Fandom [Bleach] Burgeoning Souls; A Reaper's Call.

[Garbage Pail Kid]

PlusUltra LadyOfStars AtlannianSpy

Yuuki took more stock of the shop's details than Sensaina did and found that indeed everything was almost purposeful in it's generic presentation. The store carried nothing noteworthy on it's shelves, and even it's lights were like every midway local grocer this side of the district. What Yuuki picked on walking through it, however, was that everything on the shelves, counters, and cashier desk, was aligned in perfect symmetry. It would take days of meticulous work to keep everything so even, without a speck of dust? It's owner was certainly a mystery.

Sensaina found the entrance to the basement, and both him and Yuuki found a most unusual training ground where they saw two people fighting farther out, surrounded by a library of an arena. Their suppression and distance kept them under the radar as Lei and Kotori continued to practice. Their approach could reach a certain distance before Sensaina could feel the intensity of Lei's pressure and knew any closer and they'd be detected by his savant gaze. Sensaina recognizes his captain of old, completely different and yet changed so little. The scene becoming much clearer to them now as they overlooked the scene from a mountain of old Britannica's. They weren't fighting for real, lest this whole place be torn to shread. It seemed as though he were training a potential up 'n' comer, acting as a buffer for her to learn the basics of spiritual energy.

Lei' gaze was focused on Kotori at the moment as she braved the gauntlet of unrelenting attacks that whirled around him like a tornado. Asagiri-Shibuya allowed him great range and control of the battlefield had been the folly of many foolish hollow who thought they were faster. Lei respected her determination as she pushed through the pain and kept trying; Both the unseen watchers and Kotori seeing as he started to involve his feet and roll Shibuya across his thighs and now the staff swept upwards ever few rotations or so, completely mixing up his technique and spiritual pressure. He hadn't lost his touch and continued to train himself everyday, how else could he train prodigies like this one? She may not have noticed outright, but any most other fighters would have been caved by several of those bo strikes. Those bruises were going to be a pain in the morning. He took a pause, and snapped the staff firm and planted it into the ground next to him.

"Learning fast, and now you will most certainly be able to contend with any bottom feeders, but if you intend for your body to be your weapon...then you must hone it to the finest edge and hone your spirit finer still. My eyes show me far too much, a future I must prepare for, but cannot face. It is why I want instill in you the will to face what I cannot. There will be a time where you must make a choice, and I want to make you ready for it. Shall we take a break or would you like to continue? I sense some old friends and new foes alike brewing out there and the best kind of training is in the field"

 

[LadyOfStars]

Seireitei


One week ago a squad went to the world of the living, headed by the Lieutenant of the 7th Division, and what they encountered there left them with more questions than they had arrived with. The presence of several unfamiliar spiritual pressures had put the team on high alert and although two of them turned out not to be the threats that the group expected, there were still other spiritual pressures present that night that are unexplained. This left the group with the eerie feeling that they had just narrowly evaded trouble with an unknown threat. Under his Lieutenant Tamashi's orders, no report was filed about the incident and the two strangers that they found were both left in the world of the living in the care of the former captain of squad 11. But back in the Soul Society things were slowly crumbling and the stability that they had enjoyed seemed to be disappearing.

With no leads yet and shinigami still missing, tensions were rising especially among the noble families and those among the ranks of Central 46. What worried the shinigami the most however was the talk of a lockdown and pulling out of the world of the living. The fact that they had no name to put to this enemy scared many and though they wanted to be brave, there was little that could be done to hide their fear. Even some Divisions of the Gotei 13 had started to be more strict with their members and allowed them less freedoms.

Despite all the trouble brewing on the surface, there was even more happening in the shadows of the Soul Society. A random meeting of the Lieutenants, established through secret codes and signals was about to take place and the subject...could get them all in great trouble. The next meeting to occur was also done in secret but this time the guests were lower seated shinigami.

"Thank you for coming. I trust you did so in the least suspicious manner possible." Sensaina said as he sat at the head of a table in one of the only bars that still remained open in the Seireitei. He had used his vast knowledge of spell work to seal off the room to intruders as well as eavesdroppers. "With the current state of things, I must be brief so keep your questions until the end." He looked around at the shinigami gathered around the table with him and inhaled deeply, working up the strength to trust them and tell them his secret.

