Of Souls and Shinigami

[Yoshimitsu]

OOC- This is a Bleach-based RP, but with some alterations. If you try to reply with a very low-standard post, I'll delete the post and inform you. If you reply with a dire post, I'll delete the post and ban you on sight. Anyone who fucks this up gets murdered on the spot.

Also, if I just don't like you, I'll delete your post without any kind of indication why. There's your warning.

Finally, this topic will have spoilers. And probably lots of them.

BIC-

"Yes?"

"You wanted updates."

"And?"

"We have some abnormal readings."

"Hollow activity?"

"Not really. The signs suggest Hollows..."

"But?"

"We haven't ever detected them. The souls just... disappear. Gone, without a trace."

"Nothing at all?"

"Nothing. We can't predict when or where the souls will vanish either, so there's no way of confirming anything."

"And you want me to keep an eye out for them."

"You're the one that asked for updates, we didn't ask you to help out."

"Whatever."

~~~~~

"Hello?"

"Hey."

"Oh, hey. How are you?" There was a definite chill to the voice.

"Alright. You?" Another chill. Whoeber these two were, they weren't friends apparently.

"Fine. You called for something?"

"I just got word from Soul Society."

"Hollows?"

"Not sure. There are souls that just appear to vanish completely, without a trace."

"Oh."

"There are signs that Hollows are doing it, but no evidence of Hollows themselves."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"They can't detect the Hollows. They pick up on souls vanishing, but nothing else."

"Oh."

"Just keep an eye out, okay?"

"Alright."

"Oh, and-"

"Yes?"

"Good luck."

~~~~~

Sunlight. It was a pleasent day. It was not too warm, but definitely not cold either. Just the right temperature for a walk in the park, or maybe a picnic. There was a light breeze, cooling skin that was too warm, playing around people's clothes or hair, causing leaves to weave and dance around through the air. People were going about their daily business, some shopping, some working, some just walking, happy for a change as the weather was finally starting to look up.

Kai Butou was sat outside a coffee shop, a latte on the table in front of him. Lying on the floor at his feet was a strange object, quite long, covered in black cloth that completely concealed its nature. Absent-mindly, he stirred his coffee, sipping it as the world flew by. It was nice to just sit there for a change, sit in the sunlight and warm weather, letting the wind play across his face, and just think, and not have to worry about anything.

He was not a normal eighteen-year old. Personality-wise, he was charming, kind-hearted, funny, caring and mostly likeable. Sure, he had the odd mood swing that made him somewhat less pleasent to be around, but otherwise he was just a nice guy. As far as looks went, he was quite attractive. Short, dark-brown, spiked hair with blonde highlights and a bit of a fringe. Warm, brown eyes. He always dressed casually, though. Today, he was wearing a white t-shirt that said "Rock is dead, long live paper and scissors!" and loose-fit plain jeans that fell to his slightly worn trainers.

No, the thing that made him different was his power. Or powers, it should be.

Initially, he could see spirits. Dead people's souls, still lingering on the earth for whatever reason. Nowadays, he could tell the difference between a normal person and a soul. Some of the souls still made him curious - he had seen some recently that had chains attached to their chests, and was still unsure as to why. On the other end of the scale, he could also see Hollows. Vicious monsters that wore white, almost human-like masks, and devoured souls. Violent, blood-thirsty creatures that he had started noticing more and more. Luckily, he could finally hold his own against one, at least until one of the black-kimono-wearing individuals showed up.

His survival against Hollows, he attributed to his unique power. On his first encounter with a Hollow, Kai had been mistaken for a spirit by the Hollow, and been targetted. In his desperation, Kai found a power within himself, which he attempted to use. Just by waving his hands, he could summon up what appeared to be energy, vivid blue energy that he could either fire out or condense for whatever he needed to use it for. At the same time, the bundle lying at his feet appeared, though it was not just a collection of black cloth. It was a sword. A katana, to be exact. When Kai had first used his energy-power, the sword had materialised at his side. He had never had to use it, managing to keep any attacking Hollows at bay just by using his power, so it had remained sheathed mostly. He found it easier to carry it around on his back, covered in cloth to avoid awkward questions.

