Bleach Hereafter RPG

Dusk. She loved dusk. The beautiful colors streaked across the sky teased the senses just so, with streaks of pink and orange replacing the day's blue backdrop before being swallowed by night. The first few stars were even beginning to poke their way through that curtain, peering down on their lives like so many silent voyeurs.

If only tonight were so peaceful, though. It had certainly started peaceful. She'd been on her way back to the hotel with a bag of treats from the grocery store. Her hair bounced with lively energy with every step, and she smiled wide around the ice cream bar held by her lips. That was, until she'd come upon a large dog standing in the road.

At first, she'd written it off as dressed up by some kid as a prank, but it kept staring at her. Her unease had grown the closer she got, until she'd stopped and tilted her head in mild confusion. Something hadn't felt right, but she didn't think to act on that feeling until it'd growled at her. That growl- that unnaturally venomous sound, chilled her to the bone and had put her on edge.

Then it'd stopped, its ear twitched, and the dog looked away from her. A second later, Vaera turned her head in the direction of a faint howling, as well. Fast enough that she could have mistaken the dog to have been her imagination all along, the animal ran off in the direction of the howling without another sound.

"Huhn..." Vaera breathed her confusion around the frozen bar, still held in her lips. For a few seconds, she contemplated just forgetting about it and going back to the hotel. She could get comfortable, throw on a fun movie, and enjoy her ice cream.

A few seconds later, she was careening through the air just a few scant feet off the ground. Her grocery bag still hung from her right hand, and the ice cream now in her left with a bite taken out of it. Though she was hardly a master at the technique, she was proficient enough with Hirenkyaku to keep a stable platform underneath her feet and catch up to the animal as it ran. Of course, she trailed at a distance, lest it decide to turn around and make a meal of her.

What it was running towards, however, turned out to be a woman standing beside the road -not to mention a car. Vaera thought to herself that perhaps she had broken down, but the woman's posture and behavior looked like this was her intention.

"Hey!" She called out without thinking it through, waving her left hand high in the air to get the woman's attention. From underneath the sleeve of her top, her quincy cross glinted in the dying light.

The night was creeping in slowly usurping the day. As the last light of dan retreated over the horizon a gate opened connecting the soul society to the world of the living. Out of this gate stepped the newly appointed 3rd seat of the 6th division Sachio Miura, and his half brother Senma Miura.


The relatively young shinigami emerged into an unfamiliar world guided by their hell butterflies. There was a large costal metropolitan area the likes of which he’d never seen before. The world of the living. Location: Niigata Japan…


Sachio hadn’t been to such a large city before. There were lights everywhere, and even more humans. It was at this moment that Sachio felt the weight of what he had to do. To protect the living and guide the dead… He was a soul reaper after all. However, today he'd not come to simply patrol in his half brothers assigned area. There had been a report of hound of hell sighted in this area. A threat somewhat different than your average hollow. 

They had been attacking the living. Since they were not of this world and upsetting the balance, The Shinigami were allowed to intervene despite the usual avoidance of all matters related to hell. Sachio was nervous, but with Senma around he figured he didn't have much to worry about. Let's split up Sachio-sama. 

I don't know the area well. Are you sure that's a good idea? Sachio asked a bit surprised at being let off the leash so soon. His hands resting on the hilts of his twin blades. I don't think the average hell hound will be able to do any damage before you can signal me with your spiritual pressure. Senma reassured him.

Fine then I'll take the west. With a nod Senma disappeared flash stepping into the distance, and Sachio followed suit.

---

It had been about half an hour when he heard a howl. There they are! Sachio rushed to the source of the howling hoping to get there before any innocent humans were harmed. He leapt across building tops before coming to the scene of two young women one with shopping bags floating in the air, and the other standing next to her car. 

Unfortunately there were also unwanted guest amongst them. Sachio flung himself from the roof top reaching for his sword with one hand and starting to cast Hado number 4 Byakurai with the other. 

