Going on Patrol (Ezrachek)

Kuro stood waiting at the edge of the Seireitei near the gate that was closest to the Zaraki district in the Rukongai. He had sent a hell butterfly to inform Ezrachek of the meeting place before coming. Leaning against the giant wall, Kuro stared up at the sky. It was a nice sunny day with only a few clouds spread sparsely through the blue open space. That was good, since it was a long distance from the Seireitei to the 80th Rukongai district. At least it won't be raining on us while we make the hike out there. Kuro's thoughts were interrupted by a sudden impact from the side. Looking down, he smiled as he noticed Mika had arrived and was tightly hugging his side. He'd sent the butterfly with this location to her as well, leaving it up to her of whether she would want to join in or not. Having an extra person on this job could be helpful if they ran into trouble. Just as he'd expected, she'd been only too eager to come along. Now that they both were present, they resumed their wait for Ezrachek so that they could start their venture.

Ezrachek noticed the hell butterfly and knew that it was time to go. He grabbed his Zanpakuto from his dresser and tied it around his waist. He walked out of the barracks and waved goodbye to the few friends he had made there. He walked over to the edge of the district and took a moment to figure out just where he was going. He found out and sprinted at high speed towards the destination.

Within no time, Ezrachek had arrived to the destination. He noticed Captain Kuro and the woman standing next to him. Ezrachek walked up regardless of the possibility of him interrupting. He decided it was irrelevant to the unofficial mission. Ezrachek was split half way psychologically, due to on one hand, his warrior was begging for a battle. On the other side, however, he was hoping thay for once he wouldn't find anything bad happening. However, he didn't have high confidence that it was going to go easy. He reached down and touched his Zanpakuto as it didn't scream for blood at all this time, however, Ezrachek swore he thought it growled at him. He unsheathed it slightly, as he ran his hand down the blade. Both the blade and the hilt were cold to the touch, as if frozen by ice. Ezrachek disregarded the coldness and finally spoke to the two. "I'm ready when ya'll are. I have plenty of supplies for us, including some grub!" Ezrachek said happily as he raised up a sack full of food.

"That was good thinking Rayone-kun. It's a fair distance to the Zaraki district and will take time, made even longer without shunpo. It's likely that this trip will take several days."

Kuro and Mika themselves had brought no such supplies. Both of them being somewhat easygoing, they tended to rely on foraging skills to meet their needs when out in the wilderness. But such a long trip would be made much easier now that they had someone who was willing to think ahead and plan. Kuro grinned to himself at the silliness of the situation with the recruit acting more responsible than himself.

"Lets get going then." Kuro suggested as he made his way to the gate. "Just to get a fair start on the journey, we'll run for a fair distance, but later we can start walking...and no shunpo Mika." Kuro fired his ending side comment at his mischievous girlfriend, knowing that she would like the opportunity to mess with Ezrachek by outpacing him and making him catch up.

"Ok..." Mika replied with a pouting but obedient tone that conveyed her disappointment in her fun being denied to her. Kuro smiled at how easy it was to mess with her. Of course she'd find some way to embarrass him and get even somewhere down the road. She always did.

Kuro did a few simple leg stretches before taking off at an easy pace that wouldn't be hard for the other two to match and keep up for a while. The sun beat down on them as they started into the dusty desert regions of the first few districts. As they pressed on, they passed through a number of different climates in the different districts, the common two being more stretches of empty wilderness and lush green forests. When the sun began to sink, Kuro began to look for a place to stop and set up camp. They were in luck however, as he spied a nearby town. Changing his direction, he led the other two into the dirt streets of the humble group of buildings. There were people bustling about with their early evening activities as Kuro walked down the street. Children could be seen further down the road, laughing and playing with each other as they kicked a ball back and forth to each other. Kuro let out a peaceful sigh at the sight of this quiet town. He wished that all the districts could be like this one, less troubled by disturbance and violence. Finishing his observation of the town, he found the local tavern and walked inside. Inside the tavern, he sat down at a table in the corner and motioned for Mika and Ezrachek to do the same.

"We can stay here for the night. We can even get a meal here without having to lower Rayone-kun's supplies. They'll be needed when we get to the rougher districts." Kuro paused for a moment, relaxing after the long run throughout the day. "So Rayone-kun. What's your views on the squad so far? You settling in well at the barracks?"

Ezrachek struggled a little to keep pace with the other two shinigami. He wasn't as fast as his younger brother, and it bother him. Nevertheless, on their journey he had to focus completely on keeping up with Kuro. They went on for a few districts, seeing what seemed like and endless vast of nothing. Well, nothing important, that is. Ezrachek thought to himself numerous times along this long trip, but mostly it was cursing and saying that it better be worth all the trouble. Ezrachek was slowly starting to realize that the thought of fighting, just to take out all the frustration on some punk who thinks he is all that, for making him come all the way out there, would be amazing.

They slowed down as Kuro changed directions, and Ezrachek, half way caught in a daze, almost fell off track, but quickly adjusted as they settled into the city. Ezrachek took his seat and laughed at Kuro's comment. "Yeah Capt'. I only brought maybe 2 days worth of food, and some small medical supplies, and some other miscellaneous supplies, like dice for games." Ezrachek grinned as he grabbed the dice and rolled them across the table, scoring nothing interesting, he cursed quietly, and slid them over to Kuro. Ezrachek then reached into the bag and grabbed a cigarette that he got from one of the shops in the Rukongai. He lit it with a fire from a nearby lamp, and began to breathe in the smoke. He blew the smoke out, facing his head upward, careful not to blow any unwanted smoke into his other companions' faces. Ezrachek sighed as a sign of relief. His feet ached, but more importantly, his ankle, which was always bad due to a sprain that happened a few months prior to this, that had never been properly tended to, was coming back to haunt him. He was a warrior however, and he would fight through this. He waited for the waitress, a very attractive lady, tall, about 6 feet to be more specific, with wavy brown hair, and legs complimented fantastically by her skirt that she was wearing. Ezrachek's eyes wandered up as he saw that she was also wearing a skin tight button-up shirt. He made a mental note that her button closest to breast level looked like it was about to pop. He laughed as he took another hit from his cigarette. He smoked it slowly, careful not to waste it so quickly. He laughed as he placed his order. "I will have a bowl of ramen with shrimp and chicken please, and some Sake for the whole table." Ezrachek said politely, turning his attention unrelentingly away from the beautiful waitress and to his companions, awaiting for them to place their order, and for either one of them to roll the dice.

Kuro coughed and lowered his gaze to the table as the waitress took their order, covering his ass in case Mika suspected him of staring. He spoke calmly and matter-of-factly, placing his order with haste. "I'd like a plate of onigiri and a glass of water. Thank you." Mika seemed a little put off with the waitress's appearance, her face wearing a noticeable look of envy. Jealousy was a dangerous quality in women, but Kuro'd never say that out loud.

