The second introductory post. This time I will introduce Kundrai. Again, I'll try to make it interesting.

The floor felt hard, Kundrai thought. After having meditated countless times on these timbers, he was surprised he was just beginning to notice it now. He laughed at himself. The floor wasn't hard at all; the area he sat in was covered by a green yoga mat. It was merely a delusion, and his illness was boredome.

He stared intently into the edge of his blade, which he had slipped in between the cracks to prop it up in preparation for a Jinzen. He couldn't remember how many times he had done Jinzen in this week alone, but he wasn't counting. It had become less a practice and more a pastime for him. While it was true that all this fighting had strengthened the bond between him and his blade, he deeply wished for another opponent. But he realized that there was little chance of an opponent that even the Captains couldn't defeat. Closing his eyes, he allowed himself to slip into his inner world.

Kundrai had always wondered why his inner world was like this. The center of the place was taken up by a large, black tower with large decks attached by the corners to the spire every so many feet up, like a multi story chessboard. The rest of the world was a dismal, dark wasteland of purple-black sand. He looked up to see the ever so familliar orange sun shine it's strange coloured light on the black features of the land. He took several steps forward, having already reached the top of the spire.

Kundrai: Alright, I'm ready!

A voice sounded out elsewhere in the distance.

Akumu Yona: Are you sure?!

Kundrai: Yeah. Let's go!

Kundrai barely had time to draw his sword as a man descended upon him. The man had a young face, with a thin black moustache in the form of two short, thin lines on his face. His robes matched Kundrai's, and flapped as he descended upon his target. Kundrai struggled to dodge his Zanpakuto's lance, back flipping away from the deadly point of the weapon. Akumu followed him closely, jabbing away with his lance. Hardly able to follow the blurring speed of his opponent's attacks, Kundrai shot his arm out blindly, and was surprised to see he had caught Akumu's wrist.

Kundrai: Time to lose, Akumu Yona!

The lance wielding combatant said nothing, letting his actions speak for him. Leaping up, he put his foot on Kundrai's chest and pushed off in one fluid motion. The force sent Kundrai skidding several feet away, while Akumu recovered from the force with a mid air backflip. Soon, though, Kundrai was upon him again. He dodged and twisted with incredible prowess, landing several powerful kicks into Akumu's gut. The Zanpakuto was sent flying over the edge of the spire, landing heavily on one of the platforms. Kundrai came over the edge soon after, speeding down at a blurring pace. He twisted his body out of the dive he was doing, aiming his feet at Akumu's head. The spearman flash stepped out of harm's way, but was struck square in the forehead by a rather powerful Sho.

Akumu: I see. You've resorted to using kido, Kundrai. Well, I'll be damned if I'm to let you have that advantage! Surrashu!

Kundrai watched with a grin as Akumu's hand became a black reiatsu claw. The man raised his talon and whipped it down, sending five deadly arcs of energy at Kundrai. The young man parried two of the slashes before flash stepping adjacent to his opponent and slashing downwards with his blade. Akumu nimbly evaded the blow, twirling his lance before letting it strike Kundrai on the head. Kundrai felt the bruise swell, but didn't pause in his assault. Because Akumu attacked, he was left open. Kundrai brought his fist up into his opponent's throat, stunning him momentarily. He then jumped back.

Kundrai: Bakudo sixty one, Rikujokoro!

The six bars slammed into Akumu from all sides, keeping him in one place.

Akumu: Damn you, Kundrai!

Kundrai didn't reply, too caught up in the action to pay attention to Akumu's string of curses. He brought his blade up just enough to graze Akumu's neck, drawing mnimal blood.

Kundrai: Game over, Akumu.

Akumu sighed in annoyance.

Akumu: I suppose so. You fought well today. Better than you have in the last two days.

Kundrai: Well, I was particularly energetic today, so that might explain it.

Before Akumu could respond, Kundrai withdrew himself from the black battlefield. He layed back on the yoga mat, breathing heavily and smiling. Despite his constant boredome, he began to remember what he always thought after a battle with his Zanpakuto: life in squad zero is worth it.

Ogodei squinted up at the sun sullenly, annoyed by the glare. It made seeing out here more difficult, especially with Acelin wandering around in that gaudy glinting “armor” of his (if it could be called armor at all, it was little more than a show of shiny gems and metal strips). He gritted his teeth, once again annoyed with his partner at wearing something so obvious to see, even from far off. When they had first started out, he had managed to convince him to wear clothing that would blend with their surroundings, much to Acelin’s distaste. He’d only relented for a short while, however, and Takuma seemed unwilling to force the issue.

He turned his gaze away from the bright ball of white light, forcing himself to scan the horizon again, though he knew what would be there. The two dots in the distance, against a background of scattered buildings, plodded slowly across the horizon, and though making any specific determinations of their features was impossible, their soaring energies gave them away easily enough. Rojin and Cadence were their names, and from previous scouting missions, Ogodei was certain that they’d been paired together simply because the woman was insufferable. Rojin was the amorous type, and he seemed willing to deal with her…odd nature…simply due to her looks and her own patience with him. These two were easily the least focused of their fellows, and constantly wandered off what he thought was their actual set path, though staying out of their way was simple enough. They never seemed to notice anything.

It had only taken a few months to accurately map out all of the Squad 0 scouting patterns, and yet they were sent out day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, to check on the changes, something that was exceedingly rare. They tended to scout carefully through Soul Society, though they tended to have 1-3 parties in the human world at any given time. This desert was the easiest location to scout them from, but the most annoying to sit in. No interesting scenery, no difficulty spotting their targets, blazing sun overhead, and no strong reasons for anyone to be here. Satoshi had them running in groups of two along highly specified routes, and they only changed if something big happened elsewhere, and that happened rarely enough these days. Most of the human world had been populated by this point, and even a desert like this saw some life, though there was little enough going on here that Ogodei was uncertain of the strategic benefit.

Acelin was far more patient about doing this. He seemed to garner some new information each day, though Ogodei could hardly say what that might be. It seemed simple enough to memorize these patterns, who would deviate from them, how much they would, in what direction they were likely to move, how effective they were at spotting targets, and how effective they were at dealing with problems. Sure, they rotated through the people running each route, but mapping all that out had taken Ogodei only a couple of weeks. Acelin had always been slow, though.

They spoke in hand motions and signals, keeping the noise down. It wasn’t really important, they wouldn’t be heard, but they had become so used to traveling in stealth that it was second nature to speak like this.

Acelin: The old man keeps stopping, though I do not know why. The girl simply keeps weaving along the path.

Ogodei suppressed a sigh. Was he the only one who chose to remember their names?

Ogodei: They’re doing the same thing they’ve always done. Cadence keeps getting distracted and goes to anything shiny she sees, and Rojin gets lost in one of his stories and doesn’t notice her wandering off.

Acelin: No need to be testy.

Ogodei: This is pointless, another mission with no results. Takuma still refuses to trust us with anything beyond surveillance, even though we’ve proven ourselves in combat.

Acelin chucked: Only when we are fighting together.

Ogodei: As if that really matters. We’d be capable of fighting either of those two, especially the old man.

Acelin: Takuma has told us why we are doing this – if any one of these groups should stray too close to our base, we will need to change locations. We cannot allow ourselves to be found. His plans are just starting to come to fruition, we will get our chance to fight.

Ogodei sneered: I’ve heard that one before. 100 years and nothing, not a single mission beyond recon. He could have assigned Alpha or Omega to this regularly, but they’ve been getting the real missions.

Acelin: Are you regretting our decision?

Ogodei: You should know me better. Regret is such a worthless feeling; the past is past, and nothing will change that. I don’t doubt it, though. Nabimaru was no better than Takuma, and at the very least, Takuma has given us power unlike any we had before.

Acelin: …Does that mean you’ve made your decision?

Ogodei shook his head, raising his right hand with only the ring finger extended. The years had taught him little about whether Takuma’s ideas warranted his brutal methods. The image of Brigitte still lingered in his thoughts, haloed in red as she had been when she died, lifeless eyes staring at nothing. Were ideals even as lofty as Takuma’s worth ending someone like that? What wrong had she done to deserve it? Still, he couldn’t help but be impressed with Takuma’s proposal. So many wrongs in the world had been committed by the very powerful, even though they all considered themselves in the right. Rey, Isao, Sengoku… And they were just the most powerful of a long line. Their power wasn’t necessarily corrupting, but it DID seem to invite harm to even tremendous societies. But how far would they have to go to end it all? How much power was too much? And more importantly, what about powers like Takuma himself? Wouldn’t he have to die to satisfy his own ideals?

For once, it was a question that was far beyond him, something that left him so uncertain that it kept him up at night. Though if Takuma had told them truthfully about what would happen all too soon, he would get his answer. He was afraid of what it might mean, though. If he ends up disagreeing with him, where would they go? Soul Society would never take them back (nor would they want to go besides), the Rising Suns were under new leadership and approaching them could be dangerous, and what other groups might be out there were beyond his knowledge.

He shook the thoughts from his head. It was worthless to brood on the unknown for too long.

Ogodei: Alright, we know what’s going on here. Let’s move onto the next recon site.

Acelin nodded, and they vanished.

im going to be in missouri for a week to two weeks and i most likely will not have internet ill be leaving this sunday but if i do manage to get internet somehow you guys will be the first to know

Alright, we'll keep that in mind shukun.

Takuma drummed his fingers on the table as he sat. He couldn’t help but wait for them to return – Ogodei and Acelin were doing their final scouting patterns, and Omega and Alpha were firing the first shot of the war. Still, it was utterly dreary having to sit here and wait. He had been patient for the last 100 years, but now that it was on the verge of starting, that patience was wearing extremely thin.

