[OPEN] This World

[Kharashi]

I was really there out of boredom more than anything. There was nothing to do--I had finished the hoverboard I was supposed to make for Jin and I already. I walked through the crowd aimlessly as my colorless eyes darted this way and that. The buildings here were tall and sometimes menacing--I guess it depended on the time of day.

In reality, that was a lie. I was looking for a Hollow. It seemed terrible to think of it that way--that I wished a Hollow would appear. As if I wanted them to exist, to feed. I only wanted a better understanding of all this spiritual stuff, though. And the best way to do that was to understand the spiritual side of myself better, I figured. Or at least, the best way to start.

Unfortunately, thus far I hadn't sensed anything remotely Hollow-like within the vicinity. It was unfortunate. Tragic, really. But it couldn't be helped. I continued to wander about the town square aimlessly. Many thoughts raced across my mind.

If these happenings, with the Hollows, occured so often, and things were destroyed . . . how has the town not realized something is odd? Buildings being randomly smashed by invisible forces isn't the most common thing . . .

And how does everything get repaired without these things coming into question?

I had a lot more on my mind, but I realized that thinking like that was only going to serve to confuse me even more. I sighed and stuffed my hands into my pockets--I had left my camera at home in fear of it breaking should I encounter a Hollow, and found myself utterly bored.

[Hikari]

She really had no idea what had brought her back to the human world. Perhaps she needed a break from the Soul Society, or was subconsciously hunting the Gillan that had gotten away. Careful footsteps carried her through the busy streets of the town square, even though anyone who might get close would simply phase through her ethereal form. Though most of the other soul reapers didnt have a problem with it, Hikari found that passing through another soul to be impolite. After all, humans never got that close to one another without permission, so she made a conscious effort to avoid such intimate encounters.

However, one would be surprised to find how difficult it was to avoid foot traffic when that which you are trying to avoid doesn't know you exist. Quick and methodical footwork allowed her to weave her way down the sidewalk, though at a considerably slower pace than if she would have simply walked through the humans. The seemingly never ending flow of traffic continued, and her simple stroll through the streets had become an intense agility training session. Thinking to herself that she must appear quite foolish, she took solace in the fact that none of these inferior beings could see her.

[Kharashi]

My boredom hadn't yet been quenched, but my irritation had been quelled well enough. Unfortunately, most Humans found themselves too important to step aside as they waded through the heavy traffic in these crowded areas, so I found myself doing all of the work. I had been busy fuming mentally, then I felt something new--I wasn't sure where it had come from, or why I hadn't sensed it before. A new sensation. I hadn't had this feeling except once or twice before--it intrigued me, to say the least. I felt like a dog, catching wind of a steak or . . . something like that.

At any rate, my eyes opened up and darted around me, passing by all of the meaningless faces that surrounded me, each one making an impression in my mind for only an ephemeral moment before it meant nothing again. Then, suddenly, my gaze fell upon the only possible source--a black-clothed woman weaving in and out of the traffic. This caused me some doubts--I knew a bit about Shinigami, but one thing was certain: they were spiritual beings. That meant that she should have been able to phase through these Humans without obstruction. Perhaps this odd behavior was what intrigued me even more, as I was certain that what I was sensing stemmed from her. Her reiatsu.

From it I could deduct that she was a bit stronger than myself. Which, in the end, really isn't all that surprising. I began my trek through the mass of people towards the woman at a rather slow pace. As I neared her, I found I was unsure of how to begin interaction with the Shinigami. I hoped that she would sense my reiatsu as being stronger than that of everyone around us, but I couldn't be sure . . .

As I was bound to these thoughts in such a contemplative way, I hadn't been as alert as I could have been. A bulky man had been coming my way, and chose to plow through me as opposed to dodging my comparatively smaller body. I was knocked to the side a bit and stumbled straight for the Shinigami.

[Big Black Fish]

Standing above the building flat, I would scan the crowd that had been poring out from building to building, alive in its own way. This world seemed too crowded; everything... disorganized. Even with the knowledge of the ruling here, with jurisdiction, and court rooms just like Soul Society, everything was out of whack. This world was too much for my liking. I would take a deep breath to absorb the thought deeply, as the gears within my head would process the fact that our world had been far superior to this feeble society called Earth...

