What Happens In Vegas

[Douma]

((OOC: This is a job for Kagami Murai, Squad 1 Vice Captain, and a contender for the Squad 3 Vice Captain position, Takehiko Kuchiki. It will take place in Las Vegas))


Boy, do I look good. Though Kagami knew that he was being modest with himself. To say he looked merely ‘good’ is to say that Kobe Bryant is an okay basketball player. Good doesn’t cut it. Not only is Kobe the best, but also there is no one that surpasses Kagami in appearance. There are some who say that Sozen is comparable, but to that, the Squad 1 Vice Captain could only laugh and recommend a good eye doctor to those handicapped souls. A smile from the Mirror Master could make any woman in her right mind swoon. A small hello would take the breath straight from their lungs. A touch would make them faint. Yes, Kagami looked that could.

And what was so different about his appearance today, one may ask? A lot of the time that Kagami goes out to the human world, he enjoys wearing expensive clothing and even suits. However, today was an even more special occasion, and he dressed accordingly. In a brilliant, yet simple black tuxedo, he was a sight for sore eyes. It was obvious with just a glance that the articles of clothing that composed his tux were not cheap, and that was part of the reason why he had them on that day and was examining himself in the mirror of his dressing room.

To put it simply, Kagami needed money. And a lot of it. His years of bar tabs had piled up, along with bills for his many suits and tuxedos, other pieces of clothing, and strange things he had bought while drunk that he couldn’t even remember. Turns out that he had illegally filled up the Olympic swimming pool with rum and took a swim. Kagami couldn’t even begin to wonder how he had done such a thing, but he did not request an explanation. Ignorance is bliss, after all. But the bill from that one act was especially heavy.

But the Vice Captain had a plan, for he would not lie down and die. No, instead, Kagami found a quick and classy way for him to redeem himself and dig his way out of an endless pit of debt. He was going to star in a Las Vegas entertainment show. By pulling some strings and rearranging some memories, Kagami had managed to get a large corporation to fund the event so that they could both profit from his ‘magic show.’ And now, a gorgeous young blonde was calling him to the stage. She was definitely on his to-do list for that night. Yes, the pun was intended.

And so Kagami heard the host say with a deep, bellowing voice: “Ladiiieeees and Gentlemeeeeen. You’re wait is over, for the man you have all come to witness is finally here. Please throw your hands in the air for the one and only world renowned Magnificent Muuuraaaaaiiiiii!” Kagami took a deep breath, basking in yet another moment of him being the center of attention. He took a step forward into the spot light and raised his hand in thank you to the applauding crowed.

The blinding light made it difficult for his eyes adjust immediately, so it took a while for him to be able to make out his audience. However, when his vision corrected, he found rows upon rows upon rows of children of various ages. The oldest were approximately fifteen while the youngest of them were two. Small groups of siblings were identifiable if one looked close enough. For the most part, a few hundred minors filled the audience.

Kagami couldn’t have managed to get a spot in a real show aimed for adults without raising a few questions, even with the resources he had at his hands. And so he got the second best thing, a gig to entertain the children of alcoholic and gambling parents. It wasn’t the best deal, but it payed very well, so Kagami took advantage of the opportunity. He was desperate after all. But no matter what happened that night, he would tell the story slightly differently to his subordinates back at Soul Society. He wouldn’t lie about it, of course not. But the Vice Captain would just leave out the part about the audience being children. It’s still technically the truth.

Kagami grabbed the microphone from the center of the stage and paced around the expansive platform enthusiastically. “Ladies and gentlemen, I hope you all know that you’re in for the greatest show Las Vegas has ever witnessed tonight. And while I’m more than satisfactory to blow your minds, it simply wouldn’t be fair for me to share all the glory for myself. Therefore, I’d like to welcome my lovely assistant, who would be kind enough to introduce herself.”

