Fandom Bleach- Task force Red

[TheForce]

23 miles southwest of the Western White soul Gate.

Rarely had so many soul reapers been spotted so far beyond the Seireiheki but here nearly two dozen miles from the Sacred walls more than two hundred Shinigami were gathered, and the task forces hadn’t even arrived yet. Most of the gathered Shinigami were actually just guards from the eleventh company called just in case things went wrong. At least another seventy were from the twelfth division and were putting the final touches on the experimental doorway. Easily the most high profile of those there however were the captains of which four had gathered. Of course 12th captain Mayuri was here to oversee the completion of his rushed project. However also there was 2nd Captain Soi Fon there to see her assistant captain off, Captain Zaraki who was only there hoping some action would occur, And perhaps most pressingly General Captain Genryusai Yamamoto overseeing the entire operation with a foreboding look in his eyes. No words were spoken from the old man as he waited. A mere hour from now the future of the seireitei could forever be changed he would muse to himself as a member of the 2nd division landed before Yamamoto’s Lieutenant and informed him that the 36 Shinigami were all on their way which was in turn relayed to Yamamoto who simply nodded. I suppose there is no turning back. Just as he had finished the thought he noticed the 12th division had ceased their work and a smile from Mayuri let the ancient man know that indeed the time for reconsideration had passed.
~~~
Bigoro Urameshi

a gentle breeze shifting the branches of a tree would allow a single beam of sunlight to land upon Bigoro’s eyes pulling him from his peaceful sleep. He arose from the cool ground with a stretch and a yawn looking around him to note the empty rice sake bottle as he slumped from his stretch he would scratch his beard absentmindedly while making his way to the nearby stream to wash his face. Afterwards he checked the time by measuring shadows and determined it was time for him to head to the rendezvous point. He figured he would already be in enough trouble with Lieutenant shihouin for skipping out on the last day of preparations, might as well be on time for once. As he wandered towards the Location of the gateway he couldn’t help but look back at the seireitei a little over a dozen miles behind him. A small smile spread across his face as he recalled his night of hooky. First he and Captain Shunsui managed to get ahold of some of General Captain Genryusai’s aged cheeses and had snuck off to eat it, unfortunately Bigoro was forced to flee as Shunsui’s Lieutenant tracked them down and forced the captain back to work. Afterwards he spent a few hours avoiding Ikakku who after finding out he was lingering around wanted to fight him once more before he left. Luckily by the time Ikkaku gave up Rangiku had ended her days duties and he spent a good portion of the night drinking with her and even convincing Captain Gin to have some drinks with them. After wards he departed from the group and things got a bit fuzzy after that, however apparently he had walked nearly a dozen miles out of the gates and fallen asleep beneath a tree. Not a bad day all things considered.

After nearly a half hour of walking he had gotten close enough to close the distance with a single long shun-po, He considered wether or not he really even wanted to go, only to once again come to the conclusion that he did. It wasn’t even the consequences of not going that would keep him in line, he was genuinely curious. That thing that had attacked when he was there was unlike anything he had ever seen in his life, massive, red, scaled, with a strange intelligence behind its gaze. Whatever world it came from had to have similar things and probably even stronger ones…not to mention the potential for new foods and drinks. That last thought seemed to break his hesitation and he vanished from the spot using the shun-po to arrive near captain Mayuri in the center of the area, without even looking around him he just asked out loud “am I late?”
~~~​

 

[Orikanyo]

Hidetaka Shimonomura
​

"Ah... A lovely day for a excursion into realms unknown." His voice was that of a man about to go out for a light camping trip, not too far off from the speaking fellow, had a certain smaller one set up space to have his morning tea. it almost seemed like he had been here for some time... Was that a tent...? Surely he couldn't have been here for that long? or maybe he was one of those strange people who waited out the night in front of a store when something big was about to drop onto shelves?

Either way, it was very much easy to say... He was quite excited for the portal. Judging from the fact he was eagerly watching the people work, though he had a general disdain for, what he so called, "Wizardry" he could not call it useless, as he quite readily loved the efforts of those who used it to benefit people.

Rather than cheat in battle.

Clearing a spot of crumbs and light dirt from the blanket he had set down, he begins to pack away his portable solar battery and- Was.. Was that a waffle iron...? "Ah... it shall be so lovely to explore so, such sights, such sounds, meet interesting beings, slay them with infallible purpose, so pure and innocent our desires to explore this place. We no doubt do this with great duty in mind and heart, but I cannot but find myself filled with so much joy~!" The smaller man took a sip of his warm tea, the kettle still boiling atop the portable burner...

...Just.. how prepared was this guy..?

He had spent the last week beating down those who attempted to take his spot by muscling in on him, he had more or less shown them the error of their ways, and all but made certain that "The Fourth seat is his no matter if he is gone or not and if anybody so much as touches his favorite cushion he was going to teach them what a Blood Eagle was." It was an old practice, but one that was certain to at least distract them by figuring it out WHAT it was.. And maybe even teach them some history while he was at it. it was important to know history, even if it didn't fully relate to your own lands.

And history was here in full as well! The Commander himself! And history being made! Oh how lovely!

"How can this day get any better I wonder?"

 

[MocaPoka]

Lt. Yoriko Shihouin
​

It had been a pleasant night.