He sat at a long office table, though calling it a table these days was quite inaccurate. It had no legs – it was mainly just a large slab of metal material floating above a tremendous magnet. It was made to feel as though it was made of a dark wood, though it was still as strong as iron. The chair he sat in was polished jet, all smooth stone with no edges, the material lining it soft and padded enough that he could not even feel the hardness. Half a hundred of them surrounded the table in regular intervals. The room took up an entire floor of the office building, though it would have been hard to distinguish this as a floor from the outside. The structure had been conceived in the modern style, and seemed to be made entirely out of smooth, flowing glass, almost as though it had been shaped by the hands of a meticulous giant. The entire thing was lightly tinted, so even with the afternoon sun high in the sky, there was no glare. It curved slightly to the west, the glass rounded as it rose from the ground floor, which was 3 times wider than the top. Hence their room took up an entire floor, only a floor below the top one.

Decadent.

But decadence was fine. A place like this served his purposes and kept them under the radar (or above it, considering the grandiose height of the building), and it had been simple enough to garner control of a few floors for rooms. He had taken control of an executive’s office himself, far more decadent even than the room he sat in.

There was a bit of anxiety in that constant drumming, though no other signs showed of it. He had felt someone powerful enter the building only a minute ago, and figured that this room was the best meeting spot for them. He thought he recognized the energy that he felt, but it seemed slightly…off for some reason. It made him nervous not to have a visitor like this come unannounced. Whoever it was, they were indisputably powerful, and their energy had a dangerous edge to it.

He had always had a keen sensory nature, everyone had said that, though the loss of his eyes and ears had made it more acute. Even so, he had been practically blind until Mayuri had offered his assistance. The man may have been insane, but his intellect was truly staggering, and a depressing loss for the shinigami world. The cloth covering his eyes and ears had allowed him to focus that sensory nature into pulses, allowing him to “see” the world around him as though by sonar. It had taken him a while to learn how to use that to detect sound, though managing to discern which sounds were which came as second nature now. He had even managed to do so without the blindfold, though it cost him more focus and energy. He more easily recognized energies than, perhaps, anyone, though the identity of this one still eluded him.

When he stepped into the room, Takuma had his answer. He walked in the door, crossing the room to seat himself at Takuma’s right – an interesting choice, and certainly a power play. The energy he had been feeling was that of a Quincy after all, though he noticed a slight difference between what he felt now and what he had felt last time he had sensed this. Then again, last time, this man had died.

Takuma: Of all the people I could have expected, I did not think it would be a ghost.

Josh gave him a hard look: I’m as substantial as you are.

Takuma smiled at him: But dead nonetheless, of that I am quite certain.

Josh: Death could not hold me.

Takuma gave a snort of laughter at that. It had been so many years since that massive power had disappeared from the sands of Hueco Mundo, but he had felt the cold touch of death on it. Josh wasn’t the only one to have escaped its cruel embrace.

They were silent for about half a minute after that, simply staring at one another. Josh put on a brave face, but even he looked uneasy – few people could stand Takuma’s sightless gaze for long without that tell-tale trickle of sweat.

Takuma: Well? What brings you to my humble abode?

Josh cleared his throat: I want to join you.

That surprised him, though he did not let it show. As far as he was aware, Crow and his mercenaries were still alive, though they had laid low for quite some time. Had he simply not been able to find them?

Takuma: And why would that be? I wasn’t aware you cared for our cause.

Josh was silent at that. He merely continued evenly meet Takuma’s empty eyes, though oddly his apprehension seemed to vanish.

Takuma: There’s no doubting your powerf-

Josh interrupted him: Tell me, Takuma, who are you most nervous about?

A interesting question. Many groups stood as constant threats to them. Soul Society was the most obvious, but Takuma had made sure to track Squad 0’s scouting patterns. Theirs was limited outside of their home territory, and Satoshi had yet to prove himself as capably as Isao. The Rising Suns were becoming active again, though he had plans in mind for them as well. The mercenaries had disappeared back into the shadows, and all reports said they were staying there for the time being. Hueco Mundo was still mending its shattered and broken state, and the little structure they had left was so fragile that they could (and would) snap it between his thumb and index finger.

That left two concerns. Reports of a dangerous, independent entity wreaking havoc on Soul Society a while back troubled him. He would have written it off long ago, but strange goings on had convinced him otherwise. Unfortunately, there was scant little he could do about that – it was, after all, only one being, or at least he hoped it was. The second was this odd group known as the Church. He had even less information about them. They were cloistered in some far off city that secluded itself from the world, and gaining entry was a task that few could accomplish; even those could never get close to the central group. This “Pope” person was dangerous enough, but it was said he has four “Bishops” of great power around him as well, not to mention several other high quality soul reapers.

Still, he refused to let his uncertainties show. Josh had managed to find him, but if he hoped to get anything out of him, he’d be sorely mistaken.

Takuma: I’m not concerned about any of them. Unlike you, none of our enemies have managed to find this place, and you certainly won’t be telling anyone.

His hand went to the hilt of his blade, but Josh raised a hand to stop him.

Josh: Save it. I know you’re having trouble infiltrating the Church, and I’m the only one with an in.

Now that truly was astonishing, and he couldn’t stop himself from showing it momentarily. Josh smiled. Damn him.

Takuma: An in? Excuse me for being skeptical, but I hear they’re a rather select group.

Josh: My sister is a Bishop.

Giving away such essential information freely? Is he lying? He must be desperate. What game is he playing?

Takuma: That’s all very interesting, but why come to us?

Josh scowled: Much as it pains me to say it, this is not something I can engage in alone. They’re powerful, and they will likely trust me about as little as you do. I can get in the door, I can play the role of the supplicant, but I’ll need help bringing them down.

Takuma smiled at that. He had nowhere else to turn. Perhaps he had gone to several other groups already, maybe even the Rising Suns, and been rebuffed. Still…

Takuma: And what do you stand to gain from this.

There was a look of intense fury in his eyes for a moment, though it vanished as quickly as it came. He pounded the table with his right fist, pressing it down so hard that it almost touched the magnet on their end, causing the other to fly up and cut a deep gouge in the ceiling. Takuma tisked softly – it would be a pain to fix that.

Josh: I have more reason than anyone to want to bring them down. You’re just my avenue for doing that.

He wasn’t lying, of that Takuma was certain. The question was, how long would this loyalty last? And what would happen after this group was dealt with? Nonetheless, this might be his only opportunity to investigate, and he couldn’t pass it up. He rose, flashing his best smile.

Takuma: Welcome then, to our base of operations! Everyone else should be back shortly, but you and I shall begin to make plans without them. I trust you could use some accommodations for-

Josh interrupted: That won’t be necessary. I don’t plan on staying here.

Takuma nodded: Trust issues this early? Or do you simply find these lodgings too meager?

Josh smirked: A little of both.

Takuma grasped his hand with his own, each exerting a tight grip. He would have to keep a close eye on this one; he certainly had quite the independent streak in him. Trust had to be earned, as all four of his compatriots had before him. One false move and Takuma would test how long he could live without a head.

A Changing of the Guard,
The Making of Something Phenomenal!

- Inside Las Noches -
Boido is sitting on what use to be Rey’s throne 100 years ago. Boido is slouched down in the throne as his right elbow sits on the chair’s armrest. The room has not been well taken care of as the walls around the throne are crumbling away with every passing second and the ceiling about it is completely gone as the dismal black sky of Hueco Mundo can be seen. Boido has a somewhat disgusted look on his face as he reminisced about the old days in Las Noches. An awkward smile suddenly appeared on his face as he felt two strong energies about to enter the room.

Boido: No real reason to make such a subtle entrance you two.

Alpha and Omega slowly walk into the room as Boido just lays there watching them slowly get closer.

Boido: (with the disgusted look still on his face) So you finally came to kill me… right?

Alpha: That would be…

Omega: Correct!

A look of irritation appears on Alpha’s face as Omega finished her sentence.

Alpha: We are here to…

Omega: Kill you!

Alpha: (screaming at Omega) SHUT THE HELL UP OMEGA! I DON’T NEED YOU FINISHING MY…

Omega: Sentences!

Boido smiled as he watched those two go at it. Every little word of anger they spoke reminded him of how things were all those years ago.

Alpha: ARGH! You better be glad you are my other half Omega or I’d kill you.

Boido: (in a soft whisper) Heh! Just like old times.

Alpha: What was that Boido?

Boido: I was just thinking about the past for a moment. (sighs) As much as I despised Rey’s reign as king or Dormirarbol grotesque appearance and mannerisms, I must admit that I was slightly happy back then. Everything was consistent… stable… comforting! I miss those times.

Omega: What are you trying to say Boido?

Boido: Isn’t it obvious! I’ve grown tired of constantly having to fight some weak arrancar that thinks they can come in here and move me from this throne. They’re like commoners trying to knock the black knight off his horse. It just won’t happen.

Alpha: So what you’re saying is you have nothing to live for now? Is that what it’s come to?

Boido: (sighs) You’d be correct Alpha. I know about you two! I always did. And I knew Rey’s time was coming to an end as well. With him gone and everyone else dead I realize that my once perfect world had ended and that emptiness that was once filled had become void once more. So yes, I’ve grown tired of life! That’s why I waited here because I knew you two would come to kill me and end my horror. So make it quick…I won’t put up a fight.

Alpha: So you think you have nothing to live for huh. Why not join us?

Boido: And fight for another pointless cause I couldn’t care less about? Hell sounds better than that! Maybe it’s infinite flames can burn away this emptiness.

Omega: Well if that’s how you really feel then I’ll grant you your wish.

???: Better yet how ‘bout we kill him off!

Alpha and Omega jump back as a weird energy suddenly appears out of nowhere. Five black tentacles quickly reach from behind the throne and wrap around Boido’s neck, arms and legs. An unusual arrancar rises up from behind the throne. He is covered from head to toe in what appears to be his hollow mask which wraps around his head completely and falls down his body like a skin tight robe (like Aizen’s cocoon form). Two holes appear in the mask where a normal person’s eyes would be and you can see his bright red eyes peeking through the holes. Another man who looks like a soul reaper appears in front of Boido who is now restrained in the chair. The “soul reaper” has long white hair and pale skin. The whites of his eyes are actually black and the color of the eyes is a deep green. The “soul reaper” is wearing a white robe and is holding a small clear orb that is about two inches in circumference. The “soul reaper” speaks.