"I'll have a fruit parfait." she shot out swiftly. The waitress nodded as she wrote down what they'd ordered. As she turned to put their order in and see to the other customers, she gave a slightly smug look and a light chuckle that was barely audible. Mika moved to get up, a light of battle blazing furiously in her eyes, but Kuro stuck out a hand and caught her shoulder, shaking his head to dissuade the action. "Don't let her get to you Mika. She's only messing with you using your own emotions."

".....Fine." Mika grumbled, sinking back to her seat and grumbling while she scooped up the dice to find something to distract herself. Kuro ran his hand over her head, thanking her for not making a scene. She leered at him and suddenly flicked one of the dice at his forehead, which smacked him cleanly before falling back to the table and rolling a nice 5 result. "That was for taking her side." she muttered with a slightly bent smile that suggested her statement was half in jest and half dead serious. Kuro sighed and decided not to take the subject further. There'd be no way for him to win. Instead he turned his attention back to Ezrachek.

"Regardless how few your supplies are, we have to admit that at least you brought some. Haha. It seems the first day took its toll on you. We'll be starting early tomorrow morning, but we'll walk the rest of the journey. I think we covered enough ground today to earn that luxury." Kuro picked up the die that Mika had attacked him with and turned it over in his hand. "So what kind of game did you want to play with this?"

Ezrachek laughed at the turmoil that was being caused by Mike and the waitress. Ezrachek was careful not to impede on Kuro's woman, but he felt like messing with the both of them. "Haha! Don't let him fool ya Mika, You were intimidating her with your beauty. This ol' Capt' is lucky to have you! And he knows it... least he better!" Ezrachek grinned as he half expected a slap across the back of his head. He looked in his sack when Kuro made his comment, and smiled. He was truly a different person than the wild monster that he was in the Academy. He was wondering, at this point in time, what his younger brother, Ryushiro was up to. Probably some snobby Noble business. Ezrachek shrugged the thoughts away. He laughed as he watched the Captain pick up the dice. "Ever heard of Yahtzee? I hear it's a western game, that a friend taught me how to play. You have to get one of each of these. He said as he pulled out some papers with what looked like a score sheet that had different sets of scores that were possible to attain. He snatched up the dice and took another hit from his cigarette. He put it in between his lips as he muffled out directions and rules about the game, and took a few practice roles to show them examples of how to play. He slid the dice towards Mika, waiting for her to hit Kuro again, half expecting to get hit with the dice himself.

Kuro made haste to diffuse whatever Ezrachek was trying to start. "Yes, I'm extremely lucky to have the heart of such a lovely and talented lady." Kuro knew what he was doing here. His words of flattery worked like a charm, reducing her sulking attitude to a fit of blushing and stutters. Kuro sighed with relief and laughed at the situation. An enjoyable night out with two members of his squad; this was an enjoyable time. He and Mika payed attention as Ezrachek explained the rules of the game, trying out a few rolls to get the hang of it. Their order arrived in the middle of the game, at which point Mika leaned over and kissed Kuro on the cheek. He was surprised at first, but following her gaze, which he noticed was locked on the waitress, he understood what Mika was doing. Her face practically screamed out a bragging declaration that she didn't need that kind of appearance to get a man. Kuro figured it best not to get involved and calmly picked up one of his rice balls. As he started eating, he heard the sounds of commotion outside. Curious, he rose from his chair and tried to see what was going on through the windows.

"Something's up. Lets check it out."

Mika nodded in agreement and leaped up to follow Kuro outside. People were gathering around, unsure of what to do as a man stumbled up the streets. His body was covered in wounds and he looked like he hadn't had water or rest for days. His strength finally failed him and he began to fall forward to the ground. Kuro shunpoed into the midst of the crowd and caught him before he could finish his fall. The man blinked a few times and looked at the white haori that his helper was wearing, bringing his gaze up to look at Kuro's face.

"Thank god...shinigami...." the man struggled to get every word out, confirming that he had not had anything to drink recently. "We need...your help."

"Don't talk too much." Kuro tried to calm the man. "Mika, grab my water from the table and bring it here." Mika headed back into the tavern and returned shortly with the cup the waitress had left by Kuro's seat. Sitting the man down against one of the buildings, Kuro made him sip the water slowly to relieve his thirst. When he seemed more stable, Kuro inquired more about his situation. "What is it you need help with?"

"The Inuzuri district. That's where I live. The bandits have spread their influence there now. They are trying to dominate all the citizens. When I made my escape, they attacked me to try and prevent me from finding help. Though I got away, I feared I would die before I got to anyone capable of helping."

"That's enough. I have enough information. Rest now." Kuro stood up and beckoned waved for Mika and Ezrachek to join him in an alley between the tavern and the adjacent building so they could discuss the situation in private. "It seems that we chose to come out here at the best time. The Inuzuri district is two whole districts from the Zaraki district. If a bandit group has grown strong enough to start causing trouble there, then we have to move in and put a stop to it before they do any further damage. We'll go along with our previous plan to rest tonight and head out early. Make sure to get some sleep. We'll need it."

Ezrachek nodded as he grabbed a small sized sandwich from his sack and tossed it to the man who was lyingbon the ground. "Eat! You will need the energy. Captain, how early are we talking, my suggestions is that we sleep and rest starting immediately after dinner, and move at midnight, using the night to conceal our path, serving a dual purpose in hiding our arrival. Prevented panic in the civilians, and remaining in control of the element of suprise. Although these thugs are probably too weak to matter, its never a good idea to underestimate our opponents. That is all I have to say on the matter." Ezrachek stated confidently as he took out a small medical wrap and began to wrap the wounded mans serious wounds. "My supplies are low now, so I will see about replenishing them tonight immediately before i go to rest." Sara stated as he walked back to the tavern and ate his dinner quickly as he waited for Kuro and the lady to return to the table and verify what the plans for the travel would be.

Again, Kuro was impressed by Ezrachek's level of strategy. He seemed to be fitting in with the way squad 2 did things as well. Kuro and Mika returned to their table in the tavern. Mika ate her meal quietly while Kuro gave the final decisions on their plan.

"Rayone-kun was correct. It'll be best if we get there as soon as possible, but we do need some rest first. The still existing distance between our current location and the Inuzuri district needs to be considered too. I'd say we can get there in another half day if we change our original plans of walking and head there at the same pace we've traveled so far. With that in mind, we'll hold off our departure until mid-morning tomorrow. That should time our arriving at the district as night falls, giving us the cover of darkness. We don't know the situation there, so investigation will be the first order of business when we arrive. That's all for now."

Kuro stood up and picked up Ezrachek's bag. "I'll see to the restocking of our supplies. You get some rest for your feet. This was a rough first day for you and I'm afraid we can't afford to take it easy tomorrow either."

