Hunter and Hunted [Closed, Yamato/Karla]

[SamuraiFoochs]

((OOC/AN: This thread chronologically takes place after "Misfits".))

Yamato sighed, pulling the hat he had chosen to wear slightly down over his eyes and shuffling the stack of papers he had in front of him. They were the report from the 11th squad about a recent encounter with the enemy, There was one Arrancar, however, that he was particularly interested in tracking. A supposed non-hostile, with, according to the report, no spiritual signature to speak of.

Yamato tapped his finger idly on the cafe table, sighing. To any human, he'd look simply like a nattily dressed young man with a walking stick. Yamato had always enjoyed human style, so he figured as long as he was in the real world, he might as well enjoy the opportunity for something out of the norm in terms of fashion.

'I still can't believe you dressed me up in this absolutely ridiculous costume.' Vulcanus's voice echoed in his mind. With a laugh, Yamato tapped the walking stick lightly against the table, enjoying the rapping sound.

'Relax buddy, you look good as a walking stick. I need defense on me, for example, you, but I can't very well walk around here with a sword, now can I? Besides, it completes the ensemble.' All Yamato heard in return was an irritated growl.

No reiatsu signature? Yamato didn't believe it. Anything could be tracked, you just had to know how. Besides, say what you would, the humans had some pretty impressive tracking systems themselves, something that Yamato had researched a bit before coming on assignment. He had gone to the Commander General and asked, as Captain of the Tracking and Pursuit division, for special permission to try and track down this mysterious "neutral" Arrancar, hoping to make some manner of contact and try to assess the creature's motivations further.

The Commander had agreed, quite quickly, that this was a wise course of action. For all they knew, this Arrancar could eventually be an unlikely ally. Or, they had established, she could be an absolutely terrifying enemy.

If there was any good news, it's that the person he was looking for was hardly non-descript, at least according to the intelligence report. Tall, imposing, and eyes that left an indelible mark on the Shinigami that had run into her. She sounded, in Yamato's estimation, like the sort of woman that'd be instantly visible in any crowd.

Yamato placed the report back in a briefcase he was carrying with him and stood up, brushing his suit off as some dust blew in his face. He was thoroughly glad to be wearing a hat as the hot Mexican sun beat mercilessly down on his face.

There was no reiatsu trail, but he had decided to come to Mexico since the intelligence gathered suggested that she may be there. Of course, the intelligence gathered wasn't much more helpful than that. In fact, if anything, the intelligence more told him what NOT to expect rather than what to expect. But that was all well and good. He grinned widely, chuckling under his breath. Tracking was usually so EASY, it'd be good to have a challenge for once, Besides, pushing his limits may help him when he had to encounter that...thing again,

He walked through the crowds of people, making a mental note of every single face. He never knew which one he may need to remember. Because he never knew when he might run into someone that'd have a lead. For now though, he figured he'd just take a walk. He'd gotten rather sick of the endless string of humans laughing in his face and telling him that there was no way a woman of such description coud exist. He knew she did.

He smiled, laughing under his breath as he walked down the street. "I will find you, Arrancar..."

[end]

Karla thought of herself as a predator. It was a mantra. It was useful. It was comforting.

She was still assimilating to some of the new information she had learned from one of these 'shinigami'. She was a 'Hollow', the type of beast she hunted. That bothered her a little, to be honest, but she tried to keep an open mind.

The entire Hollow vs Shinigami paradigm still needed some work. She could understand it to some extent. She had mixed feelings about the simpler Hollow. They were the true predators, pure. The problem was that sometimes, they were consumed too much prey. So Shinigami could be useful in that regard.

Aiko had gone a little further. He framed it almost like a struggle of good and evil. That she didn't fit in smoothly seemed to have ruffled his feathers some.

It wasn't that surprising though. She thought herself as a predator. But she could think, feel. Do all those human things. And humans, even dressed up like Hollow and Shinigami, are not enemies by nature.

