Big Trouble In Little Ikeda

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Work, Work, Work
''Ezekiel ran down several connecting metallic corridors. He could hear the steps of countless beast pursuing him. No matter how fast he ran, they appeared to be nearby. He couldn't find his ring...So he had to trust in his rudimentary understanding of pulling. The ebony fullbringer dashed down countless steps. Leaping over rails and landing on more catwalks. This wasn't New York. Damn sure wasn't the United States. Hundreds of signs hung around him. No. This was in Japan. How the fuck did he end up here? He saw a red light and darted at the opening. A dead end...The pained groans of the dead approached. Ezekiel hesitated but turned around to see shadows sluggishly approaching. Above them a sign.''

Yamaguchi Steel Works

0234

A giant fist came crashing down from above. The usual barbaric haymaker by beings that lacked even an ounce of conscious thought. Just monstrous brutes following their animalistic instincts in hopes of getting a small evening snack. He shouldn't have to deal with this. At least not now when he should be napping before his overnight shift. Between school and his career, little interruptions like this were beginning to take a toll on his social life.

Ha!

If only he had a social life for things like this to take a toll on. No, this was pretty much what his life had become. Fighting. Work. Studying. Managing one of the most pretentious luxury properties during the day. Protecting the ignorant from the spiritual realm at night. Would he want it any other way? He dodged the thoughtless hammering fist, disappearing in a spark of emerald. The giant white monster, known to those who were spiritually aware as a hollow, stood there in his confusion before angrily bellowing to the heavens.

"Hey!" Ezekiel shouted. His voice booming through the openness of the empty park. "This is a residential neighborhood, stop driving up property prices with your noise! I plan on living here one day." The ebony skinned fighter hadn't had his powers for long. Well, he'd always possessed them. But he only recently began to get a grasp upon their capabilities. Still, nights like these where his blood pumped with fire assured him that he loved his gifts. This new life as a self-subscribed spiritual investigator gave him a new passion.

He weaved beneath the massive arm's attempt at slamming him into a nearby tree and leapt upward, suddenly floating above its reach. His dark navy sports coat buttoned by the top, complimenting the pink dress shirt and his favorite pair of jeans. As the white beast jumped in hopes of grabbing him, Ezekiel stared deep into its empty eyes. Hollows. He pondered. The painful roars of the infinitely hungry demon pained him. They sounded filled with sorrow. Longing. As if maybe the thing that poisoned their soul long before would return.

"They are souls of those who lost their hearts. When a human dies and is unable to re-enter the soul cycle, they transform into a hollow. There are as many hollows as humans with a numerous classifications. One day, you'll encounter stronger ones than these. So continue growing in strength, Zeke.

Ezekiel sighed. He hadn't seen the Old Man in quite some time. Old man Nguyen was like him, a human with a gift. Albeit a different gift, those blue arrows sure hurt like a bitch and were even more painful to remove. But Nguyen was the reason that the young Fullbringer was able to gain a sensible grasp on his powers and all that was spiritual.

"Fuck!" Ezekiel spat. Reminiscing in battle...something the geezer would often warn Ezekiel about. Since, while Ezekiel took a trip down memory lane, the hollow managed to learn that jumping increased its reach. And now it held the Fullbringer before its demonic maw with a grip that would've kill the average human. But Ezekiel had become a real life superhero.

"I guess we need to end this?" He managed to squeeze out. His body flickered a light green. The silver ring on his finger sparking with a luminescent light.

Weight of the World

Suddenly, the two were detached from the world around them. They began to slowly float up towards the sky. As if balloons released from the grasp of a careless child. It took all but several seconds for the beast and Ezekiel to rest several hundred feet in the air. The hollow swayed in hopes of regaining itself. But to no avail. The ebony Fullbringer slipped through the hollow's fingers and walked up its arm. "I wish I could save you. But I haven't even seen a Soul Weeper yet-I'm starting to think they're more of his maddened ramblings. Crying death gods?" Ezekiel kneeled on its shoulder blade, staring deeply into its endless gaze. "If you're in there, I want you to understand that it wasn't your fault. She doesn't blame you for his death." He touched the ivory mask. "Hopefully you'll find salvation after this."