Notice the word choice. ‘Herself.’ Yes, Kagami desperately needed the money from this show, but he had to have some fun with it too. Therefore, he decided to bring, in his words, an ‘assistant.’ The Vice Captain had called the Kuchiki newbie, Takehiko, to his office with an urgent mission. They were to protect a group of innocent civilian children that were under threat from a mysterious group of villainous Fullbringers called The Circus.

It was all utter bullshit, but Kagami’s paperwork looked perfectly legitimate. With that in mind, the Shinigami could not have refused. He was told to report to his dress room two hours before the performance. After all, they couldn’t be a part of the audience since they were far too old. Therefore, the only way they could get in was to be the entertainers in the first place. The Kuchiki was told that he would find his uniform ready for him in his changing room. What Kagami neglected to tell him was that it was a beautiful short, black dress that wasn’t too modest about exposing his back and legs, and only covered his chest to a certain extent. Kagami must have been as eager as the kids in the crowd for his lovely assistant to emerge.

[Amagai Kuchiki]

There was a brief moment where Takehiko honestly considered what the worst consequences of murdering Kagami live on stage would be. Dealing with the mortal legal authorities would be problematic, but realistically he would be able to escape them. The moral aspect of murdering someone was also an issue, but Takehiko had killed before. And exposing the kids to horrific violence right here, right now? Well, it's a tough world out there and they were going to have to grow up sooner or later. But no, he didn't. Instead, he gave his best winning smile, and tried to appreciate how good he looked in a dress.

Signing up for this job had been an unfortunate series of poor life choices, and standing on a stage on Vegas only served to bring back the memories. When he had woken up that morning, something about the day was off. He couldn't place exactly what it was, but something was clearly off. He had fumbled when retrieving his sword from next to his bed, he'd spilled a glass of water at breakfast, and he'd tripped while exiting the barracks. "Must be nerves," he'd told himself, and went to the training grounds to hit wooden men with sharp objects until he felt better. This turned out to be a poor decision, in hindsight. Maybe staying inside the barracks and reading a nice book, or meditating, or planning for the upcoming battle for Vice Captaincy. All of those could have been valid decisions. But no, he chose to go to the training grounds, and now he suffered the consequences.

He'd only been smacking the dummy around for a few minutes when Kagami had arrived. Takehiko had sparred with the Mirror Master a few times before, but they weren't really friends. And now, it seemed very obvious why. "Takehiko, just the man I wanted to see," Kagami had begun, before spiraling off into a great tale of a sinister group of Fullbringers with luck related Fullbrings. He had informed Takehiko that the group was targeting Vegas, and was hellbent on harming every innocent being in their path. It sounded odd, and of course Takehiko furrowed his brows and questioned authority as best as possible, but Kagami had handed him the necessary documentation. It was a Gotei 13 sanctioned mission and everything. And to be fair, he'd heard of stranger villainous plans. So he had noded, and said yes, and prepared himself for the fight of his life against some of the cruelest Fullbringers marauding America.

And instead he ended up here in a dress. On the one hand, his dignity was in tatters. On the other hand, he was rocking the dress. Back when Takehiko was sixth seat, the third seat had always said "If you are given a job, do it well, regardless of how absurd." And so he did. Kagami hadn't given him much to work with, the black dress was clearly not suited for his body type, but Takehiko wasn't going to let that stop him. So as he walked out onto the stage, eyes glued on him, he felt a hint of pride. He had let his hair down, it went easily past his shoulders and flowed gently from side to side as he walked. For that matter, he walked with conviction, with purpose, and mimicking the actual showgirls that he'd seen as they entered the casino. His callused hands were covered in petite white gloves, masking his rugged nature with a subtle bit of misdirection that played into the costume perfectly. His legs would have been an issue, but he'd been resourceful, and looted through the dressing room to retrieve a set of red stockings, accenting the color of his dress. They concealed the leg hair for the most part, which was a small blessing. The revealing back wasn't much of an issue, Takehiko's back wasn't particularly rugged or hairy, and although he wouldn't have fooled any of the children's parents, besides the very drunk ones, the kids were buying it.