I would suddenly take notice a boy in his teens, becoming rather unbalanced as he was jostled around by the heavy crowd. I focused myself on him as I could sense the Spirit Power he obtained. Directly from the Spirit Power was I capable of depicting that he wasn't much greater of rank than I. He would stumble, falling directly towards a girl who didn't appear to me until now.

She too had been a Shinigami just like myself, for I had seen this now as would fixate my attention upon her Zanpakutou. Crafty workings of art they had been, as they were a huge tell to differ between a regular human and a Shinigami. This situation would begin to unfold, as I would crouch, bending my knees inward to allow myself a comfortable position upon the rooftop. With my Zanpakutou safely sheathed within its binding, I would place my hand gently upon the hilt as I would flick my thumb against the hilt of the blade, pulling it out a few inches, only to clamp it back in quickly. I would repeat this action many times to amuse myself. I found myself doing this very often as it became a sort of habit, a game per say.

My dark occuli would follow closely their every movement, shutting out the people that filled the floor beneath. I would stay in my position as I would eye the two, not sure if this meeting had been arranged or not. My true intentions of coming to this world was not to simply inspect the interactions of two people, but rather to find a miserable hallow to test my art of he Shinigami more deeply. Maybe these two knew a little bit more of the whereabouts to a despicable creature.
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[Hikari]

As the Shinigami wove her way through traffic, a feint spiritual pressure could be detected from a few meters ahead. Curious as to who possessed such a power in the human realm, the goddess of death picked up her pace as she weaved her way through the traffic with greater speed. Finally happening upon the source of the minute spiritual pressure, she chuckled a bit to herself as she saw that this strange human had the same idea she did. But then again, she wondered why he found the need to weave between traffic instead of simply trudging along with the rest of his kind.

Ducking into an alley, Hikari waited for the strange human to pass before her. It would be the true test to whether he was gifted with the ability to sense spiritual pressure, or if he had just grown up next to a contaminated water source and was radioactive. If the teenager joined her in the alley way, he would be questioned. "So; you can see me huh? I assume thats why you down here, but maybe you cant hear me and are simply here on a drug deal or something." Eyes narrowed to gauge his reaction. Could he really see her?

It was a strange feeling really. Wondering if someone could see you. She couldn't tell if the human was simply staring through her or could really sense her presence. Suddenly, another tinge of spiritual pressure could be sensed from the rooftop of another building. Though she wasn't exactly sure what the source of the pressure was, it seemed idle for now, so her attention was given to the possibly gifted human before her.

[Kharashi]

I had caught myself, somehow, within the middle of all of that chaotic traffic and had successfully avoided making too huge a fool out of myself. The Shinigami had dodged my stumbling body and slipped into an alley way--an odd action, I thought. Nonetheless, I pursued her.

As I did, another presence made itself clear upon my senses--a presence which seemed to remain idle and placed itself somewhere nearby, but up above me, likely a rooftop of some sort. It wasn't anything like any Hollow I had yet to encounter, and took it as a non-hostile being, ignoring it for the time.

Slipping past the last wall of rude people, I managed to slide into the alley way and found myself with the Shinigami alone. With an almost hesitant glance back at the mass of people behind me, I moved forward with the intent of speaking to the Shinigami.

She beat me to it, though, and I couldn't help but stare at her. I felt that my expression was likely an odd one, as if I had just witnessed a most crazy act.

"A drug deal? No, no, no. Not at all." I explained, "I can see you, most certainly. I'm Aspel." He bowed a bit, unsure of the customs of Shinigami. This was all very odd looking from an outside perspective, I was sure. A lone teenager in an alleyway, speaking to himself . . . and about drugs, no less. Claiming to see invisible people. I couldn't help but move a little deeper into the alleyway with another glance back at the light which marked the exit it of the somewhat darkened alleyway.

[Big Black Fish]

I would watch closely, without the knowledge of what was to come of this meeting, and of its purpose. From my point of view, it almost appeared as if the location had been a rendezvous; as if it had been planned out. The possibility of an arranged meeting was certainly at hand, however, it could be the exact opposite all the same. In a sense, the actions portrayed by these two would almost appear as if they were attempting to stay subtle, out of view by entering the narrow corridor that served as an alley. Of course, I would be fully aware of how obvious my presence would be considering my Spirit Force was most likely detected at this point. Regardless, I was not worried of their awareness towards me. I was not in hiding, nor was I here to collect information; it was a simple coincidence on my part that I had found the two, and I would further analyze the situation to my best ability.

