Transporting The Prisoner (Shikai Training)

[Reiji]

It was a little after dusk and not many people were out. The air had a stale taste to it and a slight chill as to men approached what seemed to be an abandoned village that was actually the ninth division. One man breathed heavily fearing for his life as he realized where he was going. He had rumors about it in the holding cell he had been in. Ninth division was filled with maniacs who enjoyed nothing more than to torture their prisoners and he was marching into it with some stranger who had been ordered to take him.

"Please don't make me go in there." The man pleaded for what seemed to be the twentieth time in the past six minutes. The answer would be the same as before.

"You know I have no choice." His guard replied honestly not wishing to even set one foot in the area. He had heard rumors to and was scared himself. The prisoner asked his name, but was answered by the cicadas.

Had he answered he would have given the name Fuderiku Reiji, from the eleventh division fifth seat, but he stayed quiet not wanting his name to be used in any kind of falsifying of information. Reiji loved to fight thats why he was so happy to be in the eleventh division, but the people in ninth weren't into fighting as much as torture from what he had heard and decided he wanted to leave as quickly as possible. He had no idea what this man had done, but felt sorry for him. He tried not to think of what miseries would befall this man where he was going.

"Please don't make me go there." He begged once more making most likely the twenty first time. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as they approached what seemed to be a guard. His face was invisible in the dark and Reiji honestly didn't exactly want to see it. The prisoner had been walking ahead of Reiji so he had gotten there first. He had already tried a numerous amount of times to escape, but Reiji was easily able to force him to the ground without even needing his zanpakutou.

From Reiji could see from outside the seemingly empty village was almost no greenery aside from a few dead trees. This did not help Reiji's imagination of the place. Where was everyone? He had thought to himself not daring ask it aloud in fear he would find out. He looked at the man trying to see his face, but failing for his face was to well hidden in the darkness. He was somewhat glad he couldn't see his face and decided it best not to draw him out of the shadows.

"This is the prisoner I was instructed to transport here... May I see your taicho to be sure he makes it all the way there?" Reiji regretted the words the moment they left his mouth. The taicho of ninth division was supposedly the worst out of everyone in the division and wished on the stars that he had no asked to see them. He doubted he would be able to sleep tonight after this experience.

[GoldenKitten]

The place was a ghost-town and though the buildings were in the traditional Japanese fashion the wood that comprised them looked ready to rot and fall apart, worse it was a monochrome place with the buildings being completely black with only occasional splatterings of white. In fact the entire place was uncolored, the ground was dead dirt and all the trees were black and twisted with no growth. The sky always seemed to burn an extremely bright white here during the day, piercing your soul until the sun finally set...Unfortunately for Reiji it got even worse at night, as he was quickly finding with strange moving things hiding in the shadows. The only thing that brought some color to the area were the red windows in a large black chapel like structure that stood in the background, however since the 9th Squad captain Hitotsu had disappeared in the assault on Hueco Mundo it had not been used. Whether this was out of reverence or an attempt to change the way of things it was hard to say, regardless candlelight filtering from inside cast the area in a light red tint but did not brighten the place, only serving to cause even more twisting shadows.

The guard at the door to the main building was indeed cloaked in shadow but when Reiji spoke he took a step forward looking down at the prisoner. Thankfully for all involved, as his face was basked momentarily in the red light, it became evident he was wearing a cloth mask, only two inhuman bulging eyes of an indescribable color looked down on both men hungrily. And they did look down, he was a giant of a man and could easily have grasped a full grown adults head in his palm while standing a full two heads over those present. Regardless his actions seemed completely neutral despite the hunger in his eyes and after looking them over he silently nodded and motioned them through the large double doors behind him, after they had he did not follow and instead shut the doors with a thump once more.

As they stepped on to the wooden flooring it made cavernous groans, as if there was a great open space beneath them though it had looked as if it was on the ground from the outside. Within the building it was mostly empty with a few dilapidated tables sitting around. All the windows were open, during the day they might have provided light but now all they did was create a horribly cold draft through the broken-down room. A single lit torch was nailed to the back wall providing the only light and in these tight quarters with several rooms branching off of the main one it served only to create even more dark places for things to hide than had been outside.

Amongst the shadowy room there was a bar, it closely resembled a check-in desk at a western hotel though of course that was a silly comparison. Behind it sat a single thin man with milky white skin made more so since he was balled and a tad malnourished, he was currently staring up at the ceiling with his eyes half-closed. His dark hazel eyes rolled in there sockets for a moment before he set them on the arrivals and seeing the prisoner a snake like grin spread across his face. Without a word he pulled a set of large glasses up from a strap that had been around his neck and placed them on his face, he then pulled himself forward and grabbed a large antique black book that might have escaped ones attention until he moved to it. Dust flew into the air from its ancient pages and he brought his finger to the book, scanning with the top of his glasses like an old grandfather before he found what he wanted, grabbed a nearby pen and checked something off. Having done this he looked back up and chuckled a bit.

“Nobody sees the mistress unless permitted for a...special occasion. Don't worry your little head off, you and I will escort him to the entry guards and then he will no longer be your problem.” The mans voice was deeper than might have been expected from his form and his half-sarcastic, half-dead serious tone was unnerving.

The man stood up slowly and turned around to pull the torch off the wall. He motioned for Reiji to follow him and then made his way around his desk and then down one of the many hallways around them toward the back of the complex. The walkways of this particular structure had obviously been made for larger crowds despite its humble outside appearances, probably so several guards could move alongside more dangerous prisoners. Whether the rest of the buildings were like this or if it was only this one serving as a base went unsaid. Whatever the case if Reiji had been hoping for a spot of color he would be sorely disappointed, if anything the hallways were darker and even more bland. More than anything the ceiling above seemed to be cloaked in shadow and a weaker will would have seen ones eyes being constantly drawn to it out of some primal fear. As they got deeper one couldn't help but notice that there were fewer and fewer windows through which to look though right now there was little to see out in that abyss. Shortly before they reached an area that was completely shrouded in darkness that even the torch could not seem to pierce the man turned and opened one of many large sliding doors that had flanked the hall. He gestured for them to move through, once they did he followed after and resealed the door behind them. This happened several times as they walked through similar dilapidated rooms until they were surely toward the center of the building. One more door which if one had seen it from a birds eye view would have been parallel with the entrance they had moved into the building through was opened and the guest once more coaxed through.