Of course, he hadn't really dealt with his chest. He had some bandages on him as part of a med kit, and did his best to add a layer of fabric over the visible parts of his chest, but he hadn't gone all the way and located a padded bra. Alas, he was only willing to go so far for the show. Luckily, the bandages accented his tattoo, which he hoped would draw the kids' attentions. It usually did.

He approached Kagami with a smile on his face, and leaned in close to his ear. "A lesser man would have left you hanging. Lucky you, eh?" With that he drew back, and gave a huge smile towards the crowd, blowing a kiss towards the back row. "Hel-lo Las Vegas!" He cried out towards the crowd, mimicking the exaggerated tone of a showgirl. Takehiko had never been blessed with a deep and booming voice to begin with, a fact he now found reason to appreciate, and the microphones altered the sound enough that the kids probably couldn't tell that much was off. Or so he hoped at least. Whatever Kagami's plan to draw the Fullbringers out into the open was, it better be a damn good one. And for that matter, he had better be ready to single handedly defeat the group, because fighting in this dress was going to be a nightmare.

[Douma]

Kagami joined the audience in a wild applause as his new partner-in-crime stepped on to the stage. He could hear some of the older teenage boys put their fingers to their mouths and let out a piercing, whistle that had a flattering tone directed towards the Kuchiki. The rich kid cleaned up pretty well, thought the Vice Captain, obviously entertained with how the night was starting. He took a few seconds to take a closer look at the additions made to the address by Takehiko. The red leggings certainly were flashy and suited the situation. The gloves complimented his apparel as well, adding more class to the somewhat slutty dress he was originally given. He wasn’t perfect, but the free hairstyle definitely gave him some extra points. All in all, he had exceeded the Lieutenant’s expectations, especially when he embraced his role and the Vegas atmosphere so patiently. Takehiko was worthy of serving under Kagami in the show they had prepared, especially since the Vice Captain could only look even more attractive while standing by his subordinate.

Just as the applause started to die out, Kagami gestured to his ‘assistant’ with both hands, reviving the exclamations and cheers. The crowd was better than he had expected, though they were still kids after all. Still, they seemed quite pleased. Their employers were bound to notice that. It was a good way to start the show. The Shinigami walked towards Kagami, intending share a private word or two with the Lieutenant. Kagami, however, turned that movement into a hug, closing his arms around Takehiko in a warm, yet brief embrace. It could have looked like another act to entertain the audience slightly and build the idea of a friendship between the two in the minds of the children. Kagami could imagine how far from the truth that was on the Kuchiki’s side.

“A lesser man would have left you hanging. Lucky you, eh?” To this Kagami flashed noble an arrogant smirk, saying only quietly enough for Takehiko to hear as they pulled away from their hug, “Hate to break it to you, but you’re not looking like much a man right now.” Who knew making money could be so much fun? Speaking of making money, Takehiko wasn’t too shabby when it came to getting the crowd pumped. “Hel-lo Las Vegas!” Not bad, not bad, the Vice Captain thought to himself as Takehiko managed to draw out another extended cheer. Man, were these kids excited. Though Kagami did notice a few uncertain expressions that came from the children seated at the back to whom the kiss was directed. Kagami couldn’t blame them, after all, since the Kuchiki’s appearance was a little… misleading. Yep, that’s the word. ‘Misleading.’

