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Post by Knightmayre on Sept 3, 2010 23:49:09 GMT -4
Torrents of black flame tore through the air, decimating those who were unable to escape. Sin stopped for a moment and surveyed the field. Already his forces, combined with those of the masked warriors, had won the day. The almost pitiful level of resistance that was being offered by the vastly thinning number of enemies made Sin wonder why they were attacking. Obviously these masked warriors were beyond their capability, and yet they fought to the death here, something obviously wasn’t right. Sin almost didn’t notice when a final group of humans and hollows made a seemingly desperate dash towards the woman who was the leader of the masked warriors. Sin remained in the air, watching on from above, he was interested to see what this girl was capable of, and this was likely to be his best chance.
Their charge was a hopeless one, many of them were cut down before they made it near to the girl, but it was as the survivors approached her that Sin understood why she was the leader. Her body may be frail, and her health failing, but inside of her there was a beast unlike anything he had encountered before. Her own voice barely reached to where Sin was, but the malice that swarmed from her body with the awakening of her inner hollow struck out into Sin’s very mind, and Sin forced himself closer so that he could hear what was being said, despite everything inside of him trying to force him to do otherwise. When Sin heard it’s voice, he paused for a moment, Is that beast even a hollow anymore? Not even Whisper carried this air of hatred around him…what is it that girl is hiding inside of her…[/i]
By the time Sin had recovered from the shock of the pure hatred he felt in the presence of whatever that beast inside the girl was, Sin saw her draw her sword. He had seen enough Shinigami to know what that meant, and while he was too far away to hear her release it, it was immediately obvious that she had as he felt his control momentarily slip as his instincts flared in response to the sudden change in her power. A bolt of blackened lightning shot forth and shattered into several blades which tore through her attackers, showering the surrounding area in blood as they were destroyed utterly by this attack. As the black energy returned to her, the girl nonchalantly returned it to her side and motioned for him to land. He did so, and placed his head so that it was a few metres ahead of the girl, so that he could get a closer look at her, and also hear what she was saying properly.
She explained who she was, and agreed to aid him, which was exactly what he had come here searching for. She ended her statement with a threat, which normally would have resulted in a quick and painful execution, but Sin knew better than that. Firstly, he needed Ashley’s help, and secondly, while he believed he could defeat her, whatever it was inside of her was another matter entirely. ”Of course, Ashley of the Vaizard. I am Sin, Emperor of a large section of Hueco Mundo, recently as you may be aware there was an…upset…in the power balance in that realm. The Horror Vacui, as they call themselves, are a greater threat to this world than any before. I have dealt with one of their number in the past, and they are not a foe that can be defeated alone. Thus I ask only that, when the time is right, I can trust you to aid my kind to defeat them. Until that time, you have my word that I will make no moves against you or your kind, and that should your require it, my forces will aid you in your endeavours.”[/i] Sin had announced this on a broadcast, anyone nearby would hear this, it was as important that his forces heard this than Ashley’s, they were not to attack the Vaizard under any circumstances, and now they knew that. However, Sin still had one last thing to say, and to this he spoke only to Ashley, for it was a matter for her alone. ”Ashley, I have one last request to make, that hollow that resides inside of you, what is it? I have lived for nearly ten thousand years, and never before have I felt anything like it.”[/b][/i]
Regardless of if he was given an answer or not, Sin would not push the subject past this, if she wished not to speak on the subject, such was her right. She gave her orders to her fellow Vaizard, pointing off in the distance towards an area he was not aware of, however he would accompany them all the same. ”Return to the Empire and await my call, you have all done well today, and there shall be much rejoicing upon your return.”[/b][/i] The assorted hollows cheered, raising their arms (or the closest thing they had to arms) into the air before tearing open gargantua and retreating to their realm, they had done what they were required to do this day, and now was time for them to rest.
