[BSD-RP] Human World: Karakura Town

[BSD]

Despite the setting of the sun within the world of the living, a sphere shown just as brilliantly, suspended in the air. The Soul Reaper. Desperation, the Soul Reaper was saturated in it, and rightfully so. He had honed Sword Eater into the perfect blade to destroy him. Was it arrogance? Ignorance? Or perhaps a combination of both. Regardless he had only himself to blame, of that much was certain. Help would be sent to the man, but would it be enough? Would it arrive fast enough?
The Shinigami believed himself better learned, and as impressive as his shunpo was, it was hardly enough to compete with the jutting blades. They pierced soundlessly through the ground, as easily as a blade through wet paper. The man's reflexes were enough to avoid those directly beneath him, however moving only slightly backwards did not spare the man his fate. The Second blade angled towards his left shoulder continued unimpeded, cutting cleanly through flesh and piercing through the building itself, Arashi's retreat only securing his fate, insuring he was pinned to the wall. Muscle, bone and tendon severed, left arm rendered useless. There was the third blade angled towards his head, another forward assault, the Soul Reaper's retreat still insufficient in having been able to even deal with it. Arashi's new position against the wall, elevated along the cold surface was all that had spared the male from decapitation, the blade instead finding itself at home within his chest, just shy of his heart.
Two blades had missed their mark, while two blades connected, blood spilled freely around the cool steel, that glimmered even in the dimly lit setting. Had it been the blades prior to their evolution, shunpo might have sufficed, but these blades which moved at light speed would require more from the man at this point to spare him the pain he now felt. A hologram or mirage of any sort was irrelevant, the blades weren't made to stop once perceiving having pierced his body, rather fully intent on continuing onward well beyond the walls of the building itself. Using such a useless technique at this juncture was a fool's gamble, a gamble Arashi had lost.
He might still be able to muster the strength to cause his psuedo-sun to detonate in its blinding display of radiance, but to what end? Arashi at this point had become fully immune to all light based attacks regardless of their manner of use, his eyes would go unharmed as the Hollow pressed on. Any blades of light, or other constructs of a similar composition would serve to only better feed the Sword beast that was Sword Eater. The monster continued to salivate as he stomped forward, its drool forming puddles along the ground. Given its size and its large strides it would near the building in another several seconds. Once nearing the building the creature would undoubtedly force its way inside, with blades piercing through his body, pinning him up against the wall, his light based skills and techniques rendered helpless against his foe what could this man do? What options existed before him, other than to wait and be consumed by the ravenous hollow? If help was to come, it needed to be now.
"Heeheehee, dindin time! Time for me to feast! YUM YUM IN MY TUM TUM! Wait for me shinigami!"

 

[BSD]

