The Underdogs [R, NDE, Adventure]

[Kaen Youji]

Gaaah. Now he was frozen out! That would be a pain.... not. Kaen took one look at the ice. Then took a deep breath. Then took a leap, unleashing a flying side kick into the glacial wall. It never stood a chance. Boulders of ice went flying through the air, as Kaen smashed through the ice like a wall of cardboard boxes, crashing and shattering on the frozen floor. Kaen shrugged absently. "Oof. Damn place got cold." He complained monotonously as he walked along to rejoin the group down the passage. It wasn't that bad, Kaen just wasn't a fan of the cold. Heat was more his element. Ah well. Anyways! It didn't take too long for Kaen to rejoin the group. They weren't being especially talkative though. That disappointed Kaen. Even Anastasia was being stoically silent.

"Oh come on. That fight wasn't even a warm up." Kaen complained. "It's definitely not the kind of fight that'd get us all silent." He said. "Obviously the guy has worse up ahead, so if any of you guys thought that was even a struggle, you should probably head out." He stated. Besides. More glory for the rest of the group that stayed, if any of them left! And less people to butt in on his fights. But it seemed he might not have to worry about that, as he entered a new area each with a marked door for each member of the Gotei 13. Or so it appeared. Kagami was discussing breaking through the rooms in turn, and Kaen liked this idea.

It'd give him a chance to go solo for a little. Well. Not that he disliked his company. But when it came to fighting, Kaen disdained group fighting. Nothing like the thrill of a one on one fight. But which door to take? Seven seemed the obvious choice, of course, but Kaen was pondering the others. Could one of these hide a true hand to hand fighter? If that were the case, he suspected that it'd be either door 2, door 10 or door 11. With that said... It was equally possible behind each door was an adversary aimed to /counter/ those strengths. If that were the case, then it was more likely to be Squad 5 and 4 to have the physical combatants-- high speed to combat the reiatsu focused masters of those squads. Hmmmmm....

Anastasia was taking the Squad 6 door beside Takehiko. And Kagami was tackling the door to Squad 1. Kaen gave a half hearted shrug. If that was how it was. "Guess I'll get the hardest round out of the way first." He said. "See you guys on the other side." He said, and approached door #7. Whatever was on the other side was likely tailored to take down Enma. Kaen briefly counted it a blessing that he did not fight at all like his Captain did. Whatever was deigned to counter him, would inevitably counter Kaen... less perfectly. But it was time to see what lay beyond!

[Douma]

It seemed that everyone had selected their passage. Takehiko and Ana were true to their family name, despite having been adopted in to the Kuchiki House, and decided to pair up in taking down whatever lay behind the door of their beloved house leader, Sozen Kuchiki. Kagami had preferred to partner with Ana, but he bit his tongue instead of obnoxiously objecting. When it came down to it, he couldn’t get between what Takehiko and Ana perceived as a family-related issue, and, thus, settled for going solo in past the door marked for the First Division. Kaen also decided to stay loyal to his squad, and selected to fight the passage meant for Captain Enma. Being the blood-thirsty warrior he is, he sought the largest challenge, which he believed to be designed to take out his own Captain. Everyone’s path was set before them, and all that was left was for the doors to open.

“Good luck to you all. Try not to get killed.” Although Kagami spoke with a cheerful tone, he was actually just a little concerned. They were approaching threats designed to eliminate each of the sixteen Captains, while they were only Lieutenants. There’s no telling what danger they would find, and whether or not they would live to regroup and tell what happened. The absolute worst case scenario Kagami could foresee was having even one member of his group not return to Soul Society with his or her life. And, so, he was a little wary. The Vice Captain had faith in his own ability to survive, either winning his battle or retreating if he was outmatched. Kaen, also, seemed rather confident in himself, and most likely had the strength to back it up. And while the Kuchikis were both powerful individually, their teamwork could take down most foes they would ever have to come across. The only problem he had was that he had absolutely no clue what they would face behind those doors, but it was time to find out.

