This Ain't a Scene [NDE Adventure, R]

[Hotaru Kuchiki-Masurao]

Hotaru stood, watching what was unfolding before her. It was obvious that Tom was, either acting or being truthful, nervous around Zeich. Zeich was more than annoyed with the man himself. Hotaru already didn't like what he said to her and how he acted of someone with superior rank, but she didn't know the man. She assumed he had been through much in his life, dealing with his 'affliction.'

She couldn't even begin to understand what that entailed. It also meant that his view of things here in Soul Society could be skewed. He already didn't like her because she carried the name Kuchiki. She wanted to be able to work with him without anymore conflict between the two. If they got along, the work might be able to go faster. She touched her blade and felt Rivu~aiasan's presence, helping her to calm and see everything around her.

Hotaru listened to what Zeich said. It was obvious that he either did do this or does do this fairly regularly. The speech he gave made it sound like it's been said quite often, almost to the point of being rehearsed. The spiritual pressure came back as well. He meant business. While Zeich was talking, she kept her eyes on Tom, watching to see if she noticed anything different about him. She wasn't as skilled with getting information out of people, but watching people you can sometimes notice things out of the ordinary.

After Zeich finished talking, Tom then started to speak. So, it seemed like Tom actually came here to search for them. Well, to search for the shinigami that could lock him up, away from what he had gotten into. What Tom didn't know is that even if he had gotten here and locked away, if this trade was as bad as she thought, they could still find him. Though, saying that he was good in the company was a plus.

It meant that he was valuable enough, in her eyes, to actually keep him and interrogate him to find out specific details about the actual trade. While he was talking, it just made her more curious how it was like there and what he actually saw that made him change his mind. After he was done talking, she stood next to Zeich, deciding on what to actually do next.

It was then that she saw the Hell Butterfly float into the room and land on her shoulder. She took her eyes off Tom for the moment, trusting Zeich enough to listen to what the butterfly had to say. It seemed that Himitsu was here. She remembered that he had recently been promoted to the Vice Captain of her Head's squad. It was a great honor and she assumed that he filled the role well. She liked to think Sozen was a good judge of character.

He had heard about her mission and was the most knowledgeable one about it, since the other two were busy. There was also a team standing by if she needed it and he just wanted to be kept posted on what was going on. Well, this brought up an interesting way to deal with Tom. The Interrogation Squad's Vice Captain was ready to help and that would be the squad that would know how to detain someone and get information out of them.

She lifted her finger, raising the butterfly to her lips so she could speak to it. She kept her eyes on Tom while she spoke. "Thank you, Fukataichou. It seems that we have someone here that wants to help out. If you can, come to my location with something that can detain him enough to walk and speak only, no other extra movements. We don't need him to be trying anything funny, like Kido or physical attacks." She spoke low, so hopefully Tom wouldn't be able to overhear what she was saying.

She didn't say Himitsu's name, because she didn't want Zeich to know who it was. She didn't know him and someone who is outside of Soul Society doesn't need to know the names of officers of the Gotei Thirteen. Especially someone that worked in a squad that specialized in information gathering and could possibly go out in the field. She then lifted her finger towards the door, letting the butterfly fly off.

She then looked down towards Tom. Zeich wasn't about to let him get away with anything, but Hotaru wouldn't either. She unsheathed her zanpaktou, pointing it towards Tom. She wasn't going to release her zanpaktou, but she channeled her reiatsu through it. The sword started to get hot, steam coming off the blade from the heat. She pointed it in the same spot that Zeich's blade was. "I will let you help, ONLY if you follow EVERYTHING that I want you to do. If not, my blade will cut your throat open and cauterize the wound, making it hard to talk......or breathe." She glared, waiting to see what he would say.

[Zeich Yajuu]

Tom spoke again, but this time his words felt a bit more sincere, less forced. Zeich could believe some of it, that this man was a smuggler, that he was in a position where his job had suddenly become dangerous. That he wanted to be locked away was odd, but the logic was sound; in prison, these men wouldn't be able to come and kill him quite so easily. Of course, there was no proof that it would be safe, either; a large-scale smuggling ring, especially with something such as artificial Zanpaktou, would have agents within the Gotei. Zeich suspected that there was at least one manufacturer, if not more, within the Kasumi'oji household, given their previous associations with Bakkoto before a cease-and-desist order had come down and halted all known work on such projects. Undoubtedly there were still plenty of underground groups manufacturing the parasitic weapons, just as there was likely one creating and smuggling artificial Zanpaktou.

Well, that would have to wait. Zeich would first have to determine what to do about Tom, since he was more willing to talk with the promise of incarceration. However, this bothered the Vizard; if Tom was taken away, Zeich would be unable to access the information available, only fed it through Hotaru, who could easily only receive partial information as well. An information lockdown would slow Zeich's investigation. No, for now it would be best to avoid having Tom detained, at least until they were confident in what they had been given. Almost casually, and following Haiiro's mental nudges, Zeich's sword swept up, and the tip gently touched the Hell Butterfly. Most were spoken to while perched on the shoulder or hand, and indeed, a simple touch was all that was needed to communicate through them. Zeich made use of that fact with a touch of his Zanpaktou, and spoke quietly so that Tom would not overhear. Volume did not matter in Hell Butterfly communications, only the words. “This is Captain Kuchiki-Masurao's partner.” He left his name out, as anyone of the Vice-Captain level would likely know about the newest Vizard. “Please delay that last order; we will need some time with the prisoner to ensure the integrity of his information when not under heavy confinement. We will contact you when we are confident that capture will not cause the loss of any important information.”

The Hell Butterfly was sent off again with the second message attached behind the first, and Zeich turned back towards Tom to speak with him again... only to find Hotaru with her own blade positioned at the man's throat, trying to give something of a threat to the man. Inwardly, the Vizard sighed; going from good cop to bad cop, as it said, hurt your credibility and made one's actions seem like more of a bluff than anything else. Oh sure, Zeich was sure that Hotaru could keep her word, either with a Kido or her Zanpaktou, assuming the latter was a fire-based Release, but the fact of the matter was that she had gone from nice and thoughtful to suddenly cold and questioning. All this would do was confuse the prisoner further, and make him even more reluctant to talk.

So he acted quickly; Zeich's hand grabbed Hotaru's wrist, and as he had the greater strength of the two, he was easily able to pull it away, removing her sword from Tom's neck. The Vizard could have easily gone so far as to disarm his “ally,” but he did not, lest he make his task that much more difficult by angering her... much that the woman was not showing him the same consideration. Instead he simply pulled her sword away from their captive, and did his best to keep his tone level as he addressed her; Zeich was barely able to contain his frustration as he spoke. “Please leave. Now. I will interrogate the prisoner, and then you will be free to deal with him as you wish. But if you make another move like this that could jeopardize the mission, understand that I will be leaving, and you can fumble with the leads you ruin by yourself.”

With that, Zeich would release Hotaru's arm, and send a mental request for Haiiro to accompany her, to make sure she didn't endanger their mission any further. The wolf agreed, and if the woman left, he would pad out right behind her and block the door, preventing reentry. If she did not, then Zeich would act upon that a moment later. But the Vizard was questioning his involvement in this mission now; what was the point of bringing him in if only to pair him with an absolutely incompetent partner whose only good points might have been her combat ability? Zeich could have advanced much further in this investigation by himself. Even now, he was confident that he could leave and still finish the mission faster than his forced associate.

