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Big Eyes, Small Mouth (BESM): Bleach - Chapter 1: Beginning the hunt


Justin OOC

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"Not really," Jierumi replied flatly without turning around "the first few nights with the Critters wasn't easy, but I learned how to fight them. Someone has to keep people safe from them, and I'm the only one. What concerns me more, is that the recent upsurge of Critters occurred around the time of most if not all of you coming into the picture. And I have the sneaking suspicion you're not exactly human, are you?"

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"Well, I have good news," Jiro assured the boy. "You're not the only one. If you were, well, lets just say you'd probably never have been born!" He laughed and slapped the back of his head.

"We're part of an organization that tracks and banishes these creatures...they're called Hollows by the way...before they can do too much damage. We were all once human, but are now something more." He paused, then added, "If I seem like I'm being too careful with my answers, I apologize. We still don't know much about you, or where your unique powers come from. Normally humans can't see us as we perform our duties. And of course, normally they can't do what we saw you doing. In short, you are something unexpected. An anomaly."

"Still!" He clapped Jierumi on the back companionably. "An anomaly with great timing! Taking down a Menos-class Hollow is hard work even for a squad like ours. You seemed to tip the balance in our favor! Now the only question is...what brought it here in the first place? You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

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"His grasp of the blatantly obvious is almost outdone by his thirst for violence." Kaori spoke sharply in her derisive monotone. "Yes, an anomoly with great timing that can miraculously tip the balance in our favor. Pardon me, Jiro, but I do not buy his story, nor do I think you should be so ready to do so either."

She had managed to tie her shirt in a manner that preserved her modesty, but was certainly giving those present a lovely view of her midriff and the overstock her bra possessed in cleavage. She did not look pleased by any means, but it was enough to spare the men present a solid beating for salivating too much.

"Jiro is right," Kaori slid the pommel of her sword upward from it's scabbard with her thumb and gripped the blade tightly. "Perhaps you should explain exactly what you're doing here and what hand you had in all this. If you're not part of the solution, Jierumi, you're part of the problem."

Kaori took her duties very seriously, the other hunters knew, and if the boys story did not hold it's weight they also knew they'd have a problem on their hands.

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  • 2 weeks later...

So far she had stayed silent. It was hard for her to imagine anyone intentionally calling the hollows, especially a student. She examined the boy, tapping a finger on the hilt of her sword. When she spoke she kept her voice low and even, making it harder to identify her.

"This is not the first case of mortals with high forms of spiritual pressure. We should not jump to any conclusions yet. If you are suggesting the boy is strong enough to call a Menos here it would not be wise to threaten him. If he is telling the truth we would only be weakening our selves by harming him.

Please do not be hasty here. Without a member of the Research and Development department here we can not verify what harming this mortal would do to the current hollow situation."

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Jiro grimaced slightly. "Lets not involve taicho Mayuri..." he started, then caught himself and added, "Or I suppose it's Nemu now. Still. He doesn't deserve to be in pieces in that dungeon."

He clapped his hands once, trying to get things back on track. "So! We know hollows are drawn to places of spiritual pressure, hoping to feed on strong souls. Even so, it's not normal for a break between worlds to form like that. And Menos Grande feed mostly on other hollows. It may have been drawn by that pack, I suppose...but I've never heard of that happening before. So this may be something new."

"The only thing we KNOW is that it happened HERE. So lets have a look around and see if there's any clues here about what happened. Jierumi, feel free to help, but...stay here with us for the moment. We may have questions for you." He smiled reassuringly and patted the boy's shoulder.

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  • 3 weeks later...

"Very well." The blade slid back into its haven with a 'click'. Her eyes narrowed on the human with suspicion. "That means you as well, Jierumi. You will search with me, and stay in front where I can see you."

She thrust her head to one side, motioning him to get moving.

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Jierumi tensed, but complied. He was shaking his head though. "Seems to me from my perspective, you're the ones who need to justify yourselves. If I'm not mistaken, the recent influx of Hollows coincided with this general arrival of your's. Not to mention this holier than thou attitude of Aoyama-san is just rude as hell."