What greeted them was a much larger room than any others but for any prisoner it was certainly not a greeting sight. The room was mostly black except for a singular ray of light shining from the ceiling at the far end on to what appeared to be a altar, the light was bright red and its source unknown. However it was not that which drew ones sight, around them were countless white pillars like one might find in a traditional Japanese shrine and amongst them, fluttering in the darkness were countless silver flashes. They sounded a bit like wind chimes as they clinked together but anybody could see there existence was not so humble, countless types of blades hung from the ceiling and shifted gently in the draft blowing through the old structure. There was dried blood of different ages on the tips of some and yet despite the macabre show it was certainly one of the lesser mental techniques utilized by 9th to tear down a prisoners psychological walls before the real fun even began.

As they approached the “shrine” it became obvious that there was a sudden drop off shortly before it, steel steps leading down into the ground about forty feet before a rotten wooden door bearing the 9th division seal was found. The pale man looked around with a slightly annoyed look in his eyes several times as he approached the steps, stopping at the top. He turned to the two and tapped his foot impatiently for only a few moments before speaking.

“Those imbeciles, they know the good lady would kill them for leaving their post, no matter how dull this duty might be compared to the joy of...” he paused momentarily and eyed the prisoner with a nasty sort of glee in his eyes, “facilitating communications with the rogue elements of the soul stream for the safety and future of the right and prosperous conglomerate of Seireitei and Soul Society as a whole.” He gave a terrible giggle after saying this.

He once more looked around the room and then he eyed Reiji with a dark sort of humor, “It would seem our guards have taken it upon themselves to do as they please, quite a unthoughtful decision wouldn't you agree? But alas understanding that does not quite get us where we need to be. So would you care to aid me in taking this prisoner down to the holdings? And in the process you might very well get your wish, after viewing our friends weak and-” he shook his whole body slightly and raised his voice up a notch for the next few words, “bladder emptying constitution I think the good lady would much like to meet one like him, she does oh so enjoy the scared ones, they tend to give up their secrets...for the good of Soul Society of course...much quicker.”

As he finished saying this he slowly made his way down the stairs and then grasped the door, forcing it open and then putting his hand up toward the howling darkness beyond with a bemused look crossing his face, “After you.”

[Reiji]

Reiji looked at the prisoner with eyes that held nothing, but sorrow for the man. "Your in deep shit," His voice held unbelievable pity for such a blunt way to state the man's predicament. His eyes shifted to his "host" of sorts and decided at least he was not going to be lost forever down here with people that would enjoy his screams. The man gave Reiji this uneasy feeling that would not go away.

Between the guard and this guy he was probaly going to cry in bed tonight if he ever got back to his bed in one piece. Reiji pointed at the pale man and shook his head. "You scare the shit out of me... Let's get that clear... Doesn't mean I don't like you, but I somewhat want to cry." Reiji left off his eyes held fear and regret. Fear of what else lurked in the darkness he would soon enter, and the regret for taking the assignment.

Reiji nudged the prisoner who let out a shrill whimper as they wishing to grip any weapon they could find that could protect them. He wished he could at least use his shikai or some kind of powerful kido that could strike fear into the monsters that existed here. Whether they were monsters or physchos Reiji did not care. Either way they wished the same miserable fate for Reiji as they did the man who stood next to him.

"Your a fool for coming here." His zanpakutou spirit spoke in his mind. He himself knew that no good could come of being here lost in the darkness. "I'm well aware. Why don't you give me a name so I can feel safer." He replied within his mind as well. It seemed to echo and Reiji didn't know whether he was dumb or imagining the voice. "My name you say," The voice returned. It seemed willing to tell him. "My name is..."

"Please! I won't ever do anything bad ever again! I'll give up any information needed!" The prisoner shouted snapping Reiji out of the trance he had been in. "Stop... Face this with dignity." Reiji stepped forward pushing him forward with the butt of his sword. "Trust me... If I had it my way you'd be put to death in a fight, not down here." Reiji trailed off wishing himself he was fighting in a arena rather than in this hellish place.

Reiji's initial primal instinct kicked in and he was instantly on guard. His mind raced and so did his hands to his zanpakutou. However he stopped himself from drawing it however he could not stop himself from gripping the hilt and wishing beyond the walls that held him and the darkness together to draw it and to cut down anyone who assulted him. "Prisoner, you walk first... Sir... Would you lead the way wouldn't want to trip over anything." Reiji more of just wanted to know where he was.

"I lost the game." Reiji said aloud trying to lighten his mood before anything else happened that made him want to beg to leave as well as the prisoner. Reiji had indeed lose the game upon thinking about something to lighten the mood. He wished to god that no one he didn't know was near replied also. He wished he knew his zanpakutou's name cause it would make him feel a lot better at this point in time.

[GoldenKitten]

The man only gave Reiji an eerie smile over hearing that he made the man uncomfortable, which probably made him even more uncomfortable. The black tunnel that was only lit by their guides torch soon became lit by other sources, dozens of torches, one every few feet. Though in the ground the walls were boarded up so that they didn't look all that different to the building they had just been in. It was after they had progressed about a hundred meters down the long hallway that the screams began. After that long stretch of hall several halls began breaking off from it in dozens of directions and several doorways to rooms unknown went off to each side. From behind several of these frenzied pleas for mercy, incoherent attempts to tell everything an individual knew or just piercing almost inhuman screams could be heard. The man was clearly almost oblivious to this but the prisoner certainly was not, he was growing increasingly agitated until he finally cried out and tried to ram forward into the man whom he no doubt thought the weaker of the two in another attempt to escape.

Spinning faster than either of the others probably thought possible the thin man grabbed the prisoner by the head and brought him down straight on to his knee. The prisoner recoiled from the blow stepped back several times while in the meantime the man retrieved a small blade from under his cloak which had been concealed until this point. “Capture, Servitus” the blade glowed momentarily and he thrust it into the prisoners chest, instantly several bands of light shot out from the point and began wrapping themselves around the man. When it was done the prisoners hands were tied behind his back and a gag had lodged itself in his mouth, several chains extended from bands around his neck and arms into a single chain that the man now held, even the slightest tug would completely dominate the prisoners strength and force him in the direction the chain was pulled.