A brief formation (although some had not shown for it) to pass to the Task Force that they need only rest for the night. A few last bundles of scrolls and paperwork to send off to Division 1 and the Onmitsukidō. Finally, a warm, peaceful and calm night with her Captain. A time spent with few words, but contented serenity. Cooling tea, filling wagashi, and small smiles.

It had been a calm before the storm that she would cherish for hundreds of years. A sleep that had set her heart smoldering with sure purpose. Now the clear morning crisp brought clarity to her mind and seeing the gathered Shinigami on the green field gave her soul surety. Her subordinates (mostly) in formation in front of her, the Captains and Head Captain steel eyed as they inspected the assembly behind her turned back, and herself standing in-between. The connection, the bridge, and the wall between leadership and troop.

The mostly assembled task force was droning softly to themselves. Speaking sure words of victory over a powerful enemy, fearful words of the unknown dangers, hasty words of glory in battle and death, and quiet prayers of safety and hope. These last few moments of comradeship, goodbyes and comforts were for the troop alone. Not for her, so she kept her distance in-between them and the captains. Her own comforts had already been given and a few small glances behind her shoulder to steal quick gazes at her Captain were treat enough.

Yoriko Shihouin stood at parade rest. Normally she wasn’t one for such formality, but the Head Captain was a man worthy of such deference. She also couldn’t ignore the weight of expectation and responsibility that weighed on her shoulders. Her Clan’s wishes, her Mother’s invisible gaze, her Captain’s un-measurable belief in her, and the Gotei 13’s orders. She decided to gather them all up and wear them like a Captain’s haori.

Suddenly what once was a captain appeared in shun-po a small way to the left of her and the task force’s loose formation. Bigoro Urameshi landed near Captain Mayuri and asked his lackadaisical question. Yoriko gave a small, mirthful smile that likely reminded many of the older Captain’s of another Shihouin.

“Not at all Urameshi-kun. In fact, you are much early than I had expected you to be. I trust your sleep beneath the leaves was serene?”

A member of the 2nd Division quietly and softly appeared. He whispered in Yoriko’s ear for a few moments before she nodded, and he disappeared as swiftly as he had appeared.

“Seems our other members are arriving as planned. Urameshi-kun, please take the head of the formation. It is your spot after all.”

Yoriko nodded towards the front and center of the formation. The place normally a Division Lieutenant would stand while they and the Division itself received word from the Captain. The space she currently stood.

“That reminds me…” Yoriko mussed. “Shimonomura-kun. When you are finished with your tea; please take the front end of the formation. Your good cheer and confidence will be inspiring no doubt.”

Yoriko nodded to the front right of the formation, where squad leaders would normally stand.

 

[VermilionBird]

Ito Hirai

As was custom the night before any important event, Ito had gone to bed early to ensure that she started the next day clear-minded and well-rested. Unfortunately, while she met her original goal, going to bed early also meant that she woke up early, far earlier than she'd meant to. Ito considered arriving at the meeting point early as well, but ultimately decided against it. Once she reported in, she wouldn't be able to leave, and there wouldn't be anything to do besides wait for the others. Why stand idle when she could squeeze in some last-minute training?

So, Ito spent the final hours of twilight hard at work in the dojo adjourning the Hirai estate, going through sword forms and brutalizing the training dummies with kidō. Once the sky beyond the windows turned pink and gold, she washed away the sweat, changed into a clean uniform, and went to bid Sayuri goodbye.

Jinsuke's wife had been hard at work this morning, too. The kitchen smelled of freshly cooked rice when Ito opened the door. When Sayuri saw her, she handed Ito a still-warm bundle wrapped in red cloth. Ito peeked inside to find two rows of onigiri packed tightly into the box. She eyed the toppings pressed into their peaks -- salmon, egg yolk, ginger pork. All her favorites.

"Oh! You didn't have to go through all this trouble."

Sayuri waved away Ito's embarrassment. "I was already up, anyway, so I figured I'd do something productive. Besides, who knows when you'll have the chance for another home-cooked meal."

Ito chose not to comment on the dark bags under Sayuri's eyes. She tucked the food into her sling bag. "Thanks for lunch, then. I have to get going; take care of yourself."

They shared a hug. Ito stopped by Jinsuke's shrine to say goodbye to her brother as well, then eased into a Flash Step towards the west gate.

The air was rife with tension when Ito arrived at the field. Those gathered conducted themselves in an orderly enough fashion, their voices kept to a respectful murmur, but all the same, Ito had never before witnessed such an assembly outside of formal ceremonies. Here, the deliberation and caution with which her fellow Shinigami moved, their flat eyes and grim mouths, gave her the impression of an army preparing for battle. For war.

She spotted Captain Zaraki among the bodies and was briefly worried there would be a battle.

But the time for doubt had long expired. She was here in the capacity of a seated officer of the 13 Court Guard Squads, and a member of the special task force. Best to act like it.

Ito found Lieutenant Shihouin in the crowd and gave a salute. "5th Seat Ito Hirai of the 10th Division, reporting."

Strictly speaking, there was no need to announce herself in such a manner when she had already spent the previous week training and familiarizing herself with her squadmates. But in front of Captain-Commander Yamamoto, Ito would do no less than uphold the honor of the 13 Squads.

 

[natsukashii]

Jaakuna Natsuko

While it may not be the tradition, the drinking parties in Division Eight have always been a staple and who was Jaakuna to break tradition? Who was he to not do what he had been trained by his captain himself to do? He would be betraying the oath he took to follow every order given to him by his captain. And when Shinsui Kyoraku says that your job when you're off duty is to drink, especially if you have an important mission coming up, the proper thing is to drink and have fun. Who knew if it would be your last night alive?