"The higher ups have been discussing shutting down the Seireitei and withdrawing from the World of the Living. Infighting has become a great distraction for the nobility and Central 46 and they are standing in the way of us rescuing our comrades and putting an end to this enemy. So the four of you have been chosen to...disappear. Your disappearances will be staged and once you are declared missing, you will have free reign to leave the Seireitei and pursue our peers wherever they may be hidden." He paused briefly, gauging the reactions of those before him. "This is of course a secret operation and I cannot tell you who has put this idea forth, only that you all are low enough in position that your disappearances won't scare people, but may get them to focus on the big picture. We have ruled out that the missing shinigami are in the Soul Society so that just leaves the world of the living and Hueco Mundo." He stopped once more as a shadow was cast onto the paper wall of their room. Luckily it seemed the figure was just passing by.

"Several people are placing their faith in you all to solve and end this threat to the Seireitei, but if you do not think that you can handle this mission or if it goes against your beliefs then speak up now. Of course if you do then the entire mission is off and we are back to square one. Now is when you ask your questions too."

AtlannianSpy Orikanyo Hanarei Garbage Pail Kid

---

World of the Living


A week in the world of the living and to those blind to the happenings of the dead, things had not changed, but to those who could see beyond the veil, things were very different. The presence of Shinigami in the streets had dropped, with patrols lasting far less time and happening less consistently. Sometimes there were also less people on patrol sometimes just a single captain wandering around. At Sensaina's request, Kotori and Shuya who had been rescued by the patrol that night were to be left in lei Hanafuda's care to ensure they didn't attract and fall prey to whatever foe was skulking around the shadows.

The trio would have noticed the coming and going of unique energies from the city, but would never catch a glimpse of the sources, leaving them in the dark still. They would however also notice a change in hollow behavior. The monsters seemed more organized and their attacks did not appear as chaotic. On top of that they seemed to be attacking in packs with a stronger hollow usually leading the weaker ones. Whether this was a result of the decreased patrols or not was unclear, although it did not seem linked.


Garbage Pail Kid PlusUltra Kameron Esters-

 

[Orikanyo]

Daisuke


​

Daisuke had entered the meeting room exactly how one might expect... Sort of squeezing out from under a floorboard under the tatami and carefully placing it back down. he was given notice of this meeting, told to engage in it secretly, thus he utilized his special routes... The very dirt covered young man did in fact have a tunnel or two, all garrisons had them. Not always to the occupant's knowledge but he was certain to sign the sign in and out sheet while down there so the information core knew he was in there for a time.

it was only proper of course, that he had arrived earlier than the registered time and hidden in wait until the appropriate time, the hardest part was making certain the hole in didn't get seen... Though he did somewhat smell of dirt, he... Kinda always did.

However, he listened thoroughly to the explanation... He was certain they had asked the right person for the job... Though some of them chosen were... Curious choices...

"I will not say I am against this mission, I am well suited for such endeavors by skill set... If, I however may, what type of support shall we expect? There are degrees of equipment that is required for long form stay from the Seireitei, not to mention setting up a forward operating base is crucial... If this is all up to us, that is of course acceptable. But, our search shall likely be more approachable if some form of support, if clandestine, was appreciably given."

 

[Kameron Esters-]

The last several days were quite eventful for the fleeting Shuya. Strange supernatural occurrences had been sending Shuya's mind into a world of questions and paranoia. Despite the questioning of his sanity, He managed to get a job at Hanafuda's shop as a janitor. He gets paid about 1461 yen an hour for about four hours, which isn't bad. If he rations his money properly, he can probably afford his own living space. It's honest work, something he hasn't done in so long. It was either running numbers, making collections, or carrying out hits. Since then, Shuya has slowly began to pick up the language of the nation, though very slowly. He wasn't familiar with the grammar and phonic changes compared to the mandarin tongue he's always spoken, but Hanafuda had done...Something that allowed him to understand the Japanese language. He didn't understand how he did it, but he did it. Magic perhaps? He was never one to believe in it but that was the only explanation he could think of as to how this man managed to break the language barrier between them so easily. Even still, Shuya opted to not speak until he actually learned to the Japanese language, convincing everyone around him that he was mute.