Omen: Nice work Doc. I didn’t think you could restrain him so easily.

Boido: I said I wanted to die! That’s why I don’t care what happens, just make it quick.

Doc: Well it’s always good to have a willing test subject.

Omen: Makes things easier. And don’t worry Boido, this will be painless.

Omen points the small orb at Boido and releases it. The orb hovers in the air for a while but then shoots into Boido’s chest. White light emits from Boido’s ears, nose, mouth and eyes as his body is quickly absorbed into what appears to be a vortex where the orb had pierced his body at. Boido’s body completely disappears into the orb as it hovers back into Omen’s hand.

Omen: So the test worked after all.

Doc: Good! We are one step closer Lord Omen.

Alpha: What the hell did you do?

Omen now looking back at them as if he was surprised to see them there.

Omen: Ahh, Alpha and Omega. I almost forgot you two were watching. I tend to get that way when my plans come closer to fruition. Nice to meet you two for the first time.

Omega: What the hell are you supposed to be? You have the scent of a soul reaper but your energy feels like a hollows but then changes and feels like a soul reapers.

Omen: (sighs) That explanation will take a while but I’ll cut it down for you. Originally I was a special breed of hollow called a Phantasm or Ghost Hollow. My unusual form allows me to possess the bodies of unknowing soul reapers and after I take them over I can choose to permanently combine with them to become a hybrid being. Since I haven’t combined with this body yet my energy and his energy fight for control but this soul reapers conscience was devoured so he no longer exist giving me both hollow and soul reaper abilities.

Alpha: Wow, it’s rare to see a living Phantasm since you guys never make it out of the underground. You must be a lucky one.

Omen: I was lucky. A group of soul reapers fell into the underground during a mission, so instead of taking over a regular hollow and risking my conscience being devoured I took over a soul reaper and hid in Soul Society so I could form my plans.

Omega: What are your plans?

Omen: To be the strongest! Would you like to join me?

Alpha: No! We have our own place. Plus the fact that we would never follow someone who is weaker than us and our allies!

Omen: Weak!? Heh, fine…if you don’t want to join then you don’t have to. You’re already working for me anyways so it doesn’t matter.

Alpha: (confused) Why do you say we are working for you?

Omen: That’s simple. One: you take Soul Society’s attention away from me. Two: Your group will be the catalyst for my plan. And finally, you guys will weaken Soul Society and that does nothing but help me. Hmm…

Omen looks down at the small orb which just absorbed Boido and realizes a large crack has appeared in it. Omen quickly throws the orb a great distance and it explodes as it hits the sand a few yards away causing a cloud of sand to fly up into the air.

Omen: Another failure.

Doc: My apologizes Lord Omen. The material must not have been dense enough to house that much spiritual pressure. I’ll get to work on something more suitable sir.

Omen: Please do Doc! We’ll only get one chance to take that man’s energy and he has much more than Boido had so it must be perfect.

Doc: We’ll need to conduct more test sir.

Omen: Yes we do, let’s go!

Alpha: Hold on Omen! Who’s supposed to be “that man” you speak off?

Omen: Isn’t it obvious Alpha? Rey, Isao and Sengoku are gone! Who does that leave at the top of the totem pole? But his power is not meant for the orb. We’re after someone much more powerful than that!

Omen and Doc vanish

Omega: Someone more powerful than “him”, have we taken someone’s power for granted?

Alpha: We couldn’t have. We’ll need to keep an eye out for those two. I don’t know what they are up to but it can’t be good.

THE END

Omen reappears and is making his move, but what did he mean about someone with a power greater than “his”?

Just a heads up guys, we're going to be starting in on the order after this weekend is over, so if you still want to post something, do so in the near future, otherwise you'll have to wait your turn.

Alright, weekend's officially over, so jstar, you're up dude. If you don't know your location in the order of posting, look up at the top of the page, it's listed there.

I apologize for my lateness but the post will be up sometime tomorrow as I just got off work and I have class in the morning. Once again I'm sorry but I'm completely worn out right now.

No worries.

My post will be up in a few hours.

Rena, Captain of Squad 2, was running as fast as she could. Tree after tree quickly flew past her as she sped up with her twenty subordinates following close behind her. She had no idea what she was going to see when she got there but she knew it was not going to be good. An unusual smell filled the air as they got closer to the tree line of the forest but the smell became recognizable as they inched closer and closer, blood. It was a smell that Rena got to know well those 100 years ago. Images of Sengoku and his group of rebel soul reapers entered her mind as the smell got stronger with every step. But this was different; she refocused herself as she had an idea of who might have caused this. Light finally hit her face as she had reached the tree line and felt her lieutenant’s energy who was already there investigating. The site was horrific as hundreds of soul reapers lie dead on the flat ground, a pool of blood sat on the land around which was about a half inch high. Squad 2 Lieutenant Marik held a small device in his hand that was searching for any trace of spirit particles that didn’t register in Soul Society’s database. Rena slowly walked up to Marik as she didn’t want to splash up any blood onto her Captain’s cloak.

Rena: (in somewhat of shock) How the hell did this happen?

Marik: No clue Captain, but I did find something weird.

Rena: What is it?

Marik: The scanner…it says that there were over a hundred other soul reapers here that aren’t accounted for.

Rena: (confused) What!? That makes no sense. Did they go rouge and kill these ones?

Marik: No! According to Head Captain Satoshi’s records, only Squad 3 and Squad 9 were sent here and they sent him a list of all their members that was joining them.

Rena: AND…

Marik: Everyone is accounted for except Squad 3 Captain Amiro and his lieutenant Dawn as well as Squad 9 Captain Ryuu.

Rena: So everyone lying here was on Satoshi’s records yet the scanner says there was a hundred other soul reaper energies here? What the hell is going on? Could those assassins have really grown that large?

Marik: I don’t think it was them Rena.

Rena: Huh? What do you mean?

Marik: (tilts the scanner to show Rena the screen) This scanner is an updated version but the prototype was made hundreds of years ago and every soul reaper who has served in Soul Society has had their energy entered into this database.

Rena: What are you saying?

Marik: You remember all those soul reapers who disappeared shortly after the Sengoku incident? (Rena squints her eyes as she focuses on the screen) Well according to the scanner all of the missing soul reapers were here today.

Rena: (sighs) Okay…we need to figure out what is going on here. (sighs) Everyone!

Squad Members: Yes Mam!

Rena: I’ve just received some disturbing information and must head but to report this to Head Captain Satoshi. I’m leaving you all here under Marik’s leadership in order for you to gather more data. If anything happens, be sure to send a Hell Butterfly as soon as possible.

-Deep inside the Underground of Hueco Mundo-
A small cavern is closed off by what appears to be a thick metal door. Noise is being heard from the cavern as if someone is working with machinery. Doc is typing away on a large screen computer as Omen stands behind him with a large grin on his face. There is a rustling sound going on to the right side of them and we see that Ryuu, Amiro and Dawn are all tied up and their zanpaktou are on the floor near them. They appear to be whispering to each other.

Ryuu: How the hell did we let this happen?

Dawn: I’m sorry guys. Had I not been captured then you two wouldn’t have been caught off guard.

Amiro: It’s not your fault Dawn.

Dawn: Don’t worry; I’ll make it up to you guys.

Dawn wiggles herself loose from the chains around her and leaps for her blade. Dawn quickly springs up and cuts the chains off of Amiro and Ryuu. Omen sighs as he notices that they escaped but Doc quickly stand up.

Doc: Don’t worry my Lord; I won’t let you waste energy on these test subjects. Release Restraints, Shojisha!

Doc’s red eyes glow intensely and move down from his eyes to his belly and a large crack appears where the red light is glowing. The crack opens up and the red light takes the form of a large eye. A thick black mist slowly flows out of Doc’s belly as more cracks appear along his body until it rips open completely and floats above his red eye like torn pieces of paper. The black mist ominously floats around his large eye in the appearance of tentacles. Dawn, wanting to make up for her earlier blunder that got them caught, quickly jumps at Doc but the black mist starts to flutter in the wind and moves towards her at a fast speed. Dawns eyes widen as deep lacerations appear all over her body to the point where she has been cut into many pieces. Blood flies all over the room and the shock of seeing Dawn killed hides the fact that Doc’s mist has dug into the ground under Amiro and Ryuu’s feet. The ground under them lifts up and takes the form of Doc in his unreleased form. The ground copies quickly grab Amiro and Ryuu as Omen slowly walks up to them with a small orb in his hands.

Omen: Nice work Doc.

Doc: (a loud voice echoes in the room) Thank you my Lord.

Omen: Well you three…well I should say two now, have made this much harder than this needed to be.

Ryuu: What the hell do you want from us?

Omen: Oh just data. I had to make a new prototype for my energy absorber since my last one failed so I needed test subjects, which are you two.

Amiro: An energy absorber? What do you need that for?

Omen: Why let a vast amount of energy go to waste for 20000 years? Sounds crazy to me! So I plan on utilizing it.

Ryuu: (confused) 20000 years? What the hell are talking about…WAIT! YOU CAN”T MEAN…

Omen raises the orb which quickly absorbs Ryuu and Amiro into it. Omen focuses on the orb as he waits to see how it reacts. The orb remains stable and Omen smiles. The ground copies that Doc made crumble away as Doc returns to his original form.

Omen: Nice work Doc; the orb easily contained their energy.

Doc: Then should I begin on the orb for him sure?

Omen: Yes, but I’ll be leaving for now.

Doc: Where are you going sir?

Omen: Let’s just say I’m going to open Pandora’s box!

Omen walks away in laughter.

The End

Sorry for my lateness! You’re up whiteflame

As they neared the next scouting location, Ogodei suddenly slowed down, and Acelin was forced to fall in behind him. He started plodding silently towards the city a short distance away. Acelin didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary, but apparently he did. It was always something, and it made Acelin feel dense not to notice some of them. One of the oh so many differences between them.