“Now, now, we can't have you getting damaged before we get you to the mistress. She likes her toys to be fresh!” He then looked up to Reiji and smiled, “Like my zanpaktou? It comes in handy given my position no?”

He began pulling on the man whose yells were muffled by the gag and who despite obvious attempts to pull away could do nothing but go where he was led now. The straight and typical hallways eventually gave way to sheer bedrock tunnels and downward staircases lit only by the flickering of a great fewer candles or torches and the deeper one got the stuffier and warmer the surrounding air became, as if one was truly descending into hell. The rock tunnels themselves then gave way to a great sheer rock shaft where a iron wrought spiral staircase took them down for hundreds of feet to a large open cavern.

Countless doors lined the perfectly square room which was lit by three flaming chandeliers but one which was five times larger than the rest and bore some archaic symbol was by far the drawing point of most “visitors” eyes. They approached the massive iron door which was wreathed by a dozen torches and their guide spoke the word “Lupercalia” and slowly but surely the door began to creak open. And as those doors opened the followers surely became aware they were descending into hell, they might not have known it but they stepped into the Basilica of Torments. Screams echoed from all around as the huge metal door swung both sides closed with a massive slam and some sort of lock could be heard sliding into place once more. Inside the Basilica light was harder to come by, lit by an invisible red source instead of the flame from outside which left it hard to see but at the same time most of the workers in the Basilica had adapted to this fact.

A shambling figure cloaked in the black robes of a shinigami walked down to meet them but closer inspection showed he only had the cursory features of a human. His skin was albino white and he was missing a large chunk of his nose, one of his eyes seemed to bear a white cataract while the remaining bright yellow one bulged from the socket as it searched his surroundings rapidly. He was balled and had innumerable burn scars along his scalp which if he had not been wearing his robes would have showcased that his sickly thin body mirrored. He nodded to their guide and gave Reiji an unscrupulous look of distaste, the two 9th division members whispered something unheard to each other and then began walking once more.

As they walked along both nodded to two figures guarding a large arch in the hall who wore the same robes they did but had hoods to mask their faces like the guard at the front entrance and they remained motionless though it appeared they both gave slight nods in return. As the the group entered one of the primary rooms which bore a long chain construction whose ends disappeared high above in an impenetrable darkness their new guide smiled smiled. He brought his hands up as they passed the chain and spoke to anyone who could hear.

“While the methods of our old captain were always pleasing he often times did things with so little taste, the Basilica has only come into being since the good lady Laetitia came into sub-command many years ago, it is a far more enjoyable place to work...well for us anyway criminal.” The gagged man let out a whimper, “I have to admit even I had, had doubts about being in 9th Division at times until I was approved as the head Bloodletter of the Basilica. Now I realize that only through pain can your sins be let out”, he spoke the next part in a far more reserved and sinister tone, “And your secrets known.”

They made their way through several more rooms filled with all form of chained and bladed contraptions that were currently not in use until they heard a loud authoritative voice, it was not yelling but it carried a long distance in the silence. As both men smiled they picked up the pace and rounded a corner between another set of guards into a room which was obviously the center of the Basilicas workings for the moment with at least dozen people within. A giant machine stood toward the back of the room glowing with a bright orange fire as it bellowed great living black smoke into the air and heated the room up significantly as it was a furnace. On each side of the furnace were low hanging rusted iron cages that would normally have kept prisoners pinned to the floor but were currently empty.

Before it there was a large table upon which a young de-robed man was laying strapped to the bare iron surface with a large unassuming black bubble hovering several feet over his head and the albino man smiled once more at the two who were finding themselves in unfamiliar surroundings, not knowing what they were about to witness. All around there stood several figures robed in the same outfit as the guards that had been in the hall who were simply scurrying about to different task while a single man who bore similarity in appearance to the albino man but had dark black hair and wore a strange glowing red monocle sat at the base of the table looking down at some desk.

However it was who stood looking down at the boy that was the center of attention. Anyone could have seen her outward beauty but only someone with the true heart of a 9th division member who appreciated the darkest and cruelest of things could see her true beauty, it was like viewing the deepest night any being had ever known and she always managed to make her underlings spirits race, as was clear by the fervor that immediately effected everyone present. She stood up straight once more, her darker skin blending in with the relative darkness and making her movements phantom like and near cabaret. She sported her usual beautiful outfit which gave the setting an all the more ritualistic appearance, as if a priestess before her shrine and the sublime beauty of it all was apparent to those who could appreciate such things.

She seemed to be caressing the boys face with her finger tips as if she was trying to talk to him but he was just giving her a stare as if she were crazy. He sported a few bruises as if he had been roughed up but it was plain to see he had yet to undergo some of the Basilicas funner offerings. The “Head Bloodletter” obviously saw the boy at the table cast a glance in his direction as his head had not been strapped down yet and with a smile seemed to be pleased when he saw obvious alarm go off in the young eyes at his appearance. With the boys acknowledgment of his presence Laetitia had spun around and seeing her favorite little Bloodletter gave a big smile as she approached, leaving the boy on the table to think about his future.

“You called good lady?” the man spoke in a deep guttural voice, as if his throat was scarred.

“I did Ronaba, I wanted to use the peeler to see if it would work this time”, she briefly motioned to the large black bubble above the boy “And who better to work it, letting me get up close, than my favored Bloodletter?”

“Thank you mam.” he said obvious pride in his voice. “Now I was alerted to the fact that someone was coming down. As you can see Regelius believes you may find this new visitor of use.”

“Ahhhhh....” Laetitia moved in close to the bound prisoner and cuddled his face with one of her hands while giggling slightly under her breath, he could only stare back at her in horror. She then turned her attention to Reiji still holding a big smile, “And who is this?”

“A member of eleventh division mam, the guards were not immediately available so I had him escort the prisoner along with myself.” The one now known as Regelius said.