When each opened their metal doors, they would find a very thin mist rolling out and possibly even condensing on their skin in small liquid beads. Takehiko and Ana would find a very long, winding corridor that was painted various shades of red in a pattern very similar to a spiral with the hallway at the center. If one stared too long, their eyes may hurt from the optical illusion, and it made the path before them seem endless. Kaen, on the other hand, would find a winding trail identical in size to that of Takehiko and Ana. His would be painted black, and seem utterly dark except for dim, crimson lighting from the various masks painted on the walls. They were perfect replicas of the mask Enma himself wears, except for one crucial detail. Each mask had a different expression. While one may be laughing, the other just next to it is weeping. There are expressions of all sorts, and Kaen could find whatever face he was wearing somewhere in the corridor. The similar thing about each mask, however, was that they all appeared to stare Kaen as he walked. The masks would appear to turn to follow him with their hollow, black gazes until he was out of sight.

Kagami would find another decorated path for him to follow. His was checkered with black and white, and, on each large square would be an image of a piece from chess. Knights, Bishops, Pawns, Queens, and other various characters were present in both black and white. However, each king that would appear had a crack running down its center and a defeated expression on its chiseled face. They were all images painted or plastered onto a wall, but they each seemed so real. Kagami and Kaen were dealing with human-like figures, while Ana and Takehiko were stuck with a huge, spiraling optical illusion.

The Vice Captains would spend a good half an hour in their respective corridors had they moved at an average walking pace. However, they could run if they wanted to do so, whether it was to meet the challenge waiting for them even more rapidly or to escape the haunting images on the walls of the corridors. Kagami, however, walked and would arrive after thirty minutes. The corridors they each had to travel weren’t straight, though. Each would wind, go at an incline or decline, and lay out stairs in random patterns so that the Vice Captains would rapidly lose track of which general direction they had come from. While the path never branched out, they would just be unable to locate which way they were headed relative to their starting location. And, if they happened to notice at all, there were just a few more declines and stairs leading downward than there were stairs going up and inclines. That would signify that they were going further down, possibly even underground.

When each person finally arrived at the end of the trail, they would find another metal door identical to the door at the opening of the corridor. It was also marked with a division and captain. When opened, each person would find him or herself in a huge, empty dome that appeared to be carved from rock. It was smooth, and there would be no uneven flooring. However, the most prominent detail about the dome was that it was huge, about the size of three football fields put together. This place seemed to be designed for some huge event, and that very event was about to commence. All four people would emerge from one of the thirteen openings evenly spaced out along the edge of the dome. Door one was beside door thirteen and two, while door two was also next to door three, and so on until it cycled back to door one. Takehiko and Ana would emerge just fifty meters away from Kaen, while Kagami would come out of his door at across the clearing. However, each door would blend back in with the stone dome wall, making it impossibly to find and open the door once more from that side.

While they would each be able to see each other, the Vice Captains would not recognize their allies. Instead, they would perceive them as humanoid, shadow creatures with no defined face and reiatsu emitting from them that made it difficult to make out a clear body-type, height, and weight. The reiatsu each person would appear black to everyone else, as would any items that have their reiatsu ingrained in them. Even energy sensory wouldn’t be able to identify the Vice Captains, and the only two who would be immune from this effect were Takehiko and Ana, possibly because they had traveled together. Kagami and Kaen would only see enemies, while Takehiko and Ana could rely on each other to battle two mysterious foes. All words spoken would be replaced with a blood-churning shriek that resembled a twisted, savage battle cry. The arena was set for a battle, and the Vice Captains could only assume that the shadowy creatures they found were only enemies. Kagami was too distant to make the first move, but he would cautiously walk over to Kaen, Ana, and Takehiko with his blade raised in preparation for combat.


(( OOC: Let's let the fun begin. Keep in mind, the shadow figures bare very little to no resemblance to their actual appearances. ))

[Amagai Kuchiki]

As the metal doors opened, and the mist rolled out, Takehiko did not find himself afraid. No, instead he felt a strange sense of serenity, with possibly a slight bit of excitement mixed in there. This is a situation he was meant to be in. His actions would certainly honor the man that he respected so dearly, and the Kuchiki family by extension. The scene had been set, and it was perfectly dramatic. He entered the tunnel, or rather the corridor, and slowly made his way through it, tracing the red spiral with his eyes. All that this really needed was music.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Yes, This Is More Like It}

The corridor seemed to stretch on forever, and although Takehiko had little doubt that he could sprint his way to the end in a matter of minutes, he wouldn't want to start the combat already tired. In the past, Monarch had trained him by making him reach a point within a certain time frame, then ambushing him when he got there. Impossible fights became even harder, until Takehiko finally came to the realization that there had never been a specified punishment if he didn't make it on time. So Takehiko learned how to be late, as foreign of a concept as that was to him.

