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This article, Falling From Grace, was added by DazzlingEmerald who determines its usage on this wiki. |
Hunting the Hunter[]
"Hey, slow down a little!"
Mikado spat as he sped through Naruki City at breakneck speeds as though he were a bat out of hell. Giving chase to a Hollow that had unusually high speed and above average intelligence, he tried his hardest to avoid any civilian casualties as the humongous beast he was hunting lept from building to building, it's Minotaur-like shape leaving a trail of property damage due to its hulking form and heavy feat. Whether through the trees or atop the entire apartment complex. With every step it caused something akin to a small earthquake, it's stomping sending a reverberating shake through much of the surrounding area.
The Hollow stopped abruptly, before turning on its heels in Mikado's direction; its jaw opened wide, to the point where cracks could be seen at either edge of its mouth. A large crimson orb began to build within it, with another deafening roar the large wave of energy was let loose! A sonic boom could be heard all around as normal humans scattered about frantically from what to them was an abrupt crash.
To make matters worse, nearly the entire area was bathed in an eery red aura as the blast tore through the area and headed straight for Mikado. "Shit!" He swore as he thrust out both hands, palms facing toward the energy wave itself. Did he attempt to catch it? To stop it's barreling through the city with his bare hands?
"Here goes nothing," Mikado whispered to himself as he emitted his reiatsu in the form of blue flames and shot them towards the oncoming wave. The fire swirled around the attack, not meeting it for a head-on collision which would undoubtedly do more harm than good. As the fire engulfed the Hollow's energy, creating would best be described as a fire tornado, it soon began to shrink down in size and ferocity moment by moment. The spiritual fire began to incinerate the blast that it had carried within itself until it was reduced to nothingness. With that disaster averted...
"Ok, that's enough playing "Mr. Nice Guy"," Mikado spoke with a steely resolve. Unsheathing his sword from the sheath strapped across his back. The base of the blade began to flare up into the sword itself, completely. With one motion of, Mikado was able to appear in front of the Hollow and deliver a clean, vertical blow that would split the Hollowfied mask in half. The creature let out a screech as it was slain, it's body breaking down into ash.
However, a noise that almost sounded like a teenage girl crying within the scattering dust of the monster that formerly stood in her place. Wearing a yellow sundress and sandals, she attempted to wipe away her tears to no avail as she sobbed. Her brown hair was a matted mess as it fell around her shoulders, due to her placing her head in her hands in desperate fear.
Mikado walked up to her and placed a calm, yet reassuring hand on her shoulders. She looked up towards him, tears streaming down her cherub face. "I- I don't know where I am." She told Mikado, trying to catch her voice from breaking.
Mikado only smiled at her, "You're in a better place, now." He assured her before he took the Zanpakutō the Central 46 presented to him after the realization that he had none of his own hit them. With a small tap to her forehead, Mikado sent the girl on her way to the Soul Society. Her body was bathed in white light before dispersing into the afterlife. Mikado's smile at a job well-done soon fell from his face as he turned to look over his shoulder.
"You know, talking to a person is always better than staring at them from afar. Especially when you're this obvious about it. So come out now, I promise I don't bite."
What a clever lad. To think he had finally caught onto her presence after being oblivious all this time. If anything it showed steady growth on his behalf —so this was what the Central 46 had come to feel so indifferent about. An entity who could adapt so instinctively to his surroundings… yes, this one had trouble written all over him. Mikado Amarante, as he was named, was nothing more than a red flag in the eyes of the Soul King.
"My, my, seems you're far more observant than I gave you credit for," the words of Asahi Kurosaki echoed through Mikado's approximate vicinity. Where the sound of her voice was coming from was exactly unknown, but the form of a highly voluptuous and well-endowed woman eventually unveiled itself from within the shadows —literally.