Come on, make it! He said as lightning launched from his finger tips towards the dog rapidly closing on the taller of the two. He barely had time to register the spiritual pressure of the two unusual humans before rushing to their aide.  

Of course it wouldn’t be easy. Why couldn’t anything just be simple for a change? Hell hounds arrive, she wipes out the pack leader with minimal effort, and she gets on with her day. The whole encounter should have taken less than five minutes. By the time the first beast of Jigoku had converged on her location, it had been joined by another human; a Quincy, judging by the cross reiatsu signature. And if that wasn’t enough, another spiritual signature was approaching, a Shinigami.

Keeping a low profile, remaining unknown safe for a few select Shinigami and Quincy, had kept Niji mostly unknown to the major players in the spiritual world. Stretching this encounter out a few extra minutes while hiding the force she could bring to bear would probably be prudent. The pack leader was still on the way, so she’d have to keep up the facade of weakness for a time.

A mask of ice formed across her face as she turned to face the Quincy, obscuring her face and features. She began to raise her hand in greeting, then suddenly ‘noticed’ the hell hounds a second before the offensive kidō from the Shinigami slammed the beast to the side. Niji gracefully sidestepped the beast’s staggered charge, calling out to the Shinigami and forcing a panic into her voice she did not feel, ”Oh, thank you for the rescue, brave Shinigami!”

She glanced back to the Quincy, looking to see if the woman had a particular reaction to the sudden arrival of her people's historic enemy. Most encounters between the two factions were probably not nearly as peaceful as she would hope.

While she had been hoping to warn the mystery woman of the approaching animal, the arrival of a third who had immediately sprung into action served just as well. She felt the air be disturbed, and a moment later, a bolt of lightning streaked across the road to strike the dog in its side. Vaera thought amusingly to herself how similar the spell was to her Mama's arrows.

However, her amusement ended when the woman had turned towards the third, revealing a mask upon her face and the slightest feel of Hollow power about her. Despite herself, Vaera immediately tensed up. Every warning she'd been told by her parents ran through her mind, followed by her own experience with the twisted souls. Of course, that didn't stop her wondering just how... normal the woman appeared -and sounded- otherwise.

"Watch out!" She screamed to the masked woman now with her back turned to the beast pulling itself back to its feet. Despite its injury, it appeared stubbornly fixated on the stranger, and broke into a run again. Vaera acted quickly, holding her not forgotten treat between her teeth as she extended her left hand, and her quincy cross burst to life with a subtle glow. In only a moment, a blue, almost translucent crossbow appeared in the hand, and she pulled its trigger.

Blitz Pfeil!

The bolt she cast after the beast was not unlike the spell thrown by the Shinigami, and it struck the beast in its eye rather than the side. It shrieked, loudly enough to make her wince from across the road, and fell to the ground where it writhed in pain.

"B'hoor 'hing..." Vaera muttered through her mouthful and underneath her breath, and slowly descended until her feet touched on solid ground again. Her arm faltered, but she steeled herself and willed another bolt to appear atop the bow. She barely seemed to aim before firing a second bolt, again into the creature's injured eye.

She fell just as quiet as the beast as it stopped writhing in the dirt.

The young Shinigami smirked. Nice one me! He thought as he descended to the ground below. He was happy that he'd been recognized as a "brave Shinigami" but he was taken a back by being seen. Oh so you can see me, and you can see the hell hounds too then ? He looked between the two. However you're both humans, and even though I am thankful for the assist miss, you shouldn't be here. Your single lives are precious no need to move on before your time is up. He smirked.

It was his job to keep them safe and he wasn't sure he could if there were lots of hell hounds still closing in. Just as he started to speak again another hell hound came rushing from behind the building charging at the masked woman next to him. Sachio was on high alert and meet its fangs with his blades holding it back from snapping at the human. Haaaaaaaa! His spiritual power focused around his blades as he pushed the beast back. I can handle them if they keep coming one at a time...

