Bleach: A New Era

On a night such as this one could surely expect those in Rukongai and Sereitei were relaxing in the cool air. And it was true the crickets provided for a harmonious noise, occasional bursts of laughter rang in the air. The cool silence was calming to many in the Rukongai, it spoke volumes to them almost promising that there would be no danger for that night.

However it seemed like a small group of Shinigami thought otherwise. Considering the serenity of the night the group had been hoping to relax with some of the more suspicious characters in the Rukongai. They had been tasked to search the wilderness of the Rukongai of any Hollows. Lately the few who lived close to the forest had been complaining of strange sounds and shadowy figures walking through the woods. It seemed the group of nameless Shinigami had other plans. They had made sure to sneak in a few alcoholic beverages and even now were taking swigs from their last bottle of sake. But they were aware of their orders so they did look for any Hollows just not in the way one should.

The group stopped where they were, it seemed the majority of them had become a tad bit tipsy. As was notable by their flushed faces, slurred speech and bumbling steps. One man sat down but as soon as he did a jumble of sounds erupted behind him. He shot up reaching for his zanpakuto, he glared into the dark while his friends laughed. "It's just some animal I bet" said one man, he merely grumbled to himself and was about to sit back down when something flashed out of the darkness. A large white hand grabbed him from behind, engulfing his head completely and pulling him back into the dark.

The tipsy shinigami barely had enough time to yell. By then the rest of his group stared at the spot he had just been, one of them even dared to venture closer asking for him to come out. That was a grave mistake on his part as that same white hand, now bloodied, grabbed his head and pulled in away. The remaining shinigami stared in confusion before the sounds of their comrades being torn apart reached their ears. Stiffening it wasn’t until the creature that had taken their friends burst out of the forest did the remaining shinigami flee. They ran as quickly as they could but they lost one more comrade, so now there was only three of the six shinigami left.

The trio entered a clearing slowing down to a complete stop as they regained their breathing. One of them looked up towards the deathly woods they had just escaped, “Do you think we lost it?” turning to his other companions who merely gave out raspy replies of hope. “Call for a Jigokuchō and send the squads a message. They need to know what happened.” wheezed one of the men. “Yeah send them one, we’ll keep watch.” Nodding in response he summoned a Jigokuchō and began to relay his message. “May I have your attention, and please listen carefully. We have-“ the man never finished relaying the message as screams erupted behind him. Looking back he saw his remaining comrades torn apart by some sort of grotesque creature, however he never got the chance to have a good look at it or to even finish his report before he too was dead.

On the other hand the Jigokuchō, unaware of what was occurring around it, had recorded the sounds of the brief and sickening struggle. It flew off to its designated direction even though it carried a broken message; it fluttered in the sky almost disappearing in the dark night. No one that had encountered the creature that night knew what killed them. Only the moon daring to shine its luminescent light on the clearing bore witness to the slaughter that occurred under its watch.

The Next Day

Talk of the Jigokuchō relaying the unfinished and disturbing message spread like wildfire amongst the many squads. None wished to investigate further while the Captains did their best to calm their men down, with elaborate and sometimes short speeches. However it did seem to stick in the minds of some, especially those in the 13th division. Their Captain, Kira Hanakonawa, managed to calm many of them down but was given orders from the Captain of the First Division to stand down while they prepared for a meeting. Sadly due to the many duties a Captain would have to fulfill it will take a couple days for them to get around to it and some of the Captains have simply considered the deaths of the nameless shinigami to be the result of drunkards being attacked by a hollow.

-

A few members of the Sixth Division were in charge of sweeping the exterior of the barracks. Naratsuki was a part of this group, but while the others worked, he used his broom to hold him up while he took a nap. His fellow Shinigami had already awakened the young man three to four times, so by now they were over it. However, one decided to get a little bit of fair play, tipping over Naratsuki's broom an causing the red haired man to fall face first on the ground. He awoke violently, rubbing his forehead and looking at the others. "Come on guys, violence is never the answer. I mean, we're just wasting time doing this anyway. We sweep up the dirt, and more dirt falls. Its like a never ending circle. So, why don't we just skip this go see if we can wrangle up some food. What do you say?" The others just rolled their eyes, unsure of what to make of the newest edition to their Division. Naratsuki, or Ki as he preferred, was lackadaisical to say the least. It wasn't a lack of pride in being a Shinigami, but more so a lack of desire to change his general outlook in order to conform to what people expected out of a Shinigami. Ki stood up and dusted himself off. Grabbing his broom, he began to "kind of" sweep the area around him, rarely even touching the ground with the bristles.

The morning past without much of a difference from any other morning since Ki left the Academy. Which, to be honest, Ki was perfectly content with. He hated silence, but there was a difference between silence and excitement. Ki found himself comfortable in this happy medium. It was in the early afternoon when Ki finally managed to sneak away from his work. He began wandering around the halls of the Sixth Division Barracks, twirling his broom and occasionally tossing it up in the air. "Excuse me?!" Ki heard behind him, turning around to see a Seated Shinigami addressing him. "Where is your Zanpakuto?" Ki's hand gripped the broom tightly enough to the point the handle started to crack, despite the fact he was trying to hide his emotions. "Oh, I must have left it in my bedding. I can't believe I forgot it." The Seated Shinigami sighed, looking at Ki with apathetic eyes. "Well, go get it. Don't let me see you without it again." Ki merely nodded, turning around and continuing his path down the hall. He realized he would have to go retrieve it, no matter how much he didn't want to.

Ki stared down at his Zanpakuto, the sword leaned up against the wall next to his bedding. It was uncommon in appearance, looking as though it was an ancient sword that had been buried for a very long time. The scabbard and hilt were in bad shape, the guard even being half missing. Ki slowly reached out to grab the sword, hesitating as he did so. Beads of sweat began to trickle down his forehead, his lip quivering and his hand shaking. After standing there in silence for a few moments, he grabbed the sword with his left hand and took a deep breath, thankful it did not do the usual thing he had grown accustomed to. What that thing was, he did not have the will to say. Clutching the sword in his left hand, he began to make his way out of the living quarters, but the sound of voices heading that way caused him to stop moving altogether. "Crap, I hope it isn't the others looking for me. I thought I ducked out pretty smoothly." He calmly moved closer to the door, listening in on the conversation to see if he should be worried about the repercussions of his actions.

"Did you hear about what happened to those Shinigami?"
"What, the ones from yesterday? Man, you know you can't listen to rumors like that."
"What do you mean rumors? Everyone knows they were killed."
"It was probably their own fault. Getting drunk and going out into the wilderness. They should've known better."
"Wow, that's harsh."
"I don't have time for people like that. I guarantee they would still be alive had they not been so foolish."

The two continued their conversation as they made their way down the hall. Ki had heard the rumors, but this was the first time he had actually paid attention to what was said. Funny, that it would only get through to his head when it was a conversation he was eavesdropping on out of fear of getting caught avoiding work. Giving a few more seconds for the coast to be clear, Ki exited the room. He didn't really know what to make of what he just heard. In the Academy, the instructors would step in if things got too hairy, but now there was no training wheels. Hell, even in the Academy, Ki was one who constantly avoided training exercises or missions. Those Shinigami had experience, and they still died anyway. If one would to describe how Ki felt about it, indifference wouldn't be too far from the truth. There were many people within the Divisions, and just because they're Shinigami does not mean he valued their lives anymore than he would value a strangers. Ki spent the rest of the day wandering around the Barracks before eventually deciding to head into Rukongai to meet up with his friends from the Academy.

Ki was the odd one out of the group to say the least. The others were all strong, independent types, whereas Ki was far more of a "go-with-the-flow" guy. One would wonder how he would end up being friends with them, but to that Ki would simply say that being friends with people who are the same as you would be boring. Ki arrived at the bar in the 40th District of Rukongai. It was called Shining Star, and Ki had never been to it before, despite his love for all things alcohol. Ki arrived at the bar, looking around to see that he was the first one to get there. Picking out a table large enough for six people, he sat down at the far end of said table and immediately put a drink order in. While he had spent most his time goofing off, he was sure most of, if not all, the others were taking their new lives at least somewhat seriously. He was interested to hear any stories they had to share about life within their Divisions.

Ryuu Shosuke

As per every morning the sounds of steel clashing and ringing replaced the norm of chirps and twitters from nature, at least in this particular area. A certain red head wondered the halls in the early morning taking in the sounds and smells of her new residence. Despite the fact that it seemed that she was wondering aimlessly, one could tell the woman had a purpose by the straightness in her back and serious light in her eyes. It didn’t take her very long to reach her destination which turned out to be one of the many sparring areas in her division. Today she wore her still surprisingly new looking uniform; in her arms she carried a ridiculously long zanpakuto yet it didn’t seem awkward at all in her slender arms.

Stepping into the tightly packed ring of dirt, already there were other shinigami crowding around, awaiting a good show to be put on for their entertainment. Of course that wasn’t the reason the red head was there, rather it was the result of an unfinished argument the night before that involved a rather large man who thought it wise to make a move on the red head only to be rejected in the most humiliating manner. Scowling at those who have gathered round the red head picked at a thread in her uniform that had become frayed. Suddenly the sound of hurried feet mixed with a series of grunts could be heard in the otherwise serene silence that could have also been tension forming in the air.

The large body of a man, rumored to be twice the size of the red head that stood defiantly before him even when compared to her already tall stature, and rather scary face stepping into the sparring ring. The man didn’t look all too happy with that look of drowsy annoyance on his face. Raising his one of his large beefy arms, the monster of a man snapped his fingers together. A much smaller man, who like those around them bore the same uniform yet it, was obvious he had chosen the wrong division to be a part of. Meek in appearance he carried with him a katana worthy of being wielded by a man as large as the one before the red head. Taking it with a grunt, the man glared at the boy who gasped and ran away to who knows where. “Are you ready to meet your fate woman?” she merely looked up at him with a cool and uninterested gaze which angered him. “Damn you Shosuke, you know what’ll happen when you lose right? When I win you’ll be my girl.”

Ryuu shivered at the idea of having to associate herself with this monster and she allowed the disgust she felt to freely display itself on her features. At the sight of this the onlookers laughed yet were silenced by the glare of the monster. “And when I win, you have to admit being a cowardly ruffian and resign from the Eleventh Division.” a coy smile danced on her lips. Ryuu looked up at him and it was obvious by the relaxed stance she took of how lightly she was taking the situation. This infuriated him to no ends yet it made him lust for this woman all the more. With a yell he lunged for Ryuu, displaying his zanpakuto for a brief moment before swinging it downwards in such a way most would have normally buckled under the weight of. However Ryuu was not like most as her slender body gave off the idea she was weak when in fact she certainly wasn’t.

A loud clang was heard as metal met metal which was soon followed by a screeching sound. The onlookers grimaced at the horrific sound. At the speed he had been going a small draft had been formed so some dust flew up into the air blocking the view of the two opponents in the ring. After a few seconds had passed the dust settled and what they saw was a shock to them, especially Ryuu opponent who merely gaped like a fish out of water. Ryuu had brought her zanpakuto up, unsheathing it in a matter of seconds before Raigen’s own sword clashed with her own, but it was the fact that she was still standing that surprised them. Many who have gone against Raigen lost not because of his lousy swordsmanship but because of his immense strength. However in this case it seemed he was evenly matched and the only way one could tell was that Ryuu’s knees were bent slightly to avoid injury to her knees.

“Is that all you have to show for me? Raika can swing a zanpakuto with more power behind than what you just showed me.” she said with a smirk. Making a blustering noise of annoyance, Raigen immediately saw the folly in his assumptions and reverted to foul play by kicking up dirt into Ryuu’s face. in response she quickly lowered her free arm to wipe away at the dirt however Raigen didn’t give her a chance to do so, at least he hoped so. Swinging his sword again but this time so that it was aimed for her midsection, Ryuu knowing that wiping the dirt away was futile kept her eyes tightly closed. At the last minute just as she felt the pressure of his sword moving towards her Ryuu ducked and rolled with the swing of his sword. The moment she had her bearings she stood up and swung her sword, daring to open her eyes just enough to catch a glimpse of his general location. That however did not work as he merely blocked it with his sword seeing as she was unable to apply much power behind it. Ryuu now knew where he was and couldn’t help but smile for she knew the fight was going to end soon.


]Let him think he has the upper hand, was the only thought that ran through her mind clearly enough for her to register. “So throwing dirt in your opponents face huh? I guess you really are a coward.” Ryuu was well aware she was pushing his buttons but it was necessary for what was to happen next. The crowd had grown since the start of their fight and they now laughed at Raigen whose face turned a tomato red; both from embarrassment and rage. That was the second and last mistake he made in dealing with Ryuu, allowing his emotions to guide him he lunged for her but she was no longer there. In the time it took for him to realize this Ryuu was already behind him reaching upwards for the top of his robes. His body stiffened which made the impact hurt all the more as Ryuu swept his leg out from under him and ended it with him slamming into the ground in front of Ryuu. Still in the last throwing position she straightened up and reached for her sword.


Ryuu spit into her hand, which discouraged some in the crowd, and wiped at her eyes. Although she had managed to get rid of enough dirt for her to see him decently enough, the remaining amount was bugging her. Glaring down at him, Ryuu pointed the edge of her sword at his throat. Raigen at the moment was momentarily unconscious but today was the exception to one of the ideals she held in such high regard. His eyes thankfully fluttered open and his face paled as the situation at hand finally processed itself so that he could understand. “I win, now say it.” pushing Chomeksu closer against his skin so that a small bead of blood slid down his throat. Raigen merely gawked at her as sound failed to get past his spluttering lips. With a sigh Ryuu rolled her eyes and pulled Chomeksu away and back into her sheathe. “I better not see you again, little man.” With that being said, Ryuu turned on her heel and walked away.

Just as she was leaving, the crowd erupted in joy at the sight of Raigen finally being bested by someone. At the same time those who supported him sent icy glares in Ryuu’s direction. Shrugging her shoulders to show her indifference, a scowl found its place on her features as she walked left the area. As soon as she was far away enough Ryuu stopped to inspect her clothing and found that it was quite dirty and so was her skin. “Tch now I have to get a new uniform.” frowning, Ryuu headed to her quarters to get the spare uniform before she headed to the baths.

The young woman cared not for the company of others so she made sure that the bath house she went to was more or less empty. Slipping into the hot water Ryuu let out a contented sigh, leaning her head back to gaze up at the steamy ceiling far above her. Closing her eyes Ryuu certainly seemed feminine in that moment, almost vulnerable to attack even. The sound of giggling and quiet chitchat caught up to her. Peeking out through one eye Ryuu rolled her heads forwards to see who it was that had entered the bath house. A small group of small and petite, including a rather large one, could be seen through the billowing steam. Frowning at the idea of having to deal with the more feminine members of her division Ryuu slipped deeper into the water so that only everything above her nose could be seen.

Ryuu quietly moved away from the group as they entered the hot water. Their own sighs and occasional fits of giggles were enough to make the red head go mad. She made sure she wasn’t in their view but considering her bright hair Ryuu wouldn’t be surprised if they caught a glimpse of her. Closing her eyes again in hopes to resume her relaxing mood from before their conversation drifted over towards her as they spoke loud enough for her to hear them.

“I heard it was some guy from the Rukongai.”
“nah that can’t be, no one in the slums could possibly do that.”
“Are you sure, they told me it was hollows.”
“But how could they have possibly been killed by a hollow?”
“They were drunk if I remember correctly. Well serves them right for taking their job lightly.”

Her eyes snapped open and all she could do was stare at the ceiling with such intent you’d think she was trying to bore holes into it. For a brief moment, panic over took her as she considered the worst. Finally Ryuu stepped out of the water and quickly walked in their direction. Guessing from their squeaks of surprise they hadn’t realized she was there, or it may have been the scowl that was on her face. “Which squad was this? What were their names?” They merely stared at her as if she were crazy but they eventually answered, “Um I think it was some shinigami in the 13th division, but I don’t know who they were.” Ryuu stared at her for a bit longer before standing back up and walking away. Biting her lip Ryuu quickly got changed, The 13th division is where Joel was stationed at. He couldn’t possibly have been the ones who- Ryuu froze momentarily at the idea of her friend being killed by some hollows but she quickly shook her head. No that’s impossible, he wouldn’t dare drink on the job. He’s smarter than that,” she eventually began to think aloud much to her dismay.

For the rest of the day Ryuu’s thoughts were preoccupied with the thought of Joel being dead. Out of the six of them she’d think he would be the last person to get killed especially considering the circumstances of their deaths. “Not unless he was foolish enough to try and protect them.” Glancing up she was glad the sun was beginning to set; it meant she’d finally be able to see her friends. If all of them were there then she’d have nothing to worry about. Unlike some when they worried Ryuu didn’t have a look of concern but instead she wore a stern look as if she was ready to punish someone. From the occasional “Good job’s” and “you did good” Ryuu assumed the news of her taking down Riagen had spread throughout the division, whether it went on to the other divisions Ryuu wouldn’t know until she met up with the group at Shining Star.

Finally she was on leave so Ryuu headed to the 40th district of the Rukongai, where the six of them had agreed they’d met up at a bar. The Shining Star was a bar she had yet to drink at so it took her a bit longer to find the place. All the while she bit her lip wondering if someone would be missing. Holding her zapakuto closer to her body, Ryuu stood outside the entrance for a few seconds before breathing inwards and ducking inside. Surprisingly enough only one other person was there that she recognized. With his dyed red hair, Ryuu had originally thought the man was an idiot, which she was right to think. Kai sat at a large table and already he had a bottle with him. Shaking her head Ryuu slipped past the already gathering men and women and sat across from her old friend. “I see no one else has arrived yet. Did you skip your duties again?” Setting her zapakuto on table in front of her, Ryuu gave a rare smile as she teased her friend.

Faster.... C'mon... Go! With blinding speed, a blonde blur could be seen zipping around the training grounds of the Second division. Reika Shinosaki made it routine to start her training by making laps around the grounds to practice her shunpo skills before anything else. For a Shinigami who utilizes Hakuda as her primary fighting technique, speed was everything. The one who could land the swifter, more lethal blow in a fight would be the victor. Faster.....Don't give up now! Just a bit more! The art of shunpo was all about getting to point A to point B with the least amount of steps possible. The less steps meant the longer one could run. Before long, a winded Reika skidded to a stop. 61 Steps was her limit for today. Sitting herself down on a nearby stool for a breather, she reached for her water flask and took a large gulp of fresh water. The feeling of the cool clear liquid running down her parched throat was heavenly. 61 steps. She still had a long way to go before she could match any other of the practiced users let alone her own captain who was the best of the best when it came to anything related to shunpo or even speed for that matter. But she was hundreds of years away from even coming close to the speed of the captain and she decided that goal would have to wait till a later date.

Reika set her flask down and hopped to her feet. It was time to warm up for her hakuda forms. By the time she was done, the young blonde would make it just in time for her morning duties. But before she was able to get into her first stretch she sensed someone at the foot of the stairs that led back up to the barracks. Beginning her stretch anyways she bent backwards to see who it was mid stretch. This, as she would find out a second later, was a bad idea. The glimpse of a captain's haori threw her off balance and before she knew it she was flat on her back looking up into the face of the captain of her division. Reika's eyes grew wide and as she scrambled to her feet in a not so gracious manner, bowed her head. "W-what's up, Captain Jiro Funaki?!" Realizing what she had just done, Reika's hand flew to her mouth. What the hell was she thinking?!!! What's up??? That was no way to greet a captain! But her habit of giving enthusiastic informal greetings to practically everyone got the better of her. "I-I mean..... Good morning to you, Captain." Still bowed, Reika's face was red with embarrassment. Being surprised like that caught her off guard and she waited a scolding. Instead, all she got was a hearty laugh and gentle pat on the head. Reika looked up surprised.

"What's wrong Reika? If you keep stuttering like that it'll become a habit. And will you please just call me Captain Jiro? Isn't my whole name along with the captain title a bit much for the mouth?" Reika grinned and put her arms around the back of her head, finishing up the stretch. She had forgotten how laid back her captain was and instantly felt relieved that it was him who scared her. Reika was instantly reminded of her first meeting with the captain and how he scolded her by telling her that being to uptight with him just made him extremely uncomfortable. "No can do, Captain Jiro Funaki! Isn't calling everyone by their whole names what's popular lately?" Reika joked playfully. "Ohh!!! Is that so? Well excuse me, Reika Shinosaki for not addressing you properly!" Jiro played along and gave a over emphasized bow to Reika. "Geez.... A captain bowing to a subordinate. I never thought such a thing could happen." Reika stared in awe. "First time for everything, huh?" Jiro straightened and took a seat on the stool Reika was seated on earlier. "So what brings you to the training grounds so early in the morning?" Reika asked as she sat herself down on the ground to stretch out her back. "Well.... I've come to personally inform you of the special assignment i'm giving you for tomorrow." Jiro quickly cut to the chase as more of his seriousness shone through. Reika nodded her head and listened with excitement. Her first special assignment. "There is going to be a prisoner transfer from the Nest of Maggots located here to the Central Underground Prision beneath the First division barracks and I want you to be one of the four guards that escorts him. The task, if everything goes smoothly, will be a piece of cake since all you have to do is walk the prisoner while making sure he doesn't try anything funny. You are to report to the Nest of Maggots at sunrise tomorrow and remember to leave your Zanpakuto. It is a necessary precaution when you enter the prison to be weaponless in case a crafty prisoner gets a hold of it since all the inmates are free to roam about the facility besides, all members who are in charge of or take part in handling prisoners must be already well trained in the art of hakudo if something happens anyway. And since you are already well versed in the art, you qualify for the job. Plus this will give you a little insight about some of the duties of the Onmitsukidō. I've been hearing rumors that you are hell bent on joining the Executive Militia one day."

"Yes, sir. I've been training every day for that particular reason." Reika replied strongly. "Well I can see you are already well on your way. I would be honored to have you fight alongside me one day. Now then, I should be going. Nana is probably hunting my ass down as we speak. I tell you that woman can smell me from miles away!" The captain chuckled as he got up to leave. "Remember, sunrise tomorrow. Don't let me down." Reika bowed once again. "Understood, sir! Have a good day!"

Reika flew threw her morning duties with ease. The excitement of the her assignment made everything seem so easy and the more Reika thought about it, time seemed to fly by. Sure it was a simple escort job but she was ecstatic none the less. This was her first step towards her goal to be enlisted in the Onmitsukidō, which was the Stealth Force of the Soul Society. An organization that patrols and conducts surveillance in enemy territory and carries out top-secret operations, such as assassinations and the execution of Shinigami who have broken the law. As she finished up sweeping her part of the barracks, which was part of her daily duties, Reika tucked her broom away in the utility closet. The place was always too clean but she could see why. The Second division barracks was overly luxurious, having renovations done by one of the past lieutenants who had come from an extremely wealthy family he had used his personal money to make the living quarters and offices overly comfortable. The facility now had automatic doors and even heated floors to boot. There was even a hot springs located in the training grounds and whenever Reika was doing late night training, she would always end with a hot springs bath. Reika was glad she applied for the Division with such crazy living quarters.

"Shinosaki!" Reika heard a voice from down the hall calling her name and she quickly bowed her head when she saw who it was. "Good day to you, Lieutenant Nanako Tanata." Unlike the captain, the ever so uptight Nanako would not tolerate any form of familiarity from a newly enlisted subordinate. "Shinosaki, I am here to confirm you were informed of your assignment from the captain? I told him I was to give it to you but he insisted on giving it to you himself." Reika nodded to confirm. "Yes. The captain informed me this morning." Nanako let out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness. He can be so forgetful sometimes. Anyways, I'll be going now. There are a few things I need to clear up before I do anything else. Just some rumors flying around about some recent Shinigami deaths in the outer divisions of Rukongai. I'm sure you've heard of them." Reika nodded once more. She had definitely caught word of the so called rumors that were spreading like wildfire throughout the divisions of the Gotei 13. Supposedly a few Shinigami from the 13th Division who were tasked to patrol the outer slums of Rukongai were attacked by some unknown perpetrator. The captains were saying it was just a hollow attack and that the victims were highly intoxicated but many believed it to be more than that.

Reika bowed a second time as Nanako turned to leave. Looking outside one of the large glass windows, Reika realized that it was getting late judging by how low in the sky the sun was and she decided that it was about time to head over to a certain bar called the Shining Star. Besides her new assignment, Reika had been looking forward to this all day. It was a sort of reunion party with her old classmates where they would drink and tell stories about their new lives in their respective squads. She had missed everyone terribly and she couldn't wait to see them all again. Though being a bad drunk, Reika knew this would be fun but quickly told herself not to go overboard since she had a very important duty tomorrow morning. Though as Reika began to leave for the 40th District, words she had heard of the rumors began flooding her mind once more. The 13th Division.... 13th.... Then it hit her.... Joel was assigned to the 13th Division. Reika shook her head violently as to shake the thought of Joel being with that small group who perished away from her mind. There was no way. Joel wasn't the kind of guy to do that kind of thing anyways. Reika pushed the morbid thoughts of her classmate being dead to the back of her mind. What was she thinking? Of course he was fine. She was going to be seeing him tonight! Finally getting back into her cheery mood, Reika broke off running towards the 40th District partly because of excitement and partly because she wanted to practice her shunpo a bit more.

As Reika arrived, she was relieved to see two others were already here before her. The two red heads of the group, Ryuu and Naratsuki. It had been way too long since she had seen them. A huge grin spread across her face and the overly excited blonde waved her hands above her head. "HEEELLLOOOOO!!! Ryuu Shosuke! Naratsuki Kurokiri!!" Reika sang out, clearly happy to see her two friends again. The giddy girl sat herself down next to Ryuu, laying her short Zanpakuto next to her. "Seems like we're the only ones here. Did you guys get off early?"

"What a waste of time." Shizuna thought as she would find herself cleaning after the many animals of the Squad Seven Barracks. It would seem that Unseated members were stuck with these crap jobs, literally. It was either dust and mop the floors, or clean the stables, cages, and droppings. All the while Seated members where either training, something she wished to continue, guard duty or scolding the Unseated. Of course she could understand why these Seats have to be so strict on the rules. Many Unseated are always goofing off when work was to be done. Shizuna can understand the ire of these officers, after all she hates just as much as they do. Fools drinking, napping, gambling, and whatever else they do to waste time. It's almost as wasteful as cleaning up after animals.

Still despite her disgruntled attitude towards animal clean-up, there was one silver lining in it all. Although the idea of keeping animals here in the Barracks is a terrible one to her. Especially since it increases the amount of chores and divvies the amount of Shinigami to do those chores, when those numbers would be better off doing more important things. Not to mention that this problem is unnecessary and can be easily fixed. Her infuriating thoughts are cleared when she sees the Aviary. While she could care less about all the animals, she can't help but admire Captain Hachigane's collection of birds. There were many beautiful varieties and the Aviary itself, puts her makeshift coops to shame. She remembers her little coops she kept on the roof of her old home, they were measly but still the birds came to roost their. It made her happy, but this, what a wondrous thing.

Cleaning up after the birds was about the only chore she had no problem with. Although sometimes she spends too much time with the birds, when really she should be working along. Still she had good enough sense to move along. As she did she could see other Unseated members cleaning as well. Many hated to clean animal crap as they groaned and complained. Shizuna had no time to hear their whining. She didn't care for it either but you would never hear her complain."Childish" she thought. She would continue to move from one end of the Barracks to another, cleaning up cages that where not yet attended too. As she would come to a rat cage, she noticed two Shinigami standing around. They were Seated members from what she could tell. The two Shinigami were standing around doing nothing, just lazing about. She was perturbed by the nerve of these Seated members. Here the Unseated where busting their backs doing work they don't wish to be doing. Yet, these Seats are just standing around talking.

Shizuna had half a mind to tell them off, but she knew her place. She wasn't those kinds of people that just say whatever comes to their minds. She isn't one for reckless decisions. As she began to take care for the rat, she heard them talk about many things. They mentioned training for a moment. She looked towards their Zanpakuto and back to her's. She wanted to resume training so bad. She had learned the name of her Zanpakuto after she graduated. She wanted to communicate with the blade so badly. Yet, ever time she would try, no answers were given. Beyond understand it's name, nothing else is known about the sword. So far it has yet to feel it should communicate with her. The Seated members where bragging about them getting to know their Zanpakuto, one of them even believes they will soon achieve Shikai. Shizuna wishes she could achieve Shikai as well. But if her blade, Kumonosu won't answer then how could she. Or is it possible that the blade cannot hear her? What a conundrum. This can only be solved with training but that will never occur if she is stuck care taking for these animals!

The thought was maddening, but she bit her lip and drugged on. She then heard them speak about an incident that happened at the Eleventh Squad Barracks. They mentioned an Unseated rookie defeated Raigen. Another Seated member passing by perked at this and entered the conversation himself. He was in disbelief over that a rookie defeated Raigen. They confirmed these rumors by saying a red-haired woman was the one to defeat him. The Shinigami still showed disbelief, but that's what they heard through the grapevine. Shizuna could believe, their can be only one person their speaking about, Ryuu Shosuke. "What has happened this time?" "Did she let her temper get the better of her?" Shizuna could only sigh at the thought. The stories she heard from Tenshin about her, it would seem they have yet to stop. Despite how reckless she thought the idea was, she was also frustrated. It seemed Ryuu was becoming stronger, defeating squad members while she was stuck cleaning crap. That thought was truly maddening. After she cleaned the rat cage, the three Shinigami's conversation took a dark turn.

"Did you guys hear about what happened last night?"
"Hm?" "Oh wasn't there something?"
"It wasn't just something you forgetful idiot, Shinigami were killed!"
"Oh?" "Oh yeah!" "Sorry, it just slipped my mind."
"Alot of things slip your mind." "Anyway yeah we heard."
"Isn't that horrible, killed in the middle of the night out in the wild."
"Why where they out in the wilderness?"
"Not sure, some assignment I believe."
"How where they killed?"
"I think they were ripped apart by Hollows."
"Eesh, glad I wasn't on that detail."
"Didn't I hear that they were drinking or something?"
"I'm not sure about that."
"Awful still."
"Yeah."

These rumors have circulated earlier, but it was just know she had a more direct knowledge of it. Whatever killed them is still out there, and that isn't good. Shizuna was a little more than perturbed by the Seated Officers rather complacent attitude to this. They say it was terrible, but shrug it off as if it had little meaning. Sounding that the situation is hopeless and not worth a person's time. She didn't like how they were just casually talking about serious matters. Shizuna decided to move on, not wanting to be angered further by them. Her cleaning duties where coming to an end and she remembered Tenshin invited her to a gathering. At first she only looked forward to exiting the Seireitei for awhile, many of the over-privileged brats where getting on her nerves. Being around people more down to earth would be nice. Even though the group she is to meet, have their own eccentricities. Yet, more interesting to her is Ryuu, she hopes to coerce the details of her bout with Raigen. Shizuna headed for the 40th District of the Rukongai, at the bar Shining Star. "Hmph, rhymes." She thought as she came to the building, sword at her waist. She entered and right away noticed that fiery red hair. "Ryuu." She spoke under her breath, in what seemed to be disgust. She recognized the other Shinigami, but didn't pay much heed to him. Then there was the loud one, she could never settle down for long. It would seem she is here before Tenshin, pity he's more better at breaking the ice than she. Still she quickly and quietly sat down on Ki's side of the table.

Despite Reika's yelling she caught the comment Ryuu made, Shizuna then made a rebuttal. "Well at least he isn't fighting with his fellow squad, unlike some people." She callously spoke not in the defense of Ki or even to spite Ryuu. No, it just sounds like Shizuna has a grudge with Ryuu when actually she is frustrated over the fact she gets to spar while she was stuck on crap duty. Shizuna is good at many things but sugar coating words isn't one of them.

Tenshin was avidly watching his companion's fight, stealthily standing in the crowd by the big oafs supporters with a grin on his face and his canines exposed in an almost predatory happiness as he watched the fight. The 11th division were mostly meat heads, but at least they gave a decent fight, it was just their way of testing new members and even just rising in the ranks was a similar process. His hands fell lightly on his Zanpakuto as the fight continued, watching as the ogre of a mans friends made similar actions, Tenshin was not one to interfere with others fights but with a light sigh he walked up directly next to two of them and landed two swift punches to their guts. Sending a deathly glare at the small group as they seemed to continue their actions, that is until he flipped his left blade into his mouth and clenched a fist, it wasn't as if he had a huge reputation, but of the 11th division who specialized in swordsmanship Tenshin was known for his Hakuda. As it were with the groups weapons sheathed and Tenshin's already drawn, it was a cold war he'd already won and they settled down.

It was a surprise to them however when amongst the cheering and their icy glares, Tenshin took the blade from his mouth and boo'd his companion. "Booooo~! You bully~! Riagen was such a gentle brute, it's not his fault his mother was a monkey~!" He yelled out loud, this of course served to effectively enrage the man's surrounding lackeys whom after proceeding to give their glares to Ryuu turned to Tenshin, blades swinging and roaring like the meat-heads they were. Tenshin for his part kicked himself and his blades into the air and laughed, the blades effectively blocking two of the swords long enough for Tenshin to Shunpo behind the group still in the air. His leg spinning to come cracking down on the weakest lackey's skull and a hand wrapping around the throat of the next one up, smacking his surprised face into the injured man as he caught his blades. He held a cool gaze the whole time, but his grin betrayed the insanity most of 11th division possessed in fighting.

The bulk of the group backed down to let their 'second in command' step up, a similarly ape-like fighter called Kurogani. Tenshin took a step back into the sparring ring twirling his blades and dancing around the place before spinning to a halt "What do you say chubby? Care to go for two fights in a row? If I win you have to call me Kuro-senpai whenever you see me and bring me breakfast from your rich little house every day~, if you win I'll leave the 11th forever and I'll give you Ryuu-senpai~" He said with a child-like arrogance, his annoying singsong tune accompanied with his little immature twirls serving to annoy the man before him similarly as Ryuu had done to her opponent, of course if he lost he couldn't hold up his end of the bargain, Ryuu would kill him first if she even heard his bet. He stepped forward and unsheathed his blade and Tenshin made a show of looking excited and even giddy at the prospect until the mans blade swung at his mid-riff.

The fight continued for quite awhile longer than expected from the group and the two traded blows, Tenshin landing kicks and punches whilst the man swung his sword either into floating blades or Tenshin's annoyingly spinning blocks. It was by no means an easy feat for Tenshin but they didn't need to know that, eventually the grin vanished from Tenshin's face and his blows landed heavier, his kicks aiming for joints and soft spots, his blades slicing along the run of major organs rather than trivial muscles. Before he knew it he was standing over a man covered in blood in front of a horrified crowd, his blades swinging through the air as he dropped from above to meet the mans neck before another intersected his, a foot sending him flying across the sparring grounds and cracking into a wall. It was there that he finally blinked and groaned, holding his head and staring horrified at the scene before him.

He didn't know whom had blocked his blade, nor did he care, he sheathed his weapons, bowed in apology and fled to the barracks with more than some light bruising, picking up a lighter and a human cigarette to light up before dissapearing again to head to the Shining Star to meet his friends. Everything had happened so fast all of the sudden and he hadn't a clue what exactly had happened at such a pace, so instead he let his mind wander and preoccupied himself with smoking. Discarding the unhealthy habit before his friends could see it and strolling into the bar with a grin on his face, taking a seat far from Naratsuki and as close to his fellow 11th division member as he could. Perhaps to those of the group that knew him the best his smile would seem hollow, his grin confused as he sat down.

Tenshin had similarly heard the rumours, but no further information, to him it was a hollow attack or something else...something personal, and he wanted to investigate, but not until he knew everyone was here, and safe.

"What's that about fighting fellow squad members? I saw her fight, it was purely defense~ Absolutely nobody was forced to resign and I am absolutely and undeniably not getting free breakfast for the rest of the forseable future~" He said with a grin, already having ordered his alcohol and taken a swig. His fingers clicked quietly but rapidly under the table and his left foot was softly thumping against the floor as he observed the group, at least he still had them no matter what. His arm clicked slightly at the shoulder as he rolled it lazily and he groaned at the prospect of a broken bone.

It was dark. Why was it always so dark? This was the main question the little boy had. How come it was him who had to live in darkness while those around him lived in a mix of light and dark. Would he able be able to see the light? Any other form of light other than the opening and closing of the door would be good. He wasn't as hungry for food as he was for being released from the darkness. Who knew how long it was. It could've been a month or a year, possibly more than that. It didn't matter after awhile, for it had been long enough to get used to it. It went on long enough that the only way he didn't ask to see the light anymore. This was his life and he accepted it. Though, one day was different. There was a loud scream. Anger filled his home and he pressed his ear to the door of light. The woman on the other side was talking all sorts of things and the man was going against her. They barked at each other over and over, until the door to light opened. What happened after that? Well.....


"Ahhh!!!" Joel woke up from his dream in a cold sweat. What made him scream like that, no even he remembered. It wasn't like the dream actually scared him. Even if it did, he'd be used to it by now, especially after having it for so long. Not every night did the dream haunt him, but most nights. Though he didn't really mind it that much. Usually he didn't jump away, but today was different for some reason. Maybe because he let his guard down. He shrugged it off as nothing in particular and brushed his covers off. Standing up, he stretched and looked over to his sword which sat idly against the wall. "Good morning," he said, not expecting an answer. As expected none came, which made him smile a bit. One day maybe, he thought.

His usual morning routine had began shortly after that. He went to clean himself up, exercised, read, and then he dressed himself. His baggy clothes being a little unorthodox, but good enough for him, considering he had weights wrapped around his legs, waist, arms, and wrists. This was his lifestyle. Speed and strength. It was hard to maintain both without constant excersise so Joel set it upon himself to make even walking an exercise. The weights didn 't feel as heavy as they did when he was first using them and he sighed at the fact that he'd have to find heavier ones. Though, it probably wouldn't matter if he did get them. It wouldn 't hurt his speed not to. However, he sort of wanted to be faster and stronger. There was no telling how strong one had to be to protect the ones they cared about, so Joel left his room with the intent of somehow becoming a little bit stronger this day. This same routine happened everyday, and the goal had never changed.

This was all done before the sun came out, for he was an early bird. He also liked spending time with the Koi fish who he was tasked with taking care of. It was a menial class which suited a new recruit to the division, but he didn't mind. It was calm and quiet and watching the sunrise with the fish was pretty fun. He would say more to them than he would even tell his friends. Good thing they couldn't talk back.

