City of Igarashi

After bearing witness to the disunity between the 13 court Guard Squads, the Captain Commander has declared that various members of each squad will venture to the human world. This is so that they may all learn to cooperate under different circumstances. The expedition group will be led by Lieutenant Hosoi of the Twelfth division. As for why the Captain Commander chose Hosoi over others is not yet known.


All the members of the expedition have gathered together in front of the Senkaimon to travel to the human world. It had been some time since so many have left for the human world, but it was deemed worthwhile by the Captain Commander. The only lieutenant among the expedition group was Hosoi. There were also other seated members of different squads, however, the rank only went as far up as the fourth seated officer. Many shinigami have already formed groups of four or more while there were still a few that chose to start off as a lone wolf. Of the many groups, our protagonists were found closer towards the front of the crowd due to Junko’s insistence. Shinigami began to feel restless, waiting for the call to open the gates of the Senkaimon.


After ten or fifteen minutes were spent waiting, Lieutenant Hosoi gave the call and the gates were opened. Streams of shinigami rushed through and were immediately dispersed around the city of Igarashi. The group consisting of Yasei, Junko, Joel, Ryuu, Iehira and Kaito were placed in an area close to a university and large shopping complex. They were to wear gigais until it was no longer necessary and to interact with the population to avoid any disruption among the city while dealing with hollows.


Currently, the group is staying in an apartment complex with two other groups from the expedition.

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Ryuu Shosuke

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“Feels restrictive...”

Gigai's weren't exactly tailored to personal taste, and while Kaito had some prior knowledge on the working off these 'How did the captain put it?' human dolls. It wasn't as though he wasn't feeling the dampening on his strength. Limbs felt doughy. Muscles pushed and pulled, like strings strung a little too tight. With time they'd all acclimate to the circumstances, but all the way Kaito couldn't help but think this wasn't a good move on the Shinigami's part. Helped blend in, sure, but it'd be a hassle nonetheless.

And he didn't like it one bit...

“Hey I’m gonna go exploring. Does anyone want to come with?”

“I'm game.” Wasn't like he'd been doing much else sitting in their apartment musing on the value of the mission. Besides, it'd make a good excuse to stretch his legs and get a lay of the land.

Joel

Departing in the morning was one thing, but having to wait until half noon was another. The hurry up and wait approach was a reminder of his time in the academy and gave him a feeling of gratitude to his own squad for not having to deal with time saving efforts of this sort. Joel didn't like to see it as such, for he knew this was just to prevent people from being late. It was even worse considering that he had never been late due to his speed which was the downfall to being so fast. It didn't keep him from trying to get faster each day, but it was an annoyance none the less. More so because when given an early time to be somewhere, Joel couldn't take his last minute approach of being the final or close to the last person to show up to a gathering.

He crossed his arms and sighed as he stared up at the grey morning sky. The sun hadn't even arose yet, and by the time it did, it would still be awhile before the event actually started. No doubt, the wait was for people to still gather into mixed teams before being forced into ones. Surprising as it was, he had a few stragglers walk past him and ask him if he had a team, most of whom were people he's never seen before, despite his time as a shinigami. He was relieved when the first of his friends came in to save him from the unwanted interactions and though he wouldn't say it, being around them made the wait pass by quicker. It was then he learned that only the people without a team had to show up early, which made him feel bad for feeling so negatively about the ones who talked to him. He had to admit, he wasn't a morning person and everyone in his division knew so. Especially fourth seat Forza, the man who told Joel and the rest of the squad members departing thirteenth to arrive early. No doubt a prank for the first time human world visitors. Joel hadn't seen the others since they left and had a feeling he might not get to see them for a long while. He looked towards the direction of the base area and realized he wouldn't see a lot of them for a while. This brought him both a sense of relief and a hint of sadness. They were like his family after all. How lucky that he'd be able to spend this time away from them with others whom he'd call family. How lucky indeed.