And that's what Jaakuna Natsuko did.

It didn't matter if for the past week he had been training with the Task Force Red and hadn't been part of Divison Eight on an official sense. His heart was with his captain's philosophies and last night he consumed more sake than he ever had before. And he had fun. He spent time with women who would have him and he made sure to embrace the "live like it's your last night alive" motto that his captain always lived by.

But oh was she regretting it. When he woke up this morning, Jaakuna felt like he got ran over by the bull his zanpakuto rides on in addition to the usual beating Kin'inchokusho gives him on the regular.

Ya know, it's no wonder Jaakuna drinks so much. He has a really abusive relationship with his temperamental Zanpakuto.

And that's why Jaakuna was slow in reporting for duty. He spent most of the day trying to work off the hangover and indulged himself in some questionable remedies someone from Division Four gave him. It was an under-the-table deal because the person in question was an on-again-off-again fling of his. Jaakuna was very casual with her, but she always liked helping him out, but maybe the questionable remedies given to him wasn't exactly a great choice in retrospect. Even though he suffered throughout the day, he felt like a brand new person. It was just the journey of trying to get to where he was that proved difficult for the fifth seat of Division Eight.

As he arrived, he noticed that he wasn't the first one. "Figures," he commented as he noticed who all was here. It would be no more than a few seconds later as he overheard Ito be a bit too formal for Jaakuna's liking. "Was the full declaration of your position really necessary?" Jaakuna nudged Ito, chuckling the guy in front of the lieutenant. "But hey glad most of us are here!"

Jaakuna glanced over at Hidetaka. "Well, aren't you looking cozy over there with your tea?"

Continuing along the tour, Jaakuna scanned around and met Lieutenant Yoriko. "So where do ya want me, mam?" Jaakuna tried not to laugh at his use of the formal term. He'd much rather just call her Yoriko, but the chain of command was a sonofabitch.

 

[AtlannianSpy]

Ren Kiroyuki

Ren was in a dark forest. Twisted, black trees loomed over her like crooked, skeletal hands and a thick, wet mist clung to her feet and ankles as it rolled over tree roots and rotting leaves. The forest felt to Ren as if it was filled with starving, predatory animals lying hidden just beyond the treeline of the clearing she was in. Ren had never actually seen any living creatures in the forest except for one and suspected that the presence of others was illusory, merely a kind of set dressing, but that didn't make the feeling any less persistent anytime she was here.

"I know you're in here," said Ren, letting her frustration sharpen her tone to a point. "Come out already, we need to talk," Ren said, scanning the treeline for any sign of movement, letting out a sigh when there was none. Of course there wouldn't be, it had never listened to her before, why would today be any different?

Suddenly there was a cracking of tree branches and a high pitched, keening cry halfway between a howl and the scraping of metal on metal. Ren turned sharply, in time to see a shadowy figure dash towards her, lunging forwads to attack with a gauntlet of long, claw like fingers.

Ren raised a hand to shield herself, an identical gauntlet manifesting on her hand in time to intercept the attack and the two weapons clashed and locked into a struggle for position: Ren's face mere inches from that of her attackers: An angular, predatory helmet of black metal, with two glowing red lights glaring out at Ren from behind a visor like a row of sharp teeth.

"Quit it already!" Ren hissed through gritted teeth, as the armoured figure pushed her back, her feet pressing into the soft dirt and unable to find purchase there.

The armoured figure let out another screeching wail, this close up the sound was extremely grating and Ren felt a sharp pain in her ears.

"FINE!" Ren snarled,, turning and stepping into the armoured figure to oush her back up against it without letting go of its hand. "I'll just have to make you!" Ren pulled the figure over her shoulder in a classic shoulder throw, aiming to slam the armoured figure into the ground but it be unnaturally in the air, landing on its feet and one hand in a bestial, reverse crouch that defied any sense of human anatomy.

Using the energy of Ren's throw, the creature tugged her towards it, pulling her off balance as it screeched again and its helmet split open: the two separate sides forming two rows of wicked metal teeth with nothing but a shadowy, impenetrable void.

As Ren stumbled to regain her balance the armoured figure lunged again, leading with its mouthful of metal fangs and this time it struck true, the teeth shearing through the fabric of Ren's shihakusho to sink into the flesh beneath as-

Ren's eyes shot open and she threw a hand to the ground to steady herself, forcing herself to slow her breathing from heaving, panicked gasps to a slower, deeper breathes. She was ina forest, but a different one, a gentle landscape of dappled sunlight and elegant bamboo not far from the division six barracks. Ren came her often to train where she could be certain of being left alone for a while, although lately instead of polishing her more conventional skills she had been trying to commune with her zanpakuto. It had not been going well.

Ren glanced balefully over to where Uejinkage was lying, on the ground a few metres away from Ren where her sudden, jerky awakening had launched it from her lap. In its current, sealed state the zanpakuto was unremarkable, a plain looking katana in lacquered black sheath distinguished only by its hilt triple tomoe hilt and black and red hilt wrapping. But Uejinikage was not like other zanpakuto, at least not any that Ren knew of, and it was starting to become a serious liability.

Ren stood up to retrieve Uejinkage and was about to start again when she looked up at the sky and realized what time it was. }

"Shit," Ren said, disappearing in a flash as she pushed herself into a flash step.