Sin took to the air just as the citadel behind him burst into flames, something was going on in there, but Sin had not the time to worry about that, he would follow the Vaizard as they headed towards their destination, wherever they were headed, this war was far from over, and he would see it through to the end. ---------------------------------------------------- Kuroi smiled as her attack was dodged, but only for a second. She was observing his movements, and thus was not caught completely off guard by his sudden flip to the side. She was, however, irritated that he didn’t just stand there and be killed, and moreover she noticed that he had moved out of the way of Akumu, thus allowing him to escape the trap she had lay out. Oh he is annoying…I’ll be sure to take my time killing him… Kuroi noticed as Seiani charged and fired a flashy little bolt of green energy that, as Kuroi expected, missed, and moreover allowed him to fire a similar attack at Kuroi. Sighing angrily, Kuroi pivoted on her right foot, narrowly avoiding the oncoming blast and allowing her to quickly returning to face the Vaizard. Seiani’s attack returned through the walls it had blasted through and aimed once more for the Vaizard, who dodged easily, only to be attacked by a second unwanted ally. The Vaizard disappeared for a moment, reappearing between herself and Akumu. ”What the hell, who asked you to join you roof breaking idiot. No one did, that’s who, so what the hell do you think you’re doing interfering in my battle you bastard!”[/b]
While Kuroi was going off, Akumu moved quickly towards the Vaizard as he appeared and made an attack with his scythe. He wasn’t aiming to do any real damage, and merely hoped to push him closer to Kuroi. Despite her shoutings at Zero, Kuroi had maintained an eye on her opponent, Akumu was aiming to push him towards her so that she could put him to sleep, that much was obvious to her, and she as happy with that plan. Sleeping enemies were -much- more fun, and Kuroi would rush towards the Vaizard and attack with her sword. While she was attacking with a lot of strength, she was by no means neglecting defence, and would aim to parry oncoming attacks with her shield. His energy attacks meant that he was likely to be a ranged attacker, and Kuroi had never lost a swordfight in her life, even Shinigami struggled to match her skill with a blade, and thus the logic went that as long as she stayed close enough that he didn’t have the chance to use a ranged attack, then she would eventually defeat him. Or, if she was lucky, she would get the hit she was aiming for and activate Akumu’s power, hoping to put them both to sleep, and trap him in a nightmare realm where she could tear his mind apart. ----------------------------- Oketsu was worried, more than anything else. The girl he was fighting with now was powerful, no doubt, but nothing compared to him it seemed. The issue was that an attack could come from anywhere at any time, and thus he was forced to fight defensively, not to mention he likely would have to battle Vaizards close to his own power once he made it past these three, and expending too much power would render him unable to fight against the Vaizards. This is just not going my way, there has to be a chance to get through...but where…[/i]
As Oketsu attacked, Solanum quickly countered, blocking his attack while bringing her own weapon down directly at him. Oketsu saw a thin veil of opportunity and swung Genesis up to meet the blade as it fell, tracing a line of glowing white energy through the air as it did. ”Holy Light Slash!”[/b] Oketsu aimed to lock Genesis’ head into the blades of the scythe descending on him, preventing it from being pulled away, while the blast of energy shot forth towards her currently unprotected body. It wasn’t a perfect place, the other two were still out there and easily capable of attacking him while his blade was trapped and his guard was down, but he wasn’t going anywhere while there was three of them, and any chance to take out one of them was one he had to take, regardless of what would be tactically wise or not.
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Wanzer
Junior Member
What does it mean to be strong?
Posts: 214
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Post by Wanzer on Sept 4, 2010 15:23:03 GMT -4
Shiboo’s mind was so utterly focused on his conversation with his zanpakuto spirit, Meuma, that he failed to sense the approaching Captain and her tag along. The conversation had been a dull one in most cases; they had been arguing mostly about his unrequited affections for Rin, which Makkuro hotly denied repeatedly before it switched back over to demands of him going to visit her to get out of his slump. Again, he quickly informed his spirit to stick it where the sun doesn’t shine. They pair immediately burst into argument again.
Meuma, I’m telling you to shut your trap, what the hell is wrong with you!? I swear there is nothing between us; could you get off my ass about it? I mean sure we’re fellow Captains, but that doesn’t mean we have some sort of connection to one another. Not only that, but I’m sure that she wouldn’t want to speak to me while I’m like this especially since she’s probably lost droves more men than I have. This conversation is over. Leave me be.
I refuse Shiboo, His spirit said almost indefinitely as the resonance of his voice exploded into a cacophony inside of his head. Had Makkuro not been used to such outbursts, he would have had to cover his ears, but since such things were common around Meuma he simply found himself ignoring it and staring out into the light. I refuse to allow you to sit in this slump and sprinkle dust upon your head like some Hebrew in the desert. You bring only shame to yourself like this; now do as I say or we will have a real fight right here and now and I assure you in your current state you will lose.
Just as Shiboo went to form a counter argument, he felt a hand grasp around the lobe of his ear and suddenly he was being pulled along like a toy or a wagon. The pain wasn’t too bad, but it was damn annoying and each tug made him wince with tiny amounts of pain and finally say the word as he looked up; his assailant was none other than the one he and Meuma had been speaking of. Rolling his eyes behind her back, he couldn’t believe his luck. First he had to deal with lectures from his spirit now he was probably going to have to endure another one from whom Meuma called his love interest. God, he was never going to be able to live this down. He eventually found a responsible pace and walked backwards with his body tilted back in a bizarre manner. The way he was walking was anything but comfortable and he constantly had to adjust his back to keep it from getting out of line or causing pain. The conversation between her and the little tike that was following them sounded more like a mother to son on going out later at night or something to that effect. It took him back and his mind sauntered through the past with each step and dove down further until he found himself wrapped in the arms of a strange woman; it was odd…she seemed so familiar and so warm, but he had no idea who this person was.
He was brought back to reality with the sound utterance of his name, immediately he responded by greeting the young man or was it a girl, that Rin introduced him to. The response was over in mere moments and then he found himself receiving an apology from the younger but more experienced Captain. He nodded properly and then bowed as she spoke as his eyes went back to hers before cutting away remembering there last encounter. He began to speak, only to be cut off with her placing her hat upon his head; slowly removing it from his head, he looked up at her confused.
“Rin, are you…” He didn’t get a chance to finish as the Captain vanished without a trace with her young ward. He didn’t know how to proceed from there, but he just knew he had to wait for orders. He held the hat in his hands for a moment, then allowed it to sit firmly on his head before shunpoing himself back to his barracks to prepare his squad for battle should it be necessary.