"Why do I keep having that dream again and again. It's pretty iratating don't you guys think so?"

His questions were never answered, but it was a good way think out loud. Usually before sunrise, no one was making a peep loud enough to interrupt his comfort, though this morning was a different story.

"Everybody wake up!!! Everybody wake up and come to the meeting room!!!"

Joel looked slowly behind him as the man yelled hysterically. Lights from the inside of the barracks started to illuminate the darkness from outside. Soon the stars weren't able to be seen in the sky as the field lights turned on as well. The silence was interrupted by a hysterical man and the mood of the whole scene was gone forever. As the man stood up slowly, he couldn't help but to think that this was going to be a bad day, though he wasn't ready for what came next.

"Cain, Leon, Axl," Captain Hanakonawa started, following by a few other men. "Some of you know these men and some of you don't. However, they are all our family within the thirteenth division. Also, currently, do to an unfortunate incident, they have also passed on."

The room was silent and no one knew what to say or even wanted to speak for that matter. The captain had a strong look about her, one which Joel hadn't seen until today. It seemed she was feeling it worse than those who were even crying. Looking closely, she reminded him of one of his friends in that regard. Joel then looked at Lieutenant Kokoro, who had her head down, probably not wanted to look up for emotional reasons. From what Joel could tell, she was most likely hurt because she was mostly close to the members of their division. The thirteenth division in itself was one big family, which you could tell just by spending a day inside.

"RRrrrrgh. That's bull!!!!"

Turning his head to the right of him, Joel saw a man with his fist clenched and his teeth tightened to each other. "There's no way those guys would go out and do something like that. I say we go to that area and cause some pain for the Hollows!!!"

"Quiet Matsuda," The captain said softly, with a hint of leadership in her voice. "That is not the way we operate here. Though it is a shame that we had to loose some of our brothers in an unfortunate incident, we will not be broken by this event. The best thing we can do right now is wait for higher orders and give the men a proper passing."

With the man silent, it seemed more like he hade more chance of crying than disobeying the captains orders. Joel even felt a certain way about it.

"In the meantime, no one is allowed to leave the premises on their leave until the funeral and meetings are dealt with."

The mans eyes shot opened. That meant that he wasn't allowed to see his friends that night. That wouldn't have been fair. What if they had heard the rumors and thought he was dead or something. He couldn't allow that. Though, he was also in no place to speak against the woman. She was nice to all of her subordinates, but he could tell just by looking at her that she wasn't one to challenge.

"Furthermore, even though our daily morning duties can not be halted, I have decided to cut this afternoon and tommorrows out of the schedule. With this time, reflect back on our fallen comrades and learn from them. Their streangths and their weaknesses. That is all."

For the duration of the hour, many people moved slowly about and Joel returned to the Koi fish. His mind was relaxed and his thoughts came as he wanted them too, but he still felt a weight down in his chest. What if that have been his friends? What if his friends had been in trouble and he wasn't there. He couldn't let that happen. So he made his decision. Later that night he snuck away from the barracks using his speed to his advantage. Flash stepping was one of the first things he had learned to master while in training and it had it's uses. Fast escapes and attacks. In this case he used it to leave as quickly and quietly as possible.

Walking around Rukongai, he didn't see his targeted place in sight. It was too easy for him to get lost and hard for him to ask for directions from strangers. This of course was the worse possible mixture of bad luck. Though, like he was told, if he kept finally the road he would find the pub, which he did. Once inside, he glanced around for his group and, not to his surprise, he was the last one to arrive. Walking over to the table he looked for an empty seat, not wanting to disturb anyone before sitting down. "Good evening," he said to all of them before sitting down and opening his menu.

Ryuu Shosuke

Even before Ki could answer her question, a loud cheery yell could be heard from across the pub. Ryuu knew exactly who it was and the very thought of it made her cringe. "HEEELLLOOOOO!!! Ryuu Shosuke! Naratsuki Kurokiri!!" The red head rubbed the bridge of her nose in annoyance, “Must she really say our full names?” glancing up at Ki to see if he was feeling the same way. Reika sat herself down next to Ryuu, who was a bit against the idea but she’ll live. "Seems like we're the only ones here. Did you guys get off early?" It wasn’t that she disliked Reika it was just that at times her cheery attitude was too much for Ryuu to handle. Out of them all Ryuu was a bit gruff and the least lady-like between Reika, Shizuna and her, although Shizuna was next Reika in being feminine.

Shifting in her seat so she could get a better look at her overly energetic friend Ryuu frowned a bit, “No, the eleventh squad didn’t have much to do.” although she was a bit curious as to why Ki was done already but she already had an idea why. Quiet as a mouse, red eyes followed Shizuna as she sat down on Ki’s side and to be honest, Ryuu envied him if just the slightest. "Well at least he isn't fighting with his fellow squad, unlike some people." Her head snapped over to look at Shizuna making her frown at the comment the other girl made. “Hey-“ before Ryuu could finish a body plopped down close to hers, incredibly close in fact making Ryuu uneasy.

"What's that about fighting fellow squad members? I saw her fight, it was purely defense~ Absolutely nobody was forced to resign and I am absolutely and undeniably not getting free breakfast for the rest of the forseable future~" The smile on Tenshin’s face was odd but Ryuu decided to discard it for the time being so she could deal with it later. Now wouldn’t be the best time to ask him questions or to put him in the spot light. “I can speak for myself Tenshin.” her tone was a bit cold but it held a bit of sincerity that only a few could get out of her. Scowling at him for good measure Ryuu turned her attention back to the table now a bit bored as she explained what happened. “It wasn’t all self-defense; he made the most impossible terms for me to conform to so I had to kick his ass. Not my fault that he was such an ugly oaf.” shrugging her shoulders, Ryuu beckoned over a waitress. Leaning back away from the group so the woman could hear her better Ryuu ordered a drink.

Ryuu glanced in Tenshin’s direction noticing his fidgety movements giving him an odd look. Then Ryuu remembered, Joel wasn’t hear yet and for a brief moment she worried. “I wonder where Joel is? He couldn’t possibly be. . .” looking over at her friends, Ryuu chose not to finish the sentence for they had all heard the rumors. The red head was aware of the kind of man Joel was and for that she thought him foolish. However it seemed Ryuu was worrying too much when a soft good evening came from behind them. An almost indiscernible smile threatened to curl the corners of her lips at hearing the voice she dreaded she’d never hear again.

Shortly after she made her comment, Tenshin arrived. She was glad he finally arrived, even though she didn't show it. He was useful into helping her ease some. Definitely better at easing her into a group instead of having to do it on her own. Although she wasn't finished with Ryuu and had hoped she would answer instead of Tenshin. Still she gained more information and was curious of what he meant by resign. He sort of made into a joke, so it was difficult to tell if he was making it up or being serious. The white haired woman decided to allow Ryuu more time to answer for herself. Shizuna sat in her seat and more like a lady, sat with a prim and proper posture. It really appeared that she was stuffy and snobbish, especially with that uninterested countenance she sports. As cold as ever with that solemn frown and bored look in her eye.

Shizuna took note of Ryuu's scowling at Tenshin, obviously she doesn't like being spoken for either. She respects that of Ryuu, strong and independent, even though she is also bothered by her as well. Not to say she hates her but does feel that she is a challenger. An opponent she wished she had more chances to spar with. She was always interested in her strength, especially by the way Tenshin used to go on about her. She listened as Ryuu explained herself as to what happened. Shizuna's only response was an audible, "Hmph." Shizuna has yet to order a drink, since she isn't much of a drinker. Not that she really had any problem with alcohol, it just isn't her favorite beverage. She prefers tea and water to anything. Still this was a bar and before the waitress could wander off she ordered as well. Whether she will drink it all or not is still undetermined.

Then Ryuu said something interesting, she picked up on the name Joel. Ah yes, Joel, an odd name but not really an odd fellow. Out of everyone here she didn't mind Joel at all, in fact she used to prefer him the most, until she became more friendly with Tenshin. He doesn't speak often and seems to be well-mannered, likeable enough traits in her book. Yet, she doesn't know much about him, but that's alright as well. His past is his own business not hers. He also seems to be very capable of being a Shinigami, although she really has no understanding of his strength or skills. She could be completely wrong about him, suppose the truth will come out if she ever sees him again. Shizuna's memory recalled that the Shinigami that died last night were from the 13th division. Perhaps she was wrong and did overestimate Joel's capabilities. After all she didn't know that much about him to begin with. Then almost as if on cue, his quiet voice pierced the sudden silence. It was Joel, and Shizuna supposes that her evaluation can stand still yet.

It looks like everyone was here. Six graduates fresh from the Academy, and Shizuna wonders how long any of them will last. The attacks last night reaffirmed her beliefs that Shinigami can die at any time. Morbid but true. To shake these thoughts Shizuna brought up the previous conversation. Her rather placid face now changed with a furrowed brow and an even deeper frown. "Well with that perspective, I too would have beaten that lug into submission," Shizuna spoke, "Although I wouldn't have been so soft about those conditions." "I would have seen that fool Raigen resigned." "After all the 11th Division is suppose to consist of combat specialists, and seeing a veteran loose to a rookie fresh from the Academy, deserves to be kicked out. What a pathetic excuse for a Shinigami." Shizuna spoke ever so cold, decisive, and harsh. She then eased on back and decided to look toward Joel. She wondered if he would speak about last night, that attack has piqued her interest to say the least.

Ki gave a simple nod to everyone as they entered, being uncharacteristically quiet. Truth was, he really didn't have much to talk about. What was he going to tell them? That he spends half his time sleeping and the other half trying his hardest to avoid his duties? Hell, if he lied and said he was actually trying, its not like anyone would believe him anyway. So, why not silence? Neutrality was the best policy in such a situation. Ki listened to the story of Ryuu's day, giving a small smirk in response to hearing her dethroning of the giant. "You should probably be careful though. The last thing you want is Kenpachi taking notice and wanting to fight. Though, with his Lieutenant seat vacant, it sounds like he has bigger issues right now than tests of strength." Ki put his lips up to his glass, only to realize that his drink was empty. He motioned for the waitress to bring him a refill, setting his glass off to the side for now. "The Sixth is kinda boring. The Captain is really intense though. I once made eye contact with him and I felt like he could crush me without even drawing his sword." Ki chuckled a bit, looking his glass to see it was already refilled. Not much with sensory skills to say the least.

Ki took a drink, feeling none of the effects of the alcohol. Over the years the man had developed quite the tolerance for alcohol, not having gotten drunk in forever, no matter how hard he tried. Shrugging with a 'Don't have any care to give' nature to it, Ki motioned to the waitress. He held up six fingers and gave a nod, then a thumbs up. The waitress brought over six shots, sitting one down in front of each Shinigami. "Okay, I don't exactly know what this is, but I told the bartender when I got here to come up with a concoction for later, so... this should be interesting." Ki held the shot up to his nose, taking a whiff of it and quickly pulling the drink back. "Yep. That is a 12th Division level of crazy right there. Feel free to pass them down my way if you don't feel adequately prepared to take this voyage with me. Though, it would be a little rude, considering I'm paying for the drinks. Just saying. Even if you aren't drinking, you have to at least toast it though." Ki took a little sip out of the glass and his eyebrows immediately shot up. "Wow, do not let the smell deceive you. That is really good." Ki looked over and gave a thumbs up to the bartender, who simply smiled and bowed as if he was being applauded after a show. "Well, I'm not too good at these things, but here we go. Here's to graduating and becoming an official Shinigami." Ki held his drink up touched the brim with those who chose to take the shot, a universal custom when celebrating something by pouring a damn near poisonous liquid down your throat. He popped the bottom of the cup on the table and threw back the shot, a satisfied expression curling up on his face. "See? Strong, but just fruity enough to help it go down smooth. You're my hero barkeep!" The bartender looked over once again and smiled before returning to his normal duties. "I'm going to have to remember this place for the future."

Ki quickly chugged his other drink, rolling his eyes at the realization that he wasn't feeling a thing. "Well, I knew it was useless, but I gave it a go anyway. Alright, time to pay my tab before I lose what little money I have." Ki leaned back in his chair, his Zanpakuto laying on the ground behind him like he had just dropped it there without a care in the world. "So, I'm all for drinking and being merry, but does anyone know of something fun we could do?"

Joel wasn't much of a drinker, especially considering what happened the night before. He hadn't even been allowed to come meet his friends let alone drink. Though he raised his cup in cheers, he had no other intention, but to set it back down. Alcohol was just one the things he didn't want to get into, since his own father happened to be an alcoholic. He looked at the cup, managing to smell the content inside and looked over towards his friends as they talked and laughed. He had once read a book on relationships, mostly to find out if his relationship with his own family could be mended at all. In the end, he didn't find the answers he was searching for. However, he did find some information on friends. In the book, it seemed there was little difference between friends and family, other than blood and relation of course. Though, from what he had read, it made him wonder. Did he truly act as a friend to these people, and were they acting as friends to him. Through the word act, it made it seem as if he could define it as such. All just an act. Maybe that's why he pledged to protect them. Sure he wasn't much of a talker and probably wasn't much fun to be around, at least in his opinion, but he could protect them with his life if he had to. After all, whether they knew so or not, they were the ones who saved him. If things had been different, he could have gone in a path which he would never be able to return from. Thinking it that way eased his mind a little and after a solid two minutes, he picked up his cup and swallowed its beverage. After which he calmly put the cup down, deciding that it would be his only drink for the night.

There wasn't much else to the night, but talking and laughter of his comrades. He looked at the clock once or twice to keep up with the time. He didn't need, but three hours of sleep to work, but he didn't want to push his luck when it came to his Captain. Sure she was nice, but everyone was before you got on there nerves. He had doubts that she would understand how long he was waiting to meet with everyone here and what it meant to him. Though, he also didn't expect her to, nor did he want her to. He didn't want anyone to know how he truly felt about him. He looked around the room swiftly. If Ryuu knew how he felt, she'd see him as weak probably, or wouldn't want to be his friend anymore. If Tenshin knew how he felt, he would probably feel uncomfortable around him. If Shizuna knew how he felt, she'd probably give him the cold shoulder. If Ki knew how he felt.... Well, he probably wouldn't care. Lastly, if Reika knew how he felt... She'd probably wouldn't mind either. In fact, maybe they all wouldn't have minded, but that wasn't the point. It was determined long ago, by the powers unknown to even him that if he revealed feelings of love or loyalty then he would be tested on them and he would have to ultimately fail all of the test. So for now, even though it seems like he's just there taking up space, even if people see him that way, he will one day prove himself. He just had to figure out how first. It was definitely a good thing he was patient and an even better thing that his friends seemed patient with him. He really appreciated it and reminded himself to thank them one day.

He watched them talk for awhile before sighing and opening his mouth for the first time in the night. "Apparently I wasn't supposed to be here tonight. After what happened to those guys the night before, Captain Hanakonawa forbid us from leaving the barracks." He looked up, worried that he interrupted something, but left it at the door. If they were listening to him then it wouldn't have been a bad thing to keep talking right? "I don't know. I really appreciate you guys being my friends. Letting me into your group. That's why I came here anyway. Though, I still can't stop thinking about those guys. I didn't know them that well, but they sort of reminded me of our group. Probably not as smart. Though they were really nice guys. Wish I could've done something for them."

To Reika's relief, it seemed that everyone had made it and by the looks of things, her fellow classmates were doing quite will with their new lives in the Gotei 13. Taking small sips of her own personal order of sake, Reika interjected and added her usual energetic comments into the conversations of her friends. Already, the young girl was noticing the effects of the alcohol as her words became softer and more slurred each sip she took. 'Geez.... I AM really bad at this. Maybe I should tone it down for the ni-'. Reika's thought of "toning it down" was instantly interrupted as Ki announced that they were all to make a toast and Reika was passed a shot. What it was, there was no telling. The smell was absolutely foul and it made the poor girl's head spin. Though wanting to quit for the night, Reika was instantly fired up for more.

"Well, I'm not too good at these things, but here we go. Here's to graduating and becoming an official Shinigami." Ki held up his shot glass and whoever decided to take part did as well. With some effort, Reika managed to raise her glass as well and let out a soft "woo". As everyone knew, Reika was not that well with holding her alcohol. One would think that when under the influence, the usually over the top, energetic girl would be a loud, obnoxious drunk. But, surprisingly, it was quite the opposite. As the other conversed amongst themselves about life in the Gotei 13, Reika sat at her end of the table completely silent, staring blankly at the ceiling. To those who knew her, it was best to just leave her like this to "chill". These were one of the rare occasions where Reika was completely silent and it was a common practice that if you needed a break from the crazy antics of this blonde Shinigami, all you needed to do was to take her for a drink. Problem solved.

Feeling extremely dizzy, Reika lay her head on the table in front of her. Feeling something to support her head was almost heavenly. She couldn't move a muscle. Everything in her body just felt so heavy and she had no energy whatsoever. 'Crap.....What am I gonna do if I miss my assignment tomorrow? I'll be sooo screwed....' The image of her lieutenant beating her to death with the sheath of her Zanpakuto popped into her mind. Reika managed to find the energy to lift her head and if felt as though heavy boulders were hanging from her face. Though she managed to lift her head, that newfound energy was instantly sapped from her body and Reika found herself resting her head on the shoulder ofth e person next to her. To her surprise, she was greeted by a flurry of red hair and instantly knew who it was.

"S-sorry Ryuu-chan.... I'll get off in a few seconds.... Just.... a.... few...." Before she knew it, Reika had fallen into the sweet unconscious darkness that one calls sleep.

Tenshin kicked up his legs onto the table and refrained from conversation participation, instead opting to drink and allow the others to continue, upon receiving Ki's beverage he slid it down the table to him with one foot and took a swig of his own alcohol in cheers, giving him a curt nod before observing the group. He knew what he was going to say, but he figured he'd give everyone the chance to relax and enjoy, even if it seemed Joel worried for the group and Reika decided to unwisely pass out on Ryuu. After several drinks and a few pieces of idle chatter Tenshin finally decided to speak up, giving Reika a quick knuckle tap to the forehead before standing up.

"Something to do hm? How about instead of getting drunk, shirking our duties and worrying about ending up like those guys, we go and find out WHY they ended up how they did. No matter how drunk or lazy a shinigami is a whole group of experienced members of the Gotei 13 don't get taken out by a pack of hollows!" He said confidently, taking another long drink of his sake, his free hands fingers splaying and tensing behind his back "Now I know this is meant to be our lil' get together and some of us are pickled, but we're members of the Gotei 13 now, and if we're lookin' for a bit of adventure and to rise in the ranks, and it seems we've even already broken the rules by being here. Then we need to set ourselves apart and at the very least put our necks on the line for the safety of the Rukongai and Seireitei. It may seem foolish, brash and idiotic even, but I won't let that happen to us...I won't let another group like us end up like that either, 11th divisions motto is this, Fight! and that's what I'm going to do tonight." He ended, finishing his drink and tossing a half dozen tablets onto the table as he double-checked his Zanpakuto, walking behind Joel to tap his shoulder with care.

"Glad to see your safe mate, if anyone else is coming take a tablet and clear your head of the alcholic buzz, bit of something I learnt to carry after one too many hangovers during examinations in the academy." He said with a more Tenshin-like grin and tone, his hand still occasionally clicked almost inaudibly in his pocket but it eventually calmed. "So, now that I'm done with my dramatic speech and all that, in all seriousness whose coming, I'm lonely over here." He half-whined with a fake pout, spinning one blade over his shoulder as he sauntered towards the exit with light steps, observing the group for their reaction and fiddling with his spinning Zanpakuto, not entirely aware of the fact he was probably disturbing the rest of the patrons quiet drinking time.

Ryuu Shosuke

Ryuu nodded in agreement with what Shizuna said. There were few times from Ryuu’s perspective where the two women rarely saw eye to eye. It was then that what Tenshin said earlier caught up with her when Shizuna spoke of her being soft on her conditions. Frowning it was obvious something was wrong. Looking over at Tenshin, Ryuu’s frowned deepened. “Those were my conditions.” she said carefully and rather slowly, all the while giving Tenshin a sidelong glance. Leaning back in her chair, Ryuu slid one leg over the other at the knee, draping an arm behind her chair and the other holding up her drink.

It seemed the story of her day was something everyone wanted to give their say about since even Ki spoke up about it. “I’ve no intention of hiding Narasuki. Unlike you I plan to excel in rank, maybe go for that vacant spot.” the latter of her reply was said quietly. At this point Ryuu was uncertain as to whether or not she truly did want to go for lieutenant. It would require her to work a lot and considering how the current Kenpachi is, the red head had doubts as to whether she’d even get to enjoy her seat as the second strongest if she had a bunch of paper work to do.

Listening to Ki speak of his own division, Ryuu couldn’t help but chuckle herself at his words. The prospect of tasting the odd concoction created by the bar tender piqued the red heads attention. Trying to hold back a snicker, the expression dancing across Ki’s face and the words spilling past his lips made her wonder if Naratsuki was really Narasuki. In the end Ryuu took the shot glass, raising it in the air with the rest of them but not enough so that it would clink with the others. That would require her lean back forwards and Ryuu was in a rather comfortable position. Spilling the contents of the shot down her throat, the taste was indeed fruity with a strong kick to it. Releasing a satisfactory sigh Ryuu allowed for her lips to curl upwards slightly forming a small smile of content. Naratsuki continued on, asking if there was something fun to do. However at this hour there would be few fun spots in the Rukongai to go to. The idea of sparring with them popped up but then she pushed it aside as something that could be done when they weren’t tipsy.

Looking around the table not many of them seemed to be affected by the alcohol they had consumed. Then again each of them ordered a different amount and it seemed she, Naratsuki and Tenshin had drunken the most. Hearing a sigh, Ryuu turned slightly to face Joel who finally spoke since he arrived. However instead of words of happiness or drunkenness, his words were solemn and rather depressing in Ryuu’s prospective. Reaching out, Ryuu pat the back of his head as if by doing so she could get rid of his negative thoughts. “Joel you’re making yourself out to be one of those damn sob stories. Enough of this talk of appreciation. Be merry like Naratsuki and Reika.” Motioning to the blonde next to her and the red head across the table.

The swaying of blonde hair drew Ryuu’s attention away from Joel, and the red head focused on Reika. It seemed their youngest member was unable to hold her liquor. The blonde rested her head on the table but then brought it up only to let to let it drop on a shoulder, Ryuu’s shoulder. Recoiling, yet not to where Reika would have fallen down, at the sudden physical contact, Ryuu looked down at the young girl. Ryuu wasn’t entirely sure what to do in this particular situation. She wanted to shove the girl off her shoulder but knew that was beyond cruel if she acted out that impulse. Sighing, Ryuu leaned away from Reika and just as she was getting ready to move the poor girls head back to the table a hand reached over, knuckles tapping the girl’s forehead. Finally completing the act, Ryuu looked over at Tenshin who was now standing.

Knowing the look on his face, Ryuu rested her chin on her palm, listening to her fellow squad member give a speech. Rolling her eyes at his words, Ryuu tried not to laugh knowing it wouldn’t sit well with her friend if she did. With his speech ending Tenshin dropped half a dozen tablets on the table for them to take. Reaching over Ryuu took out a tablet and began to fiddle with it, pondering the idea of whether to go with this obvious foolish adventure but finally caved in at the sight of that grin Tenshin wore on his face. “Well I guess I should go with you. It wouldn’t be much fun if I got stuck watching you from behind and not beside you.” Standing up, Ryuu realized how her words came out and thought of saying something to correct the possible misunderstanding but thought better of it. Popping one in her mouth, the slight buzz at the back of her head slowly dissipated into nothing. Ryuu reached for her zanpakuto, holding it close to her body as she normally did. Walking over to where Tenshin stood, Ryuu looked at him and gave him that rare smile before looking over her shoulder at the rest of them. “Well I’ll be waiting outside, might even head to our destination if you guys don’t hurry it up.”

Her impatience was one of the reasons she went outside, the other was simply because she hoped in doing so the rest would hurry as she said. Eventually they did come out of the bar Ryuu stood by the doorway leaning against the wall but straightened at their arrival.

An Hour or Two Later

By now the sun was down leaving them to wonder in moonlit darkness. The small group of friends walked through the forested area of Rukongai; walking the same path those deceased shinigami had treaded upon. As they ventured further and further into the woods the night sounds began to quiet until they eventually ceased altogether. Whether anyone of the group noticed ad pointed this out was up for debate. Ryuu glanced around, her deep red eyes searching the darkness for any possible movement in the shadows.

After walking for another twenty minutes, Ryuu noticed the trees were thinning until they reached a clearing. Stepping into the light the hairs on the back of her neck rose. It was obvious that something about this clearing wasn’t quite right. Ryuu’s gut feeling was proved right when they heard a rustling behind them. Taking quick steps forwards to distance herself from the sound like the rest of them. Ryuu’s grip on her zanpakuto tightened, her fingers inching their way towards the hilt in case she needed to draw it quickly. The rustling sound came again along with what may have been a growl. Yet it wasn’t a kind of growl a normal animal would have made. Ryuu thought of a hollow but the feeling she got from it was different, although she had little contact with them she knew how she’d feel in the presence of one. Frowning Ryuu glanced at her friends, wondering if they were thinking the same thing.

Suddenly a multitude of bodies burst out of the darkness. Counting about 6 of them, Ryuu then spun on her heel eyes wide as a large figure slammed into Tenshin. Calling out in surprise, the fact that the large body was able to move so fast, it was obvious the creature wasn't human. A Hollow? The red head watched as Tenshin was flung back across the clearing and into the tree line. Gripping the hilt of her sword, Ryuu drew her zanpakuto and quickly got into a defensive position. The Hollow that attacked Tenshin rejoined the rest of the hollows.

From the way it stood in front of the others, it was obvious that this Hollow was the leader. Even more so when they got a good look at the Hollows face. Unlike the rest of them, this particular Hollow's mask was crumbling away. The majority of it was gone with only a corner if its face being covered by the white bone that made up their masks. "So what do we have here, a few more shinigami to feast upon." it cackled out through its cracked and broken teeth. Almost as if on cue the other Hollows began to make sounds that could have been laughter. Some edged closer to the group, each one setting its sight on a particular target that met their individual tastes. The rest of the Hollows were smaller compared to the leader but each had a unique build.

The leader motioned with its hand, and the smaller Hollows grouped together in front of their leader. The Hollow smiled at the group of friends before speaking once again. I had originally planned on setting these little fellas down into the nearby town. To get stronger but the souls of a couple shinigami should suffice." Some of the Hollows looked back at their leader, who nodded its consent and the others rushed forwards to have a taste of their meals. The fact that each one went to a single target Ryuu could easily assume they had been watching them for the past while. This thought infuriated her for she had no idea that they were being watched.

Although they were small one could never underestimate a Hollow. They were fodder compared to the leader but that didn't matter once they began to attack their opponents. Even though Tenshin had been knocked back a Hollow still went to his location. The fight was spread throughout the entire clearing while the leader merely stayed in the center watching and waiting to pick off the weakest of the group for his own meal.

Naratsuki followed listlessly behind the group as they made their way into the forest. "Okay, this was not what I meant when I said fun. Don't get me wrong, I am kind of curious about what exactly happened to those shinigami. But, wandering into this place is not by definition of how one would satiate their curiosity." Ki stopped talking, realizing he was most likely being ignored. He will admit this situation did have some advantages, mainly the fact that he didn't have to keep running up his bar tab. Ki held his Zanpakuto in his left hand, keeping the blade far away from his body as they traversed the trees. Something was off about this place. There was no sound. Ki began to worry for the safety of the others, coming to the conclusion that what was ever out here that night, might not have left. "Guys, I think we should head back to the bar. I got next rou-?" Before he could finish, they found a clearing within the forest. It shot an ominous chill up Ki's spine, the young man hoping it was just the atmosphere of the place rather than anything foreboding.

Ki heard the rustling and jumped back, though he did not drop into a defensive stance. He stood straight, though his eyes peered in all directions, never staying fixed on any one place too long. The hollows emerged from the darkness, one of them sending Tenshin back into the trees. "Tenshin?!" Ki yelled, running in the direction the man had been flung. Before Ki could make it, a hollow appeared before him and another gave chase to Tenshin. Ki snarled at the hollow, gripping the hilt of his Zanpakuto and said, "Outta the way!" He began to unsheathe his sword, only to relase the hilt and allow the sword to fall back into the scabbard. Ki looked at his sword wide-eyed, a noticeable expression of fear coming across his face. This allowed the hollow an opportunity to smash its massive fist into him. Ki went flying, but was able to regain his footing. However, he felt a steady stream of blood pour down his arm. It didn't feel broken, but he wouldn't be surprised if the sheer force of the hit had left a nasty cut on his arm.

The distance now created allowed Ki to get a better handle on his opponents attributes. It was an ugly one to say the least. Dark purple skin, an avian-like hollow mask, and massive arms that, from Ki's own experience just now, operated more like wrecking balls than anything else. Its hind legs were small however, the creature moving slow as it started to come running toward Ki. Taking one last look at his Zanpakuto, Ki dropped the sword on the ground and began running in a curved route away from the hollow. It took large, sweeping strikes at Ki, missing wildly, but always coming close to the man. "Hadō #1. Shō." Ki raised his index finger in the direction of the hollow, the Kido spell firing a small amount of energy with just enough force to slow the hollow down. Ki fired the spell again, trying to create distance while he figured out a plan. Shō wasn't a powerful spell, but it didn't consume much energy and was giving Ki the distance he needed, for now at least. Bakudō #4. Hainawa." Thinking quickly, Ki fired the spell at the hollow, a crackling, yellow rope generating from Ki's hands and wrapping around the beast.

It fought back, forcing itself to the ground due to its own unrelenting struggle. Ki began moving toward the hollow, taking precise steps so he wouldn't lose concentration on the spell. Ki carefully removed one of his hands from the spell and pointed his finger at thee hollow. "Hadō #4. Bya-" Before Ki could finish, the hollow burst out of Hainawa. It swung at Ki's legs, causing the young man to fall to the ground with a violent thud. The hollow stood over top of him, using one of its massive arms to hold the man down. Raising the other one high in the air, it ws prepared to bring the fist down upon its prey. "Hadō #4, Byakurai!" Ki shouted the spell in a desperate move, the concentrated bolt of lightning going straight through the hollows "hand" and into its mask. Ki took a heavy sigh of relief, only to be met with a sudden thud as the beasts massive frame came crashing down on him. He began to feel the life leaving him as he struggled to throw the corpse off of himself. Finally succeeding, He stood up and took heavy breaths to regain his wind as he walked over to his Zanpakuto and hesitantly picked it up from the ground.

Shizuna remained mostly silent during the remainder of the party. Ryuu responded to her observation over the fight between her and Raigan. Shizuna only simply nodded at the response. Then Ki decided to speak up over all of us. It was surprising to hear from him like that, but then again they are drinking. He went on to talk about his rather uneventful time with the Sixth Division. It's about as uneventful as Shizuna's place in the Seventh. Then it would seem the amount of alcoholic beverages were affecting his mind. It would seem the bartender is doing a rather fine job of creating cocktails and such. Even so much so that Ki had brought them a round of something. Shizuna looked cautiously at the drink, as if expecting it was poisoned or something. She sniffed at the edge of the brim of the cup and it had the strongest smell of alcohol yet. Although it did have this pleasant fruity effect hidden with in it's odor. It seemed Ki proposed a toast to them becoming Shinigami, and while Shizuna has yet to sip much of the beverage she ordered, she decided to down this one out of respect.

As she suspected it was strong and she wasn't much too happy about that, but the fruity after taste did keep her from not enjoying it. As the night began to drag on Joel of all people spoke. It seems this reunion can't even shake away the stigma of the other night. While Shizuna didn't believe Joel should focus so much on them, after all they were foolish enough to drink on duty. Still he sounded very disturbed by it, and perhaps speaking harshly on their failure would not help matters. Ryuu swooped in to be the first to provide emotional support. Surprising? Yes. What she said however was not. It looked like Reika was falling apart over there. It seemed the alcohol has affected her the most, to the point she was falling asleep on Ryuu's shoulder. Not the place she would pick to take a nap. At least Ryuu was kind about that little incident and rested her on the table again.

Then spoke Tenshin who came up with a very random suggestion. With some dramatic flair he decided that we should investigate what happened last night. He even dumped some pills on the table to alleviate any drunkenness we may have. Shizuna wasn't particularly on board with the idea. She really didn't feel like avenging Shinigami who were so careless as to drink when Hollows were about. She felt their mistake was deserving of that outcome. A Shinigami is always on guard and is always vigilant, and obviously drinking would ruin both of those actions. The Hollows simply had an advantage and they took it. There's nothing to investigate about. Besides they are not even from our squads, except Joel's, why should we concern ourselves with avenging them? Shizuna then looked towards him and spoke, "Tenshin, I don't think-," then Ryuu interrupted her with her vote on the matter.

Shizuna couldn't say she should have expected less. Ryuu wouldn't have let her comrade go in it alone and was even out the door before you could say, Zanpakuto. "Still impatient I see." Shizuna thought. While she believed this to be a waste of effort she took the pill and headed it outside, sword at the waist. She wasn't about to let Ryuu have two fights in a day, especially if she can place her stake in one of them. No, if there is some Hollow then she could at least use the opportunity to become stronger. Even though her competitiveness is starting to show; a nagging thought about not even wanting to do this was still present. Maybe her mind was trying to tell her something.

The bar was soon behind them as she was out in the middle of the woods in the middle of the night. As they stepped through the woods Shizuna reiterated her thoughts before on this. "Well, walking through the forest is quaint, but I feel this is a waste of our efforts." "Will we even see the same Hollows those from the Thirteenth did?" "And even if we did, do any of us have any real idea as to how we should handle them?" "I also I do not see much logic in avenging Shinigami who decided to drink and leave themselves open for such a massacre." "It is terrible that it did happen, but having us respond to it, isn't exactly the smartest move in the Soul Society to make." Shizuna coldly spoke. While it was counterproductive to what they are attempting to do, but she was not one to not speak her mind. They soon entered the clearing of where the attack took place. Shizuna's frown still the same as when they left the bar. She surveyed the area, and determined it was a reasonably large clearing. Plenty of open field for a battle, not a lot of chances to be cornered or trapped. Despite the silence, the area seemed normal enough.

Then the rustling could be heard. Soon came the growling and then the worst of it all, Tenshin was attacked. Shizuna's eyes flared open as she saw her friend being forced clear into a tree on the other side. Wide-eyed, Shizuna's attention turned back and forth between the Hollow and Tenshin. She saw Ki running to him while the Hollow spoke. This Hollow was strange in the sense it's mask was not fully formed and pristine. It had this very worn look to it. The leader of the pack decided to send it's lackeys to attack each of them one by one. "Divide and conquer eh?" Shizuna thought. Obviously they would be more stronger if together, considering being fresh Shinigami. Still the Hollows didn't know that, so they are going to have to appear they are more experienced. If the Hollows understood this, then they will it see it as an advantage and take it. She noticed Ki fight one of them and demonstrated good use of Kido. "So far so good." She thought. The Hollow she had the displeasure of being chased after crawled on all fours and had a mask with a bunch of spike on it's crown. It had a long, whip like tail and dark green skin, giving it the appearance of a horned lizard.

It chased her, taking note of her distraction with Ki's fight. She kept leaping backwards as the Hollow continued to bite at her. She couldn't worry about the others quite yet. She had to deal with this nuisance first. Then she could assist the others and increase their chances of survival. She finally drew her Zanpakuto and took a neutral stance. The Hollow charged at her and suddenly Shizuna jumped and preformed a front flip over the creature. She swung at it's backside with her Zanpakuto and managed to cut the back right leg of the beast. The creature screamed in pain as it quickly jumped in a 180 and bit at the Shinigami. Shizuna narrowly dodged the huge teeth of the Hollow, noting it's speed. She must have not cut deep enough if it can't still move like that. Shizuna took a neutral stance again and prepared for the Hollow's next attack. It charged forth again and with timing, she jumped over it again but this time she was interrupted. As a fierce swat from the Hollow's tail sent her flying off to the side. She gasped as the attack connected as her body bounced and rolled on to the ground. Aside from some scuffs and bruises she would be fine. As she slowly began to rise, the Hollow quickly rushed her and nearly took her foot off as she barreled rolled away from it's bite. Fluid in movement she quickly took her Zanpakuto and thrust it deep into the Hollow's back left leg. From there she turned the sword onto it's side, the sharpened edge pointing away from Shizuna's body, and pushed forward creating a deep gash into the Hollow's leg as the sword exited it's flesh. The wound caused the Hollow to bleed profusely as blood rushed onto the ground. Shizuna rose and turned to her foe, but to her surprise the Hollow executed a devastating blow of it's own.

The Hollow collapsed on it's left side, seeing visible damage done to it made Shizuna believe she had the advantage. Pushing through it's pain the Hollow once again lept at her. Their distance was far to close to avoid it as she brought her Zanpakuto up to her chest and laid diagonally in an attempt to block the attack. Instead of going for a bite, the Hollow lowered it's head as it made use of it's spikes. The sword managed to deflect some but not all, as the spikes impaled her body in different places. It was fortunate they were not long, otherwise the damage could have been more severe if they had punctured valuable organs. This time she was bleeding as the force of the headbutt sent Shizuna flying. She landed hard on the ground as her body slid across the grass, up heaving a few weeds. Her body came to a stop as blood ran from her arms, legs and torso. She felt pain as she tried to rise to her feet, her body felt heavy from the amount of injuries. So much so that she planted her Zanpakuto into the ground and rested upon it's hilt. Luckily her cut into it's leg made it hard for her enemy to move, but nevertheless it did. It was etching closer to her and she could guess that the Hollow was going to lunge at her when in range. Shizuna had to come up with a plan, but her breathing grew heavy as she panted with fatigue as the blood loss worsened her condition. Is she was to be of any use, she has to kill this one here and now. As it lunged for her again, Shizuna quickly pulled a trick out of Ki's book. "Hadō #1. Shō!" She shouted as energy fired from her right finger causing the Hollow to collide with the force of the spell, stopping it in it's tracks. Mustering what strength she had, she lept over the Hollow but this time she managed to slice of the beast's tail, as it howled in pain. She tucked and rolled stopping herself by stabbing her sword into the ground. She began to shutter as the pain crawled about her body. At least she took away another of it's weapons. She was slowly dissecting her enemy piece by piece, but it was becoming clear that she couldn't keep this up. The death stroke must be made and soon.

