Tales of Beyond

A large garganta opened in the sky over an unassuming town. Out of it stepped a figure wearing a soul reaper's shihaksho with a large light brown cape over it, with a white mask over its face. The figure looked around and "tore" at the mask, causing it to disolve into purple energy.

"I wonder where I've found myself this time?"

"Stupid doggy.....why isnt he a doggy anymore?" A violet haired woman sat a local cafe frowning as she looked out through the area before ordering a cup of orange juice. "Its not the same! I miss his cute wittle ears."

The figure that had emerged from the garganta quickly dropped out of the sky and began walking the strees, knowing normal people wouldn't be able to see him. Resting a hand on the hilt of the katana at his waist out of habit he kept walking, eyeing the people he passed.

"Hm. I wonder if I'll find anything here."

Spotting a man with a sword strolling casually about the streets, Tabane suddenly gained interest. "Who is this fellow? Hm. Well once I get my juice I will approach him. For now I just have to be non-chalant and unnoticeable." As she spoke these words she began dancing in a snake like motion.

Catching something out of the corner of his eye the figured turned to see a young woman doing an odd dance. Reflexivly he tighted his grip on his sword and narrowed his eyes.

"What an odd woman."

"Er....crap." The woman stopped as she saw him turn to face her. She quickly went back to her table as raised a glass to appear as if she had never moved away from that spart. "Just sipping my juice, my tasty tasty juice.....wow this is some good juice." Jumping up she threw the glass down, causing it to shatter on the ground. "That glass is not good enough to contain such wonderful juice!"

The figure flinched at the sound of the shattering glass and reflexivly began to draw his blade but stopped himself and resheathed it.

"She can see me." He muttered to himself and started to cross the street.

Slowly shifting away, the woman looked at the man coming toward her and began staring into space. "Hmmm...I wonder if he wants to fix the cup?"

"Who exactly are you? I know you can see me." The man sits across from her and looks her in the eyes, a flicker of blue reitsu jumping across his face.

"Er....I am Tabane. Unless that changed sometime when I was sleeping. But the question is who are you and how do anyone else can't see you?" Tabane smiled as he tapped on the top of her skull.

"No one can see me because I'm-because I was a Soul Reaper. Normal humans can't see spirit beings. Which means you aren't a normal human. And the names Yukio."

Raising an eyebrow, Tabane sighed. "So you just assume that I could see you? HAHA. You're funny. Well besides the fact that you carry your sword as if you were trying to kill everyone in town." Smiling up at the man, she raised a outstretched hand. "Take a seat, relax and smile."

Yukio sat across from her, but kept his hand on his blade. "Sorry, but where I've lived for the past while, taking your hand away from your weapon is death. And I didn't assume, I saw you look directly and me, and there was nothing behind me." He relaxed slightly, but kept his hand at the ready.

"Hm? Were you talking? I'm sorry. I was kinda focused on the sky just then. I swore there was a bird up there or something. In any case. I do like your style. Hm where are you from...Yukio was it?" Tabane smiled after taking a sip from her new glass of juice

"Hueco Mundo." Yukio replied with a straight face, as though it was normal for a person to live in the World of the Hollows. "Only place I'm safe."

"I've heard of quite a few shinigami taking of residence there lately. Well one is.....we go there but in any case. I take it that Hueco Mundo is a splendid place to live if so many are starting to go there to get away from all the chaos."

"I didn't have a choice. And I haven't seen anyone else there, the Menos and Arrancar must have gotten themm." He cast a look around. "You must be one strange person if no one thinks its out of the normal for you to talk to yourself like this."

"Oh me?" Tabane looked around with a snide look on her face. "I don't actually fit in here. I spend time travelling so I develop strange quirks. Well...that's what I've been told. I don't think they're that strange to be honest. HAHAHA"

"Is that so?" Yukio quickly gives her a once over. "Hm...you can stop hiding your zanpakuto. Its only normal for a warrior to show their weapon to others." Yukio brushed his cloak aside, putting his zanpakuto in plain sight. "After all, we're both honorable aren't we?"

"Nope." Tabane smiled as she stuck out her toungue. "I said nothing of being that sort of person. But since you asked so nicely I suppose there is no problem showing you mine." Pulling out her blade she held it at her side before smiling at the stares she received from those around her.

"You're crazy." Yukio grabbed Tabane's shoulder and used Flash Step to move them to a deserted field outside the town they were in. "Thats not quite what I meant. Now, I want to know. How do you manifest your zanpakuto in a physical form?"

"Oh you can't? Hm....that's odd. I figured everyone could. Its simple really, just manifest it with your gigai. Wait, you do know what a gigai is correct?" Tabane smiled

"I WAS a Soul Reaper. I know very well what a gigai is. I was told that only Kido worked through them though." Yukio's hand tensed and relaxed over the hilt of his own blade while he eyed Tabane's.

"Looks to me like you've been in Hueco Mundo too long. Gigai's have received an update. Hahaha." Tabane eyed Yukio's blade before smiling. "So any reason you brought me out here?"

"For starters because you drew your blade in the middle of a crowed city. Thats just a bone headed move. And well..." Yukio's eyes briefly turned purple. "I've sensed you're powerful, and I like to challange powerful warriors."