Laetitias smile vanished, “Oh...well at least he's not from one of those other divisions. Eleventh is alright, they understand the enjoyment in killing their enemies, to see them crushed underfoot...they just need a style update” She turned away from him and looked at the prisoner, “Hmmm will you work? Well first we'll see what our young friend here has to offer us...and then if he doesn't survive I suppose you will work just as well yes?” She cocked her head and grinned before turning around back toward where she had started, the fact that she had no intention of actually asking him questions should not have been lost on those present.

So with no more words spoken they each walked toward the table, Laetitia back to her stance over the boy and Ronaba to a set of controls at the opposite end of the table to where the other man with the red monocle was sitting. Regelius kept hold of the prisoner and everyone basically ignored Reiji. She briefly considered her prized Bloodletter and smiled on the inside, there were not many people that she liked because the great majority were weak of will and action, Ronaba was not. While he had suffered significant injuries that kept him from fighting and he had never been horribly strong in the first place he had a strong will and enjoyed the bloodlust as she did. She respected him for that even if she knew others didn't, it was of course hypocritical because the 9th division was all about strength, but when you were a captain you were allowed to be hypocritical. It was for that reason that she allowed him to run the Basilica with an iron fist when she was gone, even if there were stronger contenders all of them knew they would face her wrath if they touched him.

With that momentary reverie out of mind though she turned her attention back to the boy on the table and her choler rose once more. People sickened her as a general rule but people who killed innocents did even more, not out of some sort of good natured heart but rather because picking on unsuspecting or incapable individuals was just dull. If you were going to kill then you should find someone worth killing, if you couldn't do that then you should simply have refrained from it at all and if you did be prepared for the consequences. That was why this man sickened her, a member of the Gotei 13 who got it in his sick mind to just kill his girlfriend from behind one day and with all the evidence in hand it was just her job to have fun with him now so she had decided to use him for a little science experiment.

He was wriggling and squirming now as she looked down at him but the shackles were far to strong, even for a shinigami and she went leisurely about bringing the head locks up to the side. She grasped the boy by the forehead and picked his entire front up a few inches before slamming it into the iron table which made him let out a momentary gasp. While he was dazed she fit his head into the locks and tightened the straps so that his body was affixed perfectly straight and he wouldn't be able to move. When she was done and he began to regain his senses he started to whimper as it occurred to him just what he had got himself into. She once more appeared above him and smiled down with a sickeningly sweet look on her face.

“Why'd you do it?” she asked simply but the man didn't respond “I ASKED WHY YOU DID IT!!!??” her voice raised significantly.

“P-please...I just, I just thought it would be fun, I'd never done it before!” but before he could even finish he began screaming at the top of his lung as Laetitia planted the fingernails on her right hand into his thigh and drew blood while injecting opposite reiatsu into the dermis.

“Fun huh? LAZY BASTARD WHAT WAS FUN ABOUT KILLING A WEAK BITCH?!!!”, she looked to the man with the red monocle, “Are we ready?”

“Yes mam, the barriers are up, 12th division will not know.”

“Excellent.”

She pulled her nails out and walked away as he continued to scream while his skin felt like it was on fire. The bored looking Laetitia paced away from him for a moment before looking over at Ronaba and nodding. Without a word he pushed a series of buttons on the board before him and the large furnace behind them all began burning at double its previous speed and heat and the chugging sound of an engine emanated from the black bubble above the boy. Before she could even turn around a loud shrill sound like a blade being unsheathed filled the room and the fire on his skin was quickly forgotten as the boy spotted a massive drill exit a newly formed hole on the black bubble aimed straight for him and spinning rapidly with a strange black crystal at the very tip, though few would have noted that detail. Wresting her choler under control once more Laetitia re-approached the table and once she was certain the boy could see her again she nodded once more and the large bubble began lowering as the boy resumed his screaming. Laetitia looked on the verge of saying something sinister with a smile splayed across her face once more when with no warning all sound stopped and in the back with one final ball of fire the generator went dark and the black bubble, or peeler stopped it's movement. Before she could grow angry she looked to Ronaba.

“I do not know mistress.” he shrugged.

“Mam.” came a high pitched voice from the red monocle wearing shinigami, “It would appear the fuel source was drained.”

“So...why aren't the workers throwing another in?” she turned around and a worker who had been close enough to hear the comment stopped what he was doing and began backing away silently with an obviously apprehensive nature, clearly sensing the seething anger hiding just below Laetitias calm exterior.

“Well mam, it would seem none have been brought from Rukongai since yesterday.”

Laetitias eyes grew wide and she cursed at the top of her lungs before walking past the table and around the room. She looked into all the low lying cages and with each one that was empty a terrible force grew in her bosom that could be felt all around as more and more of the workers flooded out of the central area, only the operators and Regelius were brave enough to stay in the room and by default Reiji since he couldn't very well go anywhere. By the time she returned to the table she was visibly shaking with anger and as she approached she reached out with both hands toward the operator clearly intending to grasp his head. Then with the control that was expected of her she realized it was not his fault and after shaking it off and tossing her fist up and down in a miniature tantrum she looked back at him.

“Who was on collection duty this week.”

“Team twelve. Lead by Shizoku Manazuke.” The wavering in his voice betrayed the fear he felt at being at the end of Laetitias wrath that his stoic features tried to hide.

“Get them down here...” she turned around and spotted a nearby guard, “GET THEM DOWN HERE!!! GET THEM DOWN HERE!!! GO!!! GO!!! TEAM TWELVE GET THE FUCKERS DOWN HERE!!!”

As her voice raised and she began hitting the side of the nearby table with her fist the guard didn't need to be asked twice, he ran off down the nearest hall without a word. The two members of the Basilica who sat near her and couldn't get away simply fell into silence while everyone else who had retreated to the edges of the room cleared out completely, clearly not wanting to be present for whatever was to come. Intelligently neither of the other three spoke to Laetitia and hopefully Reiji took the hint, she simply stood perfectly still as she watched the entrance the guard had left through with an unwavering stare for almost five minutes, cloaked in complete silence except for the occasional whimper, scream or plead from the boy on the table. Finally with no sign as to how close Laetitia had been to exploding footfalls could be heard coming from the hallway and she walked forward not giving any suggestion as to what she was feeling. A group of six shinigami, looking rather normal and quite out of place among this place of death and pain, especially when trailed by several of the cloaked guards approached her and their already fearful auras went through the roof upon spotting her.