Karakura Town ———————————— arriving from ———————————— Southwest Seireitei

Rushing through the seemingly endless halls of the Senkaimon, Lieutenant Fuyuko mentally prepared herself for what was to come. Would Arashi still be alive? Would the Hollow see her coming? What were the creature’s abilities? From the research she had done on the Adjuchas from Naruki City, Fuyuko knew that whatever was terrorizing Karakura Town right now would certainly be more challenging than perhaps the both of them could handle. She thought about the battle, what was the best plan of attack? Should she attack at all? If confronting the Hollow meant ruining her chance of saving Arashi, then she would take the logical way out, and abscond without engaging the creature head on. She knew her Captain, the headstrong oaf, would disagree with her cowardly ways, but while she admired Higen’s honor, Fuyuko was about results.
Her mind drifted back to what was happening in the Soul Society. Surely Captain Kagayaki would be ok, he was one of the most experienced Shinigami in the Gotei Thirteen, but what about the rest of her division? What about the other Captains? That was Head Lieutenant Honoka’s Zanpakuto that attacked those Second Division members, Fuyuko was sure of it. Was Lieutenant Yūgure alright?
Fuyuko swung her head, shaking the thoughts out of her mind. She couldn’t look back right now, she had to stay focused on what was ahead. Whatever was happening, on both ends, meant that she would have to be quick, decisive. If Arashi was injured, Fuyuko would need to bring him to the fourth Barracks immediately. Before either the Hollow could stop them, or the Second division escaped their bindings and prevented them from travelling there. Still, if the Hollow was as strong as she expected, there was no way it would let her escape with Arashi. She would somehow need to both rescue Arashi and dispose of the Hollow with the same well-timed action. There wouldn’t be any room for quick thinking, she’d have to ready herself for the worst case scenario now. She would prepare for the right opportunity, for the moment the Senkaimon gates slid open to reveal the World of the Living. How she prayed Arashi would be waiting for her, victorious, on the other side.
Her prayers would not be answered.
Suddenly the gates opened, appearing from thin air right next to Arashi, and Fuyuko saw a horrific sight. The entire scene moving at the speed of light, everything would happen in a single instant, nearly frozen in time, as Fuyuko’s brain processed the information witnessed by her eyes. She saw Arashi, attempt to form a fist of light and crush the wall to escape. Only for a blade of light to pierce through both a clone, and his own chest. By this point, Fuyuko’s instincts quickly kicked in, having already anticipated the need to take action.
The moment Arashi’s body hits the floor, Fuyuko appears in front of him, having used some Shunpo of her own. Her Zanpakuto, Hibiki-kotsu (響き骨, “Sounding Bone”; Viz. “Bone Echoing”) drawn from its sheath, and outstretched protectively in front of Arashi. She stands between him and the hollow known as Sword Eater. Her adept senses easily picking up on the hollow even from behind the wall. She knew it was foolish to defiantly reveal herself, under normal circumstances. However in this case, the Hollow wouldn’t be immediately aware of her appearance, hoping to take the creature off guard by the sudden arrival of a new Shinigami just as the previous one was struck down. Further, her body might work as a shield, to protect Arashi from any additional attacks headed his way. Lastly, and most importantly, her appearance worked as a distraction, an attention grabber. One she did not hesitate to take advantage of. She spoke in this exact same moment, the word having been primed on her tongue the entire time…
“Bankai!”

The moment her physical form appears from the Shunpo, her words echo throughout the building, into the surrounding street where Sword Eater stood. Immediately, Hibiki-kotsu’s shape transforms from a standard blade, into what appears to be a spinal cord, with a small skull at the very end. The mouth of the skull opens, flooding the entire scene in an incredibly thick white mist. This mist rises from the very ground, surrounding everything within sight. A red crimson emanates from some unforeseen depths, glowing against the white of the mist, as the surrounding world grows black.
All around, Sword Eater’s world would grow silent. Utterly, completely. Fuyuko’s figure, Arashi’s body, the destroyed buildings and Karakura Town itself, all fade from the hollow’s senses. Disappearing into the mist. Should Sword Eater charge at the building, or even take a step in any direction, he would find himself immediately lost. His sense of time, direction, and scale all becoming skewed, as his environment surrounds him, crowds him, crushes and bares in upon him, becoming disorienting, claustrophobic even. He would feel completely isolated. Then, if he had any sense of sentience, he would feel scared.
At first, the feeling would be a minor paranoia, a small impulse that would tell his body it should turn around, like eyes staring at the back of Sword Eaters head. The longer he ignored this impulse, the greater the paranoia grew. Becoming an anxiety, a rush of adrenaline spiking through his system, if he had a heart, it would beat harder and harder, louder and louder, like footsteps drawing closer. Until finally the paranoia grew too and screamed at his senses, the feeling right before being struck with an attack. The only solace, the only escape, that Sword Eater could feel would be his natural inclination to turn around. Was it the Shinigami woman? Had she appeared behind him for an attack? No.
Behind him, would be the grimace of a massive skeleton. Its jaw of bone open wide, its gargantuan teeth mere inches from the Hollow’s own head. It did not matter that Sword Eater could strike at the speed of light, as he would already be in the mouth of the Skull, and its bite already in motion. Sword Eater would have to perceive, register, and react to this threat that he did not expect, that he did not even know existed. He stood next to no chance of escape. As the haunting Skull bites down it would crush through Soul Eater's own bone-like exterior. Cracking his massive dumb face like a walnut. It would tear through his purple body, and leave him a mess of black miasma, a pile of flesh on the street.
Even if he could escape, there was still the matter of finding Fuyuko and Arashi. If the haunting guillotine that was Fuyuko’s Bankai failed to eradicate the monster, it would at least serve to keep it blinded and distracted. Enough at least for Fuyuko to spring into the action of her plan.
She had always planned to rescue Arashi, at all costs. The moment her Bankai activated, she knew she’d have no time to waste. Under the cover of her mist, She’d grab one of Arashi’s arms, and pull him over her shoulder. Leaping back into the still open Senkaimon gate, just as its paper doors slid shut.
Fuyuko didn’t bother to confirm the Hollow’s death, she would be able to tell the moment her Zanpakuto devoured the creature. Instead she kept her focus on her sensory input, andstayed alert for any high speed attacks that might otherwise catch her off guard on her small four foot journey back into the gate.
Safe now in its halls, Fuyuko used her shunpo to rush as fast as possible back towards the Seireitei, wasting no time or energy on an explanation or introduction, and dedicating her entire being towards getting Arashi back as soon as she was able to. She could only hope he still possessed enough strength to stay alive long enough for the journey.
”Just hang in there, okay?”
Would there even be a Fourth Division to get back to?
Even worse, she thought...
Would there even be a Seireitei?

