creepy fuck that wanted to grab your toes. It was only natural that she followed suit; be suspicious of everyone that wasn’t Kuroi, Li Mei, Miho, Nijuu and Marcelius. The female Espada started to fidget around in her chair.

She was rocking back in it, trying to use it like a rocking chair. She was trying to be Superman and balance her chair on just two legs. Well, it wasn’t a ‘Superman’ thing to do, but she thought it’d be cool if she could do it. Like it’d be this magical thing. Asuka was kind of cheating though. She was somewhat holding onto the edge of the table while trying to find her balance. Asuka was about as good as a 5 year old in a restaurant; she misbehaved and could’t sit still. Asuka nearly got it, her chair was almost balanced. All she needed to do was let go and unleash her magic upon the world. Alas, it would be then the broccoli people man chose to speak. ”I cannot be trusted. I do hope that you enjoyed your food, though..." Asuka’s eyes widened as she let go of the table and pointed at Kento. “Hey! What do you me— D’oh!” She’d fallen back in her chair, the back crashing on to the floor and effectively making Kento miss his mark on spilling no-no juice on her. Hopefully that vile no-no juice wouldn’t be going anywhere but on the table.

Asuka was away from her food due to falling back in her chair, but Li Mei and Miho weren’t. Well, Miho didn’t touch her food but Li Mei did. Everyone’s plates exploded. Asuka immediately rolled out of her chair, drawing her twin whips. Li Mei and Miho were knocked back from the explosion, most likely getting some scratches here and there…Not that it would be very much of a hindrance to either girls. “Li Mei!” the Sexta called out, clearly worried. “F-F-Forgive me, pea-ple-san! I-I-I-I-I w-w-won’t p-play with my f-food again…” she started to cry and tremble…awh hell the water works were getting worse and what made it more heartwrenching was her trembling and whimpering. Li Mei was genuinely sorry. She didn’t mean to offend anyone. She just wanted to create a happy little village out of her food.

Miho was already on her feet, recovered from the explosion and ready for assault. Her opponent? The spaghetti monster… And it was coming fast…And Miho didn’t want to deal with it. She noticed Marcelius had an opponent of his own and Asuka did as well. The monster was so fast, if she just pulled a Marcelius and made a large step to correct her positioning using sonido, she would be fine. She only had a short amount of time to do something, so Being one to take massive risks, she quickly moved in front of Asuka, taking the baguette hit to the heart...Only, she had none. That’s right, Miho had a hollow hole where her heart would be located so if the baguette was meant to pierce anything, it’d go right through her shirt. She was already using sonido so she'd hopefully be quick enough to take the baguette hit. This would hopefully leave Asuka unharmed. More importantly, Miho would be away from the spaghetti monster and his steamy attack. Her hands quickly snapped up as she came out of the sonido; the free one grabbing the baguette and the armed one sawing off his head. That takes care of the mime monster.

As far as Li Mei & Asuka go, the Sexta moved immediately, she used one whip to wrap around Li Mei and lasso her close and kept the trembling, frightened fraction safe. Her instinct told her that there would be someone behind and she cracked her other whip, releasing a bala at the spaghetti monster who’d probably be landing where Miho once was. Regardless of where he was, he was still going to get attacked. Her whip could reach it because there was only a certain amount of space the spaghetti monster could fly at and Asuka's whips were quite long. They were in an establishment with a ceiling after all. How far away could he fly while still trying to harm the girls? Not very far. Asuka didn’t even need to really look at the spaghetti monster to fire it at him. She had her peripheral vision. Asuka also opened her mouth releasing another bala aimed at the pea monster who dared to intimidate her fraccion. Both of her bala would be massive due to her Reiatsu Strength. So one hopeful hit for the flying spaghetti monster and one for the pea monster. Here we go!

Asuka's Remaining Reiatsu: (x2 Bala, -100) 3300/3400

Miho's Remaining Reiatsu: (x1 Sonido, -100) 3100/3200

[Marcelius]

There comes a time in every good story, in which the reader senses the author's change in tone. Moments of outstanding relief or torturous uncertainty and tension. The reader can tell what will happen, by nothing more than the phrasing of the written word. Subtle suggestions in context, paint a picture of the events yet to come. This phenomena is used to increase both the delight and intrigue of the one interpreting the story. However, it is not simply great literature which might allude to the future ahead. Like all things, what is written is but a mirror of reality and the dreams it's actuality inspires.

Writers can only create such foreboding tones thanks to the feelings which inhabit them as a result of their own life or experience. When it comes to experience or life, few compare to the likes of the eldest Fraccion. With reality offering clues to the readers; which must be interpreted with empiricism, then none might outmatch this gentleman. Where others see the moment for what it is, he sees it for what it is becoming. The energy which breathed into the food. The cue for attack which brooded within the mind of their host. The lack of amusement which burdened the likes of the Boss. The atmosphere, thick with "black powder", waiting to be ignited by the first cross word. Such bated hostility was the only form of savior-faire that Hollows knew.

So when the author finally decided to expose the climax, Marcelius was already rising to his feet. Thick cane planted firmly into the floor base, hoisting his body was a bit of a chore. Or...so he made it seem. Yes, the elder wore his age like Kento and Kuroi wore their suits. It defined him, and no one could do it better than he. Fortunately, his display was one that was to go unseen. By the time he decided to rise, the food was already erupting in a splash of color, light, and audacity. Truly...it was quite the spectacle. So bright was the flash and loud was the ruckus, that Marc's ol' blue eyes quickly whinced. Closed lids did not in hibit him in the slightest, but it seemed fair to acknowledge the only victory of the sneak attack. One Espada's scoff,another's surprise, and a cadre of Fraccion whom weren't amused...and Li Mei; the poor dear. So it began with a bang, but given the Segunda's prerogative, would end before the whimpering could commence. To be apart of that plan, the senior moved forward.