Leaving the tavern, Kuro walked around the rest of the town, asking the residents for any medical supplies they could spare. Most of them having seen the injured man earlier and overhearing his confession about his plight, they were extremely willing to contribute to the mission to help his people. When he had enough, Kuro walked back to the tavern, but didn't go inside. The sun had fully set by now and the streets were empty under the moonlit blanket of the night sky. Kuro found a bench and sat at it, staring up at the sky in thought. The same sky he had lived under for so long. In the past, he'd even looked up at it from the very district they were about to head to in the morning. So much time had passed, yet nothing had changed. That's not true... he thought to himself. ...you didn't have anybody to help you back then. You won't let the same thing happen to other people. Lost in his thoughts, Kuro dozed off on the bench and spent the night outside under the moon and the stars.

Ezrachek nodded, happily at the plans, and the Captain's help in releaving Ezrachek from his resupplying duties. Ezrachek walked to his room with a slight limp and undressed. He layed on his bed, staring at the wall for the first few minutes. Finding an unsatisfactory with the thought of sleep, he rose to a sitting position, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. He looked out, rather stared out, of the window, watching the entire night sky, with the stars shining brightly, and the dusk clouds rolling through the sky. He walked over to the window and swung it open, letting the cool night breeze flow in, blowing back his hair from his face. He took out a cigarette and lit it. While blowing smoke out of the window, he noticed a small black cat wandering the streets below. Other "rival" cats, it seemed, attempted to challenge his territorial authority. They all failed as the black cat violently struck them down. A few large dogs, coming from the alley way stormed the black cat, as the cat hissed and manuevered a skillful evasion. Ezrachek wiped his eyes, thinking he was seeing some sort of metaphorical allusion or harbinger. He wasn't quite sure what to make of it, however, it was not an allusion. Black lotus pedals blew in the wind as the black cat struck them down endlessly, with a great intuition and keen to the fighting skill. More and more dogs however, stormed out of the alleys, barking, calling for back up from their comrades. A white lotus pedal blew into the street as a white cat, jumping from a window, fell hard on to the back of the dog that was just about to attack the black cat. Ezrachek jumped back in amazement as he watched the two cats fight off the dogs. It was so strange, that even in animistic society, even the "dogs" are the thugs and try to rule everything. Ezrachek, determined that he saw a living metaphor, tried to relate it to his life, or atleast the situation he was in.

It was at that exact moment that he remembered the name for Captain Kuro that a lot of the other students used to call him behind his back. Rukongai's Black Lotus Ezrachek thought for a second to himself. What's the White Lotus pedals about then? I suppose that means I will be Rukongai's White Lotus. I WILL become one of the greatest assassin shinigami, next to Captain Kuro! We will be unbeatable! Ezrachek finished his thought process with a smile. He layed his head down, more tired now, than ever, and his eyes shut. He was asleep for the night.

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Ezrachek awoke when the sun rays creeped across the floor of his room, rolling up the side of the bed, and slithering it's way into his eyes. He squinted in discomfort when he realized how early it had been. He waved off the discomfort as he reached in his Kimono laying on the ground and pulled out a bandage wrap that he then used to wrap his injured ankle, in an attempt to give it support. He walked over and pushed hard against the wall, testing the support. They were sturdy. He did a few sprints towards the wall, hitting them with his foot, and jumping off, testing the strength of his foot. He was satisfied after a few jumps and feeling no pain. He put on his Kimono and walked out, and around to the lobby of the Tavern, where he awaited Kuro and the lady for their departure.

Kuro groggily stirred as the morning rays shone upon his face. Slowly standing up, he stretched his body out, feeling the stiffness of sleeping on a bench torturing his frame. It was early morning, but soon would be time to leave. Kuro set about making his way to Mika's room to wake her up. This was unnecessary however, as he found her awake and prepared upon arriving at her room. He had not expected that. But her sense of duty under his command did have a knack for being surprising. They descended down to the tavern's main dining room for breakfast, calling Ezrachek over to join them. The meal was eaten in silence to avoid dragging it out. Kuro made sure to make it a light meal so as to not hinder their progress. When finished, he stood up and made his way out of the tavern silently, simply indicating for the two others to follow him out.

Kuro stood at the gate of the village, giving it one last look before they headed out. The streets were not busy yet with the day still being young, but it still held the same peaceful appearance that it had the previous night. Kuro turned his gaze towards the empty skyline across the barren wasteland of the Rukongai in front of them, appearing to stare at something unseen beyond the horizon. He slipped his hand inside his shihakushō and gripped the handle of his zanpakuto tightly. His mouth opened thinly and tightly, speaking words that were hard with dedication and promise, "I will remove any weeds who would impose on the peaceful life of the innocent."

Kuro said nothing more, but instead gave a small grunt to signal that they were leaving. Sprinting away from the gate, he led the way back out into the wasteland and towards their target. The hours stretched on and the silence began to feel a little uncomfortable under the weight of the situation. Falling back slightly, Kuro ran in line with Mika and Ezracheck, trying to start something of a conversation to help keep up their spirits.

"I hope you both got enough rest last night. We're going to need it. So Rayone-kun, I know that Mika came from around here, but what about you? Where did you live before coming to the academy?"

Ezrachek took a cigarette from his pack and began smoking once they were downstairs in the lobby. He smoked it quickly, and ate even quicker in order to finish everything. He got a little more than the both of them, due to the fact that he knew he had a stronger stomach and could handle all the exercise on a fuller than full stomach. It would also conserve the amount of food supplies that he would end up eating later on the journey.

Kuro made his gesture and they all went towards the gate. They looked at the wasteland before them in disgust. Regardless, they sprinted forward making a better-than-good pace as they went forward in the journey. Kuro spoke some words in an attempt to ease the tension, however the question caused tension for Ezrachek. He grimaced thinking about his past. "I came from a village that no one really knows about. Too small to have a name. It layed in between two big nations, who claimed the land politically, however they never could physically control us. Both of the nations constantly attacked our village in an attempt to wipe us out, for we were a great threat to them. However, they failed miserably, as me and my brother, when he was old enough, fought with expert skills and destroyed all. Only problem is I became a traitor to the village and a rat to society, even after being placed here, and he became a noble. But that's irrelevant to this point in time. I'm the White Lotus of Rukongai and he is still just my little brother, regardless of nobility or not." Ezrachek said with disgust as he thought about the past that he had in his village, all the bloodshed and endless murder. He was happy that he changed himself and had become a success. However when in battle, he was still that monster with the crimson eyes.

Kuro nodded sympathetically as he listened to Ezracheck's tale of his past. So he had come from a lifetime of fighting even before coming to the soul society. Such a thought was a sad thing to Kuro, the thought of never knowing peace.

"It must have left quite an impression on you to remain etched so deep in your mind. I remember nothing of my life in the living world." Kuro's gaze remained fixed on the horizon as they kept up their pace, and slowly he began to continue the conversation with some divulgence of his own. "I actually had personal reasons for suggesting this mission out to these parts. My life before the academy was one of fighting for survival out in the very district we were heading towards. I killed and stole while there in order to live."