Kehieleth’s arrival was about to signal Sojukin’s departure. The company he was mixed with at the moment was hardly one he was fit for even on his best of days. Even the brilliance of his eyes seemed to dull in their presence; Narcissus had to be feeling the same way, he thought to himself quickly before biting his lip and turning his head back to Kehieleth who had just made a rather rude remark about his behavior. Merely chuckling, his eyes fluttered across the man’s form and sized him up; only restraining himself due to Death’s presence. A sly smile crept across his alabaster features as he tilted his back and allowed his body to relax before responding to monstrosity in front of him. It was ironic that he considered anything a monster after all he had done; if anyone was the monster in this group it was him, but then again there was something far more sinister in Death than Sojukin could ever hope to match. Moment’s before Kehieleth’s arrival however Sojukin was still butting heads with Narcissus and his tongue was no blunted barb either.
“Ahh, that’s so cute Narcissus, did it take you all this time to figure that out? I’m sure your fourth grade teacher is oh so very proud of you. Come here, let me give you a gold star for your clever and witty use of words! Such originality as well! Oh my I believe that deserves two!” Sojukin said with a roll of his eyes before turning his head to Kehieleth who had just insulted him as well. People really needed to learn to think before they spoke after all, they left themselves so open to insults.
“Really now? I would have expected you not to just read the book by it’s cover; after all with a cover like yours I would be surprised if anyone ever wanted to read you.” Sojukin responded before tilting his head back to Death who had just responded to him; he didn’t bother trying to say anything witty or insulting toward his leader. After all that would only end with him taking a dirt nap, instead he simply nodded and then lifted his shoulders into a shrug.
“I thought as much really Death, now then…If you’ll excuse me there has been something I’ve been meaning to take a look into since a certain presence arrived here. I won’t do anything rash or break your command, Lord Death. There has just been something bothering me.” He told him carefully picking each word with care as he turned to Narcissus and winked.
“And farewell to you as well my dear Narcissus, may the light shine wherever your fair feet do fall.” He said poetically before sonidoing away from the party instantly passing over a great deal of space away from the crowd and appearing in front of a certain Vasto Lorde that had been setting up shop to watch the battle since everyone had arrived. Sojukin looked down at her, unsure what to say for a moment and then chuckled.
"Comfortable Reina?"
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Post by Galihan on Oct 11, 2010 17:01:27 GMT -4
Despite Captain Yun's magnificient strength, brilliant intellect and overall excellence as a leader who Takeshi had the highest respect for, it would be no surprise to guess that the amount of disdain he felt towards the black kitten had to have been at least slightly comparable to Chaos' own bitterness towards the rest of the world so it seemed. He was doing his best to remain composed and not letting his skyrocketing irritation be as apparent as it could of been as the cat continued to be an obnoxious web troll on his head, and let out a sigh of relief the moment the captain dissipated the feline spirit with his hand. Regardless, even if the damned cat was a cynically obnoxious asshole, its not like it was being unjustified. Lieutenant Desmae was absolutely right in everything he was saying, the dire need for every capable fighter was all that was allowing this opportunity to arise for the young shinigami in the first place. Turning to salute both the lieutenant and then back again to both salute and give a small bow to the captain, and finally turning again to accompany Desmae to where he was to wait. It should have seemed clear that an eruption of eager anticipation was flooding through Takeshi.
"Yes Lieutenant! I live to serve as the division sees fit, and won't disappoint, sir!"
He stood to the side to avoid getting in anyone's way, and begun preparations in advance for the battle to come. Reaching to his side, he unbuckled the small pouch opening his notebook and from it ripping a few blank pages which he quickly folded and tore into a dozen short rectangular strips. Within the strips, Takeshi began focusing his reiatsu and channelling the energies of kido which the likes of were vaguely beyond his grasp under usual circumstances in order to unleash more effectively in battle. Being considerably less capable in the use of the demon arts, this was Takeshi's means of minimizing his shortcomings. On the pages themselves, faintly glowing script had began to form spelling out the incantations of the level 30 and 33 spells Beak-Stab Triple Beam and Blue Fire, Crash Down. When the time would come, Takeshi would be capable of activating those spells at point blank range with relative ease without hampering their effectiveness too greatly if but at the expense of being dangerously close to the enemy should they fail to hamper their intended targets with a desirable amount of damage or constraint.
After preparing eight hado and four bakudo, Takeshi placed the sheets into a hidden pocket in his shirt and took out a pen. Quickly flipping to that day's entry, he jotted down a few notes for later reference.
-Avoid sounding conceited when addressing Cpt. Yun, dont provoke cpt's zan. -Don't let Lt. Des. down, cherish every moment not sweeping Crypt from now on. -Improve sweeping technique just in case anyways.
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What felt like a few minutes of chaotic contemplation turned out to only be a few measly seconds as deep underground the voice of the Stealth Operative began to become audible, snapping him out of his trance. Had he not heard him a moment sooner, the feeling of something tapping onto his arm may have triggered an instinctive reaction to attempt breaking the smaller man's neck on the spot. Instead, Daniel's head quickly turned to see who was touching him and after a few seconds to process the words being said and clearing his head of the urge to slaughter anything with a reiatsu reading over that of an average human, he managed to string together a response.
"You can call me Daniel if you insist." He paused for a moment, and looked around to examine the people present.