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"47....48....49...........50!"
Joel flopped over to his back, giving his arms a rest and taking a moment to relax his chest. He couldn't believe how weak the Gigai's were in comparison to his non-corporal body. Everything felt different with it on. The way the earth's gravity was more apparent. How he could only do fifty push ups, twenty pull ups, and a hundred sit ups. Even the way his balance felt when he walked. Everything was out of whack. Usually, when he walked he felt light as a feather and he could exercise all day in one muscle group before getting tired. This was even worse than being a child again, he thought. He sat up, wincing and using one hand to grab his stressed chest area and the other to grab his abdomen, which he think he totally destroyed the night before. When he was finally able to relax he curled his legs together and began his breathing training while looking around the room. The humans really did believe in comfort of the mind as well as the body. Joel hadn't even used his bed since being there, seeing as his carpeted floor was so comfortable. He couldn't decide if he'd rather sleep on the patch of grass near the koi pond or sleep on the soft floor lining. It made him especially happy, that he could literally work out, then nap and go to working out again without having to worry about pulling off heavy sheets, or getting away from the clutches of a mattress. He wondered if the mattresses in the human realm were any different from the ones in his. The only one in the room who would know the difference was Jin. Jin was the name Joel's zanpakuto growled out one night. The growl was so slurred, Joel could tell that Jin wasn't all there was too it, but the fact that spirit in his blade was calm enough to try saying something that didn't have to do with eating something meant there was progress happening in their synergy. He looked at the sword that was leaning against his bed thinking about how there wasn't even a peep from it since they've arrived. The man could only hope it wasn't a bad omen.

Joel sprung to his feet, forcefully stepping back while flailing his arms to catch his balance. He was able to avoid the fall and was relieved that none of the others were currently in the room to see his close fail. It was then that he started to wonder where the others had run off to and if they were ever going to get a call to actually do their jobs. He headed to the bedrooms exit to leave and get something to eat when he heard a loud bang sound, followed by a smaller thump and some muffled voices. Joel went back to grab his zanpakuto and a pill of his nightstand just in case.

When he opened the door he could see Kaito down the hall checking out his person. Surely he too was feeling weird in his human prison. Joel sighed and walked towards him thinking to maybe start a conversation, but kept his eyes away until getting closer when as soon as he was opening his mouth, he heard Ryuu call out to them. "Exploring..." Joel repeated under his breath to register the thought completely in his head. 'As cold as it is?' This thing the humans had called winter wasn't something to laugh about and made the young man instantly use his "allowance" to buy heavy hoods and clothes. Kaito seemed to be game, as he had said so himself and Before he realized it, he blurted out, "Sounds fun," He still had his zanpakuto in hand and the pill in his pocket so he believed he was set to leave anyways. There wasn't an excuses not to go and frankly, Joel didn't think he really wanted one. He knew as well as anyone else that you can't just stay in a box exercising all day and night without any interaction. It wasn't good for the psyche. He threw on some really baggy Jeans over the sport shorts he had on and put on long shirt over his t-shirt and then a jacket before throwing a hood jacket over that one. "Ready when you guys are," he said dressed as if the winter holocaust was beginning.

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Ryuu Shosuke

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Her red eyes snapped over to where Kaito stood. Ryuu hadn’t noticed him being there, so she was a bit surprised by his presence. “Well that’s one person. Anyone else want to come with?” It was frustrating not being able to sense the spiritual presence of her friends. Not as well as she would have without the gigai. She leaned against a countertop, waiting for someone else to join them. It wasn’t that she didn’t enjoy Kaito’s company, but it would be a lot more bearable to have more to interact with. Kaito wasn’t the most talkative of people, but Ryuu wasn’t much of a talker either.

Joel was the second person to pop. He carried his zanpakuto with him which Ryuu realized she should probably take with her. She looked over his attire with some disbelief before snickering. “Joel we’re not going to Antarctica if that’s what you were thinking. It’s not that cold, but I guess I should throw on a jacket so you don’t look too out of place.” As stood up straight and went to her room. She grabbed a random jacket as well as her sword. Ryuu kept it in a case that the humans used for some game called lacrosse. Leaving her room, she came upon Iehira as well.

“Well you’re an awful sight. Are you already getting sick of the human world?” She poked fun at his dull mood. They all gathered in the main room, and Ryuu looked around at the bored faces. They were missing Yasei and Junko, but she was desperate to head out. “Well I guess the other two went off on their own or something.” Ryuu wasn’t expecting to be the one to lead the group as it just wasn’t her thing.

With the way they carried themselves and the mood that was radiating off of them made anyone they passed by uncomfortable. If the public didn’t know any better they were all delinquents being led by some angry looking red head. Ryuu didn’t help the situation much either by glaring at anyone who stared at them too long. They had already gone through this area before, so there was nothing new to see. Eventually they reached the shopping district which was bustling with activity.