One touch. One touch and the hollow was sent spiraling down back to the earth head first with the force of a skyscraper crashing from the heavens. The explosion loud enough to shake up the entire neighborhood. He could see hundreds of lights. Countless alarms. Which meant the cops would be here to investigate shortly. But luckily, even if they could see the spiritual side of life, the hollow vanished into nothingness. Still, Ezekiel needed to get out of there. In a flash of green, he was falling throughout the sky.

Room 504. She was a married woman known for her promiscuous nights out. And although the staff knew her husband, it was not their job to fix a broken marriage. Ezekiel checked his watch as he fell towards the building. 10:45PM. She tends to head out on her escapades at this time, leaving the window open in her absence. Ezekiel fell through the window. He stopped before slamming onto the wall, reorienting his personal gravity and landing on the floor. Ezekiel ran through the door and dashed down to the front office.

This hotel was one of the more prominent one's in New York. The Insula Avallonis. A skyscraper owned by Insula Inc. Beyond becoming the greatest spiritual investigator, Ezekiel hoped to one day own his own portfolio of high end hotels across the globe. But for now, he spent his nights managing the hotel during the grave shift.

"Ezekiel, you're late!" His coworker screamed. A smaller girl of porcelain skin.

"It's 10:45?"

"You're usually here at 9:30PM." The curvaceous woman leaned closer to Ezekiel. He could smell the Rose Avante radiating from her neck. His blood pressure started to increase. "Does this mean Zeke finally got himself a little plaything?"

"W-what? No! I-I was-"

"Relax I'm kidding. I figured you got caught up with that explosion business."

"Explosion business?" Ezekiel repeated. "News travel fast..."

"Fast? This happened yesterday in that Japanese city. You have family there right? I figured you'd been worried about them."

"Japan?" He took a relaxed breath. He hadn't heard about any explosion in Japan...And besides...it wasn't like they were that close to begin with. Ezekiel smiled. "Oh nah, my family is vacationing in Hawaii this winter." He smiled. "There was a pipe burst nearby. I'd take the Leeway express if you're driving home."

"What? What are you talking about, you don't even drive-"

Ezekiel had already left the office, leaving her to ponder what went on. He ran to the front desk area, clad in a white dress shirt, a black sports coat and a pair of black denim jeans. This wasn't his official uniform. But today was a slow day.

3:00AM

An explosion in Japan? It wasn't like Ezekiel actually cared...but it was dead and he completed everything. The elegant lobby was completely empty with only the soothing sound of Habanero playing in the background. He logged onto the internet and began typing. Explosion in Japan.

"300,000 results." Ezekiel clicked the first link. For someone whose family had such an interest in Japanese culture, he cursed his inability to speak Japanese beyond first grade comprehension. "There's a video." The video played silently. Yet his eyes widened as he paused it. Surrounding the countless reporters and investigators were bodies. But everyone moved as if they couldn't see them. Ezekiel zoomed in, squinting in order to get a better view.

This was a metal factory. This happened in a metal factory! At the bottom of one of the reporters was a sign which read Yamaguchi Steel Works 0234. If not for his often plain visage, Ezekiel's shock would have painted itself on his face. But instead he took a deep breath. Maybe this was all connected. That dream...this is more than stray hollows and spirits...Something called him.

He fiddled with the watch on his wrist. He knew what he needed to do. Ezekiel opened his email and began typing.

Good Morning Ms. Allison.

''I'm just wondering if that transfer position is still open? My school is offering a study abroad opportunity and I would love to consolidate both my credits and work study credits...''

The Promise
Lower Manhattan, New York

A young Japanese woman in her early twenties walked down the streets of SoHo, a portfolio tucked under her arm. She walked quickly, hoping to make it home before sundown. All around her, the lights of New York began to flicker on in the dusky warmth of twilight. Through the gaps in the streets, she could see the sunset on the horizon tinged with gold, and for a moment she felt the smallest pinprick of homesickness.

