Karakura General Market, a place filled with things to see. Stores laid in both the buildings and the very streets themselves. Various products for any occasion displayed in hopes of attracting customers, and with good reason. Even though it was dusk and most people were done shopping a few still lingered on the streets. One of these few looked out of place, still wearing a school uniform. That person was Masaru Harada.
He was walking in the heart of the market, yet he had no intention on shopping. The merchandise, the smell of food, even the people themselves; Masaru ignored them all. Instead he was focusing on a small chess piece he held in one palm. Inside his mind he was trying to figure out the mystery behind the object. It hadn’t been long ago that a voice had emanated from it, and then he had been able to summon beasts from his own shadow. After that initial release however he had been unable to talk to Kage, unable to release the power.
That was the true reason he had come here, with the sun setting in the horizon. He had seen a monster the first time, the only difference he could think of. His regular blank face contorted into one of disgust for a moment as he remembered the beast. Now the young man was walking down the street, actively searching for one of them. He wanted to learn about this power, and it seemed that this was the only way.
He allowed a brief smirk to cross his face. The thought of destroying more of those vile things didn't sound half bad.
Kuroi would be walking along the shopping district. She was in the human world, her gigai a bit awkward on her. She would look down at her 'phone'. She was checking to see if there were any hollows attacking around her. She smiled and nodded to herself, seeing now that the area was clear. She was not really paying attention to her surroundings, forgetting about how many people walked around her, especially at this time of day. She would glance up every now and then. She was checking around at the different areas on her phone, making sure the area was clear. She sighed at the lack of activity.
Suddenly, she ran into someone. She looked up, towards the person she had run into. It seemed to be a male; he seemed to be different. Damn these humans, having no idea what they were doing. "Oh.. I apologize. I should have been watching were I was going I was just looking at my phone fo-" she cut herself off. Dammit, she always talking to much; she really needed to control herself. "Anyways, my name is Kuroi." she would say, stretching her hand out in a way of greeting. She could notice he was looking for something, or someone. Not necessarily an item. He seemed to have a bit of a higher spiritual pressure than that of an human, and she was curious to find out his true power.
‘Where are they?!’ Masaru thought impatiently as he walked. His eyes were constantly scanning the area, looking for a clue or anything. Yet nothing had yet to shown itself. So intent on his search however that he hardly had time to react before the young man collided with another person on the street. The impact jarred him and he took a step back to steady himself. What had stunned him most though was that the chess piece he was holding. Although he couldn’t be certain, he could almost swear that it had pulsed the moment he had collided
"Oh.. I apologize. I should have been watching were I was going I was just looking at my phone fo-" he heard, snapping Masaru’s attention back to the person he had collided with. She was a young girl who was probably around his own age. She looked normal as far as he was concerned, except for some highlights. "Anyways, my name is Kuroi." She said afterwards, while extending a hand.
“No need to apologize, the accident was just as much my fault” he said politely. Grasping the hand with his free one, he shook briefly before adding “Masaru.” In his head however he was weighing his options. Should he leave now or investigate? If he did feel the king pulse, then surely something about this person caused it. On the other hand he could be merely wasting his time, or worse a hollow show and he would be unable to act without drawing suspicion.
Eventually he made a decision. This girl was the closest thing to a clue he had found so far, asking more couldn’t hurt. There had been a long pause after he introduced himself, so he now quickly spoke up, “If I may ask, what brings you down to the market?”
An easy tread along the soft ground, grit digging into my boots. A cool breeze, rustling between the shops, overhangs flapping against one another. My hat stirred a bit, and a single white-gloved hand reached up to adjust it with a deft movement. I was grateful for the breeze, giving a measure of relief from the warm summer sun. I was a fairly imposing presence in the physical realm, although my normally quiet manner and secluded nature brought balance into effect, and instead of avoiding me most of the people here had quickly learned to treat me as just another human. In sharp contrast, my normally large spiritual presence was greatly suppressed, as was expected of those like me, in order to avoid unnecessary confrontation and loss of human life.
I walked along the streets of the market with an easy gait, taking in the sharp smells and pleasant sights of this place that I enjoyed so much. Ahh, there was Garii. I walked towards this particular street vendor, greeting him in the traditional manner as his old face seemed to crack open as he grinned. We exchanged a few words, but he knew exactly what I wanted, producing a large, ripe pomegranate from a special bin under the counter. This particular fruit was far better quality then the rest on his stand, as they always were. I paid him well and thanked him, opening it and beginning to eat as I walked forth.