Acelin walked normally, though Ogodei shot him glances. Probably thought he was being too loud and obvious again. He caught up to him, and they started conversing by hand signals again.

Acelin: What is it?

Ogodei: Listen.

Acelin turned his ear to the wind, straining to hear even the slightest noise. Nothing, it seemed normal enough.

Acelin: Is this some kind of joke?

Ogodei shook his head. Well if he thought it was so damn obvious, why didn’t he just say it?

Ogodei: That’s a small city over there, but we should be hearing something. It’s the afternoon, it should be bustling.

Acelin: But this is not on our scouting pattern.

Ogodei: It’s important enough that we should stop and investigate.

Acelin felt a sudden surge of power. Ogodei didn’t react – his sensory perception had always been abysmal. Whoever it was, they were ridiculously powerful, and they were alone.

(shift to Ogodei’s perspective)

As they neared the city, Ogodei learned more about what they had to face. Simply seeing Acelin’s expression change was enough to know that whoever was there was powerful, but that by itself meant little.

It wasn’t until he saw the carnage that he became worried. Dead lay scattered across the streets, huge mounds of them piled up at the entrance. They had been fleeing something, that was for certain, but the expressions on their faces said far more. None of them could see the enemy. They ran blindly, hoping to escape a fate they could not see nor understand.

Everything seemed wrong here. None of the buildings that they could see had been damaged, not a scratch. He knew there was a large energy in the city, yet he felt no spiritual pressure from it, as though he had hardly used any energy attacks at all. No one bore any signs of torture, they were killed outright, often painlessly. Whoever it was hadn’t relished the deaths, nor aimed to achieve any obvious goal by killing them. No, none of it made any sense. Who would kill like this? What reason could they have for it?

They walked down every street, each one looking much the same. Crowds of people had run in horror from a central point in the city, a large pedestal that they reached shortly. That much was apparent. They had all lost their lives anyway. There was no sign that anyone had gotten away, though perhaps a couple had managed to do so. The vast majority of the population lay dead in the streets, some dead inside the buildings…all from the same person. The blade itself hadn’t created any special wounds, but each of the strikes bore a high degree of similarity.

With the sun setting, Acelin’s clothing wasn’t making him quite as apparent as before, but Ogodei knew they were sitting targets. If he felt the energy of the one who did this, they must still be-

Light shined off of Acelin’s plate in the wrong place, and suddenly Ogodei was charging at a figure he couldn’t see. His blade was in his hands, and he struck at where he thought the invisible form would be if he were moving to Acelin.
A visible hand shot out, grabbing hold of his wrist. The invisibility faded the unknown soul reaper, Acelin immediately taking several steps forward and unsheathing his blade. Whoever he was, it wasn’t someone Ogodei recognized. Black hair fell over the glasses covering his dark brown eyes. He wore a black fedora and t-shirt with khaki cargo pants and black converse all star shoes, as well as a passive smile on his face. At first glance, the blade in his other hand seemed normal enough, though the three red buttons along the handle caught his eye. He had his thumb on the middle button, though he seemed to be turning it off rather than on.

He didn’t have long to brood on that. He struck downward with his own blade, and the man disappeared. A quick hand signal sent Acelin after him, but he avoided the follow up strike, appearing on a building dozens of meters away.

???: Hey now guys, I have no quarrel with you.

Acelin: No, but it seems you had a tiff with these people.

The man’s smile broadened: They brought this on themselves. They wouldn’t accept the truth.

Acelin: And I suppose you will let us go without accepting this “truth” of yours?

???: It’s not my truth. I am merely the Prophet that preaches it to the masses.

Acelin: …Who are you?

???: The name’s Alexander, but you would know me as a harbinger of tr-

Acelin interrupted: Back to this “truth” business. I have little patience for all this. We have been sitting around in the sun all day watching powerful people, and I have a powerful desire to break up that monotony.

Alexander’s smile remained, but there seemed to be something menacing there now. He reached his other hand around, preparing to press two of the buttons, but withdrew it. The menace left him as quickly as it came.

Alexander: You are not a part of my mission – Leon would be displeased if I fought here. It would be folly to give into your goading.

He turned away from them beginning to walk away, but Acelin took two steps forward, shouting after him.

Acelin: Who said you could lea-

Ogodei clapped a hand over his mouth, whispering into his ear.

Ogodei: Not our mission either.

He rarely spoke with certainty and strength in his words…only when the situation was dire. With no prior information, this type of fight would be dangerous. Acelin took the hint, though he was still shaking. He flashed hand signals at him, anger apparent.

Acelin: After all this, we’re just going to sit here?

Ogodei responded in kind: Our duty is to report this to Takuma. We are scouts, no more.

Acelin: And you’re content with that?

Ogodei paused before responding: …for now.

Acelin pushed him away, taking a quick glance up at where Alexander had disappeared from view. He spat on the ground, turning to the south and setting a grueling pace to get back. His fury would subside, but Ogodei certainly understood his feelings well enough. Alexander…this “truth”…Leon… He got a sudden chill. There was no doubt that their desire for combat would be satiated soon enough, though it suddenly felt like an avalanche sliding down a mountain, destined to crush all of those that were unlucky enough to set themselves beneath its endless tide of snow.


Heh, I know that was pretty quick, had most of this written before jstar posted. Hadez, your turn.

well i have school today so my post should come up later tonight or tomorrow night the only way it wont come up today is if i end up having a moutain of homework to do which shouldnt happen

The Curse

Sitting in the Squad 5 barracks Arthur was combing through piles of papers. Furiously running his eyes across lines of text as he tossed the papers aside. Searching for some bit of information that seemed to allude him.

Arthur: (To Self) This can't be...someone is pulling a prank

The night before

Arthur and a dozen or so soul reapers are out at a sake house celebrating the first successful mission for the newest bunch of recruits. It was not anything special just a standard low level hallow sighting that they dealt with. It was the kind of mission that is used to train new soul reapers in the field not one that requires seasoned warriors. Still Arthur insisted on going with the group to watch their development. Afterwords Arthur insisted on celebrating the success with some food and drinks. The new recruits were tense at first but after a little time they loosened up, either from the lively atmosphere or from the liquid persuasion.


Squad member HAHAHAHAHA I don't care what they say Captain Arthur. You're a great man.

Arthur: What do they say.

Squad member: Oh you know, that you will get hit with the curse of squad 5.

Arthur: Curse?

Squad member: The curse....you cant say you haven't heard of it.


Back at the barracks.

Arthur: What is wrong with this squad. Is there some connection between the number 5 and bad luck or something. First it was Aizen, then Sunny, then Demandred, and finally Boa. Every captain in recent history either defected or was struck with Tragedy. Well not me, No sir, I will change it....If only i could remember where I put my pocket book...i think its at the pub.....what corner was it on.....OH NO ITS THE BAD LUCK IS STRIKING!!!!


At the city of The Church

Jade is walking down the cobble stone road looking up admiring the beautiful night sky. She had been blessed. The path between her tower and the central one did not turn much and had little obstructions between her and the sky allowing her to admire it through her whole trip without worrying about getting lost or walking into any buildings. The other bishops were not so lucky either being blocked in the shadow of the central tower or taller buildings made to accommodate all the recent converts.

She continued to stroll along the road until she steped on something. It was was squishy at first then was hard. Startled she jerked her foot to the side and ploped it down in a warm pool of liquid. That struck Jade as odd, it hadnt rained in weeks and even if it had it was too warm to be natural water. As she looked down horror struck her face. Sisters of the church that often traveled in two lines of 10 side by side from their duites layed dead infront of her. To make matters worse she heard the skuffel of foot steps behind her. Probably another squad of Sisters making their rounds. They cant be allowed to have their eyes tainted by such horrific visions. Jade spun arroun on her heel waving her hands. Just as her eyes made contact with the walking troops a blue light flashed and blood shot up from the throats on the inside of the line showering the Sister to their side in blood.

Jade: (Thinking to self) This cant be...This cant be.

Jade spun around again looking to the top of her tower and that is where she saw him. A tall slender man holding a long bow with smoke emitting from his fingers of the off hand and the center of the bow. He reached up and slicked his hair back then hoped backwards off the tower.

Jade: Its a lie, it cant be, Its a trick

At this point tears were falling down Jades eyes as she shunpoed up to the top of the tower seeing the man standing on the outer wall below her. Activating her bow Jade shot a volley of arrows at him. Slowly the man raised his bow and drew the sting back what appeared to be once but firing an equal number of arrows off colliding with Jade's volley and neutralizing them all.

Jade: (To her Self) Why? Who would be doing this? Who would be able to?

Again the man vanished and Jade chased after him. Appearing just in front of the man Jade draws a Seele Schneider off her back and in a fluid motion strikes at the the man. Just before the blade makes contact he vanishes and appears several hundred feet away.

Jade: YOU BASTARD

Jade charges at the man full speed. Her blade swinging with every ounce of her strength. The edge drawing ever closer to his throat. In the instant before it makes contact he vanishes and appears only inches closer his arms embracing her.

Joshua: That's no way for you to talk to your brother kiddo.


Jade couldn't breath. The shock of hearing his voice struck to her very core. The feel of his hug drew all the strength out of her body. It had to be a lie or a trick. He died a hundred years ago. He couldn't be here now but she wanted so hard to believe it was her brother. She wished for something like this to happen every day since she left the hospital but now that it has she knew it had to be fake. Mustering up all the strength in her body she shoved him away and activated her Sanrei glove bow and drew back the Seele Schneider ready to fire.

Josh didn't even look shocked. He just smirked and gave a quick chuckle. He just held his hand up attempting to wave away her bow.

Josh: Come on sis, I know I am a little late but that is not reason to shoot me.

Jade: A little late...ITS BEEN 100 YEARS!!!!!! That is assuming you are even Josh.

Josh: Who else would i be?

Jade: Some agent of the darkness sent to try to corrupt or destroy the one beacon of light in this dismal world

Josh: What the hell?!?!