"The enemy must be destroyed, and while infiltrators threaten to attack the Boss directly, his power can crush any enemy foolish to approach him. You and your comrades on the other hand are vulnerable, and your existence has beneficial to the Boss' interests. If your assistance will serve to improve my arsenal to better serve the Boss, then I accept your invitation. I will accompany you in battle in return for your improvements once this battle is over."
Daniel was thoroughly impressed by the notion that this person was even confident enough to imply he could improve him more than he already was. Then again he probably was only referring to his cannon and power armor considering that there was no way he would have known the extent of technological improvements inside Daniel's body, so he didn't bother bringing up the point.
"And what should I call you then?" Daniel asked as he opened his helmet's visor to show his would-be teammate his face.
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((Will add a bit more later))
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Post by Darkoda on Oct 15, 2010 23:07:23 GMT -4
Reina was lying on her stomach, thoroughly bored by now. Sure, there was supposed to be anticipation of what was to come or whatever other nonsense one wanted to make up, but it didn’t change the fact that nothing was happening at all. She was bored, really, really bored, and if the shinigami didn’t show up son, she was going to either to harass some humans, or just blow up something for her own amusement. And here she had gotten all dressed up to, she needed someone to show off her new outfit to.....well it was more her old, original outfit that continued destruction of her previous clothes convinced her to don again, but those were unnecessary details.
She picked up on Sojukin, finally done hanging out with Death, and apparently not having done enough to get himself killed yet, coming her way, but she still felt little motivation to get up. Her eyes just flicked upwards when the crazy arrancar popped up, and she stared at him for a moment as he was seemingly unable to word himself properly. That might have had something to do with her current pose out of a underwear model’s magazine (she saw it in one anyway, and it looked fun enough) and she failed at hiding a soft chuckle at managing to silence the chatter-box temporarily.
“Comfortable? Not really, but I’m too bored to care right now.” She murmured, stretching out her body, her back curving upwards and thrusting her chest forward. Sleeping on a hard roof was not one of Reina’s better ideas, and now she had a body full of cramping muscle to stretch out.
“You arrancar sure know how to take your time, and so do the shinigami on that note. It’s been so long, and I’ve been left hanging for all this time. I’m desperate enough that you seem like good company right now.” She let out a sigh of happiness as joints cracked and muscles relaxed, almost purring.
“Soooo, do you know of anything we could do to kill some time?”
Okay, so she was screwing with Sojukin a bit, but like she said, she was bored enough that he made it on list of people to mess with. Besides, the guy always had something out of left field to say, she was a bit curious to see his reaction when she actually didn’t treat him like she was a few moments away from trying to snap his neck.
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Post by Zhiel on Nov 20, 2010 1:51:47 GMT -4
OOC: Can't really say more than sorry about the ridiculous delay on this post, will try to not let it happen again (Do I say that every time? Someone prod me next time!) Pretty satisfied with the NWO part, but the Kehieleth part came out bad in my opinion, kinda tired when I wrote it...
While Richard wasn't widely known for his multi-tasking abilities (He didn't like to brag) he was quite capable of maintaining a moderate amount of awareness of the infiltrators progress while he monitored the ongoing battle and delivering intel about enemy positions to squad leaders, calling himself "High Command". While he was doing this his hands flashed across the large half-circular console before him as he practically spun in his seat while pulling up larger security feeds every now and again while switching communication channels every few seconds while also commanding the HQ defenses to slow the attackers and the infiltrator. At the same time as he did this he also turned to a holographic interface of a chessboard that hovered at the very edge of the half-circular console, in a space seemingly free of any other functions. The Main Command consoles frame was much larger than was needed, however Richard was a planner, he had known that before he was finished with the current HQ he'd most likely need the extra space to fill in with additional hardware or functions, and so a small holographic interface had been a little side-project for him.
If one examined the chessboard one would quickly note whatever game was being played on it did not appear to be following any conventional chess rules, but was more likely than not meant to represent the on-going battle or perhaps even the great war against the spirits. Given a quick glance one would note that the NWO side seemed to have only lost pawns which were all displayed alongside the board but not on it, though two of their own pieces were not on the table or anywhere in sight, the Queen and one of the Rooks. Another note of interest was how the enemy appeared to be held back, other than a single piece that held no static shape that was apparently closing in on the King. However, assuming that Richard did not have plans up his sleeve would be complete and utter folly, though given how few actually knew the real Richard it was a mistake that could be expected of them.
A small flash on one of the many screens caught Richard's attention as he turned away from the chessboard, according to the notification he had just received Derrick was on the move, something which made Richard stroke his chin in quiet contemplation. This changed things, if Derrick was fit for duty then their defenses would be bolstered not only with his additional strength and expertise, but also with morale. Nothing says morale boost like having a giant capable of fist fighting with hollows at your side after all. Though he quickly noted how Derrick was following the intruder rather than heading for the HALO Storm's armory, and he was shortly sent a message from the man.
In pursuit, not far behind. Follow broadcast order or continue following?
At the time Richard had finished reading the new message and directed three other squads to new objectives an additional piece was delivered.