A little ways in front of me, two people had a brief collision, youngsters. I had not really been paying attention up until now, absorbed as I was in procuring my favorite fruit, but at this point something drew my attention. The two who had collided just a moment ago, there was something odd about them. I moved closer gradually, walking with the crowd as I ate from the red nectar. I was still some distance away (about 15 meters), walking, when the situation became clear. The first youngster were gifted indeed, the male, possessing a level of spiritual energy impossible among normal humans. It seemed only marginally developed, but not in the manner of the Quincy, that was certain. The other.... an agent of death, a Soul Reaper. A mixture of emotions presented themselves, but for the moment I determined that the best course of action would be to carefully approach their position.
Kuroi's eyes scanned the area around her. She would thrust her hands in her pockets after the greeting and scanned the near-by area. She had sensed the spiritual of the one before her but... something new was brought to her senses. She located the general direction of the pressure and spotted a man eating a fruit. She quickly turned her head back towards Masaru. She didn't want to focus her attention too directly, as to draw attention to her own self. If he could sense spiritual pressure he must be making conclusions about her by now. “If I may ask, what brings you down to the market?” The question was directed towards her, and it drew her out of her thoughts. She knew what she could and couldn't say and she didn't want to let too much information loose. She didn't know who this Masaru guy was yet and she had learned not to trust anyone.
"Oh, nothing special. Wandering around, exploring this area a bit. I don't come around here often.." she would say to him, in a brightful manner. She had noticed now that she had forgotten how humans acted. She had not been done this way in what seemed like ages. Her mind could not help but linger towards the person with the fruit. Who was he and what abilities did he have? She ran this question through her mind several times before returning her attention to the one who stood in front of her.
Masaru waited patiently for Kuroi to answer his question, but it seemed she was distracted. She was scanning the area, looking for something. ‘Maybe she intended to meet up with someone?’ He reasoned as he took the opportunity to view their surroundings. Everything seemed to be normal, although he noticed an odd man with a wide brimmed hat. No sign of a monster, no sign of even a ghost. Was it merely chance he had seen one earlier? His irritation at this fruitless search was beginning to build as he wondered if this was even worth his time.
"Oh, nothing special. Wandering around, exploring this area a bit. I don't come around here often.." he heard Kuroi say cheerily, drawing his attention back to her. The answer did nothing to boost his confidence. She was probably new to the town, which reinforced the idea that she was looking for someone. Although his face was neutral, as he stared at the chess memento in his hand he gave a frustrated sigh. ‘Maybe I should try later, I’m imagining things.’
”Ah, I see. Well –“ he froze mid-sentence as a screech pierced through the chatter of the street. Yet that distinct howl was not something a normal person could hear, it was the cry of a beast. The cry he had been waiting for. Quickly looking around he saw an alleyway which he thought the sound originated from. Grasping his school coat so it wouldn’t fall, he dashed off calling over his shoulder “I’m sorry, I just remembered something important. It was nice to meet you!”
He continued running as he rounded the corner, now in the alleyways that went behind the stores. There were no people back here, save for himself. It didn’t take long though for him to find what he was looking for. If one didn’t know better they would call it a centaur, its lower body did look like that of a horse and its upper body did resemble that of a human. Centaurs did not have red colored skin however, nor did they have a bone white mask obscuring their face. However the most important thing Masaru noted was that the beast was aware of his presence. With another piercing scream it charged at the young man. Desperate Masaru held up the object he held in his hand, waiting to hear Kage’s voice again.
He didn’t, leaving only one thought left in the young man’s head ‘Shit.’
I continued my casual approach, but it seemed the shinigami had sensed my presence. How can that be... I am suppressing my reiatsu.... However it seemed fairly obvious that she knew what I was, or at least that I was not as I initially appeared. Her gaze had looked directly back at me before turning back quickly, which I guess was fairly innocuous, except that I could also sense a change in her demeanor, both in body language and in the spirit realm.
If it came to a confrontation I was not concerned, given what I could sense of her spiritual presence. Although there could always be some sort of shield I might not be able to sense. She was looking away from me for the moment, so I used the opportunity to close the distance between us. I did not know her immediate purpose or intentions with the boy, but in my experience Shinigami were never a good sign.
Soon, I was close enough to hear their exchange. Fairly standard, for humans. Obviously the shinigami was using a body of some kind, but did the boy not realize what she truly was? Come to think of it, the kid had glanced at me for a moment as well, but did not seem to react in the same way the woman had. He must be very new at this...