Jade: Don't you dare defile my ears with such language.

Josh: I'm the older brother I get to correct your language, not the other way around kiddo.

Jade: SHUT UP, You are not my brother. He is dead. He died a century ago. Humans can't live that long.

Josh: Your standing here are you not?

Jade: That is different

Josh: How so?

Jade: Leon saved me

Josh: Who is Leon and how did he "save" you (Josh made the quotation makes with his fingers)

Jade: A while after you left to get money to help pay for my hospital bills and (adding an angry tone) didn't return on time. Leon visited me in the hospital promising to show me the light and help me through the dark times I had.

Josh: I swear if he...

Jade: He saved me. about 50 years ago I died from further complications of the cancer i had. When i awoke in the soul society I couldn't find you anywhere but Leon found me. Only a week after I died he was in the soul society looking for me. From there he thought me how to use shinigami powers. That coupled with my Quincy soul made me better.

Josh: And you said that my language was defiling your ears. It seems this Leon has done much worse. He made you a shinigami. A SHINIGAMI!!!!! You do remember why it was only us for so long. Why you don't have any memory or Mom or Dad don't you. Its because a Shinigami saw fit to kill them because they carried on the Quincy blood and now your one of them.

Jade: Dont you dare say Leon corrupted me in any way. He has only helped me for the last century. Where were you? You were not there for me when i was sick, or when i died or even after it but he was.

Josh: I'm sorry, some stupid shinigami put me in a test tube. I would have been there if i could. Its sorta hard when the strongest arrnancar in existence is attempting to kill everything. I sorta figured it would be a good idea to throw a wrench in his plans.

Jade: So instead of coming back for me and helping me get better so we could fight him together you charged off like a hot headed fool.

Josh: I never wanted blood on your hands. I wouldn't have forgiven self if you got hurt in that. Any way it killed me just to hurt him. I don't sense his power anywhere so I assume someone else dealt with him since then but still I was trying to keep you away from that life.

Jade: Why? We share blood, I am as capable as you in a fight.

Josh: I am the big brother. Its my job.

Jade: So whats your job now. Crushing my happiness and throwing me in the cellar?

Josh: No, I just want my sister back. I want to go off somewhere and live a normal life. I'm tired of all of this.

Jade: Come with me, I'm sure i can explain to Leon that you didn't fully understand what was going on and thought you were saving me. He is very forgiving.

Josh: I have issues with him then

Jade: Why he is a great man.

Josh: Great men don't forgive a complete stranger for killing 40 of his people

Jade: The great ones are able to look pass such simple reasons and understand your true intentions. Could you at least give it a shot for me.

Josh: (Sigh) I guess...but what if I don't take to this "Light" hes offering or what if I just don't want to live in such a location.

Jade: You will

Josh: What if i don't. I don't want to force you to leave.

Jade: Then don't

Josh: But if that situation comes up we are leaving.

Jade: I won't let you. At the very least i wont go with you.

Josh:(With a chuckle) You may not have a choice if i have a celler

Jade: Don't be silly. Now we need to go talk to Leon as soon as possible before...

Leon: Not to worry my daughter..

Josh: Who the hell do you think you are calling your daughter. Only one man has that right and he was greater than you ever will be.

Leon: Forgive me, Its a bad habit I have from speaking with the Sisters.

Josh: Don't let it slip again.

Jade: Calm down Josh.

Josh: I am calm kiddo.

Leon: Lets talk in my office. Its a cold night, wouldn't want us to get sick.

Jade: About the Sisters...He didn't mean...

Leon: (Waving his hand) You need not worry Jade. Josh is forgiven, His intentions were noble and pure even if a bit misguided

Josh: (To self) Nope i pointed my arrows in the right direction for the outcome I wanted.

In Leon's office

Leon: So i sense you are do not fully trust the truth yet, but you are open to it, that is good.

Josh: Yes it seems so.

Leon: I don't normally allow non converts into this city but this is a special circumstance. Since you are a Bishop's kin I will allow you to stay within these walls.

Josh: What is a Bishop?

Leon: The voice of the Pope

Josh: And who is the Pope

Leon: I am

Josh: I see...Who is the voice of a Bishop

Leon: There is no such rank.

Josh: Then make it

Leon: And why would it be necessary.

Josh: I will occupy it.

Jade: Come now Josh

Leon: Why do you wish to be Jade's Voice

Josh: To protect her

Leon: She is quite a capable combatant.

Josh: I know, make the rank

Jade: Josh its no big deal I'll be okay, I survived this long.

Leon: She has a point.

Josh clutching the arm rest on his chair hard enough it cracks: I know, Make the rank.

Jade: Josh stop.

Leon: Jade its late, Maybe you should go to bed, Josh and I can discuss this.

Josh: That is in fact a good idea. I'm sure i can find my way to you Jade.

Jade: If you say so Lord Leon

Josh almost snaps when he hears "Lord Leon" but manages to keep a calm expression. Jade gets up dusts off her pant legs and walks out of the room slowly closing the door behind her.

Leon: Now then, I don't believe such a rank is needed. It will just add to the bureaucracy and slow down our progression.

Josh: I understand this full well. (Josh pauses as he scenes Jade get farther away)

Leon: If you know this and that Jade is a capable fighter then why do you insist on this rank

Josh: (Pausing a couple minutes longer) To protect her

Leon: She can protect her self.

Josh pauses for the last few minutes that Jade needed to get out of ear shot. In an instant Josh appears in front of Leon grabbing him by the face and lifting him out of his seat. Josh charges across the room and smashes Leon's head into the thick oak book case splintering the wood and scattering books everywhere. As he pulls his left hand away from Leon's face falls a couple inches before getting struck with a hard right hand and pushed back up the wall. This time Josh catches Leon by the collar with his left hand. The bow on his glove is activated at the same time so that Josh's left hand is holding Leon by the collar and the bow. Only millimeters away from Leon's chin sits the tip of one of Josh's Seele Schneider.

Josh: I want you to understand this clearly. You have two options. First is you refuse to add in this rank and I kill you right now. Second is you make the rank and delegate all missions meant for Jade to me because of it and I kill you later. Its your choice.

Several minutes pass as Leon begins to sweat. A bead of sweat rolls down Leon's chin and drips on the tip of Josh's arrow causing a little sizzle. The entire time Josh holds Leon off the ground against the wall,

Leon: I think I'll call it a Priest. Sounds about right. You will have to manage the work of the sisters also.

Josh: Alright...Don't forget, If I feel that Jade or my self is in danger, Jade gets hurt, or Jade feels that she is being left out of the loop at all then you will die and I will drag your soul to the deepest pit of Hell.

Leon: Understood.

Josh drops Leon and put his weapons away.

Josh: Glad we could have this talk. Ill get that shelf fixed tomorrow.

Leon: No need to worry. One of the crafts men has been begging to have me assign him some work for my office. I had nothing i needed of him till now. Thanks.

Josh: Well I have 100 years of catching up to do...Good night

Josh walks out of the room

Leon: That insolent brat, I should have killed him but there was no way i would have walked away from that without some serious injury. I cant risk such things at this point.


Well there is my post. Hope you all enjoyed it. Onix your up brah.

I will have a response up sometime this weekend.

Biren was sitting at his desk. Surprisingly he was asleep when someone started knocking at his door. He didn't even move. The person who knocked walks in and stands over the captain. He pulls up a whistle and blows it. Biren jumps up into the air and hits his head against the ceiling.

Biren: When he lands he is holding his head. "What the hell was that for rake." He stands up. When at his full stature, Biren now looks as though he is 22 years old He holds a more mature look about him even though he is active as ever. "You didn't have to wake me like that Rake."

Rake: Rake looks only one year older than he did a hundred years ago. He still holds the serious look upon his face but he has allowed his hair to grow out. "I wouldn't have to wake you up if you didn't keep falling asleep."

Biren: He just stretches his arms out and yawns. "I wouldn't be asleep if there wasn't so much paperwork. It just keeps stacking no matter how much i do. It's been like this for the past few years."

Rake: He just shakes his head. "it has to be this way. New captains are taking their places, new reports are coming in on Hollow activities. If things ever got to peaceful then that is the easiest way to know something bad is about to go down."

Biren: He smiles and does some push-ups. "Yeah i know. By the way, how has the "situation" been with tracking that thing." He does a flip and returns to his feet, brushing himself off.

Rake: He looks down. "Unfortunately, i haven't found a trace of the damn thing. It's almost like it never existed. But after examining all of the crime scenes where shinigami have disappeared, there is no doubt that it was the cause."

Biren: He smiles and pats rake on the shoulder. "I have already sent in a request to meet with the Commander today. I'll need all of the research you have gathered so i can present it before him. If all goes well, we will soon be hunting the beast." He walks out of the room and begins to walk down the walk ways of his barracks. "I'll will try to get permission to have my squad hunt for it. But i will not use any of my members, i will use my ace in the hole."

In the Real world

A man is seen on a rock next to a waterfall. He is in deep meditation and thought. The cooling mist and the serine sound helps him concentrate. Soon, energy builds in between his hands. And tiny streams of reisitu are being drawn into it. It expands into a two foot circle that is radiating massive energy that seems to be out of control, but yet is completely balanced. He then squeezes his hands together and opens them to reveal a small marble sized ball of energy. He opens his eyes and throws it into a nearby tree. He returns his hand and closes his eyes were soon after the tree explodes. But instead of the shrapnel going every were, it is sucked into a vacuum that makes all of it dissipate. The man stands up and breathes. He then shunpos as a blast of energy hits were he was. He picks up his sword next that is next to a nearby tree and he slashes the next two that came at him.

???: "Damn, I thought i almost had you." the mystery man shunpos down. "Glad to see your training is paying off Daniel."

Daniel: He walks over to the tree he collected his sword from and puts on a sleeveless whit shirt and over it a black short sleeve button up over shirt. He puts on his black finger less glove and sheathes his sword. "You almost did Kizumi. To bad i'm to fast for even you."