By this time in Osaka, the noodle vendors would have opened their stands. High school students in uniformed groups would be making their way back home after their club activities, chatting amiably and acknowledging friends along the street with boisterous disrespect. She smiled, recalling her long walks along the river bank, with the clear sky above and the air cleaned by the fresh scent of saltwater. New York, in comparison, was dirty, stagnated, chaotic...

Hikari breathed in sharply to clear her head of such thoughts, then skipped down the stairs leading to the subway. While she waited for the train she put in her earbuds and flicked through a playlist before settling on something to put her in a calm mood. After replying to some of her fellow classmates from her design school, she decided to quickly check the news… Japanese news. She scanned quickly over the headlines, humming along to a techno beat, but ground to a halt when she saw the characters for her hometown flash by.

She scrolled back up. Blinked. Re-read it.

Explosion in Ikeda leads to mysterious disappearances.

Hikari devoured each word of the article. A strange atmospheric phenomena had prompted an explosion at an old nuclear plant. At least 10 rescue workers were confirmed dead. A knot twisted in her stomach, and she leaned against the platform wall. Ikeda was a blip on Japan’s map, insignificant in the scheme of national news, but the explosion had pushed it into the spotlight. Still, the article was painfully sparse of information, and when she reached the end she followed the links to the police reports. There, she found a list of names. Her face drained of color.

No. It couldn’t be. Her finger traced the characters spelling out the missing persons. It felt as though the wind had been knocked out of her, and she blinked back tears, unable to believe the words printed there in indelible black lines:

Kōhaku Morimoto.

No...

Hikari didn’t notice her train pulling away from the platform. The lights from the car flashed by, painfully bright, before disappearing into the tunnel. Alone on the platform, Hikari wrestled with the emotions welling up within her. She tried not to think about Kōhaku, who had been a second older brother to her. She imagined the cigarette permanently attached to his hand, his easy smile, hopelessly unstylish hair, and general, lovable awkwardness. He couldn’t be gone. Not him. Hikari began a text to her older brother, but was unable to begin the message. What would he say? She had her reasons for coming to New York, but all of it seemed so insignificant now that her friends and mentors had disappeared. For a moment, she felt as though a piece of her past had been erased.

After a moment’s consideration, Hikari closed all the apps on her phone and put her earbuds away. She straightened her shoulders and took a deep breath, settling on a clear plan of action. That determination wavered, however, when she realized she would have to drain her savings for a plane ticket. She shook her head. It didn’t matter. All that mattered was that she be in Ikeda, shoulder to shoulder with the remains of Xstence, even though Tetsuo hadn’t realized yet that she was a full-fledged member just like any of them.

When the next train slid to a stop, she stepped through the doorways into the light, her face set firmly even as she brushed her tears away.

I’m coming, she promised.

From Ashes
Ikeda, Osaka

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

The echoing of footsteps through silent halls was the only sound that could be heard as Tetsuo made his way through the abandoned school. As he passed through the corridors, the lights flickered on ahead of him, activated by the slightest exertion of electric potential. Still, they did little to chase away the shadows that clung to his feet.

It was hard to believe that a week had gone by since nearly every member of Xstence had been taken by the rift. It felt like it had happened yesterday, yet also a month ago, as if it had been years since they had all been together. Here.

Tetsuo stepped around the debris and rubble that filled the abandoned hallway, pausing in front of one of the empty classrooms.

See, I told you this would be perfect!

He could almost hear the echo of his friend’s voice, and recalled the first time Kōhaku had brought him here to inspect the new headquarters of Xstence. He had been skeptical, as always. To this day he still wasn’t sure how the district administration had failed to follow through on the building’s condemnation. Yet as dead and shadowy as it was, it had become their home.

''We called them. All of them. Every Fullbringer we know, right here.''

That’s what Kōhaku had told him around his beaming grin the first day they had met at the old school. He couldn’t believe that had been five years ago. So much had changed, and yet his friendship to Kōhaku had remained steadfast through everything... until now.