Enemy limitation. Projectile? can only fire through a single barrier. Certainty: 50%
Derricks observation intrigued Richard, it had been an aspect he had not taken notice off, though he had felt something was off about the way this intruder cut his way through their headquarters. Had he not been multi-tasking as he was he'd most likely have noticed it earlier, but as it was there was little to be done about it, and while a clarification of this would be very useful Richard believed the risk involved for the currently unsuited Derrick would be too great. Both because Derrick was the closest Richard might ever have to an actual friend and because he was far too valuable to the organization itself. Still if that weapon the Shinigami used was capable of cutting through just about any barrier but only leaving a clean hole to the other side, perhaps it could be re-fitted to as a infiltration or stronghold assault tool... He'd have to think more on that later, for now he had a battle to finish.
Derrick, if you believe you are fit for service then I want you to head to the front-lines, our men need every advantage they can get and every death here in our own headquarters are an insult to the spirit of the NWO. I'll handle the intruder, if your observation is correct, and I'm certain it is, then I have nothing to fear.
Though the message itself had been spoken (so as to not take up valuable time while he worked on two other things) it had been sent as text to Derrick's PDA to minimize the albeit small risk the man missed the response, however before he could see if the message had been received or not Richard was already checking an additional number of new data from the on-going battle. Many of their units had been stranded as the line had been pushed back from the initial assault, and while most of them held out valiantly given they were usually only consistent of one or two Grunt squads, the seemingly endless assaults by their enemy proved too much for most eventually as casualties began to rack up on one of the screens... Richard didn't let it bother him too much though, they were pawns in a bigger game than they themselves could fathom, if they died in the service of the NWO then they had at least served a purpose. Amidst all this, the observant spectator would have noted the appearance of the missing Rook on the chessboard.
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The 'situation' if you could call it that, that Kehieleth had walked in on involved Sojukin, Tres of the redundant Arrancar Espada being engaged in a battle of 'wits' with one of Death's little pet Arrancar; Narciccus. Of course, given the later assessment that Kehieleth had made of Sojukin's personality it was a given that the man would respond with his own brand of wit, or according to Kehieleth, lack thereof. However Kehieleth did little to respond to him, instead ignoring him other than letting his gaze linger on the Arrancar for a few moments longer than necessary as he walked up behind Death. While the seemingly ancient man sent a jab his way though Kehieleth 'knew' him well enough to know it was not intended to jar him like with many others. Of course, he had often done so in the past when Kehieleth himself was half his current age, he'd been foolish back then but adapting and evolving was Kehieleth's creed, so that he was no longer phased by Death's remarks weren't exactly strange.
After saying what he had intended to the unofficial leader of the Horror Vacui Kehieleth cocked his head back slightly, gazing at Sojukin from the corner of his left eye. "Your lack of understanding is apparent, perhaps given enough time you will come to see what you are too ignorant to perceive at this moment, perhaps." It was a statement of fact to Kehieleth, this young fool was unable to even sense reiatsu properly but he had the nerve to imply that HE, Kalverian Kehieleth, was unable to read beneath superficial appearances? The mere thought was insulting. True Kehieleth had left himself 'open' to such a remark by the fool, however in attempting to gain a higher ground the deluded fool had only furthered Kehieleth's true intentions, to read more of him than his previous encounter had given.
Whether the man had had enough of his current company or simply did not feel like responding to Kehieleth's reprisal, Sojukin left the scene shortly after Kehieleth finished speaking whereupon Death turned to him with a serious tone to his voice. Experience, and common sense, had taught Kehieleth that when someone like Death spoke in a serious tone of voice they meant every word, though they did not surprise him for he had already thought this scenario through thoroughly. "There is no need for worry, should he act differently than I've deducted from our past experiences I have a small Ace to play. I believe this would be the perfect time, given what will occur here today." Kehieleth responded to Death, though his voice was calm a vicious smirk crept up on his half-covered lips as he got to the end of the sentence.
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Jukuma
Junior Member
Let's begin the operation...
Posts: 131
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Post by Jukuma on Dec 8, 2010 16:25:36 GMT -4
((OOC: Ater this long, I feel like sorry doesn't cut it. Nonetheless, I really am sorry and, trust me, I've had a very busy life lately.))
Yasuo had always been the kind of person who didn’t like to give much thought to pretty much anything. One conversation with him was enough to make anyone realize that he was no learned man and that all his years of life hadn’t been enough for him to figure out how the world that surrounded him actually worked. To the present, his life had been dictated by what his emotions told him to do, while his head had always had a lower position in the scale of priorities. Had it not been for the love he felt towards his family, all the years spent in the chaotic outer districts of Rukongai defending his parents and his many brothers and sisters would have been impossible to go through. Not even for one second had he thought of his artificial family as a source of food for his uncommon hunger, let alone look at them with the eyes of convenience. The very reason he became a Shinigami was because of his ambition and desire to attain acceptance from all Sereitei. Emotions were indeed a force that could push a man to do things that the cold mind never could, and Yasuo was the proof of it; however, same as they can make a person rise beyond their true capabilities, they are also capable of making people more vulnerable to harm beyond the physical.