But this wouldn't be the case. A howl could be heard from his left and his right along with the pounded of paws against concrete. It seemed like they were surrounded.

The first hound that had charged at her, the one that had been shoved off course by the Shinigami, suddenly stiffened and simply fell over, its fur glistening in the early twilight. The beast the Quincy had double tapped stopped writhing, but before it could start regenerating, Niji gave it the same treatment, freezing it solid, specks of frost appearing on its fur. These two were clearly new to Hell Hounds; until the leader was dealt with, dealing with the individual beasts of the pack was a temporary solution at best. On that note, she scanned the pack, it was larger than most, but she didn’t see the fiery mane that indicated the leader of this group.

Niji smirked back at the shinigami as he blocked the hell hound that was charging at her. This close, she had an accurate bead on the Shinigami’s power. Even suppressed to a mere fraction of her actual reiatsu, her strength slightly greater than her two ‘rescuers’ combined. She seemed entirely unperturbed by the attack, and spoke with gentle reproach, ”There is a line between bravery and stupidity, Shinigami-san. This pack is larger than you can deal with yourself; let us assist you.”

With that, Niji thrust her hand towards the beast the man had just pushed back, a javelin of ice forming from her palm. The spike of ice drove itself into the open maw of the beast as it began to recover from the clash with the Shinigami. The beast of Jigoku stiffened as the rest of its body froze from the inside, and it fell over as a few more of the creatures began to close in.

For the brief few moments that things had quietened down, Vaera glanced at the Shinigami with mild confusion. Mama had always told her to be careful around Shinigami, that they were just as bloodthirsty as any Hollow, but she didn't sense any of that from this man. He seemed a little stuck up, sure, but in a smug way -not malicious. She didn't feel threatened by him at all...

She'd have to finish that thought later, as more hounds had begun to appear. Whatever his intentions, the Shinigami leapt to defend the other woman from the jaws of one of the beasts without a moment's hesitation, and that was good enough for her to feel like she could trust him right now. Vaera gripped her reishi weapon a little tighter, and almost forgot the frozen treat still trapped between her teeth as she clenched her jaw. Her attention swung to the pair of strangers again, and she winced at the sight of the woman driving a spear of ice into the animal's mouth.

Several of the hounds had chosen that moment to attack her, and hearing their approaching snarls, Vaera vanished from where she had stood with a soft squeak of panic. In a flash, she had fled on the back of Hirenkyaku, and appeared several tens of feet away with her hand crossbow raised before the bitten off piece of her ice cream had fallen where she'd just been.

Pfeil Binden!

Two bolts loosed from her weapon side by side, connected to one another by a thin stream of reishi as they each missed the hound she'd been targeting by its sides. However, the string caught its legs, and the bolts each turned and swung by their momentum until they'd reversed direction and stuck into the ground next to its feet. Vaera couldn't help but to smile as it struggled against the binds, until she realized the other was now bearing down on her again.

With a second squeak escaping her throat, she conjured another bolt and armed her weapon, then loosed the missile at the hound. However, this time, it merely scraped the beast's shoulder, and had hardly slowed it down any!

The masked woman clearly had some for of ice ability, and it was deadly. Skewering and freezing the hound he had held off, was an impressive feet. Perhaps he wasn't needed here at all? Sachio scoffed at her point about bravery and stupidity, but in the end she was right. With Senma taking his sweet time arriving, it'd be best if they worked together for now.

Alright then lets route the enemy quickly... He started to say as he turned to see the other girl struggling and squeaking. Hey bolts of reshi were effective at binding one, but her next shot was only a glancing blow.

Shit... He used shunpo to appear next to the best sliding his blade deep into its throat. With the momentum of his movement technique he guided the beast away from the girl and onto the ground. With a strong slash, Sachio tore his zanpakuto through the neck of the beast leaving it twitching. Don't panic we'll be fine miss He gave a cocky smile to the girl hoping she'd be able to remain composed after such a close call. It was now he realized that they were slowly recovering from their attacks. He took this opportunity to deliver a throat gouging slash to the bound hell hound as well hoping to at least stall it a little longer.