Opponents arose for each of them...each unique and particular in their abilities. Based off food, it only makes sense that each would have a different pallet of purpose. It could be assumed each were chosen or designed to deal with one of the individuals present. A mammoth pea-person for Li Mei. The spaghetti special for Miho. A day old loaf of baguette, weilded by a clown school dropout. Th..."What exactly is this..." It was quite the fishy creation, some sort of unhygienic Manchovie. Now sooner did the Fraccion see this oddity arise, did he choose to disregard it. Not that it was no a threat, for any of these creations could pose a significant danger to a fool. No, he was going to ignore it for the consciousness it lacked. From this abomination of false life, there were no thoughts or feelings. It was a mindless blip of a Reiatsu reading.

Such an opponent would waste this particular Arrancar's talents...thus an inappropriate partner for this mid-dinner waltz of destruction. Finding a way around this dissatisfying dance partner was almost troubling for Marc, had Nijuu not stepped in to take the lead. With that intolerant loudspeaker of a mouth, the sadistic Hollow moved to his elder's aid. There was no reply from Marcelius, no sign of blessing or agreement. Again, this was not an act of rudeness or dismissal. It was simply...look damnit, Nijuu barely hears what Nijuu says. No matter what the HELL Marc might have said to him; The Hateflayer was just going to rampage right on through, regardless. This Manchovie was already in deep. Deep dish that is. Nijuu was about to blast it into nothing more than pizza toppings for his "Rageboner Pie".

Instead, he simply moved out of Nijuu's warpath...heading in the direction he intended to from the start. Doing little more than walking, the long stride of the tall bodied Arrancar soon crossed the threshold. Heading forward through the explosion and splinters of the tables and chairs, steeled skin and closed eyes leaving him quite unfettered. His destination was close, moving, but close. See, there was one soul in the room...SHOCKINGLY, who possessed a conscience. It was not much, lacking the compassion which Marcelius cherished in others, but it was loud. So noisy with all sorts of plans, ideas, and delightful elation. Yes, practically ecstatic with the progression of events thus far.

In the intensity of the sudden ambush, Pressures were flaring and bellowing everywhere. It was a fanfare of violence, power, and ego. There was Li Mei's terror. Asuka's concern. Miho's amusement. Nijuu's wrath. With all the emotions and commotion, the patient codger nearly faded into the mix. This suited him just find. While he was wary of the dangers which still loomed in the room...not only the mosterous food, but the traps undoubtedly hidden all around. To avoid the first; Marc had the cover provided by the other Espada and Fraccion. After all, each of those within this room were of power equal to an Espada. Such was the price to be accepted ads a Segunda's Fraccion. As for the traps...well, that is what Kuroi's steps were for. Being unable to outrun both the speed and efficiency of the Espada's assault on Mr Sasaki, the oldster was left to benefit from the attack path.

Marcelius had no way of knowing what sort of traps or perils might be laden about the dining hall...or if they were there at all. But if he were going to face down the Segunda, then this room would be a fun house of "prevenative measures". Whateber might be here; he knew was designed to help against Kuroi. So when Naito moved, anything that was here, would undoubtedly trigger. Following that same path at his own pace, removed the surprise from the dangers. This would put the old man right where he needed to be...no time wasted on distractions. Close enough to hear the boastful little quip that the assassin had shared. Honestly, it was quite polite to hear him warn his opponent so emphatically. "Merci..." Barely audible over the shenanigans about them, was the calm of the venerable Hollow's voice. More noticeable than the words, was the broaden handle of his cane...which hooked over the human's left shoulder. Trying to pull away from the rod would find it not so easily spared.

If Kuroi was to meet someone more important than Kento...then someone else would have to entertain him for now. "Your warning is most appreciated." With a restrained smile, he listened in on the heart of this meticulous killer...eager to hear the details of this well versed plan of his. But before they get to that, a threat should be in order. Something to let Sasaki-san know the change of combatants. But, Marc was not one to threaten...promises were much more his speed. "We'll tell this accomplice about your generosity for you. I promise you that." See? What did I say?(Rhetorical) Shockingly enough, his voice never lost its considerate tone...regardless of how much it dsounded like a Funeral Director.

(OoC: Holy shit! That's what he sounds like! A god damn Funeral Director! "I'm sorry for your loss.", and even though he shouldn't know anything about the dead guy in the box...he still seems so convincing! Now I know how to describe it. So that means I got my reward from this thread already. Caution to the wind from here on out! \o/ Also, Kento don't be mad if you had intended to keep fighting Kuroi...I wnt IC with this. D= )

[Zou ۞]

"Is this it...?" Kuroi asked. And just like that, the atmosphere in the whole room changed, and the temperature dropped. Kuroi looked around, taking note of all of the monsters which his subordinates had thus far encountered. Indeed, there were none which would pose any real threat to them. None of those monsters was strong enough to fight on Kuroi's level. The idea that any of them could do so was inconceivable. The Segunda Espada, as a result, had no problem allowing his subordinates to do it themselves. Rather, he had a different goal in mind. The demise of the traitor, Kento Sasaki. The annihilation of this 'accomplish' that the human traitor spoke of, who also seemed to desire Kuroi's death. Black reiatsu began to ebb from Kuroi's body, taking the form of large black ravens with glinting eyes. These fluttered around the Segunda Espada, and their caws could be heard as they trailed black smoke around his body. Of all that the human had encountered, none came even close to him in aura. Kuroi had a true killing intent, more refined and malevolent than any Arrancar alive, even the Primera.

"If I wanted to..." Kuroi noted to Kento Sasaki. "I could crush you with a thought." Kuroi began to flex his reiatsu ever so slightly, so that all in the room would know his presence. Indeed, even his subordinates would feel the building of power, and all in the room, human included, would suddenly feel some difficult breathing, as if some heavy weight was crushing inward on their chests. It was unthinkable that an actual human would dare to challenge Kuroi. He himself had trained one in the past, and had realized then that the potential of those who used the power called 'Fullbring' was extremely limited. There was a ceiling to their potential which they could not hope to ever overcome. Once they struck that ceiling, they would never again have the capacity to challenge an Arrancar, such as Kuroi. His reiatsu flexing dissipated momentarily, after he had made his point by squelching the breathing of those around him. Instead, he turned away from Kento Sasaki, the foolish human whom the Segunda had no real need to dirty his hands with. "You will see." Kuroi said. "You are not a match for any of my subordinates. Even an old man and a pacifist can destroy you."