Joel raised his head a little as Ryuu spoke, as to knowledge her words. Giving the woman a smile, just because it did make him feel better, especially after looking at Reika, he said "You're right," and left it at that. His attention was automatically taken once Tenshin began talking about going to investigating the previous nights indecent. From the sound of it, Joel didn't really feel as if it was a good idea in the slightest. However, he wasn't about to let any of his friends face a dangerous situation without him. After Ryuu had left the building he followed suit, along with the rest of his friends. He didn't really have need for the tablets, seeing as he hadn't drank that much, but he kept them in his pocket should the need arise.

In the dark of the night they all traveled through that forest land in Rokongai, following the path towards the area of the dead. It had become quiet, too quiet for even Joel's taste and the mans eyes were constantly eying his surroundings. Every once and a while he would look toward his friends to make sure they were alright. His left hand was tightly gripped on his zanpakuto, who seemed to want nothing more than to eat. He had never seen the image of it before, but was sure it was some type of monster by its voice and by the way it asked to be fed. The more they walked, the more it called. Joel, at the time, was ignoring its calls, like he always had, thinking to himself that he wouldn't want to have its first meal be tonight. Not in front of people he cared about. Though to his dismay, the sword in his hand told him that tonight would be the night it had a meal and just as if on cue, a rustling sound was heard from behind them. Joel made sure to stay close to the group for the time being, guessing already what the maker of the sound was. Then a strange animalistic grumble came along with more rustling. Though what happen next had happened to fast.

Suddenly a large mass had rammed into Tenshin and five other bodies had followed like they were the ones hunting and not Joels group. Joel had seen the formation like that before, back when he was a child. There was no doubt about it. His group had fallen into some type of trap. Though, who could balme these things? It was always wise to stay near a hunting ground if you get a good catch the night before. Just to make sure there aren't anymore prey left on the path. Unluckily, Joel's group were the new prey. Though as soon as he saw Tenshin take the first shot, it had been the hollows that were going to be the prey. Though the hollow leader started talking Joel didn't receive any of the words going through. He could only hear his sword, begging to be fed. It sounded as if it was someone who hadn't ate in years and then was going to resort to eating one of their own. Joel knew this was a horrible comparison, but that's the most desperate thing he could compare it to.

There were six of them. That meant the fight was even, though it seemed the leader was counting himself out and then the five other hollow began to run for their own targets. It was then that time froze for Joel and he went to watching everything as if he was a third person. He had a plethora of choices at the moment. He could of helped Tenshin, but it seemed Ki had gone for that route only to be stopped by a hollow. He could help him, but then he wouldn't be able to help Tenshin. Thinking about it more clearly, Tenshin wouldn't want help.

"Hungry."

Joel gritted his teeth and looked around more closely. There were six of them and six hollows, but only five were attacking. Who would he help? If he helped someone then that means five people would be without help. He needed to think about it clearly. Who needed more help? He looked at Ryuu, then tore his eyes away. Same thing as with Tenshin. Ki? No he seemed to be doing okay, and how would he had felt if he went to help someone and then received help. That left two then.

"I want the one you're looking at. Feed me!!!"

True, he was looking at the leader, but his sword was not his boss. It was barely his partner. Heck, by the way it acted, it was his pet, his tool. Though it didn't matter to Joel, he appreciated being chosen by it. Yeah, that's exactly how it felt. Though he still rarely paid it mind. There was no way he was going after the big one before he determined if one of his friends was in danger or not. Who could it be though? Shizuna? Sure she was getting hers as well as giving, but he had to think about someone else.

"Let. Me. Eat."

"Reika!!!" he called out, as if on impulse as he turned away from the lead hollow to look over towards her. A hollow seemed to be going her way, maybe because of her drunken nature. He didn't know if hollows could sense if people were intoxicated or not, but it didn't matter. At a moments notice, Joel flashed towards her picking her up just as soon as the hollow was about to tackle and flashed again, appearing not to far away from it. "Reika? You okay?" he asked while letting her down. The hollow didn't seem that happy that he moved his target, though Joel didn't mind him at all. He kept his eyes on the girl for a few seconds to see if she was still drunk or not before saying, "If you're still feeling off, you have to focus and fight now." He really couldn't tell whether she was sobered up already or not, having not spent that much time looking at her. His eyes turned towards the hollow and his hand wrapped around the grip of his sword, index finger extended ready to pull the trigger. If he were outnumbered, it would have been one thing, but the fact that their was one hollow in front of him, he'd probably just have to flash three times if that. From different angles he planned on flashing and bursting the sword out so that it could cut the beat in pieces. Though he wondered if that would be a good idea. Sure against trees and logs it worked, but he wasn't sure of what would happen if it was against a hollow. Thinking about it, he had to attack the skull of the hollow in order to kill it. That would be hard just to cut through. So, he did the next best thing.

Flashing, he pulled the trigger of his blades sheath, rocketing the blade with a sound of air holding tightly as not to loose the sword and flexing his arm muscles as not to snap his elbow. It was something he was used to, having practicing the simple drawing maneuver ever since he received the Zanpakuto. His blade seemed to hit its target, the hollows leg, but it didn't seem to cut through all the way. Not only that, but almost instantly the small cut healed. The beast snarled and turned towards Joel, ready to ram him and even fixed its body placement so it was closer to the ground and a harder target to hit. Joel glared at the vile thing and sheathed his sword ready to prepare another draw attack.

"Let's...Eat."

"Damn.... This really sucks." Reika managed to mumble under her breath as she stumbled along amongst her group of classmates who were headed towards a dark forests of Rukongai. Already the sun was dipping below the horizon and the darkness of night was coming on very quickly. As the group of young Shinigami ventured even deeper into the forest, the tall trees cast their shadow along the narrow path they had taken as if to snag them into the deep brush. The deeper they went, the darker it got and soon it was getting hard to see. As if Reika wasn't already struggling to keep her vision. Though she was managing to keep up with the rest of the group, the tipsy girl found herself straggling behind a few feet and told herself not to get separated.

The little group suddenly found themselves in a large clearing in the trees and Reika breathed a sigh of relief. Perhaps she would ask them if they could take a little break, just in case her legs decided to give out. But before she could ask anything, her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a low, harsh growling noise. Everything that happened next was a blur. Suddenly, Tenshin was thrown back by a large black blur that had swooped out of the darkness before any of them had time to react in any way. Reika now felt the spiritual pressure of six five others deep in the darkness and she could tell by the murkiness of their energies that they were, without at doubt, hollows.

'Shit.... Can I fight like this?' Reika impulsively reached for her Zanpakuto. Six of them and six hollows. Surely the others would be better off than her at this time. She had to worry about herself and think about how to get out of this alive. The other six creatures had shown themselves and through her blurry vision, Reika could just barely make out the grotesque masks that covered each of their faces. Looking to her left and right, it seemed that the others jumped straight into battle. This was not going to be good. Even though these were considered "small fry" to veteran Shinigami, for a ragtag group that was fresh from the academy, this would be more than a challenging fight. Sure each of them had gone on small raid parties to exterminate hollows but at that time, seated officers and instructors were there to back them up. At this very moment, they were on their own.

Without warning, one of the hollows had broken off from the group of six and charged at Reika who was still stuck in her own head while trying to gain her composure. Only noticing it at the last second, she made an attempt to dodge out of the way, but by that time the hollow was already right in her face. It was so close that she could finally see its ugly masked face clearly. Random black lines seemed to be racing randomly across the white face of the mask. Two small white bulges protruded from the hollow's forehead and two large fangs were attached to the top part of the mouth of the mask that extended all the way below the chin. She had no time to react. 'Geez.... Is this going to be over already?'

"REIKA!!!" In an instant, Reika's vision was blocked by a black figure. The sensation of her being lifted off the ground took her by surprise and before she could blink, she was flashed quite a ways away from the attacking hollow who looked extremely confused that it's prey had vanished. Reika blinked and looked up into the face of her rescuer. It was Joel. "Trying to be my knight in shining armor are we? At least take me out on a date before you start risking your life for me." Reika teased softly. Though it was just a joke, her heart was pounding and sweat trickled down her open palms. She had almost taken a lethal blow which would have taken her life. That was nothing to joke about. "Reika? You okay?" Joel seemed to ignore her comment. "If you're still feeling off, you have to focus and fight now."

"I'm okay now thanks to you. Just caught me off guard." Joel set her down and it seemed the sudden adrenaline rush had cleared her mind just enough so that she could stand with certainty again. "I owe you one. I'll buy you a drink sometime. But instead of worrying about me, I think someone else wants your attention." Reika eyed the other hollow that appeared to have Joel in it's sights. "Go get em. I got this."

The young blonde turned back towards her opponent. "It's quite rude to come on to a lady without getting her attention first. You've got a lot to learn." The hollow didn't seem amused as it let out a piercing howl out of frustration that it's prey would be putting up a fight. The noise rocked Reika head. It seemed that her headache hadn't subsided though she could at least stand on her own now. "OOoowww!! SHUT YER TRAP!!" Reika yelled back at the hollow in frustration. "Geez.... Pipe down... People are trying to sleep." The beast ignored her requests entirely and growled at her in defiance. Now that Reika could finally see, her instincts kicked in an she began observing her opponent. She wasn't the strongest fighter out there so she had to rely on killing her target swiftly without drawing the fight out for too long. From what she could see, the hollow was pretty lean. Lanky arms and legs, her opponents seemed to be very quick. At the ends of it's long arms, there were single long blade like appendages that had taken the place of it's hands. A circle of small sharp spikes encircled the empty hole at the center of it's chest and as Reika observed further, it had no feet and instead it's long legs ended with round stubs at the ends.

Reika unsheathed her short Zanpakuto and took her fighting stance. She had to end this quickly. There was no telling what this creature could do and she was not eager to find out. It was time to get this over with. Mustering all the strength she had, Reika charged at the hollow. She would keep it simple so there was no room for screw ups. The hollow howled once again and answered Reika charge by bolting forward as well. Reika grinned. It took the bait. Right before the two were about to clash, Reika performed Shunpo at the very last second and popped right behind the hollow. Making a swift 360 turn, she brought her blade up and launched herself at the back of the hollow's head. "YER MINE!"

The blow never came. Reika found herself suspended in mid air, her blade, inches away from the head of the turned hollow. "Wha....." Why did she stop? The hollow was still turned. Reika felt something warm coming up her throat and suddenly found that she couldn't breathe. She opened her mouth and attempted to get rid of whatever was restricting her breathing. A familiar red liquid seeped from her mouth. 'Blood? But when did-' Reika managed to look down. A dozen of long spikes had impaled her stomach and pierced through her body. Confused, she realized that there was also a circle of spikes on this side of the hollow's chest hole. It seemed to have the ability to extend them at will and as Reika was just about to land her blow, it got her. The hollow's head began to turn around it's body in a sick manner and it's legs and arms followed so that it's back was now it's front. The dark evil eyes of the thing seemed to smirk tauntingly at Reika and the hollow raised it's bladed arms to finish the job. Still suspended in the air, the helpless girl's vision began to fade to black and she coughed up more blood. The pain finally caught up to her brain but it was too unbearable to even cry out. She couldn't move. Was this it? Move! Move damn it! MOVE! It was no use. Her vision faded the more she struggled. This couldn't be happening......

Shizuna turned towards the monster as it howled. She guarded herself, prepared for the next assault that is sure to follow. The Hollow whipped its body around to face her. Blood spurted from it's bum leg as it howled again, apparently she isn't the only one who wants this fight to end. The Hollow charged in for the bite. Pushing herself forward she quickly raised her blade in an uppercut like matter as it connected with the Hollow's face. The sword caused some pieces of the Hollow's mask to be chipped off. Yet the battle wasn't finished as the Hollow continued it's assault. It made many attempts to bite at the Shinigami, but every attempt was met by her blade. With her Zanpakuto she hacked and slashed at the monster as some scratches and cracks formed about it's skull like face. It then howled in frustration as it's prey continued to be elusive.

Shizuna prepared to strike at it again as it began to move, but to her surprise it was slowly moving back not forward. She had an inkling on what the Hollow was planning. She was watching very closely her opponent as she steadied and tightened her grip. She realized her strikes were becoming weaker. That last bout has proven her strength isn't up to snuff, but there was away to get that power. When the Hollow charged her first strike was the most damaging than the following ones. The Hollow still had it's strength and that strength will help her to land a killing blow. The Hollow finished moving away from her as it prepared for its final attack. Here it comes this is her moment to end the Hollow. Its momentum would be the key to her victory as she watched the Hollow's movements.

The Hollow began to bend and buckle its leg as it watched Shizuna. It narrowed it's eyes as it launched itself forward with great speed. Her moment has finally come as she held her blade before. The Hallow lowered its head going for the headbutt one last time. Shizuna's timing couldn't have been more perfect as she went for the thrust. The tip of her sword connected with the Hollow's head as the blade was shoved deep into the monster's head. Large cracks formed around the center of where her Zanpakuto entered. Shizuna jumped back as soon as her blade connected, so as to avoid its attack. The Hollow collapsed in mid air as it's body fell right before her. She looked upon her downed foe as the blood dripped from here body. She forced herself to move forward to retrieve her blade. She grabbed hold of its hilt, it was stuck in there good. She quickly forced the blade up as far as she could and then placed her weight upon it. She then finished cutting across the Hollow's mask as it's face split in two. She withdrew her Zanpakuto as blood dripped off her blade. The Hollow the began to fade away, signifying its death and her victory.

She was tired and couldn't figure out what to do next. She noticed that everyone was fighting their own battles. Some were doing worse than others, but despite their difficulties she couldn't see herself of being any use. It seemed Ki killed his Hollow and Joel was facing his but Reika. Reika looked the worse out of all of them. She needed help and she need help now. She went to moved but her blood loss made her weak. She knelt down and could see that her assistance would be unlikely. It looked like it was happening all over again, again! Is she doomed to lose another friend to something foolish like this?! Damn it, damn it all! She thought. She punched the ground, cursing herself for being so weak. She could only hope that one of her other friends could save her in time.

Ryuu

The very notion of being referred to as something to be eaten was revolting to say the least. Her lip curled into a snarl, her bloody eyes glaring at the Hollow that was their leader. Allowing the smaller hollows to feast upon her friends, Ryuu boiled with fury. However her thoughts were still focused on Tenshin. She wasn't even sure if her old friend was still alive let alone capable of fending for himself. Her brow crinkled in worry briefly before she noticed that there was something at her edge of her peripheral vision.

Quickly turning the moment she saw movement, Ryuu was lucky to have even block the attack on her person by the hollow. Taking a quick look at it the creature's mask was completely sealed, there were no openings that would allow for an easy wound. It's body was thin and long, the extremities were round at the end as if someone had cut off its hands at the joint. Ryuu could tell it was built for speed but she had no idea how it was even capable of sight. Then a cracked appeared in the mask, it widened enough to reveal thick teeth and a long purplish tongue swing around tasting the air. At the same time it let out a high pitched screech that forced Ryuu to bring her hands up towards her ears. And that was exactly what it wanted.

Rushing forwards in a grotesque manner, it came at her from the corner of her vision but this time she was too slow to block it. Its arm swung outwards as if to hook her into an embrace and Ryuu wasn't far from the truth. Grabbing at her waist, the hollow pulled her forwards in one sweeping moment. A crack appeared in its mouth to reveal those same teeth but this time its jaw opened wide like a snake would. Bring her sword arm down she slammed the hilt of her sword into its face. The hilt smashed into one of it's teeth breaking it off.

Having one of its own teeth broken, the hollow howled in pain releasing that same screech from before. At the same time its arm tightened its hold on her waist and flung her away from it. The moment it let go Ryuu reversed her grip on her sword so that the blade cut into the ground, and eventually slowing to a halt. Ryuu saw something glitter at the edge of her vision and saw that is was Tenshin's sword. But it was the sudden blast of light that had made her aware of the sword. Looking around she saw Ki using hado as a means of attack.

From the look of things Narasuki had managed to win over his opponent but the same could not be said for Shizuna was having trouble of her own. It seemed her distraction was obvious to the hollow for it leapt at her again but this time without making use of its screech. The hollow rammed its head into her side causing Ryuu to be pushed back and rolled a few times before skidding to a halt. Despite having been thrown at such a forceful velocity the red head managed to keep a good but weak grip on her sword. Unlike the others she wasn’t the best in kido as she saw it as a cowards trick to win over an enemy attacker. Getting back to her feet quickly, she noticed blood splatterings on the ground and for a brief moment panicked believing it to be her own blood that she saw on the ground. Running a hand over her body a sigh of relief was released after finding no wound worth worrying over. Aside from a bruised side, a possible fractured rib, and quite a few scratches Ryuu was otherwise fine.

She did wonder as to whose blood it was and looked around quickly. The blood went into the tree line and she realized that it must have been Tenshin’s blood from when he had been tackled. I mustn’t think of him now. shaking her head to clear herself of such fruitless thoughts, Ryuu turned her attention back to the hollow. Out of everyone, Ryuu had yet to lay a single blow that would mortally wound the damned creature. So taking on a more offensive stance, Ryuu brought her blade up so that it pointed downwards at an almost horizontal angle. Taking a breath in, she figure now would be a good time to test her speed so making quick movement of her feet Ryuu managed to cover the distance between her and the hollow quickly. Of course she still wasn’t as fast as Joel, Ryuu knew that it would be enough for the time being. Bring her sword upwards to swing it around her almost like a baseball bat and cut at one of the legs that went for her waist.

Slicing the tip clean off, the hollow screeched and Ryuu ducked underneath a flailing limb. That proved to be a mistake as suddenly something sharp pierced her shoulder. A splash of intense heat erupted in her shoulder causing her to stumble to the ground. Bringing her free arm upwards Ryuu punched the underbelly of the creature causing it to tip backwards from the force of her blow. Rolling out of the way of its limbs as it came crashing down Ryuu was once again hit by something sharp. Getting to her feet again, Ryuu glanced at her shoulder wound quickly and saw that it was bleeding quite a bit. Damn if only one of us was a healer. Biting her lip, Ryuu realized that her right arm was useless to her. It was also her sword arm but she would manage. It wouldn’t be a complete lie to say that Ryuu was ambidextrous but it was easier to wield a sword in her right hand. Switching to her less dominant hand, Ryuu knew that going for the kill without a plan would be a complete waste.

Then an idea came to mind. A smirk planted itself on her lips and she lowered her hips, bent her knees and raised her sword above her head as if she were about to lay the finishing blow. “You have to do better than that you ugly piece of shit!” turning towards her, the hollow rushed towards her. It got within ten feet of her when it let out that screech. Ryuu knew that it was meant to paralyze the opponent and to catch them off guard as they tried to ward off that splintering sound. Cringing Ryuu refused to cover her ears allowing them to take the full blast. The hollow swung its good arm outwards hooking around Ryuu’s waist like it did before and pulled her in.

Opening its mouth wide, it tilted its head back as it was about to drop Ryuu straight into its mouth. Gritting her teeth Ryuu raised her right arm as pain exploded at her shoulder, this way she’d have use of her full power behind this blow. Twisting in the air as it let go, Ryuu managed to push against its arm and cut downwards with all her strength. The downwards strike cut clean through its jaws almost splitting its mouth into a four way part; however Ryuu was not quite done. Landing on the balls of her feet, Ryuu ducked low to the ground shifting her blade so that it swung horizontally with the ground. As the hollow cried in pain, Ryuu reversed her grip just as it reared backwards and thrust her upwards and straight into its head. The hollows cries were cut off and pulling her blade back out its body slumped to the ground.

Breathing heavily, Ryuu stood to her full height and saw that Joel was helping Reika while Shizuna was dealing with her hollow. She wasn’t sure what Naratsuki was doing at the time but she was beginning to feel a bit light headed. “Shit too much blood.” stumbling Ryuu temporarily used her sword as a cane and walked over to Tenshin’s sword. Taking it into her hands Ryuu paused long enough for a wave of nausea to pass. The hilt of its sword was cold and it felt unnatural to be holding a zanpakuto not her own. Sheathing her own sword Ryuu held it in the crook of her injured arm while keeping the other in her left hand a bit away from her body.

Seeing as the blood spattering’s were the only indication to where Tenshin was, she followed its trail. As she came closer to who knows what she heard the sounds of a scuffle and as she got closer Tenshin’s voice could be heard. Brightening up a bit at hearing his voice, she knew that if he was speaking then it meant he was still alive. However when she came across another sword lodged into a tree Ryuu began to wonder just how it was her old friend was still fighting without the use of his zapakuto’s. Grimacing Ryuu shifted the zanpakuto into her right hand but was only able to hold it in a loose grip to prevent tensing her arm too much. With her left arm Ryuu pulled out the remaining sword and a chill raced down her spine. Shaking it off as an effect from her blood loss, Ryuu continued on further knowing he’d probably need his swords if he hoped to kill that big hollow.

In the state she was in, Ryuu had to admit she’d be of no use to him. At the most, all she’d be able to do is distract the hollow enough for Tenshin to take it out. Then again thinking back to the amount of blood she saw and the fact that he had gone through a few trees meant he too was injured. Thinking of this made her quicken her pace and she finally came across Tenshin and the leader of the hollows. What she saw amazed her for it was something she had never seen. Ryuu had watched Tenshin fight before and she had trained with him when they were in the Academy and more so now that they were in the same division but this was something entirely new to her. The way he fought now wasn’t something a person in their right mind would do. “Tenshin!?” without thinking she threw both of his swords towards him momentarily forgetting about her injured shoulder until new pain coursed through her arm.

Stumbling backwards Ryuu leaned against a tree with her good shoulder and arm clutched her right arm close to her body. Now that she had a chance at looking at her wound better she had been mistake to think that the blood was only coming from her backside. From the looks of it whatever had pierced her went straight through her shoulder. With all the movement she had been doing blood was now trailing down her arm making her grip on her sword slick. Some of it had begun to drip from her hand and she realized that some of it would have gotten onto Tenshin’s sword. “Shit that’ll make it a bit slippery to hold onto.”

It wasn't normal. The way he was now looking at the hollow. To compare, it was almost as if he was looking at a piece of meat. Though, to make matters of worse, it seemed this piece of meat wasn't for him, but for his pet. All he had to do was kill it and then throw it at his dog and his dog would devour it. That's how his eyes looked, but no matter how one person looked at it was still him versus a hollow. He didn't put much thought into his next move. Actually, he just darted towards his opponent at a blind flash. It had worked before and he wasn't the type for flashy moves. Though, just like the last time, the monster in front of him healed the damage that was done to it.

"Feed...me...."

He sucked on his teeth after hearing the repeated words that began to resound in his head over and over again. There was no way he could deliver food when the food wouldn't die. The hollow seemed to also be completely fine and not worried about the mans moves. "Hehehe," it laughed. "You are fast. Though, I have a way to deal with flies like you."

With a few disturbing sounds of cracks and cringes, the type of sounds that would send chills down anyone's spine, the hollows form began to change drastically. It's skin was becoming hard and spiked and began poking out in a porky pine like way. It wasn't long until the mutation stopped and all that could be seen was a well rounded spiked ball.

The words ringing in Joels head were enough to tell him to hold his ground. It seemed there would be only one way out of this at the moment and that would be completely destroying the hollow. Though, now it seemed that since the beings body had reformed, it wasn't going to be a simple task to even get near the thing.

Like a bull with its eyes on red, the hollow moved back a few paces as if it was ready to charge the next moment. How it would move with its spiked body was easy for him to guess, though how he would move to counter it was another thing. However, like clockwork the two were moving at a fast pace towards each other, Joel running at a rolling death trap. There was not time to think about anything else. He pulled the trigger on his sheath, rocketing his blade out of its hold and sprung his arm forth in an elegant fashion. For everyone besides from him the motion was fast. One second he was on one side of the beast and the second after he was on the other side. Though, since it was so fast a few moments after, the cuts began to open on his clothes and his skin. Though he only trembled at the pain for a moment before turning back towards his enemy. The ball wasn't a human and thus didn't act as such. Just as expected it turned around ready for another attack, and such Joel kept his wits about him and continued to rush. Revolutions of flashing was going on and the sound of the spikes tearing up the ground didn't seem to cease. Along with them, more and more blood, none from a vital point, but enough to get his skin to start pulsating, was being splashed on the ground.

Joel had a plan. It was something he had been practicing since he first dedicated himself to speed. The technique was known as whirlwind and was a natural technique for most. The only reason a name was given to it was because Joel had decided to name it. While most were able to pick up the speed to succeed in it, he could only slowly elevate himself to the speed. Not only that, it was up to him to calculate the right amount of speed he needed to defeat the creature.

To tell the honest truth, if it wasn't for the continuous echo in his head, "Feed ME. . . Feed Me. . . FEED MEE!!!" and the fact that it was getting louder by the second, he'd probably pass out from the exhaustion and the blood loss. If anything it was a good distraction from such things. Though at the same time, it was slowly getting on the edge of his nerves and when he was pushed to the final nerve, that is when he went for it.

Freeze frame. As his feet slid on the blood soaked ground, his blood gushed out of his face and arms on contact with the spikes. His arm swung with his waist, slashing into the hollows flesh and with a few light steps of his feet and a bend of his back, he began motion to ignite the strike. Like a hurricane the wind around them took form in the shape of red stained leaves only to give the naked eye an impression of what was really happening. The beast had stopped still for the one real time second this was going one, while in his own zone, Joel was digging deep at different parts of the hollow, searching for its hard helm so he could feed his weapons desire to kill the being. He danced in a twirl but slashed in a spiral to complete the form of movement and once all was said and done the hollow was nothing but a slim grotesque version of what it used to be, it's mask finally revealed in the muck of what it was currently formed as.

"There you are. Time to eat."

"Indeed."

Joel threw away his swords sheath and with one hand raised his blade above his head and brought it down in a quick motion to hack away the mask. This caused some sort of disturbance in the hollow, as expected, and made its mush of a body spray out of control. Joel in the center of it grabbed onto the mask and proceeded to stabbing his blade into different parts of its flesh which made the beast wail out in possible pain or anger. Also taking hits at the mask, once all was said in done he was just taking stabs at the hollow's dead carcase and had no intention of stopping until brought out of his daze of ruthless battle.

Tenshin's spine cracked hard into a thick tree, the last of many that he'd spiraled through and smashed against on his way to this spot. His left arm hung uselessly by his side as he crawled out of his little hollow and cringed, spitting blood the left of him as a white mask flitted in the darkness, barely giving him enough time to bring up his remaining blade to block it's outstretched claw. A clang resounded as his blade met some kind of hardened flesh, barely leaving a nick as he looked up to see the leader himself standing before him and at this Tenshin grinned and leveled a slowly maddening gaze at the hollow. His hand shook against the monsters strength but he held fast to his defense."I was expecting a small fry, but I guess we can dance ugly." He taunted, his Zanpakuto interrupting his thoughts "Careful idiot, hit him fast and hard so we can go home and nap already!" Came the feminine voice, at this he seemed to chuckle to himself before flicking his blade back and leaping away from the hollow. "The missus says we've gotta finish this quick, so I guess it's time to get messy." He sung, spinning his blade into a reverse grip and cracking the hilt into his shattered arm to force the shoulder bone back into place, his arm cracking along with his roars of pain as he tightened the broken appendage into a fist and dashed forward.

The hollow traded blows with him in rapid succession, claws sliding over steel and a bloodied Tenshin slamming his fist and blood-soaked leg into the monsters torso and arms as a tail found its mark in his hip, not once was he to yet go for the mask in the half-dozen skirmishes that ensued. Leaping into the tree's to regroup Tenshin found himself suddenly face to face with an increasingly familiar white mask, barely able to bring his blade up in time to deflect the ensuing two-handed bash from the leader and sent crashing through his perch to land precariously upright on the ground and diving immediately out of the way with the cracking of bones as his opponent slammed down right behind him. Sending debris flying into his eyes as he retreated across what had become a battle worn clearing pockmarked with blade scarred trees and destroyed earth, his blade having been flung off deep into the forest Tenshin's grin finally disappeared to be replaced with a growing roar.

Slamming his feet into the ground despite his injuries and bringing up his fists with open palms, his fingers half bent and suddenly tense. "You're weak Soul Reaper, what a pathetic whelp of a meal you are, you won't even make for a snack for m-" Tenshin decided to interrupt the monster with a sudden dash and a harsh kick to the jaw, cracking the mask with his now bare foot before spinning in mid air and bringing his palm down in a heavy strike, barely caught by the leader who threw him across the clearing into another tree. Launching himself unabated Tenshin found himself fist to fist with the creature, unleashing a flurry of open-palmed blows to be met with the monsters own claws. Blood sprayed up from gashes, breaks, cuts and impalement's from the pair as they rapidly exchanged blows, Tenshin's arms turning into a gory mess as he continued to punch and strike in counter and attack despite the hardened skin of his opponent. Finally after the hollow screeched in rage and took a step back to unleash it's killing blow, Tenshin snapped and caught the blow with both his hands and all his strength, cracking his feet into the ground and burying them part way for stability, he could barely hold the collosal fist back for long but surprisingly he let go and barked at the hollow.

The voice of his Zanpakuto rang out in his head as he roared in tow "Blood for blood, bone for bone!" as he twisted the fist to the side and rushed forward, wrapping his bloodied arms around the monsters elbow and planting his feet into the ground once more as he wrenched, spinning at a blinding pace around it's joint until the skin turned taut and the bone snapped, not satisfied with this he gave one last mighty heave as the skin tore apart and flesh was shredded and snapped the arm from it's place at the elbow, feeling his own ribs fracture at cracking across the hardened skin. Leaving the leader shrieking and swinging it's heavy tail and claws at Tenshin as he rushed in with his scarf thrown to the wind, he heard nothing but the whirring of a blade as a blood-soaked pair of handles swung towards him, twisting in his dash to grab whatever weapon had been hurled at him he felt a familiar twinge run through him as one met with his right arm, the other clenched between his teeth. He sniffed at the blood in his mindless wild fit, the smell was wrong, it wasn't his, it wasn't prey.

Bringing the blades up to meet with the assault the shinigami barreled through the attack right to it's core, planting his feet in front of the hollow and dropping the blade from his mouth as he kicked, sending the blade hurtling to embed itself in the bottom of the hollow's mask as he brought up a clenched fist aimed directly for the newly created weakness in it's defense. "Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march on to the south!" He roared "Shakkahō!" A bright red light shined inside his fist and a torrent of energy burst forth, exploding outwards to envelop the two combatants as the leader roared and sent his claws flying towards Tenshin's spine.

After the dust settled, the arena now a sporting a medium-sized burnt hole, stood Tenshin with both blades in hand over the corpse of a mask shattered hollow. Although he wasn't moving an inch, and a dribble of blood spurt from his mouth as he attempted to stumble towards the source of his weapons arrival, the enveloping red flame of light directed in every direction to burn even him, cauterizing his wounds in a flash of pain and obliterating the mask of his foe. His blood-misted eyes managed to search past his dirty and crimson-encrusted hair to spot Ryuu bleeding against a tree. "Save the girl, you can sleep later, move, move! Tenshin!" Came the worried voice of his Zanpakuto as he stumbled forward step by crunching step. Chances are the only thing that kept him moving was his will, and by the time he got to Ryuu's side his eyes were faded and dull, he'd fallen unconscious and barely had time to sloppily press his scarf to the worst of her wounds before his body failed him and he collapsed entirely.

(SOOO sorry for the extremely short post but Reika can only take so much of a beating. :( This post is kinda just to get everything moving once again. Sorry for the wait!!)

This is it, isn't it? In the distance, Reika could faintly hear the commotion of her friends desperately fighting and she hoped they wouldn't end up like her. What an embarrassment. Could her little group of friends not hold up against a few hollows? No... It seemed as though she was the only one really having the most trouble. Though she couldn't see what was going on that was what she felt. She should be better than this. She couldn't give up now. Move Reika! Move! Reika raised her head slowly and gave the triumphant hollow a mocking smile. This was probably not a good idea considering her situation. "I-is that... The best you can do?" The hollow, confused that his prey was still kicking in defiance, roared with frustration and the piercing cry rocked Reika's head with a splitting pain. In an attempt to finish her, the creature swung it's torso and slammed Reika's limp body into the ground. The agonizing pain of having the spikes ripping through her insides once more made the half dead Shinigami let out a terrible scream that was cut short as she made contact with the ground. All of her strength was completely gone and Reika could do nothing but lay there motionless. 'Bad idea, Reika... Real bad idea...' The hollow, determined to finally finish the job rose it's body, lifting Reika into the air once again. With the little strength she had, the blonde lifted her head and stared into the grotesque masked face of the hollow. Was there really nothing she could do anymore? The pain was lessening by the second as the girl began to fade away once more.

Failed.... She had failed... Just the thought of her not being able to even put up a fight was more painful than the narrow spikes that impaled her middle. Over and over she begged her body to move. To just do something. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't even lift a finger. The hollow, satisfied that it's catch was no longer struggling, swung it's body to the right and flung the limp Shinigami off of it's long spikes. Reika's body flew into a nearby tree and the impact made a hollow *thump* noise as her almost lifeless form slumped like a rag doll at the foot of the trunk. She was bleeding out way too fast. With no way to stop the flow of blood seeping from the numerous puncture wounds made by the hollow, Reika knew she didn't have that much time to live. Somehow managing to rise up on her hands and knees, she desperately looked around for her friends. But it was no use. Her vision, blurred by the blood running down from her head made it impossible to see and the dizziness of blood loss was no help either. Now that she was free from the hollow's grasp, Reika desperately gathered the little strength she had. She had to escape somehow. She had to live. She couldn't die in a place like this. But before she could even think about getting to her feet, a large body was suddenly standing in front of her. It was the hollow. Confused that it's prey even had the strength to rise from the ground, the masked spirit roughly kicked Reika in the side, sending her rolling onto her back. Reika could feel blood coming up her throat from the impact and she spat it out, struggling to breathe. Again the hollow stood above her and she could barely see the outline of it's foot against the moonlight, ready to come down on her. Out of instinct, Reika brought up her Zanpakuto to block the hollow's foot but to her dismay, the hollow's foot went right through, shattering her sword. The impact of the hollow's foot making contact with her chest caused her to black out for just a split second and when she came to she found that she was looking up at the raised bladed hand of the hollow, catching the moonlight on it's polished blade. It was all going to be over soon. 'Help..... Someone... Help me...'

Ryuu Shosuke

The red head watched in awe as Tenshin moved however at one point she blacked out. It wasn't until a bright flare of red light brought her back and she knew that Tenshin used Shakkahō. A faint smile found its way on her lips. Ryuu couldn't understand how Tenshin was still standing. He headed in her direction and she attempted to move forwards realizing she had slipped to the floor when she had blacked out. Her zanpakuto was lying beside her slick with blood as well. Forcing herself to focus on Tenshin she saw the light in his eyes disappear as he pressed his scarf onto her shoulder wound. Wincing in pain Tenshin then collapsed before her. "Dammit."

Her head was light from blood loss but she needed to get Tenshin back to the others. Ryuu looked at her blonde friend closely this time and simply couldn't figure out where she was supposed to grab him. Swallowing a lump in her throat Ryuu set her jaw and stood up on shaky legs. If it weren't for her zanpakuto she'd never would have been able to stand up. Making sure to grab Tenshin by the underside of his arm it wasn't hard for her to drag/carry him. The red head certainly was strong but it was difficult to follow through with her shoulder wound. She couldn't even move her arm which made Ryuu worry about what will happen when it heals, if it ever does.

Frowning Ryuu bit her lip as she adjusted her hold on Tenshin. Grimacing in pain she didn't get very far but it was enough for her to barely make out the clearing. With one last step Ryuu's eyes began to lose focus as darkness began to creep into her field of vision and she collasped forwards. However she never met the ground rather a pair of strong arms gently rested her to the ground. Blinking a couple times she could make out the forms of people. Confused she turned her head to see Tenshin's face close to her own. His eyes closed Ryuu wondered if he'd wake up considering his wounds. With that last thought Ryuu fell into the darkness.

Reinforcements had arrived but they never really expected to find what they did. Four severely wounded shinigami and another two that had sustained mild wounds that if they didn't receive treatment soon they could easily become fatal. In Reika's case a shinigami appeared before her and with a quick swing of his sword the hollow was cut in half. Turning to face Reika he bent down low to inspect her wounds and called out to one of the accompanying medics to focus their attention on the girl. Suddenly a strong presence filled the air and for those who had not lost conscious could see that the 13th Squad Captain had appeared before them. Her face piqued with worry she set her sights on Joel who required two shinigami to force him to step away from the long since defeated hollow.

Although they certainly dealt with the hollows, there was a dark presence. Looking around the Captain did her best to pin point it but to no avail. Her gut feeling certainly wasn't lying for there was someone watching them from afar. The cloaked figure seemed to stand above the air. It merely regarded the shinigami below it as a means of gathering data. This was just a test that had failed but next time they would succeed. With that thought in mind the figure disappeared and with it the dark presence it unknowingly exerted from itself.

The group of six was then taken to the 4th Squad's clinic; they made sure Reika received the utmost attention considering her stomach wound. For the most part none of them would be waking up any time soon. It would take them two-three days to awaken and even longer before their wounds could fully heal. However due to some of their comrades extensive wounds they’d be bed ridden for maybe a week longer. Those of the six who were well enough to leave bed were then called to a meeting of Captains. Once there the they were lectured for having done what they did and were then put on what Ryuu considered probation. They were to take no part in their respective squads activities, patrols anything related to actually fulfilling the duties of a shinigami. Once they were told all this they were dismissed to do as they pleased, under strict restriction, but they were not allowed to act as shinigami until their probation was over. The end of their probation period had yet to be decided but that wasn’t all. It was up to their Captains to decide how they’d further punish their shinigami, if they cared to punish them at all.

Stepping out of the building Ryuu sighed tiredly, looking down at her right arm she hated the fact that it was in a sling. “Now to figure out what to do.” she said to herself quietly. Now that they couldn’t do anything as shinigami she wondered what the other were thinking of doing. Not bothering to voice her curiosity Ryuu headed back to barracks, she’d most likely visit everyone again later that day.

