Hunting Bandits, Being Hunted (Solo)

In district 67 of West Rukongai, a group of ten people were talking. Two of these people were trying to make a living off of trading, and one other person was just tagging along with them. The other seven were unknown, but Anna expected them to be bandits. It was in the middle of the forest separating the slums of district 67 from slums of district 68. The trees were severely cut up from previous bandits, and some marks of possible Hollows too. The grass seemed to be dead and the leaves dying, this whole area was just a ruin. Behind a tree, hidden of sight but not sound, was a female whom looked 20. Her long red hair was dark in the shadows, and covered her closed eyes. She didn't have her Shinigami robes, but her Asauchi was hidden under a cluster of rocks only ten feet away from the group. Anna recently heard that there has been a sudden uprising of bandits in this district, and decided to find the bandits and kill them. This is her first visit in any other part of Rukongai other than where she grew up, and was surprised about how true some of the rumors were out here. Having grown up in district twelve of North Rukongai Anna was more used to a place of more security and less crime.

Anna was listening carefully to the talking of these people. From what she could gather due to the voices, there were seven males and three females. Although she didn't care much for what they said she still listened to the sound of their voice whilst trying to pull out key information over time. She heard about what they were selling to each-other, and also about what they were named. This wasn't important to her, all she needed to know is whether or not they were in danger. There was a crunch of leaves about ten feet from where she was standing, and she looked over to the area quickly. Although there was nothing in sight she still felt as though something was waiting for the perfect moment to attack. She took in the scene through her raid hair with little success, but she wasn't able to make out distinct figures of anything other than trees and bushes; occasionally a leaf would fall. Her mind was flowing with thoughts about an ambush, and she had nearly forgotten about the ten people she was listening to.

"I'm sorry to say this to you, merchants, but me and my lovely friends here are bandits." said a voice of one of the females. Anna heard the drawing of blades, a swing, and a thud. Quickly and quietly she rushed out. They looked at her puzzled once she came into sight, but Anna had already gotten to the first of the seven she wanted to fight. He looked weak yet seemed to quiz the very existence around him, and this could be a problem. His hair was of a silvery blond, and his eyes green. As he swung his blade towards her, she ducked under it and punched to his stomach; the swing hitting its mark. The person stepped back a couple of paces; she decides to take him out quickly with a punch to the side of his head: Her knuckles aimed to hit a little above the jaw and an inch from the back. This was a simple motive that she had learned in a fight she had when defending herself years ago, and was usually a good way to disorient somebody. This punch landed too, and the person dropped their make-shift sword whilst stumbling around as if drunk. All the blade really is is a sharpened rod of metal connected to a wooden base. She picks it up quickly, the weight unlike her Asauchi that she is used to, and swings at the head of the bandit in order to take it off. As she finished and the crimson intermingled with the rich brown of the earth, she looked up at the others.

"Who's next?" she asked. They were staring her down as she looked over to the merchants. One of them seemed dead as blood flowed from his head. He had natural red hair with a liquid crimson to it as the blood didn't end; a river from the stab wound in his head. She couldn't see the eyes of this figure, and so she looked over to the hidden Merchant. All she could tell of them is that they were short and had red hair too; it may be a child. She then looked over to a standing figure of a lone girl. They had a dark skin color, and jet black greasy hair. Her eyes were red, and a devilish grin was on her face. She looked as if she were not even nine. As she Anna looked a little lower, she saw a blade in her hand, and something was very familiar about it... It was her Asauchi! She opened her mouth to speak an was charged by two of the bandits. She held up her blade to kill these bandits, and as one got near her she saw the tip of her Asauchi pierce the mans head. She looked over at the other one charging her, unable to make out anything about the in the blur of her confusion. A swing is made for her and she tries to side step it, but it hits her right shoulder with a heavy amount of force. She is lifted off of her feet and her right shoulder is fractured heavily. She looked up at the man that was about to kill her. His eyes were black, and his hair short and brown. He was a big man and his clothing torn from many battles before. All she thought about was whether she was going to die in this place, and if so was it by this man that she will fall? The man lifted his blade, and then that girl came from the side of him, and stabbed up and through the mans head, pulling the blade out and pushing the now dead man backwards. Anna looked back at the others, and only one lived still. He ran at the little girl scared and doubtful. The girl giggled slightly and rushed at the man, suddenly doing a front flip into the air as he swung for her feet. She went over the blade and kicked him in the face. Anna got up and screamed out in pain due to her broken arm. The man that the girl was fighting was now dead, his blood covering her face after she slit his throat. Who was this girl? Why was she helping?