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"Oh, it's no coincidence," Jiro assured Jierumi jovially. "We're here because the Hollows are. Which is to say, it's our job to fight and defeat these hollows in order to preserve the balance of life and death in the worlds. So if we seem proud to you, that's most likely why. This is what we do; our sacred duty. You don't have to like us, Jierumi, but whether you do or don't, we're still going to need your cooperation."

He smiled. "And as long as you're fighting Hollows, you're basically on our side anyway, so you may as well help us out, eh?"

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"Would you prefer I handle this in the typical human way and proceed to pummel you into a door mat simply because you've made some failed attempt to damage my pride?" She said to Jeremy (because spelling it the other way is just a pain in the butt), referring to his antics in the lunch room earlier where he pummeled three bullies with no pity, remorse or warning. "As he said, this is our sacred duty, something you wouldn't understand."

Her eyes narrowed and the look alone could have sliced Jeremy in half. "I'm not as trusting as Jiro. Something here doesn't add up, and you are a part of that puzzle until proven otherwise. You are not an ally in my book until it has been proven that you had nothing to do with this. Until that time, I've no obligation to be polite or kind to you so if you like, keep testing my bad side. Now move."

She gave him a shove towards the battlefield. "We'll search the area around the battle." Towards Jiro and the others her tone was certainly more pleasant. "Jiro, would you and the others have look around the perimeter? I doubt we'll find much, but I'd at least like to report that we made a solid effort."

Click to reveal..
Kaori and Jeremy are searching for clues. Kaori and Jeremy will search the battleground. Scooby and the others will search the perimeter.
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  • 3 weeks later...

ch of the soul reapers noticed that there was alot of residual reishi left over after the death of the hollows, and the retreat of the menos, effectively creating a spiritual hot zone. if hollows appeared again, this area would draw them like a magnet.

The reishi was stable it wasn't evaporating in the human world, as it should. This too stood out greatly.

for Jierumi, he actually found several shards from the masks of the defeated hollows, things that simply shouldn't exist.

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  • 1 month later...

Jierumi collected and hid the masks shards easy enough to manage, with so much ambient reishi there.

The Soul reapers waited, and after almost six hours the reishi finally began to disipate. It was then that Rangiku finally appeared. "I have some news, all of you. It's been decided that a shuffling of personnel is needed. Akiko, Tetsu, you're to return to Seiretei, Lieutenant Ise will be providing further orders. To that end, they're replacing the two of you with only one Soul Reaper from my Squad, Reina Mikagami."

She indicated the Soul Reaper behind her, and nodded. She looked to Jierumi and nodded. "I see someone has a special power, and that you've decided not to replace his memories."

She winks, "I guess I'll allow it, since I imagine he did help against the menos."

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Jiro rubbed the back of his neck, smiling placatingly.

"If we were going to change his memories every time he saw us like this, I think we'd wind up burning his brain out eventually. He goes to school here, and he was drawn to the hollows without following us, which means he's been fighting them for some time now. So even with his memories changed, we'd just keep coming into contact with him, over and over. Better to come to an understanding in this case."

"Speaking of the menos...any word on what that was all about? I've never seen a Hollow incursion that size before. So many Hollows that the Menos must have chased them all straight here."

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The soul reaper who had been standing beside Rangiku stepped forward. Dressed in a standard shinigami uniform, her lithe and graceful form stood almost a full head shorter than Jierumi.

"Wait, so you're saying this kid has been fighting hollows since long before you arrived?" Reina asked incredulously. "That's kind of hard to believe." Her deep brown eyes widened in curiosity as she strode once around Jierumi, seemingly sizing him up before she came to a stop right in front of him. Somehow she just couldn't picture someone like him doing battle with the corrupted spirits of the dead. "I mean, who trained him?"

"Honestly, you really don't strike me as a hunter," she said, addressing Jierumi directly. "But regardless, you have my thanks for aiding my fellow shinigami," she continued, favoring him with a bright smile before clasping her hands together and bowing deeply to the teen.