The Segunda Espada, with eyes cold like the iceberg that sank the Titanic, glanced back at the situation at hand as he took steps away from Kento Sasaki. "Marcelius..." Kuroi said in a commanding voice, demanding the attention of his subordinate, and Fraccion member. "Leave the human alive, but in pieces." That was a command. Marcelius had wanted to face the human, and so he would. And Kuroi suspected that the human was, in fact, no match for Marcelius. It was true that Fullbringers were considered to have an advantage over Arrancar, and that this one was considerably one of the most powerful humans in the world. Yet, Marcelius was a Fraccion serving under Kuroi, the Segunda Espada. This in itself was greater than any mere, pathetic human. And, as proof, Kuroi had flexed his reiatsu momentarily to squelch the breathing of those in the room, making something else clear as well. Should Kuroi desire it at any point in time during Kento Sasaki's encounter with Marcelius, the Segunda could crush the human just by looking at him and willing it to be. That was how desperate, and hopeless the human's efforts truly were.

Suddenly, over at Nijuu, the former Fraccion, and still-subordinate charged at the anchovie monster, rushing with full speed. On the way, Nijuu slapped his fist toward the beast, sending a shockwave of raw power hurtling at the beast. If it struck, then the anchovie fiend would be burst into pieces, as the fish was far less durable and easier to splatter than any other being would be. Nijuu was strong, after all, and each and every step that he took caused him to go farther than any other normal step. His physical strength caused his strides to bounce him high up, and take long, air-borne strides. Air walking. Each and every step that Nijuu took left a deep crater in the floor beneath him. Eyes filled with fire, Nijuu's muscles were flexed like Kuroi's reiatsu. He appeared far more than ready to devastate, destroy, and annihilate the fish. Observing his subordinate, Kuroi realized that Nijuu had grown stronger as a human, and would be more powerful than ever before, should he return later as an Arrancar, as Kuroi intended for his subordinate to eventually do.

"HEY, SCUM!" Nijuu bellowed as he reached the fish. "TAKE. A FUCKING. SHOWER." Nijuu blasted both fists toward the fish, twisting his foot as he did. This put Nijuu's momentum into the attack. If his fists connected, the fish would also splatter. There would be nothing left but guts and pieces, and all bones would be completely destroyed. Nijuu was a strong individual, with enormous, tremendous physical strength. The fish was, after all, merely a fish. There was nothing unique about it, but that it was a living fish which seemed to want to kill Kuroi and his subordinates. But it would have limited, if any, success. Nijuu Tentei had once been an Arrancar capable of becoming Sexta or stronger, who had instead chosen to serve the Segunda Espada for all times. Yet, he was on par with Asuka, at the very least, and she herself was an Espada now. All those who served Kuroi were powerful, and continued to grow more and more powerful. There was never any doubt in the minds of any in Las Noches of what it was that Kuroi stood for. Greatness. Power. The true might of an Arrancar.

[Sozen Kuchiki]

OOC: I'm sorry I took so long! And that my post sucks. But to compensate, Zou wrote up the whole post that you see below the line.

That is also what took so damn long. He took forever to write it. But, yeah. It's a gift from him that he wanted included in my post. XD

IC:

The anchovie fish thing stepped to the side to dodge the initial air strike. Somehow, with its sideways-y fish eyes, it had recognized the incoming shockwaves. It waited there until Nijuu arrived to punch it in the face, and somehow Nijuu's punch connected. Maybe the fish was too dumb to stop it, but it did splatter, and blood and guts did fly everywhere. And so did a haze of pink mist, which flew over Nijuu and covered him in speckles and pellets of blood and guts and ooze from the fishy fiend creature that had plagued him. Not only did it smell horrible, but it made Nijuu smell absolutely horrible too. And, if he had a suit, well that was ruined...

And then suddenly....

BOOM!

---

Suddenly, and out of nowhere, Asuka and Marcelius were struck across the room. It was so blindly fast as to be almost simultaneous between the two of them, but one could rest assured that Asuka had been struck first, and Marcelius second. However, they did impact the wall of the establishment at the same time, and crash through it. And not only did they each crash through the wall, but they flew through a kitchen, and then into and through another wall, which landed them both inside of a dreary looking apartment with boring furniture and average decoration. If they were to look up, they would see what had happened. After coming to from their dazes, they would both be able to see that they had been struck by someone's shoulder. They had literally been shoulder rammed at such great speed and strength that they had hit a wall at the same time, and crashed through it and yet another. Both Marcelius and Asuka, though already bruised and covered in dust, would then find that they had more to come. And, in the meantime, back in the main situation, Kuroi only asked, "What...?"

And there he was. He, the monstrosity of all of Asuka's nightmares, and now Marcelius's nightmares, had arrived. For Marcelius, no emotions could be felt from this individual. No history. No future. No feelings. There existed only ambition, and the conviction to attain that ambition, and realize the vision in the individual's mind. Marcelius would be able to see it, too. The vision within the individual's mind was one of the two subordinates to the Segunda covered in bruises and worse. And every single action which would lead them to this sorry state was already playing in the individual's mind to reiterate it to Marcelius as it actually happened to him and to Asuka both. For, standing there, was an olive skinned man, enormous with huge muscles and broad shoulders, greasy black hair, and unforgiving black eyes. He wore black pants and no shirt, and on his upper bicep on the right arm had a dark blue bull's head silhouette as a tattoo. He was not an Espada, but he was an Arrancar. He had a hole where his heart should be as proof.

The man was clearly, distinctly Greek. He was the Greek Guy from Asuka's nightmares. Looking down at his two captives, he held up his left hand in a thumbs up position, and then violently dropped it into the thumbs down position. Asuka and Marcelius were about to experience pain on an entirely different level. Faster than they could recover, and with the strength of an ox or stronger, the Greek guy picked up Asuka and Marcelius, and slammed their heads together, dazing them further. (1) Then, he threw Asuka up into the ceiling. She crashed through it, and several more ceilings in that multi-level establishment, and flew high into the sky. He round house kicked Marcelius downward, so that Marcelius would fly down and through to the bottom floor the cellar with all the raw goods, and land and create a huge crater down below. (2) The Greek Guy jumped with tremendous strength, reaching Asuka in less than a second. He grabbed the poor teal haired Espada, and threw her back down, but not through the hole her body had created. She had to smash through ceiling all over again, and form new holes.