It took dozens more flashsteps, sometimes broken up by stretches of conventional running and leaping, to reach the rendezvous point outside the Western Gate. By the time Ren arrived she was looking rather dishevelled and she as forced to stop, wipe the sweat from her brow, tuck some loose hairs behind her ear and once again regulate her breathing, before a final shunpo brought her into the middle of the gathering, slinking into formation without a word to anyone.

 

[Mythral]

AKAIRO BOKAO​

That this whole song and dance had come together in such a short amount of time was nothing short of a miracle. Rushing things was not something the 12th division had ever enjoyed. It often led to mistakes, dangerous shortcuts, and a quick way of getting on the captain's naughty list. The mood in the whole division had been tense as each and everyone had been ripped off their original projects in an effort to speed up the completion of the gate, and as usual, a few sacrifices had been made when people couldn't keep up. But now, as he stood in front of it, Akairo had to admit it might just have been some of their best work... Shame about the new guy's arm tho. "There will be something for me to look at upon your return, yes?" It was less of a question and more of a threat, and Akairo could feel the soulless eyes burning into him without turning to face them.

Most of the chatter Akairo overheard as the last touches were laid upon the project were words of worry or overconfidence. He had already grown disinterested in about half of the shinigami roped into these task forces, and this wasn't instilling him with new confidence in them. People would die, but who would it be?

When it came to his task force, task force Red, there were a few wildcards. An ex-captain who had ended up getting his powers sealed and plummeted through the ranks. Ren, a chaos goblin. As well as Hidetake, the most terrifying one of them all. Outside of those three, the group was more or less what Akairo had imagined. Some people stood out when it came to battle prowess or rank, but it was a fair mix of highs and lows.

"Something living, if possible, sir," Akairo responded and couldn't help the smirk that formed. He knew living subjects were more fun, and he would do anything in his power to stay off the naughty list. And with that, he said his farewells to the captain and made his way to his assigned group.

 

[TheForce]

Rendezvous point
Debut of Task force red.