[Marcus Cole]

Joe shrugged when Anarchy turned his transportation assistance away. The less he had to do with this, the better. In fact, he was putting his own life on the line by agreeing to this meeting in the first place. If Douma hadn’t saved his hind once before by getting him unaffiliated with the Saints, he wouldn’t be doing it. Plus, Douma was a hard person to say no to. There was something about Jin that was similar. Guess these guys in masks are all alike.

Joe took the money from Jin. He didn’t think that it would be close to compensation for the risks he’s taking. After all, the Saints weren’t the type to be taken lightly. They’d go after the human if Jin didn’t succeed in defeating them. “Here’s what I’ll do for you fuckers.” He tossed a small disk at Jin. It had a needle anchored at the center, like a compass, but there didn’t seem to be a direction that it was keeping track of. “As soon as ya get into the Menos Forest, putch’ur reiatsu into that disc. It’ll pointcha to where ya wanna go. But the second ya use it, they’ll know where ya are. I don’t know what’ll be waiting for ya there.”

Joe grabbed his coat from one of the nearby stools and threw it on. “Don’t die or Douma won’t be too happy, aight?” Unless Jin had any other questions, Joe was going to walk out those bowling alley doors and head out. His work was done. The only one left was Gold, who seemed to place her patient, kind gaze on Anarchy. “Don’t worry, Mister Pretty Eyes, I’ll keep you alive. You just have to take us there.”

---

And at a similar time in a galaxy not too far away, Zeich and Hotaru were dealing with Tom Bullets. Hotaru was going to call for assistance to help keep an eye on Tom, just in case. Zeich, on the other hand, didn’t like the idea of getting help from Soul Society. It was clear that whoever reached out to him didn’t do so “officially.” He wanted to stay under the Gotei 13’s radar as well. But Hotaru wasn’t reported to have a partner. His message was going to sound suspicious for certain.

Beads of sweat formed at Tom’s forehead as Hotaru pointed her blade at him. His eyes followed the steam as it was emitted from the scorching hot metal. “You got it, Mrs. Hotaru. I’ll be good for you guys, I promise.” Zeich was less cooperative than Tom. He seemed intent on running this operation on his own with Hotaru staying quiet and doing nothing.

The Division 10 Leader would most likely have a few objections to Zeich. After all, their relationship so far seemed to be defined by squabbling. However, just after Zeich finished speaking, a giant crashing sound would erupt through the otherwise quiet bar. Fist broke right through the door with incredible strength and speed, sending a powerful shockwave flying toward the trio. None had the energy sensory necessary to detect someone hiding their presence, so the sudden sound would be the only warning before the shockwave threatened to send them flying.

”Hehehehe…” The deep giggling filled the room as a large figured walked through the open doorway. He was very tall, standing at eight feet. Furthermore, he looked like he was the type of body builder that didn’t understand when enough was enough. Muscles everywhere. Literally. And, it gets better. Just behind him walked in another identical individual. Same body size and type. Same brown eyes. Same stupid smile. While the first man was bald, the second had short brown hair.

”Oh Tom! We were worried about you. If you don’t hurry, you’ll be late to supper. You don’t want to make mommy and daddy upset, do you? Hehe.” The two brothers were obviously amused. They were also excited. If they brought Tom back or killed him and the other Shinigami, they were promised a nice little promotion. “Come on, Tom, let’s make this easy for everyone.”

The nervous Tom Bullets would whisper to Zeich and Hotaru. “These guys are only sent in for cleanup missions. We call them Plan Z. I… If I go back, they might leave you alone, right? Okay, yeah, I’ll head back with them.” Tom didn’t seem too confident in his decision, but he began stepping toward the brothers regardless. It was unlikely that Plan Z would actually depart with Tom, so Zeich and Hotaru would be left with a fight regardless. The question now was who would start it.

[Hotaru Kuchiki-Masurao]

Hotaru was talking to the Hell Butterfly when she felt something move behind her. She felt a slight breeze from something moving behind her and looked towards the butterfly. She saw a sword touching the butterfly and knew that it could only belong to one person. Zeich. She had no idea what in the hell he was doing, but she definitely didn't like it. Who was he to do this?!

She had no idea who actually knew about Zeich's involvement in this case. For him to actually speak to the Hell Butterfly would give away that he was actually there. Depending on how Himitsu would take it, he could either be confused and let it go as him not knowing enough about it. But, he said that he was the most knowledgeable about her mission aside from two captains.

She didn't know how much Sozen would tell his Vice Captain, but Himitsu, she would think, would know if she was supposed to have a partner or not. If he knew she was, he would probably take what he said. If he didn't, he might just send people in because there was some random person with her, who knew how the Hell Butterflies worked, which meant that the person had been in Soul Society in the Gotei Thirteen before.

This random partner had also wanted him, a Vice Captain, to ignore orders from a Captain, someone who outranked him. She didn't know Himitsu too well, but she knew that he was loyal to Sozen and assumed that he would obey the chain of command. She also didn't know what he would do if a stranger was with someone of his Captain's house either. She didn't know what Zeich was doing by speaking to him, but he could've just made things difficult for him.

Hotaru was rather annoyed that he would take it upon himself to do something like that. But, she would rather try her own hand at handling their new informant. But, of course, what she did was not to his liking, as he came up and pulled her arm away from him. First, he didn't like her blurting out everything and now, he didn't want her to be so forceful with him.

This is the main reason she wasn't in one of the information squads. She had no idea how to actually deal with interrogating someone, so she was trying her best. It obviously wasn't good enough for him. When he told her to leave now, her zanpaktou was still steaming. Rivu~aiasan was angry and Hotaru was more than pissed. She wouldn't yell or scream at him, but she would glare.

If the look could kill, he would be burning alive right now. While he spoke, she honestly tried to listen, but the way he was talking to her just rubbed her the wrong way. The man was in the Gotei Thirteen. He had to have been to know how the Hell Butterflies worked. She was curious if he was always like this, questioning authority figures. But, that were questions left for another time.

Once he let go of her arm, she glared at him, taking a deep breath to calm down Rivu~aiasan. She could feel his heat die down and the steam that was coming off her blade started to disappear. The man obviously didn't know how to talk to people, women or authority figures. She wasn't going to let this slide, but she was glad that the man was going to listen to her.

Before she could say anything to him, a huge sound echoed around the bar. She immediately looked around, stepping towards Tom. Well, she tried to step towards Tom, but the shockwaves came immediately after the sounds and she wasn't fast enough to get away. The shockwaves knocked her off her feet and she landed hard on her butt, looking towards the doorway and trying to see who it was.

She stared at the huge man that was coming through the doorway. Hotaru got up, staring down the crazy muscled guys that were in the doorway. She kept her zanpaktou unsheathed, pointed towards them. She started to walk slowly towards Tom, aiming to protect him from these crazy guys. She listened to what he had to say and it seemed like these were the cleanup crew.