While working at the shop, he's noticed a frequent guest in the form of Kotori. This girl perplexed him. First being that she was a female. Something that Shuya was very much unaware of communicating with. Secondly, she was taller than he'd imagine most females would be. Much taller in fact. Taller than any man he's met in his life, save a few bodyguards and triad leaders. And thirdly, she was much more built than how he imagined most females would be. He mostly thought they were built like twigs, but Kotori was built similarly to a man. Something the unknowing Shuya was genetically impossible. Granted he never went to school, so what would he know about genetics anyway. Either way, while females were already an enigma to Shuya, Kotori was an enigma even among her kind. Like a stranger among strangers. Something he could relate to and wasn't considering her personality, which he couldn't say much about as she's pretty straightforward, focused, and perseverant. Admirable traits, especially in his former line of work. She also seems to be very cautious, or the very least, weary of people she wasn't familiar with or gave her a bad feeling. Shuya has noticed her eyeing him suspiciously from the corner of his eye from time-to-time. As if she knew something was amiss with him, which she wouldn't be wrong in that assumption. Or at the very least, not entirely wrong. For now, he's simply an immigrant working for an honest shopkeeper by sweeping floors, restocking, and taking inventory of products.
PlusUltra Garbage Pail Kid

 

[Hanarei]

Konishi, Yoshiko​

The week since she had been to the human had passed by... rather uneventful... at least as uneventful as it could given the current turmoil. Paperwork was the best way to explain the time finding it pile up even more so as the situation unfolded. She had been use to handling much of her lieutenant's paperwork before his disappearance though at this point the role had been all but made official. Falling into line taking up the duties of the lieutenant almost completely, only spared certain duties by her captain instead taking the reigns. As focused upon doing her work properly as she might be having the burden put upon her fully without even the pretense of her superior perhaps not tossing his work on her was quite an annoyance.

As focused on her work as she might be, Yoshiko was always the type to put that fine line between work and play that work was coming ever so much dangerously close to threatening to cross. She prided herself at being exemplary at handling the organizational side of her job but even skilled as she might be there could only be so much she could do before even as talented as she might view herself to be she would hit a limit. She would be damned if it meant having to put in overtime just to get all her duties done. It was important for one's mental health after all, and even in her time out in the 'rougher' 2nd district starting up she had managed to never caught working more then she ever intended. How the trip to the human world despite the 'trouble' had come off as more of a vacation then she initially teased that it would be.

Yoshiko stood at attention keeping much more attentive. It wasn't hard to see at the mention of her disappearance wouldn't 'scare people' she seemed particularly offended. Her eyes glaring a bit as if taking it some personal sleight against all the extra work she had been putting in for the last few weeks and even before her vice-captain vanished. Strangely though, despite the harsh expression it seemed as if there was a bit more behind it even if so faintly. An almost sense of melancholy that was teased her posture even if so very briefly and far quicker swept away by her annoyance. Despite it all she remained composed even if a lingering sour expression was plastered on her face. Still, it had been mentioned of her being particularly chosen with the others there... who upon another glance their familiarity was made much more evident.

Her eyes shifted over to the particularly gloomy looking shinigami as he spoke up. Even when questioning the mission and seeming well informed he somehow knew a way to come off so dry and brooding. At least it seemed he wasn't asking for the sake of wanting to look smart in front of the others. It was enough at least to keep her from giving him a bit of sass in her own response even if it might only spare him temporarily. She did have a tendency to like to be a bit of a tease even if it perhaps wasn't quite appropriate or could be taken the wrong way.

"Given the secrecy of said meeting, I doubt much as far as support is able to be provided particularly when it comes to personnel. It seems quite clear the secrecy means the party at fault for the disappearances is at least privy to the general goings on in soul society, if not an acting member within our military structure. Any movement of supplies or usage of typical bases of operation on the books won't be useable. Such things would need to be acquired on our own, or through the use of a 3rd party with no direct connections of which any particularly nosy individuals couldn't look in to find out such an operation is going underway."