This was one of those times where being late was better than making it there on time. And so Takehiko took his time, wandering for an hour down the corridor. He didn't really speak to Ana, he was focused more on the battle that was up ahead. Of course, if she spoke to him, he'd nod and mutter affirmative or negative, but he wasn't about to engage in a long conversation about their current situation. Ana, as far as he knew, was smart. Or at least savvy. She'd be able to pick up quickly on battle plans once they engaged their foe.

Their foe was something to ponder, however. Someone capable of beating Sozen would require far more than brute strength, which was a mixed blessing. If the enemy had a tricky power, Takehiko could play it against them. On the other hand, tricky powers meant that Takehiko would have a harder time using his full strength and skill. Takehiko was a brawler of a fighter, and he personally enjoyed meeting enemies head on in combat, and breaking them before they could react. If it came to it, he could exceed his captain in raw strength, and given that Alexander was a Kenpachi, that was no mean feat.

The corridor twisted and turned, and at one point Takehiko idly wondered where on earth they were going. However, the prospect of traps seemed unlikely. Their foe wanted to fight the Captains, not kill them before things got interesting. His thought, however, was terminated when they arrived at the new metal door, marked simply with "Squad 6, Sozen Kuchiki". He turned to look at Ana, nodded, and opened the door, stepping through in one fluid motion. Time for a fight. Takehiko absolutely could not wait for this.

SPOILER: Click to show

Stats
Strength: 800 (400 x 2)
Speed: 600 (300 x 2)
Reiatsu Strength: 200 (300 x .66)
Spiritual Pressure: 200 (300 x.66)
Instinct: 150
Senses: 150
Energy Sensory: 0
Healing Expertise: 0
Light Aura: 50
Dark Aura: 50
Skills

[Sword Style: Iaijutsu] 3

[Weapon: Chain Weapons] 3

[Pain Tolerance] 3

[Hakuda] 3

[Battle Analysis] 3

[Deleted]

”… For the last time, Anastasia… I do not think Oatmeal Cookies are unholy. ”

“Admit it. God loves Oatmeal Cookies less than every other cookie.”

“…What about sugar free cookies?”

“Shit..”

Shoku strikes again! Takehiko decided it was silent time for a while. She could understand. He probably wanted to get into the right frame of mind before going off to face whoever it was at the end of this tunnel. Noticing the walls, she realized that if she stared too long at the swirly red patterns, she’d get dizzy. So, the trick to avoiding that was focusing on a single point and never looking anywhere else. Heh. So-chan really would’ve enjoyed this. The theatrics and display of it all. She figured it make him at least chuckle and smile that demonic smile he worse 90% of the time. She could understand, it was garish and silly. It’d at least prompt her to tease whoever was at the end of the tunnel mercilessly.

Anastasia wouldn’t bother her cousin. Not yet, at least. He likely needed the peace and quiet and so, Anastasia decided to entertain herself by doing the usual, talking to Shoku-chan. He was her favorite person to talk to after all and she was sure he enjoyed the conversation regardless of how ridiculous it was. She asked outlandish questions and he would respond seriously… most of the time. The man, despite taking everything almost literally, grew in a surprising way. Developing a quick wit and learning that maybe sarcasm wasn’t so terribly… unholy. Anastasia on the other hand, started to actually have a conscience and became considerate. Her silence for the moment being proof. She might not want to admit it, but they rubbed of on each other. They were kinda like partners in crime.

”Don’t you think you should be mentally preparing like your cousin”

“Eeeehh…I don’t know what’s at the end of that door, mate.”