Still. Best not to draw the attention of a 'Society' who held this belief.

So, back to the predator thing. It was useful.

She only came out to eat. She ate whenever a target of opportunity appeared. She kept a limited hunting zone. She didn't try to deny her hunger. It would just make her irritable and sloppy.

Since her foray into Japan, she had kept herself to Baja. She figured that if Aiko wanted to find her, he would look there. He'd be unsuccessful of course, but she could find him.

[SamuraiFoochs]

Yamato was beginning to hate this damned heat. Sure, he had a fire type Zanpakuto, but he never felt that heat, so what did he care?

'I'm beginning to feel bad for whatever we roast, Vulcanus. Goodness me, it must be terribly unpleasant...'

'I'll be sure to keep that in mind and just give the next thing trying to flay you alive a tan.'

'Clever.'

Well, she may not have been completely without reiatsu signature, but Yamato had to concede, if she was even anywhere approaching nearby, she was doing a damn good job of concealing herself. Of course, his reiatsu sensing abilities were limited along with the rest of his power since he was in the Living World, but that didn't make the whole thing any less impressive.

Whoever she was, she was a master at hiding her spiritual signature, especially if her spiritual power was as impressive as most of the other Arrancar he had encountered. It wasn't easy to hide those sorts of levels of power. He knew from personal experience. If she was as good at sensing reiatsu as she was at hiding it, maybe...

He smiled, entering a nearby art gallery. No one would be wary of him idling his time away in an art gallery. And idling...is exactly what he would do. He would idle, and wait. Maybe, just maybe, she would come to him.

Let the prey think that they are in control, and at the right moment...snap.

[end]

Karla had been making her rounds, as usual, when she picked up a scent. It was Shinigami. She had learned to distinguish that. It was just a little off though, and had traces of human in it. It wasn't too powerful. Probably Aiko's level. In case of conflict, she would have the upper hand.

She followed the diminishing trail, back to its point of origin. It disappeared at a point, and drowned out by another scent. Karla recognized this. Like Hollow, Shinigami had a way of entering this world from another. They seemed to use some sort of gate, which was more structured than the violence she committed on reality to move about. There was something slightly unusual however. The two powerful Shinigami in Japan had emerged from the sky. This one was at ground level. Still, two events is not a statistical trend.

She decided to trail the new Shinigami, step by step, to see what it had been up to.

As Karla wove back and forth across the city. The Shinigami had moved purposefully, looking for something. Her, of course. The trail attempted to maximize visual coverage of the Rosarito, and she found herself surprised at its success. This was the first time this Shinigami had visited, and it had scouted the area as well as she could.

She found the end of the trail. An art gallery. At this range she didn't have to trace steps. She could sense the Shinigami clearly.

She walked into the gallery, and took a complimentary map and pen. She walked herself to a corner where no one would spot a pen writing on paper by itself. She entered Hueco Mundo.

Right above Yamato, a tiny flap of reality was peeled back. Karla's gloved hand gently pushed the map through and quickly sealed it up. The pamphlet fluttered down, gently deflecting off Yamato's head.

'You can understand my hesitance. Can I ask your business?' the message on the pamphlet read.

Karla in Hueco Mundo leaned up near a tiny hole, smaller than a baby's fist, underneath Yamato's bench. She listened closely for a response.

[SamuraiFoochs]

Yamato didn't react as the pamphlet hit him in the head and simply smiled as he read its message. He spoke quietly, knowing she would hear him.

"Business? No business. At least, that's not my primary focus. No...indeed, this is a venture of more...personal interest. You have something that could potentially test me, and I need to be tested. Because to be honest, if I don't get tested quickly and effectively, I will soon be dead...again."

He flicked the hat off, twirling around in one of his hands so she could get a good read on his face. "Of course, to say there's no element of business to this would be a lie, but like I said, that takes a back seat. For once, I'm not here to battle. No, I'm merely here to..." he hesitated, as he searched for the proper word, "...asess."