“Which of you is Shizoku?” she spat venomously.

After several seconds a short man with braided brown hair stepped forward, “I...I am taichou.”

Laetitia walked forward and the man tensed but she just gingerly wrapped her hand around his shoulder, “Walk with me.” and he did so despite an obvious desire not to.

“Now Shizoku what is it I ask of you?”

“To locate common criminals in Rukongai and round them up.”

“Correct, and what have you been doing?”

“Searching mam...”

They were now walking through the nearby field of cages and up toward the furnace.

“Ah yes...now what do you see around you?”

He paused and then answered, “Cages...mam...”

“Yes, empty cages right?”

“...Yes.”

The door to the furnace flew open and before anyone could offer up any comments Laeititia punched Shizoku in the gut and sent him flying. He hit the ground rolling and like a perfect strike rolled right through the door to the furnace. The red monocled shinigami obviously having predicted this all along hit a switch and the door slammed shut on him. Laetitia turned back toward the rest of the group, no smile on her face this time, only anger. Even as some of them offered protest against what they saw was happening she ignored them and yelled out.

“EVERY FUCKING ONE OF THESE CAGES BETTER BE FULL BY TONIGHT OR I WILL PERSONALLY INSURE EVERY DAMNED ONE OF YOU WISHES YOU KNEW DEATH!!!”

As if to emphasize her point the furnace clicked on and for nearly twenty seconds there was no sound but the roaring of fire and Shizokus screams. Several of his friends gave protest but most quickly began backing away not wishing to share the mans fate and those who were not were dragged away by the guards. Laetitia was placated with a new source of fuel though and happily hummed her way back over to the table as the peelers engine hummed back to life and the high shrill of the drill engaged once more. The stress that had been placed on the two operators was lost obviously both knowing that her anger had been diverted to the others and they would be safe for now.

Over the machine Laetitia fancied she could still hear Shizoku screaming which thanks to the supernatural flames of the furnace wasn't particularly far fetched and she laughed at the thought of him banging around trying to get out as his skin peeled and his blood boiled. The drill was once more lowering and Laetitia gave a gesture to begin anew. The boy on the table who had gone forgotten up until this point was once more screaming his head off as he now faced an unstoppable rendezvous with fate with the drill inches from his the center of his face where the ridge of his nose met his forehead.

But there was something more to this than 9th divisions warped mentality, something even greater than their evil. Even before it occurred an apprehensive aura filled the room, something was about to go horribly wrong.

[Reiji]

When the light from the torches began to lighten the room Reiji began to feel better. When the screaming began Reiji himself wanted to run in fear just as the prisoner had. He knew even if he made it past them he was sure there were other people back there able to stop him. However when their guide stabbed him and his release took effect and he was gagged and restrained Reiji knew the man would never make it out of here alive. Not unless the soutaicho himself came down he to save him. Reiji nodded for his job it was an amazingly useful release. "Very handy" Reiji said agreeing mostly so that he didn't have to have another demonstration.

Reiji walked forward without saying a single word mostly just following the man in front of him. Than when they came to the other guy who did not wear a mask Reiji saw the look he gave Reiji and had he not been in his territory his blade would have been drawn. A horrible idea for someone who was taking someone to his doom in a torture... Village, but either way he wanted to fight the man. When they finally stopped walking Reiji was horrified the man was about to be tortured in front of him. Reiji couldn't help, but shake violently in fear and disgusts. He wished to take the prisoner fight his way out and never think of this wretched experience again.

Than Reiji saw a beautiful woman who he wished was here under the same pretences as himself, but he was as far from wrong as he could be. She was the taicho of ninth division. He wanted to cry, but he figured if he did that it would be taken as a sign of weakness and he would die. His heart nearly stopped when she approached them. I'm about to die! He thought over and over again. When she spoke it was not to him or about him, but about the prisoner. A quick feeling of relief washed over him as he remembered why he was there in the first place.

Than she asked about Reiji. He nearly spoke, but the answer came from someone else. He felt relieved once again. He had not realized just how frightened he was until she walked away. However she did say something about eleventh division being better than the others because they liked to kill themselves. Reiji had never felt a thing for a human life however he felt bad for this man he was condeming to hell. Not because he was dieing and it would be one less human, but because he would die down here where the only ones that could hear his screams would enjoy them.

"Your a moron." The voice spoke once again. Reiji closed his eyes and tried to connect with his spirit again. Even here Reiji would close his eyes and lower his guard to learn his zanpakutou's name. Reiji pleaded for it to say it's name, but it said not another word. He kept his eyes clothes trying to speak with it asking for it's name doing whatever he could. He was so close to learning to release into his shikai. Even in this place he would be relaxed and most likely smile. The next thing he heard was shouting he opened his eyes just in time to see a man kicked into a furnace and he instantly feared for his life.

The taicho began to order that they cages be filled with criminals from Rukongai and decided had he not joined the academy sooner he could be one of the criminals rounded up for one of those cages. Reiji looked at the prisoner and saw that he was crying. Tears gushed from his eyes as he knew his life would end in a short time. Reiji shook his head as he wished that he had not taken on this assignment. He figured it would be leave him outside, but no he had to take the prisoner inside down into the depths. Reiji shook his head and looked away from the prisoner.

Than Reiji began to feel something worse than all of division nine. It filled Reiji with a sense of fear that no one had ever felt. His heart began to pound as the room filled with evil. An aura that would make even the strongest and bravest of men quake and run away in fear. He placed his hand on the hilt of his zanpakutou looking for reassurance however even holding a weapon did not ease the fear that was enveloping him. He shuddred again and decided he would never come near this place again. It was as close as one could get to hell without being there.

Reiji closed his eyes and searched for the connection with his zanpakutou to try and release some fear. He had no connection to go with and knew that it would not help at all to just stand there. He felt something touch his shoulder and he looked to see the prisoner crying and mumbling most likely asking to save him and for the two of them to get the hell out of dodge which Reiji would like nothing more to do than run and get as far away as possible. Reiji looked at the prisoner and had to look away in fear that whatever would happen to him may befall himself.