So, this guy was a least a little important. Unless they were sent to make him seem that way. When Tom said that he was going to go back with them, she stepped in front of the man, stopping his progress. "You're not going anywhere with them Tom-san. You wanted safety and it seems like you have it now." She then glared at Zeich. "Well Mister Leader, since you want to make all the decisions, go ahead. Since I lead the defense squad, I'll defend him. You can decide how to deal with them." She spoke with venom towards Zeich. Since he wanted to make decisions, let him make his stupid decisions. Hotaru's priority now was keeping Tom safe.

[Zeich Yajuu]

Zeich was not surprised that an attack came; in fact, the only surprise he had was that it had not come sooner. His sharp senses caught the sound of the air moving as a fist crashed into the door, and the shockwave's movements through the air were detected by the Vizard's acute sense of touch, feeling the very air vibrate. Rather than be bothered by it, the former Shinigami simply bent at the knees, ducking beneath the wave of force that flew overhead, causing his clothing and hair to flutter with no real effect beyond that. His sword, still in his hand, was gripped more firmly as he prepared to fight. Haiiro, who had simply flattened himself to the floor with Zeich's mental command, cast his gaze over at the doorway to inform Zeich of their opponents.

Two men, it seemed, both built with exceptional strength. Judging by the shockwave that had flown out above him, Zeich would imagine that one if not both of the men were roughly twice as strong as he was. He was not lacking in that department, yet a swing of his sword or fist could not create a shockwave at all unless he poured Reiatsu into a technique. Getting in close combat with these two would be a bad idea; instead, it would be best to stay at a distance. Immediately he activated Bakudo #3: Sazanami, placing his hand briefly on the counter to set a starting point for the pulse. Immediately, like echolocation, Zeich was aware of the position of every active spiritual presence in the bar. The building and the like were still hidden, but the position of the two goons, as well as Hotaru, Tom, and Haiiro, were all known to him. The technique was subtle, without any indication of its presence, making Zeich's inability to see while giving him the ability to fight without Haiiro at his side, which would be necessary in a moment.

“Howl, Tsukikage.”

The sword in Zeich's hand would explode into ash even as Haiiro vanished, unable to maintain his form while the Vizard's Release was active. But Zeich had a very clear reading as to where his opponents were, and as a result, he could attack with precision. Ash moved in thousands of small streams, no thicker than a pencil, spread across the walls, ceiling, and floor, while several went directly for the two men. Their shockwaves were potent, but they could not stop an attack that came from all directions at once, and even if the ash was scattered it would simply reform. No, the formless nature of Tsukikage's ash rendered a physical counter almost useless, and both men would find themselves threatened in less than a minute. Ash would coat their bodies, their arms and legs, their faces; though it wouldn't be enough to sap large amounts of Reiatsu away from them right away, it was enough to create a physical threat for both.

“Kuchiki, were you not the one who was supposed to handle combat?” Zeich asked almost sardonically, his posture calm even as his ash lashed out at and wrapped around his victims. They would feel a burning sensation wherever the ash touched them, like acid melting into their skin despite no actual physical harm. What they didn't know was that at any moment, through a simple exercise of willpower, Zeich could have them full of more holes than swiss cheese, ash converting to blades within a split second. Kaijin Ken was the simplest of his Zanpaktou techniques, yet it was one that he used most freely and effectively, leaving the rest for the niche moments that they would be needed. After all, what more did one need than a blade to pierce the opponent's flesh and blood? Certainly little more, especially when you held all of the cards.

But for now, Zeich decided to watch and see what happened; after all, he suspected that units being sent to capture Tom, who had at least the spiritual strength of a mid-tier Vice Captain, would not be pushovers. His attack would catch them by surprise, no doubt, but in its current state it would be ineffective as more than a hampering method. No, the moment that they made another attempt to attack, Zeich would simply pierce through their limbs, rendering them immobile and unable to attack. If needed, he would push his ash into the joints of their shoulders or knees, separating the muscles and bones through sheer force of pressure; he had heard of some who were strong enough physically to go on fighting even with holes through their muscles. Separation, however, was not something sheer strength could cover.

“One chance to talk. That's all you get.” A glance over his shoulder would have Zeich's eyes locked on Tom, thanks to Sazanami's ability to report the man's spiritual presence. “That goes for you too, Tom. If I have to kill them for lack of information, be sure that I will be no less harsh on you to get it. So, who wants to be the one to tell me about your organization?”

Remaining Reiatsu: 6825/7000 (-25 for Sazanami, -150 for Shikai)

Shikai: 1/10

((OOC: Got permission to use my Rank 2 Fractured Stats from ZK, so here are my updated stats.))

SPOILER: Click to show

{Updated Stats (Fractured Rank 2)}

Strength - [300] (300) Points

Speed - [400] (400) Points

Spiritual Pressure – [400 x 1.75] (700) Points

Reiatsu Strength – [200 x 0.6] (120) Points

Light Aura - [50] Points

Dark Aura - [50] Points

Instinct - [200 x 1.5] (300) Points

Senses - [200] Points

Energy sensory - [100 x 0.7] (70) Points

Healing Expertise - [0] Points


Total SP: [1800] points

[Marcus Cole]

Zeich had been barely successful in ducking under the shockwave, the blast of air blowing over his head. Hotaru was not so fortunate. In fact, the shockwaves would hurt her a lot more than she anticipated. They would send her flying into the tavern’s wall, knocking the wind out of her lungs and bruising her ribs. It was luck that spared her from any severe internal bleeding or broken bones. Regardless, Hotaru wouldn’t be slowed down. Her anti-pain would start kicking in, only making her stronger.

Then men seemed to laugh when Zeich released his zanpakuto. Normally, a swarm of countless pieces of ash would be a terrifying thing to battle. Most might have to run away. Plan Z was different. Large-scale attacks were their forte. Both twins simultaneously had their reiatsu spike. The dragon tattoos that they had beneath their shirts rose from their hidden positions and suddenly vanished as golden gauntlets formed over both their hands. The bald man immediately began spinning in place like a beyblade. Winds swept up around him, originally creating a small spherical current surrounding the two. However, it quickly expanded. Zeich’s ash was blown away with ease.

The sphere of wind kept expanding at speed of 150, rapidly approaching Zeich, Hotaru, and Tom Bullets. Even with the Captain offering her protection, Tom decided that he was going to fight alongside his new friends. He released his own Fullbring, causing his skin to turn completely black, like armament Haki from One Piece. He was going to jump right into this fight. Zeich and Hotaru, if they were paying close attention to Tom, just might catch his transformation before he vanished. His body seemed to condense into a five-foot long bullet in a split second before he pierced through the wind sphere as a dark blur. Zeich and Hotaru would see him narrowly miss the spinning bald man, though it almost looked like his trajectory had been slightly shifted to spare one of the members of Plan Z.