Ryuu hadn’t been through this part of the area yet, so she was curious as to what was inside all the buildings. “Well I guess we can just explore on our own for a little while. I haven’t been through here yet. I’ve heard that these areas are like candy to a baby. Hollows can be found here, so maybe we’ll find one or two?” A wolfish grin flashed across her face. Ryuu was aware that wishing for Hollows to appear wasn’t exactly great but in all honesty she needed something to do. She knew the others probably shared the same thoughts.

As Ryuu explored a bit, she saw a boutique full of clothing. When she got close enough she saw that it was full of frilly gowns. She stood in front of the window at just the right spot to where it looked like her reflection was wearing one of the dresses. She snickered at the idea of being forced to wear it. Turning on her heel, Ryuu decided to lean against the wall of the building with her hands stuffed in the pockets of her jacket. Red eyes surveyed the area in hopes of finding something interesting or maybe one of the others. A frown began to grow on her face. She was becoming increasingly frustrated with the lack of activity around the area. Ryuu had heard news of Hollows appearing in other areas and groups were already gathering points.

With a frustrated sigh Ryuu stepped away from the wall, turning her back to the rest of the shopping district as she took the first steps back to their apartment. Suddenly a man scream and there was a loud boom and debris was flung everywhere. She whipped around with a grin on her face. “Well it’s about damn time something happened!” The mask belonging to a Hollow appeared among the dust. The large creature walked towards her general direction. At first Ryuu was thinking of just taking care of it on her own but then the dust settled and Ryuu saw just how large the thing was. “Well shit. I guess there’s more for us to cut down.”

Ryuu found an alleyway and quickly disposed of her gigai. It was a bit of a struggle, but she got out somehow. With zanpakuto in hand Ryuu ran back out. The Hollow was indeed big. The front arms were thick while the legs were thinner but they ended in points. A long tail whipped around destroying a bit more of the surrounding area. The shopping district was nearly empty save for a few stragglers, but Ryuu didn’t particularly about that. “Y’all better get your asses out here!” she looked around for the others before she ran at the Hollow.

She at one of the back legs, severing it completely. The Hollow began to tilt and struggle to stand up right but it didn’t fall. Ryuu was focused on the Hollow itself, so she was unaware that the leg she had cut off was beginning to morph into something. It was turning into a smaller Hollow. It was much larger than they were, but only half the height of the big one.

If anyone was talking, Kaito wasn’t hearing it. For all his lack in diligence, he hadn’t exactly radiated calm. The human world had a talent for making him love and hate it at the same time, and the fact that the others were just about as ecstatic didn’t help the situation. So there he was, clothed in as casual an attire as he could find and walking somewhat behind the three other Shinigami in disguise and thinking of where the bear and the stiff upper-lip lady had gone to. It felt uncharacteristic of Yasei to go without a word.

Then again, he was unusually quiet at present. But Kaito hadn’t felt like lingering on that fact any more than he’d already had done, and quickly decided to let the thought go lest he grow a depression streak.

“Well I guess we can just explore on our own for a little while. I haven’t been through here yet. I’ve heard that these areas are like candy to a baby. Hollows can be found here, so maybe we’ll find one or two?”

’Don’t jinx it.’ Kaito gave his own little smirk. Somehow Ryuu’s excitement was a welcome change in an otherwise quiet gathering, and the scientist couldn’t wait to see some of it himself. It’d at least sate his boredom for a while, and at this point hollows were as good as any distraction. Not so much for the humans, of course.

So he went off on his own, outwardly disinterested but keeping a keen sense out for anything out of the ordinary. Shopping was never his thing, so instead Kaito had remained somewhere close the the centre of the district and finding a nice bench to sit on while waiting for the problem to come to him. On the other hand, Ryuu seemed eager to look for it. Always was the way with her, impatient to get on with things.

*Crash*

The Shinigami garb stood out among the oblivious humans, and Kaito wasn’t slow to react either when a hollowing rivalling the size of two double-decker busses jumped into the lovely dinner table that had been the shopping district. His gigai was hastily removed inside a photo booth that was “out of order”, and not a moment too soon he’d closed the distance between himself and Ryuu, and greeted the second (much to his own surprise), smaller hollow with an elbow to the face and knocking it back into a wall.

“Just two, huh?”