Oi, Oi Looks like they don't stay down unless they're frozen. How do we finish them for good? Sachio shouted. More to the universe, but he would be happy if either of the two humans knew the answer.

A burst of spiritual presume followed by a grim howl emanating from the tallest building around them. Drew Sachio's attention. Perched at the top of the building was the largest hell hound he'd seen yet complete with a badass mane of flames. That one must be the leader... Sachio ran towards the building ascending up the side of it as the large hound descended rushing towards him. Die! Beast of Jigoku He exclaimed raising his blades for a clash of fangs and steel, but was instead met with a torrent of flames. Sachio thought quickly and muttered a simple phrase. Sekisho... Instantly, he was covered in a protective armor allowing him to pass through the flames and land a pair of glancing slashes on the beast. Damn it not deep enough.. he thought as it barreled past him. Incoming! He yelled as he chased after it.

Well, on the bright side, it didn’t seem like the Quincy and Shinigami were going to go after each other’s throats, at least not until the hounds were dealt with. They even teamed up to take out one of the hounds; the red haired woman gestured towards it almost casually, and a thin layer of ice encased the beast.

Before Niji could answer the Shinigami’s question, she heard the howl she had been waiting for. The leader of the pack, issuing commands to the lesser hounds; frustration, fury, and, she noted with a tinge of amusement, just a speck of fear. By preventing the hounds from truly dying, she prevented them from dissipating and manifesting at the creature’s side.

There you are…

Niji smirked as the pack leader made its dramatic appearance on a nearby rooftop.  Watching as it launched itself at her at the same moment the Shingiami launched himself towards it, it also launched itself towards her. She turned to the Quincy with a vaguely amused expression and gave a half shrug, ”They never wait for an answer, do they? Take out the leader, and the rest will vanish.”

As she finished her sentence, the fullbringer took a smooth set of steps to the left a half second before the lead hell hound slammed down where she had been.  And the beast suddenly began scrambling to get its footing again, as it landed on a sheet of ice that hadn’t been there a moment before.

Tears had welled up in the corners of her eyes, even as the Shinigami felled the beast before it could reach her location. Her amber eyes wavered as she watched the stranger's sword slice open the hound's throat, then repeat the motion with the one she had bound to the floor further away. She had to remind herself that she was still fighting, and wiped her face dry on her sleeve.

"D-" Vaera began, but was cut off by the sudden appearance of a wave of fire from the larger hound's burning main (not to mention the piece of ice cream bar still in her mouth, that she swallowed). The Shinigami hadn't wavered before he'd dove through the flame, and the other woman likewise gave chase after the large hound. She thought for a moment of shooting at the beast to pin it down, but paused when she thought of the smaller creatures still around them.

She could put her talents to better use, she thought with a steeled glance across the battlefield.

"Focus on the leader! I'll take care of the rest!" Her voice cracked towards the end, but despite her fear and unease, Vaera raised her left hand. The crossbow dispersed into airborne reishi particulate in the blink of an eye, and her cross began to glow more brightly as she channeled ever more of her power through it. Between her and the pack of hounds, a faint mist -just barely too thick to be called a fog- came into being and extinguished the few fires that had been started by the larger hound's attack.

Then it billowed out, carrying with it a calming scent of herbs and fresh rain.

"Weißes Kriechen!" She uttered forcefully, before focusing her gaze on one of the hounds growling nearest to her. Over several seconds, it staggered, then drooped its head as fatigue took its hold. By the end, it had fallen to the ground, its breathing heavy but steady in its slumber. Then she turned her attention to the next, and the next. In moments, the remaining smaller hounds who had not been incapacitated already were made dormant, and Vaera lowered her arm as sweat beaded across her face.

