Building an Arsenal for Two [Kazura/Luke]

[Kazura Uzaki]

Before he vanished from the face of the underworld, Anarchy had left Kazura a present. A big one at that. Twelve crates full of artificial Zanpakutou, with one handpicked for the Fullbringer to keep and use for his own personal gain. Kazura wasn't sure just what he'd done to deserve such a gift, but he knew that he'd put it to good use. Holding Funsui in his hands, he began to use his technique named Trace to probe the inner workings of the sword. As his reiatsu probed and prodded, he started to understand the enchantments placed upon the weapon. It took him a few sessions, but he started to understand the weaving of reiatsu and spiritual metal. Understood enough to practice.

Heading back to his office, he placed a blank sheet of metal on the table. He carved out a circle and began to work with just that small disk using Energy Generate. He created raw energy from his own soul and imprinted it onto the disk. Weaving it through the metal, practicing enchanting the disk to have some sort of "magical" effect. But this wasn't magic, it was science. The science of imbuing energy was something that he had worked on with his Lacrima extensively but wasn't getting any results. He had to divert and go a different way. He had to work on a direct enchantment of energy rather than binding a soul to an object. The Artificial Zanpakutou that he had been gifted were going to help him with that.

The disk was filled to the brim with raw reiatsu, filled to capacity. Taking into a secure area, he placed the disk into a bomb disposal unit that would absorb any negative reactions to what he was about to do. He set up a stand with a single dropper full of liquid reiatsu in it. Then he got out of the way and used Soul Command to drop a single drop onto the disk. The resulting explosion would have been much louder if it hadn't been in the bomb disposal bag, but it was still loud enough to warrant Kazura's secretary checking in on him. "Everything's fine, Karen. I'm just working in here."

He was always working. Most often for himself, sometimes for others, but always working. Things had gotten so busy since his organization started to grow. Hollows were being restrained on a daily basis, preventing them from doing any harm to others until the Shinigami could arrive. But still the ability to purify said hollows was escaping the inventor. He knew that there had to be some way, he just hadn't cracked it yet. These artificial zanpakutou couldn't purify, so while they were a great gift in the realm of science, they weren't quite as effective as the real thing. He wished that he could study the Shinigami weapons more up close, but so far they'd always escaped his grasp. And he had scars to show for his attempts. Suddenly, the intercom chirped.

"Mr. Uzaki? Someone to see you."

"Send them in."

[Deleted]

"Thank you." Luke said, bowing his head to the receptionist when he was given the okay to go inside. Wearing a white suit shirt with black pants, Luke looked rather professional. He had folded the left arms sleeve up as much as he could to keep it looking professional and not messy, using a boppy pin to keep the sleeve from falling down. But you know what the impressive thing was? He was wearing a tie. Luke, with one arm, was able to get a damn tie on. Sure it wasn't...perfect. It was a little crooked. Wasn't at that straight line. And it was a little short. The large portion wasn't covering the back, smaller, strip as well. But all things considered, Luke managed to get everything on by himself. "I could have done it for you." Jäger added. Luke could imagine the mess.

Regardless. Now that Luke wasn't going to be in the fighting ring anymore due to his recent weight loss, he was fully invested in this Uzaki Enterprise thing that Marcus had told him about. And during the time between when he met Marcus and the official interview, Luke had gone and lost his arm that night with Timor. The accident required him to push back the interview to today since, well; it was a pretty big deal. But now he was here. He was here to meet the man with his name on the company. It wasn't a surprise that Luke was a little nervous, but he had swallowed that nervousness and replaced it with confidence and relaxation. There was no reason to get worked up over this. He was just a guy. He was just a guy with more money in his pocket than Luke would have in his life. Just a dude. Just a dude.

Opening the door, Luke blinked. He had expected him to be...older. Where were his manners? "Afternoon, sir. I'm Luke Clyburn. We have an interview today?" Luke asked with a smile. Just be positive, polite, and professional. "Dude looks like he's one break up away from shooting up a school. Ask him if he likes grapes." No "You think it's red ones or green ones?"

[Kazura Uzaki]

The door opened and in walked Luke. Kazura set his tools down for a moment to take a look at the man who had just walked in for the interview that he had neglected to prepare for. After all, now that his brain worked at computer level speeds he had been neglecting to prepare for a lot of things. It had made him lazier even though he looked more productive than ever before. Sometimes he had to dial back his productivity just because he was too efficient. Superhuman efficiency could be a curse in a corporate world, apparently. The biggest problem was that he usually had everything figured out before people finished speaking, leading to a bored look on his face. But today he would be good. Today he would pay attention, even if he had finished analyzing the Bount before he finished introducing himself and stating his intentions.