He smirked, his eyes twinkling slightly as he began to feel the thrill of the hunt rise within him. "Of course, you're also wise to hide. Never get too close to a prey before you can truly figure out the extent of what they are, right? Well, for your sake and mine, I don't think I'll be answering that particular question. At least...not yet. Feel free to drop another one of those damned pamphlets on my head, if you want to keep hiding. Can't say I'd necessarily blame you..."

[end]

This was a strange man, but not immediatly hostile. Karla hoped she could help the attitude.

A paper thin tear in reality opened up next to Yamato, and a pamphlet was three-quarters of the way through. An actually-quite-good stick figure drawing of Karla drawn in bold marker was facing Yamato. She increased her voice an octave and wiggled 'Mini Karla' back and forth in time to her uncharacteristically cheery voice.

'Hey, Hey! I'm Karla! How you doin'?' She surpressed the urge to laugh.

'Hey, you're gonna have to clarify! The mysterious thing is kinda cool, but it does nothing for communicating ideas and intent! And that makes me sad!' Karla bent the pamphlet so it seemed to sulk. She then perked it up again, 'Hey! If you want something just say so! Or you're just gonna make me all confused!' She waggled the pamphlet accusingly.

Hmm... She hoped she didn't go overboard.

[SamuraiFoochs]

Yamato simply raised an eyebrow, trying to compose himself after this utterly bizarre confrontation. Certainly, this hadn't been what he expected. He expected a somber, serious, frank interaction, and instead he got....well, that.

"Um, well Karla, I, um...I'm from the Soul Society. I came to find you to get a better idea of what your abilities and intentions are." He decided to not be hostile, considering she seemed to be non-hostile herself, and the last thing he needed to do was build up unnecessary wakks. Maybe she was a type of Arrancar they hadn't seen yet, one whose worldview was less tainted by the evil of a Hollow. Or, perhaps it was all an act. Either way, he had an idea how to best approach the situation.

"You're a hunter, like me. I can tell. The way you hide, it's intriguing. So let's play a little game of hunter and hunted. Hide and seek, if you will. What would you say to that?"

[end]

Alright. Getting somewhere. The Pamphlet was working.

'Hey! I know there's this whole Shinigami/Hollow thing, but I'm kinda of new to it! I keep to myself mostly, but I met a Shinigami named Aiko in Japan! That's probably how you found me!' She waggled the paper doll around at appropriate intervals.

'Hey! Tell ya what!' She pulled the pamphlet down and scribbled on it with her pen. She pushed it back up, now with the number '0' circled in the upper righ hand corner. 'Find 10 of me and we'll meet for real!'

Karla pushed the rest of the pamphlet through the hole and it flopped over. The hole sealed up. While Karla listened for a response through the other hole, she began drawing on more pamphlets. Aiko had told her that he couldn't sense her at all. But Hueco Mundo had its own smell. It would be faint, since the pamphlets had only been with her for a few minutes, but for a hunter of her caliber, it would be enough.

But was the Shinigami up to the task?

[SamuraiFoochs]

Yamato smiled faintly, and nodded, not sure if she could see him.

"10 pamphlets, one meeting, eh? Sure, you've got yourself a deal." Still, he scratched his head. She was an utterly bizarre one, she was. He sighed under his breath.

"Am I gonna get any hints here, or what? Am I just going to be blindly searching for pamphlets with numbers in the corner? I haven't played that variety of hide and seek since I was alive." Suddenly, he found himself gripped by hearty chuckles. What an absolutely absurd set of events.

Here he was, a captain of the Gotei 13, master of tracking, and he was about to play a game of hide and seek like a human child? He certainly hoped that none of his peers were watching him. Because something told him this whole thing could possibly be a blow to his dignity. At the same time, hell, it could be fun.

Besides, dignity was overrated.