Joel was tearing at the hollows flesh, still certain that it wouldn't truly die until he had ripped all of its being out of it. He was following the words of his blade and ditching all sense of his own. His ears twitched as he was able to hear the quiet words. Words that weren't those of anger and blood thirst, but those of fear. He had looked around only to see that Reika was being attacked by her own hollow. It seemed she really did need help. Help that Joel was too distracted to give. Though now, since he had heard her voice, he flashed behind the hollow thrusting his blade into its back. With a quick movement he took out his sword and thrust once more. It seemed like he had greatly wounded the beast, as it didn't have the same power of the on who he had fought. "Reika. Get out of here. I can't handle two hollows at once very long." His words were directed to the hollow in front of him and the dead hollow across from him.

"I'll kill you. I swear I'll kill you Joel."

His ears were playing tricks on him if anything. He could have sworn that he heard the dead hollow speaking to him. "Over my dead body!!!" Joel's roar caused his sword to vibrate. It was just what it wanted. Joel would devour everything in his path if he could and the sword wanted that for him. The soul reaper went back to the dead hollow and began stabbing it over and over again, even going as far as to throw his blade away and tear at the dead carcass with his own hands. Since he ignored the girls hollow once more, it had turned back around to her, only to be quickly struck down by another shinigami. Joel ignored the outside world and kept on trying to rip the dead hollow a new one, surprised by the fact that he was now fighting against other shinigami to reach the dead hollow. "Let me go. I must destroy him. I have to kill it."

It took good couple of hours for Joel to snap out of his angered trance. He then looked at the bandages that were wrapped around his arms and looked towards everyone else. It had seemed that they were in some pretty bad shape as well. Joel wasn't allowed to be rested in the same room as them though. He was only around for when they were getting patched up and then sent to a private room where some shinigami could keep a watchful eye on him. Basically, he was treated as a danger to himself and his friends.

At night, though his eyes were closed in sleep, he couldn't have felt more awake. The events of the day played over and over again in his head. No matter how he looked at it, there were many things he could have done differently. Many avenues he could have crossed in order to make sure none of them had been injured the way they did. If anything, if it weren't for the fact that he was distracted by his maddened state, he could have prevented Reika's stomach wound. He needed to be stronger, both mentally and physically. That was the only way he would be able to protect his friends. He had decided that if he was going to do anything, it would be getting stronger for the sake of his friends and for himself.

The days afterwards passed with ease. Sure he was scolded at the captains meeting and was put on probation. Sure he had to look at the worried faces of the Captain and Lieutenant. However, it didn't phase him. He had a ticking feeling in the back of his brain, one that wouldn't be silenced and as soon as they were dismissed on the grounds of probation, Joel took that time to start training himself. He didn't really care if his wounds opened up any more than they already were. He was only focused on training and used the pain as a means to become stronger. Soon, he was changing his bandages every hour and the salt from the sweat of his body, stung his wounds, but still he trained. He hadn't even left his room to eat or check on any of his friends. He was consumed with the want to get stronger and nothing was going to stop him.

Ki was thankful that the Captain showed up when she did, as by this point he had lost all feeling in his arm from where the Hollow had hit him. He wasn't about to pass out, but he knew he would be hurting for a while. He looked to the others, knowing they were going to survive, but hating himself for not being able to do more. "If only," He wasn't able to finish that thought as the reinforcements approached him to check on his wounds. "Don't, I'm fine. Help the others, I'm just going to sit here and wait til we're ready to move." The Shinigami nodded as Ki plopped down on the ground and took a heavy sigh. "'Hey, why don't you recommend we all o do something else?' Yeah, great idea brain." Ki chuckled slightly to himself, as he felt his breaths getting heavier. That hollow really did a number on his chest when it pinned him. Ki looked over to Reika, knowing his friend got the worst of it. "Tomorrow's going to suck, I just know it is." Standing u as the group seemed ready to go, Ki picked his sword back up and followed the group back to Seireitei.

Ki was one of the few able to attend the meeting the next day, somewhat relieved to find out that the Captain's would be punishing them. Ki was a nobody in his Division, so his Captain would probably end up forgetting all about him. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Though his arm still hurt and was heavily bandaged, Ki found himself spending an ungodly amount of time cleaning the barracks. Turns out, his Captain was not exactly a fan of rule-breakers. He was probably the least injured out the group, being released into his Captain's custody immediately after the meeting. A few hours past and Ki had finally removed every speck of dust from the living quarters, calling his work done for the day. Plus, the others were probably close to, or already discharged from the Fourth Division. Ki left the confines of his Barracks and found himself wandering aimlessly around the streets of Seireitei.

With a quick jump, Ki was on top of on of the many buildings within Seireitei. He looked out across the vast city with disinterested eyes, his ears telling him it was destined to be another boring, quiet day within the walls. He was officially on probation, though it wasn't like he was ever doing any real Shinigami activities to begin with. He looked down at his Zanpakuto, the scabbard clutched firmly in his left hand. It hadn't been as suffocating since the night in the forest, but Ki did not think the two were connected. It would do this sometimes, like it was giving up on its prey until another opportunity presented itself. Ki decided if he was destined to waste yet another day, he might as well do something actually beneficial to someone.

Ki purchased some food from a small restaurant, caring the contents in his still weak right hand. The pain was bearable though as he made his way to the Fourth Division Barracks. He found the room where his recovering friends were being kept. He didn't know how many were still there, if any were at all. But, he knew Reika would at least still be recovering considering her wounds, so at least he could share his food with her. He didn't know whether Ryuu, Tenshin, or Shizuna were still there. It felt a kind of weird mixture of wanting them to be there so he could eat with someone, but also not wanting them to be there because then they would still be injured. Complex thoughts, right? Ki slid the door open and held out the food. "Sup, I got some top quality noodles and vegetables for anyone still recovering. Its not much, but its got to taste better than what their giving you." A nurse was standing in the room and quickly left as Ki entered, clicking her tongue as they past each other. "'Hey, Ki, why don;t you just open your mouth right when you enter a room? Other people? No, who cares about them.' I have to stop doing that." Ki put his Zanpakuto down and sat the food on a table, removing the to-o containers from the bag and allowing the smell to fill the room.

Ryuu Shosuke

For the next couple of days Ryuu didn't do much that was worth mentioning to anyone. The fact that Raigen was nowhere to be seen meant he had gone through with their bet. Well at least he keeps to his word. With a sigh Ryuu headed over to the 4th divisions clinics to see if anyone had woken up. She knew Tenshin and Reika would still be hospitalized but she wasn’t too sure about Shizuna. Making sure to grab herself something to eat Ryuu left Chomesku at her barracks.

The red head soon found herself standing in the clinic. Most of the medics ignored her but some paused too curious to pass up a chance at seeing their daily visitor. Ryuu gave a slight nod of greeting before walking down the halls to the room they were in. Stepping in she wasn't surprised by the fact that they were still sleeping. Hopefully today they'd wake up. For the most part they were asleep when they came by to visit but she knows Tenshin had woken up a few times in her absence and made attempts to get out of bed. Thinking about it Ryuu smiled to herself.

Ryuu went to where Tenshin and pulled a chair up to sit by his bed. Leaning forwards she rested her elbow on the edge of the bed with her chin leaning against her hand and watched him. Her right arm was still in a sling she couldn't do much with it. It was pretty boring without him around since most of her squad either stayed away from her knowing of the fight that had transpired just days before while others simply didn't want to get involved with her since she was put on probation. The expression on her face was a solemn one but her eyes betrayed a worry she normally didn't voice.

Standing she went over to where Reika was and looked down at her young friend. If Ryuu knew her the blonde probably won't be very happy when she wakes up, but then again having slept for quite a while she might just be bursting with energy. Surprisingly enough Ryuu actually missed Reika's presence although the young girl did her on her nerves sometimes Ryuu, over the past few days, realized just how much of a little sister Reika was to her. A soft smile found itself on her lips as she reached over to brush a strand of hair away. Going back over to Tenshin old thoughts came up again. Standing over him she wondered just what exactly was going through that mind of his.

She had seen the way he fought that day almost like he had no care in the world that his body was being injured. Ryuu did respect his tenacity and will to get back up but sometimes, like that day, she feared he'd kill himself simply because he didn't know when to give up. He had been acting a bit odd since they had met up at the bar a few days ago but she hadn't had time to ask him about it now she'd have to wait until he woke up. "You idiot." she whispered with a look of worry she reached forwards with her good arm about to stroke his cheek when the door slide open and Naratsuki entered. Immediately stepping away Ryuu felt embarrassed and slightly at odds at what she was about to do. Shaking her head she brushed her hand against her pants and focused her attention on Ki.

Sup, I got some top quality noodles and vegetables for anyone still recovering. It’s not much, but it’s got to taste better than what their giving you." The nurse who was in the room left chastising him for his actions. For a moment Ryuu wondered what the nurse thought of her actions but she was glad that she didn't know her personally. With a forced smile Ryuu walked over to Ki. "Still getting lectures I see. Although I'm not in the clinic anymore do I get some? It smells pretty good." Even making conversation with a friend was forced and to those who knew her well enough would notice.

Having been taken to recover and be healed, even in this Tenshin struggled against stubbornly. As soon as he was awake he was wiggling his fingers to spite the nurse who confined him to the bed, although he saw the sense in not re-opening his wounds or re-breaking his bones and his body protested at his stupidity. He had to move, he couldn’t just lay there and be left behind, he’d been brash and blinded by the fight, something he was well aware of as again that day he tried to get up only to be shepherded back to his bed as his bones creaked and threatened to snap again. With a heavy sigh met with a groan from his burns he passed back into dreams, the one place he’d been trying his hardest to avoid as a blurry form haunted his every thought.

Standing within a colourless blank desert with nothing but sand and his own form to gaze upon. Looking down for the hundredth time he saw what was becoming a familiar staple of his nightmares, his arms were bone white and covered in orange bleeding marks leading up to his forearms and even this was seen through a dark blurry vignette, something encased his arms but he couldn’t tell what it was. He didn’t have control, no matter how much he willed it...him...to move, they would stand still, all of him would freeze like a sentinel until he saw what he was awaiting. A white shadow flitting across the endless wasteland, bursting in and out of the sands as it turned up the ground. Tenshin tried not to blink, if he blinked it would happen, so instead he stood like a sentinel, unblinking and panicking as the vastly growing form of the colossal wurm tore apart the desert landscape only for it to settle back into the lifeless dust and just as he was to be devoured, he blinked.

He awoke with a start, breathing heavily and sweating, his tattered clothes clinging to him in the cold night. It was alright, he was home, his uncovered eye looking around to find his burning blockade still in tact and ablaze, the soot and embers floating into a smoke cloud above him and filling his domain. Stirring from the dirt and wiping stray ashe from his eyes, he grabbed hold of his blade and began his patrol, he’d circuit his domain a few times and then venture out into the abandoned village to scavenge for what little remained, hacking out pieces of old homes and ferrying them back to be burned, keeping him safe. No children nor resident would bother him in the burning mass, and no Soul Reaper cared for his worthless corner of Rukongai, the cesspool of the poor outskirts. Today as he scavenged was different, he saw colour in the town of ash. Someone had come, it had been more than a week since he last fought another scavenger and he felt the familiar glow of adrenaline and blood pouring through him as he sprinted through the shattered streets. Rounding the corner as his long dirty hair floated out behind him, and through his half-blind maddened rush, he blinked.

Slowly opening his eyes just barely Tenshin awoke, to see oddly enough, Ryuu leaning towards him, only for Naratsuki to enter with food leaving her to jump back before requesting her own sustenance, grinning to himself he forced his body into a sitting position as he rubbed at his eyes tenderly.. “Morning…..Euugh...take mine, I don’t know if my stomach can hold anything without splitting open….I had the crappiest dream. I think...I think I’m an idiot.” He grumbled as he swung his legs over the bed and on to the somewhat cold floor. “ Ow...yeah..I’m an idiot...but fifth times the charm right?” He joked with a cheeky grin, grabbing hold of Ryuu’s chair to levy himself upright and support himself as he hobbled forward only to find his foot wasn’t quite as broken as he expected. “So I’ve been out longer than I thought I was huh?...but I’m fine, I’ll just...go..uuh..not be seen by a nurse annnd...yeah.” He said non-chalantly, attempting to walk across the room like it was natural to hobble and trip every two steps along with a chorus of “Ow, ow, ow…..ow.” before leaning against the wall like it was the most natural thing in the world.

“So before I pass out...how are the others doing, and how screwed are we? and I’m going to keep getting up till I get an answer...or until I’m dead.” He joked a little, trying to lighten the mood of the whole event, he knew it was his fault everyone was hurt and he’d be doing plenty of beating himself up over it. For now, he needed to make sure everyone else was alright, and he needed to fix things for what he’d dragged them into, he’d just have to beat himself up later. Although he could tell in Ryuu's voice something was up, he'd talk to her later, for now even if it was fake he had to act normal.

That night in the forest had transformed itself from blaring reality to surreal fantasy. The scene became more like a dream through the eyes of the waning Shinigami. She was losing too much blood and would soon find herself passing out during the middle of a battlefield! She kept fighting the rising fatigue as she attempted to focus her vision on the battle around here. It seemed nearly everyone has managed to defeat their attacker. Ki, Joel, and Ryuu seemed to have taken care of their Hollows, as for Tenshin and Reika, well she would never suspect what would follow. Bright flash of light, howls, and the sounds of clashing Zanpakuto dominated the nearby woods. She wasn't sure what crazed confrontation was taking place some feet away from here but it sounded like all out war. It must be Tenshin but just what is he doing over there? She honestly couldn't make out much imagery but could hear just fine. From the blurred perspective it seemed Tenshin was...trading punches with the Hollow? Then came that Shakkahō as the fight escalated greatly. Yet the sounds of battle vanished and she wasn't sure who won, she felt certain it was her friend.

Reika, from what she could tell, was about to be killed. She seemed to move some but Shizuna believed she was in her death throes. She attempted to stand despite the great weight she felt upon her body. She managed to stand but any further attempt to move was met with pain. That first step she took felt as if she just took a thousand steps before it. It would take her now and to the end of time to reach Reika. Even if she forced herself to meet the monster, what could she do once she faces it? If simply standing and taking a single step was a challenge then fighting a Hollow is an impossibility. She cursed underneath her breath- she was of no use. Then came the shock of being touched. She thrashed at first in fear that a Hollow was attacking her but she was soothed by the sounds of the Shinigami that have arrived to help. Now that she focused her vision some, she could see the black shihakusho that characterized the Gotei 13. She nodded as they told her to rest now, that they have the situation under control. She worried for her Reika and asked about her condition. They couldn't say but they were treating her now. She would only nod until she passed out.

She awoke two days later in the Clinic back in the Seireitei. She was bandaged up from the damage that Hollow did two night before. The medics told her that she should rest a while longer but feeling well enough to move, Shizuna ignored their medical advise. She wasn't too keen on being sent back as she sent a cold glare that sent a chill down the spine of hapless Squad 4 Shinigami as he backed off, clearly a bit afraid. She left with her clothes and Zanpakuto and headed for the Squad 7 Barracks. She walked, albeit stumbling, to the meeting that was called. She looked like she should have stayed a little longer in the Clinic but was lectured all the same. She would eventually find out that her chores in helping clean the animal pens have been doubled. Taking more than the normal duties of some of the other Shinigami. This let some of the Shinigami off the hook and secretly were happy that Shizuna decided to act stupid and go out and nearly get killed. At least they don't have to clean the pigsty that was a greater portion of the Squad 7 Barracks, now they can do other duties for which they wanted to do in the first place since becoming Shinigamis.

Shizuna wasn't quite happy taking on double the chores but at least her punishment wasn't anywhere severe. Compared to what some of the other Captains would have done. In fact Captain Hachigane didn't even seem interested in punishing her further, but in order to avoid some heat, he gave her what seemed to be a harsher sentence, even though he gave her quite a lenient one. Still both these chores and her injuries kept her from what she wanted to do. To gain a connection with her Zanpakuto so she could become stronger. Yet she would have to bite her tongue and hope that this probation will end soon.

After her chores were done she decided she might as well see if Reika has improved. Besides Ryuu, Joel and Ki, Tenshin and Reika were still recovering in the clinic. She would be a horrible person if she couldn't claim that she didn't see her friends at least ONCE inside the clinic. While her mind detracted to other places she grumbled as she did them a courtesy. She slowly walked to the Squad 4 clinic and eventually found herself in the same room she was a while ago. She entered when Tenshin seemed to be causing some ruckus by walking around when he should stay in bed. Upsetting the nurse and acting like a fool. She spoke with a tsk, "Can't even follow the doctor's orders as well." She scoffed. "You really need to take this more seriously, instead of being foolish. You'll end up never leaving the clinic at this rate!" She berated Tenshin. Shizuna looked towards Ryuu and Ki who held what smelled like noodles. "You two seem fine, and you even brought in food." She then looked around the room. "Hows Reika doing?" She asked sounding concerned for once.

It hurt....

Reika's body was stiff as a board and it felt like she had been hit by a large boulder. W-what happened? Why am I- The only thing she could remember was the excruciating pain that tore at her insides over and over and the grotesque figure of a mask. With extreme effort, the dazed girl lifted her right arm and winced. It hurt to even move. In her gradually awaking mind, Reika could hear familiar voices all around her. Her vision cleared a bit and she could make out figures standing near her, clearly the figures of whom the voices belonged too.

"R-Ryuu?... Guys?" Reika managed to finally move her mouth to speak and Ryuu's red hair was the first thing she recognized as her eyes scanned her surroundings with great effort. Finally drawing her gaze back onto herself, Reika looked down and found that her middle, right arm and legs wrapped with clean bandages. As her mind began to fully awaken, the memories of that night flooded back to her. The hollows, drinking, forest, fighting. It all came back to her. "Is everyone.... Okay?" The girl's strength by this time had replenished enough that she decided to try and sit up. She needed to see if everyone was here and safe. With a labored grunt followed with a whimper of pain, Reika managed to lift her head then her back from the bed she was laying on. How long had she been out? Questions ran in uncontrollable circles in her head but she needed to first confirm that her dear friends were alright. "Ow ow ow! Bad idea...." Only able to lift her self just barely off the bed, Reika slowly set herself back down as the pain that shot through her body slowly subsided.

"Aren't I a sorry sight?" The blonde Shinigami chuckled softly. "I took quite the beating but it looks like everyone is in better shape than I am. Thank goodness...."

Reika's nose picked up the strong wafting smell of noodles and her gaze instantly shifted to the source. She was STARVING. The last time she ate was before she headed over to the bar that night. Reika's stomach growled loudly to confirm her thoughts and her face turned a bit red. "Ummm.... Could I have some of that? My stomach feels like it's been gouged clean of everything that was in it."

Though she was overjoyed that her friends were all safe and that she was actually alive, the realization of what actually happened still lingered at the back of her mind. The pain and embarrassment of being defeated and almost brutally murdered began to gnaw at her. No.... now is not the time. Attempting to push the negative thoughts away to no avail, Reika managed to put a plastic smile on her face. Had everyone else defeated their hollows? Was she really the only who didn't? What a failure.... Failure...

Before she knew it, her body began shaking uncontrollably as the humiliating thoughts broke out from her tight hold in her mind. All those months of training.... All that time spent... All of it just for her to be severely wounded on the battlefield. She couldn't do this now. Not in front of everyone. But she couldn't take it anymore. She barely remembered what happened that night but Reika knew that her friends probably had put themselves in harms way to save her. The thought of being responsible for the injuries of her comrades dug into Reika's heart like the sharp spikes that pierced her stomach that night. How would she be able to live with herself? Once again, her eyes darted around the room. One... Two... Three... Four... Four..... Where was Joel? No..... He couldn't have.... Was he okay? Reika knew that he was probably all and well wandering around Soul Society attending to something but she couldn't help but worry that he... That possibly...

"Guys... Where's... Joel?" It couldn't be.... Was he the one who saved her? Reika instantly remembered that it was his voice that spoke to her the last time she was conscious. With the possibility of him being dead, the shaken girl snapped.

"I-I'm sorry...." She whispered with a quivering voice. "I'm sorry.... I'm sorry.... I couldn't do anything..."

Before Ki could respond to Tenshin or Shizuna, Reika awoke. She seemed to be blaming herself, almost to the point of breaking down. Ki walked up to her and gave her a flick on the forehead. "Idiot." Ki placed the noodles on a counter and pulled out the containers. There were six in total, one for each of them, minus Joel's of course. "Joel is doing fine Reika. He's a little banged up, but we all are. All you can do is learn from this and become stronger. I have faith you can accomplish anything if you set your mind to it Reika."

Ki began to open one of the containers. "Truthfully, I thought you all were incredible that ni-" Before Ki could finish he felt a burning sensation on his index finger. "Damn, still hot." Ki put the container in front of Reika, grabbing her hand and putting chopsticks in it. "First and foremost, you got to eat." Ki passed a container to Shizuna, Ryuu, and Tenshin, setting aside Joel's in case he stops by. "Well, Tenshin if you're not hungry, I guess just set it aside for now. Well, anyway to answer your question... surprising little trouble as far as I can tell. I mean, my daily chore list grew quite a bit, but other than that it seems like the Captain's are willing to push this under the rug. At least, that's my take on it. I could be wrong, but..." Ki trailed off as he began to eat his meal.

Ki looked at Ryuu. He wasn't going to bring up what was occurring when he first entered the room. Ryuu was noticeably flustered and Ki was bright enough to connect the dots with how long he had known her. But, he chose to ignore it as it wasn't his business. It really was, "whatever" to him. Ki set his food off to the side and crossed his arms. "So, what was that back there anyway? Normally, we would be able to sense Hollows when they are that close. How did they manage to get the drop on us?" The questions were practically rhetorical, as Ki knew that the others likely didn't have an answer either. "I guess we'll just chalk it up to 'Crazy Shit That Happens When You're A Shinigami.' Well, at least things are getting back to normal... you know, except for the whole, two friends in the hospital thing. Okay, we'll give it a few more weeks before I trout out the 'back to normal' spiel."

Ryuu Shosuke

Ryuu seeing that Tenshin was getting up add distance between the both of them. It wasn't intentional but in a sense the image of Tenshin she had before their fight with those grotesque hollows was shattered by witnessing his fight. Glancing down in a somewhat guilty manner it was merely there for a second before it was replaced by something of a scowl. "That's because you are an idiot Tenshin." she said in a somewhat condescending tone meant to tease. The urge to help him get across the room was strong but her will suppressing it was stronger. Today, even amongst her friends, was not the time to show her tender side. Biting her lip Ryuu watched her old friend struggle to just get to a wall and lean against as if the struggle hadn't happened. He's like a child. in coming to this realization Ryuu snorted in amusement.

Glancing over at Tenshin Ryuu herself took a seat at the table with Naratsuki. Setting down her laced her fingers together in front of her as she regarded his question, "We've been put on probation meaning we have been temporarily relieved of our duties as Soul Reapers. They haven't told us when our probation period will end but hopefully it's soon." The red head paused in case someone wanted to add anything to what was just said. Releasing a heavy sigh Ryuu leaned back in her chair to stare up at the ceiling of the room. Rubbing the bridge of her nose so to clear her thoughts Ryuu proceeded to answer his second question however Shizuna soon entered the room and began to berate their friend.

A soft chuckle escaped her lips, “there’s no use in patronizing a mule.” Her words came out a bit harsher than she intended them to be. Clearing her throat Ryuu scowled but her expression softened upon Shizuna asking about Reika’s wellbeing. Before anyone could answer a small voice called out her name. Almost as if on cue Reika slowly woke to find herself surrounded by her friends minus one. As Ryuu watched with uneasiness as the youngest of their group began to fret about Joel and her own weakness, the red head was glad Ki took control of the situation.

It wasn’t that Ryuu didn’t want to comfort her friend, she just wasn’t sure how to. Never in her life has she ever had to comfort another human being but then again that was the cost of gaining friends. Knowing how and when to comfort them. Snorting at Naratsuki’s cut off words Ryuu merely shrugged a small frown on her face. Taking her noodles from Ki, she stared back at him as he did her and wondered just what was going through his mind. “I’m not sure how they were able to. Could it simply be that we’re just not at that level yet? Those Hollows could have easily hidden their spiritual energy, but is that even possible?” looking down at her hands Ryuu was just as clueless as the rest of them.

Standing up again Ryuu walked over to where Reika was and sat on the edge of her bed, placing her hand down on the bed so to keep herself stable she glanced at Tenshin. Red orbs drifted away to focus on Naratsuki, Like Reika she was curious as to where Joel was but she knew he was still alive and well. “Joel is probably off training as he so often does.” Making sure she wouldn’t fall of the edge of the bed Ryuu began to eat her noodles. The group would soon have to leave as it was getting a bit late. Many of the 4th division didn’t like there being Shinigami in their clinic if they didn’t need to be there.

[NULL]

Tenshin frowned briefly to himself as Reika awakened, followed by a cheek-splitting grin at being chastised so, at least things were still the same. He hobbled over to Reika and patted her on the shoulder before leaning back against his wall. "You know Joel's too tough, and he's got this whole thing about us being his friends...pff loooosser~" He joked with a light wink and a grin as he twiddled his thumbs together to occupy himself.

"Dude, probation suuuuuccks....I wanna go punch things..and...I...what else is there in the 11th? Seriously..I..I punch things and I cut stuff..and..OH!, MY FREE BREAKFAST!~" He announced excitedly, jumping in the air followed by a series of heavy unhealthy groans and a punch to his rebellious stomache...followed by a series of "Ooooooow..." and "No food for you then..fine...you suck.". The Shinigami was still awkwardly perched on the wall as he tried to think of what could have hidden such big hollows for so long. Even in the academy they'd never mentioned hollow's that could hide their presence like a Shinigami, he'd investigate the matter himself once he got better, although undoubtedly the others would be doing so anyway. "They might have been feeding up to go for seated officers, and had the bad luck of being hunted down by us. No matter how many bones I broke, I got one~ and he was big, and he was beefy, and now I feel beefy...actually something beefy sounds good." He mused, leaning forward for some noodles before his stomache gurgled again and he crossed his arms in a huff. Pouting and staring down the noodles as if they had suddenly become his mortal enemy, the bane of his very existence, they were to blame for his internal bleeding and rebellious organs!. He restrained himself from kicking some noodles dramatically across the room and instead going back to a much earlier point made by Ryuu.

"I'm not an idiot..I'm special~" He joked with his tongue stuck out at Ryuu, cringing as he felt something snap from his awkward position. "Okay..first...to the nurse! The longer I stand here, the higher chance I have of spontaneously collapsing into a pile of Tenshin goo~" He mused once more, waddling out into the corridor for and giving them all a two-fingered wave..salute...thing, he wasn't entirely sure what it was, as he mumbled something about a sexy nurse and a back-rub. The nurse was indeed where he was going, but it would be a long hallway with his own thoughts, and frequent flashes of white flesh and bone-dry sands.

"Ten-one-thousand....Twenty-one-thousand....Twenty-nine one-thousand.... Ugggh.." The rooms silence was broken by the small thump of Joel hitting the floor and the splashing sound his body made when it sprawled out into the puddle of sweat he had made. All the push-ups he could possibly do and more and he didn't feel any stronger. The only thing he felt was the numbing feeling throbbing through his arms. As he rested his head on the moist wooden floor, he continued to think about what it would take for him to get stronger. Lifting his head and staring at his Zanpakuto, he realized that if he could awaken it from it's slumber, he could become at least three times stronger. Though, he wasn't even in the mood to carry it after what had happened a few days ago. Since then he hadn't left his room for anything, not even food, and it seemed like his stomach was reaching its limit. However, do to the foolish mistake of using all his strength to do nothing but exercise, he was too tired to even stand. Soon, do to a knocking at his door, he had no other choice than to stand up. Since his arms were pretty much useless, he rolled over a few times until he was able to stand on his knees and propelled himself up that way.

Before opening the door, he wondered who exactly could it have been. As far as he knew he was still on probation and it wasn't like he was expecting any company. He had doubts that anyone would visit him while there were injured people to see. If that wasn't enough, he also didn't want to see anyone. Not just yet at least, but still, he managed to open the door to his room.

"Yes," he said in greeting to one of his fellow squad members. He remembered seeing him once while wokring on the outer area, but he had never spoken to the man.

"Good to see you're still alive. The captain made it seem urgent that someone come check on you." The mans carefree smile gave Joel a lump like feeling in his stomach.

"Thanks.... I'm doing as well as I should be I suppose."

"That's good to hear. Anyway, the other reason I came was because we've been hearing that you haven't left your room. Though that does sound like the same reason I just gave you. I guess....How should I put this? Hmm... When's the last time you saw your friends?"

"A few days ago."

The man's face frowned as if he were disappointed. "Really? After all of that? You know, you really should check on your friends. I'm sure they want to know that you're okay as well."

Joel's face dropped in emotion, displaying his melancholic vibe.

"Well, I can't make you do anything, but the Captain told me to tell you that she would like you to do so when you have the time." After giving Joel a pat on the shoulder he said, "Hang in there Joel. We all have crazy first experiences with hollows." After which he left, waving at Joel and seeming overly friendly.

It was tough, but the shinigami had to admit that his fellow squad member was right. All of these days he had been focusing on getting stronger, but he had lost sight of what he was getting stronger for. Of course it was all so that he could protect his friends, but by avoiding them it would seem he'd have no friends left if he kept on going the way he was.

Deciding to take both his Captains and squad members advice, he grabbed his hooded uniform and Zanpakuto, heading out of the door and towards the clinical area. Once checked in, he headed for the door that belonged to his friends room and hesitated to go inside one more time before placing his hand on the door knob. Though, to his surprise, the door opened on its own and out came Tenshin, who seemed to wrapped up in his own thoughts to notice him. Either that or he didn't process it was Joel, seeing as the man had his hood on. Even in doors, Joel liked wearing his hood. It made him feel comfortable.

Deciding it would probably be best to let Tenshin go where he was going and greet him when he came back, Joel slipped inside the room, quietly closing the door behind him. "Hey," he said almost in a whisper before raising his tone a little bit. "How's everyone doing? You ummm.... You guys recovering okay?"

Shizuna groaned at Tenshin's antics. She found his comfort with being scolded a bit irritating but this behavior was like him. A foolhardy Shinigami, but that doesn't mean he is an idiot and can think for himself. Except his continuing display is making Shizuna doubt her own thoughts at the moment. She would say something but Ryuu was right, no use in patronizing a mule. She then perked up as she heard Reika speak not soon after. She moved closer to see her comrade come too after being out of it for a few days. She seemed to be beating herself up worse than what that Hollow ever did. Shizuna was uncomfortable with this fact and slowly grew to be agitated by it. Before she could say something Ki walked up and parted some words of wisdom. While she doesn't find herself agreeing with him, most of the time, he was right in this matter. She is alive and with that gift she must use it to become stronger. After all that is why all of them are alive, correct? To live and become a better Shinigami...their lives are not over yet, they are just beginning. And wallowing in self-pity isn't going to help them in any way. After all, whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger right?

She hoped Reika can understand this, but then again she may not. She didn't seem to be made of tougher stuff like herself or Ryuu. She seemed to be worried about Joel, who was once again, absent from this gathering. He seemed more antisocial than herself and that is saying something. Well, it's not that she really has a problem with being in public places, she just doesn't care for other people. They are mostly idiots and their presence annoys her. She then noticed the noodles being handed to her. She wasn't starving but the smell was appetizing and she could do with some eats. She took the noodles and began to slowly eat. Talk about the strange circumstances of the attack was brought up. They were thinking what she was contemplating earlier, about the Hollows disguising their presence like a Shinigami. It was strange and while they may not be Seated officers they should have noticed their spiritual pressure. At least they should have right? She wondered if it was question of inexperience or something else.

Then her attention was drawn back to Tenshin as he complained about the Probation. She didn't much care for it herself but she could at least spend it training....once she fully heals! Being injured was a more worse a punishment than this damn Probation! He continued to act like a fool around the noodles. At one point it looked like he was ready to attack the food. He then seemed to calm down and began to wander off in a buffoonish manner. As he left the man that seemed to be on her comrade's minds had appeared at last. He may have been wearing a hood but he voice was all she needed to identify him with. Even though the hood kind of makes him stand out more than without it on. There aren't too many Shinigami she knows that wear hoods. Of course she would have preferred him to speak up more but she caught his question. "I've been better but I am still alive and I can't complain about that." She spoke plainly. She then quietly went back to eating her noodles.

Ryuu Shosuke

Scowling back at her old friend, the red head shook her head as Tenshin continued his path of comedic self-destruction. Fiery orbs followed his movements, waiting for the moment he would collapse and see that his actions were of no use to him. Thankfully he made it past the doorway and into the hallway but in a sense Ryuu was a bit disappointed.

Letting her eyes drift away from the door, they quickly went back when something black popped up in her peripheral vision. Focusing on it, she turned her head back to the doorway; Ryuu saw that it was Joel. "How's everyone doing? You ummm.... You guys recovering okay?" In a sense the woman was happy to see that it was him but couldn’t help but be frustrated by the question. For most of the week and even today she had been asked if she was okay or recovering well, which surprised her considering she wasn’t the easiest person to get along with at times.

“I’m as well as a one armed shinigami can be.’ brandishing her cast, ‘As Shizuna said I’m rather glad I didn’t die that night but this probation isn’t something I enjoy.” Letting her words fall past her lips slowly, Ryuu lost her scowl a bit to show the beginnings of a smile. Eating some more of her noodles she set them aside to sit down. “This little one over here was worrying about you so I believe an apology is in order.” Pointing her chin in Reika’s direction.

It shortly after everyone had gathered in the room that a nurse stepped into the room. Walking over to Reika’s bedside, she wrote a few things down on a clip board until she finally addressed the recovering shinigami in the room. “Visiting hours will be ending in the next few minutes. Do make sure to wrap things up here before the allotted time ends.” With that being said the nurse bowed to them and left the room. “Well that was curt.” Ryuu threw her empty cup of noodles into a trash bin and stretched the best she could with one arm in a sling. It wasn’t as satisfactory as she would have liked it to be but it would have to do. “Seeing as I’d rather not have to deal with the probation officers, I’ll be going now.” Finally taking her leave Ryuu went to her barracks for the rest of the evening.

Two Days Later

Time has passed and both Tenshin and Reika have been told they may leave their rooms. In Reika’s case she must be under supervision due to her stomach wound. On the other hand Tenshin would have been too, however many of Squad 4 gave up on that endeavor. Those of the six friends who had left the hospital early have been training to better their relationship with their zanpakutos. Today was no different than any of the others.

Tenshin rolled his shoulders sorely as he blinked himself out of another endless conversation with his Zanpakuto as with most days since he was released, he was almost certain that nobody elses Zanpakuto was so chatty. Although he found the idea of Shizuna's Zanpakuto never shutting up an infinitely amusing concept which brought up a chuckle whenever it graced his thoughts. As he groaned and stood up he patted down his wounds, his broken bones mended and his fleshy bits refleshed he was satisfied with his rate of healing for now and stepped off the branch of the tree he was sitting in, setting out back to the 11th for some training and general exercise, and of course his delicious breakfast. He was disappointed to find his probation, the fight before he left and his training regime had scared off the majority of fights from all but those trying to show off, and this came to mind just as he had begun his regime and set him into a foul mood. His fists cracking into the wooden training post and his knees smashing into it with raw annoyance, his blows coming harder than usual and his Zanpakuto buried in the ground behind him as he went at it for what seemed like hours to the dismay of the fresher recruits to the 11th. Only stopping once his knuckles were burst and his legs covered in bruises, today however he continued his assault until the post was slick with blood, only stopped by another of the 11th who nearly met the same fate as Tenshin whirred around, however he calmed himself and picked up his Zanpakuto and re-wrapped the bandages that had become standard around his limbs, moving onto the next dummy to train his swordsmanship.

It was while he was darting and flipping around the post, his body protesting and threatening to break at each movement that he decided this was how he would be, he would hone his body until it would not protest until his heart gave out, he would keep fighting death until it buried its scythe in his skull, and next time he would suffer the blows that the others could not. After shredding the post over an elongated period of breaks and re-training Tenshin considered his practice done for today and turned to leave only to be confronted by a small pack of the 11th, his grip tightening on his Zanpakuto he was surprised to see them calmly keep theirs in place and so he sheathed his blades across his back as he had recently adopted. "What brings you fine gentleman to my doorless door?" He chimed, expecting nothing good to come from a pack of fighters as he crossed his bandaged arms across his chest.

"You are to meet your punishment for shaming the 11th under Kenpachi, your wounds will be tended too AFTER, now get moving, we haven't got all day to deal with the weak." The lead of the pack jeered and snorted, throwing his head to the side and heading off with his little entourage, Tenshin expected to follow, and follow he did. He had no choice, even were he a coward there would be nowhere to run from one such as Kenpachi, and he was of the 11th, he just hoped he could take on Ryuu's burden of fate. It was he whom had taken her out there after all, although on thinking about the subject he decided against it, she was as stronger than he was and she'd probably hand him his hide if he dared to protect her like a fragile thing. No she could handle her own fights, and they'd fight together as always, and maybe one day he'd stop being an idiot, although the idea of it made him grin. Once the adrenaline of training left him it was then that his wounds of labour and hollow began to take effect, slowing his movements and causing him to cringe at first, but he ignored it and followed them with his original cheerful grin, if not just to irk them, prepared to fight for his right to the 11th as always.

Shizuna remained at the 7th Division Barracks for quite some time. She stopped visiting after she learned of her friends full recoveries. She was glad none of them ended up dead from that damnable outing. Never again would she be placed in such a position of powerlessness and helplessness. She nearly died that night and nearly watched the people around her die as well. This placed greater resolve on the Shinigami to continue her training and become much more stronger. In order to do that, a Shinigami must connect with their Zanpakuto. So that Wielder and Blade can become a team unlike any other. During the times she was not ordered to clean the pens of animals, she meditated and sought to contact her blade. So far she has not heard even a peep from the Zanpakuto. She wasn't sure sometimes if she just could not hear the blade, desperately calling out to her so they could connect.

Was she deaf to her blade? She concentrated as hard as she could to achieve some form of communication with the blade. She spent hours upon hours concentrating upon her sword. Was she clear of mind? Was she really prepared to connect to her Zanpakuto? What component is she missing from this equation? She did, grudgingly, ask a fellow Shinigami on how they connected to their Zanpakuto. Most of them wouldn't give her the time of day but one did make a comment that gave her pause. The Shinigami commented that she was still a rookie. That perhaps it is inexperience that bars her from advancing, after all it takes many years to communicate with a Zanpakuto. She considered her position in life is the heart of the matter. Perhaps she is too early in her training to speak with the blade. Still, despite these doubts she has considered one other option. Some Zanpakuto readily speak once they have spent some time with their masters. Most do not like to go unheard, but Shizuna feels differently with this one.