Kagami let the cheers die out for a few seconds, and let the silence linger for just a moment. It set a good, dramatic air. Just so he wouldn’t let the quiet last long enough to get slightly awkward, he made sure to time it perfectly by slowly counting down in his head. Three… two… one… show time. And so the Vice Captain suddenly shifted his attitude to contain hints of excitement and mystery at the same time, which should be more than enough to hush the kids in awe. “What I’m about to do tonight for you is no trick, no hoax by the fakes you might see on TV." As he spoke, Kagami walked the stage like he owned it. He eventually made his way back in a circle to were Takehiko stood in the back center of the stage. He paused for a moment to extend his hand to the Kuchiki. Kagami obviously intended for him to take it, but the reasons for that would remain a mystery to the crowd. However, Takehiko would notice that, written on Kagami’s hand were the words ‘Do Not Move.’ It was an order, and the Shinigami would take whatever meaning out of it that he wanted. It certainly could be interpreted as urgent, though, in this case, it was all a part of the show.

“This is real magic, kids, so unless you open your eyes wide enough, you just might miss it.” Assuming that Takehiko had taken the Vice Captain’s extended hand, he would lift their arms up together and lower them in a bow. And in that very moment, an explosion of red smoke would engulf them both. Takehiko should easily be able to identify it as Kagami’s own Bakudo #21: Sekienton.While the crimson cloud hid them, Kagami would summon three mirrors. One was directly in front of Takehiko, one was directly behind the noble, and the other was at the back of the top balcony in the audience. Kagami would link the side of the mirror facing Takehio to the mirror on the balcony so that he could instantaneously teleport behind the crowd. In the mean time, he would link the side of the same mirror in front of Takehiko facing the crowd to the back side of the mirror behind the Shinigami, the audience would literally see right through the Shinigami as he hopefully stood still between the mirrors. With the way the theater had positioned the seating to the stage, it shouldn’t be possible for any of the children to see through the small gap between the two mirrors.

In the mean time, Takehiko would see Kagami for a brief second through the link leading to the balcony before the Mirror Master ended the link and had the mirror in the crowd immediately vanish without a trace. He took a second or two to let the audience marvel at the stage, trying to search the stage for any hint of their entertainer. Of course, they wouldn’t find anyone. And when their confusion was at its peak, Kagami would raise his microphone to his mouth, croutching by one a fourteen-year-old girl that was stretching her neck out in an attempt to continue searching for the magician that was squatting right beside her. “Where do you think he went?” It was only a whisper, but the mic carried his voice all over the theater. The teen certainly jumped in shock before breaking out into a nervous life. It was obvious that being so close to the charming man was flushing her face bright pink. “Exactly what I mean, folks. If you blinked, you missed it, since I was never even there in the first place.”

Kagami took this chance to sprint down the isle and eventually leap off the edge of the veranda, drawing shocked gasps from all over the crowd. However, using air ground, he found his balance and slowly floated back down onto the stage, landing softly on his feet. Kagami took several bows, as it was a simple courtesy to do so when the audience applauded so fiercely. The Vice Captain had a cocky, self-satisfied expression and didn’t seem even a bit flattered by their cheers. It was only fair that they praised him. But, of course, many of them are forgetting an important detail. Kagami raised his hand as to let the claps die out before he spoke again. “But I think we’re forgetting something, aren’t we, kids?” Kagami gestured to the position in the stage where Takehiko stood. If his assistant followed orders well, then the audience would suddenly see Takehiko reappear. Though the mirrors were not quite gone yet.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, folks. Although my assistant is back, I’m afraid she’s stuck in some sort of box that I can’t quite see.” And it was true. Instead of dissapitating the mirrors, Kagami instead switched their links so that each side of the mirror was linked to its counterpart, making the reflective glasses completely invisible to both Takehiko and the children. In addition to the two original mirrors, Kagami summoned one to each side of the Shinigami as to close up the circle and topped it off with one mirror on top. All were linked in the same way so that the Kuchiki was in fact trapped in an invisible box. Kagami motioned for his assistant to try and escape, but no matter how hard he tried, he would find it impossible to do so.