Tom had retransformed into his humanoid self, but there seemed to be another heavy wind keeping him from moving with ease. The brown-haired man didn’t seem worried at all. He simply had a smug grin on his face and held two fist-sized crystals in his hands. One blue, one red. Upon seeing those, Tom’s eyes widened and quickly filled with fear. He needed help, and it was up to Zeich and Hotaru to either help Tom or leave him to fend for himself.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Plan Z Stats (for both) – Class 2 Rank 2 Freak Rogue}
Strength: 400 (600)
Speed: 150
SpPr: 200 (150)
RS: 400 (600)
LA: 25
DA: 75
Instinct: 150 (113)
Senses: 50
ES: 50 (75)
Total: 1400

Reiatsu Remaining: 1300/1500 (-200 for each release)

Class 2 Bakkoto Release: 1/3

SPOILER: Click to show

{Tom Bullets Stats – Class 2 Rank 2 Brave Fullbringer}
Strength: 400 (600)
Speed: 300 (600)
SpPr: 300 (150)
RS: 100 (50)
LA: 60
DA: 40
Instinct: 150
Senses: 150
ES: 0
Total: 1400

Reiatsu Remaining: 1100/1400 (-200 for Fullbring release)

Fullbring release: 1/10

[Hotaru Kuchiki-Masurao]

Hotaru was blown into the walls of the tavern, but honestly, it didn't bother her all that much. Actually, once she hit the wall, her Anti-Pain skill was activated. She landed and focused in on her enemies. She can see the details on her opponents now, feeling the strength from the pain she's endured fueling her to fight more. She takes a breath to get used to this feeling.

This is one of the first times she had ever used it in an actual battle, so it was an interesting sensation to feel with herself on the line, as well as that of her comrades. After she spoke to Zeich, she stood near Tom, making sure that she would be able to help him in case they immediately came after him. She pointed her sword at the both of them, ready to strike when needed.

She watched as Zeich released his zanpaktou, Hotaru was curious as to the power he wielded. Once he said the release phrase, the wolf disappeared and ash was all over the place. So, the wolf is his zanpaktou spirit and he controls ash. A very interesting power, to say the least. The first thing he did was surround the enemies, as well as Tom, in the ash. When he made the comment on her being the one to handle combat, she ignored it.

The fight wasn't over yet and he didn't know all of her abilites. Though, she didn't know any of his either. She was curious if he had a Bankai and if he did, how much stronger his ash would grow. She was always curious about other Shinigami's powers but this time, she would have to keep her mouth shut. In due time, she would figure out what he was capable of as well as this Tom fellow.

While she was on guard, Zeich started to ask questions. She was annoyed he didn't use her appropriate title, but she was getting the feeling that he was only going to refer to her with the Kuchiki last name. She highly doubted that they would even talk after this, but the day wasn't over yet. While the ash was around the enemies, they decided to release the power they wielded.

She watched the gold gauntlets appear on the men's hands and a huge whirlwind start in the bar. The ash was no match to the powerful winds going around the area now. Hotaru reached into her belt for one of her cousin's orbs. She broke the orb while she felt a spike in reiatsu behind her. It seemed that Tom was helping with his own power, his body changing before he disappeared.

"Burn Rivu~aiasan."

Using the reiatsu released from the orb, she released her zanpaktou, having her sword change and a cannon appear on her left arm. Both started to ooze her liquid slightly from both her cannon and her sword. It seemed that the ash wouldn't be strong enough to take on wind, but her special liquid fire should be able to do a great deal of damage to these two fullbringers.

It seemed that Tom missed one of the members of the team, but she was curious if he avoided on purpose. It could be that or it could be because he wanted to 'spare' hurting them. There was a decent size pool of ooze around her now, with enough space around her that she wasn't hitting Tom with them, if he returned to the place he was earlier, where Hotaru was standing close by.

With the last remaining reaitsu from the orb, right after she released, she would aim her cannon towards the wind that was coming towards them and shoot out fire from her cannon, missing Zeich and hitting the wind barrier. Once the fire hit it, her fire was fed by the wind, making it flame up higher and it hit the attack head on. It was a sight to behold.

Once the fire started to hit the wind, however, the wind started to die down. It seemed that the wind wasn't the only thing feeding her fire. The reiatsu from the attack, since this attack was released during their fullbring activation, would be reiatsu based. The wind would immediately die down and disappear. Her fire ate all the reiatsu from the attack and it seemed that her strength now was greater than theirs. It made her smile.

From there, she used the last of the reiatsu to ignite the fire around her. The liquid around her flared to life, flames licking around her form. She glanced back towards Tom. "Did you miss them on purpose or was the wind strong enough to knock you off course? Answer quickly." She said this sternly, but kindly. She wasn't going to hit the man because of one mistake.

OOC: Reiatsu Orb +250, Shikai -150, Lighting fire twice -100. ZK gave me permission to use my new powers, which have been moved to the bottom of my app.

[Jin Yamada]

”Thanks.” the Bount mercenary said in that modified voice of his as he caught the device which Joe had thrown to him. The Bount lifted the object to his face to get a better look at it while he listened to Joe’s explanation. According to Joe, it was some kind of tracker that would deliver him right to the Saints’s location. Perfect. That made this mission much more simple. He wouldn’t have to go looking for them. Honestly, he was thinking of even just activating the device and letting them come to him or even laying a trap for them. Maybe the latter would be the better option.

”Come now,’ol chap…as if I’d die so easily.” Anarchy stated in a disappointed voice. His eyes watched Joe as the man grabbed his jacket and left the two to themselves. Upon watching the door close behind Joe, the Bount mercenary immediately turned his attention to the blonde-haired woman. He wasn’t sure how helpful she would be on this assignment, but he also wouldn’t underestimate her either. But, first things first, he needed to determine just what her purpose was. ”Are you here as a personal associate of my dear friend, Douma, or just after the same thing I am?”

There was something about the woman that gave him a suspicion that she was more than just a partner for this mission. The Bount’s instincts were telling him that the woman could possibly be there to “supervise” him in Douma’s stead. After all, the two masked criminals had only just recently formed this temporary alliance. Anarchy scratched Douma’s back and Douma scratched his from time to time. That had been their agreement. But, Douma could have also sent someone to watch Anarchy in order to determine whether he was a worthwhile partner. Well, he would just have to make sure Douma’s spy gave the best report on him.

Reaching into his black cloak, the mercenary withdrew a simple scroll rolled up neatly. ”Here’s our ticket to the Menos Forest.” he said upon retrieving the object from his scroll. He unrolled it and held it out in front of himself while picturing the area he wanted to travel to. Having been to the Menos Forest once before on a hunt to acquire holllow specimens for Gatz, he was well acquainted with what it looked like. He didn’t want to put them too far into the Forest, so he only imagined the outskirts of it. That way, they didn’t accidentally end up closer to the hideout than he wanted them to. Suddenly, blue flames leapt out of the center of the scroll’s page and formed before the two masked individuals. Those blue flames doubled and then tripled in size until they stood as tall as Anarchy himself and burned brightly enough to cast a blue hue over the two of them.

He turned towards the woman once more and gestured towards her. ”After you…” he said politely, a hint of amusement within his voice. Oh, this was going to be interesting. And maybe even quite exhilarating. At the back of his mind, his True Bount instincts couldn’t help but become a little excited at the prospect of being able to battle enemies and strengthen himself with their power. Oh how exquisite their reiatsu would taste! His mind slipped back to the present as he tried to control himself. He rolled up the scroll and pocketed it once the woman stepped through the flames. Then, he would proceed after her, stepping cautiously into those blue flames that would transport him to the land of endless night, just on the outskirts of the Menos Forest.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Item Used}
Item Name: Portal Scroll
Item Type: Travel Usage
Item Description: It is a normal looking scroll at first glance, however, when opened up, the scroll releases blue flames that rise up in front of the one who opened it. A step into these flames will transport the user to any place they can think of as long as it is a real place.