Succumbing to the draw of the darkness inside, Tetsuo stepped into the empty room. A wave of nostalgia from more than fifteen years ago engulfed him. Images of high school flashed through his mind: the first time he had met Kōhaku. The wager held in the kendou club. Fighting back to back against bullies and Hollows alike. Then, moving away...

Tetsuo groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose against the stinging behind his eyes. He was exhausted, and it showed. He had done everything in his power to try and recover those who had been lost, but there had been no sign of them or the rift. After that night it had all vanished, as though nothing had happened. In the end, out of everyone who had stood on the precipice that night, only Tetsuo and Michiyo had been left.

The last few days, ever since the official reports had been published, had been the worst, and Tetsuo felt as though he could no longer live with the uncertainty. The police had registered those who had gone missing in the explosion, but they too had been powerless to locate any bodies. Caught in between desperation and grief, he had begun to think it would have been better had they all been killed instantly, instead of this...

Tetsuo caught himself, and a chill ran down his spine at the darkness of his own thoughts.

"I don’t know what to do, Kōhaku," he stated to the empty space.

"Tetsuo,"

Tetsuo whirled around, and he saw Kōhaku standing there behind him.

"Kouhaku, I—"

At once, they found themselves standing in the air above the school. Ikeda lay below them, blue lights blinking in the distance. A shimmering canvas enclosed them overhead, strange colors dancing along the translucent film of dark matter. He though he saw faces there—Nano, Emi, the faces of Xstence caught behind the barrier.

He looked away, unable to face them. Kouhaku stared at him, and his eyes began to well with an inky black substance that spilled over onto his skin.

No. Not this.

Not again.

The ground fell away between them, and Kōhaku hovered above the void, pulled against his will towards the darkness.

Tetsuo heard himself scream Kōhaku’s name as he reached out, but the distance pulled them apart. His friend’s face twisted with pain, and then it was all over. Helplessly, Tetsuo watched as Kōhaku was swallowed by the rift, slowly disintegrating into flecks of ash...

As quickly as it had begun, the hallucination ended, and Tetsuo found himself in the empty classroom once more. He had clenched his fists so hard that blood had pooled between his fingers, and when he looked at his palms he found that his hands were shaking.

It was the same dream he had been suffering from for the last week. A constant replay in his mind’s eye of the events surrounding the rift. More than anything, Tetsuo wanted to be free of that dream. That’s why he had come here, hoping to find some amount of closure in the abandoned headquarters of Xstence. Truth be told, he had even contemplated destroying the school itself to be free of his despair. But in the end, that would only be another form of running.

In the dim light, Tetsuo saw a glint of metal in the dust on the floor. It was a piece from one of Kōhaku’s e-cigarettes. Tetsuo knelt down to pick it up. His shoulders started to shake.

"I thought you might be here."

For some reason, Tetsuo wasn’t surprised to hear that voice, even though he thought he had been alone. He straightened up, and took a deep breath to steady himself.

“Am—” he turned to face her. Amaya stood in the doorway, arms crossed. His gaze was dragged to her fingers. A metal band was missing from her left hand—a painful absence which reminded him of the past between them.

"So you’ve heard?" he asked, finally managing to speak around the tightness in his chest.

"Michiyo told me," she replied.

"Why didn’t you come sooner?"

"I was in Karakura."

Tetsuo frowned. "You spoke with Riruka?"

"Urahara," she corrected. "I thought he might now something about what happened here in Ikeda."

A moment of silence stretched between them.

"I went to ground zero," she continued. "So, there’s really no sign of them?"

"No," Tetsuo replied. "I’ve—I did everything I could."

"Everything?" Amaya’s tone was accusatory, but then she sighed and walked towards him.

What? Tetsuo frowned. What do you expect from me?

Amaya cupped her hand around the side of his face. It stung more than if she had slapped him.

"Tetsuo," she began, the pain in her voice evident. He looked away. "You can’t shoulder this all by yourself," she said.

"Only me and Michiyo are left," he retorted, "So who exactly am I supposed to trust?" Bitterness welled up inside him. "You?" He brushed her hand away.

"I didn’t come here for you, Tetsuo," Amaya replied, her voice even. "I came here because I was called."