The silver haired woman finished with a bit of flourish flicking a strand of her hair up behind her shoulder almost as if her body despite the 'formal' meeting needing a way to stand out more. Her eyes lingering to Sensaina half pondering if the bar was taken as a sort of jab at herself given the earlier comment about their disappearance not causing a stir.

"I do find that my own role is... questionable... given the already strained functionality of my division without my lieutenant around and my role in keeping the barracks organized and in working condition... though outside those considerations of my value should I 'disappear' I do not hold any reservations undertaking such a mission. Though I will say, the living world and Hueco Mundo are quite large areas of which a small ground can be expected to search for clues on their own, unless perhaps there is some sort of lead to help point our noses in the right direction?"

LadyOfStars Orikanyo

 

[Garbage Pail Kid]

Junko Tenzen

LadyOfStars Orikanyo Hanarei​

---

Junko still hadn't got over her altercation with those hollow "That damned freak" She muttered as she made her way into the meeting. The beast in her yearned to sharpen her horns against a real foe, and a pain in the ass one at that, but she wouldn't disobey her Lieutenant. She revered him, though she tried to hide it. She gave a respectful bow to Sensei Sana before glaring at Daisuke "Why are you worried Daisuke? Don't be a shrimp! This is our chance to strike back and find some answers. We have plenty of support right here. Don't wimp out" She said, jabbing him in the side with her fierce fingers.

Junko please, you temper your frustration-

She breathed and instead chose to focus on her sensei instead, listening to his words with care. She hated when Kodzuchi was right.

"She's right, we can't expect when this is a mission most of our superiors wants to wash their hands of as fast as possible" She said with a snort as she crossed her arms "But I do have a way of tracking them...well...one of them at the very least" She said, opening her palm in the middle of the small circle they had assembled; revealing a form Reiryoku that sprouted from her palm. A twisted sprout fluctuation and roiling at it's center.

"Gluttony absorbs the Reishi from enemies with wickedness in their heart. That arrancar we faced, I still have a shred of what Kodzuchi absorbed" She explained. She had Sensaina to thank for all her training, kodzuchi having the forethought to sequester some of this revolting energy away. "It will give us a start I think. Why was he there? I swear he came after that human, it was all I could to keep up with him...er...well for a hollow" She said with a scoff, waving a hand dismissively and snuffing out her tracking method with it.

"They've been snatching up our people long, enough it's time to hit them back for a change"

 

[Garbage Pail Kid]

Lei Hanafuda

Kameron Esters-​

---

It had been an eventful week for Lei: an uptick in hollow sightings, a new student who had become most promising, and meeting an old friend in The Soul Society. Lei hadn't thought of Sensaina since he was a little squirt, and it still baffled him that he had become a Lieutenant. A laugh escaping his lips momentarily as he set down his cup of tea, rapping the back of his hand against the newspaper article he was reading "That is definitely where Sensaina' bunch o' brats fought. It was there for barely a moment, and would've killed them all if I hadn't sent Sensaina there immediately. Shibuya, why the hell are Arrancar sniffing around here?" He asked, sighing as he knew the answer would only bring more work.

"I am not sure, but I have a feeling we will be seeing the Lieutenant and his team again. We must keep preparing Kotori, and I think it's time to bring in Shuya. He has potential"

Lei nodded in agreement, almost excited to train a problem child like him. He stood up from his porch, cracking his limbs and yawning before going back into the store. He had left Shuya with the morning routine of cleaning up the place, and damn was he thorough. He had helped his language barrier problem along, and was pleased to see how much that improved his mood. A curiosity welling within him as the more he worked for Mr. Hanafuda, the more he noticed his bizarre Idiosyncrasy.

"You do good work Shuya, this place hasn't looked this spotless in years! I tried to teach Shibuya how to push a broom, but he wasn't having it. I actually wanted to talk to about that incident a week back. Perhaps it's time to shed some light on questions I am sure you have, what do you think happened there? It certainly wasn't a bloody gas leak" He said with a scoff, beckoning Shuya to follow him as he lead him toward the one place he hadn't been allowed to go yet, downstairs.

"First and foremost, how well can you fight?"