[Zeich Yajuu]

Zeich didn't even flinch as the first of the two attackers released his power, even as the ash was blown away. They would find that their winds were insufficient to stop the power of a Vizard as strong as Zeich was; within a moment, the ash would begin coalescing and, despite the force of the winds, begin to press forward. Wind would normally be effective against a disparate substance like ash, which was easily moved about due to its light nature, but not the former Shinigami's; his was guided not by natural forces, but his pure force of will. And because Zeich's will manifested in the form of his Zanpaktou's strength, with its full force it was able to push forward, tearing breaking past the wind barrier and slowly closing on the man who was spinning, intending to pierce through his body first and end his life.

But that was when he felt the surge of Reiatsu from Hotaru, and heard her release her Zanpaktou. The increase of heat, the drip of something liquid; Zeich wasn't sure what was coming, but he had a feeling it had something to do with fire. Maybe the liquid was oil? Whatever it was, he didn't want to expose his Zanpaktou to it, as ash could still be melted in large quantities if the area of flame was large enough. So before Hotaru's attack could be launched, he recalled Tsukikage's ash, bringing it back to float around his body. He was in time, too; even as the ash was recalled, Zeich felt the rush of heat and wind as something hot flew past him. The temperature in the room was growing steadily, making him sweat slightly, but that close shot would have made anyone wince. Only Zeich's ability to keep calm kept his face impassive.

Still, as a habit, he resummoned Haiiro, though this time with the Spiritual Projection technique. This technique was different from Haiiro's normal manifestations, which allowed him to be present at will. Instead, the wolf was now able to match Zeich in all ways, and even excel in some; after all, unlike his master, the Zanpaktou Spirit wasn't blind. This would allow the Vizard to understand the nature of Hotaru's Zanpaktou, so that he could work around it and deal with his enemies without having to expose himself or his own Zanpaktou to danger. Zeich was fiercely protective of it, as it was still Haiiro's symbol despite being powered by Tsukikage. That, and he didn't know the properties of Hotaru's Zanpaktou, so he couldn't be sure that she wouldn't do something stupid and accidentally cause him to get caught in the backlash. For now it would be best to wait and observe.

Haiiro provided a constant report on the situation; Hotaru was using some sort of liquid fire that she controlled via her Zanpaktou. The released weapon took on a dual form, with a sword in one hand and some sort of arm-mounted launcher on the other. The wolf couldn't be sure from what he was seeing, but as he watched, Haiiro mentioned that the flames seemed to be literally consuming the wind coming off of one of the bouncers. He wasn't sure if it was just eating away at the spiritual energy or absorbing it, but either way, getting in the path of that flame was a bad idea. Even Tsukikage's impressive suppression abilities didn't stop the fact that the ash was still a spiritual object, meaning that Zeich was at as much risk as the bouncers were.

Getting close was not an option, even with Tsukikage's ash, not while that flame was there. The only way that he could attack was in the gaps between her fire, and knowing Hotaru, she would probably just press the attack. There was no room for a unified attack, only for the Captain to try and go it alone... frustrating. Zeich was patient, and knew that waiting wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but he also knew that this situation wasn't one where he was waiting for strategic value. He was waiting for quite the opposite reason: his “partner” had no concept of strategy and sound teamwork, putting his Zanpaktou at risk simply so she could try and brute force these two attackers. No doubt about it; Soul Society was really hurting for authority figures if they were promoting people who couldn't understand basic strategy.

The liquid fire released was dying down, but Haiiro reported that Hotaru was continuing to maintain a wall of flames around herself. At least she had some sense for defensive tactics, Zeich supposed; she created a wall that kept these two at immediate bay. Still, defenses would only do so much good. They had to attack, and find an opening to either slay or incapacitate these two. Preferably one would be kept alive to talk while the other was disposed of as a threatening criminal. That was why Zeich let Tsukikage's ash pool onto the ground, slowly sliding into the cracks of the wooden floor, spreading out in a growing web across the room. Hidden beneath their feet, the ash would remain undetectable until it was time to spring a trap.

Tom's actions did complicate matters slightly, but not enough to require a change of plans. At best, he'd have to incapacitate a second person, which was easy enough with his Zanpaktou's capabilities. At worst, he'd simply kill two and leave one standing... and that one would not be Tom, given his current unreliability at the moment. Hotaru was speaking, implying that Tom had attacked the two bruisers and had possibly missed on purpose; this was certainly not building his case, and as the ash spread evenly beneath the floorboards, Zeich began to target vital points by making use of Haiiro's visual feedback. The heart, the brain, the lungs, all major vitals that, if targeted directly, would completely shut down the rest of the body.

All the while he was planning, Zeich would look as impassive as before, unfazed and undistracted, his gaze still fixed on the attackers before him despite his lack of sight. Anyone who didn't know him might even think he looked bored. His ability to analyze in the heat of battle was exceptional and, while there were those who were still better than him, this was not a situation where he felt any pressure in his studying. Indeed, it was all laid out before him; he would kill the man whose power they had yet to see and, depending on the man's reaction to Hotaru's words, Tom as well. The first was a given target no matter what, as the man who created cyclones did so by spinning; stitching up his legs would prevent the use of his powers, neutralizing him completely. Better to nullify a known threat than to suffer from an unknown.

It's time, Tsukikage. Rip them apart.

Oooh, I love it when you use that tone, boy! So vicious and bloodthirsty! Zeich fought the urge to scowl; there was no way he was giving in to Tsukikage's influence, no matter what the Hollow thought. He had simply decided the targets for his attack, and his command was just a simple set of orders for his plans to be carried out. Fortunately Tsukikage's taunting didn't last long while he had the prospect of liberally drawing blood from a victim; instead he focused on his attack, sending his will through the ash that was hidden beneath the floorboards. By now, enough of it had pooled in the general area for an attack.

Without being able to sense Tsukikage's ash thanks to its suppressive nature and with no winds to slow it because of Hotaru's fire consuming them, the attack would be completely unpredictable and unexpected; large branches of gray would suddenly rise up from the ground. The first would form a blade, skewering the man whose power had not yet been revealed, stabbing him through the stomach and piercing up through his lungs and brain, a branch extending within his body to pierce through the heart as a second use of Kaijin Ken hit all three vital points within the target in the space of a few seconds. The second would stab through the cyclone-user's right leg and start bending within him, tearing through his leg like a rough needle sewing lines of steel wire through his limb. It would jump from leg to leg, weaving the two limbs together and tearing apart muscle, bone, and skin, leaving bloody messes of both legs.

The third one, rather than forming a blade, turned into gray bindings that would catch Tom's arms and bind them behind his back, twisting them back and upwards into a painful position before firmly attaching themselves there, preventing movement. Kaijin Gokusha, the ashen prison, would keep his arms from moving unless he could surpass Zeich's spiritual power, and the Vizard doubted it. Tom had not revealed himself to have capabilities up to that point just yet. Though he had resisted Zeich's Gravitational Pressure before, it was not easy to match the former Shinigami's strength of spirit. And if he did, it would reveal him to be that much more dangerous. The mask would go on, and the man would find himself dead in a heartbeat.