I sensed it before I heard the noise it was making. A hollow, but not a big one. A small fry as far as I was concerned, something to let the shinigami busy herself with. Except.... The boy had broken off his conversation as the beast roared, and rushed in its direction. Is he trying to get himself killed?
Working my way quickly through the crowd, I readied myself for combat but continued to shield my reiatsu for the moment. Pulling a little silver tube from my belt, I held it in my left hand, ready if needed. Hopefully I could reach him in time...
Kuroi's senses were perked when her phone let off a long vibration. Now? You have got to be kidding me. Shit. she thought to herself. “I’m sorry, I just remembered something important. It was nice to meet you!” the boy had said to her before running off. It took her a few moments that as soon as that shriek of a monster had came through the skies, the boy had taken off. There most likely was something special about him then if he could hear a hollow. She was almost certain he had run after the hollow, as he ran towards the direction of the noise. She let herself take a quick glance at the other man standing not to far away, closer than before even. He was strange but she had to go fulfill her duties. She couldn't let a hollow roam around this town freely. She would try to find more about the man later after she killed the bastard. Bastards if more of them came after this one. She didn't know yet how high of a level this hollow was, or what its skills were. She would most definitely find out later once she made it to the scene of the hollow.
She would quickly turn in the direction the boy had ran, running after him. She would run into a deserted alleyway before following him completely. She had to remember that she was in fact in a gigai. She couldn't very well fight in it. From her pocket, she would draw soul candy. She had to figure out what the hell she would do with her body. She was hoping that this fight wouldn't be long, even if it was, no one knew her in this town except for the boy she had met. She didn't want her gigai discovered though. The alleyway seemed to never have much of anyone in it. Nothing fresh at all. She'd have to make due until she got a replacement soul. She'd pull the soul candy from her pocket. Popping on into her mouth, she would come into her spirit form. A soul reaper. She fingered the handle of her zanpakuto before placing her gigai in a secluded spot that wouldn't be easy to see from the street. Even if anyone saw, they may just think that she was just some homeless person taking a nap in the street. She glanced at her phone for a moment to see the exact direction of the hollow.
Kuroi would sprint off towards the direction of the hollow. She would keep her hand resting upon the sheath of her zanpakuto, ready to draw it when necessary. The hollow was relatively close and she could hear its screeches like it stood next to her. Eventually, she made her way to the hollow, spotting the boy in front of it. This hollow was rather large. Four meters at least. She glared at it's red body and mask before noticing what it was doing. The hollow was coming towards him, and it didn't look like he would be able to fend it off. "Shit." she would say to herself, drawing her zanpakuto from its sheath. She had to be quick, as to make it to the damn monster. One quick shunpo would bring her in front of the hollow. She had little time to react to its attack. She was no speed expert and she had to work with her zanpakuto. She would bring if forward, in front of her, bracing herself to attack. The hollow would come towards her, and she slashed out. That didn't stop the hollow from bringing its arm out, thrusting her backwards. The boy was behind her and she hoped that he wouldn't get hurt in the process.
OOC: We are at 2,831 words. Let's try and make this a double thread, darlings~
There Masaru stood; a demon charging towards him and yet Kage’s voice still could not be heard. He was convinced he was going to die until someone in a robed in black just, appeared was the best way he could describe it, in-between the beast and himself. Wielding a sword, the figure fought the demon but before long was struck and sent flying. It all happened so fast it was all the young man could do to avoid the now flying robed figure. Now it was him and the demon again, yet the human’s mind was somewhere else.
He grabbed his head as, memories tried to resurface. He had seen this before, a black robbed figure fighting a monster when he was a child. Was he as powerless as he was back then? The images then blurred and he saw the destruction the fight had caused. It was the demons fault. They had destroyed his home, his family, everything. That feeling of powerlessness they caused, the damage and death they caused. He hated it all, with every fiber of his being. He had been relying on Kage, but that wasn’t his new power. No, Kage had merely showed him the path. Hatred was the answer.
All of these thoughts raced in Masaru’s head but in reality a mere few seconds had passed. Gripping the chess piece in his hand he once again held it in front of him. This time however he didn’t think about Kage, he didn’t think about the robed figure that had been thrown behind him; he only focused on the vile creature before him and the thought of destroying it. The piece began to glow, a dark maroon energy that engulfed the energy. “Kage, destroy the beast before me” he whispered before dropping the piece into his shadow. It did not bounce off the concrete however; it sank into his shadow as if it were made of water. Masaru smirked as his shadow grew and contorted until it looked like a black vortex. From that vortex creatures crawled out, seeming as black as the vortex except for their distinct glowing eyes. Six Black Pawns, he didn’t know why he knew what they were called but he did, stood in front of Masaru.