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Jierumi had to return to school, but hours later, he had rejoined the Shinigami soon enough, well present by the time the two Shinigami women arrived. The information that Reina was joining the force here was welcome- in that he could more easily keep his eyes away from the well-endowed superior. At least she seemed tolerable to his presence- though he inwardly bristled at the possible suggestion they would try and wipe his mind.

When Reina circled he remained impassive, but he humored her disbelief in his capacities. "You're welcome. I have been fighting Hollows for a while... self-taught. There's been no one else around here who even knew they existed- just me."

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Reina raised an eyebrow at this explanation. "That is... extraordinary," she replied, throwing a glance at Matsumoto, trying to ascertain her superior's thoughts on the matter.

Judging by the boy's almost nonchalant reaction, he probably wasn't even aware of the weight of his accomplishments. It could sometimes take decades of training and experience for some Shinigami to attain enough skill and power to stand on even footing against regular hollows. Yet here he was this boy, claiming to have gained the ability to fight toe-to-toe against Hollows, practically overnight.

The significance of this feat was not lost on Reina.

There was something troubling about the circumstances however. It seemed like too much of a coincidence for a human with spiritual powers to appear here in a hotspot of hollow activity. Was this boy's presence here connected somehow with the recent events or the crisis at Seireitei? Was he even telling the truth? Perhaps this was some sort of elaborate deception?

"Kid, do you have a name?" She asked, pushing the anxious thoughts out of her mind for the moment. Her tone was not at all what one would describe as impolite, though Jierumi might have found it odd to be addressed in that manner by someone who looked to be the same age, if not younger than him.

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"Jierumi Anya." Jeremy answered flatly, though he had gotten the sense that Reina was older or at least more mature than she looked. "Now... answer a question of mine. Seriously, why are you Soul Reapers down here? You say you've been hunting Hollows, but I haven't seen any of you until the recent upsurge in them- which I've been running ragged trying to rectify."

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At this Reina shot a questioning glance at Matsumoto, who responded only with a silent nod. Satisfied that she had permission to answer the question, Reina turned to address Jierumi's query.

"I'm sorry I can't elaborate further, but suffice it to say that the shinigami have had their own share of problems as of late... Enough to keep our hands full, anyway." Reina's shoulders heaved as she sighed. It probably wouldn't be wise to go into further detail than that, at least until the kid had proven himself trustworthy. With the loss of the Gotei 13's captains, Seireitei was in a very vulnerable position, and the fewer outsiders who knew about the current crisis, the better. "These are extraordinary circumstances right now Jierumi. I can assure you we don't normally let Hollows run amok in your world," she continued in a reassuring tone. "But now that you mention it, there does seem to be something missing here..."

"Matsumoto-san" Reina asked, turning once more to her lieutenant. "Doesn't this town have a Shinigami guardian assigned to it? And if so, where is he?" she asked of her superior officer.

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"It does, yes," Jiro injected smoothly. "Akiko. She helped us fight the swarm and Menos."

He looked at Jierumi and added, "We've always been here. You have to understand that for every Hollow you've killed, there were others elsewhere that we killed. No Hollow spirit may be allowed to roam freely in the World of the Living. It's good that you're helping us, but maybe we can help you with more than just killing Hollows. This power you have...do you understand it? The Soul Reapers have been around a long time. We may be able to tell you more about what it is, and how it works. With your permission, of course."

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Jierumi looked mollified at the explanation, though inwardly he planned to figure out if there was someway to verify their claims. Just to be safe, they might not have the same ultimate intentions or goals as he did. When Jiro brought up his powers a quiet perplexed look crossed his face. "My powers? I know what they do. What they precisely are, and why I have them I don't really know."

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Jiro nodded. "You're not the first living human to have spiritual powers that the Soul Reapers have seen. Now, I'm no expert, so I can't say, but there are others of us who make studying such abilities their life's work. I'm sure anything we can tell you about your power would help you...after all, the more you understand your weapon, the better you use it, eh?"