She believes the spirit does hear her but chooses to ignore her. This may just be the product of paranoia but her suspicions continuing to bombard her mind. She seriously considers that her Zanpakuto has no interest in speaking with her. That though continuous sessions in order to enter it's world, the spirit denies her access. Why would a Zanpakuto not want to be heard? This frustrated her too no ends. Yet one day she managed something that caught her completely off-guard.

"Come on, say something! Damn it!" She spoke within her mind. "Ugh! Is this how it will always be? How far must I come along in order for us to speak!" She then gave mental sighs. "I may be pushing it but dammit I want to grow, I want to become stronger! Please say something so I know that you agree!" She continued to push her concentration farther. She thought the change in scenery would work for the better. She decided to meditate by the coy ponds where the Captain keeps his pet fish. It was the most peaceful exhibit she could think of. After all meditating around birds was a bit noisy and probably not conducive to this sort of training. Yet the tranquility of the ponds yielded no different outcomes. She was still being ignored. She hadn't much else to do as she became silent. She sat there within the confines of her own mind as she dwelled upon thoughts from her life. Mainly the pains of the past that keep pushing her to reach new and spectacular heights. She had to become stronger there just wasn't much else.

She then mustered one last time to call out to it. "Please, give me some sort of sign that your interested. I need someone...I need someone desperately." She spoke nearly on the verge of a tears. She wasn't one for crying but something was pushing her to the edge. It was then in her desperation a sigh could be heard. It was barely audible but she knew instantly it did not come from her. She snapped, "Hello!?" she called. The Zanpakuto remained silent again. "Please! Can you speak again?" She asked a bit over excited. It still did not answer and would not again for the remainder of her session. She returned back to the Seireitei as she looked about her. It was later than she believed, she should return to her room. While it wasn't much of anything, this was a huge step into communicating with her Zanpakuto. It may have been just a sigh but she now knows it can hear her. She just has to learn how to coax it better into speaking back.

Ryuu Shosuke

It's been two days since Ryuu last met with friends, and in those two days she's had little progress in speaking with her zanpakuto. The young woman was aware of its name but she was left in the dark on whether it was male or female. Ten no bānā was its name. It helped in her understanding, if just a little, on what her zanpakuto would be capable of.

Cursing under her breathe, red orbs groggily opened. The young woman hadn't been sleeping but it was possible one would think so by the way she had just been sitting there from the perspective a bystander. Even today the woman had little progress. Staring down at her sword with an intensity that would make anyone or anything squirm, "Why won't you speak to me?" she said softly.

Frowning to herself, Ryuu closed her eyes again in hopes of making progress. The young woman shifted on the ground so to be in a more comfortable and relaxed position. Sliding her hands across her swords sheathe, Ryuu then grabbed the hilt side and pulled it away slowly. A soft ringing chime resonated through the air for a brief moment before it blended in with the rest of the sounds emitted around her. Still with her eyes closed, her brow furrowed some as she kept her hand steady to place the sheathe neatly beside her. Ryuu then set her fingertips at each end of her sword. The shinigami then took a deep breathe in then released it slowly.

The red head searched inwards, trying to calm her mind but also her body. She could feel her body beginning to relax but she made sure to be aware not to fall over. Realizing that her thoughts were straying elsewhere, Ryuu cursed inwardly and tried to calm herself and focus on one thing at a time. A look of determination creased her brow and set her lips into a firm line. Ryuu began to regulate her breath as one would during meditation and she continued to do so for the next couple of minutes. The young woman concentrated for what felt like hours but she had no idea how long she sat there waiting for some sort of reaction as she continuously called out to her zanpakuto.

Finally when she had had enough, Ryuu began to shift when suddenly a warm pulse erupted from the blade of her sword. Startled by the sudden action; bright eyes flashed into existence as they took in their new surroundings. The young shinigimi quickly stood up with sword in hand, however looking down at it, she realized it had disintegrated to nothing but ash. Now Ryuu only held the hilt of her sword. Without the sword itself, Ryuu felt naked, defenseless like a small baby. “What’s going on?” Red eyes darted back and forth trying to get a bearing on her surroundings. She knew for a fact that she was no longer in the 11th divisions old training ground. For one the sky was completely void of color save for the color black. The ground upon which she stood was also of the same color as what she assumed was the sky. It was incredibly difficult to tell since both were a black so dark; it seemed to suck up all the light and color around her, which there wasn’t save herself.

At that moment Ryuu panicked and looked down at herself. Bringing her hands up, she gasped. Wide eyes at the discovery, the shinigami’s hands looked to be losing color. Taking a few steps back with a look of fright flashing across her face; had her friends seen Ryuu at this moment they’d certainly be surprised. Suddenly she plummeted downwards, or was it upwards, the shinigami was no longer aware of which direction she was going. The red head was also unaware of how long she had been falling until she landed on something hard but surprisingly enough it didn’t hurt. Leaning on her elbows, she no longer held her sword hilt in her hands. Quickly looking around she saw that it had landed a few feet away from her. Scrambling to reach it, something settled on the ground around it. Upon closer inspection she saw that it was ash, the ash from her sword.

Pausing long enough to gather her thoughts, Ryuu knew she was making a fool of herself. Rocking back to sit on her heels, the red head forced her signature scowl to settle on her face as she looked up. While she had been composing herself, the ash of her sword took the shape of some feminine figure. At least she assumed it was, for its back was to her. It was obvious this was the spirit of her zanpakuto but whether it was its true appearance she wouldn’t know yet. Assuming it was female, she was small, barely up to her shoulder, with long cashmere strands of black ink that disappeared into the black floor. Other than that, Ryuu couldn’t see much else of the girl. Then the girl moved slightly but in a way that disorientated her senses. It was as if the girl merely slid over the floor, her hair moved slightly but she herself did not move. For a brief moment, Ryuu saw skin paler than porcelain.


She watched the girl with cautious eyes, not sure of what she’d do next. A brief wave of nausea then hit her causing her to stumble forwards. Leaning her hands on her knees, Ryuu got a waft of something burning. Looking back up at the backside of the girl, a bead of sweat trickled down the side of her face, following the curve of her jaw line until it began to collect and finally fall. The moment it hit the ground there was an eruption of fire that finally allowed for Ryuu to see the outline of the girl. However it was incredibly odd the way, just like before she had fallen, the light and color from around the girl seemed to be sucked in. “What the . . . “

The girl then slowly raised one arm. It almost looked like it wasn’t attached to her being but Ryuu was right about before, her skin was incredibly pale. Unlike her hair it gave of a soft light of sorts but she wasn’t sure. Turning her palm up, the fire was drawn to the motion and crawled up her body, the red head couldn’t see due to the girl’s hair, and settled on her slender arm. “Do you not burn?” The voice was like gravel but with a softer pitch, which surprised her since the place was otherwise quiet. Confused by the question, Ryuu felt heat on her hands and she looked down at them to see that the tips of her fingers were burning.

Yelping in surprise, Ryuu pulled her hands away so they were in front of her. At the same her eyes snapped open as a sudden chill rippled through her body. Blinking a few times, Ryuu saw that she was now in the real world but then that same burning sensation came back. Red orbs darted to where her hands were placed on her sword and she immediately pulled them upon seeing that the blade was glowing red. Shaking her fingers in hopes they might cool down, Ryuu carefully took the hilt of her sword half expecting the blade to crumble into dust. She still felt a little giddy about what had just happened and a smile crept onto her lips.

The smile soon drifted from her lips as the thoughts of what was to come came to mind. A growl escaped her throat, looking down at her broken arm. It would take at least a month for it to heal completely but now it gave her an excuse to make use of her left arm. It did hinder her training regime since she was without an arm and her balance was off. Shaking her head, Ryuu kept her grip on her swords hilt as she stood on shaky legs. Not much time had passed while she had connected with her zanpakuto. The girl was rather creepy, as a matter of fact the whole experience was rather frightening as hard it was to admit.

Her grip on the hilt tightened and she hefted her sword upwards so that she could clutch it close to her body and not just her hand. Even if it burned her, Ryuu would just have to get over this trial by fire if she were to make any progress like the others. As she walked back to the dorms, the red shinigami couldn't help but think of the progress her friends made since they learned their zanpakuto's names, if they did that is, none of them have really been up for talking about their zanpakutos. Hell they could barely hold conversations now that they were each in their own squads. They didn't see much of each other.

Ryuu scowled at the idea of wanting to be friendly around them. It had never been her thing. She favored tough love if anything, even if the love part was usually absent of the term. Without realizing it Ryuu had already arrived at her squads housing. Now that she was alert, the young woman noticed that many of those she passed by on the way to her room glanced at her for too long and whispered amongst each other. Her scowl deepened which seemed to scare off some of the other gossips. As one of the fewer women in the 11th guard squad, Ryuu was the most feared of them all. She even surpassed some of the lower ranking men through sheer strength. Of course the young woman had a lot to learn, like controlling her zanpakuto and polishing her sword skills for a certain title.

Just as she was about to turn the corner into the hallway that would take her directly to her room a small group of men and woman appeared. There was only five of them and immediately upon noticing their stances, Ryuu let her sword slip through her gip some so that she could hold it by its hilt. It was still pretty awkward drawing her sword with only one hand, so doing it quickly and dropping her sword wasn't the smartest idea. "I didn't expect for there to be a welcoming party. I was only gone for a few hours. There's certainly enough daylight for me to finish up any my probation punishments." It seemed her cool posture bothered them, for they had expected her to be more on edge.

"For someone who shamed the reputation of this squad you sure are taking this all quite nicely." The man in the front was rather tall, taller than she was but not very intimidating thanks to rounded edges. "Seeing as I have a broken arm, I wouldn't say I'm taking this all quite nicely. What is it that you want?" It was obvious what they were going to do. "Come with us and you'll find out." The quartet led Ryuu to one of the older parts of the training grounds. It seemed her walk back to the housing was pointless, seeing as she ended up coming back in the end. They arrived at the top of a small ravine where a group was already at the bottom.

Turning to face them, Ryuu didn't expect for someone to suddenly punch her. It knocked her off balance and she fell down into the ravine. Cursing under her breathe as she stopped rolling, the pain in her arm was excruciating but she bite her lip to keep from yelling out in pain. If that's what they want, I sure as hell ain't giving it. Lifting her head up from the ground, Ryuu could see that the group of shinigami she saw at the top of the ravine were members of the 11th squad, her squad, and they all surrounded a particular someone. The blonde hair gave away his identity, "Tenshin!?" she growled out through clenched teeth. Her sword lay just out of reach and she only just barely managed to sit up with her arm in the bade shape it was in.

Out of the both of them, Tenshin had the worst injuries yet she had only received a punch as punishment so far. One of the men noticed her sitting there while glaring daggers at their backs. "Oi! Looks like we got the other." Ryuu scooted over to her sword, picking it up to use as a cane to help her stand. Wincing as she pulled her broken arm closer to her body, the group had stopped what they were doing to Tenshin and focused on Ryuu. The first blow was aimed for her face but she ducked only for a knee to slam into it. Throwing her head back in pain, another kicked the back of her legs so that she fell onto her knees. However Ryuu simply stood back up again only to be beaten back to the ground, the fourth time she was unable to get back up but by then a new presence had arrived.

The shinigami quickly stepped back as a looming figure strode around the edges of the ravine. "So these are the two who shamed the name of the 11th squad?" One of the shinigami nodded and Ryuu coughed up a little blood as if answering. The Captain then slid down the ravine until it finally evened out and he walked towards them. Ryuu could feel his immense spiritual power rolling off him like fog drifts across ground. Taking on a look of defiance, Ryuu forced herself to look up at her Captain only to flinch when she looked him in the eyes. She was mesmerized by those pitiless orbs of black but Ryuu could no longer take it and she looked away. "So you two are responsible then eh? Well I haven't yet decided my punishment for you two but this will suffice for the time being until I can come up with something worthy. You have month to prepare for it."

Tenshin had been following along with his usual grin, that is until they got to a Ravine and one of them took a swing at his head to knock him in, he deftly ducked under the blow and turned only to be slogged in the face stumbling back to the edge. However he wiped his bloodied nose and got up with a grin, cracking his fingers one by one with his thumbs placed over the burst knuckle as they stood in front of him, he'd been prepared to fight them off as always but what he wasn't prepared for was Ryuu appearing nearby and being punched into the Ravine. The distraction was all they needed to kick in the back of his legs and punch the back of his head into the ground, almost knocking him unconscious before they kicked him over the edge, the shinigami spiraled in the air before crashing heavily into the floor, rolling some distance away from his companion before they jumped down to join him. Ever the stubborn one Tenshin grabbed the ankle of the nearest of the group, refusing to let go even as they kicked and punched at him unable to get up, his grip tightening even as he was kicked in the head and the others left to attack Ryuu. At the very least he'd stop one, and his ever tightening grip began to draw blood just as he felt a presence.

Looking up through dirt-encrusted hair he saw his Captain, using the man next to him as a support, even getting in a few sly palms to the rib he stood himself up and tried to stare the man down. But there were three of him and he was already weak and so he succumbed to his pressure, ending up thrown beside Ryuu by the man he'd used as a support. "So you two are responsible then eh?" Go eat a cactus "Well I haven't yet decided my punishment for you two" Fan-friggin-tastic "You have one month to prepare for it" I'll prepare my foot for your face is what I'll do, if only I could move.

Tenshin groaned as his captain left and tried to roll himself upright, getting one last kick from the man he'd torn into the leg flesh of before slowly managing to pull himself to his feet. He got into a kneeling position and looked to Ryuu, unraveling all of his arm bandages to reveal the torn and broken flesh beneath, separating the first unclean layer with the untouched fresh bandages he handed Ryuu the fresh ones and loosely re-wrapped his arms, stabbing his Zanpakuto into the ground and dragging himself into a very wobbly standing point Tenshin grinned.

"I'm going to throw those jerks down here and bury them, whatever the punishment he deigns to give us is, I say we tear it apart eh? He gave us a month, let's give him a year of training....I know how to survive in a barren place like this so we'll be fine, let's just get our Shikai and show them what we're made of huh?" He said with an impossibly wide grin, turning to Ryuu with a fire in his eyes and an impossibly firm view for such a wobbly body, he was determined, and he knew she would fight as hard as he would. That's why he liked her so much, she was a real warrior, even if the 11th had become lacking in anything but grunts, together they could surpass anything and bring back it's pride. There was nobody else he'd rather be stuck in a large hole with with possible internal bleeding.

"So....shall we share tips and progress? I'm going to be gathering some dirt and lizards and stuff to eat and patch myself up but you know I'm still listening right?" He mused with another Tenshin grin as he kneeled down, possibly to do as he said but also as possibly because he couldn't quite stand right now, either way he sifted through the dirt nearby Ryuu as casually and as confidently as he could manage.

nock. Knock. Knock.

The sound of banging was actually slow and steady. Of course that was to be expected at the time of night Joel had awaken. He actually was shook awake, not because of the volume of the sound, but mostly the vibration. Like a vibration hitting the wall of his emotional barrier, he reacted to the thumping, unable to move at first without shaking. Soon however, he realized he was still in his own room inside of the barracks where it was supposed to be safe. Safe was good for him. It meant no one had to get her, but mostly it meant that he wouldn't have to lose control again.

The wandering thoughts of sudden fear did seem to fade once he was fully awake and he stood up, making his way to the door to see who it possibly was. One thing he knew about his division was that the shinigami in it were social folk. Just a day ago he'd recieved over ten visits from different people. Most of them were the kind who told him to keep his head up. Then of course there were the people who sternly talked to him, but at the same time, didn't seem seem to be all that made. Lastly, well some people just knock on doors for no reason sometimes. It wasn't what Joel was used to, but he reckoned that he could get adjusted to the lifestyle. Though, he had to admit, knocking on someones door when the moon was highest in the sky was a big turn off. He couldn't complain. After all, he able to do whatever he pleased while on probation and the time was used to sleep and train anyway, so it wasn't like he was tired at the moment.

"Hello," he said opening the door to see his captain standing in front of him.

"Joel. Come with me. We must talk," she said calmly, turning away.

He followed her in silence and wondered what she was going to say to him. It was actually the first time he was able to have a good talk with her since the whole mess with the hollows. Of course, that may have been do to her overgrowing work. She was one of the ones at the scene too. Noting that, it was possible that she had to write a report or something. So, without seeing her since the day after he was allowed out of hospice, he quietly followed her, hoping she wouldn't have a good yell at him.

It was a suspenseful walk that was heightened by the silence of the night. He could barely here himself breath, though he was sure the sound of his heart was louder than anything else. She brought them to the flower bed that he was in charge of the week before. Once at there supposed destination, she turned to him and stared into his eyes, almost into his own soul.

"Joel, do you hear it? Your Zanpakuto? I believe it's time I tell you how certain spirits could control you if you're not strong enough to control them."

"My.... Zanpakuto?"

"Yes. Now listen carefully."

Ryuu Shosuke

The red head winced inwardly at Tenshins first attempt to stand, only to be kicked back down by one of the parting shinigami. Knowing that her Captain was no longer facing their direction, Ryuu glanced upwards between her bangs. Ryuu moved into a sitting position, this time wincing physically, as she did so. Despite having healed up quite nicely from their fight with the hollows, the attacks from today opened old wounds, making her feel just as bad as she not too long ago. Red orbs glanced at Tenshin, curious as to what her fellow shinigami was doing.

Realizing that he was undoing his bandages, Ryuu seemed almost mesmerized by the extent of his wounds. They were far worse than her own but then ago he actually put up something of a fight while Ryuu simply tried to get back up. In thinking that, a blush of anger rose to color her cheeks, so when Tenshin offered his clean bandages to her, Ryuu merely spit the blood from her mouth and into the ground, looking away to hide an expression of pain.

She didn’t want his help at this point. Ryuu knew she had failed in holding her own against them, even with a broken arm; she should have been able to fight back at the very least. Turning her head to look at Tenshin again, Ryuu watched with keen eyes as he stood up with the help of his zanpakuto. That foolish grin of his was, as always, present on his face. The woman couldn’t help but let the corners of her lips curl upwards a little.

I'm going to throw those jerks down here and bury them, whatever the punishment he deigns to give us is, I say we tear it apart eh? He gave us a month, let's give him a year of training....I know how to survive in a barren place like this so we'll be fine, let's just get our Shikai and show them what we're made of huh?" Upon hearing this Ryuu snickered quietly to herself. She shook her head lightly letting a few strands of maroon slip over her shoulders. Suddenly she stopped to listen to the rest of Tenshins speech. "So....shall we share tips and progress? I'm going to be gathering some dirt and lizards and stuff to eat and patch myself up but you know I'm still listening right?"


This time her shoulders shook first then a soft chuckle rushed past her lips and into the open air for all to hear. Ryuu was never one to hide this side of herself, especially amongst friends and even more so when in the company of Tenshin. “You idiot, the Captain never said we’d be stuck here for the rest of the month. “ The red head thought back to what Tenshin had said earlier about knowing how to survive in such a place, and for a brief moment she was tempted to ask him about it but held her tongue.

With a heavy sigh, Ryuu rocked forwards and onto her feet, the rest of her hair following the motions and brushing against the ground as she stood. Colours clouded her vision and she swayed but stayed on her feet. Rubbing her eyes, Ryuu looked up and away from Tenshin as a look of pain flashed across her face. She had no desire to seem even weaker than she had already let herself be. “We’ll first have to get out of this ravine.” Taking the first steps to escape, Ryuu wobbled briefly, steadying herself shortly afterwards. A throbbing pain accompanied every movement she made. Her first steps were in the direction of where her sword lay, abandoned when she fell the second time earlier.


Ryuu bent at the waist, her fingers brushed against the length of the sheathed blade before taking hold of the hilt and pulling it into her one armed embrace. Now that she held her sword, the woman felt a new security with it and stood up straighter. Her eyes drifted around, trying to find the best route out of the ravine. Upon finding it, Ryuu walked towards it and made the first attempt to climb it, only to nearly stumble backwards and onto the ground again. “Tch, I’m off balance.” She thought of unsheathing her sword to use a cane but then she wouldn’t have a sheath to place it in. There weren’t many swords around that were as long as Ryuu’s so finding a sheath that actually fit the long sword took eons.


Glancing over her shoulder to where Tenshin was, Ryuu bit her lip trying to figure out whether to ask for help or try to climb the ravine again. Choosing the latter, Ryuu unsheathed her sword, I’d rather have to search for a new sheathe than stay in this hole longer than is necessary. She poked at the ground lightly in search of the softer spots where the tip of the sword could slide through without too much resistance and finally found it. With a smile, Ryuu pushed the sword deeper into the ground and took a few cautious steps forwards.

The shinigami was only able to get a few feet off the ground before she had to halt her progress due to loose dirt. It nearly caused her to tumble back down the ravine and it did the moment she resumed. This time Ryuu was prepared for it and made sure to keep her broken arm in front of her as she slid back down. Stinging pain erupted on her back when she stopped and her zanpakuto came close to impaling her. A shaky sigh of relief could be heard, soon followed by a frustrated growl. "Damn it!" Ryuu had no desire to take her words back from before but from the looks of it, Tenshin might have actually been right, if only partially. It'd be incredibly difficult for them to pull themselves out of the ravine with their wounds. Ryuu especially since she could only use one arm to do it.

She laid there for a while. Red fanned out underneath was her and her bangs obscured her eyes. Finally she couldn't stand them being there anymore and she blew them harshly out of her eyes. Ryuu glared up at the sky and the few passing clouds then scowled at Tenshin. "I think I might need your help in getting out." It sounded as if those very words were like acid to her tongue. It had been a very long time since Ryuu openly asked for help but she really didn't want to stay in this ravine any more.

Tenshin listened attentively to Ryuu, giving her a confused look as she ignored his bandages before wrapping them back on with a shrug as he continued to sift through the dirt. "You idiot, the Captain never said we'd be stuck here for the rest of the month." Right...that makes more sense He thought with an awkward grin and a ruffle of his hair, stifling a groan as his wounds protested. For now he watched her attempts to get out with a what seemed to be curiosity and concern, she had a broken arm after all, and the Ravine was no easy task to scale. He had started to regain his balance and head towards her when she said something he'd never expected "I think I might need your help in getting out." By the lord, what's happened, did I die? Passed through his mind, although he kept a much more graceful visage on the outside, hobbling over to her and bowing low as he gingerly helped her up.

"I would be honoured madame, now don't take this the wrong way but with your broken arm I think it'd be best if I carry you up and use my Zanpakuto like climbing tools, trust me, I've done this before~ and if I tell anyone you can beat me up, or you can beat me up anyway." He joked, looking up the ravine to the dust and the dirt, his feet kicking at the loose stones at the base while he slipped low in front of her and unceremoniously hefted her onto his back and held her there until she wrapped her arms around his chest or punched him, either one or both would do, before passing her Zanpakuto up with a smirk. "Then once we get up, we can train and you can beat those losers to a pulp when the cowards have no choice but a fair fight" He finished with a wide grin as if nothing had happened, unwrapping his bandages part way and securing them tightly around his Zanpakuto's hilts before jamming one into the ravine face, stumbling up the loose dirt and stumbling a few times only to halt himself with his other blade.

"Fun fact: Ravine's suck"He mumbled, poking around for a solid bit of ravine face higher up to shove his other Zanpakuto into before sliding it in. The rest of the climb was much the same, Tenshin trying to make sure Ryuu was secure without putting his hands in awkward places, hoping she wouldn't hit him too hard while he climbed, precariously dangling by his swords and gritting his teeth through the pain as he tries his best to hide the blood seeping through his bandages and Haori. Halfway up the Ravine his sword slipped from it's bearing above him as he grabbed for it and he was forced to shove his injured hand into the hard-packed wall instead, eliciting a cry of pain and an uncomfortable snapping sound as he worked to awkwardly replace the blade and not be supported by his now broken hand.

Eventually they reached the top and he sprawled out across the ground after gingerly letting Ryuu down, bleeding quite a bit more than when he was at the bottom and panting. "Next time...phew...crap...you climb..." He joked, still grinning wider than ever through it, although on the inside the pain was excruciating, and for once he'd be voluntary visiting the 4th he knew that much.

The sakura trees were in full bloom in the large garden located a little ways away from the 2nd Division barracks. The light pink petals fell like soft snowflakes, each one slowly falling to the ground just to be picked up by the gentle breeze that swept through the garden. Reika Shinosaki stood amongst the blooming trees in a relaxed fighting stance as she began to preform the moves of one of the numerous forms of the Hakuda fighting style. One... Two... One.... Two... Each strike was precise and clean. Though as Reika attempted to perform one of the more complicated moves of the form, a sharp pain shot through her middle causing her to loose balance. Wincing, she desperately attempted to correct herself but overdid it just enough to throw her completely out of sync. Crying out in frustration she fell to the ground with a loud thud. Discouraged, Reika rolled onto her back, trying to recover from the pain that still throbbed throughout her stomach area. Reaching down she touched the bandages that were wrapped around her middle. Blood. She cursed at herself and stared sadly at the blue sky. She was still to wounded to even train. These last few days were hell for her. While she was still unable to even walk, her friends were already up and training hard, since they had nothing else to do thanks to the probation order that was placed on them. While she lay there in her bed the only thing that was on her mind was that her friends were all advancing ahead of her. Leaving her behind.

Thinking back to that horrible night brought back painful and embarrassing memories. Countless times she had taken down low level hollows on class training missions. But this time she was almost killed by one. She had just been a useless burden to everyone and couldn't do a single thing except lay there, defeated. A soft sakura petal landed on Reika's cheek and she brushed it away, annoyed. Annoyed with herself. With everything. As her hand touched her cheek, the blood that had come from her wound streaked across her skin. She cursed a second time. Her wound had opened again. This was the third time today that had happened and she knew that she was going to get another scolding from the 4th Division staff for being too careless once again. They would probably force her to lay back down and rest for awhile till her wound fully healed. Whatever. It wasn't like she could do anything useful like this anyway. She got up from the ground carefully, trying not to open her wound anymore than it had and picked up her short zanpakuto that was propped up against a nearby tree. It felt unnaturally heavy in her hands as she lifted it from the ground. Reika sighed. By now, the others probably have heard their own zanpakuto's voice calling out to them. Yet her's was silent still. She tightened her grip around the spirit sword. It just wasn't fair. She knew this mindset was probably not helping her growth at all but she couldn't help it. She felt weak. Useless. A burden to her friends as well as her superiors. She believed that she would soon be one of the strongest Shinigami in the Gotei 13 when she graduated from the Academy but right now that dream felt light years away.

Reika could feel blood from her wound spreading through the bandages. 'I'd better take care of this quickly.' She thought as she made her way to the 4th Division barracks.

Ryuu Shosuke

"I would be honored madame, now don't take this the wrong way but with your broken arm I think it'd be best if I carry you up and use my Zanpakuto like climbing tools, trust me, I've done this before~ and if I tell anyone you can beat me up, or you can beat me up anyway. Ryuu scowled at his words as she hesitantly took his hand to stand back on her own two feet. The woman was about to reach for her sword when he suddenly hefted her onto his back in the piggyback position. Almost immediately she tensed and without out a second thought punched him in the shoulder. Of course the action wasn’t the best as she soon felt herself falling backwards and then wrapped her one good arm over his shoulder but made sure not to loop around his neck.

With a blush and a huff, Ryuu accepted her zanpakuto as it was handed to her, wishing with all her might that she could smack that smirk of Tenshin’s face. "Then once we get up, we can train and you can beat those losers to a pulp when the cowards have no choice but a fair fight" Ryuu used the hilt of her sword to tap the underside of Tenshin’s face. “It’ll be my pleasure.” For the most part, their climb or rather Tenshin’s climb up the ravine, neither of them spoke much. Ryuu did her best to hold onto Tenshin, while keeping her sword from getting in the way of his movement. It was a rather awkward situation and it was made even worse whenever he would stumble and Ryuu tensed. Inwardly, the young woman felt bad for putting Tenshin through it but she wasn’t about to voice this aloud.

Then Tenshin really screwed up. His grip on his zanpakuto slipped and he was forced to grab hold of the wall. A cry of pain erupted from his mouth and the sound of something breaking could be heard. Ryuu bit into her lip tightly to keep from saying anything. She could feel the hot blood seeping through his bandages although she could tell he was doing his best not to give it away. Finally after what felt like an eternity of torment, they finally reached the top. Both lay sprawled on their backs and Ryuu was very much tempted to hit Tenshin again but she simply couldn’t bring herself to. Instead she crawled, as best as three limbs could go, to where he lay and glared at his face. “I’ll kick your ass later.” she said with a growl. If it weren’t for the fact that the corners of her lips were slightly upturned, Tenshin would know for a fact that she wasn’t joking.

With a shake of her head, Ryuu sat back on the ground. “Why don’t we rest for a bit before taking you to the clinics.” Nudging him with her foot to make sure he had heard her.

Two Days Later
Festival of the Founding of the 13 Squads

Ryuu rolled around in her mattress, wincing as she was stopped short by her broken cast. They had removed the sling but her arm still throbbed with pain. Rolling back to her backside, Ryuu stared up at the ceiling of her room and sighed. Finally after staring to the point everything blurred, Ryuu sat up and started getting ready for the day.

As she got dressed, she glanced at herself in the mirror and saw just how tired she looked. She reminded herself of a raccoon thanks to the dark circles around her eyes from lack of sleep. That and she just looked tired. Unlike the others, aside from Tenshin and Reika, Ryuu was incapable of doing many things now that she only had one arm to use. The young woman was quite thankful that it wasn’t permanent. She wasn’t sure what she’d do if she lost an arm or any other part of her body in the future. Once again Ryuu looked at herself in the mirror and remembered what the day was. It was the day that the 13 court guard squads were created. To celebrate the anniversary, the Seireitei holds a festival that was open to all, even those in the Rukongai.

With another heavy sigh, it also meant that she and the others would have to help get the festival underway. Finally leaving her room, Ryuu reported to one of the upper seats who simply told her to do what was asked of her until they decided her help was no longer needed.

Shizuna woke up early that morning. For the first night in a while, Shizuna felt well rested. Her abdominal pain usually kept her from earning a good night's sleep; often stirring her awake from sudden sharp pains that shot throughout her body. That night her body must have been at peace. Still as she rose up and out of her bed she felt around her torso. It was still sore to be sure, but she was told it would be sore for a little while. Yet, it wasn't debilitating pain where she couldn't move about and perform chores. It was more of an discomfort. As she dressed herself, a knock came to her door. She wasn't sure who it was but she wasn't looking forward to an early morning visit. She grudgingly opened the door to reveal that it was in fact Lieutenant Hachigane. Shizuna was slightly surprised to see the Lieutenant pay her a visit. Although if she was here to see her then she possibly as something for her to do.

"Good morning Shizuna!" She spoke with pep. "I have some good news, or bad news...depending on how you look at it." She spoke rather cutesy.

Shizuna found the Lieutenant to be a bit quirky. Of course she does seem a bit nervous speaking with her but Shizuna believes shes like this with everyone in her squad.

"Well what is it?" She asked as she rolled her hand for her to continue.

"Yes, well, Captain Hachigane has decided to relieve you of Animal Clean-up for a more enjoyable assignment. He has decided that you would like better to help assist in the setup of the Founding Day Festival!" She spoke with joy.

Shizuna's face betrayed no mutual feelings on the matter. Whether it be Animal Cleanup or Festival Preparation, none of it was what she felt as a Shinigami needs to do. Still the job was a nice change of pace from, disposing animal waste. She nodded as the Lieutenant smiled, obviously pleased Shizuna would do this. As the Lieutenant left giving her a list of things to do, Shizuna prepared herself to head towards the center of the festivities. The Founding Day Festival was quite a big to do, with souls even coming from the Rukongai to celebrate the formation of the 13 Court Guard Squads. Shes reviewed the Gotei 13's history during her time in the Academy. It was interesting to say the least.

She figured she wasn't going to be the only out there working on this thing. She had the funny feeling that her friends would be forced into helping out as well. She arrived to the area she was to be working on. She looked at some Shinigami already assisting in the preparations. None of them so far are her friends. "They must not be here yet." She thought. She then took out her list and gave it a look over. "I better start, the sooner I finish this list, the sooner I can do other things."

Ryuu Shosuke

The young woman looked up at the sky with a tired expression. She wiped away the sweat that had begun to bead around her forehead and at the back of her neck. The sun was beginning to sink behind the tree line and there were a bunch of strung lights that were adding a colored glow to the air. It made the entire scene before her appear almost beautiful and it would have too if it weren’t for a pair of meatheads.

Ryuu folded her arms across her chest, watching the pair as they butchered their job which was to cut out some decent sized boxes for the young ones to use for a tossing game. The boxes were misshapen and the pair had decided to make it into a game to see who could cut out the most boxes. It seemed making sure the boxes were actually useful wasn’t part of the game. “Hey get back to work Shosuke! Once you finish this you can get going unless you want to help out more?” The older Shinigami sneered at her and Ryuu could only scowl in his direction when his back was turned least he decide to keep her working even if she did do as he had asked.

She picked up the large bucket of water. It was thanks to her strength that she was able to carry the bucket to where it needed to go when she only had one arm to use, although her hand was a bit scraped up from two days ago. Leaning the opposite direction of the bucket, Ryuu seemed to waddle to her destination, which was a water tank. She wasn’t sure what the water tank would be used for but she was sure someone out there would find it to be a fun experience. Letting the bucket rest on the ground, Ryuu let out a tired sigh which ended up catching the attention of the woman working the water tank. Her eyes took note of the cast and sling on Ryuu’s arm and smiled. “I’m guessing it’s been a long dya for you huh?

A bit surprised by the sudden start of conversation Ryuu only nodded. “Alright then I guess it’d be about time to let you go rest then huh?” “Oh thank you.” The woman merely nodded and took the bucket from the ground and poured its contents into the water tank. Now that she no longer had to help out, Ryuu felt a bit lighter.

Half an hour later

By now Ryuu had finished taking a well-deserved bath. It was when she was halfway to her barracks that the few girls in the eleventh division ambushed her. They grabbed her arms and pushed her towards a different section of the barracks before she was even aware of what had occurred. The Shinigami was also a bit tired so she didn’t put up much of a fight. Shoving her into a large room, Ryuu was then surrounded by all of the women in the division which wasn’t a lot actually. Many of them looked a bit on the scruffy side while others had completely lost out to the reputation of the eleventh division. They did have one thing in common, they were all wearing yukatas.

Realizing what they were planning to do Ryuu glared at the first woman who stepped forwards, “Oh don’t you dare.” The woman looked at each other, giggling as if Ryuu didn’t have a choice in the matter which she soon found she didn’t. They parted ways for someone father back in the room, it turned out to be a large ape of a woman who also wore a yukata. The other girls somehow made the large woman look less menacing and more womanly. “Hold her down Sana!” Before Ryuu knew it, Sana had her by the waist and arm, being careful not to push Ryuu’s broken arm.

After a while Ryuu gave up trying to free herself from their clutches, allowing herself to be dressed up like a doll, like the woman she was. For what seemed like forever but was actually only about twenty minutes, Ryuu pulled her arm free from Sana, rolling her shoulder as if it were sore and probably was. The other girls stood back to admire their work. They all smiled to themselves, making Ryuu frown a bit. “What?” She knew they messed with her hair but she didn’t know what they did with it. Her own yukata was a dark red brown color with koi fish as a design.

Still frowning Ryuu was led to a full length mirror she hadn’t noticed before. Now that she could see herself, she almost didn’t recognize her own face. Her hair was piled up at the top of her head and held down by a simple comb ornament, while her bangs were left to frame her face. “Oh . . . I see.” A barely noticeable blush had begun to spread across her neck and Ryuu wanted nothing more than for it to go away. “You look so pretty Ryuu! You need to dress more like a woman you know and smile some more too otherwise you’ll scare people away.”

Ryuu continued to look at herself in the mirror, thinking about what she had said. Swallowing the lump in her throat, Ryuu allowed herself to relax and smiled at herself in the mirror. “See! Doesn’t it feel better to smile than to frown all the time?” Nodding to her question, Ryuu backed away and started to leave the room when the other women jumped up and rushed out the door, pulling her with them.

Ten minutes later

The entire group of women left her alone once they reached the festival grounds. Ryuu stood there a bit awkwardly trying to remember what it was they had said they’d do once they finished their duties. The young woman began to wonder a bit as she thought until she smelled something oddly familiar. Ryuu soon realized it was the smell of meat cooking that was always present at the bar the others and her often visited. Heading in the direction of the smell, Ryuu was right on target for the bar had made itself a booth, giving out meat on sticks and other things.

Walking up to it, Ryuu asked for two and started to eat on one while she waited to see if the others were going to show up. If she remembered correctly they had agreed to coming to the booth the Shining Star had set up.

Tenshin was on another side of the 11th divisions barracks, recruited to cut boxes much like his compatriots, being an artist such a simple design was easy for him!....or so he thought until he started to try and make things more interesting. Boxes of strange colours, with odd artistic designs and even weird abstract cuboids began filtering out from his group as he worked, he was completely absorbed by the task of designing the perfect and most interesting boxes the festival had ever seen! That is of course until the other members of his division took away his utensils and sent him on his way to the festival, apparently he was done for the day, his job completed in the most fabulous sense. He felt a sense of pride, even as secretly behind him the others worked tirelessly to produce some boxes that could be USED for their purpose.

The shinigami returned to his quarters and changed into more casual clothes, that being the exact same sleeveless shinigami outfit he always wore, with the addition of a lit cigarette between his lips as he traversed the distance to the Shining Star booth, weaving through the crowds and inhaling the scent of food and the products of his cigarette until he spotted Ryuu up ahead, quickly putting out the smoke and dancing over to a stall selling sweet-smelling products, allowing the girl working their to douse him in them as he spun dramatically, paying them with a grin and a wink that made her blush before he began sneaking through the crowd.

Crouched low and climbing over and under every cart, person or obstacle in his path before tapping the vendor of the Shining Star booth on the back quietly, whispering for a few meat sticks and some drink and quietly handing him the coin before slipping over the top of the both to overhang, stealing Ryuu's meat-stick swiftly and darting out of her reach before the vendor pushed another two into her hand and threw a drink at Tenshin which he caught as if he'd always been standing there, giving a little fist-pump and a huge grin. "Operation: Steal Ryuu's meat-stick was a success, now to- whaaaaaaa~!" For once, Tenshin was dumbstruck silent, he'd recognized her fiery red hair but now that he was looking at her a flush and a gleam went to his cheeks and eyes.