Kuro paused as he thought over what Ezrachek had called himself a moment ago. "White Lotus eh?...sounds like the name I found myself stuck with after coming to the Seireitei. Taking such a name will place you under a huge responsibility. Did you know that the lotus symbolizes purity? The Black Lotus was a title associated with me in response to my rebirth as the calm and focused captain of Squad 2. I hope you can come to live up to the lotus name in time."

Kuro and the other two continued all day, and true to Kuro's predictions came within sight of a village in the borders of the Inuzuri district as the sun was sinking below the horizon. Despite the night still being young, these streets had hardly any people walking along them. A deathly silence hung over the village, as if the entirety of it were caught in a suffocating grip of constant fear. Kuro knew that something was wrong and decided to investigate further, out of sight. Leaping up onto the roof of a building he began to slowly move along above the town and scanned the area for trouble. He was beginning to consider making his way into one of the buildings to question the inhabitents when a piercing screech broke the quiet silence of the village. Kuro immediately darted in the direction of the scream, which had originated from an alley in the corner of the village. Arriving above the scene, Kuro saw a woman being confronted by three gruffy looking men. Without a second though, Kuro shunpoed down from his vantage point and behind the woman, scooping her up into his arms and shunpoing again out of the men's reach further down the alley. The men didn't seem to recognize the uniform he wore in the dim light of the early evening and began to slowly advance on him in an effort to not lose their prize. Kuro looked up over their shoulders and saw Mika and Ezrachek standing up on the roof he'd just left and smiled sneakily. Lightly placing the woman back on her feet and half hiding her behind himself, Kuro raised one hand over his head and snapped his fingers to signal Ezrachek and Mika to teach the men a lesson.

Ezrachek laughed and nodded towards Kuro, half reassuring himself, and Kuro that he was confident in being able to live up to the name. They continued on until they reached the village. "Bakudo 19! Energy Fade!" Ezrachek called out quietly as he hid his reiatsu, just to be safe. Kuro had shunpoed into the valley and saved a woman. Ezrachek was taken back by the quickness of chaos after such little time in the village. Ezrachek and Mika followed him along the roof tops and looked down upon Kuro. He smiled when he heard Kuro snap. Ezrachek jumped down and unsheathed his sword quickly, so that all the men heard was "Click" of his sword coming out of the sheath, and he slashed through the first man's midsection, and the second man's throat, severing the first in half, and beheading the second. He left the third man to Mika to take care of. "Well that was pretty fun eh? Anymore suprises to cast among these people here? I certainly hope they aren't all that weak." Ezrachek grinned as he sheathed his zanpakuto and released his Bakudo, flaring out his reiatsu. There was no longer a need for that here, since their presence was no longer in need of hiding. He turned around and saw a few more bigger men advancing towards them. Four to be exact. Three of them stood guard in the edge of the Valley as the biggest of them advanced towards Ezrachek. The Crimson rolled through Ezra's eyes as he felt the blood thirst of his zanpakuto demanding battle. Ezrachek looked back to Kuro and Mika. "I got these guys, I'll meet ya'll back at the roof tops." He said as he nodded towards the two shinigami. He turned his attention back to the big man who was now right in his face. The man striked towards Ezra's face. Ezrachek quickly grabbed the man's fist, holding it there while he slammed his free palm into the man's elbow, locking it in to place, and then with more pressure, snapped his arm in half. The man doubled over in pain, falling to his knees. Ezrachek walked over to him and shoved a knee hard into his chin, shoving his head back. Ezrachek unsheathed his blade and beheaded the punk who challenged him. Ezrachek smiled and laughed a little as he looked at the other three men who charged towards Ezrachek. He looked up to where Kuro would be standing and smiled. It was time to return the favor. Ezrachek snapped and laughed hysterically, looking towards the Black Lotus of Rukongai.

That was a rash move Rayone-kun... Kuro thought as Ezrachek released his bakudo and flared his reiatsu. Kuro said nothing out loud at the moment, choosing to get the woman they'd saved out of harm's way. Shunpoing back up to the roof, he set the woman, whose legs were shaking to hard for her to support herself on the slanted surface, down and told Mika to watch her.

Kuro looked down and saw the fight developing below, especially the light of battle rising in his subordinate's eyes. Knowing that if he left Ezrachek to his own devices the men would all die, Kuro decided to intervene. Shunpoing right in front of the charging men, Kuro swiftly drew his zanpakuto and slashed low at the two men on the sides, hitting muscles and tendons to cripple their ability to walk. As they went down, Kuro saw the man whose path he'd directly blocked throwing a huge fist at him. Wearing a face that was a cross between disbelief and boredom at the slow and stupid challenge, Kuro slid into the space created by the man's huge swing and caught his punching arm, flipping him up and over his head, ending the move by slamming him roughly to the alley floor.

"Let's get inside. We don't know when more might show up." Kuro spoke quietly, maintaining as much stealth as he could. Mika nodded and brought the woman down to the street. Under her direction, they headed towards a building that was likely her home. It was a large building, likely some kind of inn or apartment complex. Once inside, Kuro and the others found several villagers quietly and fearfully hiding themselves in the main sitting room. Many looked up at the sound of them coming in, and a few even stood up and assisted with the woman they'd brought. Kuro was thanked earnestly by a man who he assumed was the woman's husband. Looking around the room, he decided to try and find some answers by talking to the man. But first he turned to Ezrachek. "Rayone-kun. I want you to quietly go back outside and secure the area. Hide the bodies of those men from earlier and do a quick run around the immediate area to see if there are any more bandits in the village. Do not engage them at this time."

Ezrachek nodded at the Captain. "Yes Captain! Bakudo 19! Energy Fade!" Ezrachek said respectfully as he left the building and kicked off the air, making his way towards the roof of the buildings. Once at his vantage point, he made his way quietly back to the scene of the fight before. He jumped down, kicking off of the air just before impact to slow his momentum, and land silently on the ground. He then made his way down the Alley. He picked the bodies up and slowly moved them to a dumpster. He pierced the wounded ones with his sword through the heart. If they returned alive, they would tell their leader, and their cover would be blown. He moved their bodies to the same dumpster and secured the area. He jumped back onto the roofs as he made a circle around the whole city. He was originally going to do as asked, however he lost track of the distance in deep thought of how his battle thirst had taken control again. He needed to control it, however he didn't know how to control it at the time. He realized that he had made his way to the edge of the village, and circled around to head back to the building in which Kuro was seeking shelter in.

While on his way back, he noticed a few thugs in another alley terrorizing a few civilians. Ezrachek stopped on a roof overlooking the alley way. Every muscle in his body ached him to go forward and help the helpless person in the alley way. He gripped his zanpakuto and it was cold to the touch, which was never a good sign. He took a step forward and then remembered the captains words. Ezrachek cursed quietly to himself as he turned around and headed back towards the building. He hadn't seen anything else for the rest of the the way back. He entered the building and sat down at a table in the common area. He threw down a fist in anger, shattering the wooden table into little wooden shrapnel pieces. He looked up at Captain Kuro with the crimson red in his eyes, fully colored and a bloodlike aura swirling around. "How could you not let me engage! A man is about to die out there because of your stupid rule! I know my skills! Damnit! I could have saved him! It was 6 thugs on 1 helpless old man! WHY COULDN'T I HAVE HELPED HIM!?!?!?" He yelled at the captain, throwing an angry fist towards the wall, creating a decent sized hole in the wall.