 

[BSD]

This battle had been slowly declining from his favor! And surely it was due to his lack of putting this troubled soul to rest like he should have done at the very start. His kind heart and gentle nature, easily could have got him killed if it wasn't for his quick reflexes... In the long run, it still can
"Our powers are no longer effective, Arashi. Pull through, there is always a weakness to exploit."
Hosizora spoke to him after the blades that he thought he would've be able to evade, two were still able to make contact. One effectively cutting through his left arm and as a result, he is unable to use it for the remainder of this fight. As of now, Arashi was unable to create the light construct that he had planned to use to create an opening through the wall behind him, instead the trajectory of the blade that original was suppose to go for his head, now struck his chest and lucky for Arashi, the blow would not be fatal as at the last second he was able to shift his body towards the left a bit, however, both blades easily were able to pin him up against the wall.
So what now for the young Arashi, every point of light outside and that surrounded him except for the singular point that continued floating upwards returned to Arashi. Re-creating his Zanpakuto with in its release state that he would grip firmly in his right hand, instantaneously, his scabbard also re-formed at this point as well at the same speed! The look on his face, seemed rather odd? A small bit of pain, but the expression did not last. His high tolerance to pain allowed him to withstand such emotions and still retain a constant smile, but, his eyes were opened. A slight amount of blood falling down from the corner of his lip!
From what could seem like the end, his request had been answered, but not in the way he had planned. Having asked for a release of Gentei Rein, he instead received another body, a comrade! Arashi being natural being grateful to any form of assistance, his gaze only shifted to her sudden appearance and she placed her self between him and the approaching foe! With no hesitation, she entered Bankai filling the vicinity with a thick mist and due to not knowing what her Bankai could really do, Arashi obviously would be lost. How would affect Sword Eater at this point? She attempted to pull against his arm, trying to pull him away. Did she not see the blades piercing through his body and pinning him through the wall.
"Have to removed the blades first. Be careful".
As he made that statement, the still released form of his Zanpakuto allowed for him to manipulate the light that the blade is composed off. Turning it into an an arm connected to thee Guard and handle with a full on hand that was rather large. The hand pressed against Arashi's torso and shoved his body back and through the wall which would allow him to exit the building, but remain close to the Lieutenant of Squad Ten. He stood on an invisible platform with his left arm dangling his right arm coming up to cover the wound on his chest. The arm had reformed into the blade once more...
"We can not leave. The Hollow has to perish first."