This time, she flew further down than she had started, all the way until she smacked straight into Marcelius, crashing into him and causing more damage. (3) The Greek Guy fell from the sky with enormous speed, and went through the holes Asuka and Marcelius had created, leaving nothing to slow his momentum. He slammed into them both with a body slam and pile driver from the sky, bashing down on the two helpless victims. (4) The Greek Guy picked up Asuka by the underwear, for he reached into her pants and yanked her underwear up to give her a wedgie. He hung her on a bolted in coat hanger that was somehow down below, and then picked up Marcelius and slammed the Fraccion's head into the wall. (4) He took Asuka off the coat hanger, and used her as a baseball bat to hit Marcelius four times straight. (5, 6, 7, 8) After this, the Greek Guy dropped Asuka, and picked up Marcelius. He ripped off Marcelius's underwear without even removing the Fraccion's pants, and then tied the underwear around Marcelius's face as tightly as possible, so that it actually squished Marcelius's nose. (9)

The Greek Guy picked up both Asuka and Marcelius, and hurled them upward again. They flew in an arc, and landed in some random playground, where Marcelius's face hit a swing, and Asuka landed face first in a sandbox. (10) The Greek Guy, however, was not through, and was already there. He stuck Marcelius on the swing, and then swung him off of it and into Asuka. Marcelius's head slammed into Asuka's butt, and with such force that it drove her even further into the sandbox. (11) The Greek Guy then went and picked up Marcelius, and punched him six times in the face, before stomping on Asuka six times to bury her completely in the sand box. (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17) The Greek Guy dropped Marcelius, then reached into the sandbox and picked up Asuka. He grabbed her chin, and forced her mouth open. There was a sickening sound before he spat a gigantic, gooey lugey into Asuka's mouth. He dropped Asuka, and karate chopped Marcelius's back. (18) Both by this point were sorely beaten up, but they were not through yet...They still had a ways to go.

The Greek Guy picked up the entire swing set, and slammed it down on Asuka and Marcelius both. (19) After he pulled them out of the rubble, he slammed their heads together again (20), and then viciously rubbed their left arms together at high speed, until they received burns from it. (21) At last, he kicked Asuka hard as possible in the boobs, and dropped her. Then, he smashed his forehead into Marcelius's nose, shattering it completely. (22) Leaving Asuka in place, the Greek Guy held Marcelius up high. He slammed Marcelius's face into the ground, and started running at top speed, dragging Marcelius's face across the ground as he did. (23) And then, as he stopped, he held up the poor Fraccion once more, and looked straight into Marcelius's eyes. The Greek Guy said nothing. Felt nothing. Experienced only the satisfaction of a completed mission. He dropped Marcelius on the ground, and it looked like he was done with Marcelius...except for a final pile driver to Marcelius's body. In all years the Fraccion had lived, never had he taken a harder hit than that last one, never a more brutal single strike.

At the end of it, the Greek Guy stood up, dusted himself off, and then walked away into the distance, and the sunset, until he could no longer be seen.

OOC: Omfg....credit to Zou for the above. XD

[Marcelius]

In those first few moments, Marcelius thought he had been bested. The last thing he remembered before..."him", was squaring off with the human. He had used his cane to draw the one called Kento's focus. Eager to have the assassin waste time with him, rather than perturb his boss. But Marc had been confident about that matchup. Well...as confident as his uncertainty could manage. The human was going to prove quite the hellacious challenge, but he at least stood a chance. Following the first crashing hit, that all went away. Suddenly the Fraccion did not know what to think. Surprise overwhelmed him, and little explanation came from the world around. None of the others seemed to comprehend what had happened. One moment he was standing, the next flying. And in the moment after that, he found himself driven through a gauntlet of walls...with another victim at his side. The ever so sickeningly sweet, Sexta. Her almost nauseating aura of joy, rainbow sugar, and unicorn farts was enough to leave Marcelius' head swimming.

Sadly, the numbness offered by his exposure to her oddity of a soul...was in no way strong enough to spare the pain to come. No sooner had this consideration come to bear, was he tormented for thinking it! His head gripped and flung into the Espada's...an eerily distinct echo of emptiness sounding out from the impact. (1) The close contact and the thoughts triggered by the wounded nerves, were enough to ignite his thoughts. No longer swimming, he was drowning in the Sexta's baffeling mentality. All the sense which normally occupied him, knocked loose...presumably into her. What alarmed the oldster most, was how little he could hear. Asuka's static was bad, yes. Even she could not drown out the rest of the world. Even she was not enough to hide their assailant from him. Yet, Marc heard nothing. Saw nothing. What should have been history and motive, was replaced by precision focus. Like a Savant of Mayhem, the one called Stelio could not be defined. Only witni-

"Ah-FUCK!" What....what?! Did Marcelius just drop the F-Bombomb? And right in the middle of his typical long winded rant about character and identity?! Fuck! Stelio could stop his insight! Truly, he could prevent anything the old Hollow might try! And with a swift, downward kick...the haggard, interrupted Fraccion found himself dropped. (2) Basement level: raw goods, utility supplies, and crushed soliloquies! The agony which shot through the Arrancar's face and neck were unlike anything he could recall. They made it difficult for him to breathe, let alone move. That was the point. Not only was his mind disheveled by the assault, so was his comfort and ease of movement. As he felt the area around him, fingers examining the coarse stones and splintered shards of wood, he found each motion unpleasant. Soon, such discomfort would seem like a mercy. A distant drea-"Peuuuwff-aaach!"