"Called?" he asked, skeptical.

She nodded. "By the 'rift'—I think that’s what Michiyo called it—And I’m sure there are other Fullbringers who feel the same pull."

Tetsuo didn’t respond, as he was still processing everything she had said. Why she was there.

"If my theory is correct," Amaya continued, "Then they’ll start arriving here in Ikeda very soon."

"What do you want me to do?" he finally asked.

"Hollows have been appearing in greater numbers since the incident, haven’t they. How long will are you going to continue clinging to the past? If you want to find Kōhaku and the others you’ll need help."

"Your help?"

"Yes," she answered confidently, but Tetsuo couldn’t respond.

"I say you listen to her, hmph," another voice interrupted them, and Michiyo stepped into the room.

"Obasan?" So she had been there too. He must have been more out of it than he thought, having failing to notice either of their presences.

"Listen, Tetchan," she said, "You can’t just sit around licking your wounds. You’re the leader of Xstence aren’t you? It’s high time you start acting like it. I can’t bear to see you—" Michiyo stopped, suddenly overcome by emotion. She sniffed loudly, rubbing tears from her eyes. "I can’t keep wiping your ass! You're a grown man damn it!" She stomped her foot, and Amaya stifled a laugh.

Tetsuo realized how great of an inconvenience he had placed her—how he had pained her, and he bowed towards her.

“I’m sorry,” he said. I’m sorry.

“Oh don’t apologize to me,” Michiyo scolded him. “It’s time we got to the bottom of this.”

“Right,” he said as he straightened up, and he looked between Amaya and Michiyo. “I promise I’ll make it up to you,” he swore with newfound determination.

“Hmph,” Michiyo said. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” she warned.

Amaya turned to Tetsuo. “Should we come up with a plan of action then?”

“You’re here,” he said, “So it makes sense to contact any other members of Xstence who aren’t in Ikeda at the moment.”

“Do you mean Kyang-jae?” Amaya asked. Tetsuo grimaced when he pictured the criminal’s face.

“...Yes. And then we can start recruiting the other Fullbringers who arrive. In the meantime, let’s focus our attentions on pinning down the source of that draw, and hope it leads us to the rift.”

Amaya nodded.

“That’s the Tetsuo we all know,” Michiyo said, and she reached up to pat him on the shoulder. “It’s good to have you back.”

He smiled, but inwardly cursed his own indecision and weakness. He would become stronger, even if it meant casting aside all that remained of him. Even if it meant embracing his own demons in hopes of saving them.

It was the only way he could live with himself.

Petty Thievery
It was a smaller store, but Soren was hungry. He had entered the shop, a little convince store near a residential area. As he did, he saw a shorter man with gray here. He was yelling at a younger girl in the shop's work uniform about not stocking something correctly and she looked to be on the verge of tears. While he knew it was a business, Soren felt bad for the girl and less bad for what he was going to do. He looked around the shop and made mental notes of where certain foods, snacks, and drinks he like wewere laid out. He began to walk towards the entrance of the store when the old man looked at him.

"Are you not going to buy anything!?" the man said in an annoyed tone.

"Uh, no. Sorry, I forgot my wallet."

The little man rolled his eyes. "The youth of today are unreliable idiots who can't work or function in society."

With that, Soren's mind was clear of any lingering guilt. He walked outside and went into a nearby alleyway. He pulled a key out of his pocket and began to focus on it. It glowed in a strange green light for a brief instance before a small hole appeared in the air. With that, Soren reached in and pulled his arm back out. In his hand was a bag of chips he looked at in the store. He repeated this a few times, pulling out a sandwich and some drinks in successive uses.

He didn't like stealing, but he had no real options. He had no home to go to, no family he could actually rely on, and a strange power that he could use to take from asses like the owner of the shop he was sitting beside now. May as well cause them that much more trouble. Not wanting to chance the store owner walking out and seeing him for whatever reason, Soren made one final reach into the portal to grab a bag. Putting his meal in there for later, he jogged down the street to seek a more comfortable area to eat until he found a business with a television visible in the window. He stopped to peer inside, seeing a news report.

