With the Captains suffering casualties and heavy injuries on their side, all hope seemed to be lost... until Shinji Hirako appeared, along with the rest of the former Shinigami. Though the aid of the Vizards certainly helped to draw the battle in their favor, it seemed Aizen's power alone proved too much for them.
"I was," Kimiko answered with a smile and a nod. "That's why I came to see you. I'm glad you're alright...but if you're asking if I'm worried for the other shinigami then no. They know what they're doing."
Adan looked away as she asked who the Exequias were.
"They're Las Noches' execution force. They hunt rogue arrancars, intruders, anyone who's broken some law of Las Noches. Like me. Jugo-san, he...he came with them, but he was gonna joke around and goof off with me," Adan explained quietly. He looked at her. "I've got a friend over there too--her name's Kaki, an' she's really little."
He paused, thinking that the reason he wasn't there already was not that he wanted to be alone with Kimiko but that he was too scared to go and help Kaki. ==== "C'mon kid, gimmie a break, yer makin' this a lot harder than it has to be," the bald man hissed as he blocked the arrancar's halberd. Kaki figured he was talking to the human, and not to her, but she looked down nervously.
"Then tell him to leave this man alone."
He looked up to the arrancar and said, "So what's with this lil spat, princess? Lemme guess, boyfriend troubles?
Kaki started to get to her feet, still holding tightly to her zanpakuto. Sanmaru seemed to have the same idea, as he was rising with a fire she'd never thought his eyes could sustain. He raised his sword, and then someone shouted.
"Oi! Whaddoya think yer doin?" Masaru shouted, looking rather stern. Sanmaru paused, but did not lower his sword. This gave Yue time to raise Samyeru's body. "Ya can't fight her, she's a little kid!"
"This 'child' is a century old hollow."
Kaki cringed, and started to step back.
"And this one interfered with her and a rogue's extermination." Sanmaru gestured to Samyeru as he spoke, and glared at Masaru. "She's no more a child than you or I."
The blue-eyed man stormed forward, and, extending an arm, reached for Sanmaru's collar. The man stepped back but couldn't remove himself from Masaru's abnormally long range, and glared.
"Release me."
"Stop tryin' ta go after a guy who can't fight and terrorizin' a couple of kids!"
"I haven't done anything. Release me."
While Masaru and Sanmaru argued, Kaki took the oppertunity to slip herself under Samyeru and help to carry him. He was much bigger, but with Yue already holding him, she only had to support a portion of the weight. She felt weak after her time with Szayel, and it was strange to suddenly be carrying a much larger man.
"Get back here! You're not walking away from me!" Sanmaru snapped. Kaki's head turned, and a tremor shot through her. Despite the larger shinigami's protests, he came a few steps closer to her. Kaki didn't want to take a hand off of Samyeru for a second, but one hand instinctively trailed to her face. Her mask felt more natural than her sword now.
Besides, her hands weren't wrapped. If she used her attack, she'd get hurt pretty badly.
"Hado number four: Byakurai," an all-too familiar voice called, shooting lightning by Sanmaru's head. The cause was a small, kimono-clad girl. "I am very sorry. But I must insist that you leave Nee-san alone. She's been lost for quite some time."
A smile crossed Kaki's face. "Hotaru-chan!"
"Matte matte matte! What's with all the kids?!" Masaru shouted in exasperation. "Let's get you out of here!"
Post by Mikhail Rost on May 9, 2012 2:52:29 GMT -5
Ikkaku was clashing with Jeanne, their weapons throwing off sparks when Yue glared up at him.
"Then tell him to leave this man alone," Yue said.
Ikkaku got this exageratedly frustrated look on his face as he tried to fend off Jeanne's halberd and be ordered about by some girl. "Listen kid I'm doing the best I..." Ikkaku didn't get to finish his sentence as Jeanne headbutted him in the face and snapped his head back. Stars flashed in his vision as he brought his head back up like some unrelenting machine. Jeanne had jumped back to readjust her weapon as Ikkaku wiped a bit of blood from his nose.
"That was dirty lady, I didn't expect that, but now I know how ya like ta play."
"As if a lower creature such as yourself would understand the simplicity of my plans." Jeanne's answer was full of hate and it only made Ikkaku grin.
"I don't need ta understand, all I need ta do is kick yer ass!"