 

[LadyOfStars]

Tamashi Sensaina​

While not all the members he had invited were present, Sensaina was forced to settle on having those who did show up. He knew at the very least that Daisuke and Junko would, so it was a big relief to see Konishi as well. "We will sadly be without support, Daisuke." The Lieutenant revealed. "Our operation is, as the others said, not something that some of our superiors would approve of. Gathering information, stocking up on supplies, and establishing a base of operations outside of the Soul Society will all fall to us." He explained plainly.

"I understand that you are filling in for your Lieutenant at the moment, Konishi, but when I said your disappearance would not scare people I meant that as a lower seated officer your absence would not suggest the enemy to be someone more intimidating than already assumed." He hadn't intended to offend anyone and it seemed Konishi was the only one that had taken his words to heart. "If a Captain were to go missing or another Lieutenant, then it would remind the higher0i[s of just how dangerous the enemy is and may cause them to act out of fear more than they already have."

They needed to avoid stirring the pot and causing a mass panic because that would make their job even more difficult. "Your training and diligence are paying of Junko."Sensaina praised in n even tone as he looked to the 3rd Seat's prize. That would go a long way to finding their footing when they eventually arrived in Hueco Mundo.

"Our search areas are vast, but we weren't be searching the entire world. We will be lingering in the World of the Living to gather supplies and search for any clues that may help shed some light on things, but our real destination is Hueco Mundo. No scouting parties have been sent there yet, so it is very likely that our enemy is hiding there waiting to be discovered."

He paused a minute and looked around at the faces at the table. "I apologize for the vagueness of this explanation, but I'm sure you can all understand the need for it. However, are there any questions on our purpose and our goal?"
Garbage Pail Kid Orikanyo Kameron Esters- Hanarei

 

[Hanarei]

Konishi, Yoshiko​

Yoshiko seemed to keep a bit of that sour look on her face despite Tamashi attempting to reassure her. It wasn't as if she was going to fully feel releieved by what was being said though at the very least it seemed she had eased up a little even if clearly not the most thrilled by it. It would be a bit of a stretch to say she had no ego that could be hurt, though she wasn't at the very least so vain that validation was something she absolutely demanded. Even if she felt the explanation didn't exactly exonerate the remark in her mind of being 'unimportant'. She shifted her stance keeping a hand on her hip electing not to speak back about it. There was no real point in doing so in her mind as of now.


She listened intently to what was said finding not too much of real note as much as clarification on just where their operation was fixated on. They really were going in effectively like headless chickens. Nearly aimless, the only real benefit they were getting was the fact that they were being placed down in a lion's den only ensuring their blind flailing wasn't likely to las very long before one might snag them and finish their rather helpless quest that much quicker. Such an act of desperation that was likely to lead to more trouble before it would results. Yet it seemed as if it was the only possible option.

A sigh escaped the 3rd seat's lips. The woman shaking her head as she seemed to relent a bit. Her emerald eyes glancing up to the lieutenant staring at them silently at first as if to get a better gauge on their thoughts. Finding none in the brief moment of pause she managed to create she finally found words of which to speak.

"Foolish and as likely pointless of an operation as this might be at getting results... let us ignore such facts for now and fixate upon the small chance of which we might find our culprits without becoming a bountiful feast for the hungry hollows there. After all, we are clearly going with a longshot attempting this operation given all other revenues have yielded no good result."

She spoke lifting her hand up tapping her index finger against her chin. Her eyes fixing intently upon Tamashi. A more serious impression seemed to wash over her face. As much as she downplayed the chances they would find anything it was quite clear her worry was far more focused on the 'if' aspect of if they did find them.

"What are we to do to ensure we don't become really missing like many of our missing compatriots have already? Is there any measures in place to ensure we aren't going to simply be adding our number to the numbers already taken by our unknown enemy?"

LadyOfStars Orikanyo Garbage Pail Kid

 

[PlusUltra]

Kazuya Kotori
The monetary assistance allowed Kotori to dedicate the time to training as opposed to her usual busy schedule, truth be told the fact it still felt like a handout bothered her. Still, she would be lying if the old shopkeeper's revelations didn't fascinate her. On the other hand, the new knowledge made her worldview that much larger given there were additional realms, ancient organisations and likely other mythological revelations to come. Honestly, she had idly been wondering what legends and fables were actually ground in reality or simply used to explain all this for the rare human to come across its effects.