Asahi's form surfaced from the shadow of a nearby building, rising slowly until the entirety of her shapely, hourglass figure could be comprehended in all. Said bust was tucked into an elaborate black and white kimono-esque robe, not unlike that of the standard Shinigami garb yet noticeably different. She bore wild, vermilion hair, assorted into a bun with an eyepatch of all things covering one side of her face. Her visage, while intricately woven with defined cheekbones and sharp, attractive features, bore strange marks and patterns, almost as if conveying another language in and of itself. A katana was strapped at her waist.
She was now sitting on the roof of a tall building, the thickness of her left thigh crossed tightly over that of her left; both limbs dangling off the edge. Asahi feasted her immediate gaze upon the substitute shinigami from her place above, a sly smirk playing along with the softness of her plump, pink lips. Her hands broke out into gentle applause.
"Perhaps you're strong, but I don't know that yet. I couldn't muster much of an opinion on you nor truly gauge your strength through your battle just now. So might you display it for me again one more time?" Her statement was neither a question nor a suggestion. Nay, judging by the action she made henceforth, it was a command.
For with another clap, the sky darkened; the air itself directly above the curvaceous red-haired woman began to crack, ripple, and weave, until a portal blacker than even the darkest night shattered into reality. From within, a far more menacing threat emerged, firstly showing its hands as it tore open the portal further until its long mellow stature could step into the current realm.
It was a Gillian, supposedly summoned through the power of the woman sitting casually atop the building. But if that were true, then it was more than probable that she too was behind the mastermind behind the attack of the minotaur hollow Mikado had just silenced moments prior.
What was her intention in bringing further harm to Naruki City? Only time would tell… but for now, Mikado had a challenge in the form of a Menos, which was wasting little time in getting to know its new surroundings. A red ball formed at the hollow's beak, its mark set on the substitute shinigami.
Mikado's eyes darted back and forth, trying to gauge the source of the strange woman's voice was no easy task as it sounded as though it were omnipresent. Finally, closing his eyes, Mikado chose to forgo the usage of his natural senses and turned towards that of the spiritual variety. After doing so, Mikado could feel a regal presence emerging atop a building tall enough to overlook the park Mikado was currently in, to his left.
As he finally set his eyes on the beautiful woman watching him from above, Mikado craned his neck upward to eye the woman closely. A katana was strapped to her hip. Could be a zanpakutō, though she didn't possess the normal spiritual energies acquainted with the Shinigami. Could she be an Arrancar? The eyepatch covering up her Hollow hole? Wouldn't be the first-time. Yet and still, her reiatsu just didn't align with that assumption. There was no way she could be a Quincy, right? And what was up with those patterns? Where they inscribed incantations? Whoever she was, she was as hard to read as she was to ignore.
He finally smirked, after his assessment of her possible racial alignment was completed, he would see if he could get any information out of her. Specifically, who she was and why she was following him. "I'm more observant than you thought? That perception was pretty low-level; something I believe just about any Shinigami worth their salt could pull off. So I hate to know what you thought of me beforehand." He spoke in an even manner, trying to negate any need for confrontation right out the gate. This city already had a Hollow rampage through it, no need the place to be roughed up anymore.
Upon hearing her command for him to show her his strength, Mikado sheathed his zanpakutō in the scabbard hastened across his back. "Sorry, I don't take requests. You want another light show, you're gonna have to find someone else who's willing to play along." However, it seemed as though he would not have a choice, as soon as the woman motioned for it, a huge garganta tore the sky in two, as an even larger Gillian protruded from it's void.
Mikado's eyes widened before the Gillian let loose and thunderous cero from its maw; what could be approximated to be at least ten times as fast as the blast fired at him from the minotaur Hollow. Not only that, but it was larger; much larger. To the point where if Mikado attempted to dodge it, the last would render the park nonexistent. Even more troubling was the realization that his Mikado just then. "You were the one who sent the last one, huh?" His tone was eerily calm as both hands hung to his side. Within a flash, Mikado shot forward into the epicenter of the blast. Thrusting his fist forward in a straight punch, only one thing could be heard apart from the noise generated by the Hollow's cero. "Ikkotsu." As the words exited Mikado's lips a fierce ripple tore through both the attack and the Gillian itself, shattering its mask.