Jeanne shot forward with a barrage of stabs that Ikkaku honestly had a little trouble keeping up with. He moved his naganata back and forth to parry the blows, but one or two managed to slip through, still Ikkaku managed to keep a gritted teeth grin. She spun the halberd over her head and tried to bring it down to cut Ikkaku but he retaliated with a swing of his own.
"Split, Hōzukimaru!"
The bottom part of Ikkaku's Naginata was used to block the attack but with the sound of a chain letting out, the other two sections snapped around the halberd to try and get past Jeanne's defenses.
~----------~
Adan looked away as he answered Kimiko.
"They're Las Noches' execution force. They hunt rogue arrancars, intruders, anyone who's broken some law of Las Noches. Like me. Jugo-san, he...he came with them, but he was gonna joke around and goof off with me. I've got a friend over there too--her name's Kaki, and she's really little."
Adan had turned back around to face Kimiko, she had a thoughtful look on her face, thinking of how the Exequias closely resembled her own Second division work. She stepped closer to Adan and looked over towards where the fighting continued.
"Are you worried for her? We could go to help. If the Exequias are as you say then maybe the assistance would be welcome."
Mikhail Rost - Human - ML:S Sobek Kurokawa -Arrancar - HL:W Kimiko Kaneko - Shinigami - ML:A Ikkaku Madarame - Shinigami - HL:S Don Kan'onji - Human - LL:A
Yue was thankful that the small vizard girl was willing to help the wolf arrancar out. It seemed that she was able to get her rescuers name. With Kaki's help, Yue was able to keep Samyeru from slipping to the ground. "Thank you." She managed to say to the small girl as the two Shinigami managed to get in an argument.
She wondered why the girl would go for her face when the glasses wearing Shinigami took a step toward her. Yue tried to manage her ability to produce a shield, but she was far to injured to focus any type of usable shield. It was then that a spunky bright colored girl came out using some type of spell.
The spit fire had managed to declare who she was and Yue got a name out of the her little helper as well. If it weren't for these three helpers, Sanmaru would surely have killed Samyeru.
Meanwhile, Jeanne continued to fight Ikkaku. His vulgar language should his education, but at least he was able to defend himself properly. If it weren't for that disgraceful smile that was plastered on his face, Jeanne might have been impressed. His smile seemed to distract her as the weapons sudden split caught her in the face.
She felt it and quickly back off to examine the damage. She touch her cheek, feeling a familiar wetness that she had not felt in some time. With a bit of shock on her face as she looked at the crimson color on her pale fingers, Jeanne flared with anger. "My face. You dare to defile me with that crude weapon?!" Rhetorical question, but she was angry as the eyes on her halberd began to glow.
They glowed with an eerie color and she grabbed her halberd with both hands. She prepared her swing like a batter up to bat. She took her aim, her hate tried to pierce the smiling man's soul. "Las lágrimas de la doncella de hierro." Then she took her wing as she called out the name of her attack.
Yue kept moving toward the tree line, the furthest away from this battle the better. She didn't see where the purple haired Arrancar was placed when Masaru had left her. Certainly he didn't just drop the poor girl and come to their rescue.
"Wouldn't it look weird if ya showed up trailin' an arrancar like me?" Adan asked, looking to her. He didn't want to admit that he was relieved just to have Sobek run away, even though he knew the man was weaker. He didn't want to admit that he was afraid of the Exequias. Every arrancar was...right? "I mean, you know I ain't so bad, and she knows...but do you trust everyone enough for it?"
He started to walk, regardless of her answer and in spite of his fear. He was also reluctant to leave Jugo's body--but what could be done? He was dead, and he wasn't coming back. It was a rare somber moment from Adan--maybe he had fared well against Sobek, but in the end he still lost. ------ The human girl was appreciative, and Kaki started to blink. She was going to cry--right in front of Hotaru and that creepy guy with glasses and greasy hair. But as the woman above her grew furious, swinging her glowing halbred and gathering energy, Kaki thought better of it and moved a little faster.
"C'mon, you too!" Masaru yelled to Hotaru, who stared dully at him.
"Gomen, Onii-san," she said quietly. In a flash, she stood next to Kaki, and she matched her sister's hurried pace. "I really only came to collect Kaki-chan."
"That's her!" Sanmaru hissed, readying his sword at Hotaru. "That was the--"
Masaru smacked a fist on Sanmaru's head. "Dumbass, ya don't go chasin' kids with swords. It ain't right."