As the final members of the task force made their way to the gathering in the center a rough formation Began to take shape as the shinigami were given their positions. Yamamoto smiled at the gathered Gotei 13 Shinigami with a feeling of pride washing over him. These Warriors diverse as they were represented the best of the seireitei, while not captains or vice captains each warrior gathered here had shown themselves in one way or another a pioneer of what would no doubt become a new generation of potential successors. Even still he couldn’t shake the possibility that he was sending them all to their deaths, but such was the duty of the Shinigami. He tapped his cane thrice on the stone he stood causing his second to once again signal to another man who struck a gong signaling for the eleventh to take formation around the yard and for the twelfth to leave the area with the exception of captain Mayuri who would be opening the gate in a few short minutes.
~~~
Bigoro Smiled at vice captains nap comment but could only chuckle nervously when it came time to say something…he hadn’t exactly expected anyone to see him under that random tree. After that he had gone to his position in the formation without much fuss and waited quietly for the most part. He was just about to go and ask for some of Hidetaka’s tea when he heard Yamamoto’s staff followed shortly by the gong and frowned as he realized it was probably time to go. The sound of the old man shouting to the gathering pretty much solidified it.

“Task force Red, The attack on the seireitei claimed the lives of one hundred and eighty six of your brothers and sisters, another one thousand four hundred and twenty five were severely injured with more than half of them expected to no longer be able to continue life as a Shinigami. Reports suggest that the destruction in the Rukon district exceeded even that. Justice for all of those souls lies upon your shoulders, Their lives will not be lost in vain for I have every confidence that you will find those responsible for such a travesty. When you have found them you are to report back to the seireitei and we shall bring our full might down upon the fools bold enough to declare war upon as mighty a force as the Gotei Thirteen.” As he spoke Mayuri kept his eyes upon his watch and finally produced a remote like device which he pointed at the gate then pressed it. In an instant a pinprick of blue light opened in the center of the doorway and it then seemed to explode silently, rapidly expanding to fill the doorway. “Vice Captain Yoriko Shihouin, On your command.”

Bigoro braced himself to sprint into the gate, part of him was concerned about what might lie on the other side, however another part of him was consumed by something he hadn’t felt in nearly a century…excitement. Whatever existed on the other side of that gate was something entirely new and he was confident that Karin would be proud of what he was about to do. “Look at me now mr big shot investigator…” he muttered to himself as he waited for his commanding officers orders.

​

 

[MocaPoka]

Lt. Yoriko Shihouin
​

Yoriko continued to stand before her steadily building formation of task force members. Her golden eyes went to each member as they appeared. For most she only gave a quick glance, but for some her eyes stayed on for a few moments, with a smirk and word following soon after.

Ito Hirai arrived, prim and proper with a salute that Yoriko both admired and wanted to tease. Unfortunately, this was too formal an occasion for great levity, so the Shihouin returned the salute and gave an admiring smile to the other woman.

“My source of stability has arrived. I might have had to cancel this whole thing if you didn’t show up Hirai-san.” Yoriko winked and directed the 5th seat to the middle of the formation.

Jaakuna Natsuko was the next to arrive. Laxed and casual to a point that most Lieutenants would have found insulting and worthy of punishment. Her own punishment for him was casual dismissal and indifference.

“Right… the blonde one. Naruto-kun? No… Natsuki-kun? Hmmm… anyway. You can stand anywhere.” Yoriko casually wave her hand dismissing the 5th seat.

Yoriko eyes suddenly shot towards the middle of the formation where a figured had appeared. Ren Kiroyuki.

“Kiroyuki-chan! You need to be standing in front of the formation. Please take a place next to Shimonomura-kun. Once we begin moving out however you will move to be right by my side as we enter the portal. You are my head scout.” Yuriko called while placing a single hand on her hip.

She glanced quickly at Akairo Bokao, but had no words for him. 12th Division could be trusted to know there place in a position was as well as their role in a mission.

Yoriko turned as if in a parade at the Captain Commander's voice, her face going blank as well. She listen to his words in silence and only had four words in response.

“Task Force Red… Advance.”

 

[VermilionBird]

Ito Hirai

Ito didn't answer Natsuko's teasing remark, though the pinched brow she sent in his direction spoke enough of her exasperation. She hadn't minded the casual rapport so much when they trained together during the week -- it had been kind of enjoyable, actually -- but now, before the eyes of their superior's superior, and the eyes of at least a hundred fellow Shinigami she'd never met before, Ito could not show less than absolute professionalism. It was impossible.

Lieutenant Shihouin's words echoed with trust, pushing the glow of pride into Ito's chest. She flashed the other woman a brief smile of her own before moving into the middle of formation as directed.

When Captain-Commander Yamamoto began to speak, Ito's spine snapped straight, as did several others in formation with her. The leader of the 13 Squads had that effect; his very presence had the weight of a blade leveled between your eyes, demanding your attention and respect.

By extension, the whole body of Shinigami gathered here were the Captain-Commander's blade. And today, they swung for the sake of vengeance.

A blue light blossomed before them, filling every inch of the gateway, so enormous it rivaled the expanse of the sky. Ito didn't dare blink.

She thought of Sayuri's riceballs in her sling bag, still warm. Of the fresh fruit she'd placed in the bowls beside Jinsuke's portrait before she left. Of what Sayuri would do if one more portrait was added to the altar.

Then the order fell, and there was no more time to think. Ito followed the others into the unknown.

 

[AtlannianSpy]

Ren Kiroyuki
Ren fell into position next to Hidetaka without comment, although when her face was turned from Yoriko Ren allowed her brow to furrow with exasperation. Shimonomura had already managed to wear thin on Ren's nerves during their brief interactions during training, nobody that happy could be entirely sane Ren believed, so she wasn't exactly thrilled to be standing next to him. The position turned out to be temporary however: the lieutenant wanted Ren back at her side after the formalities and speeches were over. It was a bit galling to be called to heel like a disobedient dog, but if this whole "head scout" thing played out properly maybe Ren would be able to run solo for a bit, just the way she liked it.

The Old Man, well the Seireitei was full of old men, but everyone knew who you were talking about when you said The Old Man, gave a speech, a mercifully short one and Ren could even sort of get behind the message: Get out there and get even for us. Nice. The Head Captain wasn't really someone Ren had ever had any direct dealings with but he was pretty intense even from a distance, Ren sort of got the impression that if he was totally free to do what he wanted the old man would be coming along to split some skulls personally. Silently Ren promised to get a few good hits in just for him.

Then just like that they were moving, Lieutenant Shihouhin gave the order and the orderly parade formation lost some of its cohesion as people began moving towards the portal at different speeds and with different levels of enthusiasm. Ren hung back for a moment until the Lieutenant was level with her and then fell in like she had been instructed. It wasn't really worth picking a fight about this early in the morning and secretly Ren wasn't entirely displeased to not be first through the portal. Ren wasn't afraid of where they were going or whatever might be waiting for them there, but the portal itself was a different matter entirely. Ren didn't trust the shady egg heads in the 12th division but now she was gonna let them transport her across dimensions or whatever? What if the thing closed and it sawed her in half? What if it worked by disassembling people into particles of reishi and beaming the data somewhere else? Could you really say those particles that got reassembled on the other side were you? wasn't it just like a clone and the real you was disintegrated?! Ren kept these musings to herself, although she did glare suspiciously at Akairo, watching to see him go through the portal first. As long as one of the nerds field tested their own inventions personally then Ren would grudgingly follow suit but she sure as hell wasn't going to be the first guinea pig in line to get zapped!

Mentions: MocaPoka Orikanyo Mythral TheForce

 

[Mythral]

AKAIRO BOKAO​

The speech had been short. The old man wanted revenge. This wouldn't be some scouting mission to assess the new threat. This was a call to action, a call to push those last few over the edge and get them ready for war. And then, as he was finishing and Mayuri started powering the gate, Akairo held his breath.

Failure was still on the table. Failure would be a reset, a do-over, a chance for squad 12 to drag themselves back to their little hideouts to work out the last kinks. Nobody among them could guarantee that the gate would even turn on, but that little blue light filled Akairo with a sense of promise. He had tried to push the idea of failure out of his head, to erase it, and it clawed its way back every time he had tried. He had been there for the test runs, seen the fallout, yet here he was about to head into the unknown. Hesitation would have been a normal response to unfamiliarity, and Ren was clearly hesitant.

The week of training had made it quite clear that she didn't put much stock into things beyond brute combat strength. Her inclusion in this force still puzzled Akairo. Sure, she came across capable of handling a sword and fighting, but he doubted she would get far if faced with anything that couldn't be solved by hitting it. At first, he has lumped her in with the fooder, the filler units, but over time he shifted to thinking that she could be just the right kind of wild to drag herself through this. "Don't worry, it cauterized the last injury it caused." It was the truth, but he didn't say it to calm her down, more to gauge a response.

No matter her response, Akairo fell into line and got ready to head for the unknown.

 

[natsukashii]

Jaakuna Natsuko

When barely anybody returned any of his questions and/or comments, Jaakuna felt almost insulted. It didn’t register to him that maybe it wasn’t the best time. He never thought any situation couldn’t be improved upon by a little magic of Jaakuna Natsuko’s incredible mind and the witty remarks that were often brewed up in it. They were about to face some serious stuff. The Seireitei was under attack and may be attacked again. So why wouldn’t Jaakuna want to try and give his squadmates some cheer before they face their doom?

It made zero sense to him, but maybe that was just him.

You’re hopeless… Kin’inchokusho said, the unsubtle tone of disappointment in his Zanpakuto’s voice.

Yeah? Well, you’re not a human! So there!

It was at this moment Jaakuna knew he fucked up. Oh, he more than fucked up. The next time he and Kin’inchokusho had a training session, he knew without a doubt that his bull of a zanpakuto would make sure he suffered. He just didn’t know how badly he screwed up until he heard Kin’inchokusho chuckle in response.

Suddenly the Old Man spoke and, well JAakuna wasn’t easily intimidated. This was evident at how he could stand up to his Zanpakuto, who when in his inner-world stood a few feet taller than him and could tear him limb from limb, but there was something about the way that Captain-Commander Yamamoto spoke that just sent chills down Jaakuna’s spine. It was like this effect he had on everyone every time he spoke. It made you stand and look at him with awe and feel inspired, but it was equally as frightening. This man was the creator of the Gotei 13 and JAakuna’s mind couldn’t very well wrap itself around that.

But he listened. And when he was finished, Jaakuna took a spot in the formation second from the back.

“Oh Lieutenant, my Lieutenant!”

On the Lieutenant’s orders, Jaakuna followed the others into the portal and into the blackness of the unknown, not at all sure what they’d find on the other side. But Jaakuna would be lying if he didn’t say he wasn’t just a little excited. And he could feel it too -- Kin’inchokusho’s excitement. They both were itching to prove something to each other, though Jaakuna was the one who had something to prove.

 

[TheForce]

Rendezvous point

The gathered Shinigami watched as task force red began their rush into the portals blue light. Bigoro could’ve sworn as he passed through he felt the climate shift drastically. The warm morning air of the seireitei seemed to grow colder and more humid as they stepped into the dark tunnel that is the severed world. Every Shinigami would recognize this place, or at least they would recognize what it was modeled after. It seemed to be a perfect replica of the space between the seireitei and the human world, yet this tunnel extended for about two kilometers in front of them the further into the tunnel the more humid the air became however the temperature seemed to raise once more as they neared the other side of the tunnel. Bigoro began to notice something odd as they went on however, even though they would only be in the tunnel for around half a minute, it felt as if there was a current of reishi flowing from the seireitei towards this other gateway and it met seemingly no resistance he was just about to comment on how odd that was when he reached the second blue doorway and the world shifted
~~~