“Then take some precautions, girl. This is an opportune moment to prepare yourself”

But what though? Anastasia mulled over it for a while. Occasionally, she’d look at her cousin here and there, wondering what was going on in his head. She tried mimicking his expression but that did nothing. After walking around for what seemed like 10 minutes, she had an idea. She could use that. She hadn’t used it in a while. It was her Anastasia playing it safe. “Honesty, guide me. Kindness, show your face. Laughter, fill everywhere with your presence. Allow generosity to sweep over yourself like a hurricane. Loyalty shall live forever. These elements fuel the fire of eternal magic.” and she did nothing. Anastasia merely looked at her cousin and winked. She’d prepared her incantation for a very special Kido coming from an old friend. Thick as thieves, they were. Literally. By the time she finished her incantation, they were at the door. Takehiko opened it and they both stepped through.

This was one hell of an arena. The female Kuchiki looked around curiously. It was as if they were boxed in a stone area. It was smooth to the touch. Anastasia would know, she bent down and touched the floor… and then had a wicked idea. She pulled out one of the two kunai she’d stolen earlier from Kagami and drew an arrow pointing at Takehiko and then wrote “SINGLE ;D” on the floor. She grinned and finally looked up. Her jovial expression faded. Anastasia finally stood up and pointed at what looked like a shadowy blob. She was looking straight at the one closest to them and looked at Takehiko. ”Beside you, Anastasia!” her spirit warned. She looked to the the other side off the arena to see another one of them. Though, this one was farther. She sighed, watching it as it moved closer to them.

She rested her hand on the hilt of her nagamaki and looked to her cousin, drawing her blade. “I’ll take that one? I’ll need to touch it somehow…” her voice was low, cautious to not let the others hear her. Her eyes flickered between the figure farthest away, Kagami’s figure and Takehiko, indicating who she’d be going for. She didn’t know if it was anyone really. They just looked like enemies so it was best to subdue them. It would’ve been what So-chan wanted, right? Shit, she hoped so. He would’ve been the one in this predicament if it weren’t for any of them. The time for shenanigans was up…sorta. She turned her head to Kagami’s figure and slowly walked toward it. She took extremely light steps, inching her way towards him. Anastasia already had a plan… it was all about execution though.

She’d pulled this move with Azumi before… only, she was gonna do something different. Just a little different. Anastasia’s steps had been slight, allowing Kagami’s figure to close most of the distance with his steps. Maybe he would be used to the pace they were traveling at? At the distance they both were, it was plausible. She had to expect the unexpected from her opponent… therefore, she had to be a step ahead of that! She raised her hands up, (though in a lazy manner, they were up to her shoulders) as if she were in a cop show and she was the bad guy being taken in. Y’know. Hands where you can see ‘em? Initially, Ana meant no harm. All this while she took her time in approaching Kagami’s figure. One baby step, two baby steps. One the third, she moved for real. On the third step, as her foot pressed against the floor, she took off with a shunpo and barely moved past Kagami, she moved to the outside of the arm that held his weapon. She was just a couple inches behind him. The instant she landed, she moved fast, using Shunpo Karin on her hand closest to him and reached over her shoulder to grab his. It was a simple movement that required minimal effort. Her hands were already up and all she did was move ‘em back. That in combination with Shunpo Karin should be pretty scary to the man. He had no idea what else was coming though.

“Bakudo 80! Gachan!”

Her kido that she’d been prepping all this time was finally ready to be used. A bakudo that stopped victims from using any reiatsu-based techniques. If she was successful, Kagami would find his wrists, elbows knees and ankles suddenly bound in thick, steel chains. Anastasia would fully turn to face him and clasp her hands together. Her kido would be strengthened thanks to her prepping in the other room. It’d also be pretty difficult for Kagami to get out because of it. He’d need 100 more Strength or Reiatsu Strength than herReiatsu strength if he wanted to break out of the bindings. At the same time, Anastasia was forced to remain where she was. Her hands needed to be together in concentration if she wanted to keep him there. It was her plan all along; taking lazy to new extremes by taking her opponent and herself out of a fight. For now, it would be Takehiko verus the other figure… until Takehiko was done with him of course.

