For Love...and Explosions

[GoldenKitten]

The soft glow of screens cast the whitewash room in an unnatural electric blue haze, though in this place it was anything but out of place. The air crackled with electric energy and the multi-faceted hums of a thousand forms of machinery pulsed through the walls. This was the tracking and control room of 12th Division, like many of the groups duties this room was devoted to locating varied spiritual signatures and determining both strength and the best way to insert shinigami to quickly locate that signature in the real world. It was worth noting that this was not the most secretive room in the Division, far more dangerous things were known by the leadership and plenty of members made their way in and out at intervals and yet its distance within the Divisions walls meant few that didn’t work here ever found their way within. However today there were even fewer than that, the room was empty except for a single individual, a single individual who was currently dancing on top of a row of consoles.

“I am sixteen going on seventeen!”

Hana pranced over a gap between two consoles with an elegant twirl and as he landed continued singing with his eyes closed. Minoru got on to him the last time he danced on the computers, but then Mini-sama wasn’t around right now was he? The regular workers in the tracking and control room had, had a meeting and requested several days ago that Hana watch over the consoles while the rest of them go off to do whatever it was they did. Hana had long ago grown used to managing relations with people within the Division whether through direct or indirect means and as such this was just one of his agreements today on a looooong list of agreements. Of course Hana was known for taking these agreements with a pinch of salt and usually just doing whatever he felt like doing, but anyone familiar with the 12th Division 3rd seat knew that he was far more aware of his surroundings and what he in particular was doing than he let on. For the most part he knew more about what was going on with everything than people knew what was going on with him, and that was why despite all his oddities he was in the position he was.

“- innocent as a rose!”

As if in sync with the words Hana elegantly kneeled a long way over from where he stood on high to an angle that seemed almost impossible while he make-believe watered a plant that stood in the corner. That had been Hana’s touch, he was pretty sure Mini-sama disapproved and several of his more imposing fauna specimens had turned up magically dead but the office plants that just stood in corners seemed to be fairing a tad better in this hostile environment. Mini-sama and most of 12th probably thought such things were out of place, probably would have made ridiculous arguments about how they contaminated workspace, Hana was a firm believer that careful science was useless science. Plus, plants were pretty.

“Totally unprepared am I!”

Mini-sama’s computers were getting a beating as Hana performed a jump into the air and retracted his legs up like a cheerleader, which had anyone been there would have given them a rather unladylike view of Hana’s panties and lower belly, and then brought them down with a stomp on the machines. As if a testament to there ruggedness the monitors had not flickered and the electric hum was running strong…so far. He launched into a twirl and had his hands held over his head like a ballerina when suddenly after his second spin he noticed somebody was standing at the door watching him, it took him a moment to realize it was Iko, the vice-captain for 7th division and perhaps one of if not his best friend. High-ranking members from other divisions such as herself were allowed back here if they had the reason and the time to bother with it but that was the last thing on Hana’s mind as he pointed in abject horror for a moment before tripping over his own feet and falling out of site behind the nearest console.

“CURSE YOU SILENT AUTOMATIC DOORS!!!” he yelled after rubbing his sore butt for a moment.

Recently Hana had a problem; it was a problem he had experienced two dozen times over in his ever-longer life, probably more. He had always liked Iko, he had liked her the moment he met her when she started making her way up in the ranks and he had liked Keigo too. Hana had long been the face of 12th Division when it came to making nice with the other divisions, few people truly knew just how old he was thanks to his appearance and actions, thus it had hardly been a surprise that he had made friends with her especially since he had known Keigo even longer due to the mans position. Admitted he became far closer with Iko than the previous vice-captain of 7th Division but even he had thought it innocent at the time. And then Keigo had died, and Hana had been there to support Iko, and ever so slowly he realized even to his own surprise and embarrassment that he didn’t like Iko, he loved her. Time had passed now and he still played the great best friend role because that’s what he was and he was good at it. He was terrified of ruining that and more over of ever divulging his secret, he had done so several times but somehow it was harder with Iko because unlike previous individuals she trusted Hana like a best friend and he hated the idea of breaking that trust. Yet ten years of staying silent was a long time and it was also a painful feeling.

Hana pushed off the ground, stood up and began playing with his hair nervously with his left hand. He was usually better at hiding his true feelings than this but the way Iko had caught him was almost morbidly embarrassing and he could hardly make eye contact with her. Regardless he managed to speak out and force his eyes to pass hers a few times though he made no attempt to cross the distance and embrace her as he normally might. Luckily it might just be interpreted as being flustered about being caught, he certainly hoped so.

“Oh…Iko-tan, w-what are you doing here?”