Alternate Dimension, Riverside Village.

Light and Colors flooded into Bigoro’s view as he left the portal, however he had no time to enjoy it, the first step outside of the portal revealed to Bigoro what was up with that odd reishi current. There was next to no Reishi particles in the air of this realm. Now this would have interested him and perhaps gotten him to look into it further, if not for the fact that he had stepped out nearly twelve kilometers into the air and unfortunately the nigh nonexistent reishi particles meant that the usual method of standing on air that he had become so accustomed to that it was nearly second nature, simply did not function. All of this was realized in his first attempted step as he began rapidly plummeting towards the world below with a “Uh oh.” Escaping his lips . As he fell he did manage to get a birds eye view of the realm they had just stepped into and he noticed a few things immediately. First he could detect no reishi in the world period, there was another strange energy that felt almost alien but was similar enough to reishi that he assumed it was the living beings of this world, however such energy signatures were few and far between with a seemingly huge mass of it several dozen kilometers to the north.

The second thing he noticed as he fell were the roads, long white lines that traversed the landscape linking what could only be small settlements, unltil his eyes shifted south and he saw the large city which he could detect even more of those odd energy signatures from. Finally after he had fallen about half of the distance towards the ground his gaze turned straight down to see where they were about to land. He spotted a medium sized river with a stone bridge crossing it. On the western bank of the river there was a gathering of small houses and storefronts, and the eastern side had a road that winded up a narrow cliff path ending in a beautiful villa overlooking the river. Bigoro was still enjoying the view when he instinctively calculated his final trajectory and let out a “Aw crap…” Followed a few moments later by a huge splash as he slammed into the river at terminal velocity hard enough that his feet met the strangely silt free riverbed and he was submerged beneath the river discovering it to be about thirty feet deep at its greatest depth the rest of the squad would likely be close behind him and he wondered if any of them would also be taking a dip. He kicked himself to the surface affixing his eyes to the sky hoping to catch a glimpse of his allies as they fell.