Ever since the attack of the Espada, Yasuo hadn’t been able to talk to his own fellows with a straight face. When people thought of the casualties and damage done by the invasion, the first thing that came to their minds was not the name “Yasuo Funanori”, but rather the words “5th Division”. The public didn’t care whether it as one man or an entire Squad who were responsible for the death of their comrades, and now all of Yasuo’s fellows in the Inner Defense Division were victim to the same criticism and cries of anger that he was going through. However, even the officers and regulars of the 5th Division could still focus their rage on the man responsible for their ostracism and feel empathy towards each other. Even though he knew thinking about it would only make the meeting more painful and complicated, those were the things crossing Yasuo’s mind as he pushed his heavy feet towards the headquarters of his Division. Despite his pledge to make up for his mistakes in this war, the truth was that he knew he couldn’t and shouldn’t do it by himself, but he had yet to figure out how he could just look in the face of his own men to tell them they had to follow his orders in the battlefield one more time to God knew what other tragic end.
It didn’t take long at all for the entire Squad, to gather in the main hall of the headquarter; in fact, when Yasuo opened the doors, they were already there, filling the room to such an extent that their black uniforms clouded any other color in the usually light room. Maybe it was the shock of seeing so many people all of a sudden, or facing what he feared the most at that moment minutes before he expected, but either way all Yasuo was able to do was look at them with a surprised expression for what seemed like minutes. Finally realizing he had to answer to that black sea despite his own fear, he finally managed to make out some words to the expecting crowd.
“We are going to battle”, he said without trying to beautify the scenario and allowed a moment for the instant chatter to slowly fade away “The Commander General has stated that the state of war has been declared and a group of you will have to accompany me in order to form a mixed Squad with other Divisions”, the chatter had ended and all of Yasuo’s underlings now listened to what he was saying. Whether they disliked their current leader now or not, his words were of relevance to everyone in the overflowing room. “I understand that the situation may seem... imposing to many of you, so I will not force any of you to follow me to the battlefield, but I’ll need volunteers.”
His fears were confirmed all at once when, once he finished his speech, none of his fellows made even an attempt to step forward or show any sign to want to be part of those volunteers. Yasuo felt like he could understand them to some extent; it probably seemed like a suicide mission to go in an all out war against the Arrancar under his command. Even if they all felt like risking their lives for a variety of reasons, they most likely would want to make the most of their sacrifice instead of suffering a quick death because of the ineptitude of the head of their group.
“I see...”, Yasuo looked down as he spoke those words, and even though he tried to hide it, the ones closest to him at that moment were probably able to sense a tone of heartfelt sadness in him. Now it was clear to him that he was alone, and what little hope he had been able to home disappeared in an instant. He felt weak, as if everything was running away from him and he couldn’t get up to chase after it. “I think I understand how you feel, and I would like to say that I won’t argue your decision. But unfortunately I can’t; I don’t believe it’s right to simply sit by in a situation like this.” It was probably the only option that he had left, that’s probably why he had decided to break all of the silence barriers and clearly talk about their complicated situation. Judging by the reaction of the rest of teh Squad, the air was becoming quite uncomfortable.
“Instead of sitting by, what we should be doing right now is take action! The name of the 5th Division might be cleaned with time, but I at least am not willing to take angry glances for too long. We deserve a chance to win our honor and respect back and all of Sereitei owes us that chance after many years of doing our job properly! In that same way...” Yasuo fell to his knees and lowered his head in front of his underlings. “In the same way that we want a chance for redemption, I ask of you that you let me make up for my mistakes! Please!”.
At first, the only answer to Yasuo’s plea was silence while he maintained his head low. After a few seconds, there was laugh from a small group of the shinigami, which infected the rest little by little and, after a while, the domino effect culminated with the entire room laughing. The poor Vice-Captain’s last streak of trust and hope had dissapeared with that reaction.
“Hahaha, Lieutenant Funanori ya look so serious!” said one of the shinigami with a friendly tone that confused Yasuo. “Hell, ya don’t even sound like a pirate no more! Didn’t think ya could do that!”
“And all that talk about the situation was priceless!”, another one exclaimed, nearing Yasuo and helping him stand up with a smile.
Comments of similar nature flowed through the room, each one surprising Yasuo more than the previous one. “You don’t need to tell us things like that, Lieutenant”, a final Shinigami said, holding in his hand the bbandanna Yasuo had forgot to wear that day and handing it to him. “All you need to do is give the word and we’ll follow you. We just need to make use of the mistake we learned from to save more lives. Count me in for the group!”.
Yasuo was still surprised by the reaction of the division, but he was finally able to smile weakly at the words of his fellows. “Aye...” he said, grabbing the bandana and tightening it around his head while walking towards the exit gate He turned around too look at the group of volunteers, which were more than the ones he needed, let alone expected. “Gentlemen! We march to war!”
His words were responded by a war-cry that momentarily deafened his ear. Turning around to lead the way to the Senkaimon gate for his men, he allowed himself one last tear until the war was over. In the end, for some, emotions are always a resourceful force.
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They all fell at the same time. He had already engaged in battle with over a dozen of Vizards, but they all fell instantly. Some fell simply by one hit of his cero, which he was perfectly aware of, was practically as strong as the one a low-ranking Espada would fire. The only thing that seemed remotely interesting to him was the arrival of those odd Arrancar with crystals on their chest, similar to the one lying on the ground close to him. The idea of showing them to Death and ask whether he should kill them or not crossed his mind for a second, but he was confident he knew the answer he would receive; besides, the sole thought of being close to any of the Horror Vacui sickened him to extents many could not begin to imagine, not to mention that asking any of them for directions was also something he was not willing to do while he was still breathing.