"Ryuu is....wow...uuuh...well hi for one, and secondly....wow."

Tenshin tried not to stare, but his attempts to casually drink were foiled when he missed his mouth and didn't even notice. Until the alcohol started burning on his old wounds, at which point a round of cursing and hopping began. After that however he was silently standing beside Ryuu, sipping a new drink he'd bought "So....if I died and this is what humans call heaven, I'm pretty okay with that. If this is the result of being ambushed by the girls of the 11th, I'm okay with that too." He fumbled with a wide Tenshin grin "I'm just sorry I didn't wear something more appropriate because....wow....I mean...what's another word for wow?" He felt the flush rise up his neck, he hoped she'd think it was just the drink but he was too much of a drinker for that.

"So....yeah..I wanted to ask if we can talk...later?" He proposed, his face and tone serious but strained, questioning even, no doubt still flustered, as he stared straight ahead and sipped at his drink.

"Finally. Damn." Ki bent down only to immediately plop on his backside on the ground. Behind him emerged several other Shinigami, all a little out of breath themselves. "Hey, Ki? What's your punishment? I got mop duty, I got off the hook, I got some kind of trial a month from now, what about you? Well guys... I the ever so nice and kind duty of... hunting down Hollows all the way across the damn world!" Ki fell backwards onto the ground, looking up at the sky with weary eyes. "Ah, every muscle in my body hurts, including ones I didn't know were there." One of the other Shinigami clicked his tongue and walked over to Ki. "As I recall newbie, you did nothing besides watch us fight. Oh yeah, you did fall into a ditch that one time. Watching you try to climb out was pretty funny so you weren't a total waste of space." Ki ignored the other member of his Division and continued staring up at the sky. Guys, we should probably hurry if we want to see any good parts of the Festival. I'll let the Boss know you completed the mission... barely." Without waiting to see if Ki was going to follow them, the Shinigami all made their way back tot he walls of Seireitei, eager to join in the festivities after reporting to their Superior.

Ki silently stared up at the sky, plucking a piece of grass from the ground and placing an end between his lips. He had only been away for a few days, but it felt like longer considering his punishment was to do the thing he hated most/ To act like an actual Shinigami. Taking a deep breath he sat up and began playing with the grass between his lips, moving it from side to side. "Guess I should head back too. Tenshin and Reika have probably been released from the Hospital by now." Stretching his arms out, Ki grabbed his Zanpakuto in customary fashion, in his left hand and as far away from his body as possible without looking weird. Bringing his right foot forward, Ki disappeared in a flash, deciding to search for his friends during what down time he had before his superiors found something else they wanted him to do.

Ki arrived near the Festival grounds, scratching the back of his head. "Damn, where did we agree to meet for this thing. Ryuu told me before I left, but I can't remember. Whining Hair? Shining Bar? Hmm, a bar the shines with the brilliant glow of alcohol and poor decisions, hey-oh!" Ki high fived a random stranger who walked by, the person just doing it instinctively when Ki held his hand up. "Alright man, you go out there and be somebody!" Ki pushed the guy on his back before returning to his own thoughts. Well, can't think of this stuff on an empty stomach. Might as well see if I can find something tender and juicy to eat. Oh, or soft and creamy. Ice cream it is" Ki smiled to himself as he began walking away, a child pulling on her mother's dress and pointing to Ki. "Mommy, that man is talking to himself." The mother grabbed her daughter's hand and said, "Don't look at weirdos, Sweetie."

Ki threw his arm over Ryuu having spotted the two Division Twelve members as he wandered the Festival. He looked at Tenshin, blinking his eyes effeminately and giggling. "W-what is it you wish to talk about, Tenshin-Sama?" Ki removed his arm realizing that a fist from Ryuu was likely imminent if he kept it there. He stepped back a bit, smirking widely. "Here I was thinking I would wander around the whole day without running into anyone. I was especially worried after I couldn't remember the meet up location." Ki looked Ryuu and Tenshin head to toe and then himself, raising an eyebrow. "Really? I'm the one in the work clothes? Well, that's a change of pace. Either of you know where I can get some ice cream? I have a hankering for something lacking in any nutritional value."

Joel woke up early in the morning as he always had, but felt dreadfully tired. It had seemed that the training he was putting himself through, that and the lack of a good meal, was slowly getting to him. Even though he was a shinigami, it would seem a week was too long to go without eating. However, he was paranoid. The last time he and his friends had gotten together.... well he didn't want to think about it all the much. Though he knew that it would be okay today.

Food was probably the only thing that moved him from out of his bed to his dresser. It was a special event. One which Joel wasn't really looking forward to. He had hid himself from people as best he could. To be out and about was suddenly, overwhelming. He sighed, deciding not to let it get to him and through on his hooded jacket, right before grabbing his Zanpakuto and walking towards the door. Once outside his room, he could see the other members of the barracks running around, dancing and singing. Most likely drunk and sleepless. How early was it exactly? He pondered the question for a second before one of them walked up to him.

"Joel.... Eye... Is that you Joel? Yeah. Yeah it is you. Hehe... Hic... Eye. You're not going to wear anything special for the day?" The drunken member said to him.

"No." Joel answered simply before turning around. Though the man didn't seem to be able to move fast in his current position, he slithered himself around Joel. The young shinigami widened his eyes for a second, surprised by the mans drunken agility. Though of course went back to his stoic bored-like look.

"Well you don't have to, but at least change out of that hood for once. You should respect this day, for it's a day that demands you respect...hic." The man chugged his cup of what Joel thought was sake and smiled at Joel, completely lost in his drunken euphoria. "So ya know. Put on a shirt or something instead."

Joel nodded, returning to his room closing the door behind him, leaving the man to go back to enjoying his holiday. He wasn't much of a clothing collector and didn't have much to choose from. Inside his draws lied nothing but black training gear which he usually wore underneath his jacket. He knew that he had something else in there somewhere and pulled out a long T-shirt and some pants with more color and less pockets. Though refusing to go without his bracelet, especially considering today, at least for him, was a time to remember the shinigami that came before him, he clipped it back on once he was done changing. At first he was a little worried that his shirt carried his families insignia on the back. Mostly because he wasn't sure what to say if people started a conversation with him because of it. However, he could see how this wasn't a day to walk around hiding himself in his hood. His dress was highly casual still, and a little more comfortable without the weight of his jacket on his shoulders. He noted that he was okay with his current appearance and left the barracks only to go to the koi pond to gather some of the fish. Since he was put in charge of taking care of them, it was also his job to make sure they arrived at the pond closest to the ceremony. After all, the thirteenth division had always taken care of the fish and they too carried a special hint of the past.

The walk was hard and long. The water in the tank he was carrying had to put at least thirty to forty pounds along with the container itself and the fish. Luckily for Joel he was well disciplined and no amount of hunger was going to make him drop the fish.

When he finally made it to the pond and dropped off a relieving amount of weight, he headed towards any place that might have a bar in it, and since he only knew of one, he decided to check there first. He was sure, that since their last go at the Shinning Star, they would probably want a rematch with the alcohol there, so likely it would be the meet up spot. He stopped walking for a moment just to think about the thought he just had. A small smirk sneaked its way on his face as he re-envisioned his friends as a gang of alcoholics.

Continuing his walk, he took time here and there to look at the decorations made just for the festival. He enjoyed the artwork created by some of his fellow shinigami. What really made it stand out though, was that it was created by shinigami in the first place.

It wasn't long before he caught and eye of his friends. He walked slow with his hands, besides the thumbs because of the lack of space, in his pockets.

"Hey," he said quietly, looking around for who was there and who wasn't yet. Upon looking at Tenshin and Ryuu, he raised his eyebrow, indicating his question of the current situation, but remained silent as he looked at Ki. To be honest they all looked controversial to each other, Ki and Tenshion with their uniforms, Himself with his more street attire, and Ryuu with... a yukata? Joel almost raised his eyebrow to question it again before sighing it away. He would have given her a compliment, but held his tongue, for he didn't speak much and he knew the power of words when they came out of his mouth. That and the fact that he wasn't the type to give out good compliments, he decided to leave it alone. The last thing he needed was someone to be pissed off at him before he got a chance to eat anything.

The very thought of food made his stomach growl, probably loud enough for everyone to hear. Looking down and holding his abdomen, he quietly said, "I hope Reika and Shizuna get here fast. I'm hungry."

Shizuna

She finished her duties with the preparations for the special Founding Day Festival. Many Shinigami and residents of the Rukon were entering in droves. It was quite the big to-do in the Soul Society. She was then approached by her work manager who told her she could go and enjoy the festivities. He would submit a work report to her division later commending her on her assistance. This would surely help in working off her punishment from that night.


That night still haunted her and her sore torso was of no help in forgetting that mistake. She can still recall seeing Reika, impaled and bleeding to death. That horrible and gory image haunted her in the deepest recesses of her mind. She truly felt fear after all those years again. A feeling she wished she had never experienced. Still she should be grateful that the Shinigami intervened when they did, despite their punishment, in the end they have lived. Now if only this irritating probation would end and she could resume doing real Shinigami duties. One cannot get stronger from building booths, and decorating all day.


She returned to the barracks for a change of clothes. She was in her work attire and one for dressing appropriately, decided to wear a Yukata she had set aside for special occasions. She did enjoy the chance to dress up, enjoying the comforts of applying polish and styling her hair. She dressed her hair with a nice black headband to keep it back with the exception of a bang. Her strand of hair is curled as it hangs downward across her right cheek. Finishing her outfit she then left the barracks heading towards the festival in her wooden sandals.


She headed for the Shining Star, a booth she remembered being set up during her work period. It wasn’t hard for her to find as she would come into the vision of her friends. As she came close she could see all who was there, Tenshin, Joel, Ki, and...Ryuu!? Just what in the Soul Society was she wearing!? It was a shock to see her dress...well, lady like. She didn’t expect her to be dressed in a Yukata, she assumed she would be in her shihakushō. She was used to being more of lady than Ryuu, even dressing in her simple purple yukata with floral designs for the occasion. As usual she would look prim and proper but she could tell that Ryuu was at the center of attention, especially from Tenshin.


She would admit that seeing Ryuu like this is distracting but only for a moment. Not like Tenshin who seems to be quite distracted from the sight. She could only shake her head as she approached the group. “I apologize if I’m late, I’ve been working most of the day on this festival as part of my punishment. I then left after I was finished to change…,” She then paused looking towards Ryuu, [color=midnightblue]“...Speaking of which I am rather surprised you of all people would dress for the occasion.” Shizuna spoke as she raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

Ryuu Shosuke

As usual the red head bore a scowl on her face, but for good reason really. For one she was in a yukata which was rather uncomfortable since she hadn’t worn one in years. Secondly she dreaded the reaction the others might have if they saw her in such a manner. While in her thoughts she hadn’t noticed the presence of a certain shinigami. Before she knew it the meat stick she had been happily enjoying was snatched out of her hand, gasping at the absurdity of the situation. For the briefest of moments Ryuu thought of going after the guy who just stole her meat stick however said guy turned out to be none other than Tenshin. Ready to snatch back her meat stick Ryuu faltered at his words. “Operation: Steal Ryuu's meat-stick was a success, now to- whaaaaaaa~!" It was the first time she had ever seen him dumbstruck, but also blush. “Ryuu is....wow...uuuh...well hi for one, and secondly....wow."” Now it was Ryuu’s turn to be dumbstruck. She hadn’t expected this sort of answer rather she expected him to make fun of her because of what she wore.



“Am I supposed to take that as a compliment?” The redhead was barely able to reign in her emotions and put up her usual demeanor. His behavior afterwards was certainly quite odd and it was beginning to annoy her that Tenshin kept staring. “No it’s not okay. Those damned woman will get it later. As for you stop with the compliments; it’s weird coming from you or anyone really.” quickly punching him in the arm to further show her annoyance at his continuous words of wow. "So....yeah..I wanted to ask if we can talk...later?" At this Ryuu frowned, “Why not just say it now-“ Suddenly an arm draped itself across her shoulder and unfortunately it was on her right side. "W-what is it you wish to talk about, Tenshin-Sama?"



Turning her attention to Naratsuki, Ryuu glared at him. “Try that again and see what happens.” It seemed like everyone was trying to upset her, it wasn’t like she wasn’t already frustrated to begin with. “Yeah unfortunately for you I got ambushed by the 11th division girls. If telling you where the ice cream is means you’ll get fat and slow it’s over there.” pointing to a vender three stalls to their left. Not long after Joel came around, raising his brow towards the current situation then a second for when he noticed her clothes. In response Ryuu’s gaze narrowed, daring Joel to say anything in regards to her clothes. Thankfully the shinigami held his tongue. The next person to arrive was Shizuna. Someone Ryue knew would most likely have something to say about her attire.


She really hated the girls of her division at this particular moment. Attention was focused on her, especially by Tenshin which made her quite uncomfortable. Ryuu was used to being regarding in fear and respect, not like some dressed up doll. Like her Shizuna wore a yukata with floral designs, looking proper as she usually did. “I believe the majority of us worked the preparations for this festival.” Ryuu answered the question and hoped Shizuna wouldn’t say anything but alas she did. “If I had my way I would be dressed in my shihakushō like always. Unfortunately I got ambushed by the women of my division. My broken arm was really the only reason I couldn’t do anything about it.” A frown settled on her lips, quite possibly permanently or at least until she could take off the yukata. Realizing they were still missing a certain blonde, Ryuu looked about. “So I see Reika didn’t come with you. Is she still at the clinic?”

Shizuna


Shizuna watched as Ryuu was very disgruntled over her current dress. Apparently women from her division of all people dressed her up. She supposes even the Eleventh have female shinigami that like to dress femininely. Still she is surprised they were able to wrangle a spitfire like her and dress her up but she attested that to her damaged arm. Shizuna was sure the instance is comical but could not muster a laugh for the occasion, instead she just curled her lips and gave an impassive, “Hm.” Besides the dressy Ryuu everyone else appeared as normal, even Ryuu placed on her usual scowl. Yet she looked around once Ryuu mentioned Reika.

“No, Reika wasn’t with me...in fact I haven’t even seen her since my last clinic visit.” Shizuna answered. She wasn’t quite sure what was up with their other friend. She understood she left the clinic or at least that’s what she had heard. She also heard her wounds would take time to heal properly but she was no longer bed ridden. “No, she shouldn’t be at the clinic anymore. Last I heard she was released but she is suppose to take it easy, considering her injuries would take time to heal properly. I suppose I can’t say I wouldn’t be surprised if she was told not to come on account of that, but I would be surprised if she actually listened.” Shizuna spoke.

Despite her words she did wonder about Reika. She wasn’t entirely positive if she would make it or not. She had the worst injuries out of the lot of them, even near death she was. She wouldn’t blame her if she didn’t feel up to snuff for celebrating. “In case she doesn’t make it, perhaps we should plan on what to do next?” Shizuna asked. “The boys do look a bit eager for some food.”

Tenshin

Tenshin sat quietly for a moment to gather himself, the blush fading from his cheeks and his grin returning to it’s normal beaming as he took a swig of his drink. Until the topic turned to Reika “Haven’t seen her either, guess I’ll leave a note with the boothkeep here and she can join us for celebrations later? If she takes too long though I’m bringing drinks to her.” He said, quickly scribbling something onto a notepad he produced from his pocket and ripping it off to hand to the boothkeep with an explanation ‘Hey, if we’re not here...ask this guy where we went...we have no idea where we’re going yet….OH, and meet me outside the 11th’s barracks when you’re ready!...once you’ve enjoyed the festival!’ “Done and done, to the roast stuffs booth!, I hear there’s Hakuda fights here too.” Tenshin announced dramatically, spinning around with a meat-stick raised high, signalling the charge as he karate-chopped his way forward. At least he was in a good mood, although despite his dramaticism his eyes still wandered back to glance at Ryuu every now and again, the barest hint of a blush on his cheeks.


Ryuu nodded a bit thoughtfully. She hadn’t seen their youngest member in a while and she had to admit, she did feel a bit guilty that hadn’t visited Reika more often. Listening to Shizuna’s suggestion, the red head could gave an answer in the form of her shoulders rising up then lowering in a shrug. Ryuu thought a bit more and gave an answer verbally. “That would probably be for the best.” She turned to look at Tenshin who had written on a piece of notepad paper he had produced from within his pockets, handing the note to the booth keeper for safe keeping until Reika returned. The young women ordered another meat stick to munch on. Her face lit up at the mention of Hakuda fights as a soft chuckle was soon heard over Tenshin’s ecstatic behaviour over the food booths and a good fight. She looked down at her attire and sighed. “I wonder if they have something I can change into if there are Hakuda fights.” her voice quiet. The majority of them were already here, save for Reika, so without further ado Ryuu followed after Tenshin.


She glanced back at the rest of the group and finally noticed Joel was without a jacket or a hood pulled over his head. “Well that’s something of a first. What made you go without the jacket Joel?” curiosity and something akin to a tease laced in her tone. Something caught her eye and she turned to look at it. It was a booth with bright neon coloring all over it, causing her to snort a bit. Out of the many booths they had passed so far this one was by far the most eye catching with it’s colors, giant letters plastered to the sides and the fact that it looked more like a tent than the ordinary booth. “Say was this booth here the last time?” looking over her shoulders at the rest of the group. Ryuu took the last bite of her meat steak, walking over to a trash can that was placed right next to the tent. As she looked back up she noticed the pair of bright blue eyes that were staring at her and it took the entirety of her willpower to keep from jumping but she did stiffen. Her mouth did open but no sound came out. Finally closing it Ryuu shook her head and turned away completely forgetting to throw the meat stick away when a creepy voice called out to her. “Hey~ Don’t you want your fortune told? A pretty little lady like yourself must want to know if her prince charming is going to take her away right?”

At once Ryuu really wished she had her zanpakuto with her so she could slit the owner of the creepy voice’s throat, or at least to be able silence him. Unfortunately she couldn’t do either least they decided to lengthen her probation. It was obvious by her stiffened shoulders that the man in the tent hit a nerve. Whether it was a good thing or a bad thing he wouldn’t be able to tell from within the safety of his tent while the others noticed the meat stick she had in her hand was now broken. Not that it was much of a feat of strength, the things were only only thick enough to skewer the meat pieces without breaking. Forcing a smile on her lips, Ryuu turned around to look at tent carefully this time. It was obvious by the lettering that it was for fortune telling; she just didn’t take the time to actually read it. Red orbs finally settled on the startling blue ones which finally sparked a bit of fear upon noticing the wrongness of her smile. Clearing his throat nervously, his eyes darted over to Shizuna, the only other women with the group. “Ah what about you eh? Want to know who that special someone is?” It was then that he finally poked his head out from within the darkness of the tent. Surprisingly the mans face wasn’t all that bad looking, rather what was surprising was that he looked younger than Reika but he certainly didn’t have the same cheerful demeanor as their missing comrade.

Joel watched as his friends chatted about various things. He wasn't paying attention to every detail, though certain ones did peak his curiosity. He took note that Tenshin had wanted to talk to Ryuu in private, mostly just for the fact Ki was interested. Once Shizuna joined the group, she verbalized her views on Ryuu's appearance. Joel could never tell if their conversations were aggressive, passive, or friendly. Seeing as both were strong willed women, they both had an aggressive way of speaking their minds. It was a good thing really. Just sometimes made him feel anxious. In truth, he was probably the only one feeling that way.

Joel was thinking that Ryuu would say something good about what she was wearing, since from his point of view, she looked like she was cool. However, once she said she was forced to wear the yukata, he wasn't exactly surprised but instead found himself feeling like he should have guessed that was the reason.

The conversation didn't stay on that topic for very long seeing as Reika was brought up and everyone went around asking if they had seen her. He shook his head and said, "I haven't seen her since that day we were all in hospice." As it turned out, no one had seen her yet so he began to think something was wrong. Though, the calm expression from everyone made him forget about it. As long as she didn't leave the grounds of the society then she should be okay. Not only that, but when Shizuna mentioned food, he practically drooled at the mouth dazed out. He hadn't realized it for a while, but Tenshin was swinging around a meat stick. Joel found himself nodding and following behind Tenshin, hoping to get some food and also get out of the sun. His eyes didn't only burn, but were beginning to ache from squinting.

Before they went very far, Ryuu asked about Joel's jacket. Joel looked at her and pulled on his silver bangs with his hand. He was feeling quite uncomfortable being out in the open in a normal setting like this. The only time he didn't wear a hood or something like one was when he trained. Otherwise he'd wear one hot or cold. He was stubborn, even against the heat, but he felt most comfortable with a hood. However, one thing was different and that was his new found title as a soul reaper. So when his superior mentioned respect and all of that other stuff that people usually throw around at places you should dress for, he actually took it to heart. "I was.... convinced to try to look nice today... Though, I don't know if I'm doing a good job," he said going from playing with his hair to playing with his tie. He decided that depending on how bright it was next year, he might want to rethink leaving his hood at home.

Joel's eyes stayed on Ryuu once she said something about something about some flamboyantly colored booth. He looked at it and thought maybe it was some circus themed booth. Though, he had never seen one that small before. When words started being spoken from the booth he just glared at it. He quickly lost interest in the booth once he found out it was some type of love booth and decided to order himself something from the area a little ways from them. When he turned back, their was a moody looking man standing outside. He didn't know if that was the same guy as the voice, but the fact that the man didn't look pleased didn't set well with Joel. Although, he gave the man the benefit of the doubt. Just because he looked like he had a chip on his shoulder didn't mean he did. After all, it was pretty bright out today. For the next few moment, he found himself eating some type of hotdog creation, feeling food in his stomach for the first time in days.

Tenshin abruptly spun between the booth holder and Shizuna with a flourish, twisting his arm majestically forward to dip into the man's booth and retrieve a slip of paper and a charm he assumed would be sold if it was bad. He made a big show of staring at it in absolute secrecy before slamming some money down on the counter and spinning at the head of the pack, his meat-stick in his mouth as he shouted a muffled battle-cry "My Prince Charming is at the Hakuda fights, we must save him! Don't worry my love Tenshin-sama is on the way~!".

With that he dashed off into the crowd, meat-stick now held high above the throng of people to single himself out from the rest, along with the occasional. "Don't worry my prince!" that echoed through the crowd even as he got further and further away. Before he'd left Tenshin had oddly slipped his hand along Ryuu's arm and she would find the charm fastened tightly to her arm beneath the Yukata along with another piece of paper, even as he dashed towards the Hakuda fights grinning madly, leaping over people and vaulting across booths needlessly and creating a trail of surprised and startled people who made it very easy to follow even as he sped ahead.

Eventually he would arrive at the fights, a charm around his neck and his piece of paper stuck in the nostril of a demon-mask that was fastened to the side of his head, he was half-clothed in a black Yukata, patterned with dozens of imprinted white doves that formed a flame pattern if you didn't discern their individual dove shapes up close. The pattern covered the base of his Yukata and the arms of the robe. He'd obviously donned it hastily and it was hap-hazardly on as he stood waving a red patterned fan in front of his face in a way that if he were a woman, or at all being serious, might have been meant to be seductive instead of mocking. As the rest found their way to him he'd dramatically close the fan and reveal the dozen sticks of various meats, vegetables and otherwise he was holding behind it, and the miniaturized keg of ale with a straw that he currently slurped on from its position hanging around his neck.

He turned around the fan and revealed its inner side as it opened once more, along them were a bunch of numbers for each of them "Ladies and gentleman, let us await our fight for the Princes hand~" He said in a sultry tone, pointing from behind the fan at the porky man who seemed to be running the fights, grinning widely as always.

Shizuna

Shizuna had the most disinterested look one could give. So empty with the slightest hint of skepticism. She looked at the man and before her response was given Tenshin buzzed through talking nonsense about Hakuda fights. Although his overabundance of energy is at time ridiculous she must agree, Hakuda fights seem to be quite the entertainment. If she didn't feel so sore she may have even throw her hat into the ring. Then again, she looked over to Ryuu and wondered about her. Would she fight despite recovering from those injuries sustained during that bizarre Hollow attack? She knows Ryuu to be a proud warrior but even she has her limits, and is for the most part reserved. Surely she would be aware of her current handicaps and not participate? Perhaps not, unless something stupid happens that manages to tweak a nerve.

Still she had this, what was it, fortune teller to deal with? Apparently he was looking only towards the women of the group, that whole line about love must be his hook to capture suckers into believing his bull crap. Still she looked at him dead in the eye and spoke, "Please, you'll have to do better than that. You insult my intelligence if you believe I will fall for that line like every other ditsy, starry eyed girl with a crush." She spoke coldly and bitterly. With that she began to take her leave. "We better follow Tenshin, who knows what that fool will get himself into." She spoke. To be honest she wasn't too sure about her future being looked into. She already has a plan for it and doesn't want someone to spoil it for her. Then again, things did weigh on her mind but she wouldn't stoop so low as to believe in simple parlor tricks to answer her queries.

Shizuna could hear a crowd gathering, she assumed it must be the fights and most likely Tenshin is caught in the midst of it all. Even so the trail of rather confused individuals made an easy map anyways. Shizuna didn't quite spot him out of the crowd since he was incognito. Yet she stared at the heavyset man who seemed to be the one organizing this little brawl. She could feel that Tenshin is most likely putting on a show. "That man is too heavily invested in theatrics, I swear."She thought. Just then her eyes laid upon a woman in a black yukata with fans. Her voice was bit...strange, no...could it be?

Ryuu Shosuke

She was ever so pleased by Shizuna’s cold words to the fortune teller. The look on the young man’s face showed that his ego had been hurt and he reluctantly retreated into his tent to sulk. A look of satisfaction settled on her features. With the going of Tenshin’s nonstop theatrics and energy, a smile tugged at the corner of her lips and she followed after Shizuna and everyone. There were times where she really did worry about Tenshin’s wellbeing. He was so an odd ball that she was surprised so few men from their division have tried to kick him out. Ryuu brought a hand up to shade her eyes from the bright lights. It was then that she noticed that there was something in the sleeve of her yukata. How did I not notice this before. With a frown Ryuu inspected her arm a bit surprised to find a charm fastened snugly to her arm and she really did wonder why she didn’t notice it before.

Looking up into the crowd, she peered at the faces that passed them by or who clustered around the vendors stalls. The few she made eye contact with were quick to avert their eyes but she quickly realized that they had every right to do so considering the intensity of her stare. Ryuu looked at the charm again and realized this was the one Tenshin had grabbed from the fortune teller. “Now why’d he give it to me?” she muttered to herself. At the moment she didn’t bother trying to understand his eccentric behavior. Pulling the sleeve of her yukata back down the slip of paper was dislodged and floated to the ground without her knowing. The red head finally focused on what was in front of her. It turned out she had slowed her pace considerably as everyone was far ahead of her. Frowning at this, Ryuu quickened her pace the best she could in the yukata.

After having caught up to them Ryuu observed the scene before her. Various men of all backgrounds, and sizes, crowded around a heavyset man who barked at those who surrounded him. It wasn’t long before they were able to locate Tenshin, who now wore a black yukata. Upon seeing them he waved his red fan like a woman once more before snapping it closed to reveal dozens of meat sticks, vegetables and everything else you could name. The young man even had a keg of ale hanging from his neck to drink from. The very look of it was ridiculous and Ryuu couldn’t help but snort. Tenshin opened the fan but this time facing the other way and she saw that he held numbers. There were enough for all of them to use.

Ryuu took hers, regarding it carefully. “I’m all for a good fight however fighting with a broken arm isn’t all that fun. If anything it’ll just get in the way so I think I’ll have to pass on this.” The latter of her words was said in a harsh tone. Tenshin was aware of her arm and it irritated her that he’d be so foolish as to think she’d want to risk even more damage to it and further lengthen her time without it. Thinking better on her words, Ryuu shoved the paper slip into her sash. “But I’ll keep this just in case.”

Tenshin smiled and fully revealed himself to Shizuna and the others in a dramatic showing of surprising fan skills (Now where did he learn to do that?), twirling them dramatically and throwing them to an "admirer" in the crowd with a grin. The man was at first excited to receive the gift, until the now revealed masculine Tenshin blew him a mock kiss and threw him a suggestive wink. It took only a second of shock before his compatriots were grilling him for falling for the long-haired 11th Division member and poking at his tastes for lady boys. As usual Tenshin was fine with drawing a small crowd, the eccentric shinigami looked to Ryuu with a fake heavyset pout and tried to coax her into fighting "Now now my dear, its the spirit of the 11th to fight! and....well actually that's about it, you can use your feet, or your head....actually that's a terrible idea." He shrugged and grinned as per usual and flipped the demon mask onto his face. He began to scope out the crowd for a moment before with a bow and a wave dissapearing in a quick show of Shunpo, appearing nearby and yelling "Boo!" at a small family and their kids.

The children eeped and huddled behind their parents at first and the aforementioned hiding places scowled angrily at the demon before he flipped up his mask with a broad grin and handed out a variety of candies, meat sticks and even a little cash to the kids before flipping the mask back on and dramatically running back to his friends. If one were to take a moment to look it was obvious that they were from the outskirts of the Rukongai, poor and disheveled and only allowed in for the festival, as always they were Tenshins people. He slid back in front of the group with an apologetic bow and quickly passed off his slips to Shizuna "If you'll excuse me for a moment, I'm going to go play Satan Claws....is that right? I thought humans said Satan was bad....but then he gives them presents...either way! Satan Claws must visit the people of the Rukongai! If they call my number just yell 'I need you Tenshin-Sama!' and I shall appear. I'll be back soon!"

Tenshin began running off into the crowd again, obliviously yelling "Satan away!". His inability to stand still and wait for his own ideas to come to fruition before coming up with a new one was a testament to his over-zealousness for the festival, but he was enjoying himself. Besides, the prospect of Shizuna being forced to yell 'I need you Tenshin-Sama!' in a crowd was enough to give the gift-giving demon a giggle fit of untold proportions. He'd likely pass the entire festival like this, playing with his friends, fighting, eating, making the festival special for those who so rarely saw it, and then regretting it in the morning.

Even now he could feel the weakness in his bones and his old wounds threatening to open, but such was life, and he would continue to be oblivious about his misinterpretation of Satan and his gift habits.

"My Prince Charming is at the Hakuda fights,"

Joel began chocking on the rest of his hot dog as he went down to his knees in shock of both Tenshin's words and the feeling of strain in his wind pipe. "Wha-what?" he coughed. He tried to regain his composer once the hot dog had been coughed up, but was still torn off by what was happening. He looked around and saw that the shady guy had retreated in disappointment. When Shizuna suggested going to find Tenshin, Joel nodded and hummed in agreement. To be honest he was hoping the man hadn't lost his mind. Joel began wondering if something was actually wrong with him in a different way. Tenshin was known for having a lot of energy, but things were getting crazy. Then again, this was probably just Joel's imagination. After all it had been a long while since they were all together, and even now they weren't all together. Though, those were some really good times. Compared to back then Joel began thinking this was actually normal. He wasn't sure how his friends were feeling exactly, but they seemed to all have been back in their strides. At least, they hadn't said anything. So this was normal.

That being noted, Joel went to looking for Tenshin with the group. When they arrived at the crowd of people hooting and hollering their praises of joy and love towards the main attraction who looked to be a woman in a black ukata, Joel squinted looking around for Tenshin. "What's going on," he asked one of the crowd men.
"That fair lady is fighting for the princes heart," The man said in a drunk stupor.
"The what?"
He looked back at the lady in the center of the crowd, hoping that he didn't just put two and two together when the lady moved her fan to reveal all the most delectable looking meats and upon closer look he was able to tell it was Tenshin. It seemed Shizuna had noticed as well as Ryu as both were headed towards Tenshin who had flicked the fan to reveal some numbers and began talking about the fight for the princes hand. Joel thought if anything he'd fight for the food. Then when Tenshin pointed to the "Prince", Joel thought as long as that meant infinite food he'd be in all day long. He reached his hand slowly to grab a number when Ryu's voice made him retract. She mentioned that her arm was still broken and that she didn't want to fight, which was understandable, but it made Joel think of Tenshin. Out of everyone, he was the one fighting the hardest out there the night of the battle. It didn't make sense, even for him to want to fight on in whatever state he was in. Partying was one thing. He was always the guy who was going to enjoy himself, but this just seemed to be something different. Though Joel couldn't put his finger on it, he knew one thing. The man wanted to fight. Joel wondered if they didn't allow them to train in his division as punishment. Whatever it was, Joel wasn't going to take part in Tenshin pushing himself too far. He figured, if no one wanted to fight, Tenshin would lose interest in the idea and they would all continue doing normal festival stuff, with more food and alcohol this time. Though when the man tried to bail on them instead. That was when Joel was able to finalize his suspicions. Tenshin had always been on the unpredictable side, but usually he'd make his team do unpredictable things as well. That's at least how Joel remembered it. That's how they always got together. Never had he'd left them out of something, especially if the plan of the day was to all hang out together. Joel didn't know what to do at that time. He knew he'd be able to catch up, but what would he say once he did. Never mind now. The ten seconds it took for him to think about it, was enough time for the man to circle away from his path, leaving no trace. At least that was Joel's thinking towards the point of going after him. He looked over at the others. He could say that he felt something was wrong with the man, but even if he were to say something, he could be wrong and would look too worrisome at the end of the day. He wasn't about to be the downer of the day. Then again, last time he chose not to be a downer they were almost all beaten to death and eaten by hollows. Looking up at the bright sky, Joel sighed and kept his mouth close. As long as Tenshin wasn't gone past the night, he didn't have anything to worry about anyway. There was no chance a hollow would dare show his face in broad daylight.

"So. What should we do now," the young man said. "Should we go after him, or put those tickets to good use?"

Shizuna

"Ugh, the death of this man will not be by the enemy's hand but by his own!" Shizuna bitterly thought as she watched her whirlwind of a friend. She shook her head over Tenshin's acts of stupidity and over-the-top personality. She was surprised none of the men felt the need to punch Tenshin's lights out over his mocking of their sexual preferences, even though he maybe in dire need of one. Still if Tenshin won't consider his own well-being then she might as well, she's definitely more responsible with hers than he is with his own. During this he seemed to try and convince Ryuu to enter the Hakuda Fights, and while she is a warrior deep down in her bones, Shizuna believed that she of all people would have enough sense not to enter the fights. Still, that didn't stop her overzealous friend from trying to tempt her. Shizuna was about ready to tell him what for when he appeared before her and handed of his tickets. She looked at him with a mix of shock and accusation as he decided to run off an play....Satan Claws. "What the Hell?!" She blurted after her friend's remark.

That was a bit out of character for her, but then again Tenshin was acting particularly crazy tonight. She wasn't quite sure on what she should do with the slips of paper, perhaps just hand them off to random people. Yet she had the nagging thought that Tenshin might be upset with that course of action. Not that she would particularly care but she really didn't want to have to deal with his incessant prattling. Yet she had the urge to hunt him down and correct him on his most grievous of misunderstandings. The man is going to give someone a good and long heart attack with that behavior. Despite her wishes Tenshin is good at running around using his Shunpo, makes it difficult for one to pin him down when he is on a roll. Ugh, this beginning to make her regret coming out here tonight. The sudden urge and longing to return back to the Seventh Division Barracks and train with her Zanpakuto was killing her.

In the midst of her own confusion, Joel managed to appear. It seemed he managed to keep up with the rest of them. She wasn't quite expecting to her a peep from him but even Tenshin was good at making, even the most reserved of people, talk. Shizuna looked over to him as Joel asked whether or not we should take the time to hunt Tenshin down. "Pfft, I'm not sure anymore. I'm getting towards the point we should just wait for him to crash and burn...then he'll see what good his antics do." She bitingly commented. She then looked down at the tickets and then back to Joel and gave heavy sigh. Seemingly feeling bad for her current tone she spoke back to Joel, "We should go after him, the man believes himself to be Santa Claus with a Satanic twist, and I'm sure you don't need me to tell you how well that one will play out." She spoke as she handed a ticket to Joel. "You might as well take one, at least Tenshin can't say I didn't try." Shizuna spoke as she held out the tickets to Joel so he may take one.

Ryuu Shosuke

She wasn’t quite sure of what to make of him. She really didn’t. There were times where Ryuu thought she understood Tenshin but today wasn’t one of those times. Instead she felt like the person who stood before her was a stranger of sorts. However she couldn’t help but let a small smile befall her lips at his dramaticism. Now now my dear, its the spirit of the 11th to fight! and....well actually that's about it, you can use your feet, or your head....actually that's a terrible idea." Giving her a pout as he tried to persuade her. “I ain’t your dear Tenshin.” Ryuu glared at him and made an attempt at punching him in the arm but he had already set his sights on something else.

Ryuu watched him scare a family and their children. By the looks of it they were the families that lived on the outskirts of the Rukongai. A place she had, at one point, called home. Her eyes wandered away from them to get a better grasp of those who had arrived for the fight. There were surprisingly few who caught her attention as the majority of the folk were people from the Rukongai looking to earn some quick money. Her eyes flickered back to her friends as Tenshin had returned only to tell them, or rather Shizuna, that he was going to play Satan Claus. All Ryuu could do was hold her head in her hands and shake it in dismay. “Why were we cursed to befriend such a fool?” It was a rhetorical question but one that was bound to be questioned by the others.

Looking to Shizuna, Ryuu was surprised by the younger woman. It was unlike her to blurt out such things but she felt more so towards Joel who had finally caught up with them. While she agreed with what Shizuna said the obvious choice of a normal friend would be to go after Tenshin however they weren’t normal friends per say. “It certainly would be nice to finally get him to see what an idiot he is but I digress. There is no doubt in my mind that he’ll do something stupid. At its worst he’ll end up extending his probation and at his best, well actually I don’t think there is one.” For a moment Ryuu tried to think of all of Tenshins antics and whether or not they led to relatively happy endings. “I guess we follow after him then. I’m actually rather curious how this mixture of Satan and Santa Claus works out.”