“I know some of you are kind of skeptical, so would any unconvinced soul try and pull this lovely lady out?” Hundreds of hands flew up, as to be expected, and so Kagami selected a small boy, approximately seven years old, from the front row. He eagerly rushed up and brought his hands up to grab Takehiko… only to stub his fingers against the undetectable glass. The child winced, frustrated, and he more cautiously extended his hands only to find that there was actually a cold, smooth wall there. He looked to Kagami in confusion. “If you really want the poor woman let out, all you have to say is the magic word.” Maybe he was a little too corny with that last line, but the Vice Captain did have to teach the kids some good, especially if their parents had ditched them in a show so that they could party. What irresponsible adults. Oh, the irony.

The boy looked to Kagami, weakly murmuring the words, “Please?” The microphone managed to just barely pick up on it, though, and Kagami nodded with a warm smile on his face. He snapped his fingers, and, like that, the mirrors were gone. But Kagami wanted to end his stunt on a better note, so he motioned with one hand behind his back to Takehiko, instructing him to not move. Kagami kept his gaze on the boy and nudged his head towards were the Kuchiki was standing. “Go ahead, kid, be a gentleman and escort the lady.” The child uncertainly walked back to were Takehiko would remain, assuming that he hadn’t quite lost his patience with the Vice Captain. The child was still a little skeptical about whether or not the mirrors were still there, but, to his surprise, he found that it would be quite easy to take the ladies hand and leader just a few steps back to Kagami’s side.

The audience roared, and Kagami thanked the boy, kindly dismissing him back to his seat. “I think it’s time for me to pass the baton for a little while to my amazing and beautiful assistant.” Kagami shot a look to his ally that practically said ‘good luck.’ After all, Kagami hadn’t warned Takehiko that he’d have to improvise at all, and now it was his turn to call the shots and put together a small show of his own. The plan was for them to switch off once or twice for the night, and now Takehiko would be able to call the other beautiful young faces behind the curtain to aid him in any way, not to mention asking Kagami for some help as well. He could do whatever came to mind, right now. Let’s just hope he didn’t choke and blow the performance.


(( OOC: For obvious reasons, I don't think there is a need to deduct reiatsu for this thread ))

[Amagai Kuchiki]

(OOC: Sorry it took me so long to respond. This thread is significantly more difficult for me to post to than others. Want to do one or two more posts than call it a day?)

Takehiko was stunned by the fluidity of Kagami's mirror tricks, and the teleportation power they held. He made a small mental note to never mess with the Vice Captain unless circumstances dictated it. But he put aside his awe and wore his best smile, not taking his eyes off the audience for even a second. Kagami had given him a few ideas for tricks, but Takehiko didn't really lend himself to magic that easily. But the audience was mostly kids and teenagers, so he supposed that it didn't have to be too impressive. "For our next trick, we're going to need three volunteers." Takehiko eyed the crowd as hands shot up, then giggled and gave a wink. "Ideally, volunteers whose parents never told them not to play with matches." And although some hands went down, far more hands were abruptly raised. Kids loved the chance to play with fire, to see what happens when they put their hands next to burning things. He picked a few out of the crowd with an exaggerated, extended finger. "Let's have you, and you, and you." As the kids came onto the stage, Takehiko looked briefly at Kagami. They hadn't done much in the way of rehearsals, but Kagami had been the one to suggest the fire idea to Takehiko in the first place. He'd know what was required of him when it came time.

As the kids approached the stage, Takehiko made sure to help them up, carefully checking each of them to make sure they didn't show any signs of being spiritually sensitive. He'd tried to use his energy sensory when he was selecting them in the first place, but he wasn't particularly talented in that area, and he picked people vaguely deep in the crowd so the audience wouldn't think that they were plants. So now he just had to make sure at a close range that none of them would react adversely to his reiatsu, he didn't want any fainting spells on his stage. After confirming his suspicions, he smiled and waved them to form a line on the center of the stage. "Alright, ladies and gentlemen. We are about to see some quality magic. But first, we need to make sure I'm not holding any secrets up my sleeves." He held up one arm, showing that in addition to having no sleeves, he had no tricks up them, then did the same for the other. A fair amount of the younger kids laughed, a good sign. "Alright, now it's time for the real magic." He walked casually over to the right side of the stage, and extended his hand offstage. One of the prop assistants handed him a lighter, and a sheet of paper. He walked back to the three volunteers. "I need you young gentlemen to make sure that is a perfectly ordinary piece of paper, and that is a perfectly ordinary lighter."