During this time the hollow had not been idle. At first it had merely laughed, enjoying the fact that it had been able to smack around an enemy it immediately recognized as a shinigami. Sure it had been cut, but that was a small price to pay. However the spike in spiritual pressure from the young man caught his attention. With another piercing howl it once again resumed its charge. The six figures in front of Masaru hissed at the monster before meeting the charge with one of their own. The hollow tried to smash the black pawns and succeeded in destroying two but the sheer number of the pawns prevented an immediate victory. The remaining servants tackled the beast as a group, and altogether they landed as a giant pile on the ground.
OOC: It seems a bit selfish of me to destroy a monster I just brought in, so I left him alive. If either of you want to fight it/use it for something feel free to. Otherwise I’ll just have Masaru finish it off.
As I hurried forward, I noticed that the shinigami had hurried off, although not directly after the boy, but into a nearby alleyway. She was of secondary importance with the boy potentially in danger, so I would simply ignore her passage and put on a burst of speed. Pushing through the crowd, I would scan the nearby rooftops, hoping to gain a vantage point. Quickly ducking into the alley adjacent to the one the boy was in, I would jump to the roof in an instant [1/10 Hirenkyaku], and rush to the other side, where I could look down on the hollow.
Keeping a low profile, I crouched on the roof, slightly back from the edge. I would be poised to prepare a quick Ginto spell if need be, the silver tube held in my left hand and positioned over my right, but for the moment I would pause, waiting. I had arrived just in time to see the show, starting with an interesting performance from the shinigami, a brief encounter leaving her knocked backwards. And that is when it got interesting. The boy seemed to be struggling with his thoughts, as the hollow laughed and carried on, drunk with the power of a brief victory. It was a wonder this thing did not notice me, even suppressing my reiatsu as I was.
I was just about to intervene when the kid spoke, and dropped something to the ground beside him. Soon creatures of darkness came forth, attacking the hollow from all directions. It seemed that this kid had control over the creatures, somehow. An interesting ability, indeed. I would continue to wait for the moment, observing as the creatures began to overpower the hollow. I wondered how he would kill it, though.
Kuroi would hit a nearby building, crashing into it. The pain wasn't too bad but it was worth the attempt to save the boy. What really caught her attention though, was the power that the boy had. Creatures seemed to rise from his shadow, and she watched with curiosity. She tried to figure out what to do when the hollow came forward and attack the shapes that appeared to be pawns from a chess game. She watched closely, wondering what kind of power this boy really had. She decided she would rather watch than attack though.
She stood herself up, picking up her zanpakuto that skidded a few feet when she hit the wall. She drew it in front of her, preparing to possibly advance towards the creature if the chance rose. A thought flickered to her mind, a wonder of whether or not the boy recognized her from their previous collision. The thought pondered her mind for a few moments before she came to with the realization of battle. She decided to attack it, maybe this could bring her up higher in the second division. One quick shunpo brought her to the front of the creature, raising her zanpakuto in the process. She quickly brought it down on the mask of the creature, erasing it from existence. She knew that she had taken away the kill of the boy but she was too caught up in the realization of victory.
Kuroi would land on her feet and for the first time since their previous encounter, turned to face him. She placed her zanpakuto in its sheath and spoke. "I apologize if you were going to kill that. I couldn't resist the opportunity." she added the slightest smirk to the end of her sentence.
In a heap they fell to the floor, his pawns wrestling with the beast for control of the situation. A grin spread across Masaru’s face as he watched the struggle unfold. It was only a matter of time before the monster was destroyed. Yet that did not happen, once again seeming to appear, the black robed figure landed in front of the hollow and with a slice of a sword the beast seemed to disintegrate. There was a moment of pause before his creatures, having their target destroyed, faded as well. The conflict was over.
His attention no longer focused on the monster he turned his focus to the robed figure in front of him. Masaru’s eyes widened for a brief moment as he realized just who that person was. "I apologize if you were going to kill that. I couldn't resist the opportunity." Kuroi spoke, further confirming that this was the girl he had been speaking to mere moments before. However that girl wasn’t robed in black and didn’t carry around a sword. It didn’t take much to connect the dots; this person was no normal human if she was human at all.