Ezrachek took a few minutes to calm down, and apologized the other people who had scared the living daylights out of. He turned to Kuro and Mika. "I'm sorry Captain Kuro! Please forgive me! It angered me that I couldn't help them, for it reminded me of the helplessness i felt when my family members were dying in my past life, when i was too young to go help them. Please forgive me for snapping at you." Ezrachek said, still angry, but now control of his anger. The crimson aura was still in his eyes, but the swirling seemed to be controlled in specifically the center of the pupil, as if his crimson red battle thirst, that thing that controlled him every time he wanted battle, was finally under control by Ezrachek. He sat back down and bowed his head in anger, while he waited for Kuro's orders.

While Ezrachek was out following his orders, Kuro sat down with the owner of the building and tried to gather some detailed information.

"We were told by a citizen of this district that the bandits have become increasingly aggressive recently. It seems that those claims were the truth, seeing as your whole village is overrun with them."

The man hung his head low, almost appearing afraid of even telling Kuro anything useful as if such an act would bring about dreadful consequences. "Yes, it happened several days back. One of the bandit clans has gained a huge amount of influence lately and they have begun to expand their influence out from the Zaraki district and into the others."

Kuro couldn't understand how a single bandit group could pull together such an invasion without some sort of wild card. "Do you have any idea how the bandits have gained the strength to do this?"

"Nothing that we know for sure, but there is a rumor going around lately from bits of conversations overheard from the bandits in our village. We think that they have the help of a shinigami or two."

Kuro froze with this information. The pieces were starting to click together. This whole situation was just like the mission he'd been brought on when first joining the squad. But unlike that time where the rogues had been dealt with before causing any trouble, the far reaches of the Rukongai had hidden the actions of this incident and allowed things to reach this level of chaos. Kuro had just one more question for the man.

"Why does everyone here seem so quiet and subdued? I'd expect it to some degree given what you're facing, but normally there'd be some amount of unrest in the citizens and a desire to fight back."

The man's face hung even further, as if it was weighted by guilt, leaving him staring through his hands that held his sagging face at the wooden floor. "We felt that way at first. We even staged a few revolts to try and resist their occupation here. But the bandits responded by kidnapping our children. About 10 children in all were taken forcibly from their homes by the bandit groups. Even my own daughter was taken from me. We were warned that if we wanted to ensure the children's safety, we'd better not do anything further to oppose the bandits."

Kuro was at a loss for words. This was beyond despicable. The lowly acts of those drunk with a moment of power. He thanked the man for his bravery in sharing this information with him and waited with Mika in a corner of the room for Ezrachek to return. When the third member of their party did return, it was obvious that he was not in high spirits. Rage burned in his eyes and as he sat at the table that Kuro and Mika were at, he slammed his fist into its surface and broke it to pieces. Kuro sat calmly through the event as Ezrachek questioned him about his earlier orders. Kuro understood where he was coming from. Even if Ezrachek wouldn't believe such a thing, Kuro himself had been in a similar situation when he was newly joined with the squad. He'd watched as a group of hollows slunk through the scene of an accident and devoured innocent souls as he and the partner he was with had to wait for the right time to act. So he sat still, accepting Ezrachek's tongue lashing and allowed the new member to calm himself before he replied.

"We don't know that the man you saw will die. It's more than likely that the men harassing him are simply bullying a weak target. From what I've gathered from the kind man who owns this building, the whole town is being blackmailed right now, which is why they don't resist the bandits. Therefore, the old man should be alright, even if he does get roughed up a tiny bit. It's regrettable that you had to let it be for now, but if we just charge in and openly attack every bandit we see here, word will spread back to their leaders. We are squad 2, and as such we operate with a degree of finesse."

Kuro took a deep breath before continuing. "I've also learned a rumor that the likely reason that the bandits have become so daring lately is that they have shinigami assisting them. You say you know your skill level. That may be true, but if you rushed in against the enemy without thinking and ran into a foe like that, there'd be no guarantee that you wouldn't be out of your league. That's why I had you gather intel on the village first."

"If we're done with the explaining bit, we need to decide what to do now." Mika spoke up from her seat. Her tone was slightly invasive, interrupting the conversation between Kuro and Ezrachek, but showed that she was keeping her mind on finishing their mission and stopping this uprising. Kuro nodded in agreement.

"You're right Mika. Of course we should act. Now that we know more of the situation, we have a better idea of how to move. First thing, we need to find out where the bandits' main base camp is. I'd like to question some of the men I knocked out earlier but..." Kuro's gaze slid to look Ezracheck right in the crimson eyes that still burned with his rage, "...I imagine that I was mistaken in not adding 'don't kill the wounded bandits' to my orders earlier and they're probably dead now." Kuro sighed at his own mistake in not considering his man's mindset before issuing his orders. "No matter. We'll just have to take a slight risk and get another bandit to question. Rayone-kun. I'm sure you got a good look at the village while out there. Please show us a spot where you saw a few bandits that could be overpowered without being noticed."

Kuro stood up from his seat and held out a hand to tell Ezrachek to lead the way outside.

Ezrachek walked towards the door without saying a word. He felt bad, really bad, for blowing up like that. He kicked off the air, making his way to the roof of a building. Once on top of the building, he motioned his hand to sign for the others to join him."Bakudo 19! Energy Fade!" Ezrachek said quietly, turning back to Kuro and Mika, suggesting that they too supress their reiatsu. Not waiting long, knowing that Kuro would just shunpo his way up to the roof, Ezrachek made his way across the rooftops and along the path that he remembered taking towards the man in despair. As they neared the target area, Ezrachek could hear laughter as he sprinted faster towards the area. He looked down upon the men, who were just finishing having their way with the man. "Man, we got what we want from this old geezer, let's leave him for the rats and make our way back to the bossman. He'll have this whole town soon enough." Ezrachek froze for a second before turning back to Kuro and Mika, and motioning with his hand.

He put up 3 fingers, signaling that there were 3 people. He then dropped a finger and put his fingers to his eyes, and then pointed downward to the alley, signaling that he had eyes on the targets. He then pointed to Mika, then to an adjacent roof, signaling his request for them to take point on that roof. Ezrachek, at this point, was in full Strategic mode. He then pointed towards Kuro and then pointed towards a third building, at position that was behind the targets, signaling his request to have Kuro shunpo to that building. He pointed to both Kuro and Mika, and signaled with his fingers to his eyes, and then pointing to the targets, for them to verify that they had eyes on the target. Once this would happen, he would place up a finger, and circle it, drawing an invisible circle in the sky, signaling that they needed to stay in the circle around these targets. He then made an unusual "make-shift" hand signal to request to his Captain that they follow these men to their hideout with the boss. He then put a finger to his lips, motioning for complete silence throughout this mission. Ezrachek kneeled down as he waited for them all to get into position and wait for Captain Kuro's OK to go through with the plan. He was really getting the hang of this Stealth strategies.