"An explosion? What the hell happened over there?" Soren saw as Ikeda's name flashed on the screen with images of the aftermath. Names of missing people scrolled by as well. He looked at the date it happened and saw that some time had passed, about a week. While it was certainly tragic, the area was a ways off from his current position. However, his natural curiosity did make him want to make the journey. "Eat first, risk my life in rubble later," Soren joked as he continued to walk on, planning to see the ruins.

Within, a red-haired woman was walking across the main street. She was heading towards a medical establishment within the area in order to attend a local optometry research conference. It was a routine for the optometrist, Ragyō Niratoge, at this point, so she was quite bored as she walked around.

Her eyes passed a newspaper on her way, and she picked it up and glanced at the front cover. "Explosion in Ikeda!" The main title of the newspaper's front cover. The news wouldn't die down soon, after all, this was a major event for a small town like this. In fact, she was going to to flatly ignore the dentist conference this year. But this event only sparked her curiosity, and for the sake of better understanding her spiritual powers, she had arrived to see the unusual cause of this incident.

"So you're Ezekiel Silver? Welcome aboard to the Insula Avallonis, Kyoto!" The old man screamed in excitement. They sat in the office of the oriental building which matched the ancient Japanese theme of Kyoto. It was a weird building, certainly different from the usual skyscrapers that Ezekiel was used to in New York. Seven floors. A good number of rooms, restaurants and cultural services which would bring the Japanese culture to tourist of all walks of life. Also, the access to nearby prefectures made it a most desirable location. Ezekiel nervously pulled on his wristwatch, causing it to spark with green ambers that vanished immediately from behind the desk.

"Thank you, Otoyo-san." He spoke calmly. "I hope to adopt the famous eastern hospitality so that I can further my goals."

The conversation lasted a good while. Well, the one sided directions about the difference between the Western and Eastern definition of hospitality. Everyone swore that they were the most hospitable. But Ezekiel discovered the secret long before. Everything revolved around perspective. being able to step outside oneself and into the shoes of others. To absorb the emotions that float within the environment into one's soul. Only then could one claim to be a king among hoteliers. Perspective was reality after all. And so the young hotelier listened to his new boss with a smile. Softly pulling on the automatic device on his wrist as his thoughts travelled elsewhere.

''Now I'm here...And I don't even know where to begin. Maybe I should sneak away tonight and check out that factory. Nah that wouldn't work...''

Of course that place would be heavily guarded. And using spiritual powers against normal humans was something often considered extremely foolish. Unless he wanted to end up in some testing facility or worst, Ezekiel would have to rely on his natural talents. Which would stand less than a second against machine gun carrying soldiers. No. Ezekiel needed to find answers.

''I sensed a few abnormalities nearby. Maybe...''

Dinner went by quickly. As it should, since it was simple food. Soren didn't like to steal overly expensive stuff, despite how easy it would be for him. Soren always took just enough to sustain himself from meal to meal and tried to pay for what he could when he came across stray money or some odd job he could accomplish.

With that though, he concentrated. He opened a portal before himself and another near the scene of Ikeda. He had to be able to visualize the spot, thankfully the news story showed several images of the scene from different angles. With that, he walked through the portal and found himself in the surrounding area of the Ikeda explosion. He was within a mile of the extent of the blast radius. He took a few breaths, as he wasn't used to such long-range jumps. He began to walk to the blast zone, looking at the charred parts of the ground and melted shrapnel from the metal within the factory. "I wonder what caused this to happen..." he muttered as he peered at the destruction in a somber expression.

A Whisper in the Dark
The sun was rising above the horizon languidly, dispersing the icy darkness of night with its warm radiance. Slowly but surely, silhouettes of hills, trees, buildings emerged from the pall of blackness into the prominence of daylight. Shattered into a thousand pieces, that blackness desperately sought refuge in shadows cast by every material thing, lurking in the corners deprived of the life-giving brightness even then, humbled but persistent.