"Oh!!!!!!" Tabane's eyes lit up. "Sure! I love good fights but you better make sure that you don't dissapoint me at all."

"Don't worry, I won't." he said as he drew his zanpakuto and held it out in front of him, blue reitsu flickering around him, mixed with the occasional hint of purple.

"Heh. En garde!" Tabane flew forward with her blade at her side in an attempt to cleave Yukio in two.

Yukio grabbed the blade with his gloved left hand and jumped back, shaking said hand. "Some swing you got there, almost broke my glove. Now then..." Yukio gripped his blade and lunged forwards swinging. Before connecting his blow though he used flash step to move behind her and swung his blade down instead.

Pivoting as she sensed his presence, Tabane turned to face Yukio with her blade outstretched so she could thrust it into his own blade causing the two to deflect off of one another. "Why bother bringing a glove to a sword fight?" She then re-gained her footing before turning to slice at the man's side.

Yukio took the blow and was seemingly unfazed. "Well, it has armor plating inside of it." Yukio grabbed Tabane's blade and pulled her in and stuck with the dull edge of his blade at the side of her head.

Surprised by the sudden attack, Tabane was sent carrening to the ground as she held her head and slid to a stop. Shaking off the daze caused by the swift blow, she hurried to her feet before sprinting back toward Yukio and jumping above him spinning herself into a drill-like fashion.

"Good thing I used the flat of my blade for that otherwise..." Yukio thought to himself as he jumped backwards to dodge, his cape getting clipped and torn. "You're obviously strong, so I won't insult you by holding back." Yukio held out his zanpakuto in front of him and swung it to the side. "Forge Anew, Kibo." Yukio's blade transformed from a katana into a standard western style sword, with a black blade and white edges, with a gold handguard and a hand and a half hilt. "Lets see if you can handle this."

"Oh I see. Very well I won't take it easy on you either. Hahaha. I'm already enjoying myself, I hope you're prepared for what's coming." Placing her blade back in its sheathe Tabane smiled, "Subjugate, Judaku!" Her katana began to glow with wispy pink flames as she drew it from its sheath.

"Lets do this then. Zetsubō!" Yukio swung his blade and an arc of azure energy shot out at Tabane at an incredible speed.

Blocking the energy bolt with her blade, Tabane was pushed back before deflecting the energy into the air. "Not bad at all Yukio. Heh well here goes!" Jumping up, Tabane swung her blade creating a large ice dragon that soared through the air toward her opponent.

"Hmph." Yukio swung his sword at the head of the dragon when it came near, and it instantly split in two and fell to pieces around him. "That the best you can do?" Yukio swung his blade, releasing several more Azure blasts in a hectic pattern. "Dodge that."

Smiling whimsically, Tabane flipped in the air while swinging her blade horizontally in front of her, creating several ice dragons that collided with the blasts of energy creating a large cloud of mist and ice shards. "Two can play at this game."

Yukio used flash step to move behind her and swung with his blade full force. "Lets see if you can dodge THIS"

Caught off guard by the sudden attack Tabane received a slash across her back causing her to tumble to the ground. Rolling to a stop, she picked up a chunk of ice and launched it back at Yukio before holding her wound.

Yukio blocks the ice but is still thrown back. "Hurt more than it should have huh? Kibo does that, in fact, thats its main ability in Shikai. The blasts are just an extra I learned to use. Stop holding back."

"Hahaha. You could tell huh? Well Judaku here was still trying to accept your shikai. But I believe he is ready now." She smiled as she stood back to her feet. "But we will save that little number for later. Reflect, Judaku!" The mist created moments earlier began to shimmer as they solidified into a dome of mirrors around Yukio and Tabane. "Its time to have some fun in my wonderland." Stepping into a mirror, she slashed foward causing a blade to extend from each of the mirrors around Yukio.

"Damn!" When the blades hit and the dust cleared, Yukio was standing in the center, several of the blades having pierced him. The most obvious thing though, was the white mask on his face. "If I had been a little slower putting on my mask, that might have killed me." Swinging his sword the blades shattered. "Now then..." Yukio held out his blade and channeled a purple energy into it and swung, a giant arc of energy flying out of it towards Tabane.

"Heh. No good little man." Tabane's smile appeared all around Yukio before the mirror he aimed at shattered. "Better try again. Or wait..." Thrusting her blade foward, she caused oe of the mirrors to transform into a large ice dragon that charged at Yukio.

"Damn, my Cero missed..." he panted. "Gotta be...careful..." looking up he saw the ice dragon and held out his right hand, firing a blue beam of energy from his palm, shattering it. "You wanna play that way? Fine." Yukio rushed at the mirrors, destroying them one at a time.

"I wouldn't be so cocky." Tabane smiled throught the mirrors once more before condensing the mirrors into one and caused it to transform into a large ice encrusted dragon reminscent of Hyorinmaru that rushed foward toward Yukio as Tabane thrusted foward with her own blade inside of the dragon's gaping mouth, crushing and freezing everything in its path.

"Interesting..." Yukio grabbed the hilt of his zanpakuto with both hands and swung down with all his might at Tabane as she drew near, hitting the dragon and shattering the ice, however her blade still grazed him. Holding his hand inches from her face he began charging another Cero.