Kizumi: He laughs. "You'll never be to fast for my kyokushahou. It has a fast shot that will trace anything." He laughs some more.

Daniel: Daniel begins to laugh as well. "That's what you said to the last group of arrancar that came here and one of them broke your nose."

Kizumi: Kizumi get red in the face. "You know that's not funny. It took weeks for that to heal." They both begin to gather food and wood to make a fire and some grub. "I can't believe it's been a hundred years since we left the soul society.

Daniel: He nods his head. "Yeah, but i think you became a much stronger fighter because of it. And both of use have mastered our shikai and have began to tape into the potential of out bankai's." He thinks to himself. "Granted he learned his bankai before me. But that is because i had to learn my through twelve years of serious meditation."

Kizumi: He had a strange look on his face. "Do you ever miss your friends and family. I no i do. I don't know if their dead or alive." He is almost distraught.

Daniel: He Grabs a bowl and fills it with soup. "Honestly, I do. I spent my years split between training and school until everyone died." He then sees an image of his body in a tube. "And i haven't used my body in a long time. I've just kept in my spirit form." He then thinks about his girlfriend. "And now i think that what i was fighting for was nothing. Mostly because everyone seemed to forget about Tina. Even her own mom." He stands up. "Alright, lets get back to training."

Kizumi: Kizumi stands up as well. Drawing his blade. "Let's set the rules. No shikai, no kido or whatever you do, and no shunpo." Daniel agrees and the two charge at each other.

Alright, wolf, that means you're up nexxt.

So, I really hate to do this, but it looks like we're skipping wolf. I'm holding everyone to the same standard here - if you don't post within 48 hours (even to say that you'll be late on posting), you get skipped. For future reference, if you are not going to be posting, it would still be good to just make that clear to the rest of us so that we don't have to wait 2 days.

Rantora, you're up dude.

skip me this round but ill be posting my new cherecter for what i think is the time skip(if that hasnt already happend then he will be intriduced my next round)hes on the newst post of the fallout cherecters

... And Shukun doesn't have internet access, so that leaves me. Alright, here we go!

Kaden stepped closer and closer to the large palace. Well, one could hardly call it a palace anymore, seeing as it's walls had began crumbling. But he would soon remedy that. Yes, he would take over as the new king of Las Noches. But that wasn't why he was headed to the once glorious palace. He had sensed a reiatsu disappear earlier, and decided to go see what had caused it. Truthfully, he was hoping it would be an opponent for him, although normally he was not the type to thirst for battle. A thud in the sand shook him from his thoughts.

Kaden: Damned Shinigami... You're going to be a pest until the end, aren't you?

He turned around to look into the two dead eyes of a recently severed head. He killed this one four hours ago. While it might have been an interesting battle, the Shinigami had been too exhausted from being lost in the endless sands of the hollow world to put up any fight. Lazily, he brought his blade down and stabbed the pathetic thing through the eyes before resting his blade back on his shoulder and looking back to the large dome of Las Noches.

Kaden: I hope nobody's taken the liberty of warming my throne for me.

Kaden sighed before utilizing sonido to cover the rest of the meager distance to the massive dome. Once inside, he gazed around the large room, contemplating which of the many hallways to enter first.

Kaden: Damn them. They couldn't have made the entrance a little less confusing? To hell with this, I'll take the easy way in.

As he uttered that, he opened a garganta and, without another word, stepped inside.

-Elsewhere-

Vinciente walked slowly along the length of the path to his master's tower. His mail boots were fairly loud on the ground most of the time, though he had been wearing them for so long that he taught himself how to walk in a more silent manner while wearing them. With every step he took, his broadsword bumped against his knee, though he would not fix it until he got to his room. To march any other way than perfect was not an option for him, even when Demandred wasn't watching. As he neared his tower, he began to feel rather proud of himself.

He didn't know what had struck Leon to create the voice for a Bishop, but he was glad. He felt he needed some extra pull around there. To be able to discipline the slackers who did anything out of order. He felt like smiling to himself, but restrained it immediately. He would not smile until he reached his room. He would not smile on duty. Closer and closer he came to his tower,secretly relieved that he might get some rest in the night, and stopped to draw his sword in a salute before entering the structure.

-End-

I'll have Vinciente's bio up in the character forum some time tomorrow.

So in case it's not readily apparent, gracen, you're up next.

hey, this weekend i will be gone and will most likely have zero access to the internet. So if it comes to my turn either wait for a couple days or skip me.

We should be able to wait for you, I doubt we'll have 4 posters do theirs in less than 2 days. Anyway, I got a message from gracen, he says he can't post this round, so S3raphymn, you're up.

Alright, well, hate to do this again in just one run-through of the order, but it appears we will be skipping S3raphymn. Again, I'd really like it if people would post, even just to say that they can't. Onix is the perfect example, posting well ahead of his time just to say he may not be able to. Please attempt to do this, we shouldn't have to wait 48 hours for someone to post without getting any indication of whether they will or not. For those people who may not know what they'd want to post, I will be trying to start some movement on the Soul Society front in my next post.

Anyway, that sets up jstar to restart the posting order.

Okay I'll have my post up soon.

The scene was all too familiar. Satoshi was sitting at his desk in Squad 1’s barracks as Rena, Captain of Squad 2, stood before him with a horrid look on her face as she tried to catch her breath. Satoshi knew it was bad. He never seen Rena look this way before as well as the fact that she needed to leave her squad alone on the mission just to relay this information to him. He was almost hesitant to ask so he waited for Rena to speak first.

Rena: (trying to catch her breath) Th…this isn’t good sir.

Satoshi: (sighs) What was so urgent that you needed to leave a mission?

Rena: Squad 8 Captain Ryuu is gone!

Satoshi: WHAT!?

Rena: As well as Squad 3 Captain Amiro and his Lieutenant Dawn.

Satoshi sat in silence for a moment as he tried to sort out his thoughts.

Rena: That’s not it sir…the majority of their squad members were found slaughtered also. I left my Squad at the site in order to collect data and evidence so we can hunt down the people responsible for this.

Satoshi: Do you have any data collected yet?

Rena: We do…but…

Satoshi: But what?

Rena: (kind of avoiding Satoshi’s eyes) The data we collected from the surrounding spirit particles reveal that the only other people at the site during the time of the killings were…

Satoshi: (frustrated) Just tell me Captain!

Rena: (yelling it out) Were the missing soul reapers from a century ago!

Satoshi was dumbfounded. He had no idea how to respond to this. How could those missing soul reaper’s energies suddenly spring back up out of nowhere. You can’t go missing for a century and then appear again like that, especially since they sent out waves of soul reapers to scout all of Soul Society, Hueco Mundo and the world of the living.

Satoshi: Let me see the data you collected.

Rena reached into her shirt and pulled out the soul index that had the collected data of all the energies found in the area. She handed it to Satoshi who gave it a quick look but he dropped it in disbelief. Rena quickly picked up the device as she looked at Satoshi.

Rena: Are you alright sir!?

Satoshi: I need you to go to the Noble Households and request that Ariza Kuchiki and Miroku Kizume to come to Squad 1’s barracks as soon as possible.

Rena: Yes sir.

Rena vanishes as Satoshi gets up out of his seat and walks to a wall full of pictures across the room. The pictures are all the old Head Captains and Satoshi stares at the picture of Isao.

Satoshi: I guess this is how you felt when all those things went down back then. (sighs) Now it’s my turn to quiet this storm.

End of Part 1

I know it is rather short but I'm working on a research paper right now. I would like to post the later part soon but I don't think it would be right to post out of turn unless you guys don't mind.

So this is as good a time as any to change up the rules a bit - I figure this will also help people to be able to make posts. If you are unable to finish posting all you want to do in one sitting, or simply unable to post in the allotted time, make sure you post saying so and then post the next part outside of your order. As long as it's within a few days and it's made entirely clear, that's OK.

My post will be up a little later today, I've got most of it done already but I've got to go through and make some changes.

Well, that took less time than I expected. Guys, please use this captain's meeting as an opportunity to post on your captain characters, if for no other reason than to provide a mindset going into it. I would like if everyone could put up a post in this round, regardless of the length.


Renee stalked quickly down the hall of the 13th Squad barracks, shoes clacking against the newly lacquered floor in rhythmic beats. She had insisted that the other squads be placed before her own, and as such her building was the newest, though to her chagrin, Satoshi had ensured that it had a richness to it that the others lacked. Perhaps it was all a part of those silly apologies he kept giving her, but every day, she couldn’t help but notice the intricate latticework, columns, and vaulted ceilings.

She didn’t pay them any mind today, though. Reports had come in from troops in the human world that a small city had been decimated, not a single resident surviving. The soul reaper set there to watch it had put up little fight, and died with the rest. Even the hollow in the city had been purged, and it had taken them quite a while to go in after the lingering spirits. Normally, they might have written this off as some war and the soul reaper as merely caught in the crossfire – humans these days had dangerous enough weapons to do kill someone of that level. It appeared that that simple explanation was not possible. No burning buildings, no signs of major destruction, just victims, all struck down by the same blade with the same energy. There were signs of other high power levels, but the deaths all seemed to come from one blade.

It was interesting to be so focused on the human world once again. With all of the events that had happened just a hundred years ago, THEIR world had been the focus of their efforts. Now, the front of the next major battle could start anywhere, and this seemed to be it. Someone fired the first shot, but who was it? Would Takuma really start here, when his aim was high powered opponents? None of it made much sense.

Still, she would have to meet with Satoshi about this; perhaps he might have some clues as to what is going on. He hadn’t called a captains’ meeting yet, which was for the best – it would be unwise to place such a huge emphasis on this without knowing what they were dealing with. Contacting the captains in private would be a far more effective method. Rena would have to send the Stealth Force to investigate this further, but that is as far as this would need to go.

She stopped sharply at the entrance, surprised to see Satoshi standing there waiting for her. She couldn’t say how long he’d been waiting there, but there was a grim look on his face. Renee opened her mouth, but he quickly raised a hand.