The same held true for the Yamaguchi Steel Works, Ikeda. Aside from the occasional, barely audible gust of wind, an unusual silence had befallen the place. Timid, the first sunrays shone through its windows to illuminate the machinery within. And there, too, darkness was splintered into an intricate network of shadows, forming an eerie web that entangled many a crane, cauldron, furnace, and conveyor belt. However, one of those shadows seemed darker than the rest. Like a giant blotch of living ink, it moved, independent of lighting or surface. Slithered carefully, deliberately, inspecting every nook and cranny as if searching for something.

Then, it stopped. There was a change. A subtle one, very much so, for one beyond the scope of mundane senses to perceive. Somebody was approaching the steelworks, someone extraordinary, and the shadow reacted. The blob of thick darkness seemingly faded away, and for a time there was only silence.

The electric whine of Tetsuo’s Yamaha YZF-R6 drummed in his ears as he pushed the bike into a higher gear, speeding along the highway that led outside Ikeda towards greater Osaka. As he weaved his way through the early-morning commuter traffic, he allowed the wind to pull away at the last shadowy thoughts still brooding at the back of his mind. While Michiyo and Amaya’s talk the night before had helped to clear his mind, the pressure of worry and doubt was ultimately released by the rhythm of the motor beneath him. His gaze settled steadily on the road in front of him, and for a moment that was all he focused on.

Right.

So, the first order of business would be to recruit more members of Xstence. Before, he had trained his efforts on discovering the cause of the Rift on his own, but Amaya had made him realize that, should he discover its source, the threat would likely be too great for the three of them to handle by themselves. Not to mention, if his theory was correct then... Tetsuo once again considered the strategy he was mulling over—a strategy that would take as many Fullbringers as possible to pull off. Yet there was another part of him that instinctively recognized the real purpose behind recruiting new members.

He quickly pushed those thoughts aside.

Tetsuo had just turned onto an offramp when, without warning, a current of strange pressure spiked in the atmosphere. He felt it in the base of his skull: instinctual, dense, and unlike any kind of Reiatsu he had ever sensed before, except once, that night at the opening of the Rift.

Tetsuo pulled to a stop on the side of the road and trained his spiritual awareness towards the disturbance. It was coming from the industrial district. Or, rather, he sensed a great stillness over the area, more an absence than a presence... a void of spiritual energy. Tetsuo frowned, and quickly typed a message to Michiyo. After a moment’s hesitation, he copied it to Amaya as well, alerting her of the situation. He was about to head towards the unknown locus when, with his awareness in a hyper-alert state, he registered another presence. Tetsuo’s eyes widened. A Fullbringer. But he didn't recognize it—and Tetsuo knew of every Fullbringer in the Osaka area. It would seem someone else had noticed the presence as well and was converging on the same destination.

Placing his hand on the throttle, Tetsuo sent a spark of electricity to the armature, and the Yamaha leapt forward. Responding to his touch, it roared through the streets, tracing the invisible line that at last pulled him to the Yamaguchi steel plant.

Leaving his motorcycle parked in a side street, Tetsuo approached the factory, careful to remain on the alert for anyone with high enough spiritual pressure to sense his own. But despite the fact that it was a workday morning, the place was devoid of human life. Tetsuo glanced over the notice posted on the main gate, which stated that the factory had been temporarily closed due to a failure to pass inspection. As an engineer, Tetsuo imagined a dozen different scenarios that could have led to the closure, but then discarded them all. Best not to make pessimistic assumptions about toxic contamination.

After checking over both shoulders, Tetsuo easily cleared the solid steel fence. He landed lightly on his feet on the other side, and quickly checked to make sure no one had seen him. As he suspected, there were security cameras facing the entrance to the steel plant, but a small transmission of static soon disabled them.

Tetsuo crept along the edge of the factory buildings towards the center of the plant, staying in the shadows. The air felt heavy here, dense and stagnate. For some reason, he had the uncanny sensation that he was being watched. A chill ran down his spine, and he removed his tonfa from his belt, keeping them at his sides. Something vibrated along the blunt weapons’ steel, and he paused. Just then, a pipe clattered against the ground, and Tetsuo ducked behind a corner, catching his breath to remain unheard.