So how was he...then he picked it up. There was the faintest hint of reiatsu on the pamphlet. He hadn't sensed it right away because of his limited powers, but it was definitely there. A distinct signature. All he had to do was follow this one signature, find it ten different places, and he would win.

[end]

The first location. Tacos El Yaqui. Best Tacos in the world, or at least Karla firmly believed so. Not that she could really enjoy them anymore.

Moving swiftly by way of Hueco Mundo she swiftly moved to the location, and placed a pamphlet on top of the awning that covered the otherwise open-air stand/restaurant. It would be an awkward place for a (visible) man to be.

The little Karla depicted was pointing, almost accusatory towards its reader. Written under her were the words 'Mire alla!' and a little arrow indicating that the pamphlet should be turned over. The underside would be a surprise.

Her full presence in the living world would provide a small spike for her playmate to follow. Of course, he would need to be competent to actually zone in on the location. She settled herself into a comfortable, fortified, and invisible position and waited.

[SamuraiFoochs]

He sighed, trying to maintain his focus on that little tiny hint of a signature. That was the only way he could possibly "win" the game. It was especially hard to focus considering the activity level around him had picked up considerably, and so all the hustle and bustle of those noisy humans further challenged his abilities.

Still, he felt the spike and grinned. She couldn't hide from him. He quickly but still as casually as possible followed the signature, and cursed when he saw where the pamplet was. She was still toying with him, Deciding it would be less conspicuous than perching on top of the awning, he jumped up and smacked it from below, causing the pamplet to pop up and mercifully float towards him on the back of a friendly gust of wind.

He furrowed his brow as he looked at the pamphlet, and slowly turned it over.

[end]

While the man was busy with the pamphlet, Karla lined up her shot.

'Muere.' the pamphlet read, a stick figure Karla drawing her thumb across her neck with a wicked grin.

Yamato felt the spit ball on the back of his neck, but could only turn in time to see a straw withdrawing into a sliver in reality. She was out of his reach.

Karla knew Rosarito like the back of her hand. Next up would be one of the open-air markets. She surreptitiously slipped a pamphlet into a pile of hand woven blankets, before taking her stake out.

[SamuraiFoochs]

Yamato cursed as he felt the spit ball, and cursed again, even louder, as he saw the staw.

"Son of a BITCH!" He frantically wiped at the back of his neck, feeling all of his composure go right out the window.

"SunuvabitchsunuvabitchSUNUVABITCH!" He kept repeating, more and more quickly, as he ran as fast as he could towards the next pamplet. Dignity, stealth, and decorum be damned, the gloves were off now.

"Gee, kid. bit much for a spit ball, isn't it?" Vulcanus was chuckling between his words, clearly highly highly amused.

'Shut the hell up, Vulcanus! They can break my ribs, mangle my arms, slice me to pieces, whatever they want, but I....HATE....SPITBALLS!'

Most of the neaby humans had already run to the hills as they saw the flat out hysterical man charging towards his destination in a manner befitting the victim of a fire ant-based underwear offensive, which was probably for the best.

The blanket weaver had already run to the hills, so Yamato simply rustled through the pile of merchandise, angrily grabbing the next pamphlet, making sure to keep his eyes peeled for any nearby water balloons.

[end]

Hmm. He was fast. He was effcient. And he had thwarted her. In Karla's experience, nothing could make a blanket seller run when there was a sale to be made. So much for the opening she had hoped to create. She slinked away to her next target.

The pamphlet depicted stick figure Karla adorned with a poncho in the pattern of the blankets. It said 'tres por cien pesos'

Very well, she would play dirty. Karla slipped into a near by restaurant and snuck up behind a mariachi guitarist. Not difficult given she was invisible to mortals. While he was inbetween songs, she slipped the pamphlet into the body of the guitar. She snuck some essentials into the Hueco Mundo with her.

'Enjoy...' she thought to herself.