Kaki noticed the girl Masaru held, and how she slumped and sagged. Wasn't that girl...wasn't she with Samyeru? She couldn't remember, but she was certain that Samyeru had a younger sister. Maybe it was Hotaru who brought it up, or maybe she had actually met her. But Kaki couldn't feel her at all. Maybe Hotaru could heal her. And Samyeru--Kaki didn't know what to do.
"Nee-san?"
Kaki looked to Hotaru with a soft smile, certain that Hotaru would embrace her for the first time in days--weeks--months. Instead, Hotaru slapped her. "Ow!"
"Never scare me like that again," Hotaru whispered, looking up to Jeanne. Her eyes narrowed decisively as she thought about how the woman reminded her almost of herself. As she walked, she murmured, "I was worried that you would do something rash. You did. I did."
Masaru started after, carrying the girl and dragging a dizzied Sanmaru.
Post by Mikhail Rost on May 12, 2012 0:57:36 GMT -5
Ikkaku's surprise attack had managed to catch Jeanne off guard and the shock at being wounded showed on her pretty little face.
"My face. You dare to defile me with that crude weapon?!"
When Jeanne jumped back to examine the wound Ikkaku snapped back the three section staff into his hand and continued to grin. The seperation of his zanpakuto surprised most opponents, being able to change its shape at will allowed him great flexibility in battle, turning a rigid staff into a quick striking flailing weapon. Some red showed where Jeanne's strikes had gotten through earlier but Ikkaku paid it no mind.
"Don't tell me yer ready to call it quits, I'm only just warming up."
Jeanne looked angry she grasped her halberd with both hands and swung it shouting her attack. Ikkaku raised his zanapakuto to block the attack as two dark red blasts fired quickly at, and unbelievably, through him. He had expected some kind of blast to knock him off his feet and briefly figured Jeanne wasn't as strong as she appeared. He took a few steps forward with that grin to swing his zanpakuto at her but was suddenly overcome with intense pain. The grin vanished as his his eyes widened and teeth gritted, knuckles whitening around his zanpakuto as he suddenly dropped to one knee.
"WHA, WHAT,...IS,...THIS!? YOU!...."
Ikkaku was wracked with pain from past wounds and glared up towards Jeanne half squinting.
~Have to stay up! Have to keep fighting!~[/i] Ikkaku thought trying to focus.
~-----------~
"Wouldn't it look weird if ya showed up trailin' an arrancar like me?" Adan asked Kimiko. "I mean, you know I ain't so bad, and she knows...but do you trust everyone enough for it?" Adan started walking and Kimiko moved to join him.
Kimiko kinda rolled her eyes skyward thinking, "Well,... Let me worry about them. It might take some convinicing but just like with the Vizards there's good and bad to everyone."
She would probably have some explaining to do later but in the meantime, they might be needed to help fight.
Mikhail Rost - Human - ML:S Sobek Kurokawa -Arrancar - HL:W Kimiko Kaneko - Shinigami - ML:A Ikkaku Madarame - Shinigami - HL:S Don Kan'onji - Human - LL:A
Jeanne's attack worked just like she had hoped. The idiot took it head on as if it were a blast, but in reality it was far from that. She managed to grin at his agony, it was sweet justice for what he did to her face. "I hope you enjoy feeling the pain of your past fights all at once, it certainly wiped that distasteful grin off your face." She was gloating, but as much as she wanted to gloat further, matters called her to gather a certain person.
Her attention grew else where as Jeanne searched for her target. She spotted the group trying to reach the tree line, that would not do. With gaze of focus, she did a quick Sonido to appear before the lower beings who dared to stand in her way.
As Yue watch the sister's interact, she had turned at the yelling of the bald man fighting. He was on his knee in deep pain, but she had missed Jeanne disappearing. "Where'd she go?"? She managed to say as she heard a static noise.
She turned back round to see that Jeanne was ahead of them. Her eyes went wide with fright. She couldn't do anything to stop this creature. Yue was in danger, Samyeru was in danger. She was useless before such beings and she knew it.
But Jeanne had other plans. She could easily capture Samyeru, but he would be deviant throughout his 'training'. What she needed was a way to bring him to her and that was in the hands of the moronic man dragging an ally. She ran past Yue, who watched Jeanne pass her by, and took the butt of her Halberd to strike Masaru in his chin.
With another Shinigami out of the way, Jeanne grabbed Lilith, and placed her on her shoulder. "I should thank you for dispensing with your comrade, but I won't." She said to Masaru before she opened a Garganta in front of her.