First, he noticed the missing arm. Kazura's mind scrolled back to the 3 different reports that he had received about this man. He had rejected Irina's attempt to recruit him, had come across Impossible a few times, and had finally been recruited successfully by Marcus. All three reports had nothing to say about a missing arm, so it might have been either overlooked (good for them for not seeing handicap) or it might have been recent. Through his analysis, Kazura was more inclined to believe that it was recent. However, Luke looked fantastically talented. He had managed to roll up his sleeve and place a bobby pin in it and tie a tie with one arm. He must have a lot of practice or was just talented. Either way, Kazura was impressed.

"Ah yes, we do. Sorry, I tend to lose track of dates when I get worked up on particular projects. Do you prefer to sit or stand?" Whatever Luke chose, Kazura went right into his discussion of the reports that he had received on the man. "You've been a hard man to pin down. You've met three of my employees now. Impossible, Irina, and Marcus. And now you're finally here, ready to interview for a position in my company. So tell me, what do you know of what we do here and what are you capable of doing to help?" A pretty simple question to start off with. Though Kazura didn't reveal all that he knew of Luke, he did know quite a bit from the reports he'd been given. What Luke would choose to tell him was up to Luke.

[Deleted]

"Sitting is fine." Luke replied, taking a seat in the chair across from Kazura. Separated by a rather nice desk. Kazura went right into it straight away. First thing he said was that Luke had, actually, met three of his employees already. This surprised Luke a bit. He wasn't aware of anyone named Irina, but considering the number of women that Luke met he thought he would remember one who hadn't tried to kill him. But...no. The name wasn't ringing any bells at all. Impossible was the surprising one though. Luke had met Impossible on a few occasions. They had fought together against that homeless looking tranny with the long white hair, and as well as the Quincy that destroyed his old place of work. But Luke had no idea the kid worked here. Hell, Luke just assumed Impossible was homeless to be honest.

"Marcus explained that your company has two kinds of jobs. Normal work and then, well as I put it, Justice League work. He said that Uzaki Enterprise's main focus is training and protecting the human world against spiritual threats." Luke explained, hoping that he was remembering all of that correctly. But when Kazura asked what Luke was capable of doing to help, the Bount went quiet for a moment. He saw this as a crossroads. Things were different than when he had spared with Marcus. During that period, Luke didn't have the will and conviction that he had now. He could either regress and pick a "normal" job...or he could follow the path he set for himself. "Honestly, it's hard to tell you what it is I can do to help. I'm a Bount. I think I'm strong. But I know what it is I want to do. I want to get stronger."

"As corny and cheesy as it sounds, I want the power to protect the people close to me. But more than that is my desire to be a hero." Luke's fingers curled up into a tight fist behind the cover of the desk. "You know the kinds of people this city attracts. You've seen the attacks and destruction on the news. What I want is to be able to stop people who use their powers to ruin the lives of the weak. I want the power to be able to save everyone I can. And, frankly, I think your company and the people you keep in your circle can help me with that." Luke finished, those blue eyes of his filled with an iron conviction. I owe it to the people whose lives my mistakes and unpreparedness have cost. I owe it to myself and them to keep something like that from ever happening again. Luke remembered the fight with the Quincy.

"Holy shit that was lame." Jäger commented, causing Luke's ears to turn a little red as he realized just how anime speechy that sounded. Hrmph. Regardless, now it was up to Kazura to respond.

[Kazura Uzaki]

Kazura listened to Luke's answers without interrupting. Without showing any expression. Once Luke was done, he opened up a folder and jotted down some words in it. It only took a few seconds, then he closed the folder again. "Good, good. I believe Marcus explained what we do here quite accurately. And Impossible attests to your combat capabilities. But you want to get stronger still? That's a good goal to have. Work here does come with a certain amount of danger. I've lost a couple good employees and I'm not proud of it." Kazura paused there for a moment to reflect on Yoko and Siegfried... They were good employees, for sure...

Snapping out of it, Kazura continued speaking. "Next question. Would you be willing to partake in a reiatsu sampling? Here at Uzaki Enterprises we have a system that can detect hollows that form in the town. I've collected samples from each of my team members, which total every spiritually aware race in this world. I have yet to meet a Pure Bount though. In doing so, you'd allow our systems to be upgraded to be able to detect when anyone in Karakura releases. This would allow us to detect everyone in trouble or causing trouble. Your answer to this question will not affect your employment or lack of employment and will not be coerced. If you don't want to, I won't make you."