“Let’s sing a song~!” Anastasia wailed excitedly. ”Oh my god..Ni se te ocurra ! Esas canciones son horribles y mordaz a mis oídos . Ellos son , con mucho, la cosa más impía que alguna vez escucho incluso si su voz es bastante decente . No te atrevas a cantar una canción de marineros . Por favor. Anastasia . Por el amor de Dios ! Dios mío ! Shoku-chan rattled off angrily in Spanish. She paused for a moment… Thinking it over and then, she made her decision.

“Fifteen men on a dead man's chest, yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum~! Drink and the devil had done for the rest, yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum!”

It begins.

Anastasia's Remaining Reiatsu: 3350/4800 (-600 for pending Gachan (if successful), -50 Shunpo, -150 Shunpo Karin)

[Kaen Youji]

Ah. Big long winding, spooky path. Kaen gave a lazy, almost disappointed sigh. "Were they hoping to creep us out of coming?" He stated in an exasperated tone. Then shrugged and walked along through it. He kept his eyes on the masks on the walls. Few ways this could go down. This might be a leisurely walk to some boss room, or something.... Or one of these masks is gonna be a hidden enemy, and attack me.... He pondered. Or a distraction to draw my focus from the real point we'll be attacked...[/color] He thought with a careful state of mind. Kaen was good at reading situations, and considering the possible outcomes of an event. Of course, he also tended to immediately dismiss things in favor of rushing ahead, but at least he was informed before rushing ahead. All in all, he wasn't particularly creeped out by the pitch black path, but it did keep him wary and on his toes.

...And that wariness gradually began to give way to irritation when nothing did jump out and attack him. Man.... maybe I should have stuck with Anastasia.[/color] He thought. She'd at least have kept things lively.[/color] He thought. And I could stare at her beautiful--[/color] Old man, do you ever think about anything else?[/color] Kaen snapped. Not that he minded his perverted Zanpakuto's commentary. He did keep things lively, and both Kaen and Hachiryuu knew that their arguments were purely in jest with one another. Unless it happened in the middle of a fight. Fortunately, Hachiryuu usually had more sense than that.

Oh! There was a light at the end of the tunnel now! Or rather, another door. Well. Either way. Kaen was tired of this long path anyways. It was time to see what was on the other end. Kaen simply approached his door and gave it a mighty old kick, to blast it open. Aaand saw three shadowy figures. He gave a glance around the room. Thirteen doors. He figured that Kagami, Takehiko and Anastasia would join up at any time now. Still. Why only three? Kaen looked at the figures for a moment, his brow furrowed. It was a weird number. Sure, not an implausible one. But three guys to take on four?

….No, scratch that. That was three guys to take on thirteen. Even then it didn’t make sense. No matter how you broke it down in your head, one guy would get stuck fighting more opponents than the others. It was an awkward number, for someone who’d clearly been setting this up for awhile. If it was one or two guys, Kaen would have understood. If it was four? Fine. If it was thirteen, also fine.

Why three? The number was all weird.

Unless…..

Kaen’s eyes flashed through the doors again like lightning. He was standing outside door 7. Of course he was. He’d gone through door 7, so he’d emerged from door seven. Two of them were in front of door 6. One was in front of the door Kagami was undoubtedly going to emerge from. Again. That made no sense! If those three were waiting for them, then where was the guy waiting for him!?

Kaen was forming a suspicion. None of the individuals had features he could make out. None were making chatter except for wild screaming. One of them was…. Sketching something into the ground. Kaen’s eyes narrowed at it, and then a smirk crossed his face. ”Got it.” He said aloud. It had taken him a moment or two, but he’d figured it out. There weren’t opponents waiting for the group. The entire group was already here. The fact that Anastasia cast a kido spell immediately after just cemented his theory.

Now, Kaen could tell Kagami apart from the others easily enough. Anastasia and Takehiko were trickier. Kaen took a moment to observe the fighting styles, arms crossed and patient. Hell. Maybe he could get an attack in on Kagami before he “realized” what was going on. That’d be fun. And vent a little stress. For the moment, Kaen lay in wait to figure out who was who, and discern between Anastasia and Takehiko. And besides. There was one other problem. Removing the illusion covering them. He’d figured it out. That didn’t mean that the others had. Indeed, if his hypothesis was correct it’d likely mean he looked the same to all of them as they did to him and was a viable target. He’d have to be on guard to avoid allied attacks. So the question was, how to dispel the attack. Kaen’s eyes scanned the room, floor, doors and ceiling to see if there was anything that looked out of place, or that exuded reiatsu in large enough amounts to completely mask theirs.