She entered but not before she turned to face the beings before her. "Tell him that I'll be waiting for him." She gave them a sweet smile as the black rip closed.
Yue was speechless at what had happened. All she wanted to do was get a run in before her show and she ended up in a series of fights which she could have died. She was lucky, but this man, Samyeru was certainly not.
"Where'd she go?" Yue said as the bald man took a knee. Hotaru could ask the same question, but she already felt it. Her eyes went wide, her head snapped in front of Yue. Jeanne stood, and she ran forward.
The blunt end of her weapon struck Masaru squarely in the chin, and he fell backwards, dropping Lilith. The exequias commander easily caught the purple-haired child, and slung her over her shoulder. Masaru groaned--his jaw hurt, and just an inch down and that could have punched a hole in his throat.
"I should thank you for dispensing with your comrade. But I won't."
Masaru's eyes snapped open, and he stood up quickly. Dizzied. A hand reflexively flew to his sword, and as Jeanne opened a Garganta, he stepped forward. Sanmaru stood, staring at the arrancar woman, and narrowed his eyes.
"Tell him that I'll be waiting for him."
"I won't let ya!" Masaru snapped, moving to charge into the garganta. His nose almost stuck in before someone grabbed his scarf. It was Kaki, and she was digging her heels firmly into the ground to keep him from getting through. "Whastha big idea?"
"You can't go in there! You'd die!"
Masaru stood, staring at the empty air. He tried to think that the kids were safe, at least, but that wasn't true--the one was wherever that black hole lead to.
"You shouldn't have bothered with that girl--she was a hollow as well," Sanmaru said coldly, rubbing his head irately. "At least it will be easy--"
"Gomen, San-san," Kaki said quietly, dropping the blue-eyed shinigami's scarf. She looked to Yue and asked, "Could you put him down? Onee-chan can help a little."
"Don't--"
"Shaddup," Masaru snapped. He put a hand in front of Sanmaru, who's gray eyes met his blue ones. "Ya said we were after the lady and she's gone now. I ain't gonna sit here an' watch ya attack a couple of kids."
Hotaru said nothing, though it was only out of politeness. She didn't consider herself a child, nor did she consider Kaki a child. But for now, she agreed with Kaki. It would be rude not to repay Samyeru's help and kindness towards herself and her sister.
"I've a fair understanding of healing kido," Hotaru added quietly to Yue, seeming to ignore the other's bickering.
Sanmaru stared, but yielded. He had been distracted by a past mission - too distracted to complete his current one. As far as he was concerned, they had failed, and it was more his fault than the children's. His sword sealed, and reluctantly he sheathed it. Still, his gaze was hard, and rested on the girls' shoulders.
The other shinigami took this as a cue to relax, and he looked to Ikkaku. He'd never heard Ikkaku scream like that...partially because he didn't usually go to fights with the man. Still he asked, as he rubbed his jaw, "Oi, Ikkaku? Y'alright?" ----- Adan's eyes snapped shut when he felt Jeanne leave. There were a lot of presences, and only one of them was really familiar to him. But for the most part they seemed to have settled down. He didn't have to face his fears - they had already left.
"It stopped," he murmured, still walking towards the scene with an uncharacteristic frown. "What happened?"
Character List "Let's eat, Grandma!" "Let's eat Grandma!" Commas save lives.
Post by Mikhail Rost on May 14, 2012 2:15:50 GMT -5
Ikkaku grimaced as Jeanne gloated over him but surprisingly she didn't take the opportunity to attack and instead vanished from in front of him with sonido.
"Dammnit!" Ikkaku groaned as he his fist planted into the ground in front of him. "This,.. isn't,... over..." He wheezed defiantly, then slumped over. It was all he could do to remain concious, he was furious at himself for underestimating the arrancar and failing to defend the others. Eventually the pain started to lessen but it was too late to do anything.
Somewhere nearby he heard Masaru's voice, "Oi, Ikkaku? Y'alright?"
Ikkaku groaned again as he started to rise, "Do I look alright? Ikkaku's head hung from the defeat and he tried rotating his arm to get the pain to go away faster. "I feel like I've been stepped on by a horde of menos. Like every bone I ever broke, broke again all at once."
He looked around and cursed under his breath, "She got away didn't she?"
~----------~
Kimiko and Adan were on their way to the site when Jeanne vanished. She stopped only briefly as Adan spoke.
"It stopped, what happened?"