[Galihan]

Meanwhile, let us take a step back for a moment to a completely different setting not too long ago. The morning sun was a bit chilly but this was of the least concern to the few who were out in the forest at this time. In a wooded region outside of Seireitei, in the western end of Rukongai, there was a small group of shinigami from Squad Seven who were taking the day to practice their already above-standard kido abilities being overwatched by their vice-captain, Iko Chiyo. For the most part she didn't mind if she was just called by her first name because Iko was well respected and loved by mostly everyone she knew, love being used in a purely platonic sense among peers for the most part, ironic that one of the only people that loved her more than that was one of her own best friends whom she was oblivious harbored such emotions towards her. In truth the thought of loving someone else never crossed her mind as her heart belonged to the only man she ever has loved.

In any case, Iko was going to oversee the day's excursion and make sure that nothing bad happened by accident out here. They reached a well cleared out meadow in the woods, nestled upon a hill overlooking a small valley. This location was ideal for their kido practice and was used regularly by the 7th Division on similar expeditions, one could see the charred rubble and craters and small trenches all blasted away by the use of hado spells the damage to the trees on the far side would probably make any tree-hugging hippie cry.

"Okay everyone," the pale skinned vice-captain called out once everyone was accounted for.

"I'm going to head back to pick up the next group. I don't want anyone getting hurt while I'm gone so don't try anything reckless, okay?"

She had confidence in this bunch of people, some were slightly not up to par with their kido abilities, but it was easy to tell that they were trying their hardest and that their potential for demon magic was much greater than any other of the disciplines of shinigami combat. Those people knew who they were, and it was Iko who was able to comfort them and let them know that she'd be there to help them improve themselves. It wasn't like she has that long a distance to go before she'd meet up with the other group she was expecting today, but deep down something just didn't feel right. She usually didn't feel this uneasy leaving people unsupervised because there were a few decently talented kido experts who could handle the situation if something went wrong but today Iko had a deep-down bad feeling that wouldn't subside. It wasn't until not long after that things were starting to feel really wrong. There was a large spike of malicious reiatsu from where she left the trainees to themselves, and she knew that she had to go back, just as she reached the other group.

"Oh crap!" She shouted out shamelessly, and beckoned most of her subordinates to stay put, but for a select handful of the more competent of the bunch to come with her.

"Imagawa, Hiyose, Yanori, follow me! The rest of you, return to Seireitei until we get back!"

It wasn't hard for nearly everyone in the group to understand the situation, the evil energy that could be felt was truly menacing to say the least. They ran as fast as they could, none of them being able to use shunpo save for Iko and even then her talent at it was minimal so she was better off just running. She may not have been the strongest physically, but as a vice-captain she was able to maintain a high running speed without loosing her breath for a while. Upon reaching the clearing, they were too late. 4 people were dead and another 3 were in critical condition. It was a tragedy indeed, and Iko couldn't help but let her frustration build up into full-blown anger.

"God Damnit! Tend to their injuries! What the hell happened here!" She cried, venting out her aggression in the form of discharging a blast of hado into a neighboring tree. Even if it was only one of the most basic of spells, hado # 1, Thrust, the force she unleashed was more than enough to completely demolish a large hole out of the oak pillar into sawdust and tilt the tree to the side despite the large roots holding it in place. Whatever did this, it had to still be nearby, so Iko dropped down to the ground charging a tiny flare of spirit energy in her finger to draw an ornate circle on the ground in order to perform Bakudo 58, Summoning of the Tracking Sparrows. She quickly recited the incantation, causing the cirlce to animate and begin searching the region for the malevolent reiatsu.

"Heart of the south, eye of the north, finger of the west, foot of the east, arrive with the wind and depart with the rain!"

The symbols within the circle kept blinking and changing, unable to get a definite lock on whatever was the source of the reiatsu from earlier that had attacked. Surely, whatever it was was trying to lure more people to it as a trap, but Iko was too cautious to send any less than capable personnel to deal with it. She knew it was her responsibility to defeat whatever this was seeing as its victims were supposed to be under her care. Even when it did manage to locate the source, it was too far out for her to pinpoint a location. What she needed was someone who could scan a much wider distance with greater accuracy, and luckily she knew just who to go to.

If she went to Captain Arashi, they'd have to redo the tracking kido and it'd take too long, plus she knew he was busy training with the vice-captain from Squad Two at the moment so she wouldn't even be able to reach him if she wanted to. Iko had to find her friend from Squad 12, Hana Senzaikeiro. She ordered her officers to bring the injured back to Squad Four for emergency aid and to leave the dead for later, she had to leave to find Hana immediately.