The sudden reappearance of the teal-haired angel was enough to knock the wind clear from him. Just in time to silence his needlessly frivolous usage of descriptors. Goodness gracious, this menacing Arrancar could stop his adjectives too?! Were they a god, truly, Marc was now among his forsaken! The old man's arms shot inwards to where the much smaller Hollowette had used him like a cushion. Just as he hoped to scope her up and toss her to safety, new force made an introduction. Where his large hands gripped both her shoulders, he did more than hold her in place for the aggressor to strike. Suddenly Marcelius was becoming crushed under her. That beast of a soul driving his entire weight into them with the help of a very unbiased amount of gravity. (4) Such noises of torment poured from the elder's lungs, forced out like wind from the bellows. The only fire being stoked? The heat of this Greek Man's passion. The two of them were only fueling their attacker...with every sound their breaking bodies produdced!

There was a second...where Marc thought he could breathe again. Weight was pulled from his chest, and relief dared him to drop his guard. Oy, and he ate it up. As soon as his appetite for bad decisions was treated, he felt the begin to move. By now he had lost all contact with the Espada. She might as well have not existed at all. His mind turned towards himself, locked in thoughts of self prese-ntilation! Air! He needed air!! Why was he suffocating?! Where was he? What was this graining material filling his chest? It was now that the fool realized his head was through a wall! Bashed straight through the brick and mortar, buried in the soil beyond. They were in the basement aftera-"Aaahhww!!" Seriously?! He could not even explain the logic beh...fine! No logic! Just turmoil!

So while his head was trapped beyond the wall, choking on dirt, wondering if he were to be buried alive...his back came under fire. An odd combination of whipping and bludgeoning; the aching Hollow was left in quite the physical confusion. There was no such weapon which made pain like this. Not that he could recall. It was like some dense ball was being smashed against it, but then it gave in and became soft immediately after impact. A flail whip? Was that thi-"Aaahhww!!"...gain it struck! Then once more, and once more still! (5, 6, 7, 8) Trying to break free and resist was futile. The speed of the beating was unmatched, and because his back was breaking so badly...he might as well be called "Mr White". Fits even better now, considering hat joke was bad enough to give him cancer.

Freedom and fresh air were not the answers. No sir. For as soon as his cranium was released from it's ditry prison, it was placed in a fresh one. Four tight walls made of underwear, cleaned this morning. Fresh indeed. Sadly, there was a problem. The old man did not wear things like these...underpants. Back in his day, nobody could afford such a luxury! Couple that faulty upbringing with geriatric style " do not give a fuck", and one is left with one commando rolling gent. Which begs the question...where did the breifs come from? And why did they have his scent? These sorts of questions were too big for his britches; however, and must remain unanswered. (9) Instead, a more practical answer would be one concerning flight. Flight, in the sense of a path. As in a, Flight Path. As in...he was hurdling through the air with no sort of control or knowledge of trajectory! Sadly he would see very little through the fine mesh fabric of his undies. Certainly not enough to decipher the mystery of, "What strangely metallic thing just smashed against my face?"

The answer of course, was a child's swing set. (10) Well, not so much a set...just the bar for the swing. A bar which now bore a really unattractive dent. One shaped like that of a screaming man. A screaming man with a face of steel. Possibly even a man who had been dropped from a very high place. Or just tossed, haphazardly, by some food raging asshole. Or maybe not. The possibilities were endless. Much like this continued thrashing! For as his limb body gave in to the forces of nature. Gravity once again pulling him down. The Fraccion ended up landing in the very seat of the swing he hit. A cozy enough spot...supportive enough for a child...and the launching pad for his next punishment. With a sudden fling, he was soaring through the air. This time his landing was softer, but somehow, humiliating. Hard to tell what he hit. BUT whatever it was, it probably reminded him of #CherryBowls. (11) Would someone who knew what was going on consider that intimated contact? Did the nearly unconscious Arrancar have another asswhuppin' to be fearful of after this? Woulda Zero Divisioner be more reasonable? No. But at least he would die instead of suffer for that misunderstanding. Before then; however, this hell had more to accomplish.

Looking up through already swelling eyelids, Marcelius could make out the faint light of day. Was he outside? Was that the wind he heard rushing around him? Was it over? Yes. No. No. That "wind" was the sweeping sound of a large, powerful fist. It was heading straight for his head. (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)To his dismay, he could interpret it's every motion in excruciating detail. Even the flickers of light that danced of the sweet and blood which covered the knuckles...twas enough to trick him into thinking he saw the sun. As the fearsome ball of fingers crashed into his face a half dozen times or so, he pondered something. As loose as his teeth were after this...was he going to need dentures? Sure he had been lucky till now. Age had not taken his chompers from him. But was that time over now? If so, he would need a good dentist. And insurance. Unfortunately, Las Noches had no such oral expert...nor did Kuroi off his minions benefits. And getting help from the government was a waste of effort. Fucken Okusacare!

Thankfully, there came a pause. It was long enough that Marc tried to crawl to his hands and kne-"Eeeehck!" Once more! The back. Why was it always his back? Whast, were the knees too cliche? Why not the hips?! No! The love did not get shared, and his vertebrae did not get spared. (18) Were he to walk again, he would continue not taking it for granted. Either way, he was eating more dirt. Or, sand. Is sand dirt? Is there some categorical impera-"Hhnnn!" Once more came the ringing sound of hollow collision. This time, the sound was a much higher pitch. This time, the empty metal shell was a pipe rather than a skull. That damn swing set, back for vengeance on the man who ruined it's framework. (19) Well, fuck that swing. It was ugly and useless...even before the Fraccion's face damaged it. But speaking of damaged faces, it seems the Sexta had returned! It had been a while since his consciousness could focus on anything but the immense agony.

It was nice to hear from her. To feel she was still alive. To taste the blood on his lip after her forehead came slamming against him. Busting up his mouth and causing a grimace. (20) Too bad she was in the same boat as he. Seemingly suffering the same catastrophic stomping that he had. Maybe this would bring them closer? And not in the bashing way. Perhaps, if they both lived...this experience might solidify a friendship? They could become two peas in a pod. Two bugs in a rug...fucking burn! The Fraccion's left arm, despite the Hierro, suddenly erupted in a blaze of heat and discomfort. (21) Like gradeschool all over again. Except he never went to grade school. Never learned of the dreaded Indian Burn...never developed a tolerance. Ah, but that dismay was nothing more than a distraction. Before he could smell his cooked flesh, his nostrils filled with sudden floods of blood! The loud and unsettling sound of shattered cartilage poured out in tandem with his two sprung leaks of sanguine.