[Douma]

Kagami and Kaen seemed to be the only two who were aware of the true identities of the shrouded figures. Kagami, of course, wasn’t fazed by the plan. Much like Kaen, the first connection he made was with the amount of people emerging from each door. Because Kagami arrived in the arena first, he had seen all other entrances of his comrades and immediately distinguished which was Kaen. It would have taken longer to discern who was Takehiko and who was Ana had the more beautiful of the Kuchikis (Ana, just to clarify) drew an arrow toward her partner and wrote out the word “single.” No other member of the group would do such a thing. Not even Kagami, for he preferred to take all of the women rather than share, even with a friend like Takehiko. Definitely not with Kaen.

Kagami was going to receive some trouble from Ana. He could tell by the way she muttered something to Takehiko, but the words were lost in the wide gap between them. She seemed to be facing him as well, and that typically wasn’t a good sign when a battle was about to break out. After all, Kagami figured that he was the only one in the group smart enough to figure out the plot intended to pit the Vice Captains against each other. It was a nasty little plan, and had it succeeded, there would definitely have been bloodshed. The real trick was figuring out how to notify the other three Shinigami about the situation without getting torn apart.

Ana proposed the best plan without even intending to. Writing a message into the ground might just do the trick, but Kagami lost the opportunity to do so. Firstly, he noticed that reiatsu was surging through Ana’s body even as she entered the coliseum, hinting toward a technique she had already prepared. On top of that, Kagami detected a minor influx in reiatsu from Ana, and that could only mean that she was a lesser skill. In preparation to defend himself from the threat, Kagami did the most sensible thing: create a triangle of mirrors with Squad 1 Lieutenant in the center to protect him from all sides. If she used a technique like Byakurai, it would repel the lightning. However, considering that she had another ace prepared, Kagami could best assume that she was closing the distance with Shunpo.

Kagami wouldn’t be able to react quickly enough to form the mirrors before she completed the stepping technique. In fact, she just narrowly missed running into the reflective wall that was created just behind her ending point. However, when Anastasia used Shunpo Karin to make physical contact with Kagami, she would ram her hand into the mirror wall. That was bound to hurt and severely bruise the arm, if not break a bone considering how quickly and uncontrollably her arm was moving thanks to the Shunpo variant. The main result was that her attempt to activate a powerful technique was nullified, and Kagami was able to buy himself time. The only opening to his trianglular mirror shell was the top, and he would soon be able to cover that with a mirror.

From within the triangles, Kagami would begin carving letters into the stone ground with the tip of his blade. The resulting message he planned was intended to spell out “It’s Kagami ; )” if he wasn’t interrupted. However, there was no question that Ana had a perfectly good opening from above the mirror defense, and she would be crazy not to take it. Because the mirrors blocked off energy sensory, Kagami wouldn’t even be able to sense her movement until she cleared the 3-meter height of the reflective glass. Ana had the opportunity to pursue the fight, and Kagami was almost hoping that she’d take it. While on one hand, he was the leader and he knew how important it was to regroup and end their mission, the Vice Captain was reluctant pass up an opportunity to test himself against his peers. He took his time spelling out his message in hopes that Ana would interrupt him.

Reaitsu Remaning: 7500/8000 (-75 for 3x mirrors)

[Amagai Kuchiki]

(OOC: Short post, but given that everyone has figured things out....)

Takehiko may have been battle hungry, but he wasn't typically the type of person to throw the first blow. When fighting other figures, ones that he could easily assume were Captain tier, or possibly stronger, he tended to wait for them to make the first move. And given that Ana had selected her target already, that meant Takehiko was left with the other one. Although he couldn't discern the figure's true nature, it was likely that he'd be a good fight. Hell, a great fight even. Takehiko could feel his heart thumping in anticipation.