“What a curious being you are...” Garve murmured as he grabbed the Arrancar by the neck and lifted him up in the air. “Mind explaining what that crystal is?”
The Arrancar did not seem to be willing to give an answer to Garve, as he chose to remain silent. Waiting for an answer for a while, Garve also remained silent and immobile, but he finally understood that if he wanted to get answers, he needed another source. He threw the odd Arrancar against a nearby building, causing an enormous cloud of smoke and made the structure collapse.
“If you are an Arrancar, you’ll be fine, I think”, he said, although not loud enough for the heavily injured enemy to hear him. As far as he knew, that opponent he had just disabled was an Arrancar, and the crystal could be an ability of possession from a Vizard, so he thought it would be best to not kill him for now. “Don’t worry though, if you do die and your friends are equally fragile, I’ll send them right after you”, he announced with a tone of malice. He wasn’t willing to kill them, but they wouldn’t be able to get up for a long time, at least until he found out what these things were. Who knew? Depending on what he found out, he would either kill them or let them live.
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Wanzer
Junior Member
What does it mean to be strong?
Posts: 214
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Post by Wanzer on Mar 29, 2011 21:18:06 GMT -4
(OOC: I choose to add in Makkuro's actions to hopefully prompt some responses.)
Sojukin's concentration was split at the moment between the hurricane behind him and the gathering storm in front of him; a disaster forming on all fronts was not a good way to start a morning on any account. A bored Reina could be a particularly dangerous one if not played right from his experience and with the approach of battle, a fight with her was the last thing on his mind. A conversation, perhaps, was the ideal; however, just how far would that last between the two of them before degrading down into a slug fest was an ever present thought in Sojukin's mind or would be if a thousand little bugs would ever shut up. Lacking any logical clarity and soundness of mind, Sojukin crouched down against the solid concrete of the rooftop's edge; a low cacophony of muttering escaping his lips as he did so, every word accompanied by the roving of his eyes over Reina's features. A quick crack of his neck ended it all, the muttering done and the inaudible conversation with himself dispersed without a moments notice. The internal debate had taken only moments this time around to break, but how long would the next one last? Everything always has to be a point of contention for that lot...one must wonder whether the power I gain from them is worth it or is the inability to truly maintain peace of mind too heavy a price? Oh...I am forgetting my companion.
"Something fun...something fun....perhaps and perhaps not...after all what is fun to one is dull to another. If I were to suggest anything for you, it would be frolicking in that nearby stuffed animal shop in the nude. You'd likely find yourself so immersed in the cute, that you wouldn't even take notice of this cataclysmic event shaping around us. Though why should you in the first place, this isn't your fight and nor will it ever be. You came as a spectator...come to watch the carnage and mayhem of arrancar and Shinigami. You've come for that one reason and the promise of a few slow, painful deaths. Right now my concern is spending what may be my final moments in 'good' company and seeing how there seems to be none around...I suppose you'll do."
Sojukin cutting himself off at the end of that sentence swivels his head around towards a brief burst of reiatsu, far, far from the area. The shape is fuzzy and he can barely pluck it out, but recent work on sensing had allowed him to pick out something. An unnatural feeling of excitement and dread crept into him in that moment as he lowered himself down; the feeling of the cold cement mixing with the heat of his body. As he sat there and thought of the curious moment, he turned his head back to Reina. Another sentence already formed on his lips and escaped without a seconds hesistation.
"If you want to kill time, there are several bodily acts we could perform, but I suppose I am too far beneath you to even be considered for such things. It also wouldn't be wise or apprioriate considering the cirrcumstances we find ourselves in. So I will kill a few moments with a simple question to you Reina....How far would you go to see your ambitions fulfilled, your dreams realized and every desire you've ever had to be met on your whim? Would you become like Death? Giving up the ability to socialize with anyone without becoming completely overbearing without painful restraint of your energies? Would you become like me and go insane from trying to gather the resources necessary...or would you sacrifice anyone and everyone that allied with you. How would you proceed Reina...or would you at all? Is this the chase for it so grand that the prize seems lack luster in the end to you? I have, but this glaming sense of sanity right now to ask it...a moment of pseudo-existence that I can bear from time to time...a moment where the other voices are asleep and there is no competition. So I give you this moment of clarity...I give it not to Death for he is an engima that this coil could not recognize."
Sojukin puts an end to his question just as the dam walls break in his mental escape. The sudden flood of voices, names and noises crowded his brain and sanity back into its hold. There was comprehension in his eyes and the ability to speak on some rational level, but a cognizant thought of that level would not come again. Bloodlust, hatred, envy, greed and wrath were consumming him once more, he parted his lips into a slow, creeping and overly-confident smile.
"Who knows perhaps you'll find the answer leads you to a conclusion much grander than yourself, my dear beauty."