Reaching down, he picked up his piece that had come to the surface once more. He initially wanted to shout, the anger he held for hollow still lingering. However he took a moment and took a deep breath. ”You, you are no normal human. What are you and what do you know of those creatures? Tell me everything; tell me now!” he replied, ignoring her comments. Gone were the polite nature and smile, replaced with a harsh glare and a cold tone. She was a part of this cursed spirit world as much as the monster she had destroyed. More importantly she looked like she knew information and that, more than anything, was something Masaru needed.
Unfortunately, I wold be disappointed. It seemed I would be unable to witness this kid's full power for now, as the shinigami once more interfered, as they are prone to do. As the hollow vanished from sight and the reaper sheathed her sword, she spoke towards him, with what seemed to be pride in her voice. "I apologize if you were going to kill that. I couldn't resist the opportunity."
To his credit the human challenged her right away, his voice hard. ”You, you are no normal human. What are you and what do you know of those creatures? Tell me everything; tell me now!” His demeanor and line of questioning almost seemed threatening, which I would not normally deter him from, but I had to do something about all of the spiritual energy they were releasing with reckless abandon. My gaze shifted to the sky for a moment, casting about for hollows, before returning to those below me.
I stood up and spoke, the wind causing my dark clothing to flutter around me. My voice was not loud, but they would hear it clearly, in a low register. "Interesting. You have quite some potential there. And you..." My gaze set on the shinigami and hardened. "What do you want?" My reiatsu remained repressed, so neither of them would be able to read anything from me, seeing only my figure on a nearby rooftop.
While waiting for their answers, I would stretch out my senses, once more looking for hollows nearby. Although none were in the immediate area, it seemed some were beginning to approach our position, drawn by the collective reiatsu being released from the two below me.
Kuroi looked at the ground, slightly shocked by what the boy had said towards her. ”You, you are no normal human. What are you and what do you know of those creatures? Tell me everything; tell me now!” This was one of her first encounters within the human world as a soul reaper and she was still getting use to dealing humans and the way they acted. However, this was no normal human. His look was hard on her when she raised her head, making eye contact with the boy. He did not seem to be too pleased with her. She bit her lip before answering. "I am what is call a soul reaper. Our existence around here is to protect people with spiritual energy as yourself from hollows. That monster that was just before us was a hollow. It feeds on spiritual energy of souls. I am in no way connected to them coming around here, I just get rid of them. I come from a more peaceful place than where those things come from. I am absolutely no threat to you and it seems to me that you are confused about that power that you hold, mm? she would say to the boy, trying to keep her tone steady. The hard look he gave her managed to make her slightly uncomfortable.
"Interesting. You have quite some potential there. And you..." The strange man from before would speak, and Kuroi tried to locate him. She knew the voice belonged to the man and she could feel his gaze rest upon her as he spoke his last few words. He continued his sentence. "What do you want?" Kuroi could tell his tone was not very happy. She didn't even look towards him when she spoke. "I am only here because I am going through this area, making sure the hollows don't attack the people in these parts. I also wanted to come back to a place that I remember before I died. If you think I'm bad, then you are wrong. I just do my job." Kuroi kept her voice flat, a slight bit of annoyance within her tone.
Masaru watched as the young woman began to speak, biting her lip for a moment. Whether it was a sign of frustration, distress, or restlessness he didn’t know. "I am what is call a soul reaper. Our existence around here is to protect people with spiritual energy as yourself from hollows. That monster that was just before us was a hollow. It feeds on spiritual energy of souls. I am in no way connected to them coming around here, I just get rid of them. I come from a more peaceful place than where those things come from. I am absolutely no threat to you and it seems to me that you are confused about that power that you hold, mm?” She said as she met his gaze.
Although his facial expression stayed the same, internally he was piecing together the meaning of this new information. She was a reaper of souls, some protector of people, and what had she said? Hollows? Yes that was what she had named the demons, and that they fed off souls. That mattered little to him, he already knew that and he cared little for what she called the demons. He almost winced at the last statement however, it would seem his lack of understanding was obvious. Yet he had solved that problem partially, that would have to do for now.
He was still figuring things out, but he felt comfortable enough to respond. Before he could however another voiced pierced the air “Interesting. You have quite some potential there. And you... what do you want?" Masaru’s head whipped around as he looked for the source. Above the two of them, on the edge was a man. Most of him was obscured by a black coat but that black wide brimmed hat, he had definitely seen that before. ’So it would seem she … or maybe I was being followed.’ He thought trying to keep both Kuroi and this newecomer in focus. As he continued to listen to the exchange between the two of them, it became obvious that these two were working for different factions. For now Masaru was content to remain silent and watch.
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