If Luke agreed to the sampling, Kazura would hold a small metal tube out for him to touch the end of. If not, Kazura would move on. "We're also a very technologically savvy company. Is there anything that you can bring to the table that would help me develop new technology? I'm pretty interested in anything that I haven't seen before."

[Deleted]

Luke was quiet as Kazura spoke, and felt a little bad for the man when he mentioned the deaths of some employees. Luke could feel the saddness from the man, who had up until this point been so "right a way" and consistent with his talking. That moment of silence was noticeable. The next question came, regarding if Luke would be willing to provide some of his reiatsu for some kind of sensor like contraption. It would be able to tell whenever he released? Hrm. That was quite the request. Kazura and his team would always know if Luke released while in Karakura? Thinking about it...it wasn't as though Luke ever released to cause trouble. And, for training, he always stuck to the prison outside of town. He didn't see a problem with it.

Reaching out and placing his hand on the tube, Luke raised his head once more when he was asked that second question. New technology? "Sorry, but...no. I don't have anything you might be looking for." Luke replied, honestly, before removing his hand from the tube since he figured it was finished. "Mr. Uzaki. You said I'm the first Pure Bount you've met? What do you mean by that?" Luke asked, confused.

[Kazura Uzaki]

Kazura was very pleased that Luke had offered up a small amount of his reiatsu to the fullbringer. He filed the tube in a drawer in his desk, replacing a tube that had been marked "Bount + " And since Luke asked, Kazura decided to be honest. "I'll be honest. I employ some individuals that would not be accepted into certain other societies. For example, there is a Bount here that has parentage that is half Bount half... I'm not sure what. I haven't thought about asking her since it seemed a bit private. However, sparring with her is a blast if you ever get the chance..." Kazura trailed off again, once again losing himself in remembering the spar with Vesta and how she pushed him to the limit.

He soon returned to reality and had to apologize. "Sorry, it's been a very busy few months. Lots to reflect on. So, I think that I can be pretty honest with you. I like you, Luke. I like your attitude, your goals, all of that. I'd like to offer you a position in my company. You'll have to start as a New Hire while we get you accustomed to how we do things, but I think that you've got the resolve to be a Senior Employee in no time." Kazura really meant it too. Luke had impressed him with his conviction, even if he had appeared to be embarrassed by it as his ears had turned red. "So? What do you say? Will you work for me?"

[Deleted]

"Interesting." Luke commented softly as Kazura explained the situation concerning the other Bount to him. Half Bount and half something else? Why didn't Luke get good vibes from that? But...it made him think. It made him think of Timor and that form she had taken when they had met on that rain drenched night. "I'll take your advice and look into it." Luke commented. Kazura's compliments made Luke feel a little good, and helped to alleviate the slight embarrassment he had at his little committed speech. As Kazura explained, Luke would have to start out at the bottom. That was fine. Luke understood that. He was a zero experience hire after all. But Kazuras reassurance that he felt Luke could climb the ladder very quickly filled him with some commitment. "Of course, boss." Luke answered with a smile.

[Kazura Uzaki]

A smile crossed the face of the CEO. "Welcome, Luke, to Uzaki Enterprises. Let me get you set up with the standard equipment." Moving to a cabinet in the back of the office, near the wall to wall bookshelf, Kazura opened it up and withdrew three items. A cell phone, a watch, and an ID card. "The cell phone is essential to our work. It is hooked up to the Uzaki Enterprises Defense Network which can receive reports of hollow activity in the Town as well as a few select other cities. Soon it will be upgraded to include all Spiritual Releases of energy save for Hell beasts which continue to elude me even after the invasion a few years ago." The cell phone was then handed to Luke while Kazura began to explain the other items.

"The watch is a smartwatch, but it is much more than that. I call it the Omni-tool. By focusing your reiatsu and your mental command into the watch, a specialized liquid will flow out and then harden into the shape you need. It's too brittle to be used in combat, but is talented as a lock pick, a screwdriver, etc." The watch was then handed to Luke since Kazura was finished explaining its use. "The last item is your ID badge. It will allow you access to the building at all times of day and also will allow you access to the lower floors that we use for Spiritual research and training. How about we go there now so I can continue my projects and show you around at the same time?" Pushing a button underneath his desk after handing over the blank ID that still required a picture would open up the bookcase in the back to reveal a hidden elevator.