"Who are you?" Anna asked her, and the girl turned to her, and rushed at her. Anna widened her eyes, lifting up the hunk of metal as she was swung at. The girls hit hard yet was quickly pushed away. Anna jumped to her feet, and before she could react to the stab that was aimed for her stomach there was a blade all the way through one side to the other. She screamed as the girl pulled the blade out of her side. This wasn't normal, she usually isn't this defenceless. Why didn't she attack this girl? Why didn't she just kill her? Suddenly Anna's right knee is stabbed through and her leg gives out, making her trip.

"My name? You want to know my name? My name is your death: Sinthia Hate!" she yelled with excitement, and then stabbed for the kill on Anna, directly for her head. Anna was just able to react and move out of the way when the blade moved past her head. She stood up quickly, screaming as the pain of standing on her injured leg was incredible. Turning around somewhat sluggishly she takes another stab that is aimed for her shoulder. As her shoulder is stabbed through she screams out in pain some more; the blade is then pulled out. Anna closed her eyes, another swing being made for her neck. This is it, she was going to die.

She falls backwards, and a heavy amount of shouting and thuds are heard around her. Was she now dead again? This is strange. Is this what happens after the second death? She opened her eyes and looked over at the girl whom was now in a fight with a Hollow. Anna took this as her perfect chance and started to charge a Bakudo. She whispered since she couldn't use too much energy currently, and started to get her incantation finished.

"May the black sounds of those that have felt death emit and destroy." was whispered as Sinthia fought the Hollow, swing for its mask but being blocked by the armored tail of the rat like hollow. The Hollow bit at Sinthia, but she ducked and stabbed up, directly through the mask. She destroyed the hollow, and turned back to Anna.

"Hado #7: Kuro Kaminari!" she yelled, and the attack was sent out. It was easily made out to be a bit weaker than average, but it still hit Sinthia and knocked her off her feet. She would be stunned for about twelve seconds, and so Anna started to get away. She could barely walk, and had to stumble into trees to catch her balance. Her vision was blurring and then suddenly she fainted, remembering only a slight figure in front of her. She dreamt of many things, and suddenly woke up about half an hour later. She jumped up and gasped for air, pain suddenly entering every part of her body.

"What?" she asked, this was all she could say through the pain. Somebody was standing next to her and started speaking. It was a muffled voice, male.

"I found you severely injured in the woods. I decided to bring you to my house and help you with your wounds. It was either that or leave you to die. I also found this blade next to you, and brought it too." he said, and Anna just nodded before her eyes closed and she fell back into sleep. All she could dream about was that girl. Something about her was disturbing, and the man got up and walked out to hunt hollow.

The next time she would wake up would be four days later, and she left to get back to Soul Society. She brought the sword with her, and made modifications to it along the way in order to make it sturdier and more fit for combat. When she got to Soul Society, she was told that she would not get a replacement for her lost Asauchi, and instead would be left to use the sword she had taken from the bandits. Since the bandits were dead, she had completed her mission. However, she had failed in her own eyes.

She looked back at her new blade with a smile. It was basically a flat piece of metal with two holes in it, and there was a very dense rope that was tied through that and a hole in the wooden base to keep it together. The wooden base was a strong wood with a slot in it. The metal fit into this slot and was held in place quite easily, the rope an added safety. The edges were extremely sharp and the flat tipped blade also having a sharp edge. She smiled and slept on a roof for hours.