Sachio pursuit of the beast was rewarded. The lady with ice powers had slicked the ground causing it to slip and flounder arbout. The crossbow girl called that she would handle the remaining lesser hounds. Sachio was slightly worried. She had seemed shaken only moments ago, but he could only trust his makeshift allies. The coordination of the pack and protection of others where chains and she was willing to free him of them then he would let her. They had both proven to be his equal or even his better in combat.

With his shackles undone, he focused his efforts on speed and power. As his feet touched down on the cold icy layer covering the concrete, he slid. However, he was not floundering like the hound he hunted. He used the ice to his advantage to increase his velocity. With a powerful push off he was skating towards the beast. As the hound of hell finally found it's footing, Sachio was already upon it. The beast went to snap at him but Sachio transferred onto his back ducking under the bite. With a mighty double thrust, Sachio plunged his zanpakuto into his prey from below. His twin blades carved through the beast's underside as Sachio skated beneath its four paws smiling his twisted smile.

Sachio wasn't going to stop there though he knew this beast was tougher than the rest. Using one blade as an anchor planted in the ice, He regained solid footing and used shunpo to become a falling leaf. Now above the beast, who turned to roar another wave of flames at his previous position, Sachio would grip his lone zanpakuto with both hands. With all the force of gravity behind him he would bring down the first strike taught to any swords man, a downward slash to the head.

In a spray of red the beast face would split and it would waiver before falling to the ground. There was no more howling. As he looked around and caught his breath, He noticed that the other beast had been subdued as well. He took a deep breath and shook the blood from his sword before returning it to its sheathe. Phew, mission accomplished. You did great miss crossbow. Thanks for the help...Miss? Sachio praised the shakier woman and looked to the masked woman but slowly made his way over to the blade he left planted in the icy road. He was carful not to slip on the way but tried to carry himself with his chest held high.

Niji gave a faint smile, watching the Quincy and Shinigami deal with the beasts of Jigoku reminded her of a simpler time. Her first real spiritual combat, alongside a pair of Quincy at her ranches in what seemed lifetimes ago.

It was lifetimes ago, she supposed; at least for her.

The fiery-haired woman walked slowly back to her car, the ice melting into harmless pools of water. She glanced at the slain pack leader, it wasn’t the cleanest kill, but the beast was dead nonetheless. With their leader slain, the hellhounds all began to dissolve into their constituent spiritual particles. The woman suppressed her reiatsu further, to match the rough levels of the two individuals. Calmly, she sat on the hood of the vehicle, blue eyes matching the frozen mask that covered the top half of her face. A soft smile came to the bottom half, and she nodded at the pair, ”Gaia, and you both did wonderfully."

It wasn’t condescending, but it did sound like praise that a teacher might give a student for a good presentation. ”With the pack leader defeated, the beasts will be drawn back to Jigoku. If this is what you were here for, your mission is accomplished, Shinigami-san.”

It took Vaera a few seconds to recollect herself after such a spell. She wasn't totally spent, no, but using so much of her power all at once was not something she was used to. Usually, a Hollow would go down after a few arrows, if not a more conservative use of spells. Putting an entire pack of... dogs to sleep all at once had been very tiring, to say the least. Taking deep breaths, she wiped the sweat from her face onto the back of her sleeve.

"When you say drawn back to Jigoku..." She trailed off, turning her eyes from one slumbering hound to the next, until finally settling on the slain and mutilated body of the largest creature. She hadn't thought they were Hollow, but looking at them now, she didn't rightfully know what to say they were. They weren't mortal, and she couldn't sense any spiritual power from the sleeping ones. Then, as if to answer the question she'd neglected to ask, the ground darkened underneath each hound, and their bodies were drawn down to wherever it was they were from in the first place.

Vaera merely blinked away her confusion.

"Can, um... Can someone explain what just happened, please?" She was clearly still confused. However, behind the confusion, concern for the masked woman was beginning to rise from the back of her mind. She still felt a little like a Hollow, and a little was just a little too much, to be fair.