In succession to one another they would remove themselves from sight, starting with the girl, as she would slip away into the nearby alley way, and soon after, the boy would follow. I would proceed in removing myself from my original location, as my view was obstructed by buildings and therefore useless. No information could be obtained here, as I would relocate myself quickly. I would hurdle over a gap between two buildings, as my footing would safely plant itself on a different surfaced roof tile texture; a rather bumpy edge to it rather than the smooth surface I had been previously positioned myself on. This would place me in a rather uncomfortable situation, and I would fancy moving down to the ground itself where my presence would be officially made clear. There was really no point to placing myself in an uncomfortable position if there was a clear sense of my presence made aware of already. Plus, my purpose was not to remain hidden, but to ask a certain question. I would peer over the edge of the roof flat, and take notice to the two conversing with one another. Perfect timing if I could say so myself.

My landing would not lack finesse as I was perfectly in balanced as I landed in a crouched position, with one knee slightly above the ground as the other held me upright. Realizing my imprudent form of greeting to the two's arrival, I would bow, speaking with sincere words, as it was not in my taste to intrude in a brusk form. I happened to be a presentable being, not one of acting on insolence. "My apologies for the imprudence; for it is not a favorable way for me to introduce myself in such a way... do forgive me." I would stand as I kept my head arched low, so as it conceal my face. For the crimson scar was not the prettiest of sights, and I would refrain portray it with cultivation, and elegance. My head would suddenly rise up, revealing the engraved markings that were sketched upon my face. The word 'Samurai', as it had been my family name.

A gentle smile would be laid across my face, as it was dimmed through the overcast of the crimson scar, however, I would continue to speak so as to push passed any astounded or disgusted thoughts. "I am here in search of Hallows, as I am trying to be rid of their existence upon these forsaken lands. If you'd see fit, you could aid me in my quest." My words were graceful, but yet severe, as I would illuminate my noble character through them. It was important to remain within the peaceful decorum that I would always abide by, even in the heat of battle. My actions were not intended for intrusion of the conversation, even if that was what it had seemed. I would await either of their response and allow them to continue on to their meeting.

[/i]

[Hikari]

"Well Aspel." She said matter of fact-ly. "Just what are you doing talking to yourself in the middle of the alley?" A wicked little smile curled on her lips. She knew that he was the only one probably in the entire square who could sense her presence, much less see her. It would be an interesting story to say the least had he thought of one ahead of time. If not, his bumbling, half witted explanation would be as equally enjoyable. However, before the gifted human could muster an excuse, the spiritual being from far away suddenly made a flashy entrance.

Descending from a towering height, the being whom could be instantly identified as a Shinigami knelt before him. However, is entrance seemed to be the most normal thing about him. As soon as the Death God began to speak, Hikari struggled to stifle her laughter. Speaking in what was surely an extinct dialect, the man petitioned both herself and the human to "aid' him in his "quest" to eradicate "hallows." After holding back an initial bout of laughter, the second division Shinigami simply stared in disbelief.

Is this guy for real? She thought to herself, a vacant expression on her face as the only answer to the man's ridiculous request. I mean honestly. As if it were that simple. "Hey everyone, I'm gonna go kill the hollows. I'll be back for dinner." Give me a break. Who does he think he is...and how did he ever become a Shinigami?

Her mask of disbelief still veiled her face, wondering just what Aspel had to say about this strange spirit.

[Kharashi]

I wasn't sure exactly what the Shinigami had meant. Why was I speaking with myself? Was she mocking me? Making fun of me? I wasn't sure what she meant--regardless, I didn't have to act on her question, as the force I had felt previously grew near and finally dropped right before us.

At the time, I was rather unsure of myself in most every way. I hadn't ever really been around Shinigami--I wasn't sure if certain things were proper or not, if there were certain things you should do simply out of respect . . . I had no idea. I chose to remain quiet, backed up a bit near the wall.

There were a few things odd about this Shinigami--the way he spoke, for one, was a bit different. Secondly, the engravings upon his face clearly marked him differently than most. Samurai? I wasn't sure what that meant--he didn't seem like a samurai, at any rate. He . . . wanted to hunt Hollows? Hollows, right? Hallows weren't anything different, I assumed . . .