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An...ease of emotion filtered down through Makkuro's existence, moments before he had sent Edi to gather all of the members of Squad Three together. Makkuro was sitting in the barracks, his head hung down slightly so that his eyes were covered. Silence had infiltrated the whole of the barrakcs and like some bizarre ritual of gestaltism, that silence seemed to grow every time a new member of the squad entered. At this point every member of Squad Three had been gathered into the barracks, aside from those whom were on active duty at the moment. A nearby roster marked these individuals as 4th Seat Cornelius Red, Eighth Seat Hakiru Aoshji and Third Seat Yoyuichi Tsubaki along with several other unranked members. Makkuro took in a deep breath and stared out across the vast array of faces before him. His squad...his men and women...those he was supposed to care for. Edi's bottle of sake was still sat on the table were he had set it down. Edi, whom was standing near him with the rest of the seated members, was motioned forward and he handed the bottle back to her respectfully.
"Sorry Edi, now isn't the time and I don't drink anyway...thank you though. Return to line...it's time I made the announcement."
"Oh...yes sir." She replied sheepishly scampering back to line, then clenched the bottle close to her chest. The bottle pressed in tight against her small chest, fitting tightly between her small perky breasts. Makkuro barely noticed, only the years of training had taught him to note everything, no matter how perverted it might seem. The justification felt hollow, but now wasn't the time to bother thinking about it. He had an obligation to his soldiers right now and no matter what they needed to know what was about to happen. Standing up, his hand placed themselves firmly on the small desk made of ebony, the action calmed him further; however, nothing could prepare him for what he was about to do. This was to be the first major accouncement to his squad since the deaths of their comrades, they stared now. Some were horrified, others were shaking and the rest were reverent of the moment. No one dared say a word till the Captain spoke and no one dared to move from their seat. Makkuro started, no shaking in his voice, the airs of command came and that was all that was needed. Members jolted to attention, any slouching ended immediately. The seven seated members immediately put their hands behind their back, with the exception of Edi, and stood to receive every word.
"Squad Three...I know I haven't been a good Captain so far. Under my command several seated members were wiped out and there has been breaches in the defense. As a Captain these actions are unforgivable and the blame lies on me. Yet, this is not why I called you all here. My personal catharis was to relax you all, though I doubt it did much. No...the real reason I called you all here was to inform you of the Captain's meeting today. The Arrancar have invaded the real word, there has been confirmation of a single Horror Vacui in the area. Squad Three...We are preparing for war...Everyone is to be ready to shift...The seated members are all to prepare for insertion, everyone else is to go about your normal duties and to cover the Seated members. I don't know what is going to happen...there is limited information and the Captain Commander has decided to insert himself as well. The gravity of this situation should be clear to all of you now. Sixth Seat Edi....you are the fastest member of Squad Three baring myself and the Vice Captain...I need the Vice Captain at the moment, so please retrieve our missing seated members and fill them in on the return trip. Vice Captain Kokkisu, stay here...we need to talk for a moment. Everyone else is demissed, prepare for battle. Until there is word of the battle starting, I want the barracks in absolute silence. I don't want to hear anything but the sounds of straps being tightened, swords sharpened and the establishment of Kidou if any are needed."
The squad dispersed without another word, the eerie silence seemed to contemplate a death sentence, it had been the same when those men had died before. Makkuro stood still with Vice Captain Kokkisu, he turned to him. The man was at least two feet taller than him and ripped with muslce. He was in every essence of the words, a mountain of a man. Kokkisu's dark face turned back to Makkuro's and he bowed respectively, his head stopping just at his Captain's chest. His harelip and gonzo nose got him made fun of from time to time, but he was still a good man and a skilled warrior. Makkuro wouldn't be able to bear losing him as well.
"Vice Captain...do you think we even have a chance with this? You were there during the previous war."
"Captain with all due respect, now is not the time to be looking down on yourself. You are one of the strongest members of the Court Guard Squads, on par with the upper eschalons of the Seireiti. There can be no doubts, only confidence and the drive to bring us victory."
"Is it really all that simple Kokkisu? Is everything really that simple?" The vice Captain gave a small knowing smile, he was actually a good hundred years older than Makkuro and had seen this a lot in his time. Chuckling, he unfolded a piece of paper and folded it into a orgami tiger.
"Keep this on you Captain, its fierceness will sumpliment your own." At that the Vice Captain departed from the room and left Makkuro alone whom contemplated the tiger in front of him.
"Let the fires that burn inside of you rage in me now." He mumbled to himself as he tucked the piece of paper into his haori, then turned back to the table where Rin's hat laid. "Seems, I can't stop gathering momento's today...Oh well...perhaps they are what I needed after all." Placing the hat upon his head, Makkuro turned and exited the room, making rounds as he held a single red candle which left a smoky trail through out his barracks. His squad had seen this before, it blessed those heading into battle and willed them to return home. As he walked, squad members fell in line behind him, several holding their own candles. Soon, the chant began, but Makkuro didn't stop it, it was humble and relaxing. Ol' Theos, the eldest member of the squad at almost two thousand was chanting. Ol' Theos was a man from the highlands in his previous life. A man whose voice became well known through out the Seireiti. He fell into a chant, a hymn of battle so splendid, that others did bear it up. Soon the barracks hymn was carried over the Seireiti, to other barracks where they might here. The preparations were finished with Squad three, the three candles had been lit on the table of meeting hall. One for safe travels, one for good battle and one, a promise of return.
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