Satoshi: I know what you’re going to say – exercise restraint. I know as well as anyone that overreacting to this situation could be more problematic than doing nothing at all.

Renee scanned over him quickly. He hadn’t slept, always a bad sign. Unlike Isao, he was no insomniac. The news of the attack was unnerving to say the least, but he must have received it several hours earlier, and mulled over the decision longer. His normal relaxed posture had disappeared as well, and he stood with careful dignity. He didn’t come here to tell her he agreed with her. Still, she held her silence, allowing him to take his time. He shifted, somewhat uncomfortable.

Satoshi: …We need to hold a captain’s meeting.

She couldn’t say she was surprised, but she had hoped for better. She had hoped that he would take the lead on this decision, but he had taken a path much more similar to Isao’s. Listening to his fellow captains had always been the standard. Still, that gave her some hope. Isao had often made the decision himself at the end of the day, regardless of what was said.

Renee: Do what you must.

Satoshi: I already have.

Renee sighed: It’s good to know you require my council so little at this point.

Satoshi’s expression flattened: There are some things that require more than the council of a single captain, Renee. Even yours.

He let out a deep breath, shoulders sagging as if under some massive weight. It was amazing how much he reminded her of Isao.

Satoshi: I didn’t mean it like that, Renee. You know I trust your judgment. You’ve always been so capable and careful in your responses, you simply know better.

Renee: That’s not true. You’re stronger and smarter than this, captain commander (she emphasized the words, trying to make it hit home for him). You’ve shown that over these last 100 years, and you will keep on proving yourself.

His gaze immediately shifted away at that, though she could still see the words come to his lips, even if they weren’t uttered. I’m sorry. She sighed. It was good to see this strength in him, a resolve that had to come with the position in which he now sat, but this had to stop. Still, there was something else to him, a sense of direness that spoke of more than just the problems she knew. Was there some other reason he was calling this meeting? She thought about asking, but decided not to. If he had wanted to tell her, he would have already. He seemed to want to inform all of the captains at once on this one.

Satoshi: Maybe-

Renee: No. I will be there.

His shoulders stopped sagging, and he seemed to stand straighter at that. Her strength and resolve would bring him some as well, though she felt much less certain than she seemed. She refused to chide him for the muffled words. Whatever this was, it required all of his poise and strength to be firm. If this was the start of something awful, he would need all the support he could get.

Satoshi nodded, and for a moment, just a flash, she saw the vice captain she remembered in those eyes instead of the captain commander. He believed that his decisive moment was coming, one that could shape the course of whatever was coming their way. If he overreacted, their confidence in him could be shaken. If his response was too minimal…she didn’t want to think of the consequences that could come from that. She had seen enough bloodshed, and so had he. So had they all.

It was there and then it was gone, replaced once again by the resolution of a man who had taken on an oppressively heavy role. She could practically see the mountain on his shoulders as he strode away, his posture and bearing no longer providing any hint as to what he felt. She refused to let him bear the weight of this alone. Isao’s strength had always had the adverse effect of making him feel that everyone relied on him, and perhaps he was right. But it had nearly crushed him to feel that all the time. She wouldn’t – no, couldn’t – let Satoshi bear the same responsibility. They were the Gotei 13 after all. He was not alone.



Takuma drummed his finger on the table top again, a frown evident on his face. Alpha and Omega sat to his right, Acelin and Ogodei to his left. The hole in the ceiling was still evident above the other end of the table, having only been covered over since the damage was done, though he had been promised that it would be repaired shortly.

However, that was the furthest thing from his mind. The moment had been taken from him by not one, but TWO groups. Alexander, whoever he was, had taken it upon himself to destroy a city in the name of his Church; whatever Omen was and the odd arrancar that came with him, he had ended this Espada’s dynasty in Hueco Mundo. 100 years of waiting, and they had chosen to ruin his moment just before it was beginning.

He didn’t really care about the lives lost; he didn’t even care about the targets. These cities in the human world served little purpose, and their inhabitants even less so. Hueco Mundo had long since become a place of desiccation and death, devoid of any purpose that he could perceive beyond producing more monsters. Boido’s death was meant to be little more than a sign of things to come. No, none of that mattered.

What mattered was that this had been their moment. Their declaration had announced that they would be the ones to kick this off. And yet here they sat. Alpha and Omega looked reasonably upset themselves, as they certainly should. They missed their chance. Acelin and Ogodei looked troubled and confused, though they had done the right thing avoiding combat with this unknown “Prophet.” All four of them were tremendously anxious, though. He hadn’t spoken since they’d given their reports, both arriving at nearly the same time. He had many things he wanted to express, but he held them at bay. He had to take this in stride, so he bided his time, letting the situation sink in. Only after the long minutes of silence had elapsed did he stand, striding quickly over to the door. They all looked perplexed. The gears worked in each of their heads as they tried to divine his plans, and Acelin and Omega opened their mouths to put voice to their concerns.

When he reached the door, he turned around, a broad smile on his face. The words died in their throats when they saw it.

Takuma: These people think they’ve gotten out ahead of us by slaughtering humans and ending a decrepit arrancar. We’ll make sure they know just how weak and ridiculous a gesture they’ve made.

No…this means nothing. Pea shooters would mean little in the wake of an explosion.

yep ill haz post up tomorrow or day after. depends heavily on how much homework i have to get done.

-In Soul Society-

Satoshi just made it back to the squad one barracks. He paused for just a moment after placing his hand on the door. His poise faded, and the weight he carried showed. His shoulder sagged, his back slumped ad his knees bent. As fast as it came his moment of weakness left. He summed up the strength rose t his usual stance and pushed the door open with confidence. He took one big step in to the entry way of the barracks.

Rocu: And where have you been off to!?!?!

Satoshi: Off talking to Renee informing her of the upcoming meeting.

Rozu: I or any messenger could have sent her the summons. Why would you shirk your responsibilities. Do you know since you left we got a dozen transfer request several suppl invoices and the last weeks reports fr all the shinigami stationed in the real world.

Satoshi: Well get me my rubber stamp and ill get to work.

Rozu: You think its funny don't you. Just stamp your name and approve every thing then go talk about the god ole days with Renee

Satoshi's eyes suddenly became cold: Renee and i are good friends who shared a connecting with a great man and fought through one of the darkest times in soul society history. I fully understand the responsibility that i am obligated to handle. I would nor have I ever neglected my duties completely. Only have i taken a break to increase my over all productivity. Now, i understand i have work to attend to. I will be in my office. I am not to be interrupted unless for an emergency. Would you personally extend the summons to all the other captains for me.

Immediately after his final command Satoshi turned on his heels and walked to his office, closing the door behind him with a hard thud. In his office Satoshi stared at the ground. Being so cruel to Rozu never will sit well with him. Hell have to find a way to make it up to her but for now he couldn't bare to tell her the truth. That there were once again dark clouds on the horizon. Soon a whole new chaos will be let loose. She would only worry her self sick as she has at comparatively minor events in the last century. For now he will catch up on his work and hope the captains don't mention the reason for the summons.


-In Jade's tower-

Jade: Can you believe it brother. Alex was able to flush out some soul reapers and he didn't convert or slay them.

Josh: well they were not his targets. Leon only said to flush out Shinigami from the soul society or hallow not any third party members.

Jade: Still seems suspicious doesn't it.

Josh: A little

A sudden knock at the door made Josh almost jump out of his skin.

Jade: Your so jumpy recently. Its ok to relax here, its not like your behind enemy lines or anything.

Josh: Ah sorry. Bad habits from before I died

Josh strolls over to the door and pulls it open. On the other side a woman in black robes stood with an envelope sealed with a red seal that had an elaborate L on it.

Sister: Orders directly from Lord Leon.

Jade: Hand it over and be on your way.

Josh quickly snatches the envelope away from the sister.

Josh: Thank you mam inform Leon that the letter was delivered successfully.

The sister bowed and scurried away from the tower.

Jade: Whats with you that letter is addressed to me.

Josh: The letter is addressed to the leader of this tower. That may not be me but since i am your voice any command in it i will carry out.

Jade: FFFFIIIINNNNEEEEE but next time at least let me break the seal.

Josh who already is reading the letter: Alright miss pouty face...it seems Leon wants one of us to investigate the two strangers Alexander rand into...I think i can handle that. Feeling a little cooped up recently. Any way don't you got that formal ball to go to soon.

Jade: That is true i do. Be careful when you leave. I am going to bed.

Josh: Will do, Sweet dreams sis.

Jade: Sweet dreams bro.

i'll have a post up soon

Hey guys just going to say it will possibly Friday or Saturday before I get back I'm having a problem with getting back home so I thought I'd let you guys know

Won't be a problem. Your post shouldn't come around until close to that time.

ok, so im on the deadline here, so ill have my post up today.

In the sands of Hueco Mundo. A man wearing a black trench coat is sitting on top of a sand dune with his blade in the sand with him twirling it back and forth. He stand up and places his weapon in it's sheath that rest on hi back. Behind him i a mass grave of dead hollows and huge pools of blood. In a blink of an eye, they all disperse. The mans facial fetures are ragged and he has a full face beard. His eyes are gray and souless. He looks all around him. "Much has changed since i left my home. I can't believe that the battles between the hollows and the. Still, the sand is the same after a hundred years." His mind flashes to a time when he was captain, over one hundred years ago, years before the wars took place.

All of his squad were busy with thier duties, so he went to the academy. A boy appears as soon as he enters, it is biren in his younger days, full of life and energy.

Biren: "Big brother, why is it taking so long for them to make me a soul reaper." He looks sad when he says this.

Bryce: He is only a bit taller than his brother so he has to lean down a bit. "everything happens for a reason. I'm sure you'll become a great warrior one day and will make me proud." Bryce puts on a big smile and pats his brother on his shoulder.

Biren: He smiles and starts jumping all over the place. After his large outburst he is right in front of his brother. "One day, i'm going to be just like you, and fight for the innocent."