If Luke followed Kazura down the elevator, it would first open up into an entire floor comprised of a dojo and private showers. The floor was soft and padded to allow for better training and less of an impact from falling. In the corner were a few robotic sparring partners as well as a few other weird items, like what looked like a baseball pitching machine except with 8 tubes sticking out of it to fire projectiles in various directions. The elevator would just briefly stop on this floor before heading down to the research and development floor. "I've recently learned how to bind reiatsu to metal, allowing me to forge highly durable equipment as well as a few unintended side effects to this technology. Would you like to help me test my ideas?"

For a moment, now that Kazura was in crafting mode, his mind drifted to that missing arm of Luke's. With his knowledge of anatomy, crafting, and his analysis of Jo's cybernetics he was sure that he could craft an arm for the Bount that was superior to his fleshy arm. But Kazura would never mention out loud that he wanted to do this. He was too politically correct to identify a handicap and offer to "fix" it. That was just impolite. But his mind raced with ideas of what he'd do with a robot arm. He could install all sorts of cool upgrades, like laser swords, enhanced durability, even potentially enhanced strength. It was uncharted territory for the man, and he was dying to get the chance. But he held it in and remained calm, not giving even a hint as to his true desires.

[Deleted]

"Oooh. Toys. I like toys. Luke let me play with them after we're done. I won't break them, I promise, not like your playstation." Jäger giggled. Luke decided to ignore the Doll while he looked over the three pieces of equipment given to him by Kazura. Granted it was a little slow with only one arm, but Luke definitely looked very interested in the new phone. Considering that he had a touch phone that was a good few years behind everything else, the idea of receiving a state of the art upgrade that was better than anything else on the market appealed to him. On top of that it could even pick up on Hollows in Karakura, plus some other cities? More than that, Kazura was hoping to improve it to detect all other races, except for something that caught Luke by surprise. Hell Beasts? Invasion? What was he...

With the ID and Omni-Tool looked over and stowed away, Luke was shown inside of an elevator hidden behind the bookcase. The doors opened to reveal a very fancy and advanced training room. Cushioned padding and robotic sparring partners, Luke was certainly impressed. "What's that?" Jäger asked when Luke's eyes glanced over something that looked like a multi-tubed baseball spitting machine. But they weren't there for long. The doors quickly closed once again and took the two to a completely different floor. "You just might have struck gold with this one." Springflut commented.

Kazura started talking, causing Luke to bounce his head over to his new boss. Kazura wanted him to help test something out? The Bount blinked, before shrugging. "Sure, I'm game. What will I be doing?"

[Kazura Uzaki]

Kazura nodded towards Luke. "I could use someone to test what I come up with, really. So I can work unhindered by having to stop and test everything. Here, like this last one I came up with before you came in." Kazura walked over to one of the lab benches and stuck out his right arm, which just happened to be his secondary fullbring's sealed form. He willed the soul of his arm to change form, converting the flesh into hollow titanium filled with a cloud of nanobots. He waved his hand over a sheet of metal, pressing the nanobots into it and having them eat a little bit of it. He shaped the cloud into the form of a bullet and had them each deposit metal into the mold he had created until he had a magazine worth of bullets.

He doused the magazine in the liquid reiatsu that he had collected earlier from his own reserves, priming them for the experiment he'd have Luke do. "Fire these into different materials down at the firing range. They should explode if they hit something hard enough, but I want to know how soft is too soft. There should be a few empty handguns and other assorted firearms already there. Just head down the hallway and to the right." Once Luke had left with the full magazine, Kazura would turn to the metal again. He'd use his Fullbring again to shape it into a very familiar shape, one of his Mark II suits. Before he had the reiatsu port installed.

He held back this time, only half filling the metal so it wouldn't become too charged. He didn't want the armor exploding, after all... He set the armor aside for Luke for when he got back. He would check just how much force this armor could handle at this level of reiatsu charge. And for how long it would hold the reiatsu, as it would probably inevitably leak into the atmosphere... So to combat that, he'd need to have booster packs for the armor, so he got to work on those. Little pockets of liquid reiatsu stored in the shoulder blades, hips, and chest of the armor would be sufficient, though those spots could explode if exposed to too much pressure... Maybe he should move them all to the waist like a belt... Yes, yes he should. Moving the booster packs to the belt area would suffice to give it enough juice to last for awhile.

Hopefully Luke would be quick with the testing, as Kazura was ready to build like mad.