Mikado would be nowhere to be found, however, for as suddenly as he attacked he vanished. Only to appear behind the red-haired stranger, his zanpakutō just barely grazing the nape of her neck. "Answer me, or meet your end here."
Asahi didn't budge so much as an inch. She remained as still as ever, casually so, even with Mikado's blade tickling her nape. She was calm… that much was for certain. Clearly, the woman had some ulterior motives.
Mikado was correct in his understanding of her spiritual energy. Asahi was something of an enigma, possessing a Reiryoku signature that was neither Quincy, Shinigami, nor Hollow. Instead, it was a combination of them all, so rare a breed and vast that sensing her energy was akin to gazing down a bottomless pit. And while she appeared every bit the Shinigami upon first glance, as Mikado had come to understand, there was truly no telling what she was.
In an elaborate act of mercy, Asahi rose her hands up above her head and turned his way, looking over her shoulder. She was… surrendering, with an apologetic expression overtaking her charming face. "Okay, okay! You win, you win. Yes, it was me. I am behind all the Hollows you saw not only today but over the course of the last month." Just how long had she been spying on him?
Asahi's Pesquisa was most acute; she had already deduced Mikado's power long ago merely by meeting his presence, concluding that he was at the very least comparable to that of a Captain of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads and best among the most powerful of their number. Not only so, but peering into him further she could tell by the way Mikado's energy fluctuated that he was indeed no ordinary Shinigami at all, but rather a Soul who was capable of Hollowfication.
"Forgive me, Mikado-kun. I was only trying to gain your attention." What Asahi offered at this moment was more of her charm. Simply put, most entities considered her to be incredibly attractive. She had a divine beauty about her, the kind that easily seduced men and made them susceptible to her ways. Asahi flashed Mikado with one of her signature smiles, which under any ordinary circumstance would course his veins and nurture his inner soul with unparallel warmth; the warmth of the sun goddess, this was akin to a kiss.
Her unusual stillness would have caught your normal Shinigami off guard. To have a blade so close to a vital area and not so much as flinch. The only thing that would ever mask the off-putting feeling such a feat would induce was the sense of security one had when they believed they had the upper hand. Mikado was no such soul reaper, he knew it would take more than this to even scratch the surface of this anomaly that sat before him. Her calm disposition was reflected even in her spiritual power, a silent spirit was all that could be perceived from Mikado's point of view.
As she raised her hands in an act of surrender Mikado kept the tip of the blade pointed at her; this woman had far more tricks up her sleeve to give up that easily, and with the amount of spiritual energy radiating from her this was obviously nowhere near her limit. So why give up so easily? Was she trying to talk? She had a clear opportunity to do that thirty minutes ago! "Yeah? I figured you were the one responsible for this last month's influx of Hollow. The reason the Central 46 had me running ragged. Thanks a lot, by the way!" He huffed, "Every time I cut one down I would feel a tinge of spiritual power that was unlike anything I had ever come across." That's how Mikado was able to pinpoint her today. That unique pressure lingered an instant longer than it normally had for the last month.
Mikado's mind kept at its attempt to pick her apart until the bombshell was dropped on him. "Trying to get my attention? Why didn't you just come right up and ask for it? Why all these stupid games? All this endangering the lives of civilians? All the paperwork I had to do because of you..." He seethed, eyes now glaring holes into the woman sitting before him. He was half tempted to just seal her up and bring her before the Gotei 13, let them decide how to deal with this. Then...she smiled at him, her countenance was one that could instantly soothe a raging beast stomping through the sand dunes of Hueco Mundo. Surely, what was expected was for Mikado to fall prey to her angelic beauty. However, the young white-haired man was far from enchanted. Instead, his eyes glimmered a light blue hue and his muscles began to tighten all over his lithe frame.