Kuro and Mika followed Ezrachek out of the building and onto the rooftops. Kuro gestered for Ezrachek to lead the way without worrying about his and Mika's reiatsus. With experience, they were able to keep their power in check while not in battle and prevent others from sensing it without the use of bakudo. Kuro knew that Ezrachek would someday gain that level of skill as well, though he might have to rely on the kido for quite a while until he learned to control his battle lust.

When they arrived over the scene of the torment, Kuro's face scowled in distaste at the behavior of these lowly goons. He was surprised at how professionally Ezrachek laid out his plan. It was totally different from what Kuro had planned on doing, but for that reason was much safer. Saying nothing, he simply shunpoed to his suggested location and kept watch of the bandits' actions. The dark of the night concealed the three shinigami from view as they silently tailed the three men. Making their way down the alley and onto the main street, they casually swaggered their way out of the town's main gate and headed for a forested area behind the village. The transition from the town to the forest was more difficult without being seen, but Kuro doubted that the men would even notice if the three of his team were walking right behind them; so was the level of their brazen confidence born from days of dealing with defeated and subdued villagers.

The trek through the forest lasted for a long time. Kuro was sure that they must have crossed over into district 79 by now. That made sense if the bandit group had originally come from district 80. But surely they had a base here in the closer district to their front line. And Kuro couldn't imagine bandits having the patience to drag ten kidnapped children across two whole districts. His suspicions were confirmed as the sounds of a larger group of voices could be heard coming from over a hill up ahead. Kuro decided that taling these three men was no longer necessary. Darting out from the tree cover he'd been hiding in, he grabbed his zanpakuto and almost artfully slid it across the throat of one of the bandits who was lagging a bit behind the others. He dropped to the forest floor with a thumping noise that made one of the other bandits turn around.

"Did you just hear som-" his sentence was silenced as Kuro's blade flashed with precision, severing his head from his body in one clean slice. The third man tried to scream, but made no progress as Kuro shunpoed right at him, placing his right hand over his mouth as his left drove his blade into the man's heart. He slowly lowered him to the ground, taking care to not remove his hand from the man's mouth until his life was fully exinguished. Kuro stood up and began making his way to the top of the hill without a second thought. Now that they were out of the town and knew the location of the enemy camp, there was no need to allow the enemy's numbers to remain large. As long as their cover wasn't blown, anything went.

At the hill's peak, Kuro found himself looking down into a small valley. It was less wooded than then the surrounding forest, its slopes littered with rocky outcrops and sparsely distributed trees. At the bottom was what looked like a small village; the bandit camp consisting of many small buildings that Kuro assumed were the living areas of the main forces. A larger building sat in the middle, looking like a feudal samurai dwelling. One story high, it stretched out like a mansion, covering a large amount of the valley floor. Kuro wondered if this had been some sort of secluded village in the forest before the bandits had come, or had it been part of the bandits' bases all along? Kuro spoke to the other two, laying out the next stage of their plans.

"I'm going in. I'm just going to gather intel on the area. I want you two to stay here and wait for me to return. We can decide what to do further when I'm back with the information."

Kuro left immediately after the short orders, making his way down the slope. He failed to see Mika's sneaky grin as he left her and Ezrachek behind. When he was out of sight, Mika turned to Ezrachek.

"I don't know about you, but I'm going to see what I can do about reducing the bandits' numbers. I'm sure they have security patrols around this area to keep watch of the surroundings."

Mika turned away from the valley and made her way into the adjacent forest, spending her time until Kuro came back looking for bandits to occupy her time.

Ezrachek laughed at her gesture, but stayed put for a while. He took a cigarette out and lit it. He smoked it with a smile on his face as he looked around, looking for any "immediate trouble that would cause him to go help" as an excuse to get into battle. No hope. Ezrachek finished his cigarette as a cold breeze rolled through the sector. Ezrachek decided it would be best if he found a nice warm area for him to stow away in and resupply the lost food that they used on his trip. He jumped from his area down into the street and looked around. He found this man limping in the streets, appearing to have a shattered knee, and Ezrachek decided to have a little talk. He walked up to the man, he smiled, giving him a hand, gesturing that Ezra would like to help. "Here! Let me help you. Where are you going to?" Ezrachek asked as he hoisted the man up on his shoulder, and started carrying him. The man said nothing, but rather just pointed towards where he was headed towards. Ezrachek dropped the man in front of a building after the man gave him a hand up to gesture that they were here. The man thanked him as Ezrachek gave him a hand to gesture that it was no big deal. "You take care of that leg!" Ezrachek said kindly the man.

A scream came from the west side of the village, closest to Ezrachek as the hairs on his arms raised as he walked over to find out where it came from. He arrived after a few minutes and saw that a group of the gang members were trying to have their way with a woman. She was indeed beautiful, and it was a shame that her body was being mutilated by these men. It enraged Ezrachek as he walked down the alley to the men. One of the man fondling her turned around and spat at Ezrachek's feet. He charged towards Ezra as he pulled back a fist in an attempt to punch. Ezrachek struck forward with a quick hand and made hard contact with the man's Adam's Apple. He fell to the ground choking and gasping for air. Ezrachek kicked him in the face as he reered backwards and hit the ground unconscious. The woman screemed as the man behind her pushed forward hard before "stepping out from behind her." Ezrachek stopped walking forward and allowed the last two men to approach him. The first man swung fast with a fist towards Ezrachek's face. He dodged and grabbed his arm, locking it into place around Ezra's neck. He waited for the second man to strike, and at the right time, he spun, sending the first man in the path of the second's strike. He swung so hard that it instantly knocked out the first man. The second man, the one who was originally "behind" the lady, backed up, in fear of Ezra's next moves. He started to raise his hand to beg for mercy as Ezrachek kicked them out of the way and stepped on the elbows, snapping the arms in half. "You will pay for your insolence and cruel behavior." Ezrachek said to the man as he unsheathed his Zanpakuto and sliced the man's manhood clear off. The man passed out from sheer pain alone.

The woman raised to her feet, still naked from the events. Ezrachek grabbed her torn clothes from the ground and tossed them to her so she could atleast cover him. He grabbed her by the waist, and swung her up into his arms. He took her to where she pointed, which he assumed was her house. A small little building not too far from the alley. He let her to her feet as she thanked him and gave him a kiss on the lips. Ezrachek backed away nervously and waved goodbye to her. He kicked off the air, making his way back to the roofs. Once on there, he made his way back to the rendezvous location, where he would wait for Kuro and Mika. Once there, he took another cigarette from his pouch and began smoking as he sat on a rooftop, looking down on the town's residents.