Upon reaching Squad Twelve's headquarters, finding Hana wasn't that difficult a task. Most of the people there who recognized Iko automatically associated her with their own 3rd-seat so she was pointed in the right direction the moment she entered the front door of the large complex. The was hurrying as fast as her slender legs could carry her light body, nearly unable to breathe by the time she reached the room she was looking for. The sight was an odd one at most, a dancing Hana atop one of Captain Daichi's massive computer consoles, who seemed to not to notice her until leaping gracefully from one computer to another, and suddenly tripping in falling hard on her behind. Amusing, yes, but she had more important things to be concerned with at the moment, totally ignoring the fact that she seemed utterly embarrassed from the fiasco.

Hardly able to speak from exhaustion, Iko stumbled into the room as she sat down by one of the large consoles.

"...Hollow," Iko began, catching her breath as she went on. "Mean one, have to track it down... they're dead..."

She wasn't able to finish her sentence, but surely Hana got the gist of if. It was hardly a secret that some of the computers in this building possessed massive tracking devices able to pinpoint any reiatsu signature given the right parameters and a sample to work with. Luckily, Iko knew where to begin searching, as well as what the signature looked like. If they were to enter that data into one of these computers, surely she'd get a map leading straight to wherever this adversary was lying in wait. Hana was a smart girl despite how she acted at times, surely she could help out her best friend in a time of emergency. In the time it would take for Hana to operate the computer according to Iko's provided coordinates, Iko would be able to rest herself up and be able to move out in pursuit of her target. Little would she know just how danger she was getting herself into.

[GoldenKitten]

Was it wrong that Hana was semi-relieved that the deaths of several shinigami had seen his actions go semi-unnoticed? Probably, but at the moment that was the least of his concerns. Hana was perhaps a bit of a ditz at times but he knew how to get to work and almost as quickly as Iko could explain the situation he was already seated at a nearby monitor plucking away with unexpected speed and accuracy. Once a set of inputs came up that were obviously for location purposes but which nobody outside of 12th Division would have known the specific order for insertion he turned to her. Iko showed what her tracking had come up with and with a tad of guesswork Hana began entering in some normal digits, letters and kanji mixed with more arcane runes. He landed a final deft keystroke and then his inputs ended altogether leaving the machine clacking for a moment before the image on one of the large central monitors began warping.

It clicked out and showed an image of the planet Earth that quickly swung around to Japan, then in a series of ever quickening clicks it zoomed in on counties and towns. Eventually it pulled away from the more densely populated zones, though in truth in the modern world there was little that wasn’t populated when looking from the air as they were right now, regardless it was as rural as it got. The map lit up with red dots, signatures that came close to the one Iko had located and there was a very quick and obvious trend…there were almost none of them. None but their target were appearing on the localized rural map, only on the overall map of Japan and the World and even then there were few of them. However the computer had chosen to focus on this one and as Hana tapped a few keys and brought up specific data he ‘ah-hah’d as if he understood why. A moment later he spun around in his chair and looked at Iko.

“There’s your problem there.” For the first time he smiled at his mild joke but he immediately flashed back to explanation face and voice, “This is it, there’s no doubt about it. Its reading like a vizard, but I can tell you even now that it isn’t, or if it is it’s lost control to its inner hollow to an extreme degree which we’ve never seen. I’m liable to think this is a possibility but not the only one it has very chaotic readings. But all that aside this is your target, it is reading a very clear match to your scanning and there just aren’t many things running around that could replicate this reiatsu pattern.”

Hana spun around typed on the keyboard and the map extended into a nice 3D line representation of the land, taking height into account, Hana pointed at the glowing red dot.

“It’s resting…or feeding…or doing whatever hollow, vizard…things do when they’re being still for a moment. You’ve got a wide rural plain for a field of operations, maybe some aquatic growth plants in there but more likely traditional wheat and vegetable growth from the looks of it. A single building within its general vicinity, likely a farm or barn the signatures directly outside so cruel as this is to say I think we can safely assume there’s nothing living to get in your way.”

He tapped a few keys, “Ya, their dead or there was nobody there in the first place if we are lucky. Got some lower life form readings, probably livestock, the fact that their still alive suggest the creature has some intelligence and sees no benefit in consuming them, this seems to contradict the theory of a vizard who has long control but you picked a unique one to bring me today”

“Beyond that you have an elevated zone about two miles out to the South, its no mountain but it does offer an overlook of the area. Doubt it will come into play if you make direct contact with it and the rest of the land follows the previous trend, about three miles to the North I see some guaranteed aquatic growth, rice…or whatever it is they grow in those things nowadays, hell last I heard they were growing shrimp in farms, can you imagine? Either way in case of emergency there’s some water out that way; I know the kido corp gets creative when it comes to water. East and West are virtual dead zones, just constant domestic crop about as far as I can possibly imagine a battle going…if it turned out to be fast enough to run that distance without you getting it then knowing the details of this location is the least of your worries.”