​

 

[AtlannianSpy]

Ren Kiroyuki
"Cauterization doesn't actually reduce the seriousness of an injury-" Ren couldn't resist sniping back at Akairo instantly "The increased risk of infection more than offsets the blood loss mitigation and also you're a weedy little ginger so- Oh he's already gone through," deprived of a target Ren's ire quickly settled down and lapsed into her usual moody silence as the task force filtered through the portal in front of them in twos or threes. In the end it it wasn't all that different from passing through to the human world, albeit longer and...damper. Mollified and actually a bit embarrassed Ren passed the walk through the dark tunnel in a watchful silence.

By the tail end of the two kilometre or so walk the dark tunnel was starting to become tedious but Ren's alertness started to spike again as they taskforce reached the second gate and began passing through that. Consequently Ren was present enough that when she stepped out into thin air and began plummeting she reacted quickly: first by letting out and undignified "What the Fu-" secondly by trying to form reishi under her feet and then when that didn't work by lunging wildly for the lip of the portal with on hand, catching her fingertips on the surface of the tunnel behind it.

"FREAKING SCIENCE NERDS OPENED THIS STUPID DOOR IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SKY!" Ren spat as she dangled in midair from an invisible ledge, looking something like a glitch in a video game from the human world. "ALSO REISHI DOESN'T WORK!? FOR SOME FREAKING REASON!?" She added as an afterthought. Not being a particularly skilled sensor and being more on the lookout for some kind of enemy Ren hadn't noticed the reishi flowing out from the Seireitei at all and had really only reacted as quickly as she had out of experience. Like most of the more technical aspects of shinigami studies, Ren had only really mastered airwalking through trial and error and stubbornness, she had taken many a fall back in the academy when her roughly woven platforms had suddenly given it out so the sensation was all too familiar.

Despite Ren's warning several shinobi fell past her in a flurry of black robes and panicked shouts. Ren thought about maybe trying to catch some of the hapless victims of gravity with her other hand or feet but the idea of trying to daisy chain a bunch of morons off her feet and then possibly have them try to clamber up her to safety sounded extremely lame. Besides now that Ren had some time to actually look around her the ground below didn't look all that dangerous. Trees mostly and some structures that looked like buildings, even roads. For some reason the roads in particular struck Ren as weird. Buildings, sure even Hueco Mundo had buildings supposedly, usually erected by a powerful Hollow to satisfy their ego or provide a bare level of comfort or shelter. But Hollows would never build roads, roads were for merchants, peasants and travellers, the kind of people Ren had preyed on in her short lived career as a bandit. Roads implied civilians, who in turn implied civilisation. Whoever had built these, it sure as hell hadn't been the feral creatures who had attacked the Seireitei.

Impatience and curiosity got the better of Ren and she soon let herself drop from the ledge, aiming her fall for a section of river where she could see little black spots bobbing in the water where other Shinigami had fallen. As she approached the ground Ren spread out her arms and legs to slow her fall and then when she was even closer she unsheathed her zanpakuto.

"Hunt! Uejinikage!" Ren called, the wind whipping away her words as her sword burst into fragments that reformed into a pair of cruel, bladed gauntlets that covered her hands and forearms. Ren felt, more than heard her sword spirits rasping, metallic cry in her mind as the gauntlets finished forming and Ren scraped their claws across her upper arms, ripping her sleeves and drawing blood. This was annoying but without an actual enemy to draw blood from it was necessary to actually use most of Uejinikage's techniques.

"You're such a pain in the ass," Ren muttered under her breath as, just before she was about to hit the ground she pointed her palms down and unleashed two blasts of dark, purplish energy at the ground kicking up a cloud of dirt and grass and cutting the momentum of Ren's fall, so that she could land easily on her feet.

 

[Orikanyo]

Hideraka Shimonomura

The time to go was nigh, and in truth Hidetaka was more than ready to go. Closing up his kit took no more than a few seconds. Some wizardry was quite useful, and should be utilized when not in battle to keep the fight fair. If he is ambushed, it is his job to deal with the upset rather than fall back on wizardry.

But the tunnel... Was more or less boring. He had expected to come into this slaying more monsters, possibly to rip and tear his way across burning lands of magma...

But now... Now it was a walk...

Sure...

....

Man this tunnel was pretty, for how boring it was.

Oh, time to leave, let us see what wonderous world the wizards have brought up for us-

Oh.

The sudden shift of gravity mid stride set him hurtling towards face first, he was reminded however of basic training in his squad.

What to do when tossed skyhigh and cannot stop yourself.

Brace for impact.

Simple but, really what else can you do?

Use Reiatsu?

Good idea.

Bad implementation.

Instead he belly flopped into the water, the spray only going half as high as the pain from impact. There in the waters he laid floating, until he rose up once more, face reddened from impact.

"...Such is why I never trust their wizardry..."

 

[VermilionBird]

Ito Hirai

Warmth and light was swallowed by cold and darkness. If Ito's mind wasn't already full with apprehension for what the task force might discover in their pursuit of the Seireitei's attackers, she might have allowed herself to appreciate the poetry in that contrast. Instead, she focused on keeping pace with the other shinigami around her, one hand ever tight on Haru Suzume at her hip.

Onward they ran. The artificial tunnel grew warm again, the air looser, signaling the approach of its end. Ito didn't hesitate to plunge through. Fear would not serve her; best to get it over with.

The sudden return of sunlight made her squint. As she took her first step, she heard Kiroyuki shout something about the sky. The importance of those words didn't register, however. Not until Ito automatically, unthinkingly, naively tried to stand on the air.

It... didn't work.

Gravity began to take hold.