Kuro continued his infiltration, completely unaware of his squad members' disobedience. Keeping his power low enough to remain undetected, he slunk through the thin streets of the small village on the valley floor, remaining shrouded in the shadows to escape the sight of the randomly wandering bandits. I bet they're keeping the children in there. he thought to himself as he crept closer to the large building in the center. The children were the only variable in this situation that was preventing him from launching a full power attack on the base. He couldn't afford to be that reckless until he at least found out where they were so he could avoid accidentally hurting them.

He sneaked into the main building, narrowly escaping the wandering gaze of the guards at its door. The halls in this building were very dimly lit, allowing him to stroll down the wooden floors, past the many closed sliding doors without being seen by any who might be behind them. The interior was surprisingly maze like, and with the importance of keeping himself hidden it was incredibly hard to navigate. I haven't been this confused since I wandered the Shihoin estate trying to keep the onmitsukido off of Tatsuya and Kaiyo's trail...


Back in the forest above the valley, Mika was having limited success with her bandit slaying endeavors. Only having come across one patrol group so far, she sulked about how easy they had been to defeat and prowled around the nighttime forest ground looking for anything that could entertain her until Kuro came back. She'd noticed Ezrachek backtracking the way they came, probably choosing to spend more time cleaning up the village they'd come from. Though a fair distance from where they'd been told to stay, she was positive that Kuro wouldn't mind his actions. He never looked down on a person doing what they believed in, especially if it involved helping others. Her thoughts were interrupted as a rustling sound could be heard announcing the approach of another group. Mika prepared herself to ambush them, but froze when she felt an unexpected presence. As the group of about 6 men came over the hill that led into the valley she could distinctly see one lone member of them, walking a couple of paces behind the rest, dressed in a shinigami shihakusho. It seemed that the rumors had been true. There was at least one shinigami with these bandits. Mika kept herself hidden and listened in on their conversation.

"It's been pretty boring around here since the wimps in the surrounding villages stopped revolting."

"Speak for yourself, half of my time these days is watching over those brats from that one village we made an example out of. Sniveling little crybabies..."

"Quit your complaining guys. We're going down to that village now. So hold on until we get there, then you can vent your stress anyway you want. I don't feel like listening to your bitching on the way though."

It was just the kind of conversation you'd expect from low class men like these bandits. The shinigami however didn't join in with the discussion. Maintaining a short distance from the other men, he walked in silence with a careless air about him. He almost looked like he felt the same way the first bandit who'd spoken did; he looked like he was just bored. Mika was about to just let them go. Having one of the shinigami involved out of the base would work out better for Kuro when he formed the plan to attack right? Then she remembered that Ezrachek had headed back in the direction of the village earlier. Having seen what his behavior was like so far on this mission, she knew that he was likely to attack these men if he saw them. And having felt the shinigami's reiatsu earlier, she knew that he was too much for Ezrachek to handle alone. "Sorry Taichou, got to help the new guy." she muttered as she tailed the group back towards the village.

Ezrachek waited on the roof top as he smoked his cigarette. He looked around, breathing in the crisp cool air. He looked down in the streets as his stomach rumbled. He jumped down to the streets and walked into a street side ramen bar. "Beef please." He requested as he took a seat. He looked around the roads, making sure he wasn't in any particular danger at the time. The ramen soon came out and Ezrachek dug into the bowl, slurping on the hot steaming ramen. He finished his bowl in 5 minutes, and as he handed the bowl, he felt an immense spiritual pressure enter his vicinity. He tossed the bowl to the man and stormed out of the bar. He ran towards the nearest alley, reaching cover behind the wall just as the shinigami turned the corner and started to walk towards Ezrachek. "Bakudo 12! Energy Fade!" He said nervously as the shinigami made his way down the street, stopping just before he reached the wall that Ezrachek was hiding behind. His heart was pounding so hard in his chest, it felt like a sledgehammer constantly slamming into his chest.

Hado 3! Crimson strike!" Ezrachek heard the Shinigami say just as he rolled out of the way as the shinigami blasted a hole in the wall, exactly where Ezrachek's head was in the previous moment. Ezrachek stood up and ran out into the street, jumping backwards to gain distance between the shinigami and himself. He released the Bakudo as he unsheathed his sword, readying himself for battle. The man then appeared behind him, having used shunpo, as he slashed his blade downward towards Ezrachek's neck. Ezrachek shoved his blade upward, stopping the man's blade in a T formation, having stopped the sword with the tip of his own blade. Ezrachek kicked the man, but instead of the man moving, Ezrachek flew backwards. Either way, he was happy with gaining distance between the man. Ezrachek had to do something, and had to something fast. He regained his posture, and jumped towards the man, feinting a strike to the head, and then at the last second, redirected his blade towards the man's ribs. The shinigami saw right through the facade, and moved his blade to his ribs. The block came easier than imagined and Ezrachek cursed at his failed attack.

The man then grabbed Ezrachek by the throat, lifting him off his feet, choking the breath out of Ezrachek. Ezrachek raised his Zanpakuto, holding the weight in one hand, and smashed a fist from the other hand down towards the man. The shinigami used his free hand and stopped the fist from coming towards him as he grabbed it and tightened his grip until a crack sound echoed from Ezrachek's fist. He let out a cry of pain as he thrusted the blade down into the man's shoulder. He was aiming for the chest, but missed due to the pain. The man then let out a grunt of pain and threw Ezrachek backwards. Ezrachek hit the ground and slid a few meters back. He writhed in the pain of his shattered fist. The man ripped the blade from his chest and tossed it aside. He was then advancing towards Ezrachek. He looked up at the hostile shinigami advancing towards him with a fair pace. Ezrachek struggled to stand up, and once on his feet, he felt a large foot thrust into his chest, and he flew backwards, colliding with a wall. Pieces of brick flew from the wall as Ezrachek slid down to the ground. He stood up once again and quickly dodged the foot, bringing his own foot high into the air. He slammed it down, making contact with the shinigami's face. His head was thrusted downward, blood flowing from the man's face, whether it be his nose, or a cut that was made by Ezrachek's foot. He made this time useful by attempting to escape. Three men walked up to block Ezrachek, as he unsheathed his Zanpakuto, and with one hand, slashed a decent sized wound into the man on the right's neck. He dropped dead, blood pouring from his neck, soaking the cold tan sidewalk with the crimson red blood. Ezrachek sprinted towards the Rendezvous spot, until he felt the familiar Reiatsu of Mika, who was luckily coming towards Ezrachek.

The shinigami hadn't let Ezrachek get away from him completely. Rubbing his injured nose, which was now starting to lessen its flow of blood, he followed at a pace that was slowly closing the distance between them. This was a hunt. All the months he'd spent cutting up powerless villagers as part of the bandits' force had been incredibly boring. But he'd put up with it because it gave him respect. His power was feared by both the citizens of the villages and the bandits alike. But even all that respect was not enough to keep him happy. He wanted a challenge. And now, he'd found an opponent he could enjoy taking his time with. He's heading out of the village, towards the main base... The enemy didn't know what to make of that. Writing it off as pure coincidence brought on by his prey fearfully running randomly, he sped up a tiny bit and began to get closer to Ezrachek.