But I hesitated in this belief. Aid him in his quest to kill Hollows? Wasn't that the job of all Shinigami? It was odd to ask that question of someone who was probably already doing that. It wasn't as if, at least, the Shinigami, would just ignore the presence of a Hollow. And it wasn't as if searching together would really yield better results--the ability to sense reiatsu allowed for us to find Hollows from a distance.

I sat there for a moment, waiting for the Shinigami to respond, but she simply seemed . . . surprised? I suppose that was it. The new addition to this conversation was an odd one. At any rate, I hesitantly spoke.

"Well, wouldn't we be doing that anyways? I mean, I certainly wouldn't ignore a Hollow, but moving around wouldn't help with finding them too much . . . their reiatsu will give them away, right? But, I mean . . . I'll help."

[Big Black Fish]

I could sense the form of oddity they had received from my statement. The fact of the matter was, I hadn't the ability to fully depict the location of a hallow just yet, and I required assistance in finding one. If they couldn't understand this than this was far beyond my help. The boy would respond in a rather provocative way that seemed to challenge my question, as if what I was saying was completely idiotic; and by the look of the short girls reactions had been one of disbelief, as I would understand they couldn't comprehend my form of etiquette.

"I suppose you follow their reiatsu, however, considering my rank I am incapable to do such things to a tee, and it would come easier with more experienced hands." My words were short, I had no reason to explain myself any further. Amidst the crowd of human not a few feet behind us, my sense of spirit force was entirely off. Being the rank I had been the lowest of the low. This proved to make things difficult for me, but it would appear I would receive no help here anytime soon as this conversation seemed to lead somewhere between the two.

"If I may ask, what is your business in the alley together? If it is something private, I will surely be on my way." It would seem my presence was unwanted, however, I wouldn't care either way. I had somewhere to be, finding myself in such a coincidence to find these two was rather unique, as I would be just as susceptible to leave the conversation as I had entered it. Waiting for a response would be held with silence. Depending on their answers would result in my choice to stay or go.

I would take an eye to the girls Zanpakutou, and flick my eyes towards the boy, revealing he did not obtain one. I would piece things together slowly in my mind to try to understand just what this boy had been, however, in my experience I had never met the likes of what appeared to be a normal human who could see spirits. Strange to say the least. I would make sure to comprehend the facts of this boy before I made my leave, for expanding ones horizons in knowledge was severely important for success, even if something as simple as this was to be known. For future reference, upon meeting another one of his kind, I would want to know for certain just what he was.
[/i]

[Hikari]

Maintaining the look of disbelief, the Shinigami wondered just what this strange man was trying to do. After all, it wasnt as if swarms of hollows roamed the town at all times. They usually came and went, appearing only to feast on a soul or two before returning to Hueco Mundo. What was perhaps just as amusing as the novice shinigami's idea of hollow slaying was Aspel's reaction to the petition for help. The boy seemed to agree to follow the scarred death god into battle.

"Jeez, you got a death wish or something kid?"

She asked, turning her apprehensive glare towards the human. Addressing the question posed by the other spiritual being, she would explain why she had ducked into the alley.

"Just taking a break is all. I find phasing through fleshy beings a rather intimate experience I would like to avoid. I'm sure that you wouldnt want someone simply walking through you, even if you couldn't see him. So, I thought I'd wait out the traffic here or at least regain the nerve to deal with the clumsy crowds."

Hikari was growing impatient of the human world once again, and if something interesting didnt occur, she might have to just return to the Soul Society.

[Kharashi]

I hadn't thought of the Shinigami being unable to sense reiatsu. I hadn't payed attention to how powerful his reaitsu felt--I immediately assumed any Shinigami could do something I could. But before I could respond, the female, who seemed a bit more powerful, directed a question that I assumed was at me.

"A death wish? Well, no, but as I said, its not as if I'd simply ignore any Hollow that I felt nearby."

Her response to the newly arrived Shinigami I found interesting. Not wishing to phase through Humans? I hadn't thought of it--it wasn't as if I could phase through people, so I suppose it never really came to mind. I could see why she felt the way she did.