Joel

While walking, Joel wasn't paying much attention to where Ryuu was leading the group. He figured any place would be better than the room he was staying in, but that was until he began to hear the loud sounds and chaos of a crowd of people all going about their separate business. He was about to ask why they came, but Ryuu made a good point about this being basically an all you can eat for the hollows. He sighed it off, trying not to show how much regret he had for leaving, thinking about how he was supposed to conduct himself? He slowly took steps back waiting for everyone to wave each other away and finally turned walking off to nowhere in general, almost sulking at how uncomfortable he felt.

He walked in a straight path, heading to the outskirts of the shopping district and finding himself in a quieter area. Finally he stopped and looked back, paying attention to the noise of the crowd. Joel wondered how could people have so much fun spending their money. Though, it wasn't his place to question the humans anyway. He figured he was just bored and chuckled at the fact that he was missing his old home in the soul society. The human world was much too loud. However, the sky was just as beautiful, so he decided he could make the best out his time.

Joel began walking towards the noise of the district and the further he stepped inside, the more he could tell the difference in noises. Soon it seemed people were running, looking confused and scared.

"What's happening," One man came rushing out of a building Joel passed.
"We don't know. We just heard a loud crash and the buildings are crumbling, the earth is shattering. I think it's an earthquake," a lady answered.

Joel couldn't help but to crack a smile in excitement. He was finally able to do what he came there to do. He cut one of the corners and headed inside an alley way. He put a pill into his mouth and was forced outside of his corporeal body. Having been the first time in weeks that he had been able to feel fully comfortable he over powered his jump, sending him rocketing to the sky. Luckily, it gave him a good view over the entire shopping center and he could see Ryuu and Kaito fighting against two similar looking hollows. Once his gaze fixed on the hollows he could feel his sword calling to be fed.

Landing on the building, the shinigami hopped from roof to roof until he made it to the others. With a loud crash he jumped down with all of his weight on top of the hollow Kaito had just sent flying. He paused for a second, losing balance and leaning heavily on the wall before flipping off of the fiend. He quickly looked towards the hollow and then the one Ryuu was fighting and quickly saw that they may have been the same type of hollow. Their masks and bodies were too identical for them not to be related in some way. Upon closer inspection he could see a cut on the leg of the hollow Ryuu was fighting. It was apparent that it was a reproduction type. Something that could be truly scary if not handled properly. Joel even remembered, while learning in the academy, that these types of hollows could start as big and then become smaller with each piece of their being taken from them. There was a chance that if he cut at it all day, there would thousands of small hollows by the end of his struggle. This excited him more. For he knew that soon, the hollow would be so small, that he could erase it from all existence. He didn't care at this point how many stabs and slashes he would have to take. All that was a back drop to his combined hunger. For his blade wasn't the only one that was hungry.

He took his blade from his under his now black jacket and flipped it around in his hand, readying his draw stand with his right hand on the hilt and left around the sword sheaths trigger. Now was his chance. A chance for redemption. A chance for revenge. A chance to satiate his hunger. The hollow seemed mad at the fact that he was not only tossed easily, but also stepped on by two smaller entities. Joel scoffed at its primitive mindset.

Like an animal it shook in anger and screamed. It knew it was cornered. Joel could tell it could feel either his lust to destroy it, or his swords lust devour it. It's animalistic fear only made Joel want to slice it up even more, but he waited. It pounced, being at the end of its on patience and directed it's rush towards Joel, mouth wide open, possibly wider than the man's body. Truly, it was trying to eat him whole. Truly it was also hungry. However, Joel could tell just by the contrasting feeling. His sword was hungrier, and on this food chain, it was also on top.

BOOM!!!

With the pull of the trigger, Joel released his blade and flung his hand, breaking it in the air, and tightening the muscle in his arm before flipping his sword and placing it back into its sheathe. the hollow closed its mouth in cadence with the bang and landed chin first on the ground. The shinigami breathed and looked down at the half split hollow and then towards the sides at its masked snout. He was disappointed. Though, he cut through it like butter he wasn't able to cut it perfectly in half. Deciding to finish the job he kicked one half of the hollow, making it tear and screech in agony. The force was strong enough to send on half flying in the direction he kicked it in and returning to his relaxed look, Joel sighed and began walking over towards the half he had made just for himself.

"C'mon. Heal. Now it's even. Three on three," he said in a low tone while walking towards the half of hollow husk. With perfect timing it started forming into its own body, smaller than the one Ryuu was fighting. Joel grinned at the creature in anticipation. "Good. Now, it's time to eat."