He could see him now. He was almost at the forested area in the next district. Closing the final distance between them with a shunpo, he positioned himself right behind Ezrachek with his sword raised up, ready to slash at his back. However, he was suddenly blown back as a black clad blur sped at him and hit him roughly in the chest. Mika was now standing between the enemy shinigami and Ezrachek, one hand raised in a ready fighting stance while the other hovered near her zanpakuto, ready to draw it if it was needed. She kept her eyes on the man, feeling his reiatsu. He was definitely a strong opponent. Nowhere near Kuro's level, but without the captain there to back them up, he would be a handful for Mika and Ezrachek to handle alone.

The shinigami was getting back to his feet. All traces of the boredom Mika had seen on his face before were gone. Instead, a wild excited look was pasted on his features as he stared down both squad 2 members. He let out a short maniac laugh as he pointed his zanpakuto at both of them. "That was a good kick you bitch. Don't think you'll have another opportunity for those sneak attacks." He shunpoed forward, swinging his blade down as he approached. Mika drew her own blade in a swift motion and parried his strike. Leaping back from him, Mika shunpoed behind him to try an attack behind his guard. Her movement was read however and her attack only met his sword again. She continued to attack, even as his skills proved too much for her to get a frontal attack through his guard, hoping that she could provide Ezrachek with an opening to strike at.


Meanwhile, Kuro was starting to make progress. He had overheard two guards walking by while he hid from them. They seemed to have just gone through a shift change, and the two of them were talking about how annoying it had been to help guard the kids. Kuro waited until the two of them were gone, then set off down the hallway they had come from. He kept his pace slow so he wouldn't accidentally run into a guard around the corner and blow his cover. In a few minutes, he started to hear the sounds of childrens' sobs. Angry bandit voices managed to quiet them down for short periods of time, but they continued to sound again and again as their fear got the better of them. Kuro chanced a peek into the room that the voices were coming from. He saw all ten children as well as two guards. Shouldn't be too hard to handle...

Kuro thought about this. He was here right now, and those two guards would be no trouble at all to take out. But the hard part would come afterwards. Trying to sneak ten children out of a bandit occupied Valley would be near impossible. And if a battle broke out, he couldn't guarantee that he would be able to prevent at least one from taking injury. Not willing to risk it, he decided that he'd need help with this one. He noted the location of the room holding the children and carefully began making his way out of the bandit base, heading back towards where he'd left Mika and Ezrachek.

Ezrachek panted, breathing harder than he could think imaginable. Without Mika being there, he would be dead. He felt a sense of uselessness pulsing through his body. He unsheathed his zanpakuto and walked closer to the shinigami that was fighting with Mika. They were fighting with such great speed, it impressed Ezrachek, and amazed him. He joined in the fighting, slashing is zanpakuto downward, but made only made contact with his sword as he was effortlessly blocked. He jumped back, evading a slash from the shinigami. He had to think. How was he going to attack this man and win. He stepped forward to go attack once again, but was stopping in his tracks as he felt his arms being locked in place. The two thugs that he didn't kill were not grappling his arms, locking them behind his back, keeping him from moving. "This is bull! Get off me!" He yelled as he struggled to get free. He did manage to free an arm as he placed it on one of the man's chest. "Hado 4! White Lightning!" He yelled out as he blasted electricity through the thug's heart. He flew backwards and crashed into the wall. Ezrachek pushed the other man off of him as he unsheathed his zanpakuto. He slashed down the man, cutting him in half from the head down to the split of the legs.

He turned his attention back to Mika and the other man. He waited patiently for his opening. He saw it, Mika was on the man's right and was slashing downward to his neck. Ezrachek sprinted forward as he slid behind the man, who was preoccupied with Mika's attacks. Ezrachek turned his body, slashing deep into the back the man's thighs. He let out a scream as he deflected her attack and then fell to his knees. He jumped up, swinging his blade sideways. He stopped just before making contact with the man's neck. The man blocked the blade and pushed backwards. All three regained their stance and composure, as Ezrachek stared down the shinigami.

The enemy stared down both Mika and Ezrachek, determined to not let either of them out of his sight for long. "You assholes think you're clever, trying to outwit me with your speed and surprise attacks. Too bad for you that I'm done warming up." Taking his zanpakuto and holding it tightly in one hand, he snarled menacingly, "Swallow them, Antoraion."

Spoiler:

With these words, the man's zanpakuto glowed an eerie brown color for a moment. The blade shrank in length and divided into four claw-like blades set in a finger-less glove on his hand. Mika grew nervous as she stared at the weapon and wondered what abilities it had. Not wanting to be pressed for time later and not have it, she focused her own power and called out to her own zanpakuto, "Slice open the skies, Fusokutsu!" Mika's zanpaktuo glowed a bright green before reforming into a short curved blade with a metal loop on the end of the handle.

"It's too late for your weapon to save you. You already spent your chances." This man was extremely cocky. Mika didn't like it. Pushing away the fear she'd had creeping up on her, she hyped herself up for battle again. He was injured after all. The wound Ezrachek had managed to inflict on his thigh would give the both of them a better speed advantage, even if he was using shikai now. She charged to his left, circling around to try and draw his attention before shunpoing to the opposite side and striking with her blade. He parried the attack with his new claws and kicked out at her, forcing her back again. Mika regained her proper footing and began to circle again, looking for an opening.

"Why don't you stop with all the cowardly footwork and face me like a true warrior?" the man asked with a voice of confidence mixed with longing for bloodshed. He bent his knees down low and stabbed his zanpakuto into the dirt ground beneath his feet. At once, the level wasteland floor beneath him began to sink down into the ground. The area of effect spread, forming a large bowl shaped crater with him at its bottom. The walls of the crater, which had been tightly packed dirt moments before, were now comprised of loosely laying sand. The crater continued to spread, until its area caught up with Mika. The tilt of the pit, along with the loose sand beneath her caused her to slip and slide swiftly down towards the enemy, who waited longingly with his zanpakuto at the ready. She cursed the way things had turned out and had no choice but to use reishi at her feet to give her a stable enough footing to shunpo out of the pit.

Looking down from the stable edge above the trap, Mika thought hard about how to improve this situation. This foe wouldn't go down by her efforts alone, but she was the only one present with the abilities needed to even gain somewhat close to even ground down in that sand pit. Ezrachek was still too new at things to use reishi to battle in the air and couldn't use shunpo yet. So if he ventured into the pit, he would likely be trapped in a battle to the death from which escape would be difficult. She was stuck for the moment, hoping that either of them could do something before the enemy had time to come up with another move.


Kuro had managed to work his way out of the main building. He was now carefully scaling the walls of the valley to finish his trek back to the meeting place. When he arrived, he found both of his squad members absent. Not surprised, knowing that the two of them weren't the types to sit still for very long, he decided to wait a few minutes before setting out to find them.