He sighed and tapped his nails along the rim of the keyboard before reaching into his shirt through the neck, nearly exposing himself, though of course he had nothing to expose, but instead showing a black strap around his chest. He grabbed one of three or four radar devices held there alongside plenty of other 12th division devices before pulling it out, clicking its port into the nearest computer port and then turning around and holding it out to Iko until she took it. On it there was a very detailed topographical map of the location in question, unlike the more plain radar it was not constantly updated but it gave a near satellite perfect image of the ground.

“Strong…maybe your level, a little weaker…maybe a little stronger. Hard to say when it’s sitting still and not flaring its energy at a high rate, but as long as you go with a team and a plan it won’t be a problem.” He seemed to pause there, “Waaaaait…you’re not planning on going alone are you?” He gave her no time to answer as seeming recognition crossed his face as if he just now realized how serious she had been all along and he stood up and crossed the distance to her with a mixed look of anger and worry on his face, “Oh no, you better not, I’ll beat you unconscious with a spoon right here if that’s what your going for!”

[Galihan]

One would have to be a heartless idiot to not be truly grateful for having such a smart friend you could depend on like this. It almost made Iko blush in embarrassment for a moment when Hana's scans showed that the target had left Soul Society altogether and was camping out on Earth for the time being, almost. Had she simply followed the signature to where she had tracked it herself, she'd be left with where it had slipped away and the trail would be dead. That feeling of foolishness was gone even faster than it came and didn't take any longer to be replaced with a cold, serious determination that wouldn't go away until she confronted this abominable creature, whatever it was. It's horrendous acts would not go unforgiven.

Iko looked around examining the mini-recreation of the battlefield, and had a sigh of relief that it wasn't going to be in an area where people would be at risk. Farmland only posed a risk to livestock and maybe the occasional farmer, but if one did get caught at the scene it wouldn't be too hard to avoid a person. Of course this hollow-vizard... thing would probably attack the poor person just for kicks but Iko would make sure it was preoccupied so that could never happen under her watch. She was certain that she could avenger her fallen subordinates if she was able to give it her all. Taking the computer device being handed her, Iko was about to to make her exit until Hana questioned her going alone.

"Listen, Hana," Iko replied with whatever affection she could muster behind her obvious stern attitude of the moment.

"I have to do this myself, but it's not like you aren't going to be there for me. I need you to stay here and help me out on this end, okay?"

As cold as it may have appeared to imply "You'll get in my way," it was far from the truth. Iko knew that Hana was actually a quite accomplished combatant but her technological expertise would be much more beneficial here in this command room. They couldn't just leave this station unattended after all, and Iko needed someone on this side she could trust her life with, the only person fitting that bill was Hana.

"I know that on my own I wouldn't be able to win if I just went now and fought it, I need you to stay here let me bypass having my powers sealed once I am on the other side."

If she was just going to attack this hollow-being, she could not have her power being sealed the moment she passed through the Senkaimon gate leading to Earth. In this room Hana would be able to make sure her power wasn't reduced to 20% of it's full potential like was regular for when a vice-captain or higher was to come over. It was another benefit to only being a 3rd-seat instead of a vice-captain that Hana could enjoy asides from not having to attend those awfully boring meetings every time anything happened.

"If you really need to help me, you have to stay put for a bit. Once I'm cleared and can fight at full power, then you can join me if you want. You don't have to worry about power limiters like I do,"

Iko began to turn away but paused so she could face her best friend one last time before heading out. She wrapped her arms around the petite girl and held her tightly, reassuring her friend that she'd be alright.

"You're the best friend a girl like me can ask for, you're smart, pretty, strong and dependable. You've always been there when I needed a person for all these years since that horrible night, but now I need to prove to myself and to everyone that I deserve to hold onto the name Chiyo. He would have done the same thing, please Hana, I'll be okay. You and Kiego are both protecting my in my heart, so have faith in me, please?"

Iko didn't want Hana to worry about her, she'd be okay. Once Hana was okay with it, Iko would have to go about opening a Senkaimon for her to Earth, preferably a small, private one instead of the main gate that required lots of clearance and verification to as much as stand near let alone pass through alone to fight an unknown enemy. Surely there was one she could use around here. It was fairly well known that Captain Daichi did possess a gateway he used for himself on occasion, but after the Mod-soul incident ten years ago and him being denied access to Earth for 5 since then, that particular gate was probably destroyed. It wouldn't be a surprise to anyone if Minoru still had a functional gate for private use hidden somewhere around here, and if so it wouldn't take much for it to be recalibrated to take Iko to her destination.