With that being said Ryuu went in search for the dark haired friend. Thankfully it didn’t take them very long to find him. The eccentric shinigami was passing out not only food but money as well. “He’s going to be utterly broke by the end of the night.” Ryuu understood he was trying to help them but it really wouldn’t get him anywhere. The people of the Rukongai, especially those on the outskirts, were like birds. If you feed them once they’ll come back and they’ll keep coming back even if you have nothing to give them. It was a harsh analogy but it was true and sometimes those who returned don’t come back for the food. “Tenshin if you want to make a change I suggest you aim for the highest position possible. Handing out money and food like is like spooning out the water in a flood.” Briefly placing a hand on his shoulder as she spoke in a somber tone. Hopefully by saying this he'd give up his Satan Claus act and either go home or try his body in a hakuda fight.

Tenshin was happily handing out food and money, playing the role of Satan quite well he thought, until his comrades came to pull him up on it. He was well aware he was already low on funds, especially after being banned from work with this damnable probation, but nonetheless he couldn't help well, wanting to help.

When Ryuu mentioned aiming for the top he turned to her with a dangerous glint in his one showing eye as he somberly pulled his demon mask off and held it by his side."I know I can't do much here, and to be honest I hate it, but to them it might be the difference in their week." He took a moment to unravel the bandages around his knuckles and arms to reveal the blood that stained them almost to the elbow in thick splotches and cuts "I'm going to be Captain even if it kills me, but I know I need to calm down, does that cover the gist of it? I just hate the waiting is all. But hey, Kenpachi issued a challenge." He clenched his fist hard and the wooden mask in his hand splintered under the duress as a predatory grin spread across his face, baring his sharp canines. "I'm going to tear them to shreds~" He whistled out in a singsong tune.

He heard his number being called and tapped Ryuu's shoulder "Thanks for setting me straight, blah blah, wanna watch me kick some ass?" He chuckled, grinning wide again, the predatory gleam still in his eyes as he jogged back to take his number from Shizuna. He knew his sudden swap of attitude was as erratic as his previous adventure, but he'd vented, and he wanted to punch something, so he hopped up onto the stand and shrugged off the top of his uniform and let it roll down to hang at his waist. In front of him was a familiarly beefy fellow and from across the small arena they blinked at each other in surprise.

"Is that you chubby?~ Where's my free breakfast?~" He sung, flashing a toothy grin his way, but to his surprise the big brute didn't back down. Instead he grinned back and got into a fighting stance "I've been practicing squirt, when I kick your ass you'll leave the 11th for good just like last time. If you get lucky, I'll do your chores for a month." Tenshin whistled and threw off his bandages entirely "Sounds good~ Make it two and you have a deal~" 'chubby' nodded and the two squared off. The announcer set the rules, first one to surrender, get knocked out, or bleed, barring Tenshin's current injuries, was the loser.

Tenshin looked to his right and gave Ryuu a playful wink before dispersing in a flash, his shin slamming up to crack loudly against his foes forearm and his hand planting into the floor, using the position to push the man back. Tenshin's grin widened and he ducked under the mans swing, slamming an open palm into his ribcage and channeling Rieatsu through the blow to crack his ribs. He attempted to flip back but was caught by a swift kick, causing him to tumble back out of reach instead and forcing him to dodge the next blow. Tenshin hauled himself up and spun around a direct punch, grabbing him by the back of the hand and slamming his elbow into the other mans hard, dislocating his shoulder from the yanking action, the brute growled and landed a sweeping punch into Tenshin's ribs and hurtled him across the small arena, grabbing him by the head and slamming his knee into Tenshin's face before throwing him back.

The Shinigami stumbled a bit as he stood up and prodded his old wounds, he looked up to his opponent who was in mid charge and grinned ever wider. Waiting until the last possible moment before Shunpoing in under his guard, curling his hand into a claw and rapidly slamming the palm into the mans prodigious gut before Shunpoing out, panting breathlessly as his opponent stumbled. He vanished again and appeared behind him, standing solidly and punching him directly in the spine to send the man toppling over, Tenshin stumbled over him and lifted him up with the same hand by his head. He revealed his canines again and with a high-speed punch sent him spinning along the floor to fall unconscious at the other end.

The holder of the match declared him the victor and he cheered for himself weakly before walking off the stage with his usual smile to collect a small amount of betting money, he made a show of wrapping his arm around Shizuna's shoulder and cheering "Well that was fun, no chores for me!", before Shizuna could shrug him off he whispered in her ear under the cover of his celebratory arm wrap "Don't tell the big guy, but I'm bleeding pretty hard, I tried Tessho out on the big lug and thankfully it didn't work...but it backfired pretty good." He said with an awkward smile, rubbing the back of his hair before giving another celebratory whoot.

"Yeah I'm pretty tired guys." He yawned exaggeratedly "Beating meatheads tuckers me out pretty good, I'm just gunna...take a nap back at the barracks, you guys enjoy without me!" He said with a smirk, drapping himself over Shizuna a bit more to cover his stumble. I really gotta learn to think when I fight, this is really not doing any wonders for my blood supply he thought absently.

When Shizuna handed him a ticket, Joel stuffed it in his pocket saving it for a later time. He was sure that it wouldn't take long to find Tenshin in daylight, the area as a whole wasn't big. Though, without his hood, Joel wasn't going to bring attention to himself by running the streets.

"You might as well take one, at least Tenshin can't say I didn't try."

"Thanks," Joel replied.

It seemed at first Ryu wasn't worried about Tenshin doing anything too dangerous too, though Joel guessed that's how the rest of them felt. It wasn't as if he was going to get in danger during daylight, but that didn't mean that he wasn't going to step into some trouble. Surely if he started this early, then by nightfall hollows would be the last thing they'd have to deal with.

“I guess we follow after him then. I’m actually rather curious how this mixture of Satan and Santa Claus works out.” Ryu spoke before leading the search.

Joel nodded and went on foot as well. There was a lot of time left in the day and only nightfall would call for Joel's speed. Besides, by the time Joel felt any amount of time going by they had already found Tenshin. He was close enough to the fights that Joel could still hear the Hakuda fight manager. Upon this realization, Joel donned a bummed look for a minute before changing it into a smirk. He was happy to see Tenshin was just giving out gifts and money rather than chasing hollows. It was actually funny how he found himself thinking Tenshin would do that. Well, he would, but not alone.

Relaxing once more, Joel went back into his adrift state of mind for a short lived period of time. Tenshins number was called up, and Joel looked at his ticket which had yet to be called, wishing he could get some food if anything. However, when Tenshin entered the ring on a whim, Joel could sense, if only for a second, there was indeed a fire burning in his friend he hadn't seen before. He passed it off as him being worrisome again and took a vacation from his mind and went into the real world to see Tenshin's fight. He led himself away from Ryu and Shizune. It was easier for him to pay attention when he wasn't around people he knew. That, and he wanted to get close to the fight line so he could lean over the makeshift gate's they put up. Hakuda was close combat, so he knew he'd be okay leaning there.

Close combat, something Joel thought he was good at, though his way of fighting isn't Hakuda. No, Hakuda required something more. An energy Joel didn't have. His only gifts were those of the physical aspect. However, he found himself wanting to step into the ring. Not just for food, but since it had been a long time since he sparred any of his friends. It was just a want though. The man's silent nature guarded him from chasing his wants and desires. Guarded, would be the term only he'd find himself using. Though he felt it held him back a lot. Still, he was happy all the same by seeing his friend in action. However, when the man began the fight with a speed entry, Joel wondered if he had also been practicing his combat speed as well as his foot speed. It excited him when Tenshin landed his kick to the point that he leaned forward and opened his eyes normally. His eyebrows crunched close together in concentration as he noted the fact his friends opponent was still standing. That wasn't good. He was sure the chubby one was a strength enthusiast. Anyone else would have been knocked away by that.

The man began to think it didn't matter, but quickly retracted the thought knowing that this was going to be a close counters fight. Strength mean's little without speed, but who needs that when the opponent is inches away all the time and not a whole limbs worth. Joel bit his thumb as he saw his old friend being thrown around like he was a ragdoll. He was beginning to think Tenshin's head wasn't all the way in the game. 'From the looks of it, his opponent had some combat skills, but without any forms, he was wasting his time. On the other hand, Tenshin can take a beating which come's from within, but even he has limits. Though it took a hollow for even I to see that.' He thought while watching Tenshins opponent try to ram him with all his might. However, to Joel's surprise, Tenshin stood in place smiling. When Tenshin went for speed again, Joel was expecting the revolution and the inevitable fumble to start, but instead Tenshin was stopped, if only for a brief moment, in perfect position for a strike, which landed like the roar of thunder. Joel, could hear the crowds oo's and ah's followed by some ugh's at the sheer force and power displayed. Though Joel was unsure if half of them even understood what just happened. How could they, most of them not being able to go that fast, let alone pull a stop three times without putting strain on their body. Usually, when you shunpo into a fight the revolution happens, and if a wall is in your way you'd fumble, but what was surprising even more to Joel than the fact Tenshin didn't fumble before his full stop and even more than the fact that he did it three times, is the fact that he was able to adjust off of the fumble and do so without training for it. Hakuda surely was amazing, but Joel knew that it was Tenshin himself who was mostly to credit. He decided that maybe he was thinking about his abilities too linear,going by the book too much and that he would switch up his training.

After the fight Tenshin tried to leave the group again saying that he was tired, which made sense seeing as he was bleeding everywhere. It seemed doing that move did have some penalties, but it was pretty cool all the same. To Joel's dismay, it seemed Tenshin had all the reasons in the world not to fight again, so he decided to keep quiet about wanting to fight him. Knowing Tenshin's all the reasons in the world still wouldn't stop him and Joel wasn't that thirsty to feel what Hakuda techniques felt like. Instead he just said, "Good burst attacks." and smirked, wondering if the rest were going to let Tenshin go back to his barracks by himself. He still hadn't ate anything but that hotdog and could feel his stomach becoming violent. 'I know, I know. Years of starving just feed you a hot dog and starve you again. We'll get our chance.' Joel's thoughts weren't good enough, for the growl of his stomach mumbled in the small circle of conversation.

Ryuu Shosuke

."I know I can't do much here, and to be honest I hate it, but to them it might be the difference in their week." Ryuu was a bit surprised that he agreed with her but in a way she felt bad. It was like she had thrown more salt on an open wound, a wound that Tenshin so clearly wanted to go away. She eyed the bandages with a bit of worry but it wasn’t all that unusual for him to be bleeding somewhere on his body. She just hadn’t expected him to be bleeding that much in such a short amount of time. "I'm going to be Captain even if it kills me, but I know I need to calm down, does that cover the gist of it? I just hate the waiting is all. But hey, Kenpachi issued a challenge." A snort escaped her lips as she shook her head. “Now where would dying leave you? It’ll be oh so very lonely if I didn’t have my trusty lieutenant by my side don’t you think.” Just like her fellow squad member, she had every intention of aiming for the title of Kenpachi. It would definitely show the idiots back at home what she was capable of, even if it only meant she was truly a savage on the battle field.

Her words were meant as a tease but they did carry a large load of seriousness in them. Tenshin tapped her shoulder as his name was called and she could only scowl at her friend. "Thanks for setting me straight, blah blah, wanna watch me kick some ass?" Again Ryuu snorted, knowing full well that his words would be true. “Why in the world would I want to watch the fight you have already decided you were going to win. Where’s the fun in that?” The red head followed him any way as a show of support. She glanced at Joel and Shizuna, wondering if they were going to make a comment on what she said. Hearing nothing from them, her gaze slid back to the ring.

It would seem the fight may actually go to the man Tenshin had referred to as chubby. Ryuu watched in with some interest at the use of shunpo in the match. Her watchful eye didn’t miss the technique her ebony haired friend attempted to use but she couldn’t remember the name of it. She had no intention of asking him either. In the end Tenshin was declared the winner after a punch turned the lights out for his opponent. Ryuu was actually rather curious as to when he had trained to use shunpo like that. Sure she could do the same but not with the same efficiency as Joel or him. In truth Ryuu was kinda terrible at it but that didn’t keep her from trying.

He stepped down from the ring with a whole new set of wounds. The fourth division must really love. The corner of her lips twitched into a smile but it was quelled when he drapped his arm and eventually more of his body onto Shizuna. The other woman was probably seething under the potentially unwanted weight but then again maybe she’d be thoughtful and hold her tongue. I would have punched him by now.

"Beating meatheads tuckers me out pretty good, I'm just gunna...take a nap back at the barracks, you guys enjoy without me!" From what she could see he probably wasn’t going to make it past five feet of them. Ryuu shook her head again. “Tenshin I don’t think you’d make it past the festival grounds if at you manage to get yourself off Shizuna’s shoulder that is.” Looking over to Joel, Ryuu thought she heard a grumble but dismissed it. On further thought she couldn’t find Naratsuki but she wouldn’t be surprised if he was off playing a game or something.

She looked back at Tenshin and frowned. She could either let Tenshin leave by himself and risk him collapsing somewhere so she can stay with the others or she could accompany him to the barracks or the clinic and keep an eye on him. Ryuu ended up glaring at Tenshin in the process but finally decided to go with the latter. “I’m taking you to the barracks Tenshin whether you like it or not. . . besides I need to change out of this. I can’t stand wearing it anymore.” She said in something of a growl. It had been a long time since she had shown such concern but considering she also intended to change out one could assume it was a mixture of self interest and concern. Ryuu threw his arm over her shoulder with her right arm between them. “I’ll see you guys later.” Glaring at Tenshin again, Ryuu helped him to the barracks.

It had been a long while since he last attended the festival. There really wasn't much to do that he hadn't done before so he stopped coming to them. However tonight he was requested to accompany a few certain individuals while they enjoyed the festival. Gen didn't care about having to attend as the idea of earning some money overshadowed the whole thing. With a heavy sigh Gen folded his arms. He watched the trio he was looking after with a look of boredom. Why was he even asked to do this. Normally those who were seated higher got requested to escort nobles. Sure Gen was a seated officer but not significantly so. God this sucks. He wasn't sure which noble family they came from but they were obviously from one that had some influence in the Soul Society otherwise they wouldn't have needed an escort.

One of the girls, she was petite and had lovely black hair and green eyes, scurried away from the other two towards a tent. "Hey. Don't go wondering off. You're gonna make my job harder than it should be." He looked at the other two signaling for them to follow him as he walked in the direction the girl went. When they caught up to her they found that she was talking with a young man close to her age. It would seem he was a the vendor at this particular tent and when Gen stepped back to see what his trade was he scoffed at them. “Are you serious? A fortune teller?” Gen shook his head and waited patiently for the rest of them to get their fortunes told.

He hated the fact that he actually had to inside the tent to watch them just in case the fortune teller was some kidnapper. After what felt like forever they finally finished getting their fortunes read. They exited the tent and the trio immediately went to another vendor that was selling meat on sticks. Wanting some alone time no matter how short lived, Gen watched the girls from a distance. It wasn’t long after his bunch left the fortune teller's tent that another group stood in front of it. The kid who owned the tent had the balls to call out to some of the members and from he could see it was the women. Gen snickered at how the women of the group handled them and he was a bit curious as to who they were. Most females that he encountered loved th idea of getting their fortunes told. Alas he couldn’t stand there for much longer since his charge was moving elsewhere again.

For the briefest of moments he lost them which made him panic a little. Eventually he did find them but not where he expected them to be. They were watching a Hakuda fight and grimaced at every blow landed on an opponent in the ring. Gen approached them from behind, startling them. “You guys never seen people fight before?” The eldest shook her head in an almost pompous manner. He tried to keep from glaring at her but his attention was soon taken elsewhere. The next contenders was between a stocky older man and a guy, who he recognized as one of the member of the eleventh division, with a bunch of bandages. “Hey is he really going to fight with all those wounds?” Gen looked to the youngest and smirked. “You don’t think a man of the eleventh division can handle a few wounds? Just watch them. Maybe you’ll learn a thing or two.” And so they watched the fight, well he did anyway. The girls kept looking away in horror.

After the fight was over he himself was starting to want to punch a few things. The girls keep criticizing the poor guy for how stupid he was in having fought in his condition. Gen watched that same guy leave with a woman who was also wounded. Wait don’t tell me these are the guys on probation?” He chuckled to himself. “Hey I need you three to wait here. I’m going to try my hand at this.” Gen approached the group of shinigami who were on probation. “Say mind if I have a word with you?” Speaking to the only guy (Joel) left of the group. When he pulled him aside Gen told him about wanting to fight him.

Joel was disappointed that Tenshin used all of his energy before night even came to pass and the fact that Ryuu left along side him hadn't made the situation any better. It was mainly because he didn't wake up in the morning wanting to come to the festival in the first place and when he was beginning to enjoy it a little, all of his friends were gone. All except Shizuna who was still there, at least for the time being, though that wasn't much help either. In the spectrum of noises that the people around them generated she didn't give any contributions, nor did she give him a need to contribute either. He was sure they could have some sort of conversation, but was deterred from starting one. So far, throughout knowing the woman, he hadn't caught the blunt of her attack when it came to her criticism, but he knew that this far in anything he would say had better meant something or she might look down on it. She was too much of a mystery and Joel wasn't going to offend her by talking about something she had no interest in or bringing up something that was out of her personality. That, and he didn't know any topic of interest to talk about, though he thought of saying ''Wasn't that a good fight?'', but decided not to, having no follow up if she were to reply with a one word or comeback sentence. So this was good for him. He enjoyed the silence and leaning while paying attention to nothing. He imagined that she liked it too, otherwise she'd say something or move away. Then again, she could just be in deep thought like he was, but he thought against it since one of his teachers told him a long time ago that he spends more time in his head than anybody should. The man would agree that he did and that it was probably because of this that he wasn't good at talking, but still he thinks out everything he does. The only time he doesn't have to think is when he was doing physical exercise.

The good thing about Tenshin and Ryuu being gone was that the food tickets Tenshin won and the ones he had before that were left to just two people now. Joel ate as neatly as he could. While eating, he looked around seeing people laughing and cheering, completely enjoying the day. It was a wonder. Especially since a group of people had just died not even a month prior. That was how war worked he supposed. This everlasting battle with the hollows has been going on for so long that people didn't dote on them. Instead, they took the days that their weren't any troubles and used them to live. Thinking about that, Joel wondered if he should stop doting on things too, a thought that always passes his mind. He then looked over at Shizuna who was as unreadable as anyone could be. Then he began rambling inside of his head about the many things they could possibly talk about and how he'd just say something dumb or have nothing good to say in the first place.

Finally when he finished his cabbob, the man stood up from the bench outside the meat shop ready to do something, even though his actions weren't fast and rugged enough express. "Hey," he called to her in almost a whisper. He had wanted to ask if she wanted to leave and go back to her barracks, but was interrupted when he was pulled aside. The man who had wanted to talk to him seemed a little on the manly side, but less wild than Tenshin. He was nice enough to ask first if Joel wanted to speak to him, but still pulled him along the arm even though he was a complete stranger. Joel looked back quickly at Shizuna, giving no signs of being uncomfortable on his face, though he did feel it, and put up a finger so she'd know he'd be back. He just hoped she wouldn't leave him by himself.

The man explained his situation of working a babysitting job, which Joel found weird that he'd just leave the babies in question by themselves, but since it wasn't his problem and today was a good day with good people, he didn't say anything. Apparently, the man wanted to fight Joel for some reason. It didn't seem like there was any malice towards the fight, but Joel still didn't know. It also seemed like the man was a warrior at heart. Joel wouldn't have been surprised if he was Soul Reaper, save the fact that he couldn't tell which division would have babysitting detail. Still, since he seemed sincere, Joel agreed. "Okay. Just let me take off this coat."

Usually, the lad wouldn't take off any layer of clothing in front of a crowd of people, preferring to keep them from looking at his tattoos, not to mention himself in general. The only difference was that today he was wearing a pretty expensive piece of clothing, white with gold lines through the collar and wrists. This is what he'd define as formal wear, and preferred to keep the formal away from the informal and far from the brutality that was his essence of man. For seeing his friend fight had awakened something inside of him. Something that only comes out when he either thinks too much, or is around violence. Now, with this new person Joel felt eager. Eager to show at least someone something. Even if he didn't know what that something was. One top of that, he also wanted to see where those grueling weeks of training had left him.

He returned to the area he had left Shizuna, sighing to relief that she was still there. When he walked within ears reach of her, he said, "Could you hold this for me?" taking off his coat and leaving nothing but the black dress shirt he had on underneath. He played around with his tie, wondering if he should have kept it on or took it off, but decided to keep it. He wore a tie when he fought hollows and decided he'd wear one even if he's sparring a person. "I'm going to fight that guy that just came over here." After saying that, he left and walked towards the Hakuda ring where he was to meet his opponent. He wished he could be energized before the fight like Tenshin and ask Shizuna to cheer him on, but the words never left his tongue. He didn't expect her to even watch and in truth that made him feel a little better. For since he didn't have a sword, he'd have to use his martial expertise which combined acrobats with fast hard movements. It was his own style and he'd be nervous if she were watching him anyway. Though she could have been, it made him comfortable not to know either way.

Joel wasn't much for words as usual and just nodded trying to find a way to express his respect for the man without saying anything. Now all that was left between them was an open stage and a referee that only had to give them the signal.

The first thing that came to Tenshin's mind was "Oh no", Ryuu wasn't the most gentile of his friends, and now he'd taken her from the festival. Although it appeared her interest in changing and his wounds were to cushion the blow "Success" He whispered ever so softly to himself, lest she catch wind and split him in half. He limped alongside her, heading back to the barracks in relative silence, for Tenshin that is.

When they get closer to their destination, and he'd bled enough on Ryuu's outfit, he decided to strike up a conversation.

"Soooo.....how goes the Shikai progress?" He queried genuinely, readjusting his arm over her shoulder in the process. "My Zanpakuto likes to talk, but does it say anything useful or give me its name? Not so much, she's a bit...flirty." He stated, and at that looked down to his blades.

"I can already tell I'm going to get chewed out for that." He mumbled to nobody in particular, taking a moment to fully take in Ryuu's outfit. It was almost non-existent for him to see her in such attire, and even with him bleeding all over the place she made a stunning figure, the result of her training no doubt. Therefore, he reasoned, it was not impertinent for him to admire her while he could, and he gave her an awkward happy smile that said he was enjoying his time with her. Even if she wasn't liable to return the sentiment over companionable silence and injury.

Shizuna Kurotsuki


Shizuna watched with disdain over Tenshin's fight with the heavyset shinigami. "Fool, doesn't he have any sense within that head of his?" She spoke to no one in particular. She noticed the other women advert their gaze at the sight of the violence. In honesty she didn't really care, it was all just violence and thats something that she was used to. Living in the Rukongai, she has seen a fair share of violent encounters while prowling the rooftops, especially in the poorer districts. Yet she was never privy to such things and never felt the sheer terror those that did, felt. It was just apart of existence, but she finally did once she became a Shinigami. The worst of it all coming from that horrible night were she thought that destruction was upon them. Compared to surviving a Hollow attack, yeah, this little scrap was hardly the stuff of nightmares.

She continued to shake her head at Tenshin's tomfoolery. She then sighed as her friend draped himself over her shoulder. "Serves you right, you know?" She said under her breath. It was then Ryuu relieved her of her burden and was reserved to assist Tenshin back to the barracks. That and she had grown tired of her dressings, something Shizuna thought was out of character for her. In fact she was rather surprised she stomached it for as long as she did. Perhaps she's trying to be more fun and carefree about things? Then it was just her and Joel at the festival. He seemed lost in his thoughts and even seemed to be a little conflicted, over what? She couldn't tell, she wasn't a mind reader. Still it seemed like he intended to use Tenshin's winnings for some food. With a shrug, Shizuna decided to join Joel. After all, she was kind of hoping Ryuu would fight as well...that would be worth watching.

She ate quite delicately and properly despite it being festival food. She noticed Joel did the same as well, not that she would care if he decided to eat like Tenshin. It's not like they were on a date or something silly like that. It was a bit of an awkward silence to her, she wasn't sure if Joel was intentionally being quiet to avoid speaking with her or he had nothing to say at all. Joel wasn't much of a talker anyway, this isn't uncharacteristic of him. She would have disregarded it as normal behavior if she didn't feel like Joel had something on his mind. To her it seemed like he wanted to say something and him being silent was beginning to pester her. Not that she doesn't enjoy the silence, after all, the wild and unpredictability accompanying Tenshin always gave her a bit of a headache. Most of it was worrying about the fool, sure, he deserves his punishments but she can't help but feel worried. He was her friend after all, something she wouldn't admit out loud. She finished her food around the same time as Joel.

After that quiet meal, she was about ready to say something to break the ice. It was beginning to annoy her especially when she feels like Joel really wants to say something. Normally Tenshin would say something that comes to his mind, no matter how idiotic it might be. Shizuna already is starting to miss that level of comfortability with her and wanted Joel to feel the same way. Besides he would probably offer more stimulating conversation than Tenshin. It was then she was a bit surprised when he started to say something to her. He whispered in her ear one word until a random stranger came up and asked to speak with Joel. She stared at the man and felt a bit peeved that he would be as rude as to pull her companion away from her. He was just about to speak as well. Joel gave her a sign that he would be back and Shizuna had no intention of leaving now.

She couldn't help but feel curious and went to follow them despite Joel saying he would return. She wanted to know just what was so important that this man had to drag Joel off for. He didn't look like he was in high authority, no Lieutenant's Badge or a Captain's Cloak. Of course she found it difficult to tell who was a seated officer unlike herself. It was then Joel came back to her and asked to hold his things. She gave him an incredulous look when she took his stuff. It was then he informed her he intended to fight that man. She almost shook her head in instinct but then realized this was Joel. Compared to the lot of them, Joel didn't seem that awfully injured. In fact he took care of himself pretty well against the Hollows. She then watched him walk off and felt as if she should go watch him. She went to the Hakuda Ring to watch this next fight between Joel and the mystery man. She wasn't cheering him on or doing much of anything that would alert him to her presence. Yet, she couldn't help but hope that Joel would win his fight.

Ryuu Shosuke

Although she didn't hear what Tenshin had said, she definitely knew that he had said something. "Did you say something? If so just say it already." The idea of him holding back annoyed her for some reason. Could it be that he is, unlike the others, someone she holds at a higher standard, something of a best friend. Or was she just being irritable and snappy as she usual. Ever since the incident with the hollows Ryuu has gotten noticeably short tempered. She had yet to really lose her temper and surprisingly she can't remember the last time she truly gave in to her emotions. Thinking about it more there was one such incident. It had happened years ago before she had been adopted into that noble family. To be honest Ryuu couldn't quite remember the incident but she knew someone was there and there was the definitive smell of burning wood and ash.

Ryuu was so deep in thought she just barely caught onto what Tenshin had been saying. Catching mainly the latter half of his sentence, all she got really was that someone, a girl, was being flirty with him. For whatever reason that irritated her to no end. The idea of someone flirting with Tenshin seemed absurd. Oh god. Please don't tell me he's already sleeping with women. Then she took into account that Tenshin had said it hadn't given its name, meaning it wasn't a person. The only thing she could think of was their zanpakuto's. Maybe he was asking about my sword? The shinigami came to the conclusion that it really didn't matter if had asked or not, she might as well cover her bases.

"Hmm at least she talks to you. Mine has only spoken to me once but she was really cryptic. She even-" Ryuu was about to say Ten no bana had burned her but she couldn't bring herself to tell him that. She was just too prideful. Thankfully he muttered something so he probably didn't get much out her either. Snickering a little, Ryuu readjusted her grip on his arm. She pulled on it so he wasn't falling off of her but was supported by her. "Tenshin had I not know you were talking about your zanpakuto, anyone would have thought you were talking about your one night stand." She said with a lighthearted laugh at the end.

Shortly after saying that Ryuu noticed the awkward smile he had on his face. Suddenly stopping Ryuu turned to face Tenshin relatively unaware at how close they had gotten. "Oh my. You didn't really sleep with someone did you?" Despite her superb analytical, it would seem Ryuu completely misinterpreted Tenshin's actions. Again Ryuu readjusted her grip on his arm as she awaited his answer, ignoring the little personal space they had between them. The whole idea seemed ridiculous but she really did want to know.

Tenshin had to stop himself from bursting out laughing, covering his mouth and turning away as he chortled so hard he started to cough. He couldn't help himself, she'd said it so suddenly and casually it had taken him by surprise, he was unsure of where she even got the notion.

"Haha, no...no woman, you caught me by surprise there." He admitted, closing the gap between them again and smiling that same way once more. "No, there's only woman on my mind and she's currently carrying me, my Zanpakuto doesn't quite count." He commented shamelessly, leaving whether he meant it in a flirtatious or friendly way entirely up to her interpretation. It was more fun that way. He smiled wider and let himself lean a little more on her as his energy dropped.

Despite how much fun he was having teasing her, and he did so enjoy doing it, until she'd have enough and it'd turn into a chase scene. He had to work on his stamina, he couldn't drape himself all over her every time he'd had a fight, and during the hollow attack he could barely do anything except for see red. He needed to be the one who could shield his comrades no matter the situation.

"I'll have to do better at this whole staying alive thing, I can't well become Captain if I'm always leaning on my trusty Lieutenant hm?" He mused out loud teasingly, aware the two were competing for the same title, a fun game if there were ever one.

Ryuu was always good at centering him in competition, and he felt a connection with her he couldn't explain. He swore he could smell ash when he was near her, but his mind played cruel tricks often, it definitely helped him feel more comfortable with her that was for sure. You are a strange strange man Tension He mused inwardly.

Ryuu Shosuke

She knew she had guessed wrong the moment he started to laugh. Apparently it was so amusing he began to cough a little. In seeing this Ryuu herself laughed a little but quietly. The redhead could tell her words had taken him by surprise but to think she had misread it was her fault. Tenshin smiled awkwardly again, making the somewhat embarrassing moment a little more embarrassing. Ryuu rubbed the back of her neck while her arm was free but he leaned against her again. Currently carrying you? While she wasn't an idiot Ryuu wasn't quite sure how to take his words. He was either flirting with her or just being his usual self. In which case Ryuu could only only scowl as a response. Followed shortly after with a light playful punch.

"You big oaf. Saying that won't get you anything." she said with a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips. However as she looked back on his words, Ryuu began to take notice of how close they had gotten. Actually it was more like Tenshin who was now leaning on her more. Most likely it was from his wound. While she felt the urge to push him away so that he would stop leaning on her so much, she had taken on the job of practically carrying him back home.

His words took her away from her irritation. Ryuu shook her head and some strands of hair fell loose. "You're kidding me right? While I do want you to stay alive, it'd only be for you to see me wear that Captain's cloak. Considering the fact that you're so accident prone, it would be in both our interests to keep you close by." A small chuckle later and Ryuu was back to being her usual self. She didn't have a scowl on her face and she wasn't frowning either. There was never a day where she didn't imagine Tenshin, one of her closest friends and comrade, being by her side. Whether that be as her lieutenant or he as her Captain.

While they had been joking with one another, the sun had finally gone down. With the night finally upon them and the moon brightening their way they were able to see that they were practically at the Elevenths barrack. "Well it looks like we're just about here." Had anyone known better it almost sounded like Ryuu was disappointed. She was actually. The woman actually enjoyed being in the company of her very strange friend.

Ryuu remembered why she had come along in the first place and she wondered whether she wanted to change out of her clothes or just take Tenshin to get bandaged up and go home. The latter would definitely take longer and her room was on the way. Pausing briefly, Ryuu looked at Tenshin. "Hey would it be alright if I change first before taking you to the infirmary? While I don't mind all the blood on me since this isn't even mine, I'd rather not go looking like some dressed up doll."She said with a frown. There was also the matter of taking another bath. There was just so much she wanted to do before dropping off Tenshin but ultimately it was up to him. He was the one bleeding and in pain after all.

Gen & Joel

Gen had explained to the young shinigami his situation. While he didn't care much for watching over a bunch of noisy girls it meant he might get a good word or two to the noble houses. Then again he wasn't exactly being the best escort at the moment. His patience was running thin with these girl hence why he'd like to fight this kid. Gen quickly walked back to where the girls stood, "So I need you girls to stay over there for a bit,"he gestured towards where his opponents friend stood, "I'm going to have a quick duel with a fellow I know." The girls simply looked at him, the youngest even looked a little disappointed but he didn't pay mind to it.

With the girls in tow Gen brought them to where the girl (Shizuna) stood. Afterwards he stepped into the Hakuda ring, making sure to roll up the sleeves of his uniform. " Names Gen by the way. So what brings you here my fellow comrade in arms? On a date with the pretty miss over there now that your friends are gone?" He let out a chuckle as he got into a stance. "Well pleasantries aside let's get this show on the road and as a heads up, I'm a very competitive guy." He grinned at Joel and awaited the signal for the ref to give so they could start.

Joel stood silently looking at his opponent. Though his demeanor was calm, it was just a facade for his hindered nerves. Usually it would be normal for a little adrenaline to rush through his veins in a fight, but this was more of a competition, and though he wasn’t the type of person to shy away from a challenge, this was different. Maybe it was the first time since his graduation exam that he had a diverse set of eyes staring at him. His eyes wandered around the crowd, scouting for nothing in particular, but still, he caught a vibe that made his heart rate rise. When his opponent stepped into the ring he was more than relieved. For at least now he had someone he could focus on. Before Gen had took his stance he said something about a date, which took Joel a while to register. He would have answered, if he knew what to say to that type of question and if the shoutcaster for the competition didn’t start his spule. Joel ignored the words waiting for the man to just say “Fight” already, though he had to admit the man’s voice was good background noise. Now that his ears and eyes were both focused he paid attention to his body making sure that it was focused enough to bring about the muscle memory he trained it to have. He was ready as far as he was concerned and soon everything went silent. Everything except…

“Fight!!!”

Once the word had been said Joel dragged his right foot in front of his left planning on letting loose a hard sidekick, though from the distance between the two all he would end up was kicking air. That’s what it looked like from the start, though he had other plans. Before letting loose the kick, the shunpò user used his left leg to push himself forward, flexing the muscles in his calves before rocketing forward. The bullet like speed would have been good enough for most, but Joel didn’t want to underestimate someone whom he had just met. After all, someone trusted in this man to guard their kids. So instead of extending his leg onto the man, leaving himself available for counter, he used a faint, kicking just passed the side of the man resting all his weight on his ball of his left foot. Once past the man he used his abdominal muscles to pull back on his extended right leg, swinging it as hard aiming his kick to the back of Gen’s neck.

That one word was all Gen needed to hear and it would seem he wasn't the only one who thought so. The young man before him lifted up his right foot in a position to give Gen a good kick however the seasoned shinigami knew that the kid had a trick up his sleeve. There was no way he'd attempt to kick him from so far and the only way to do so was by using shunpo. Joel shot forwards with surprising speed. While Gen did not specialize in shunpo like this kid he certainly knew how to handle shunpo users when the need arises. Gen quickly stepped to the left not realizing until it nearly too late that Joel's first attack was a feint. He just barely had time to throw himself forwards, a bit clumsily actually, to avoid the kick to the back of his head.

He was quick to recover though and retaliated with his own kick. This one was aimed at the left leg to trip him up. Regardless of whether it worked or not Gen jumped back onto his feet. For the briefest of moments he thought of doing one of two things. Throwing a couple jabs at Joel's midsection or rush him and hope to throw him out of the ring. Deciding the the former was a lot safer, Gen pulled back his left arm and would then punch Joel in the midsection with an open palm.

Joel pulled his leg, checking the kick to avoid joint injury, but was left with only one leg to balance his stance. Usually he wouldn’t mind taking a few blows, though when Gen’s palm reached his abdominal center, it was as if he insides were trying to shrink, with all of his muscles flexing and nerves trying to focus on that one spot. Of course, that was all within the contact of the blow. After the glimpse of pain, Joel was sent off of his feet to his back, where he rolled with until he was back on his knees.

The tumble was gritty, given the make of dirt the fights were set on. Still, it didn’t phase the man, so much as make him wonder what kind of power a person could put into a palm strike to damage one's insides. He also noted that the placement of the strike was almost expertly planned, seeing as Joel’s core was a major backing to his power. If Joel was worried on time, it may have been his downfall, but he doubted the fight would last long enough to break his strongest area. Still, he didn’t want to take many more blows such as that one, Seeing as he just ate, he’d imagine he’d be re-tasting a few delicacies that probably would be abominations the next time he saw them.

It was obvious that the best way to approach Gen was to keep constant flow of movement while using his Shunpò, but the question was, how was he supposed to go about doing it. The strength in his legs (if used to exert max potential) would cause him only a bullet line of attack. If Joel knew how to stop, or even make hard 180 degree snaps, he’d probably have a better chance. Joel took a few seconds to look around the ring while bouncing from side to side on the balls of his feet. He had a plan made by this point, and with his last bounce, he shot from one side of the ring, to another, completely missing Gen’s path. Once he approached one of the poles that held the ring ropes in place, he pushed his foot against it, bouncing off and gaining more momentum. He did this four more times, each time hitting a pole and making noises that rung and cracked like thunder. On his fourth and final trip, the thunder wasn’t heard, and his after image went away until finally a monstrous bang sounded and he came back into view, midway in the air and landing for Gen’s direction like a bomb. Though, it seemed there was an explosion of air and dust, there was no impact, which his opponent should have noticed. Either way, the whole show was enough for Joel to get behind his opponent, appearing from the opposite side of his speeded dopple, to grab his waist and slam him back first into the concrete. All Joel needed was to grab hold of the man and let his strength do the rest.

He was rather happy that he had gone with his second choice although thinking back on it Gen could definitely done more damage. Alas now wasn't the time to thinking about such things. Seated shinigami kept his distance from Joel, not quite sure if he should cover the distance to get to him or wait. Gen's biggest concern was his opponents shunpō. There was no real way of determining his skill level with the technique in the little time he had. His eyes watched Joel closely as he bounced back and forth on his feet while Gen himself took on a more still but relaxed stance. It would seem the two were waiting for the other to make a move but Gen had no intention of approaching Joel first however it would seem Gen needn't worry. Suddenly Joel shot forwards like had earlier but he had completely missed hitting him.

Gen made sure to dodge him by a wide margin just to be on the safe side. All the while making sure he faced Joel headon. The shinigami's eyes watched Joel as he bounced off the poles. Each time letting loose a sound reminiscent of thunder. There were a great many ways that Joel could proceed with this and Gen standing there waiting for Joel to attack annoyed those watching. Finally they had enough and yelled for Gen to move or do something. It was then that he noticed that Joel had bounced a fourth time but there was no impact. Gen knew in an instant what had occurred but hopefully his body would have the speed to react.