I wasn't exactly sure how to say why I was in the alley--it was hard to pinpoint an exact reason. I just wanted more experience with all of this spiritual stuff--more knowledge. A further understanding of myself and my own powers.

I glanced back and forth between the two and said simply, "Yeah, it's nothing private."

[Big Black Fish]

With the greetings out of the way, I managed to move on to a new line of questioning, as my curious nature of this boy was beginning to stir within. Just what had he been? I could no longer find the sense to refrain from speaking my mind, as I would ask the questions, my eyes would stare intently into his.

"If you don't mind me asking: from the looks of it, you appear to be that of a regular human; however, you obviously can sense and see Spirits as if you were a Shinigami; clearly, you are not. Without a Zanpakutou, it would be incredibly rare if you had been.
So tell me. What.... are you?"

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[/blockquote]
For lack of better wording, the phrase 'what are you' seemed to spill out, however, my tone was gentle as I did not want to appear insulting in any way. My mere question to obtain knowledge was not to offend, only to improve my own intelligence. It was always important to expand your mind, even if simple things like this turned up. My ears would nearly perk up to hear the answer. Call it inquisitive, regardless, I was purely interested upon what the answer may have been.

Entering this world for the first time had brought many questions. Everything was new, for it felt rather strange. This world seemed so... chemically imbalanced in a way. Too much disruption. For even the structures we stood next to were made with odd substances, and the people around them were curious enough. I mean, they appeared to be so simple, but the life they led was so complex. With no spirit force or any uniqueness to them, they were literally taking up space. Upon my time being here, I took notice to food... hunger was something Shinigami never felt. Although we could enjoy the taste, we would never succumb to an addiction like hunger. However, Soul Society was not perfect in itself, as the many perfections of life has spoils as well; as did this world in excess.

However, I did enjoy the feeling of the open air in this world, although, I had yet to be interrupted by Hallow's. I would linger for this day, as my blood would grow thick at thought of my inexperienced Zanpakutou. The day of my first kill would be a glorious one, that I knew. I couldn't bare to stand here with no recollection of a battle, which drove me to asking ridiculous questions such as the one I portrayed in the moments before now. I did feel obliged to ask, ask it may have brought doubt within me in the company I was in now, however, I did not feel ashamed to ask for help. As it was my duty to search for them... in time I would be capable of doing so on my own.
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[Hikari]

It was the first intelligent thing that the scarred Shinigami had said in their brief encounter, and something was interested to know herself. How exactly was this mere human able to communicate with Shinigami? Though she had already met a human who could speak to spiritual beings, it turned out he was a Quincey, someone who, by their very definition, excelled in matters of spiritual phenomena. As correctly identified by "Samurai" (though she wasn't sure if he was just simply guessing), he exuded a different spiritual force than death god, Quincey, or hollow.

A curious ear was turned on Aspel, hoping that he could shed some light on the question that both Shinigami were now asking. However, before the boy spoke, Hikari couldn't help but wonder how utterly ridiculous he must look talking to himself in an alley way. From her brief experiences in cities around the world, those who spoke to themselves in the spaces between buildings were generally dirty and sported ill constructed hats fashioned from aluminum foil. In fact, Aspel could probably avoid suspicion if he wore a metallic headpiece and rubbed some dirt on his face. Stereotypical crazy people seemed to arouse less suspicion than those who blended in with society.

[Kharashi]

I really didn't like having all of the attention turned on me. I felt both of their stares as they sat questioningly. This was a difficult question because, frankly, I didn't really know myself. I searched for the right things to say.

"Well . . . I'm just a Human. Really, I'm nothing special like a Shinigami or anything," I said, "I suppose I simply have a much higher spiritual force than most other Humans. I hear we've taken on the name 'Advent' Humans. From what I've been told, we take on powers depending on what awoke our spiritual powers--Shinigami or Hollow." There wasn't really much else I knew, except a few things, "I guess our powers are sort of like a Shinigami's . . . shikai, was it? We can release them."

I shrugged. That was the best explanation I could give, since I was uninformed. I realized the irony of the situation--I had pursued the Shinigami woman in order to find out more about myself and everything else spiritual, and had ended up instead informing these two Shinigami. It felt odd, explaining something about the spiritual world to anyone. It wasn't as if I could do that with normal people, and it seemed most Shinigami usually knew more than me--of course, I hadn't met many of them.