On the topic of her new training routine, she had managed to get a firm grasp on the flow and feel of the energy after a while, directing it around her body as needed and even emitting it, though she understood this was nowhere near the limits of its applications, especially in some of those other realms she had heard about. The results had not been free of course, after the first day of her arms being turned to a patchwork of bruises she had instead been relying more on her footwork instead to dodge and wave. A night of reflection on the first days of training had her re-evaluate her approach for the next, including the new method of attempting to adapt to the quickly changing range of that weird weapon. By trying at adjusting her own range she did have some success, shifting to the tactic of trying to take control of the rhythm of the exchanges and throwing off Hanafudas to limited effect. The training was more about her testing things and gaining experience in the end though, so regardless of the wounds she would continue to power onwards.

Speaking of an expanded worldview, the training did have her noticing things a lot more than previously, taking note of the flow and ebb of the energy it was almost as if looking at things from another set of senses. It was how she initially took note of the strange foreigner Shuya, aside from him sticking out in the usual ways of course. Her father had normally had issues with foreigners in particular and maybe that had rubbed off on her, then again nearly everyone her father had run into ended up involved in some bigger organisation or plot, to the point it was hard to call it just bad luck. So naturally, she had been keeping an eye on him when she passed by, the fact Hanafuda had hired him did speak a give him some credit, but still, it was a concern that she was hard-pressed to shake quickly.

Another thing she had noticed was how the books in the basement room seemed to constantly reappear regardless of how they were cast around or damaged, a facet she had currently been taking advantage of in her current training. With Hanafuda absent she had taken to casting a torrent of them upwards with the force of strikes, before with closed eyes throwing her hands out to grab as many as she could before they all hit the ground. The idea had been to develop her footwork further as well as detection but time would tell if it had any benefit. Putting the last book from the current round of the exercise back on a pile she would perk up and turn around as she picked up two familiar individuals approaching the basement in conversation.

Garbage Pail Kid Kameron Esters-

 

[Garbage Pail Kid]

Junko Tenzen​

LadyOfStars Hanarei
Junko had grown fond of Konishi and her astute account of their events; it reminded her of Kodzuchi, her overbearing Zanpakuto. She found it in this case, almost grating. It was definitely because they held different values in their station. She was born in The Soul Society, but her heart belong to the beast realm; her Togashu blood yearning for combat. It was almost instinctual to her, so the pretty details didn't matter to her when she had the chance to put all her training to the test in the territory of their sworn enemy. She wasn't as tactless as she appeared and wouldn't speak out against her worry. but that didn't stop her from ignoring half of it as she looked toward her Lieutenant. Wild eyes omitting pride and admiration as he spoke of her diligance and training. A stern kodzuchi nodding in agreement as she basked in the momentary praised.

Senaina-Senei had become someone's opinion she valued. A true warrior, if more tempered than she sometimes wished.

"My training has ensured me that I won't go missing like the rest. I won't go nearly as quietly. I got your back Miss Konishi" She said, jabbing a thumb to her chest and smiling proudly, though no one could see it. She was arrogant, but that confidence was not vapid. The girl near obsessive when it came to her training and workout regimen. It had cost her social grace, but she didn't seem to mind.

"A small squad like ours can hit fast, and hard. They won't see us coming if we strike first this time"

 

[Kameron Esters-]

Shuya nodded in responses to Hanafuda's question. Back home, it was practically mandatory that they learn to fight. Not just street fighting, however, they were taught actual kung fu. Most people outside of China wouldn't know this, but just about every tong knows martial arts to some degree or another. They were all taught that when guns and knives fail you, your hands are all you got. Shuya had been trained rigorously in the art of Muay Tai and Crane-style kung fu for most of his life, though he can't say he's a master of either, he certainly knows his way around most of the moves taught to him. Shuya wondered however how this was going to corelate to what Hanafuda was going to tell him. Given how he started their conversation, he must know about that day he had just arrived in town and that things that attacked, followed by the arrival of those warriors that fought the creature. Hanafuda has always seemed to be the type of person to withhold great information. Perhaps this could be the moment where he relinquishes some of that knowledge to him.
Garbage Pail Kid