The attack, in whole, would leave one man skewered through several major vital organs, bleeding to death on the ground, while the other would have his legs ripped to bloody shreds and sewn together. The last, Tom, would have his arms bound and useless, twisted behind his back tightly enough to be painful at all times. In this situation Zeich would be supreme, in control. This was what he wanted, so he quickly spoke to Hotaru, his tone more level than it had been earlier. “Watch your crossfire next time, Kuchiki.” There was surprisingly less malice in his voice this time, even as he spoke the hated title. Of course, it was revealed only a moment later. “If you bring harm to my Zanpaktou, I will personally carve it out of you, partner or not. Understand?”

His tone was... almost chilly, suddenly. It was strange, like seeing a compromise between Zeich's personality and his Inner Hollow's; the bloodlust and the desire to cause harm were seeping through, but the cold facade that the Vizard kept up tempered it, making it all the more intimidating. Even Haiiro seemed bothered by it, his ears going flat for a moment as he looked over at his master before, after a quick mental reprimand, he went back focusing on the battle at hand. The two of them, Zanpaktou Spirit and master, would have time to talk this over later; for now, they had to ensure that their foes were dead or captured.

Remaining Reiatsu: 6825/7000 (-400 for Spiritual Projection (Zanpaktou Spirit), -100 for Kaijin Ken x2, -150 for Kaijin Gokusha)

Shikai: 2/10

Spiritual Projection: 1/5

[Marcus Cole]

Without hesitation, Gold walked through the flames and vanished. When Anarchy followed the blonde through the portal, he would find himself surrounded by enormous black giants. Gillian hollow. There must have been hundreds of them scattered around for the next several hundred meters in every direction. Clumps of giant hollow is a common sight in the Menos Forrest, so Anarchy and his companion shouldn’t be surprised. At least not by the Gillian.

What was unusual is the fact that none they appeared in the middle of what felt like an ocean of reiatsu. The very air around them had very potent spiritual energy running through it. This reiatsu felt innocent and kind to the touch, void of any hostility. Jin and Gold may be tempted to feel almost comfortable around the energy, but they were still in enemy territory. Instead, every single hollow faced one point at the center of the group. Anarchy and Gold would have felt an immense reiatsu signature pulsing from that very area, one of purity and goodness.

Hello, Mister Jin. A cheery, childish voice rang out in the Bount’s head. It’s great to meet you! I’ve heard a few things about the scary Bount Leader, but I knew that you’re way nicer than they said you were. Oh wow, it’s great that you’re not dead, either! The voice was communicating directly to Jin through some form of telepathy, and no matter how much Jin might suppress his reiatsu and prevent any form of energy sensory from reaching him, he couldn’t avoid the voice.

Oh, and don’t worry about me knowing your secret, Mister Jin. I’m super trustworthy and I’m a super duper friend! I’ll keep your secret safe! Wait- are you my friend, Mister Jin? The child had a habit of speaking surprisingly quickly. Jin wouldn’t have a chance to respond to the question before the child moved on. Yay! We can play so much together! Just me and you. I don’t know how to play with your other friend. She keeps blocking me out, and she doesn’t really… feel like a person. I don’t know, maybe she’s ‘special.’ Mommy used to tell me there were ‘special’ people everywhere that are just a bit different. Huh… I think you might know about my mommy.

If Jin tried making his way toward reiatsu signature or found a position from where he could see the source of the voice, his eyes would fall upon a pale-skinned child in a simple white shirt and blue jeans sitting with his legs crossed. His feet were bare and his hair the color of snow. The most distinct part of his appearance, however, were the two glowing blue eyes that happily looked out toward Jin. Oh wow, I’m so silly sometimes. You still don’t know who I am. My name is Nathaniel Tan’O. At least that’s what my mommy told me my ‘real’ name is. But my friends call me Nathan, and you’re definitely my friend, Mister Jin!

---

Zeich and Hotaru both made the same mistakes in underestimating their opponents. The wall of wind that was quickly approaching them was far more potent than they originally expected. Zeich’s attempt to impale his targets failed, for none of his ashe could get through the barrier. In Hotaru’s case, her flames were too weak to eat up any of the strength of the wind. Therefore, the two would find that the unhindered wind had caught up and would sweep them up and throw them with a superhuman force unless they dodged. A second later, it would tear the foundations of the bar apart, and if Zeich and Hotaru couldn’t escape in time, they may get beaten and stabbed by the flying debris.

In the meantime, Tom was struggling in the circle of wind. He was lifted off his feet by a powerful gust, sending him flying toward the edge of the wall, where he was forced into the wind’s rotation around the bald man, who was still spinning in place. The other twin leaped into the air toward where the wind was about to take Tom. However, just before his fist came down on the human with bone-crushing force, Tom transformed once more into his slimmer form and suddenly darted out of the wind and right toward the Plan Z member’s fist, shattering his hand and ripping it from his arm.

However, his hand wasn’t all that was broken. The blue crystal it carried had been destroyed, and the result was not positive. A burst of lightning shot out of it, shocking and burning Tom’s body. He immediately returned to his human form and fell to the ground, his muscles spasming as steam rose from them. However, the source of the lightning’s reiatsu came from two locations. One was the actual crystal. The other was located a few hundred meters away from the actual tavern. Perhaps things weren’t as simple as they appeared.

Tom Bullets

Fullbring: 2/10

Plan Z Twins

Class 2 Bakkoto: 2/3

[Jin Yamada]

As he appeared there in the white sands of Hueco Mundo, the mercenary’s mind was flooded with past experiences of being in this place. At one time, he had had to come here in order to capture Shada hollows to fuel his R-Weapon. Before that, he had come here to forge an alliance with Sonken Kouhai. He had been unsuccessful in forming the alliance then, and while he had been able to gather up some energy from the Shada hollows he had faced here, it had not been enough to fuel the R-Weapon he and Zouma had built together. Neither experiences ended well for him, but they were still memories nonetheless. Now, he was here on another assignment and so much stronger than he had been either of those times. Now, he was Anarchy

Upon extending his energy sensory outwards, he immediately felt the warm aura that permeated this area. Actually even before that, he noticed the tall black trees that stood around them. Well, at first they had seemed like trees before he had realized what they really were. Eyes looked up into the sky to gaze upon the heads of the tall Menos Grande that surrounded them. Bloody hell…they knew we were coming?! Jin’s mind whirred, trying to figure out how they had been made privy to their arrival so quickly. But then, when he extended his energy sensory, he realized that he was acting in haste.

The aura that permeated the air was vast, there was no doubt about that. For him to feel it even here was a testament to how large that reiatsu was. His energy sensory was not strong enough to detect reiatsu so far away like this. But, there was also something different about the reiatsu that surrounded him. It felt…warm and friendly. He could sense no hostility in the reiatsu. It was so calming that he even began to let his guard down before he realized what he was doing. This made him also realize that the Gillian were probably under the influence of this reiatsu as well. So the question now was, who did this reiatsu belong to? He received his answer immediately.

What?!