Ito experienced a moment of profound confusion, a trice where all the natural laws of the world as she knew them no longer made sense. It was like picking up a cup of water and watching that water get left behind even as the cup remained whole and unbroken in her hand. Then her brain recovered from its metaphorical speed bump, and she realized how thin the ambient reishi was. Too thin to support any of the shinigami now stumbling out of the gate.

Like them, Ito dropped, the wind and Kiroyuki's anger both flying past her ears.

Details of the landscape below unfurled at great speed -- buildings, trees, roads, a bridge. Despite their less than ideal entrance, Ito was relieved. There was life in this world. People. It was not the merciless nightmare she'd expected, not a churning nest of monsters worse than Hollows.

She cut into the river feet first. The water was clean; clouds of bubbles erupted here and there as others from the task force fell in around her. Praying no one landed on her, Ito kicked up until she broke the surface.

As she wiped the wet from her face, Ito looked around, finding Shimonomura red as a sunburn. She tried and failed to hold back a smile.

"Well, we're through in one piece, so the 12th Division did what they were supposed to."

 

[natsukashii]

Jaakuna Natsuko

Jaakuna had experienced a magnitude of emotions in the short time it took for the task force to run through the tunnel and then to the exit (or entrance depending on how one looked at it). There was a sense of boredom of just running and jogging that overcame the blonde. For someone whose entire being relied on entertainment, even in the midst of his duties, laughter and the joy that came from making others smile, when he found a situation devoid of it, Jaakuna couldn’t stop that feeling of boredom creep into his mind.

But then when they reached the end of their long trek and the fresh air hit him, Jaakuna smiled.

He smiled despite following after his fellow squadmates in a plummet downward.

“Crap! Crap! Crap!”

Jaakuna had a process. He panicked as death approached him. He panicked when he didn’t have control over a situation. And being flung out of the gate straight into a free fall was a logcial point to panic.

Calm yourself, Jaakuna.

At the mental urging of his zanpakuto, Jaakuna shook his head. He was still internally panicking, but he couldn’t let that consume him. The wind around him was making it hard to freely move, but surely he had options.

“Reishi..” he mouthed to himself and realized he couldn’t muster enough to secure himself in the air.

So what then? If not that, then what could he do at a moment’s notice that might allow him to not die before the real action started?

He went over it and had an “a-ha” moment. It was dangerous and risky and might actually cause more harm than good, but as it stood, he had few options. And, well he wasn’t a reckless idiot for nothing, right?

With every fiber in his being, Jaakuna positioned his body to where his entire body was facing downward. His arms were extended over his head, clasped together to form a fist. “Bakudo #4: Hainawa!” He called out and immediately, he gathered his reiatsu into both hands and shot down a crackling rope of gold spirit energy that shot itself into the ground next to the river. As he jerked his arms close to him, the rope then came back to him, along with a sizable chunk of the ground with it.

And then Jaakuna repositioned himself. He pushed his legs and feet outward and he deactivated the Hainawa bakudo moments before contact. As he did that the land exploded enough for Jaakuna to regain full control over his body’s movements and he made a straight dive into the river, securing his safety from that hellish free fall.

Coming up from the water, Jaakuna let out a loud, celebratory scream as he smiled at the others who made their own get-out-of-death strategy. “Now that’s what I call a close call!” Jaakuna laughed as he enjoyed the water for a few moments, relishing in what he just accomplished. “And pretty creative if I do say so myself.” He grinned and let out a happy sigh.

 

[MocaPoka]

Lt. Yoriko Shihouin
​

The Task Force advanced. Into the portal and into the unknown.

Light, temperature, humidity and even reishi itself changed. At first it was almost anti-climactic, the portal and the space in between worlds was exactly the same as a normal expedition was. It was no different than traveling from the seireitei to the living world for a routine mission. After 30 seconds in the light-less tunnel, something began to change. Reishi was flowing fast and rapidly towards their destination. As if it was rushing to fill a vacuum.

A heartbeat later, Yoriko realized that was exactly what was happening.

She appeared in clear and open blue next. Falling from a foreign sky where the very air and composition of reality was different. No reishi and nothing to ground oneself. Instantly her Onmitsukidō training took control and she spread her body as wide was possible to slow her rapid descent onto the new world. Her golden eyes rapidly took in the view, landscape, and features of the overview she had unexpectedly been gifted with. Civilization, was the conclusion she reached after her heaven's view of the world.

Yoriko angled her body towards the side of a river and slowed her descent with Hado number 58, a tornado of energy that cushioned her fall and let her land gracefully. The moment she landed she filled her lungs with this world’s air and called out.

“Get back in combat formation! Swords in front! Semi-circle around the river! Kido users and healers in the center! Division 12 members get over here and tell me how we are getting back to the Serieitei when the portal is a few hundred meters above our heads! Urameshi and Shimonomura get your butts out of the river and take charge of the perimeter! Hirai and Naysuko you both as well but center! Take command of the Kido users! Kiroyuki, get on point, if I spot an enemy before you do then you’ve failed!

After her orders her golden gaze turned skyward, and she began to cast Hado number 58 for any members that seemed incapable or too surprised to make a soft landing by their own wits or abilities. A fury of wind flowed from her hands as she guided the members of the task force to safety, her concentration entirely on the task until every member landed safely, leaving her exposed and unprotected in a way that would have gotten her severely berated and harshly punished in Onmitsukidō training.