Hands grabbed at his waist and he could feel himself being pulled up and backwards. Almost immediately his hands pressed down on the arm lock as his leg hooked around the outside of Joel's leg. Gen acted on instinct and hopefully he was quick enough to have halted Joel's move. If it did succeed Gens opponent would undoubtedly fall backwards with Gen on top.

Feeling Gen’s struggle, Joel was starting to feel the burn from exerting his speed. His legs were barely strong enough to life the man off the ground and there he was struggling and making Joels time all the more difficult. He ended up falling on his back with Gen on top. His only chance was to take Gen’s neck, but with shortness of breath from the fall he found himself just wrestling with the man instead. Besides from a few hits and knees here and there, Joel wasn’t able to do much and since his clothes were dirty anyway he rolled away in order to get back to his feet. Once Gen was back up, Joel didn’t wait a single second before throwing fast strikes at the man. The strikes were just as blinding as before, but he could feel the weight his limbs carried from his muscles to his bones. Gen was a good fighter. It made the young shinigami want to fight him even more. Though, as much as he fought, he realized that he didn’t have the endurance at the moment to fight for much longer. Had this been on a different day, he’d figure it’d probably end the same too. Just would’ve took longer. The winner and loser would be the same. That very thought made him want to beat this guy. A guy who seemed to endure over his endurance.

He looked his adversary in the eyes, still unaware of the gap between them. With a final thrust of his fist, all of his speed and strength went to discharge his foe.

They did indeed fall back with Gen still on top. The two made a loud thud as they hit the ground and Gen winced as he had landed on his leg a bit awkwardly. Gen struggled with Joel who he guessed was aiming to take him by the neck. Wrestling around for a moment as he was kneed and elbowed, Gen was finally free from Joel’s body lock as the younger Shinigami rolled away. The seated officer was quick to jump back on his feet as well but as soon as he did so Joel started to throw quick punches and kicks.

He had some difficulty avoiding every single one of them. A few he dodged and deflected although he could feel the power behind the ones he pushed away. A couple managed to make hits but not after Gen had moved away enough to where he didn’t feel its full impact. The last one hit his arm but Gen could feel that with each strike Joel made, the weaker they became however the speed at which they came was still somewhat consistent. Suddenly seeing an opening Gen made two quick jabs but only one was actually able to land albeit it was light.

The pair looked into each other’s eyes and Gen could see the weariness creeping into Joel’s. While he was a bit sad that Joel was already slowing down Gen applauded his opponent’s determination to win this match. The final move was made while Gen was contemplating the future matches he could have with this new recruit. As such he was just barely able to dodge the blow. He could feel Joel’s fist brush against his cheek and despite not making actual contact Gen could feel the pressure behind his fist. Turning on his heel, Gen brought up his elbow to hit Joel in the side of the head. The blow made contact, causing his opponent to stumble to the side and eventually fall to the ground.

Gen had landed the first solid blow between the two of them and the overseer saw this. Waiting for Joel to sit or stand back up for a minute or two, Joel remained on the ground for that duration. It was just enough to call the winner of the fight. Gen was actually tired from the fight. He didn’t get much chance to fight offensively against Joel since the kid kept him on his toes for the majority of the fight. [b] “Wow. I can’t remember the last time I had such a decent fight. You did good kid.”[/color] Gen staggered a bit on his bruised foot to where Joel was still on the ground, offering his hand as a show of good sportsmanship.

Tenshin grinned at Ryuu's response, prepared for another battle for Captainship, this time a battle of wits. However he found they were almost home free, she questioned whether or not she could get changed before he got treated and he nodded, disentangling himself from the redhead and leaning against the wall.

"Go ahead, I'll wait for you here." He said simply, smiling at her, he too had enjoyed her company. "Take all the time in the world, after this I'll be bored and on bedrest for eons, and for once I'll have to let myself heal." He commented, looking himself over for all his wounds temporarily. Then a horrific feeling came over him and he grabbed Ryuu dramatically, turning her to face him and wiping the blood off his hands.

He paused for a moment, looking in serious thought before leaning forward and gently patting her once on the top of her head, beaming wide at his close friend "You know I really am lucky to have you in my squad." He mused out loud. Inwardly he'd taken the moment to get one last full view of her in the outfit he wouldn't see for another thousand years, but he still meant what he'd said. He wouldn't rather anyone else to share a squad with in the Gotei 13. He was unaware again of how close he'd gotten in the action of patting her affectionately.

"Now then, weren't you going to get changed hm? Lieutenant Ryuu" He teased.

Shizuna Kurotsuki

Shizuna watched with great interest in the battle between Joel and Gen. She wasn't sure who this other shinigami was but he was obviously skilled in the art of combat. Her hopes still lied with Joel to win the match and it started off rather well, with Joel aiming to make the first strike. His shunpo was quite excellent, a skill she hadn't come to realize he possessed. Despite his speed, it seemed his opponent was ready for him. He exposed the feint and retaliated with his own attack that forced Joel to take the defensive. Unfortunately his palm strike had connected with his body causing him to reel back. Shizuna knew Joel to be exceptionally strong, so to see him flinch like that...this Shinigami was tough. Was he a Seated Officer then?

If he was low on the seats then perhaps Joel will win, but if he's high up there like in the single digits...then she worries about the conclusion of this bout. The girls he seemed to be escorting where flinching over the display of violence, they must either be concerned for the Shinigami or simply do not like to see two people fighting. Shizuna would admit, the air has been filled with tension even before the match began. Their stares were intense, especially Joel, he had the will and want to win this fight. She had never seen him so competitive before. It was quite interesting to see in her eyes. He was usually quiet and remote, she at times wondered if he had emotion, but here it was before her very eyes.

The fight was accumulating to a series of grapples as he used the four ring posts quite cleverly. Yet despite his strategy he could not follow through with the grapple, that means the Shinigami has more strength than Joel? This isn't looking good for her friend as Joel had to abandon his grapple and went in for a series of punches. Not only is the man Joel's fighting strong, but fast too. None of her friends blows connected with Gen fully, save for the last one. It didn't really seem to slow him down at all, and when he finally landed a strike, it was over for Joel. This Shinigami is definitely a Seated Officer, but she could only guess how high. She watched as the Seated Shinigami offered a hand to Joel as a sign of good sportsmanship. Still, Shizuna felt disappointed that Joel not only didn't win but didn't even stand a chance. As much as Joel wanted to win, she wanted him to win just as much. She didn't know exactly why, but perhaps she felt pride when her friends are strong as well. It's like with Ryuu, despite how she wants to be better than her, she always felt a twinge of pride that the woman was so strong. It made her feel prideful that she too was strong.

She watched and waited for Joel to exit the ring so she could hand him his clothing. She was a bit tired of being a walking closet for the day. Not only that but she wondered how Joel was. Was he okay? How did he feel, and why did he agree to it? Then she thought, perhaps she shouldn't bombard him with questions. After all, he did go through a tough fight, last thing anyone wants is a Q and A. Yet one thing she would like to say is, nice effort. At least congratulate him for his efforts, it's not like a Unseated Shinigam gets to fight a Seated Officer everyday, and be commended for it. That and she would like to reassure her friend despite his loss.

With all his air pushing for his punch, Joel gritted his teeth as he began to see Gen avoid it. He was so focused on that one attack he wasn't able to tell if he was hit first or missed first. He saw himself missing, but he also heard the sound of a slamming door, which was followed by a brief headache and then, darkness. The dark blurred with the light and the noises around him seemed to cyclone out of control. Finding it was better to keep his eyes closed, began trying to move his body and get the noises out of his head. He rolled over from his side to his stomach, realizing how much of an idiotic move it was to throw all of his strength and speed into one punch. It didn't matter how fast he was if he wasn't good enough to quick stop and maneuver.

Not only that, but he was tired. Really tired. No wonder to him though, since it was he who got himself in this situation. Least he was able to eat earlier. The food enough should have been enough energy. Even so, if he was in his top form, he knew he wouldn't have beaten the man who was in front of him. Maybe if this weren't the soul society. Maybe then would Joel believe otherwise and boast himself. However, he could even feel it in that last blow. Looking back on his whole meeting with the man, Joel had felt something. Something that made him want to fight him in the first place and something that gradually grew more apparent. His spiritual pressure was almost overwhelming. According to the academy, the seated members of the Soul Society all had spiritual pressure that could defeat legions of hollows.

Blinking a few times, his vision came back to him and when he looked up, Gen was there holding his hand out saying, “Wow. I can’t remember the last time I had such a decent fight. You did good kid.”

Joel accepted his hand up and shook it. With a slight bowing nod of his head, he said in return. "Thank you," he said whipping some of the blood out of his mouth. A hint of a smile went on his face. "You're movement and counter skills made me reflect on where I messed up this fight. I have to wonder though. You're not just a babysitter. Are you?" His joking tone hid the fact that it was a real question, but Joel was awfully curious and little sore around his rib cage for some reason. In fact, he had began to feel pains around his whole body which made him gesture for the two men to leave the ring.

On his way out, he was still expecting some sort of answer from Gen, but in the meantime he was trying to find a place to sit. He took his coat from Shizuna who was waiting for him to exit. He winced a few times, but managed to get it on properly with both arms in their sleeves. "We should sit somewhere," he said in a tone that was just as low and uncaring as any other time, but this time there was a hint pain in his voice. He finally found a seat, hoping that Gen would find and answer his question, though either way he'd probably see him again at another festival. He rubbed his legs which were flexed from a spasm he was having. He rubbed down his calves, massaged his ribs and cracked his fingers. Along with some other small things, his body began to heat and cool down. Which wasn't all that good, considering now he was aware that Shizuna was next to him and he had just lost. What was he to say? Did it matter? He thought probably not and stayed silent, leaning back and waiting for her to say something. Either that, or for Gen to walk past. He was so tired, he didn't care what reason he used for closing his eyes for a few moments.

Shizuna Kurotsuki

Shizuna watched as Joel began to come around and shake off his opponent's finishing strike. Whoever he was, he was powerful, but Joel must be strong as well. He did fight against an opponent with higher spiritual pressure than he, without succumbing or even slowing down. Joel just may become quite the force to be reckoned with. She watched as the Shinigami displayed good sportsmanship towards Joel. "Perhaps he isn't so bad after all." Shizuna thought, believing that Gen fought Joel simply because he was Unseated. As she suspected, Joel showed equally good sportsmanship despite losing. She wasn't quite sure what they were saying, many of the Shinigami around her where still hyped from the exciting bout.

She watched as they exited the ring and Joel reclaimed the items he had her hold for safekeeping. She could tell from the winces that he was quite sore for him bout. He could even be possibly injured in some way. He then spoke about finding somewhere to sit to which Shizuna replied with a nod. When they sat together she watched Joel massage different parts of his body. He was definitely hurt from that fight with the Seated Shinigami. She then spoke, "Are you alright? You look to be...in pain." She quietly spoke. Joel was quite the mystery to her. His face was hard to read most of the time and he was always so quiet. Its not that it ever bothered her, but then again, she was never alone with the man. Usually Tenshin or Ryuu was there and they seemed to divert most of her attention.

Yet being here, alone with Joel, brought about a new feeling. She had no other options than to invest in Joel's person. She could simply leave, but she isn't fond of being straight out rude. She may say cold things to other people, but she won't just simply abandon another person, just because of foolish reasons like being unable to hold a conversation. She then spoke, "So...what made you decide to fight him?" She asked. She understood that he was asked to, but she was aiming for something more, specific.

Joel nodded his head in response to Shizuna's question. "I just pulled a few muscles. After the cramps in my thighs go away I should be able to walk normally. Thanks for asking." He rubbed his legs feeling the hardened muscle that was over-flexed from the soft comfortable area near his knee. He was surprised to hear the younger woman's voice again and with another question to boot, though this one seemed a little awkward for him. He wasn't sure if he wanted to say everything that was on his mind to someone. However, he knew that Shizuna was his friend, at least something like a friend and it wasn't like she'd use anything he'd say against him. Still, he didn't want to savagely choose his words.
"Ever since that night when we were attacked by the hollows, I've been training non-stop. I figured, I should have been strong enough easily beat a hollow like that. I was sure we all were. Yet, I was wrong, so I pushed myself, trying to see how far I could go until I reached today. Finally got something to eat, and decided to see if I was any stronger than the last time I checked. If I could be just this much faster, or this much stronger." He leaned back in his chair and raised a hand in front of his eyes trying to estimate the distance he needed to conquer. "I don't know. I'm sorry if I embarrassed you. . . Especially by losing."

He was really embarrassed himself. "I don't want you to think anything of my loss okay? It happens. I'll do better next time." Joel tried to reassure her, and as he spoke, the man also found himself feeling better as well. It wasn't as good as he wanted, just good for the situation. For now, he could put what was really bothering him behind him.

Ryuu & Tenshin

The sign of a smile was beginning to turn the corners of her lips upwards however it fell the moment Tenshin grabbed her. Without quite realizing it Ryuu brought her arms up slightly as if to push Tenshin away from her. She stopped halfway through though when he started to speak. Then he had the nerve to pat her on the head which earned him a glare. He had gotten uncomfortably close to her so she leaned back slightly to add some distance but mostly in a fruitless effort to avoid being pat on the head.

"What to help you lick your wounds? I hope that's not all I'm lucky for." A last attempt at teasing him where it would probably hurt. One could see it as her way of getting back at him for patting her in the head. Still holding onto her shoulders Tenshin teased her again by calling her Lieutenant. A mean smile suddenly appeared on her face that contradicted the tone of her voice.

"Aren't you just absolutely adorable Ten-Ten." She removed his arms in the same motion to pat his cheeks like a mother would her child. "Thinking to call me Lieutenant when you haven't even earned a Seat yet." Stepping away from him, Ryuu was about to enter her room when she looked back at him. "Oh and Ten-Ten. Pat my head again like some love sick puppy waiting for approval and I'll break your arms." Ryuu's word held the weight of truth in them. There was little doubt that she was joking about it.

Ryuu began to shed layers of the outfit until all she wore were her undergarments. As she was procuring a new set of clothes Ryuu found an assortment of bandages. She began to wonder if the trek to the infirmary was worth it if she had some stuff here. Finally changing into her usual uniform Ryuu went back to the door to check on Tenshin. "Hey I found some old bandages if you just want to change them out here. We can still go to the infirmary though." Brandishing a small bundle of the stuff, Ryuu pulled at her hair to let it loose. It felt wonderful to just have it fall down her back but she'll have to put it back up if she were to take another bath.

"Oh! I suggest you take a bath. You kinda smell." She said as she chuckled to herself.

Tenshin waited for his companion to return before replying, feeling it rude to talk while she changed. He was perturbed her words, cold was normal for Ryuu, but the entire mood had changed in a single moment. Festive jabs swapped for deep digs, and then she returned back in friendly spirits.

“Next time you try to threaten me I suggest, you pick a field you’re not outclassed in~” He whistled, referencing his Hakuda experience, he took the bandages and undid his on the spot. Fully exposing the bare flesh of his hands and forearms and unravelling the myriad of dirty cloth that wrapped his torso under his Yukata, he had to shrug it off to hang at his waist to do so. His lack of complaint was a testament to his toughness training and will, his hands from fingertip to elbow where red and raw and dripped blood slowly but steadily, shreds of skin remained here and there stained crimson. In the festivities, he’d entirely forgotten to hide the horizontal scar that spanned his midriff, a large shredded wound that was normally hidden beneath poultices or clothing surrounded by the fresher injuries from the hollow. It would be Ryuu’s first time seeing the old scar.

Tenshin smiled at the tease of a bath and nodded in the direction of the bath house “It should be mostly empty because of the festival, I’ll go clean up before I bandage up this mess.” He stated, turning towards the bath house to reveal a matching burn scar upon his back.

Ryuu snorted at his words. While he certainly outdid her in regards to hand-to-hand combat skills, she had the strength to carry them out. Besides she had been practicing hakuda but she was well aware that she wasn't close to Tenshins level. "Would you rather I just cut them off?" The redhead grinned at him. Seeing as Tenshin thought it best to just change his bloody old bandages now, it was Ryuu’s turn to lean against the wall and wait for him.

She had never really witnessed the full extent of her friends wounds. It was when he had shrugged off the top half of his yukata that Ryuu saw the large scar going across his midriff. From the way his other newer scars were laid out it looked like they centered around that one scar. Tilting her head slightly, Ryuu thought of her own scar. It was from a hollow attack that went from her left collarbone them between her breasts and ended around her ribcage. Just thinking out it made her touch it lightly with her finger tracing its path. The young woman had never seen that scar before but it looked pretty old. Was he hiding it

Her thoughts were broken off when Tenshin spoke up. A small smile spread across her face at the chance of taking a bath. "Alright I'll join you." Without a moment's hesitation Ryuu went back into her room to get a change of clothes befitting the bathhouse. Coming back out Tenshin was already walking away so Ryuu walked a little faster to catch up. As she got closer she saw a burn scar that matched the one in the front. Frowning Ryuu wondered where it came from. She didn't really bother asking since it was just an old scar and she had seen, as well as has, her fair share of them. Eventually she stood next to him. It was obvious from the slightly upturn of her lips that Ryuu was happy for a bath. It was probably the only other thing besides fighting that she got excited for.

When they arrived at the bathhouse the place was relatively empty aside from a few old, very old, members of the squad. Under normal circumstances Ryuu would have bathed elsewhere however the Eleventh didn't have a whole lot of females so the previous Lieutenants never bothered making a separate bath house. Instead they opted for giving allotted times for the women to bathe separately but since those times were long done Ryuu would have to bath with Tenshin. Which wasn't all that bad since it wasn't packed she didn't have to worry about being incredibly close to him. Now that they were inside Ryuu didn't take long to undress in the women's "changing" room. The room wasn't much. It was just a rectangular box that the women themselves had to construct so that they had privacy when changing. The thing was haphazardly made so there were a few boards that were loose as well as a couple openings to see through. Wrapping a towel around herself, Ryuu pulled up her hair into a messy bun and entered the bath. She was next to Tenshin but there was a good distance between the two.

"Baths are the absolute best." she said quietly to herself before she submerged herself to her nose. After a while she rose out of the water to drape her arms behind her so that they rested atop the edge of the bath. Unlike most women Ryuu had few qualms with sharing a bath so she didn't really care to hide herself in the same shy manner the other girls would sometimes do. Her hollow scar was visible as was the dragon tattoo. Sometimes Ryuu forgot she had that on her arm. She glanced over at Tenshin wondering how he was holding up.

Tenshin had to gently tip-toe himself into the water, allowing the warm liquid to prick at his sensitive flesh and slowly ease himself in. Most of his wounds were fine, it was his arms that were the worst of it, the wounds were too fresh and too raw, the water around him contained tiny tendrils of red here and there that soon became swallowed in the water. Tenshin laid back and relaxed at the edge near Ryuu, keeping a healthy distance to be respectful.

“Oh yeah, they’re great.” He said sarcastically, grinning wide as he gave her a red thumbs up, having overheard her quiet comment. Surprisingly, Tenshin had less issues with seeing his team-mate naked than in her previous outfit, this wasn’t the first time they’d had to bathe together and he wasn’t so perverted as to take advantage of her comfort. Ryuu may not have taken notice but the area near her was clear of the 11th’s members, Tenshin secretly had quite the glare, and a strong protective streak concerning Ryuu, from the shadows. Small things which he ensured, like a lack of perverts in the baths or intercepting challengers while she had more important issues.

He slipped down to his chin and washed away all the dirt and dried blood that had congealed on him and in his hair, the more he cleaned, the more burn and blade scars slowly appeared on him as the poultices washed away. He glanced over at his companion and nodded his head at her. “So if you don’t mind me asking, you never told me the story.” He said plainly, pointing at her scar.

Ryuu closed her eyes as she relaxed but peeked out of one when he asked a question. It was a simple enough question that she thought she had answered years ago. "Oh this?" She said as she instinctively traced its rough path. Looking at him now, Ryuu leaned forwards a bit as she began to talk. "It was from before I entered the Academy,when I was still living in the Rukongai. . .

The redhead was nothing more than a child really albeit a little tall. Ryuu had only been wondering around the edges of the Rukongai when her stomach began to growl. It was a common occurrence these days that she wasn't quite used to yet. Normally she could get a scrap of bread by acting as a messenger between people or helping out the local doctor with the sick. She didn't mind getting sick if it meant she got food. The young girl hadn't really noticed that amongst the many people in Rukongai she was one of the few who got hungry. It was during the colder seasons of the year and all she had was a tattered outfit and an old shawl. Walking around in search of a warm place to rest, Ryuu noticed an orange light far ahead of her. Curious as to what that orange light could mean she walked in its general direction cautiously.

When she had gotten closer she realized that the light was coming from the charred remains of what could have been a home. At this point she couldn't tell what it was really. All she knew was that there was a light and that light meant warmth and she was in need of warmth. In thinking this she approached the remains, solely focused on obtaining some of that warmth. Ryuu had a small smile of hope as she brought her hands up. Thankfully the cold made her arms and hands sluggish otherwise she would have undoubtedly lost a finger or two. Instead she felt a warmth blossom across her chest followed by a searing pain in the place where she had previously felt that warmth. At first she had welcomed it but then she cried out with the pain. Ryuu fell to her knees just an arm's length away from that burning light. Turning onto her back, she looked up at the gray sky. Her breath came out in white puffs and since she didn’t want to lose consciousness she made herself focus on those little white puffs even though they nearly matched the sky.

Her hand touched the area where it hurt and when she brought it to her face her hand was covered in blood. This time with much more care, Ryuu tried to locate where it started and ended and just how deep it was. Wincing in pain, she could tell it was a long wound but thankfully it wasn’t fatally deep. She’d certainly die if she let herself bleed out though. The redhead then remembered her attacker. Looking around frantically, Ryuu couldn’t quite see anything amidst all the grey. “Who out there!? You bastard! Stop being a coward and show yourself!” Even at a young age she had quite the tongue. All of her anger up until that point had been poured into her words but yelling made her tired. Ryuu forced herself to sit up somewhat and dragged herself across the ground to lean against something solid. At least this way she would see where the attacker came from. With a harsh yet determined scowl Ryuu waited for her attacker but it would seem her efforts tired her out more than she had expected. As hard as she tried not to, Ryuu would eventually lose consciousness.

It stared down at the girl, the wound matched her hair, a deep kind of red that burned his eyes to look at for too long. The broken blade in it’s hand clanked as it blindly met the girls support, burrowing frustratingly beside her. She had entered it’s territory, she was here to steal and to hurt it. Yet it couldn’t finish her like it had the others, they were confused, unable to comprehend. “Why?” It croaked, its vocal cords not used to being exercised, the girl did not respond, her eyes were closed. They looked longingly at their flaming barricade of a home, they had just come out for some wood for the flames, to seal itself in once more to live and be safe in this hell. It looked down at the girl whom had struggled into its territory unwittingly for food or something else, and it felt pity.

Hunger was something they could understand.

They were not sure how to handle it, but they pulled her onto its shoulder and haphazardly dragged her into its domain. An ash filled and flaming square, and then it put her by its pile of food to awaken. They had learned things surviving all alone out here, and created a weak poultice to stop the wound from infecting and to stem the bleeding. They sat in front of her, contemplating, awaiting.

It had forgotten within its stash was a second blade.

Her eyes fluttered close and fluttered again when a clang resounded above her head. Ryuu could just barely feel the vibrations through the support. She wondered why her attack missed. Could it be that the first attack wasn't really meant for her? That was the last thought that came before she truly lost conscious however it was a brief blackout. Ryuu knew this because as she woke up again hands touched her body. They seemed unsure as if they weren't used to touching anothers skin but with that touch came a sort of soothing sensation. It was all along her chest and for a moment she thought maybe someone found her and was fixing her up. Then she was reminded of the fact that she lived in the Rukongai. If someone was helping her it meant they were either going to use her for something then again she knew not to expect anything from the residents. They're more likely to take her clothes than to save her life.


She knew it wasn't the former because she could feel a warmth. It was the same warmth she had tried to attain not too long ago. It was a nice warmth and without realizing it a miniscule smile appeared. Feeling as if she'd be okay, Ryuu cracked her one eye open. Just enough to see if there was a person besides her or not.

They were there, sitting cross-legged, blade in its lap, communicating in its own way. It looked like a soul should, a young boy, already scar-covered and with black hair that reached its waist matted with dried blood and dirt. Its eyes were closed, it was resting beside her and its stash amongst the warmth of the flames.

Her rescuer was just a kid like her but unlike her, he was covered in scars and his hair was much longer than she ever had it. Ryuu kept it at her shoulders since it would be too much of a hassle to care for it but this kid allowed it to reach his waist. Thinking that he was a good person, she began to sit up until she finally took notice of the sword in his lap. It had blood on the edge that was beginning to dry and she knew in an instant who he was to her. Suddenly a fear and possibly a pent up anger towards her circumstances surged through her body. The red head blindly groped for the blade she noticed was in his sash and swung it downwards, yelling as it connected with soft tissue. Little did she know that that would not be the last time she'd swing a blade.

The redhead scrambled backwards. She didn't feel an ounce of shame for having attacked him while he rested. She only felt anger. Ryuu was angry about her way of survival in this world and she was angry at this boy who not only attacked her for no reason but had even attempted to fix her. "You bastard!" She snarled at him. Red eyes glowered through thick bangs at the boy in front of her. She held up the sword in her hands awkwardly, feeling her chest become wet as the movement earlier caused it to bleed again. The young child could only glare at him through her dirty bangs, unsure of what to do now that she had wounded him.

The boy yelped in pain when the blade connected, rolling with the blow to reduce injury. He had been cut as badly as he had cut the girl, they were even. He held their hand to their bleeding stomach, and sat back down, grabbing the nearby poultice to treat his wounds. He buried the blade in the ground beside him and pushed the poultice along the floor towards her, he held out his arm and pointed a finger at her re-opened wound. “Fix.” He croaked quietly.

She was like him, hungry, tired, afraid. Only she did not have a castle of flame and an abandoned village to scavenge from. He could kill without remorse those who came to steal or harm him, but he could not kill this girl who was drawn by the warmth of his home. He couldn’t quite make out how she looked, his eyes were a foggy grey and ruined by the ash and smoke in the air, he was verging the path to blindness, but he saw a distinct red. He coughed painfully and pointed to his stash “I, sorry, eat.” He said lamely in an attempt to calm her.

The monster within him was not satisfied with this, it wanted to fight, it wanted to hunt. He calmed it with a thought Eternal, an eternal fight, a rival for him to battle over and over again. This would satisfy. He did not have the social skills or intelligence to understand how she would react, or that she may not want to eat, live and fight with him. Survival and Fighting were all that mattered to the young boy and the monster, the fact he had injured her was irrelevant in his mind if they could both have that.

Again Ryuu glared at him but this time she bared her teeth as if she were maybe an animal. The dirty redhead felt a bit of pride in being able to make him bleed although she was a bit disappointed in the fact that his poultice was within easy reach. What he did next confused her some as she didn’t understand why he did it. The wild boy pushed the poultice in her directions, telling her to “fix” it in his raspy voice. She could tell that he didn’t speak if at all by how husky his voice had become. Watching him, Ryuu suddenly snatched the bowl to reapply the poultice when he wasn’t quite looking at her. For all she knew he was only doing this just so he could catch her off guard. Regardless of his intentions Ryuu began to apply the poultice across her chest, making sure to turn her body away so he couldn’t see her bare chested.

Once done she pushed the bowl back towards him. Ryuu pulled her knees up to her chest although that proved painful so she brought them back down to the ground. A heavy set frown appeared on her lips and she looked at the ground in front of her. “Thank you.” The words more really nothing more than quiet mutterings to herself but considering how quiet it was she wouldn’t be surprised if he heard her. From there things got foggy, memories fading into the ash and ember.

“I don't remember much of what happened afterwards.” Ryuu shrugged her shoulders absentmindedly tracing the scar. It was one of her more memorable memories and she knew that not long after that encounter the Shosuke family had taken her under their wing. Now that she was much older Ryuu wasn't entirely sure if being with them had done her any good. All it did was make her have a strong dislike for most nobles. "I wonder if that kid is dead somewhere. I wouldn't be surprised but he certainly seemed tenacious so maybe not." She chuckled to herself just thinking about a grown version, the kid simply got bigger, still hiding out in those ruins of a home. She lowered herself under the water again, glancing at Tenshin in hopes of gauging his reactions after hearing her story.

Tenshin whistled in response to her story, grinning wide and scratching at his chest absentmindedly. “So our Ryuu got ambushed by a fellow street-rat...it’s surprising how many of us got our hands on a Zanpakuto in the end.” He mused thoughtfully, leaning partway out of the bath with his hands behind his head. “That kid could still be around, might have even snuck into the Gotei 13, I ended up here didn’t I?” He thought aloud in response to Ryuu’s musings. The shinigami looked down at his scar-covered body in deep thought. “Maybe he’s the one who gave me this scar, hm? Just thought I’d mention it while we’re in a sharing mood, but I have no memories before the Academy. I kinda just woke up half-dead in the 4th, apparently I caused a mess in the Rukon. ” He whistled, looking at Ryuu with a smile. “Maybe I had a scrap with that kid, could even be I had a scrap with you~” He teased, stretching in the bath.

Her head tilted slightly to the left as she started to chew her lip. It was one of the many telltale signs that she was thinking about something. In this case she really did consider the possibility that Tenshin may have had a fight with the boy of her past. Then Tenshins words prior came back to mind and it finally registered what he meant. "You really don't?" A frown began to show as she thought of this. It was certainly strange for someone to not have any memories. A soul generally didn't remember much from their time amongst the living and were never aware of their past lives after having been reincarnated. "Well it's certainly possible isn't it?" She commented on his last words. Ryuu herself stretched and let out a yawn. "I think it's about time we start heading out. Before all those bumbling drunks from the festival decide to come in." Her voice had an edge to it and it was obvious she was irritated by the very thought of it. Red eyes glanced about quickly, seeing that no one was in view yet Ryuu got out and headed towards the changing room.

Tenshin awkwardly scratched at his head, thinking for a moment to himself about what Ryuu was chewing her lip over. Then she stood to leave, and he yawned and shamelessly got out of the bath too, picking up his towel to hold barely in front of himself. “No memories at all~” He whistled in response to her question, following her insofar as near the changing rooms before suddenly stopping “I might as well to the infirmary from here, can you just throw my gear at my room?” He asked, quietly clicking his fingers behind his back.

Ryuu peeked around the door of the changing room and scowled at him. "Yeah I'll do that but I'm not your maid." She shook her head and finished getting dressed. Taking up his things, Ryuu walked with him out until they went their separate ways.

Ryuu Shosuke

The red head released a sigh. Once again she fell through that horrid place. Unsure as to which way was up or down and she got burned for it. Ryuu rubbed the tips of her fingers gingerly. They were a bit red and it would seem the old blisters had begun to go away. "Tch. This can't be happening every time." With her trademark scowl, the shinigami suddenly began to feel an ache in her right arm. It all originated from the now healed holed she had received from that encounter with those hollows. When she thought about she couldn't believe it had been a little over a month since that had happened. While she had been stuck on the sidelines due to her wound, Ryuu was able to pick up a new skill or two.

She stood up with her sword in her left hand. At first the young woman didn't think she would ever have to do this but when she thought about it, learning how to hold a blade with both hands was to her advantage. Her left hand wasn't as dexterous as her dominant it would certainly get the job done. She then sat back down to make one more attempt at getting closer to her zanpakuto's spirit. All her other attempts had led her to being burned each time she tried approaching the girl drenched in black. And each time the spirit asked the same question, "Do you not burn?". Ryuu would always drop the hilt of her sword and awake to find that her hands had once again been burned.

At this point I might as well learned how to fight with my feet. Blisters covered her hands but they centered on her fingertips. Ryuu had made sure the others didn't notice. It wasn't so much that she didn't want them to worry but she did not want to appear weak to them. How often does a shinigami get burned by their own sword? Regardless of the many failures previous to today, Ryuu steadied her breathing and slowly focused her attention on her zanpakuto. She placed her already raw fingers onto the naked blade and closed her eyes. The moment she did Ryuu found herself falling into the general routine her zanpakuto and her followed.

After only a couple of minutes the blade heated up and turned red, effectively burning Ryuu for the second time that day. "Dammit!" Her eyes snapped open as she stood up quickly. For the briefest of moments Ryuu wanted to throw her sword but that would likely make her zanpakuto even more hostile towards her. Ryuu waited for the blade to cool down before sheathing it. A frown settled on her face but it wasn't one of distaste but of disappointment. She bet the others had made more progress than she did especially Shizuna. Of them all she was the most dedicated to her work.

Ryuu found herself feeling a bit of envy towards her ebony haired friend. Unlike Shizuna Ryuu was more wild maybe not as wild as Tenshin but certainly not as reserved as Joel. Ryuu liked to think she was more like Tenshin in regards to her wildness but when she thought about he was like a raging wild fire. He would come out of nowhere and burn everything. Shizuna was like the winter chill, creeping up on you before you even knew it while Joel was like the warm breeze; gentle when he wished, silent another or strong the next. Looking to herself, Ryuu couldn't figure out what she was like. She wasn't like Shizuna or Joel and Tenshin was too extreme. So just what was she amongst the four of them?

Shaking her head, Ryuu tightened her fist in frustration. Now wasn't the time to be feeling emotional about her place in the world. All that mattered was that she get stronger to obtain her goal of that title. Attaining it would mean she was the strongest and that was all that she desired. Thinking about it reminded her of the "punishment" Captain Kenpachi had designated Tenshin and her. Ryuu wasn't entirely sure of what it was but she did know that it involved fighting. I wonder who we will be fighting.

The shinigami picked up her sword from the ground and held it close to her chest. As usual it emanated a sort of warmth. A warmth she was all to happy to receive. "I wonder what the others are doing." Ryuu looked to the sky for a moment before heading to the training grounds of the Eleventh. It would probably be good practice to with her dominant hand since it had been nearly a month since she was able to use it. She might find Tenshin there was well but she doubted it. "I bet he's off somewhere in the woods." She chuckled to herself as she arrived and began to practice sword swings.

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I hope my super delayed post can bring us back into the grooves of things>~< If not just let me know.

Tenshin was in the training grounds himself, off in a private corner as he had often been since he was finally released from the 4th without a layer of bandages pasted on like a second skin. He had 'forcefully enlisted' the help of his 'best friend' Chubby, as a sparring partner. Or more accurately, a live target dummy.

He believed his training was doing Chubby a favour, he even limited it to weighted wood swords. Mostly.

He finished the fight with a twin-strike to his opponents back and a harsh sweep to knock him off his feet, pointing the end of his weapon under Chubby's chin. He gave the symbol of surrender and Tenshin helped him back up, the pair of them were panting heavily and grasped each other's forearms in a show of mutual respect. Despite the animosity between them, the challenge that both provided to one another and the improvement that followed had earned the pair a begrudging respect for one another's talents. Although Tenshin denied requests to call him by name rather than weight, it would 'soften the rage Chubby needed to challenge him (me) each day'.

He wiped the sweat from his brow and stretched sore muscles, wiping a poultice over bruises and torn skin, a poultice the 4th had given him in hopes of belaying further visits. Afterwards he gingerly picked up his Zanpakuto laying nearby and returned the familiar weight to his person, with added heft thanks to the box of breakfast fastened to a hilt by cloth. Tenshin too had spent many hours searching the inner depths of his soul, of course he'd been in the equivalent of a hospital bed for most of it, not a particularly comfortable place to sit for hours on end. He was close, he could feel it, every time he entered his world he and his Zanpakuto talked and talked like old friends, eons past within that world, a void filled by quiet companionship or boisterous activities. Time and time again she would begin to speak her name, only to seal her mouth shut and banish him from the realm of whites and grays she dwelled in. Swallowed whole by the shifting sands, although last time he'd surprised her by clambering out.

Next time he would summon her within her own realm, he would prove he was worthy to wield her. Next time she wouldn't have to apologize for her own fears. She was part of him, and he would not let her fear herself.

Lost in thought the Shinigami almost stumbled into Ryuu's practice zone, halting himself just behind her thoughtfully. He wolf-whistled at her softly and grinned, heavy on the canines.

"Nice form~" He teased good-naturedly, slipping the cloth wrap of his breakfast off onto his finger and holding it up to her. "Breakfast?"

Ryuu Shosuke

Ryuu herself was preoccupied in whacking the poor dummy. She didn’t think it’d be a good idea to use her zanpakuto so she used one of the old rusty swords they had. She doubted her zanpakuto would appreciate being used in such a crude manner if she had. The redhead also made sure to use the heavier swords as well. Since her injury, her right arm had barely seen any action so it likely atrophied in the time that she couldn’t use it. Considering she was doing pretty well with the sword, she guessed it hadn’t gotten too weak although she was beginning to feel muscle fatigue.

“Tch. Already?” The only way to overcome that fatigue was to just bear with it until she couldn’t swing it any more. Ryuu’s arm, despite having been on standby for a little more than a month, was still pretty damn good. One could say it was almost on par with her left. Had she not been injured, you could easily see the difference between both arms. Ryuu also made sure to move around the target so that she could attack it from various angles. Having a live target that could retaliate would definitely have been better but over time fewer and fewer people wanted to train with her due to her aggressiveness. The only person who never shied away though was nowhere to be seen so Ryuu had to deal with it.

Feeling a presence behind her, a whistle sounded out softly. Almost at once Ryuu swung the dull blade in the general direction before stopping short of hitting the clothed boxed on a certain person’s finger. “Well speak of the devil.” Ryuu lowered the sword before placing it back amongst the pile of other equally dull blades. “Sure. I was beginning to wonder where my only training partner went off to and here he comes with breakfast. Just my lucky day huh?” she said with a smirk on her face. Having stopped moving made Ryuu realize just how hot and stuffy it had gotten in the training area. She let out a huff as she sat down, pulling down the top half of her uniform. As always she had on a dark colored halter top that revealed her abdomen and the trailing edge of her scar.

“Ah so much better. Why the hell does it always get so hot around here.” she said, looking up at the sky in all its blue glory. She leaned on her hands and basked in the sun for a bit before turning to Tenshin. “So what’d ya bring for breakfast? Wait did you make this yourself?” raising a brow in speculation. The idea of Tenshin slaving over a stove made Ryuu laugh a little. It was a domestic activity which is something her friend was far from being.

To be continued
Bleach||A New Era Cont.