 

[BSD]

Blood...BLOOD....BLOOD!!!!
That euphoric feeling of warm blood coursing down the cool blades born of his flesh. It warmed the soul, filling the Hollow with inexplicable joy. His hunger became immeasurably stronger, his appetite whetter. A feast was at hand! Shinigami, they were all the same at the end of the day. Despite all their boasting, all their ego, all their training and all their arrogance, they were all slabs of spiritual meat when diced by his blades.
Gargantuan steps brought the monster further towards the building, fingers wiggling and fidgeting in shameless excitement. Puddles of drool left in his wake as he passed, he could taste the Soul Reaper's blade already. Closer, he drew, the walking guillotine towards the skewered male and then...it stops. Confusion befalls the cold monstrous mask that made up its face. 'Whazzat?' The Hollow questions, picking up something aside from his chosen meal. Never the sharpest of tools, he was otherwise lost to the reiatsu of things other than his 'swords-smith'. The lumbering, heartless weapon pushed the fleeting caution to the side. He'd feed on this Soul Reaper then return to his hunt. After consuming the shinigami and his blade along with a few hundred human souls, he was sure he'd be strong enough to return to the endless cold deserts of Hueco Mundo. No one would ever look down on him again, they'd all fear him! Sword Eater! No one else!
Dreams of grandeur coalesced with his rumbling stomach, suppressing the bewilderment that momentarily clouded his thoughts. Large arms swung loosely as he lunged towards the building, merely a few meters away at this point. As he traveled a cloud of confusion fell over him once more. The building, the trees, the streets and skies were quickly engulfed in a creeping fog, the world around him submerged in white. Again his feet stopped in their tracks, and again confusion dominated his simple mind.
"What type'a weather is this?!"
He questioned aloud, the emptiness of the fog answering him with silence. For the first time since he had arrived, caution rose within his being. As before he tried to suppress the feeling that caused him to hesitate, he just needed to reach that stupid soul reaper, eat him and his blade and go about his way. Like before he pressed forward, though he couldn't see two feet ahead of him, he knew the building was just ahead.
He walked...and walked...and walked. Feet carrying him ceaselessly, yet there was no other soul to be found, nothing to obstruct his path. What was going on? He should have reached the building by now! He stopped, and for the first time began to think. The feeling of his prey's reiatsu that was so blatant before had somehow eluded him. Try as he might he couldn't pick it up. His massive head turned one way then the other. Gone. The reiatsu was simply...gone.
"Wha-What the hell is this? WHAT THE HELL'S GOING ON HERE?!"
He roared out in defiance into the vast white void that encompassed him all around. There was anger in his tone, yes, but he couldn't fully hide the tremble within his voice. Sweat began to drip off his body as he took two steps then stopped.
Sword Eater was not accustomed to such fighting. He was use to his enemy charging at him recklessly, ignorantly, making him stronger while they themselves fell deeper into despair. So, how could he hope to fair against a setting such as this? Isolated from the world, alone spare his simple thoughts in an even simpler mind. It was alone where the true Sword Eater came to light. Alone, frail, absent of courage, he was a small helpless thing. He roared out again, his cry like a pained animal ensnared in man's trap. He ran, forward, nonstop. His breathing grew heavier, every breath becoming increasingly more labored. Where elated drool once trickled to the ground, in its stead was sweat from an unnerved monster.
No matter how far or how fast he ran, how large a stride he took the world of white still surrounded him, swallowed him whole, utterly...completely. Glowing yellow eyes darted from one side to the other frantically. 'I need'a get outta here.' His voice far less bold and courageous in his head. In the confines of his mind, hidden from all others his inner voice was silent and whimpering. There was a warmth along his back, a heavy feeling that grew warmer, heavier with every continued step taken. Ruled by his desire to escape he ignored it, several blades jutting from his back, still at the speed of light, stretching as far as twelve meters out. Whatever was stupid enough to be there should surely be shish kebab by then.
The attack was swift, and came with no forewarning, no signs or cues and at light speed...so, why didn't he feel anything? There couldn't be anything fast enough to dodge that, given the feeling they weren't far from him. An attack at that speed, at point blank range? Impossible! Yet the feeling never left, never failed to bear down on him. How long had he been trapped inside? How many hours had passed? As he ran he tried attacking from behind him with his blades throughout his attempted retreat, the blades never striking from the same point on his body. Each attempt was met with failure, the unbearable force growing substantially heavier. Glowing eyes now dilated, appearing as mere pin drops as his body was soaked in sweat. He couldn't take it! It had to be that shinigami somehow! He was barely hanging on and now he dares to toy with him like this?! He dares to make a fool of him?! Breath leaving him in heavy pants he finally turns to shout out and attack.
"WHY YO-"
CHOMP
That moment, that infinitesimally brief instant it was over. The skeletal jaws of a skull of mountainous proportions had clamped down around the upper half of the hollow in one massive, bone crunching, flesh tearing bite. There was no time to cry out in pain, ther was no room for regret, blood splattered along pearl colored bone and along the fog covered grounds. The lavender body of the hollow instantly went limp, locked within the jaws of the massive skull. The one seeking to consume, had instead been consumed, its ambitions lost with its life. Never to know the whereabouts of its meal, or to learn of the cause of its demise. A simple end, for a creature as simple as he.