"I don't know, but it can't be good. C'mon" Now she was worried, and started to move faster towards where the others had decended, hoping everyone was alright.
Mikhail Rost - Human - ML:S Sobek Kurokawa -Arrancar - HL:W Kimiko Kaneko - Shinigami - ML:A Ikkaku Madarame - Shinigami - HL:S Don Kan'onji - Human - LL:A
Yue was still in shock at what transpired before her. The one known as Jeanne could have easily taken Samyeru from them but she went for the other one. The purple haired girl who fought with her against Mook. It was when the green haired talked to her that Yue was brought back to reality. "Huh?' was all she got out. She really didn't hear what Kaki had said.
She looked dumbfounded but luckily she really didn't like that Sanmaru guy. Masaru was more reasonable thinking one and Hotaru did help them out.
Yue gently placed Samyeru on his back, she spotted that the blood had slowed from his eyes, and his leg was slightly twitching. His body was already healing itself, but he was still a long way from actually being healed.
It seemed everything was quiet now, Yue had no idea what to do. She could cry, but for what? Because she was scared, because she almost died? It wasn't like her to just tear up and show the world her weakness. She was close to it though, something could easily push her to the breaking point.
Just as Ikkaku finished speaking, two very large men appeared where Jeanne had stood. Each looked just like the other, obviously twins. They were tall, yeti looking like men with unnatural hairy bodies. They wore overall like uniforms that showed the hair on their upper bodies. "Seems Mook is dead, Jorgun." The one wearing red sunglasses said to his brother.
Jorgun nodded his head as his brother noted the obvious. "Seems that why Octagon." The Green sunglasses one said to the other as each produced a large pipe like weapon.
Jorgun looked at Ikkaku as he prepared his blunt object. "We should clean up the mess before we leave?" He asked his brother while tapping the pipe in his other hand.
Octagon did the same in the opposite hands, looking at Ikkaku through his sunglasses. "Mhm suppose we should," Nodded at his brother's suggestion. The two were simple, but all the same dangerous.
They both jumped in the air and aimed their pipe like weapons on the closest target, Ikkaku. Certainly thinking the man was certainly defeated.
Adan decided he couldn't go slowly for this. He looked to Kimiko, said, "If ya can't keep up just meet me there," and vanished in a flash of sonido. It was a mile or so away, perhaps, and probably would take a little while to get to. Adan wished he was better at sonido, but he was really only average at it.
This could take a little while. ------ With Samyeru laid on the ground, Hotaru could see the full extent of the damage. His eyes were bleeding, and his leg twitched. He looked pretty beaten up. She shut her eyes and let kido flow between her palms and his body, cursing silently. It was bad - she hadn't quite expected this. She wasn't sure how much she could do.
Kaki stood beside Hotaru, staring at Samyeru. She remembered Samuii slashing her across the chest and Hotaru standing over her, kido flowing. Sanmaru had needed to retreat then, but now he stood glaring at them.
She heard the bald man say, "Do I look alright? I feel like I've been stepped on by a horde of menos. Like every bone I ever broke broke again all at once."
There was a silence before the same rough voice continued.
"She got away, didn't she?"
"Yeah," Masaru said, clenching a fist. "She got away."
Two large men appeared where the white-haired arrancar had been previously, and Masaru brought a hand to his sword, as did Sanmaru. Kaki stared ahead, uncertain.
"Seems Mook is dead, Jorgun."
"Seems that way, Octagon."
"We should clean up the mess before we leave?"
"Mhm, suppose we should."
Masaru saw them coming at Ikkaku, but he couldn't move quite fast enough to get there. He held out his sword, yelling, "Fukuramu, Sazanami!"
Before the blue-eyed sinigami's weapon could even form, however, Sanmaru had appeared in between Ikkaku and the two arrancar, sword drawn, and stabbed at the one with red glasses.
Kaki shook - there were still more, just as she thought they were home free. Why couldn't things ever end when they ended? She'd gotten out of Las Noches - now she was terrified that someone might try to take her back. The Exequias woman had just fled - now they were being attacked by more. She was scared. What if they came to Hotaru and her? Would she be able to handle it, or...
"Nee-san, stop," Hotaru hissed. "You're making a fool of yourself. Get out your shikai and stop shaking."
The green-haired vizard cringed, but took out her weapon. "Akeru," she whispered, "Hisui Hanasenshi."
Character List "Let's eat, Grandma!" "Let's eat Grandma!" Commas save lives.