The three boys opened and closed the lighter, created a small flame, crumpled the paper, played with it's weight, then nodded their approval towards Takehiko. "If we're all ready, then we can get started. If you wouldn't mind, could one of you, how about you the one in the middle, bring me that lighter? And another one, the one on the left lets go with, retrieve the pole from offstage left? It should be right behind the curtain. And the last one, go with him. Bring the paper.” As the kids obeyed his orders, Takehiko turned back towards the audience. “Today, I am going to show you something that you should never do at home. Please. It would really upset your parents, and some of them scare me. Today, I am going to show you that Fire is controllable, if you are as magical as I am. My dear, could you please give me a light?” The volunteer extended the lighter, a small flame dancing in it. Takehiko smiled, and touched two fingers to the flame. He heard gasps in the audience, and saw some of them turn away. “Oh, silly me,” he said, removing his hand, “I forgot to take off my gloves first. Wouldn’t want to ruin these.” He took off the gloves, and extended them to the volunteer. “Trade?” The boy nodded, and took the gloves, handing Takehiko the lighter.

Takehiko created another flame, and hovered his hand directly over it, looking at the audience. “Now most of you know this probably would hurt.” It did, but Takehiko simply blocked out the pain and continued. “Some of you don’t believe that I’m actually doing this, I bet. Maybe it’s some kind of an elaborate trick of the imagination?” He turned his head towards the other volunteers. “Have you guys figured out how to set that thing up yet?” “Yeah!” “Good, now come over here.” The two boys wandered over, having placed the sheet of paper on the loop at the top of the pole, holding it up straight. “Am I touching the flame?” “It looks like it.” “Can you try to move your hand near it? Is it a real fire?” One of the boys, clearly the braver of the two, did so. He yelped, and drew his hand back, sucking on the finger tip that almost touched the flame. “It’s real alright.” “Okay. You two can go back to your seats now.” As they left the stage, Takehiko gazed out at the audience. “Now this isn’t magic, this is a parlor trick. It’s interesting, but not real magic. Not yet. But it’s a proof of concept. I’m on good terms with the fire, and that allows me to do things like this.” He closed his fingers on the flame, extinguishing it, then drew his hand upward, and pointed it towards the ceiling. He slowly opened it, creating a ball of Haien hovering above his palm, much bigger than the fire he extinguished of course. The audience gave a wonderful set of oohs and aahs. “Now, for my next part, I’m going to prove that this fire doesn’t burn things that I don’t want it to.”

He turned towards the pole and paper, and cocked his hand back like he was about to throw a baseball. “I’m going to burn this ordinary paper with this fire. But to do so, I need absolute silence.” He didn’t, of course, but it added a sense of suspense. He looked at Kagami, who returned his gaze with a nod. Good. Haien wouldn’t be stopped by a simple piece of paper, a mirror would be needed behind it to keep it from accidentally burning the prop area down. With a deep breath, Takehiko threw the ball of flame. It ripped through the paper as predicted, lighting it on fire and incinerating it in moments. He turned back to the audience and bowed once. Cheers echoed throughout the audience, and he even heard some clapping. “But the truly impressive part isn’t showing that I can burn things, it’s that I can also not burn things. Sir,” he said, turning to the boy who was holding his gloves, still on stage, “Can you get me another piece of paper from right off stage? It should be sitting on a table, with a pen next to it. If you can get me it, and make sure it’s real, and write your name and favorite number on it, that would be amazing.” The boy nodded, and took off stage. “While he’s gone, I need your help for this next trick. This is the hard part. So before I create fire, this time without the lighter, I need you all to picture a match. There are different parts to the flame of the match, with different colors. Imagine them, shifting in your mind. Imagine how hot it feels, imagine the way it smells. Take that image, and once you are done, imagine taking that flame within your hand. Raise your hand up high into the air, still closed, and just wait, holding it.” The boy came back with the paper. James, 12. Probably his age. Takehiko indicated that the boy put it on the pole, and he did so.