[GoldenKitten]

Laetitia stood expectantly over the table as the drill lowered its last few inches. Those with a weak constitution might have had to look away but one did not work in the Basilica and possess a queasy disposition. The drill perforated the front of his skull with a shrill so high it almost matched the scream he was producing in the process. As soon as it had pushed in about three inches, being rather clean in the process I might add, the large black bubble heaved and another drill exited its lower portion over the boys chest, one might note it was directly over his heart. There was one big difference though, this drill was about half the diameter of an arm and it came down quick. The boy couldn't really react to its appearance though given that he was already in blinding pain that would no doubt cause him to fall unconscious and likely die soon and that was in fact why they had to move quickly. If he died before the insertion of the artifact (and several other methods had already failed in the speed department) then the portal would not open and they would have wasted several more lives on a failed attempt.

The large drill slammed into his chest and even with the pain he was already experiencing he was aware enough to let out an all together higher pitched squeal before his body began spasming. That was typically the sign that they were about to fail as the body was giving out, Laetitia was already showing signs of anger on her face. Then without warning the ground in a single instant changed composition and a wide light spread out below their feet from a small line until it covered the entire chamber floor. It began to lose its luster and materialize as a white gate with several skulls and white hands holding it closed with chains 'x'-ing across it. Any shinigami who had purified evil hollows would realize what it was, the gate to hell. And yet as the middle slid open the usual red light was not witnessed, instead there was an infinite abyss of black.

Laetitia brought both her hands up and began cackling in between her words, “IT WORKED!!! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! IT DID!!!”

A massive white spear shot out of the gate impaling the table the young man was laying on and then he himself. It carried him nearly to the ceiling like a giant live tentacle before ripping him backwards and he disappeared into the darkness of the gate, then something happened that none of them could have predicted, the gate slid with immense speed all the way to its open position. And none of them present could fight the suction that occurred next, not even the taichou who if one looked was actually smiling just before she disappeared into the darkness below. Even Reiji, a mere bystander caught up in all of this by a sheer stroke of bad luck could not hope to get away.

Blackness enveloped them all and though it felt like they were constantly falling there was no frame of reference by which to note the speed of their decent. Then things seemed to level out, as if their lateral positioning was slowly being tipped from vertical to horizontal, and then they saw a white dot ahead of them. At a speed seemingly near that of light the dot went from tiny to gigantic and then they passed it shortly before every one of them hit a solid surface and came to rolling stops. Laetitia was the first up and looked behind her to find the gigantic white gate which was a replica of its other side and watched it as it closed behind them. She quickly realized there was nothing to do about that now and instead turned to view the other direction only to realize that there was only blackness, unending in every direction aside from the one gate standing out amongst the nothingness.

It was at this point that she happened to realize that she was nearly standing on top of the 11th division member who was still laying on the dark, featureless ground beneath them. She spoke offhand in a way that showed she didn't really care about him but had no desire to die because of his foolishness, “Don't talk to loud...in fact don't talk at all. We're all as good as dead sinners to them here.”

As if to back up her point a voice yelled out, “TAICHOU!!! TAAAIIICHHHOUUU!!!”

Laetitia turned in time to spot the red monocled shinigami rushing up to the gate, he hadn't seen her yet and she knew he would never get the chance. Showing how right she had been he got to within about a hundred feet of the luminous white gate and though it was in darkness one could still see as one of the hell spears came shooting out of the dark and impaled him. He didn't even have time to notice and scream before he was ripped out into the infinite darkness. It appeared the others had seen this as well because while she saw several forms appearing in the darkness none of them were dumb enough to make noise. Within thirty seconds the group had silently regathered, Laetitia, Ronaba, Regelius, of course Reiji and even the prisoner who was thankfully still gagged by Regelius zanpaktou as his face showed he would certainly be screaming if he could.

“Where are we?” Regelius was the first to break the silence though he did so quietly, “I don't know much about your more clandestine experiments but that looked like a gate to hell to me...this certainly doesn't seem to be that place.”

“Close enough” Laetitia spoke offhand, “This is the realm between hell and the outer worlds. If there was only one gate evil souls could easily escape given the proper resources but this way even if they manage to force there way out of the first gate they just wind up in an endless expanse of nothing with no tools to pry the exterior door open.”

“Ah...I take it winding up here was not part of your plan?” Regelius asked, despite the questions seeming sarcasm it was in fact asked with honesty and little to no actual doubt in his leaders abilities.

“No, no it was not.” Laetitia said musing on her surroundings.

“You did more research on this than me mam, is there a way back out?” Ronaba asked.

Laetitias eyes were alight with fire, “Yes there is one. To exit into the outer realms the hell spears utilize a powerful evil spirit as a key to the door, in sacrificing it the spirit is purged into nothingness back into the soul stream and then the hell spear impales another spirit and brings it in, that way hells population is always the same and it also doesn't negatively effect the spiritual stream.” Given how evil 9th division was they were actually pretty smart when they needed to be, “We could do the same. I would work, but unless one of you thinks you have balls and strength to take me on we will have to go with option number two.”

Both men cast glances at each other and then nodded toward her, “And what is that mistress?” they asked in almost perfect unison.

She actually giggled at this point, “We have to go gather a powerful evil spirit from the actual realm of hell and bring it back here. Actually I have the perfect one in mind, we just need to find him.”

“Him?” Ronaba began, “Mistress...You cant possibly mean!?” He spoke a little to loud and instinctively Laetitia and Regelius pulled away from him but luckily it seemed the hell spears hadn't heard him that time and so they regathered.

“Oh yes I do Ronaba. We're going to kill a captain...again...well if he wasn't already dead”, she gave an evil smile and Regelius resounded it in its most infectious form.

Regelius seemed to understand what they were talking about, “How do you know Hitotsu-sama is here mistress?”

“Use your brain Regelius, hell wanted Hitotsu perhaps more than it wants me. He also disappeared when I was only a dozen meters from him. A spirit force like that cannot disappear into nothingness by any other means than to simply cease existing on all explored realms all together. The only answer is that Hitotsu fell in combat to the Privaron and hell came after him after all that time waiting with bated breath.”