"Sorry, that's all I got." I hoped that the small amount of information I had was good enough for them. It really wasn't much. Hell, I didn't even know who decided to call us "Advents" or whatever it was.

Perhaps I should have been seeking them out . . .

[Big Black Fish]

A shallow response, whether it be the information wasn't acquired from this so called Advent Human, or he was refraining to tell me the rest. Regardless, the information he exploited was enough for me to comprehend just exactly what he was. He seemed trustworthy, and his response was filled with honesty, so I would deem fit his words. It was truly rather interesting, an Advent Human, he say's. Truly, one learns something every single day. It was interesting to me that in this day in age there was still so much fruitful knowledge to be obtained in this life, so easily to obtain that even from simply walking the lengths of roof tops I received such knowledge. I did not resent my encounter with the two, in fact, I was content with the coincidence as I received some valuable information here.

I also learned something quite shocking on my own devices. This world, it was not chemically imbalanced as I had previously thought, no, this certainly was not the case. In fact, it was not the humans at all, it was entirely me. I realized that Shinigami do not achieve their full potential within this world, as they lose a serious portion of their strength and skill when in this world, which was the uneasy feeling I was receiving from this place. This was a disappoint to me as defending humans against Hollows would certainly prove a strenuous task if my strength, being as minute as it had been in Soul Society, would be degraded to nothing more than an absolute nothing here.

I would take this knowledge,and apply it to a serious factor of my character; to grow within myself. I would certainly achieve a superior form of strength back within Soul Society, for it was vital to have battle skills when undergoing the heat of battle. I would return to Soul Society where I would engage in multiple experiences to enhance my ability, and return to this world to portray the greatness of the Samurai family. It was in this very day would I come to the realization of my potential through this abnormal world.

"Well, Advent Human, I appreciate your information as it was certainly enough to fill the holes to my question. It has been a pleasure."

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It was a pleasure to amidst a new kind that one never had the pleasure to meet before, as I did today. I would turn to face the Shinigami, to acknowledge her presence, even though I wasn't granted the pleasure to converse with this young lady, I was sure there would be a time set in stone for that in the near future.

"Fellow Shinigami, it has been a pleasure. Unfortunately, I am required elsewhere, as it is my time to be off. May your ways be true."

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With the statement of farewell, and a elegant bow, I would disappear from sight with a simple Shunpo as soon as the final word was spoken. It was not a grand arrival, nor a grand exit, however, nothing was to be excessive for me as I was always upholding a noble presence in all things. In times of the plentiful, or in times of war, my path would always stay true, for my path would always be the Way of the Samurai.

||exit

Edit: I know it's a little late, but need to change "paths" to "ways".
-Fish
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[Hikari]

"What a weirdo." Hikari stated as the strange and possibly delusional shinigami made his exit. She had never met someone quite like him before. Turning to Aspel, she felt as if she needed to make an excuse for Samurai's completely unprecedented behavior. "Sorry about that. Not all of us act like that. Actually, none of us act like that. I was just as confused as you were by the whole spectacle."

With a sigh, she arched her back as her eyes rested on the horizon. The sun was setting, and it was getting closer to prime hollow time. It would be best to return to the Soul Society to rest up a bit in case she was called away on a mission. "Well, I suppose I had better be going as well. Catch ya later!" She said, waving before a sliding door suddenly appeared on the concrete of the building to her left. Stepping into the portal, the door would slide closed and fade away as quickly as it had come.

-exit-

[Kharashi]

I bowed in return to the first Shinigami just before he left. Once he had been, I stood pondering how most Shinigami acted--the one I had just encountered was rather . . . different.

Then the remaining Shinigami--the woman, whose name I never received--seemed to read my mind. Most of you aren't like that, huh? I thought. I could see that being possible--he was an odd spectacle to behold, what with his speech, actions, and even his body.

I waved back as the woman disappeared in a sliding door that I had never seen before. It vanished just as fast as it had came, and I stood boggled at what had just happened.

Was that their portal to Soul Society? I decided it must have been. I was itching to see the other side--to see Soul Society. I knew it must be illegal somehow--there must have been some law against it.

With a sigh I turned and made my way into the traffic of Karakura Town Square.

[. e x i t . ]