“Now on the count of three, I need you to all open your eyes, keeping your hands closed, and look at me. Then slowly, and carefully, throw it at my outstretched left hand.” He held out his hand. “Don’t throw it too hard, or else you might hit me, and we don’t want that. At least I don’t.” He heard a few giggles in the crowd, and shushed them jokingly. “Alright then. One. Two. Three.” The entire audience threw their hands forward, as if launching a volley of attacks, and Takehiko weaved his body back in forth as if attempting to catch as many as possible. With each one, he mentally recited the invocation of Haien. He was trash at mental invocation, but at least it allowed him to discreetly make the orb of flame bigger over time, which was all he really needed. He wouldn’t be able to do it fast, but he didn’t need to. Drawing it out over time even made it better. Once he stopped, a grand ball of fire in his hands, the size of small cat, he turned towards the paper, briefly locking eyes with Kagami to make sure he was on topic. Then, he threw the fireball at the paper. To the audience, it would just look like the paper had absorbed all the fire without reacting. In reality, Kagami had created a mirror in front of the paper, and teleported the Kido elsewhere, although Takehiko wasn’t sure exactly where he just put a fireball.

The audience burst into applause, and Takehiko even heard some whistling in the back. “James, can you come up here and confirm that the paper is in fact really yours, the same ordinary paper you wrote on in the first place?” James walked onto the stage, and picked the paper off the pole. “Ouch.” Takehiko cocked his head at the boy. “It’s still hot.” The audience laughed, and Takehiko patted the boy’s shoulder. “You can keep that. A souvenir. Although I’d like my gloves back, please.” The boy gave them back with a giggle. Takehiko slipped the gloves on and turned back towards Kagami. “Top that, I suppose,” he said in a playful tone, into the microphone. The audience laughed and applauded again as Takehiko stepped back and let Kagami take center stage.

[Douma]

When the Kuchiki mentioned fire earlier, Kagami didn’t pay much attention to it. After all, how would just another pyromaniac impress the children? But Takehiko pulled it off quite well. He let the kids experience the show first hand by letting them participate. It twisted their perception of the flames, and that was more than enough ‘magic’ to impress them. The noble certainly did have some sort of charming attitude that the kids seemed to like, and that only made the show even better. Kagami was enjoying watching the show, and made sure to keep an eye out for any discreet signals from the Kuchiki. Sure enough, a gesture came, and Kagami understood the message. For that one particular stunt, both timing and positioning had to be spot on or it would definitely fail. Luckily, Kagami was more than capable and redirected the fireball just in time. The mirror he created to aid Takehiko was linked to the mirror in the backstage bathroom, due to either a lack of creativity or an abundance of it. It would be a shame if anyone from the staff was paying the bathroom a little visit at that time, for if they weren’t killed or hurt, they would definitely have dampened their pants a little earlier than they planned.

There was no doubt that Takehiko’s performance was a success. The crowd was in cheers and was practically begging for more. And, now, the ball was in Kagami’s hands. It was time for the finale, and he was prepared to deliver a mind-blowing performance. Rather than raising his hands to end the applause, Kagami stood still, his microphone still lowered at his side. The cheers continued for a little while longer, but it was only a matter of time till the audience all had one question on their mind: What was going to happen next? That atmosphere of uncertainty and anticipation filled the theater as the silenced set in like fog.

www.listenonrepeat.com/watch?v=ntcHxSVndH0 Play This

Right as the eerie music began playing softly in the background, Kagami began speaking softly into the microphone. “Boys, girls, I’m going to need you all to keep your senses sharp for just five minutes. All of them, because this is the single time this stunt will ever be preformed in the history of the world. And I am the only one that can do it.” He let those words sink in. If he didn’t have the audience’s attention before, he certainly did now. The only sound other than the music was the shuffle of a few feet and maybe a cough or two. No one whispered, not a single word. Good . He was about to do the impossible, and there was no little slight of hand or unseen action. He was literally about to flip their worlds.