Upon hearing the voice, the mercenary known as Anarchy stopped in his tracks. He stopped in his tracks with a look of utter shock on his face. Eyes opened wide and a hint of fear soaked into his mind. Someone had invaded his mind and they knew who he was. It was similar to how Satsujun or as he was known back then, Husk, had been able to speak within Jin’s mind. Not only could he speak within the Bount’s mind, but he was also able to read Jin’s every thought. This had to be mind reading. There was no other way the voice would be able to know the information they knew. No one knew the true identity of Anarchy outside of his Bount companions. Some believed that Anarchy wasn’t even real, that is, until they met him for themselves.

The voice in his head sensed his fear and tried to reassure him. That got him to calm down a little, but he was still quite shaken by that voice. It was…an invasion of privacy. The voice talked about having heard of his ‘death’ and being a friend of his. It also said something about its mother knowing him. Who was this? The voice introduced itself as Nathan. Nathaniel Tan’O to be exact. Tan’O. Tan’O. The last name didn’t ring any bells. Jin would have no knowledge of that last name, given that the man it belonged to was from the secret Zero Division. Jin had no knowledge of people in the Zero Division, though he did know of its existence from spies. Nathan would be able to sense all of this in the Bount Leader’s thoughts.

Don't go through anymore of my memories, and I don’t think I know who your mother is. You say she knew me? Jin chose to respond back to the voice, realizing that it might be more help than not. While Husk had only used him in the end to revive himself, he had been helpful initially. This time, Jin wouldn’t allow himself to be used, if this voice truly intended that down the line. But for now, with the calming sensation from the reiatsu and the way the voice talked, he sensed that the owner of this voice was young…probably a child. Sure, we can be friends. As long as you don’t betray me like the last voice in my head did. He smiled inwardly at that last comment, having remembered the experience he had with Husk. Since we’re friends, I’m going to need your help, but first tell me who your mother is.

All while he spoke to the voice, Jin began thinking back on the last two people he had respected enough to call a friend. His last friends had been killed, and he still felt a pang of sadness when he thought about that. He hadn't trusted anyone else outside of his Bount companions after the deaths of both Zouma Santeku and Death-sama. And even before that, it had been hard to call them friends because he had lost a good friend before them as well. Nathan would feel the sadness within Jin's mind before he quickly stifled it away. Jin had grown a little better at hiding his thoughts after his mind had been invaded by Husk all those years ago. He wasn't an expert at blocking Nathan out like Gold was, but he was trying his best to prevent the young child from reading all of his memories.

[Hotaru Kuchiki-Masurao]

Hotaru stood as she watched the attacks hit the wind. The ash from Zeich's zanpaktou didn't seem to get through the wind barrier and her own fire wasn't able to lessen the strength of the actual wind. It seemed that they were both wrong in their thoughts against these guys. She heard what he was saying and she took a breath before speaking. "I aimed for the wind, not you. If I knew you were attacking as well, I would've angled differently.

I would NEVER aim to hurt another's zanpaktou, so I completely understand what you said. But, hear me. If you EVER try to hurt my zanpaktou in any way, I will burn you alive, partner or no. Do YOU understand?" She looked at him when she said the last part. Doing this, she noticed the winds coming ever closer to their location. So, after she looked at him, she stared for one second before Shunpo-ing out of the area. 

Once she Shunpo-ed out, she watched as the entirety of the bar was ripped up off of the foundation. She made a mental note to find out who owns this bar and pay to build a new one here. She would help Tom, but he was caught in the winds and she knew that there was no way to deal with that kind of wind if her flame couldn't weaken it. She watched as he was able to hit the gem that one of them was holding.

She saw lightning spark off the gem and then felt something else. She looked quickly behind her and saw the end of lightning streak across the sky from a different location. A different location? Were they drawing power from another place? She had no idea if Zeich had seen this or not. If he appeared next to her or not, she would look his way and start to speak. "I don't know if you saw, but there was another location that was giving off lightning when the gem was destroyed.

I'm going to look into it. Since you think you can do better yourself, now's your chance. I'll be back as soon as I can." She nodded towards him and then started running off towards the location where she saw the lightning go off. She hoped that she would arrive there quickly and on thinking about that, she decided to run as fast as she can and when she got close to the location, she would Shunpo there.


OOC: Remaining Reiatsu: 2900/3000, -50 for Shunpo x2 (this is for the Shunpo she will do when she reaches the location in, assuming, next post) Shikai 2/10

[Marcus Cole]

OOC: Here’s my response for Jin. It’s kinda late, so I’ll try to put up a DM reply for Hotaru soon (hopefully tomorrow), so this also gives Zeich a chance to post if he has the time to do so. If not, no biggie, he can post after I do so again

The child with the glowing blue eyes kept staring at the masked man before him with a faint smile on his face. Don't go through anymore of my memories, and I don’t think I know who your mother is. You say she knew me? His gaze hadn’t moved, but he was still studying Anarchy mentally, not visually. Sorry Mister Jin, I know you feel kinda upset that I can see everything. I’m sorry, but I had to make sure you were a nice man. That, and I just thought maybe you knew my mom. But I see now that you never knew each other. But I think you two would have been great friends too! The child’s voice, although cheery as ever, had a hint of sadness. After searching Jin’s vulnerable mind, he had verified that the bount had never heard of Asuka Tan’O. He knew what the Espada were, Souken Kouhai’s powerful soldiers, but he had no knowledge on the whereabouts of the past Sexta Espada. Nathan would have to continue his search for his parents later.

For now, there was much more of interest when it came to Jin Yamada. Sure, we can be friends. As long as you don’t betray me like the last voice in my head did. The bount was trying to shield his memories from Nathan while the child simultaneously tried not to pry in too deep. Blurs from Jin’s past still leaked, especially those regarding Husk and how he had used Jin for his own self-benefit. Nathan didn’t care much for the details, for Jin’s emotions mattered most to him. Nathan didn’t intend to abuse his new friend in any way.

Since we’re friends, I’m going to need your help, but first tell me who your mother is. My mother was the Sexta Espada. The Espada doesn’t always have the nicest people, but she was great and she’s missing. You’re a busy guy with a big heroic mission, so I don’t want to bother you with her anymore. I’m fine looking for Mommy and Daddy all on my own. The child pulled himself up to his feet and began walking toward Jin, keeping his eyes on the man rather than the woman beside him.

“Hello, child,” Gold greeted in the warm, sweet voice that would win the hearts of most children. Nathan wouldn’t be fooled, however. His eyes darted to her, and with an unwavering, genuine smile, he replied. “Hi Miss. I know what you want to ask me about, and I’m sorry, but I won’t be able to help you.” The moment he finished his sentence, Jin would hear the boy’s thoughts once more. Mister Jin, I know that you don’t want to trust me, but I need you to. You’re a good man, and I can see that clear as day. You’re my friend, so I want the best for you. I want you to go steal the bad guys’ weapons for your friend, but those bad guys are also good somewhere deep down. I don’t want anyone getting hurt. I don’t want anyone dying, and if you can’t promise me that, I can’t help you. I’m sorry, Mister Jin.

I’m down here because this is where I was told bad things happen. The white faces – the hollows – they’re ‘bad.’ But all of these hollows around me are hurt souls, and the things they do when they’re hurt make it hard to see the good. You do some bad things because you’re hurt too, but you’re one of the best guys I’ve ever met. Please don’t do bad things.