Bryce; He smiles and gives his brother a hug. He tells him he is going on an important mission into hueco mundo with his squad and would not be back for a long time. That was the last time Biren seen his compassionate brother. The former leader of squad nine.

Back in Hueco Mundo

Bryce was walking along the sands. He rembers all of the data he has collected so far. "So far, many of the major threats to the human realm and the soul society have been eliminated. To my knowledge, only three powerful arrancar remain that i know there where abouts. The female one that is called Alpha, the large male known as Omega, and the small male that is called the unknown and his fracciones. Ones that i have lost knowledge of their locations, the one that looks like a clown, and the dark figure who's spiritual pressure reeks of death." He lingers for a moment. "And then there are those three soul reapers. what is there reasoning for being here." He shrugs his shoulders and continues walking, keeping his guard up the whole way.

In the Soul society

Biren is standing in front of Satoshi's office. His entire report was in his of all that he has recorded about the anomolies. He goes to knock on the door when it suddenly opens. Biren had no time to pull back and he hit the captain commander in the head. "Ow!" Satoshi held his head. Biren was in complete shock at what he had just done. "Oh shit, are you alright sir?"

Satoshi: He looks up with anger at first but then replaces it with a more relaxed face. "What do you want, don't you know we have a captains meeting to attend."

Biren: He shook his head. "We have a meeting. No word has reached my ear about this yet." HE scratches his head and then speaks up. "Well sir I have some important reports that i would like to pass onto you."

Satoshi: He just looks at Biren like he was insane. "Look i don't have time for your repots. I have to get ready for the-" as Satoshi attempts to pass, Biren grabs his arm. "What the hell do you think you are doing."

Biren: He looks at him with the most seriuos gaze he had ever given anyone. "These reports contain the reasoning behind all of the missing soul reapers and the former captain of squad four, Captain Yasashiku. You see my lieutenant personally witnessed what had happened to the captain." Satoshi's eyes grew extremly wide. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Someone actually had news on Yasashiku. He inveted Biren in and they had this meeting behind closed doors.

Fixed it.

Heh, no worries, you can edit that to "Yasashiku" if you want. Next up is wolf.

So...looks like wolf's conspicuously absent. As such, it appears that we will be skipping him. What's more, I'm holding to the rule I set up earlier that says that if we skip someone twice with this method, they get automatically skipped until they make it clear that they will be posting in the next round. Wolf, that means you have to make a post promising that you will post in the next round, otherwise you will be skipped until you do. If you do decide to do that, keep in mind that you will be held to that promise. Rantora, you're up.

Well, I'm getting a bit tired of this already, but it appears we'll be skipping rantora now too. Since this is the first time he has been skipped without saying anything (he did mention last time that he wouldn't be posting), the rule that now applies to wolf does not yet apply to him. Shukun, you mentioned that you would be back by now, I hope you're available to post.

I'd like to voice an idea here; personally, I think the time should be reduced to one day unless the person in question states they need an extra day. I can see many flaws with this idea, but it's just my personal opinion.

Probably worth doing, but for this round of posts at least, we'll keep it to 2 days so that everyone has equal time.

I agree completely! It's been almost a week since the last post.

I'm not happy to say, but in the event that my turn to post comes within the next ten-fourteen hours, I will not be able to post.

Well, while he does have an hour or so left to post, it's looking like shukun isn't going to. I read back over what he said 8 days ago, and he did say that he was having trouble getting back home, but that was last week. I'm really just getting annoyed here guys. That's 3 people in a row, all of whom are veterans on here and should know what is going on here. If it was just shukun, who actually did post saying there might be a problem (even if this isn't the time he specified), I wouldn't mind it. But I haven't seen a post from rantora for 16 days, and wolf hasn't posted at all in quite a while. I get if you guys are busy, but I'd rather have you say something about being gone for a while than simply leave us wondering. I set up the 48 hour period to give people more time to post in, not to waste time.

Zordaik, you're up.

I'm sorry for this being incredibly late, but I'm positive I won't be able to post this time through. With such limited computer time, I wasn't able to relay this info onto you. Again, so sorry for this having been so late. I promise to let you know sooner next time.

Heh, don't worry about it. At least you said something, and if you like and are able, you can post out of turn. Anyway, gracen's next

ill be posting tommarow

I'm happy to finally break the chain of skips. ^.^ I hope my writing ability is satisfactory enough.


It looked like a normal day out. The sky was almost devoid of the presence of clouds and the sun beamed bright rays of light up above. The wind's dull blow spoke of a peaceful scene in the Soul Society. Kyriene sat at her desk in the Squad Four barracks, taking a break from healing injured patients for the day, and left the job to the other members of the squad. She sat looming over a raggedy looking leather bound book, a quill in one had and a scroll in the other, transferring the information. The desk stretched practically the entire length of the room, and everywhere on it sat all sorts of chemical instruments and containers, most of which were filled with all sorts of serums or ingredients. 

She sat down the quill and let out a long sigh and rubbed her face with her hands. Leaving her chair, she walked over to a container that set over a device that was harboring a small flame which was heating the dull green liquid inside the flask. She studied it quickly before moving back to her chair and jotting down some quick notes.

It was then that she noticed her Zanpakutō. It was laying at the far end of the desk to the left, propped up against the side of it. She stopped what she was doing and walked over to her blade, withdrawing it from the sheath and pondering it. She wondered if she was getting rusty. It had been a long time since she had fought, even trained, on account of her constant need to be healing patients. It had been awhile since she had even spoken to her Zanpakutō..

She sheathed the blade again and walked over to a mat at the opposite side of the room and sat down in a full lotus position, laying her Zanpakutō across her lap and easing her weary mind. She focused and began to meditate, everything around her becoming a distant blur. She felt herself withdraw even further and she opened her eyes to find that she had entered her Inner World rather quickly. She could see the ocean receding into the distance in front of her, the lush forest to her right and behind herself, and the tall mountain to her left which produced a splendid waterfall, appearing as an almost silvery ling around the middle of the mountain.

It was then that she noticed Kagemoto, siting in a similar position as Kyriene was sitting herself, not fifty feet from her. Kagemoto appeared as a preadolescent girl with pale skin and long, flowing black hair eyes that were colored similar to blood. Her hood was down, her black hair cascading down her  shoulders to her lower back. Her black kimono was gently hugging her small body, and she was using her toes to pull the grass from the ground. The dark, almost gothic looking girl was in stark contrast to the beautiful and serene surrounds. Then she spoke.

Kagemoto: Ah, Kyriene! It's been awhile. I was beginning to think you'd forgotten me.

Kyriene smiled at this; her Zanpakutō's humor amused her.

Kyriene: No.. How could I? It has been long indeed, but I have been quite busy. I offer my apologi--

She was cut off by the appearance of a blue circle to her left, and at the she dashed quickly backward and avoided the blast of energy.

Kyriene: .. As I was saying. My apologizes.

Kagemoto: My my, Kyriene! Still not looking rusty at all. And still that fine edge to you.

Kagemoto had a teasing look on her face. Kagemoto withdrew a boom from hidden within the folds of her robes; the manifestation of Kagemoto's Shikai. Kyriene also withdrew her blade and announced:

Kyriene: Kyasuto! Kagemoto!

Kyri watched as the blade changed before her eyes and became the likeness of Kagemoto's book, her Shikai form.

Kyriene: Our usual rules apply?

Kyri and Kagemoto had a long standing rule that neither of them would activate their Shikai's Threefold ability, so as the battle would be more intense and Kyri could get better training. Kagemoto smiled a large smile.

Kagemoto: Yes. Using that would make the game no fun at all!

Kyriene: Then let us begin. Sākuru!

At the command, Kyri raised her hand and a circle appeared inches from and and formed a pentagram and fired a blast of energy towards the Zanpakutō Spirit. Kagemoto easily dodged the attack, making it look to easy, before she was assaulted with four more consecutive blasts from four different directions. The collision of the blasts caused smoke to erupt and cover the area.

Kyriene: I hope I didn't over do it..

Kagemoto, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, stood behind Kyri and chuckled.

Kagemoto: Please! Like that would hit ME.

Kagemoto opened the book in her hands up and withdrew a katana that appeared a little to long for her short body. She then attempted to slash at Kyri with it, but she sidestepped it and withdrew her own blade from the book. She slashed the blade multiple times but they all connected with Kagemoto's blade, not one slicing through clothing or skin. Kyri used Shunpō and moved away about forty feet. A wind blew and washed the cloud of smoke away and revealed the childlike spirit who was smiling  at Kyri. Before she rushed over and brought the blade down hard over Kyri's head, although she blocked this attack and pushed the spirit away.

Kyriene: Bakudō Number 61, Rikujōkōrō!

At the announcement of the spell, six plates of yellow energy shot forth from Kyri's hands and trapped the Zanpakutō.

Bakudō number 62, Hyapporankan!

A prism of blue-ish energy materialized in Kyri's hand and she launched it at Kagemoto, which it then multiplied into more prism-like rods and came crashing down. Kagemoto, however, had used Shunpō to move out of the way quickly, despite being with strained, and broke the hold the spell had on her.

Kagemoto: Really? Is that all you've got for me?

The two battled it out for what seemed like hours, neither getting the better of the other, until Kyriene entered her Bankai form and easily used her tactical abilities to defeat the Zanpakutō Spirit. Kagemoto looked happy with the results.

Kagemoto: I see! You haven't grown rusty at all! Still sharp as a needle. I suppose you'd have to be, if not better, considering your 
position as Squad Four Captain, Kyri.

Kyriene: Yes, indeed. You are as well, my beautiful blade. You've provided a spectacular challenge as always.

Kagemoto smiled at the compliment.

Kagemoto: Indeed I am! And it was fun, Kyri.

Kyriene: Yes. Goodbye, Kagemoto. 

With that, Kyri withdrew herself from within herself and smiled. She was indeed happy with her performance against Kagemoto, and looked forward to the next training session. ~

So, no clue where S3raphymn is, and this is the second skip, so we'll be skipping him automatically until he comes back. That restarts the order, so jstar, you're up.