“But how good lady do we get into the actual realm of hell?”

“Oh well. You saw how easy it is for them to pick us out here, they aren't to picky...so...release him.”

She pointed at the prisoner and for the first time he looked like he was ready to be quiet. Regelius canceled his shikai and instantly the prisoner was released and the blade tucked back in Regelius jacket. The prisoner clearly understood his current situation and was backing up while waving his hands and quietly saying, “No...no...please don't.”

Laetitia drew her zanpaktou and looked to the others including a momentary glimpse at Reiji, “I'd get ready to run after it if I were you.”

She lashed out and in a single swing the prisoners left arm came clear off. No amount of control could stop him from producing the yelp he did next and though he quickly tried to suppress the scream building in his throat it was already too late. One of the spears shot out of the darkness and in a moments time he was impaled and the spear began to retract like all the others. Instantly the three shinigami from 9th division were hurdling after it with all the speed they could to keep up while remaining as silent as possible, it was up to Reiji whether he kept up with what was going on.

--------------------------

((OOC: I am aware there are several different accounts of what hell looks like in the Bleach canon. Because of that I'm just going with the one I liked. BS isn't canon anyway.))

[Reiji]

Reiji wanted to throw up from fear upon seeing the drill begin to dig into the boy. They spoke as though he had no feelings himself. Implant the artifact? That feeling of pure evil grew stronger each second and he gripped his sword all the more now as the man screamed and soon passed out. The look on Laetitia's face suggested whatever she hoped was not occurring which somewhat brought a relieved feeling until he felt the reiatsu. He turned his head to see the gates of hell. He had sent a good number of hollows there and he had always had an uneasy feeling about it.

When the boy was dragged into it Reiji figured it would close and it would not be seen again today, but Reiji was wrong. Very wrong instead of it closing everyone in the room was dragged with him into hell. "We are going to die now." His zanpakutou's spirit said in his mind. Reiji had no need to answer he knew his life would never be normal again after this. He was diving into hell with a room full of psychos. He wanted to shout and try to grip something and hold himself from being lost to hell. His eyes drifted to the evil ninth division taicho who while they were being dragged to hell smiled as though she had planned this all along.

Reiji landed on the ground and wished nothing more than to let out a scream. "Don't make a noise." both his gut and his zanpakutou spirit told him this and he decided to go with them. Laetitia would fall upon him and he would still make no noise even though the attractive psychotic woman stood upon him. Laetitia told him to stay quiet herself whether it was for his safety which he doubted or her own which seemed more likely. Than one of the shinigami began to shout. Reiji figured it was ok to speak and just as he stood up and began to speak the man was stabbed by the spear and was dragged to hell.

Reiji fought back a scream. Everything in his body told him to fight whatever it was that kept attacking them, but he knew it was a bad idea. His mind raced as he thought of sitting here forever not making any noise trying to live in this place without being impaled. I'm in a living hell, literally. Reiji shook his head as he figured he was doomed to suffer in hell for eternity. His mind slowed down as he realized he was doomed to this spiritual plane never to see the day light or feel the cold snow fall upon him as he loved every winter. He'd never get to see any animals again or participate in any battles that were a life or death situation. He'd never again be able to get shit faced and wake up next to a strange woman again.

It was than that Reiji heard them speak once again about being somewhere other than hell. Reiji felt a wave of release hit him as he realized that he would not be doomed to rest in hell. He almost wanted to smile. They continued to speak again about the way out which he began to listen to. Either he good be forced to fight the taicho of ninth Laetitia or well he could dive into the actual hell to do battle with a demon who was the previous taicho before her. Oh joy another psycho. He didn't really have a choice. Either she forced him to hell and he was to have no chance to escape or he could willingly go help them slaughter a demon and have a chance to survive this dreadful night.

Before Reiji could ask what to do they decide that the prisoner he had brought would be the next sacrifice to further this wretched cause. "Keep your wits about you." The voice spoke again giving him advice as to what to do. The prisoner was ungagged and he silently pleaded not to be used as the sacrifice. Reiji knew that he had no choice and that he should just die in Honor instead of cowering like a child. Reiji was afraid beyond belief, but he had enough honor not to die a cowards death and to stand face to face with death. Everyone feared death at least a little, but to be brave it depended on how you faced that fear and this man was not being brave at all.

Reiji shook his head and watched as Laetitia sliced his arm off and forced him to cry out in pain. Reiji watched as he too was impaled as well as the other two that had been dragged to hell this night. Upon watching the others grab a hold of the spear Reiji could only guess what he had to do. He leaped for the spear and grabbed on just like the other three had. The fear unlike Reiji did not return. He had willingly grabbed a hold of the spear that was leading them to hell. He was afraid, but it was the common fear someone would have from watching a horror movie or being in the dark. It was easy to overcome.

Reiji shook his head and realized the only good thing that could come out of this. An epic battle would take place between the living shinigami and the soul of this captain who had been forced into hell. "My name is..." said the voice. It was not often that his spirit talked to him like his and Reiji took it as a sign of good luck. He knew he would release his zanpakutou into shikai sometime soon, just not to sure as when that would happen. Reiji figured he'd probably pass this off as a bad dream and never look back at this event. However in the back of his mind he'd know that this happened. He would know no matter what Reiji did to try and forget he would know.

"Into the first circle of hell." Reiji said letting his voice trail off as he mostly was talking to himself he did not try to hide his words. It had been awhile since Reiji had last spoken and had been scared of his own voice before he realized it was himself speaking. "I lost the game... Again." He repeated as he lost again. He needed to forget about the game. It was a hard game and he always remembered it no matter how hard he tried to forget "the game" kept coming back. His voice was hoarse from lack of water. He began to use the saliva in his mouth to wet his throat. Reiji hated ninth division and figured the only thing worse than visiting was being sane person in the division.

[GoldenKitten]

((OOC: They didn’t grab on to the spear, they chased after it. But that’s ok I’ve got an amusing way around that .))