A headbutt had finished the job fists began long ago. His proud and regal nose, shattered. (22) While the rushing fluids made breathing hard, it was apparently not hard enough. Soon a very grainy texture joined the thick and clotting mess inside his nasal canal. Not to even mention his: eyes, his mouth, or even his ears! (23) But that was OK. Symbolically, a merciful gift. It was time to sleep now. That's what the sand signaled. He had endured enough, and his body should give in. Know what? Can fucken' do. Coma quickly swept over Marc. He was fading out. Escaping this nigh-"Haaaahhhn!", but not before one last farewell. A foreboding so long, from that brutal Greek Man. One devoid of emotion. Robbed of feelings. Souless, except for the daunting presence of an overwhelming, all-encompassing ambition. The image forever burned in his mind and retina. The vision of that reasonless monster, Stelios.

(OoC: Not really sure if Asuka and Marc are out of this thread now or not. Gunna leave that up to GM!)

[Deleted]

Just once, she thought she escaped it. Escaped the turmoil and the torture he was forced endure on a special day. A day she just so happened to be with Kuroi and the others. She wasn’t nervous as her mind was distracted with other things. Things like protecting Li Mei and backing up her good ol’ boss and object of every nightmare of her’s possible. There’s a certain, special type of fear when you’re in a dream and you think you’re about to kiss Shinsei in the middle of the Licorice Kingdom… Only to find out, as you get closer, it’s Kuroi’s face. It made Asuka afraid to dream about her very sexy hubby; her mind often going to places of war and torture that are Kuroi oriented. It was like he developed some kind of special technique to constantly invade her mind so she’d be alert and on her toes for every second of the day going on to the rest of her goddamn, miserable life.

Blah.

The Olive Skinned man, however, only visited her once a year. He had a special talent and instilled a very different and very erm… special fear. One of helplessness and an aspect of death far worse than #Despaaaaair. If this Greek Man was an Espada, his aspect of death would be “Stelio Kontos”; nothing more and nothing less. His own. fucking. name. That was all he needed. Asuka didn’t even put it past him to be the Captain Commander and King of Las Noches simultaneously. Well, that wasn’t true. Asuka did know Kouhai-sama and, well, she did have tea with him sometimes and that was fun! Gosh. Kouhai-sama can be so cool sometimes! A little scary but totes fun. Asuka wondered if he secretly had a collection of exotic tea cups and teapots that he hid for fear of Guujin the evil beanstalk man soiling his precious china. It was all sweet, sweet food for thought.

Asuka had been so occupied with the well being of her fraccion that she hadn’t noticed the manifestation of her nightmares standing right there. It was only when he charged at her, she realized that she was absolutely fucked and fucked in the shocking, bright red, bold font. “EVERY. FUCKING. YEAR.” she yelled from the top of her lungs. She panicked. She knew what was coming and she knew that she was in for a world of hurt. Only… strangely, she wasn’t alone this time. Marcelius seemed to be in the same boat as well so #UnderTheBus he went. It seemed like Li Mei and Miho was alright. Their enemies dealt with and no longer a nuisance… Though. Li Mei immediately hid behind Miho who frankly didn’t care a single shit about what was going to happen as she was already familiar the the usual. But to her surprise, she saw her dear father getting picked on as well. She felt quite happy and comfortable to watch on curiously… Occasionally twisting her face and grimacing at the show going on before her. Yeah, daddy dearest wasn’t going to have fun. Part of her actually felt just a teensy bit sorry but she shrugged it off, looking to her boss for any new instructions… and both girls moving farther away from Nijuu covering their noses.

Asuka felt herself being picked up and before she knew it, her head collided with the ceiling, crashing right through it as well as several more ceilings right up into the sky like Team Rocket was blasting off once again (1). That wasn’t the strength of a fucking ox. That was the strength of Ashton Kutcher, the greatest werecow (akki) in all the land. It hurt a little but she knew that this was just the beginning of it. Every year the violence continued with just one more new twist added to it. Was that to keep it interesting? Did The Greek Guy ever get bored? What did he do for the other 364 days of the year? Did he play golf and knit? Stelio seemed like the type of guy that liked to knit for some reason. Asuka didn’t know why, he just struck her as that kind of person. Before she knew it, he grabbed her. When the hell did he get here? How did he reach her… up above the world so high? Like a diamond in the sky?

Twinkle, twinkle, Stelio Kontos, How I wonder what you are. Seriously. What the hell?! God. Jeezus. Why. He flung her back down! (2) Right into a different part of the ceiling creating a whole knew path. She screamed from the top of her lungs. “Whyyyyy Meeeeee!!!!!!” Of course, that all came to a stop when she crashed into Grandpa (a nickname she felt he deserved because she really did feel like he was a grandpa somehow. Maybe he was hiding his grandkids in his wallet. She heard of people doing that! Oh gosh! Oh gosh! What if he trapped them in there?! What if they’re hungry!? Won’t they get hungry? How do they eat macaroons if they’re trapped in that tiny piece of leather!? That’s so wrong?! Waiit. Whatifthey’reevilandhe’sprotectingeveryone? Oh gosh! Go grandpa!) like a meteor (3). “Oooof!” This man was unrelenting. He felt him pick her up… but by her underwear. Oh she prayed that he wasn’t anything like Cierro. If he was going to attempt another changing room prank then we’re going to have a problem. Asuka wasn’t going to be able to do anything about it though and yeeeowch! “Wedgie! Wedgie! No! Please! Why!?” she cried as she was hung on a coat hanger that she desperately attempted to get herself off of to no avail (4). Not only was there no time to do anything, but her body already started to ache and by the time he got to her, she tried to resist, squirmed about and looked at Marcelius and shook her head. “I’m sooooorry~! Aha!” She cried out before the menacing man used her like bat, slamming her into Marcelius. “Ow! Ow! Ow! OW!” (5,6,7,8).