 

[BSD]

She remained silent, observant as the film of white swallowed her, Arashi, and the world around them. Her dominant hand held her blade, her other pressing down against Arashi’s wounds, applying pressure to ease the bleeding. It didn’t take long for her hand to be stained red with his blood, she could only encourage him with her eyes to bear with it for now, to try and endure until the threat had passed.
She waited, watched, observed. Although the Hollow was blind in this disorienting world of white, the same could not be said of her. She wanted to leave immediately after releasing her Bankai, but Arashi, despite his battered body wanted to see this mission through to its end. Was it anger? Vengeance he sought towards the Hollow for placing him in so precarious a situation as the one Fuyuko had found him in? Or, was it something else...a genuine sense of duty and care for the innocents who could possibly be in danger should that creature somehow survive and be left to its own devices?
The Lieutenant stood conflicted, she dearly wanted to get Arashi to get medical treatment, and there was that nagging feeling tugging at her heart she needed to return to the Soul Society, and soon. She couldn’t say what was going on back in the Seireitei, but things weren’t looking good, she was concerned for the members of her own Division as well as those of the other respective Divisions. However, she was also a Shinigami. Though Arashi’s combat abilities may have possibly waned from his injuries, hers were fully intact. She bit her lip in frustrated thought, tugged at both sides by duty, honor, and sentiment. Her eyes glanced over towards Arashi, who’s blood soaked her palm, and spilled over her fingers.
”We will wait only a bit longer. The effects of my Bankai or kicking in now, if the hollow isn’t killed by that...then we will have to leave Arashi-kun.”
He needed only a glance at her eyes to know the Lieutenant was serious and would not entertain the discussion a moment longer. She waited. Fear, madness, paranoia quickly took the hollow over.
Just a little longer
She thought as the Hollow fled, screamed, bellowed, attacked at the ghosts that haunted his mind. She glanced towards the Senkaimon, the paper doors still opened up awaiting her re-entry.
This is it!
”Lets go!” She cried out, grabbing firmly to Arashi, shunpo carrying the both of them towards the open gates just as the massive jaws of a skeleton bit down on the Hollow. She didn’t need to watch further or take a second look to confirm the Hollow’s end. The mist slowly began to recede, the surrounding town bleeding back into view and visibility as the paper doors of the senkaimon closed behind Fuyuko and Arashi, her bankai ending. She released a breath she didn’t even know she had been holding. Just what had happened back there? She wanted to ask Arashi for more details, but the blood wouldn’t stop. There were too many wounds, too little time for idle chit chat. Truth be told they didn’t have the time to spare, waiting for the demise of that Hollow, but Arashi seemed to really want to ensure its end. Perhaps it was the memories in her heart from a time long ago, or...maybe it was just seeing him so injured, the sight of him skewered to that wall, helpless, that made her wish to indulge his request...if only a little.
Shaking her head she put aside these questions of self reflection. ”Come, let’s go back home.” Her voice gentle as she caught sight of the fluttering butterfly traveling down the path, back to the seireitei...back to the conflict and confusion she had caught a glimpse of when she left….
With her blade re-sealed and returned to his scabbard the two began their journey back through the Senkaimon, where Arashi could get the proper help he needed, and her Taichou could be debriefed on the situation.
Headed from Karakura Town ———————————— to Southwest Seireitei