“Now, before I begin, I need you all to take a few moments to look at the theater. Study it, memorize it like it’s going to be on the SAT. Know how this theater looks like front and back, side ways, upside down, and inverted.” The children gazed up at the ceiling, behind them, to their sides, beneath them, and especially at the stage. He gave them a total of one minute to look carefully, and he counted the seconds slowly. When they had all seemed to be ready, he turned off the microphone and tossed it to Takehiko. This finale was going to be one hundred percent genuine, and he didn’t need the speakers to get his voice to the crowd. It was a small action, but it told the audience a lot about him and how he felt about what he was going to do.

There are two things necessary for Kagami’s last trick. The first is his Zanpakuto. The sealed, jade blade sits locked in a drawer backstage in his checking room. It was nearby, and Kagami didn’t need to be holding it to use it. Number two would be a reflective glass next to every chair. Although there wasn’t exactly a mirror on each chair, the armrests were polished so well that it was easily possible for one to see a reflection in it. That would be of more than enough use to Kagami. All of the resources necessary are ready, and the finale was good to go. But the crowd was still expecting a show. “Anything you know or thought you know about the world is wrong.” The Vice Captain wasn’t screaming, but his voice was at a borderline shout in order to catch the ears of all the viewers. Despite the volume, his tone remained as mystical as ever. “You thought there were rules, guidelines, physics, but that’s all a lie.” The children were as silent as ever. No one moved. “At least they’re a lie to me. There is no law in this world that I can’t break, and I’ll prove that to you.” Now soft murmurs came out of the audience, but Kagami didn’t even need to cut them off. They died out as quickly as they emerged. “This hall, this theater, none of it is a constant. It’s not as stable as you think, and it is very vulnerable to change.” Every single head in the seats ran their gaze over the auditorium, but none found anything surprising. Not yet.

“I am going to turn, not this stadium, but every single seat and person in that seat around without moving the rest of the theater a millimeter.” A few people gasped in surprise, but most stared intently at the debonair man on the stage. “I’m going to count to three. By the time I reach three, everything around you is going to change.” The audience was on the edge of their seats. He hadn’t thought that he could hold the attention of mere children for so long, but it was apparent that they believed that he and his beautiful partner in crime were no fakes. They were real magicians. And their show was coming to an end. “One.” Eyes widened. “Two.” People leaned forward. “Three.” No one had time to do anything before a cloud of red smoke engulfed them. Bakudo #21: Sekienton. No one in the audience could see anything in front of their eyelashes. Just perfect. The only reason Kagami resorted to blinding the crowd is partly for show and partly to prevent them from seeing the blunt edge of his blade emerge from the armrest in the chair and tap them gently. Some might feel it but dismiss it as part of their imagination. However, with that tap, each person and their chair would be inverted so that they no face the back of the stage. Kagami only let the red clouds appear for a few seconds before dismissing them.

The initial reactions of the children were confusion. However, it didn’t take long before they realized what happened. Uncertain silence exploded into a cacophony of cheers. Kagami took a bow first alone, and then reached his hand out to his assistant, Takehiko, who may be equally surprised about the technique, since this is the first time Kagami had ever revealed it. Kagami enjoyed the cheers for a few more seconds before signaling to the stage crew. The red curtain fell in front of them, but the bravos went on forever. Kagami smiled at the curtain before looking to Takehiko. “Let’s go grab our money and run before the owners realize that I broke their auditorium.”

[Kyomei Kuchiki]

+8400 Ryo to both participants