Hm. Last year… she got 21…So if you switch the cosine with the tangent and divide by watermelon and multiply by Angelina Jolie… you get 22… right? Algebra was hard. Asuka hardly understood it and she sucked in school in her human years. Not like it mattered though. She knew she had way more to go. The Greek Man finally dropped her which wasn’t so bad.. (9) and then picked her up and hurled the poor pair up until they both landed in a playground with children screaming and little Timmy peeing his pants all the way in the corner somewhere…randomly. She landed face fucking first in the sandbox, the harsh grains of the sand scratching her skin leaving bruises with the added ‘that shit really fuckin’ hurt cause I was thrown into it from freaking Germany’ factor.(10) Her face was stuck in the sand and she was in so much pain from being thrown around like a rag doll that she was practically done by the point. Sort of. Somehow, she felt something impact her precious gluteus maximus and drive her further down into her sandy doom. (11) How or why, she wasn’t aware. She just knew it happened.

Asuka couldn’t see what was going on but that probably didn’t matter. No. As long as she felt it then The Greek Guy was probably satisfied. She was being driven in even more like a camping stake, being stomped on repeatedly. (12,13,14,15,16,17) Muffled screams could be heard, but it was all pointless. It was so fucking hard to breathe but thankfully, her burial was short. Painful but quick… and it was going to get worse. Asuka just stopped resisting at this point.. well, she tried to until he spit whatever the hell it was in her mouth and tripped her. She coughed it up and spit it out as he dropped her. Feeling quite happy to eat sand instead. (18) Sand was such a fucking blessing in comparison to that little slimy spawn of Stelio. AUGH. THAT WAS SO GROSS. Asuka just dropped her head in the sand, her body completely battered but not torn or broken. She slowly rolled over only to see an entire.fucking.swing set. being picked up, ready to come down crashing on her and Marcelius like a rocket. (19) She whined and whimpered but he wasn’t done. He’d grabbed both of their head and slammed it against each other (20) before he somehow gave them burns…from…something. “Owwww! Ow! Ow! That burns! That’s not cool! That’s hot! Not the good kind! Aha! Ow!” she complained, somewhat out of her ‘I give up’ phase. (21). The Greek Guy then proceeded to kick her in her precious tatas (22) with immense force. She grabbed her chest weakly in attempt to relieve the pain but…GOD. THE BOOBS. REALLY?

It was over for now but the pain was there. The Sexta groaned in pain, lifting her head from the ground for a moment. “Grandpaa…Everything hurts…Aha.” she said just before dropping her head and slipping into unconsciousness. Even when she was knocked out, Asuka could hear a song. A certain song. A song-ly song of songiness. The kind of song that was menacing even without the lyrics. But even he was gone! Even when she was knocked out…She could hear it…

Stelio! ….Stelio Kontos! Stellio!…Stelio Kontos!

[Sozen Kuchiki]

From now on, we're going to continue separately. First, I want each of you (Kuroi is no longer in this thread, and thus it is now Marc's post) to post reactions to the first post of THIS THREAD which will happen simultaneously to our little adventure. Within our adventure, I want Marcelius and then Asuka to respond, and in the meantime I will DM here and you guys are gonna be doing something separate. I have permission to control NPC Nijuu for DM purposes, but first, I want reactions to my posts. And, as we continue, events from the Sozen vs Kuroi battle will also have huge impact on what's happening in this thread, so pay attention.

BUT, from here on out, Kuroi vs Sozen happens Here.

More action takes place in this thread, but it'll technically be a response to that thread. Marc is up.

[Marcelius]

There was something, horrendous, in the air. A new blanket of pressure which settled onto the world like a hurricane. It was so odd a sensation, to feel the presence of a storm...but see no clouds within the night sky. How did he know it felt like a massive front? Oldness. Every joint that was not already hurting, began to throb. Not to mention skin felt dirtied by the heavy air. Something was wrong. A foul thing had happened, and he might have missed it. Retrieving the whipped Asuka from her sandy shame...would be loosing all grace. It was now, that the elder had to hurry. Fishing her up by the collar, much like a bear scruffing it's young, he hurried off towards the sickening restaurant. Eager to return to his Boss, but not to discover what awaited him when he did.

Having only just stumbled back into the room, easy and fumbling from his multitudes of wounds, "What is this..." Words escaping him, as he desperately surveyed the situation. Before him an open and messy room. That destroyed dining hall from which he was so recently removed. It still looked the same. A disheveled battlefield of fishguts and leftovers. Only the occupants were different. Only the addition of one, unwelcome soul. The Crimson King. Family Head to the Kuchiki Clan. Hokori Kuchiki. It was a strange sight to see such man. Away from his castle and servants. Away from the family he was charged with keeping great.

Why would such a noble be on the likes of a battlefield as this? The answer was clear as quickly as it was present. The Fraccion recapped to the Human's earlier taunts. The claims of a powerful supporter. A business partner who had good reason to hate Kuroi. Which, when one thinks about it...really did not limit the list in any way. There was not a Shinigami alive who did not hate the Segunda. Even if such a forgiving soul existed, they would still want him dead. Such a terror and plague on their Society...how could any stand for his survival.

It would seem the one willing to act upon that malice was quite a big fish. Which was fair. Only the strong would see fit to actually challenge a man with such a history as the Harbinger of Despair. Seeing the man in person was far different than imagining who he might be. It was far more awesome to experience the pressure of this soul, in reality. Though Marc would consider him foolish for trying, he did not think the man any lesser. Indeed, a terrible chill went up his spine as he examined this Lord's Reiatsu. The first and only thing he could think being, "Only Lord Kuroi could deal with such a man...Li Mei-Miho-Nijuu..."

All three of their names seemed to mesh in his mind. Sadi exactly at the same time. They all caused his veins to run cold and his eyes to scour the room. With the likes of a Shinigami Captain nearby, he could not dare hope to see them with his Sixth Sense. The overbearing Spiritual Pressure of the Lord Kuchiki made all other souls in this room fade to nothing. All except Kuroi. Forced to look with his tired, bloodied eyes...it took all he had to not scream for them. In hopes they would answer. Thankfully, the codger kept his trap shut. Silent in his search, allowing him to hear the conversation he had returned to. Needing only for him to step forward into the scene; while depositing his Espada luggage on the floor next to him. Good thing he brought her along...for this was something they both needed to hear.