"Nice try," He smirked, "but that isn't going to cut it with me. I've been trained since birth to control my instincts. So pick a different tune, preferably one that tells me why you've been stalking me."
"Hoy, don't flatter yourself. My being here has hardly anything to do with you and everything to do with your position. You seem like a total noob, so let me explain." Asahi sighed, raising up her index finger with a pointed expression appearing across her face. She was disappointed in what she had seen from him thus far in terms of raw ability; moreover, on a somewhat unrelated scale, Asahi was offended to learn that her charm would not work on him. This was one of the few rare occasions that her looks alone wouldn't allow her to get her way. What a surprise!
"You see, Naruki City is one of the most important cities in all of the Human World, being a direct neighbor to Karakura Town, where the jūreichi resides. In other words, this city is akin to a spiritual haven, a nesting grounds if you will, for various spiritual beings. There is no telling what sort of dangers may appear here within a moment's notice. I was only testing your capability in safeguarding it. Merely conversing with you would simply not suffice; I had to see what you could do under the impression of true danger."
Opening her eyes, Asahi rolled her eyes. Still remotely offended, she continued with a shrug. "Maybe you didn't know, but I don't blame you. Heck, if the Central 46 put a guy like you in charge over this city, then even they must have somehow forgotten just how important it really is."
She waved her hand dismissively. She could still feel his blade against her neck. "...And I don't mean that as an insult, but take it as you will. I am able to see things you cannot. That makes me far more aware of certain matters. There is great danger coming your way in the not so distant future. I have done my best to prepare you for it over the course of the last month, but as you are now I'm unsure you'll be able to defend this city by yourself."
More confusing banter. Just what was she on about? With all the Hollow attacks she had staged in the last month… was she training him? Was she trying to test his strength? To see if he was truly worthy of his position as a Substitute Soul Reaper of one of the most important monuments within the World of Living? And what was this other nonsense she was now spewing? There was a threat far greater than the Hollow coming to Naruki City? How did she know of it? And how could she so confidently doubt him despite having just met him?
The questions were endless. She spoke wisely, yet gave the impression of an uninterested lollop.
As she did so, Mikado took her words in, however, as they were laced with a hint that this entity may know what she's talking about and isn't just some random trouble-maker. He lowered his blade to his side, taking in her words yet remaining vigilant enough to not let his guard down - after all, she could attack at any moment and he had to be ready to retaliate if necessary. "You wanted to see how I would act under pressure? Not a bad strategy, I admit. Though you're doing something the Central 46 already drilled into me before I even became the Substitute Shinigami. So, I assure you, the Central 46 knew exactly what they were doing when they chose me. I am all too aware of its importance; it's a fertile ground for all sorts of spiritual phenomena to spring up from. Hell, you're not even the weirdest thing I've seen in this city."
Mikado merely rolled his eyes at her immature outburst. It was obvious she was used to having her way with any man or woman by virtue of her appearance and charm. Mikado must've been some anomaly to not only be unaffected by her wiles but to outright reject them. "Well my position was given to me for a reason, my dear. So please. Get to the point."
Mikado was far too well trained to be mentally uprooted by "insults" if what she said can even be called that. He's been downplayed because of his age before, and time after time he made all of his doubters eat their words. This red-haired anomaly would be no different. As he wasn't trying to prove his worth to anyone, he was trying to protect the people of the area as best he could.
"Such remarks aren't anything new to me, ma'am. Though you have spoken of things seen and if your ability of perception is half as perfect you claim it is, then you need to let me know something about this "danger" coming to the city in words that aren't muddled in ambiguous ramblings." He spoke calmly and authoritatively, slinging his zanpakutō across his shoulders.
"However, this raises another question: Why do you care so much? Or at all?"