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Laetitia was of course proportionately faster than either of her companions, especially Ronaba. Regardless they all proved that when pushed they were capable of a great many flash-steps to keep up with their inhumanly fast prey that was still pulling further away with every second. All of them watched as Reiji had leaped for the spear and been pulled off into the darkness, now just barely visible on the retreating spear. Admittedly he probably couldn’t have kept up long enough to actually reach the gates with them if he had tried to run but it was really doubtful that had been the contemplation his brain had gone through to come to that decision. More than likely it had simply been a desperate out lash or even a misunderstanding of what was about to happen, either way Laetitia looked at Regelius who was keeping a decent speed with her and said softly.

“He’s crazy enough to be one of us!” She stuck her tongue out and then turned back around, racing with a mad grin on her face.

Meanwhile Reiji found himself on a journey befitting a string-theory applying time traveling phone booth. The spear whipped to-and-fro, whether this was natural or if it knew it had a tag along on for the ride was impossible to say. Either way it was making grand banking turns and sharp snapping movements, each of which would test Reijis strength and should he have let go had the potential to toss him thousands of meters into the black abyss from which he would certainly never return if he even lived. Then as before a light appeared in the distance but this was not the white entrance to the living world, this was an eerie red glow that they were all familiar with. The direct entrance to hell that usually appeared when roundabout methods had not been used to unlock it.

As before in moments Reiji found himself upon the door and the spear slipped through it, slamming him into the side of the door in the process proving it had been sentient enough to know he was there. The force with which it had hit would have been impossible for even a captain to hold on to and so unless he had already been thrown off before (in which case he was destined for death) he was now scraped off and would come to a rolling stop directly within the doors boundaries while the spear disappeared off into the distance carrying its soul repentance with it. On the other hand Laetitia and her followers were still charging toward the door that they could now see but was quickly closing as the spear had just passed through. Laetitia and Regelius were just going to make it but Ronaba didn’t have a chance, then with uncharacteristic generosity she fell back, gripped the man by the back and tossed him. Then with one massive boost of speed she flew through the remaining two-foot wide crack in the door just before it closed with a boom and chains on both sides lashed over it forming a lock.

Both of them came to a sliding stop alongside Ronaba who found himself flat out on the ground but recovered quickly, thanking his captain. She simply replied, “You wouldn’t have done us much good on the other side of that door.”

The implication apparently went over his head as he thanked her several times, however from the smug look on Regelius face he understood what she meant. Laetitia walked over to where Reiji had ended up and gave him a vicious smile.

“Your pretty crazy, hehe, maybe I like you. Oh and-”

She turned away from him and threw her hand up in the direction opposite the door, for the first time turning their attention to where they were. The entire realm was played upon by unnatural red, orange and yellow flame like lights, some coming from actual flames on the ground and others from a sky that seemed to be actively burning at all times as well as rolling with dark and red clouds. The door they were before appeared to be on a massive cliff overlooking the land as immediately the ground dropped hundreds of feet and further off even further as if there were actual “levels” to hell. Each level had taller structures, all spouting smoke and fire into the air. There were also wide open areas where thousands of scurrying figures could be seen either fighting each other or doing manual labor in sacrifice for their crimes, though what hell could possibly need from them was beyond even Laetitia’s guess. These scenes stretched as far as the eye could see until they disappeared into a mystic red haze at the far end of ones vision.

“Welcome to hell.” She smiled.

A boom sounded out and flame “lightning” shot from the sky striking a point some ways below directly in front of Laetitia in a cinematic scene, she turned around and said, “Oooooh, timely.”

[Reiji]

Reiji had indeed nearly fallen off a couple dozen times and was surprised himself that he still clinged onto the spear. It jerked every which way trying to cast him into the abyss. However he kept his grip fearing that he would never be able to achieve what he desired oh so much. To become powerful. I want to become strong enough to get recognition from the Soutaicho. Reiji was finally knocked from the spear with a force that he did not see coming because his eyes were closed. He had no idea what it was that had knocked him into the endless nothing and he cursed it as he fell.

Reiji fell and made no noise knowing that he could change nothing just by screaming. “Your pretty crazy, hehe, maybe I like you. Oh and-” Reiji opened his eyes and found that he had made it the whole way and was in hell. He was not sure whether he liked the idea anymore than falling into nothingness, but at least he had a chance to survive if he just kept up. A shimmer of hope shined in Reiji as he stood up searching himself for any damage done to himself.

"Welcome to hell." Than the lightning struck and thunder roared as he looked around at hell. Release me and gain my power. Reiji could feel his zanpakutou trying to connect to Reiji and to be freed. An overwhelming aura filled Reiji as every bad deed he ever did flashed into his mind as he grabbed his hair and tried to ignore it. A roaring rang in his ears as he remembered the last thing everyone had said before he cut them down after a battle. "Hell sucks." Reiji finally able to ignore the memories and the voices inside his head.

Reiji flicked the handle of his zanpakutou. "I'm pretty on fond of you as well." Reiji looked off into the plane that many people feared. It was rather scary however he was able to ignore that fact realizing they were on the ledge of a mountain. He walked towards the edge and looked down. "We going down there?" Reiji nudged a pebble over the edge into whatever lay at the bottom of the cliff. The orange, yellow, and red light of the fire began to annoy him and he realized how hot it was here.

"They need to update this place and add some air conditioning like they have in the human realm." Reiji recalled his last trip to Tokyo in a gigai. He had gone inside a building and had found it really comfortable inside. They were able to keep the place chilled by vents that shot freezing air out whenever they pleased at many differant temperatures. "I wonder how many people are here... In hell that is." He shook his head pushing the question from his mind. A better one entered his mind and he had figured out and answer pretty quickly. How far does this realm go? Probably forever.

"If you don't mind me asking, who exactly are we looking for again?" The odds were slim that they would find whoever it was they were looking for here in hell and it was obvious if Reiji was able to figure it out. He had forgotten who they were looking for. To be honest he didn't even know if she had said who they were looking for, but he didn't really care he just wanted to find them kick their ass and ditch this place quick. Reiji tried to connect with his zanpakutou, but it never did come when he searched for it. Ya know... Even though I'm scared how many people get to say they've been to hell and returned? What an adventure.