"Fuck!" Ezekiel cursed while stumbling over cables and red pipes zig zagged at ankle level. The sudden spike in spiritual pressure caused him to leap out of his skin. Who else could be here? He thought. Dressed in a black blazer, denim and a white dress shirt, the shadows were not his friend. He looked at the pipe which now laid against a nearby machine. Whatever caused that couldn't have heard that. Although usually hypersensitive to the atmosphere around him, Ezekiel's focus upon being stealthy actually hindered his attention. Which meant he hadn't felt even the slightest twitch from Tetsuo's sparks. Instead, his third eye was focused towards something else.

This was the steel factory from his dream. The metallic scent which reminded him of blood. The actual splashes of blood that decorated both the walls and ceilings. He could taste it. But, although he felt a faint feeling of familiarity, Ezekiel couldn't follow the pathways properly. For he found surprises around each corner in the shape of sharp corners and ankle high pipes. If the demons don't get him, his own clumsiness will. Floating would be so much easier...but I'd attract unwanted attention if I use my powers. Ezekiel pondered. Rarely did he have to rely on two feet during these types of objectives. And oh did it show...

Ezekiel continued onwards, traveling down several staircases and into an empty hallway. He took out his phone and sucked his teeth. "No signal." Who would he call anyway? Not like the police could handle spiritual demons they might be able to see. His steps echoed through the metallic chambers. His fingers gracefully dragging along the walls in hopes of snatching any residual memories.

Shadowy figures...Chanting...Death...Destruction.

The usual. How come the afterlife couldn't be filled with fulfillment and satisfaction? Ezekiel sighed. Something big went on here...he just couldn't grab it completely.

Tetsuo had followed the dark-skinned Fullbringer down into the lower level of the factory, apparently remaining unnoticed He stepped lightly, keeping his Reiatsu close to his own body to avoid detection, and watched as the Fullbringer pulled out his phone. Tetsuo was reminded of Jackie Tristan, the only other black Fullbringer he had known, and wondered if the stranger was also American. If so, then why was he there?

He followed the young man into a large open room at the end of the hall, which appeared to be a shaft for the bridge crane suspended far above them. Gray light pierced through the latticework of steel supports, and at last Tetsuo stepped out from the shadows.

“Oha— Hello,” Tetsuo addressed the Fullbringer, opting for English. He sized up the other man with narrowed eyes, trying to gauge his reaction. Tetsuo didn’t realize that his expression would have seemed hostile and guarded, as though he had something to hide. After another moment’s consideration he decided to cut to the chase:

“It’s dangerous here, even for a Fullbringer. You should leave.” But he regretted it the second after he said it. He was trying to recruit other Fullbringers, not drive them away, damn it.

Ezekiel kept his composure, turning to meet the mysterious man who just threatened him. He seemed to know that Ezekiel was a Fullbring...hell the fact he knew what that was meant something fishy. Usually Ezekiel would've backed down. And perhaps the American blood pulsing through his veins. But the ebony Fullbringer could only smile. "Leave? Danger? Danger's my middle name."

That sounded way cooler in his head. And the language barrier probably made it even worse. His eyes narrowed from behind the thick glasses that framed his face. He made sure to analyze Tetsuo for any mysterious twitches, in case he tried anything. "Maybe you can give me some answers. What the hell happened here? And why did it call me? Answer me and I won't murder you."

Tetsuo tilted his head slightly to the side, but his expression didn't change. It took him a moment to process the other Fullbringer's threat—who was indeed revealed to be an American by his accent. Tetsuo recalled the advice Kōhaku had given him when it came to tense conversations like this. So, he smiled. Unfortunately, he didn't read the atmosphere right, and the sign of friendliness likely seemed more unnerving than reassuring.

"What I know is nothing has happened here—yet," he began, hating the sound of his own slow, grating accent. "But you sensed it too... there is something here." Tetsuo stepped closer, hoping to make his point clear. "Listen, you can't release so much reiatsu—eh, spiritual pressure. You're drawing too much attention to yourself."

Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw movement in the shadows. He glanced to the side, but if anything had been there, it had vanished. "We should get out of here," he said.