Except, the figure wasn't engaging him. It screamed once, for a brief moment, but wasn't moving. In fact, it simply stood in place, shifting ever so slightly, although discerning it's movements was difficult, given it was basically a walking shadow. So, Takehiko's foe wasn't intending on fighting, perhaps it was best if he helped his cousin? But as he turned towards Anastasia and her foe, he noticed mirrors appearing around the figure that Ana was trying to fight. Kagami had arrived!

Except, Kagami was nowhere to be seen. And it was fucking Kagami, he wouldn't be hiding in stealth, certainly not while Ana was just standing around, ready to be impressed. Takehiko didn't like the idea of them as a couple. Of course, he was Ana's wingman as well as Kagami's, but somehow he just didn't see them working out. Of course, they'd be a wonderful almost couple, flirting constantly, but actually in a functioning relationship? Takehiko did not ship that.

So, if Kagami wasn't present, did the figure merely steal his powers? Something was going on here. And the figure was drawing something on the glass from inside the mirrors. "It's K..." was all that Takehiko needed to see. "Back off, Ana. That one is Kagami." Which, logically speaking, would mean that it was likely that the other one was Kaen. Given that that figure hadn't attacked, it was plausible that Kaen had made the same conclusion, not to mention the fact that Kagami obviously had. Their foe had tried to set them against each other, and it had failed.

[Deleted]

“Back off, Ana. That one is Kagami.”

If only she heard that before she bruised her hand. Jeez. She was hoping to grab the thing and a bloody mirror came up. Though, the mirrors were a tell tale sign of a certain someone. Only Kagami used them. Whoever was behind this whole thing, was hoping to pin the other captains against each other. This would’ve been bad but if it took the lieutenants this much time to figure it out then it would’ve been practically useless against the captains. Anastasia could think of 5 captains alone that wouldn’t fall for this right away. On the plus side, she didn't have to use Gachan. Sweet~ “Yeowch…” she hissed, holding her other hand which was in a hell of a lot of pain at the moment. That mirror seemed way too high for her but he was probably hiding inside. She then got the mischievous idea to write on the floors. A nice little note for her very nice looking friend. Yeah. Very nice. “Hey handsome~ (; Don’t be afraid~.”

She looked up at Takehiko, grinning mischievously after scribbling on the floors. Part of her knew that he wasn’t thrilled about their being flirtatious. At the same time, it was fun. Come to think of it, did he even flirt at all? It’d be pretty hilarious she figured. If Kagami and Anastasia were in a functioning relationship … well, she didn’t know. Frankly she didn’t think about it very much. She just met him and all. Testing the waters and drinking all the booze. He at least seemed he could keep up with her. Still, her mind lingered to those she’d been with in the past. Especially in the human world. Mmm.. One of them had a pair of guns she didn’t mind seeing. That was where her mind was. In the gutter. At least, it was for a second. After that, Anastasia went back to being the cheeky little pirate she was.

The female Kuchiki figured that if she was standing next to Kagami and Takehiko was way over there… then the last figure had to have been Kaen. Well, here she thought they were going to have the fight of their life. She was so happy. Really. Even Shoku-chan who sighed a little. “What now, Take-chan? Is there a way out, mate~?” She stretched lazily, looking at the other three before looking at the room. She looked at what she figured was Kaen’s figure and walked towards him some distance before realizing it was too far. She just sat on the ground and started writing with her kunai. “Is it hot in here or is it just you?” Her spirit grumbled at her, clearly annoyed. “You hit on two of them at the same time…” Oh, that’s right… she did. She waved at Kaen to come look at her message, giggling like the mischief maker she was.

She rested her cheek in her palm, now bored. “Mm.. I’m beginning to think they just wanted to scare the captains. You think it could be some kind of weird diversion or something?” she asked aloud to her cousin, looking at him. It was really weird to her. Sozen certainly wouldn’t fall for this. The man was as intelligent as he was a demon. God forbid you didn’t know how to deal with demons. He’d swallow you up with the charming smile and all that Kuchiki grace. He was a force to be reckoned with. Seriously, who was behind this?

Anastasia's Remaining Reiatsu: 3950/4800 (+600 for unused Gachan (is that okay? lol))

[Zou ۞]

+1200 TP to each participant.

+2100 TP to DM.

(Grading before completion because of thread being reported by Kagami Murai)