Nathan’s request was coming to a close just as Gold began speaking once more. She was certainly aware of the mental link between Nathan and Jin by this point, so she was going to take matters into her own hands. “Little boy, if you don’t start talking in three seconds, I’m going to have to kill you, and I really don’t want to do that."

It’s your choice, Mister Jin. If Jin didn’t take action by the time Gold finished counting, Gold might get physical, and that could be disastrous for everyone nearby.

“Three… two… one…”

SPOILER: Click to show

{Nathan’s Stats (Forgot to post these earlier, whoops)}
Class 2 Failure – Rank 3 Support

Strength - [100] Points (50)

Speed - [150] Points

Spiritual Pressure - [350] Points (700)

Reiatsu Strength - [1050] Points (1575)

Light Aura - [100] Points

Dark Aura - [0] Points

Instinct - [300] Points

Senses - [100] Points (50)

Energy sensory - [400] Points (800)

Healing Expertise - [0] Points

Total SP: [1400] Points

Abilities

• [Special Skill: Reiatsu Manipulation] {2}
  
  
• [Memory] {3}
  
  
• [Special Skill: Kido] {3}
  
  
• [Battle Analysis] {3}
  
  
• [Mental Incantation] {3}
  
  
• [Leadership/Charisma] {1}
  
  

[Douma]

OOC: I'd really like to get this rolling a bit more, so I'm gonna post again just for Hotaru.

Hotaru escaped the flying debris with a quick step technique, choosing to ditch the fight with Zeich to pursue another potential threat. It made sense that her lack of chemistry with Zeich was hurting their chances in a two man fight, and so she left Tom’s fate in the exiled Soul Reaper’s hands while she instead investigated the lightning that she saw and felt. Moving as quickly as she could, Hotaru covered the distance between herself and the lightning very rapidly, landing on the roof of a small rukongai building.

Although Hotaru was right at the spot where she detected the lightning, no one seemed to be present. In fact, that district seemed quiet compared to the commotion caused by the howling winds that Zeich was battling. Just when Hotaru might get a little too comfortable with the quiet, an immense amount of energy swelled beneath her feet. She might barely have enough time to activate a step technique before a bala erupted beneath her feet, blowing a hole through the roof of the building. While it was just a bala, it was as large as most cero, approximately the size of a truck.

“Hello, Captain Hotaru Kuchiki,” greeted a deep voice. If she looked into the building after escaping the bala, she’d find a man in his fifties looking up at her through the broken roof. He had long blond hair tied into a ponytail. His glowing red, snake-like eyes illuminated the otherwise dark room as they studied Hotaru. “I have to admit that I am a little disappointed. I was hoping I would have the opportunity to remind the Vizard once again how futile his battle against his hollow is. But you’ll suffice.”

The man extended his hand, concentrating bright red energy in his palm. From that ball of reiatsu, a ruby weapon formed in his hand. Actually, it was a sword that wrapped around his wrist and arm with a design resembling a dragon. If Hotaru took a second to examine his weapon, she’d realize that it was an exact replica of hers. However, there’s something else that she might notice. The man before her was attempting to pick up nuances about her history through energy sensory. She’d easily be able to repel his mental inquiry and redirect it toward anyone else she knew, but the Arrancar would notice when his knowledge of her did not line up with Zeich’s.

“Hmm, perhaps there’s more to you than I saw at first. But you have yet to prove your worth in my eyes. Fight me, Captain of the Gotei 13. Fight me for your life.”

Kayaku Reiatsu: 11,700/12,000

SPOILER: Click to show

{Kayaku Amori}


Rank 3 Technique Master

Strength: 100
Speed: 400
SpPr: 300 (1200)
RS: 400 (1600)
Instinct: 200
Senses: 100
Energy Sensory: 400
Healing Expertise: 0
Total: 1900

[Jin Yamada]

“Do not act on your own discretion.”

The Bount mercenary cut the woman off before she could finish her counting. His modified voice was soft and calm when he spoke, but Gold would hear the commanding tone behind it as he chided her. ”Your boss assigned you as my backup, my help, if I’m not mistaken. This would mean that I am to take leadership on this mission. You will take orders from me while we’re here and complete this mission according to my tactics.” Suddenly, the air around Gold would become heavy and breathing would suddenly become difficult. It was almost as if the air around her had become stagnant. There was a sudden pressure that forced itself upon her, as though the whole gravity of the world was now upon her alone. She would be forced to her knees by the pressure, forced to kneel before Nathan in a sign of apology by the pressure of the mercenary known as Anarchy. No one outside of those who were on his level could withstand the power he was emanating. Gold, who was of the same class as Douma, was no exception to this. And so, she would be forced to her knees by the pressure which Anarchy forced upon her to exert his own might and to show her that for this mission, he was indeed the boss.

Of course, this sudden course of events would come as a surprise to Gold, who had been about to hurt the young boy before her. One moment, she was fine, and in the next, she was being commanded to stop and then subjugated by the might of Anarchy’s presence. He had switched from the lighthearted calm nature he had before to this more menacing one. She would feel as if she was standing in the presence of a monster so high above her in power that anything she did was futile. That was how far apart their powers were. This was how far Anarchy outclassed her. And he intended to let her know this as he crushed her with that great power of his. He was on a completely different level from Douma, and this would become apparent when Gold relayed everything about this mission back to her masked boss.

Now, the Bount mercenary needed to decide on how he would keep Nathan’s promise. The young Failure, by probing the Bount’s mind, would see his mind at work, thinking about how he could keep the young boy’s promise if he was to take his offer. Of course, Anarchy could find them on his own, since they had been given an item that would lead them straight to the gang, but they were told that upon activating it, their position would be known as well. But if they used Nathan to find the men, they would not know of his approach until he was already upon them. That sounded like a better plan to him than the former. He was going to take the Failure’s deal and go with the plan that would allow them to have a tactical advantage over the gang.

”You may lead the way.” Anarchy commanded, his voice once more becoming calm. It was no longer the menacing, cold tone he had used when speaking to Gold. I can’t promise that I won’t break them instead…and I can’t promise you I would be able to restrain that woman from killing them. He would surely try, but there was no guarantee that Gold would comply with his order not to kill any of the men. Why did Nathan trust them so much, anyway? The world wasn’t as black and white as he saw it. These men…they weren’t as good as Nathan thought they were. No matter what little good was left in their hearts, they had already chosen the path down which they would go. The same could be said for the Bount himself. Despite the nobility behind his cause, the path he had chosen was bloody, and he knew that for a fact. There was nothing that would stop him from taking this path to save his race. Some would even go so far as to call him a villain. Others would call him a hero. It all depended on perspective. That was how the world worked.

At that point, he released the pressure he had placed on Gold. ”I apologize for that.” the masked mercenary said with a bow in the woman’s direction. After all, Anarchy was still a gentleman at his core. It was not Anarchy who had created Jin Yamada, it was Jin Yamada who bore Anarchy; therefore, Jin would always remain at the core, even if he took on this personality when he donned the mask. ”We will do things my way, and that involves not killing any of the men from the gang we’re about to face. I hope you’ll understand.” he said calmly, in an attempt to reassure the woman that he would no longer harm her. ”I wasn’t paid to kill these men, so I will not take their life today.” That was a lie. He had only used that as an excuse in order to prevent Gold from knowing that it was Nathan who had promised him not to kill those men.