Kai smiled to himself as he sipped his coffee, watching the world fly by.

~~~~~

"Yes?"

"We've had some other unusual reports."

"Hollows?"

"No. Someone with high levels of spirit energy."

"So?"

"He can manifest it. He can fight Hollows with it. And he has a Zanpakuto."

"I thought only Soul Reapers could have Zanpakuto?"

"You have one."

"Not the point."

"Ordinarily, yes, only Shinigami have Zanpakuto. We're not sure about the nature of this one. He doesn't seem to understand what's going on with his powers or the Hollows."

"I'll keep an eye out for him and make sure he doesn't get himself killed, alright?"

"Thank you."

OOC- Just a point here, if you dare try to use any of my nameless characters, so help me I will find a way to make you pay.

 

[Artiste]

The wind gently caressed seventeen year-old Oku Matte's mid-length, dark orange hair, as he lay underneath a tree in the park. It was an enjoyable day, one where Oku could just lay about and do nothing for the duration of it. He had a sketch pad, and was using the day to try and finish his latest whimsical drawing, when a shadow passed over him, and he looked up, only to see a man, Oku thought, with a strangely jagged form (like someone had taken a chainsaw to him and sewed him back together), with seemingly open wound in his chest (a gaping hole seemed to catch Oku's eye every time his eyes glanced toward the person's chest), in a white, creepy mask walking away. He shuddered without knowing why, and tried to push the matter out of his mind. Another shadow passed over his head, and he looked up quickly, only to see the man in a white mask standing over him.
"Oku Matte Yaiba?" its voice was as cold and deep as Winter, and it induced shudders that made you feel like you were standing in your underwear in the cold season.
"Yes, why?" Oku replied, in the most polite manner he could muster to someone so freakish. Instead of answering, the weirdo in the mask grabbed Oku in a vice grip that he couldn't break out of, and dragged him across the park, toward a derelict building. He dragged the boy up several flights of stairs, finally coming to a barred door. He threw the boy into the room, locked the door, and walked away. Oku heard voices in the next room over of the same chilling quality of the freak before, and shuddered violently. His room was empty, but for an old mattress in a corner, a small toilet in another corner, and a sink next to the toilet. He sat down on the mattress, and despaired at how uncomfortable it was.
"-- yes, the boy has an unusually high amount of spirit energy; rivaling that of a Shinigami," said the voice of the oddball that had dragged Oku up into that accursed room.
"Odd. Humans don't normally have any notable amount of spirit energy. This will be a tasty meal.."
'Meal'? Did that freak show just say 'meal'? I don't like the looks of this, Oku thought, and desperately looked for a way out of his cell. There was a window that was low enough to kick, with some rather rusty looking bars. He waited until the chilling voices were out of earshot, and kicked at it with all his strength. Bingo. The bars fell out of the window, with relatively little noise, and fell several stories to clatter on the pavement below. He stepped out onto what appeared to be a ledge, that was dangerously small. One false step, and Oku would plummet to his death. He stepped out, only to hear the one noise he'd been dreading to hear: the squeaky noise of the door opening. He attempted to get on a place on the ledge where the oddball wouldn't see him, only to realize that this ledge was really old. It cracked, sending Oku plummeting to his death. He fainted long before he hit the ground.

The darkness was overwhelming. Was this dark abyss the end? Was Oku dead? He didn't think so, because this definitely wasn't Heaven, nor Hell; Oku didn't feel happy, nor sad. A power welled up inside of him... building. Uncontrollable, raging power.
What is this power? Oku thought. I feel it.. the power, building.. this sense that everything is going to be all right, it's the strongest feeling in my heart right now. I.. where am I?

Oku snapped back into reality, to realize that he was falling. Memories came rushing back; the cell, the freaks in masks, the fall from the crumbling ledge.. and the pure, uncontrollable fear, pure terror that enveloped him as he fell. All of a sudden, that power peaked just as Oku hit the ground, and he landed on his feet with no injury whatsoever. Like a cat. He looked at whatever parts of him he could see; there were no visible injuries, abrasions, or anything on his clothes or his body. His navy blue shirt with the Japanese word for 'hope,' kitai, printed on diagonally, was untouched, as were his jeans.. the holes and rips had been there since he bought the faded jeans and fell off his bike while riding home from a friend's.
He brushed off some dust that accumulated from the cell off of his jeans and shirt, and started running, getting as far away from those freaks as humanly possible. He passed a coffee shop, and realized as he did that the odd people in masks were following him. He continued running, until he tripped. In a flash, the people in masks were upon him, leaning over with their faces a few feet from his own. He slashed out with his hands, hitting both and marveling at how powerful he felt, and saw that large gashes appeared on their faces. He looked at his hands, which had an aura in the shape of a tiger's paw around them, and the faint blue glow around the pods where the claws would pop out and cut things to pieces. His feet also had an aura about them; this.. energy.. gave him tiger powers. And reflexes. He stood as the masked people were reeling from the gashes in their immaculate white masks, and grinned evilly. Very evilly. He slashed and slashed until all of his anger dissipated. Then, he sat at a bench at the coffee shop he'd run past earlier, wondering what the heck had just happened.