Kill Yourself, that was the verdict that had been cast. A strange and confusing command, from the man dressed in a fine tuxedo and inappropriate tie. Seriously, did he not know it was the absolute lowest faux pa to wear a long tie with a tux? Was it some sort of mockery? No, the tone was too serious for such a jape. The Reaper wanted their commander to do the unthinkable. To take his own life. To go against his very character, and throw away the only thing of actual value to him. Or so his Fraccion was trying hard to convince himself of. The ultimate displeasure of a narcissistic, pragmatist. A request that would warrant laughter, in all honesty, were it not for the stakes.

It was not from the Soul Reaper that Marcelius heard the terms, but from Kuroi. In an obscenely rare show of emotion, the dark curtain of the Segunda's soul began to rise. Behind it, the elder heard everything that had been requested of his leader. Everything that had been threatened had he denied. It was him, or them. Not only his Fraccion, but the Sexta and her Fraccion as well. Everyone who had become close with the Espada. The only souls who he would trust. The...family, that he was at least kind enough to not deny. A price that Marc had always hoped Kuroi would consider quite great...until this moment. Oh, the pain started quickly. Triggered by the Segunda himself. The sound of remorse, aching within the typically infallible man.

Thoughts of miscalculation and mismanagement corrupted him briefly, and for a single second, the Fraccion actually shared a mindset with his Espada. Harmony, quick and fleeting. Something he had experienced with the rest of them at some point, but never the Boss himself. Not like this. Noticing it for what it was; Marcelius' chest nearly gave out. He cursed being here. He cursed even being alive. Like so many times before, he fell under the blame of great misfortune. Like all those other times, he wanted nothing more than to undo what was done. To him; he was responsible for the Segunda's danger. While the choice was in the Boss' hands, it was being forced by their mere existence.

Burdened by his nature, Marc could not help but turn the blame inward. Certain that if he had never been involved, such troubles would not have occurred. Such was mere idiocy; however, given the roles played by the other Fraccion. Both former and remaining. They afflicted their boss even more greatly than the oldster. Without him here, the weakness would still remain. The same weakness that lead the Espada to even consider accepting the terms. The frailty of their lives; which coerced Kuroi to attempt the unacceptable. Yes, someone would yell out for him to halt. Someone would beg that he refuse the bargain, and seek to live. Marcelius wouldn't be able to help himself, the words would force their way.

Pleading with Kuroi, the elder tired to issue reason. This entire evening was a setup, why not the poison as well? What reason did they have to trust the Shinigami? What bond of honor linked them and those who sought their complete and utter genocide. Better yet, what justified their trust in any of the promises made? Tender oaths struck by a man threatening death to them all. Assuming they were poisoned, then they were already dead. The Soul Reaper would undoubtedly delight in seeing all of their lives end, given the stories of him facing the Vizards. Oh yes, the legend of the Kuchiki Patriarch, who slaughtered monstrously strong Shinigami...who had been given the power of Hollows. Such a story was not to be ignored for those serving Las Noches. A man such as that, lived for the killing and death. A spree was nothing more than a wish come true. An unavoidable circumstance that he would place on all the enemies that he could.

And considering he had the upper hand here, with a fabricated stage of conflict...he most certainly had those aspirations again. Were the poison real, he would allow them to die following the Segunda's death. Were it fake, he would have the pleasure of killing them off in the aftermath of losing someone dear. Nijuu and Miho would become emotional and ill-tempered, charging right into his methodical sword. Asuka and Li Mei, possessing actual goodness, would be left unfocused and incapable of defending themselves truly. And he...it was no mystery, Marc would lay down his life in the hopes to save any one of these. He would die trying to have them spared, and that would be that. Toxin or not, they were already intended to suffer. So the question was really, if Kuroi would give their enemy satisfaction twice? The joy of killing the Segunda without unsheathing his sword...before slaughtering the remnants of his existence. The only ones who would care he was gone. What sort of story would that leave for future Hollows? How could the life of the most fearsome Espada, come to such an end?

When it looked as though the decision had been made, Marcelius turned away. Disbelief overtook him, and quickly set to work on his nerves. Soon his mind was a torrent of questions and emotions, none of which were distracted him from the tragedy unfolding. It was at this time that he felt a shift. A bleak descent within his soul. Where normally he maintained balance, and strived for control...now he just craved satisfaction. Any satisfaction that might drive away the guilt. Any obsession which could alleviate the turmoil inside. A sliver of his former self showed through.

A specter from the past. One that demanded blood for blood. A cry for pain and anguish, and a fresh soul added to the weeping chorus. A voice which the Fraccion was eager to indulge. Stepping forward, away from the other Fraccion, he moved past the showdown. Leaving well before Nijuu’s reveal, before the confirmation that they would be fine. Uncaring of what changes might be made now, still trapped in the certainty that all of them would die here today. Left a mute by the horror of what was unfolding, he silently eased by. Unafraid of the Kuchiki, or what attempts he might make on his life. None were expected, given the circumstances at hand.

The Shinigami could not afford to harm any of the others, for they were the only guarantee for his life. With the poison in their veins, they were already doomed...any attack made on any of them would reveal the trickey on which the plan was formed. While also evoking the rage of the ire of the Segunda. So no, that would not happen. This Reaper was not going to attack any of them now. Being walking corpses as they were, there was little to fear in repercussions. Unwilling to have his last moments stained with the sacrifice of a greater man than himself, or the painful demise of his entire family; Marc hoped for something different. Something made of flesh, and eager to escape.

The one who lured them here for his "ally". The clever soul who did indeed fairly trick them. The Assassin named Kento, who now wished to leave the fray. No no no, that would not do. There was no leaving this calamity. Not for his family, or those responsible for their imminent ends. Dead eyed and driven, the beaten Hollow trailed after the escape artist. Able to track such a powerful man for miles and miles, there would be no getting away. No audience seat to retire to, no show to enjoy. If all of Marcelius' long life and humble dreams were to come apart. Then so to would the human. Piece. By piece. By piece…

(OoC: Marc is going after Kento, were it not clear! Since no one but Kuroi could deal with Sozen. XD )