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Reina turned to regard Jiro with a confused look. She had gone over the briefing notes several times before departing Seireitei, and there was no mention of that little tidbit about Akiko anywhere. "That's strange," Reina pondered aloud as Jiro and Jeirumi conversed. "I guess somebody must've forgotten to include that in the mission brief. But who could be so careless as to forget such a- Oh wait. Nevermind." The petite shinigami gave bemused chuckle as her gaze fell on Matsumoto, who could only manage a sheepish grin.

"Whoops! I guess I forgot about that one, huh?" Matsumoto laughed.

Shaking her head, Reina turned her attention back to Jiro and Jeirumi's conversation. She hadn't been in 10th Division for very long, but based on what the other division members had to say and from her experiences so far, this sort of trivial lapse was typical of their Lieutenant.

Reina's gaze focused on Jierumi once again. It was hinted by the boy's body language that he still didn't fully trust them, and somehow, she couldn't really blame him. Given the circumstances he described, he had every reason to be suspicious of the shinigami... That is, if his story was true.

Gah, I didn't know that the details in the first thread still counted. :P

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"Or perhaps," Kaori walked into the scene with the typical displeased expression on her face. "Since actual Soul Reapers are here now, we tell the boy to stay at home where he belongs so as to not be in our way." With her modesty once again preserved she pushed her glasses further up the bridge of her nose. "Do not encourage this lout, Jiro. You saw how he reacted to those bullies in his school. He beat them without provocation, he's an animal. If we allow him to foster growth then how long before he turns his powers on the humans, or even us? He needs to stay at home, where he belongs. This is our duty, not his."

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Jierumi looked a little more than pissed off, but his voice was alarmingly calm as he responded. "If only you used your eyes and ears for more than decoration, you might have noticed they were harassing a girl. MY sister... though I took it a little too far, I was protecting her. I protect the people here in this town from things that walk in the night. And given that you all are mysterious outsiders with nebulous motives, not even human... I can't rule out having to protect others from you all. But then... you've always seemed to hold everyone else beneath you, Aoyama-san."

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"More than decoration?" Her air of superiority only grew more dense as her arms crossed over her chest. "You forget, Jierumi, I was there. I sawi that your sister was in no real danger, none had harmed her in any way. I heard the things they said and they were only words. Words meant to kindle a reaction from you, and they did. What I saw was you lose control over a verbal slight, an insult meant to control your actions and lead you to a course of action your enemy desired for you, and you played right into their hands."

"What I see is a young man with a great gift and what I hear is that he claims to know me." She took a step closer to him, pushing the glasses up the bridge of her nose again. "I don't view anyone as beneath me, Jierumi. I judge others strictly by their merit. You actions are all that are important to me and all I've seen from you thus for is a lack of self control and a wonton desire to inflict harm on others. All I've heard is you constantly justify your actions, no matter how barbaric, without so much a single desire to accept a single shred of accountability. It's always their fault, or you were completely in the right to do as you please because you were 'protecting' someone or something."

"I am a Soul Reaper and I have been given a sacred duty, Jierumi. I will not ask you to understand what that means. I do not know you Jierumi, but I have seen and I have heard much in my short time with you and thus far I haven't seen nor heard anything of merit." She looked to the others and then back to Jierumi. "If you wish to take him under your proverbial wing, then I've no say in the matter, but know this: if the mortal ever impedes my ability to perform the duty that I've charged with, he is forfeit. I will not compromise my duty for the sake of a single mortal."

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"Let's not be too quick too judge the kid, Aoyama-san," Reina said as the other shinigami finished speaking. She folded her own arms over her chest, mimicking Kaori's own stance. "I don't care much for violence myself," she continued, shooting a critical look at Jierumi. "Simply put there are almost always better alternatives to using force to get what you want," her expression softened back into a smile. "But I also know that sometimes these choices aren't obvious when you're put on the spot, and it can be quite difficult to make the right decision. While I wouldn't condone beating up someone over a mere exchange of words, at least he can be relied on to act decisively and without hesitation."

"In any case, if he's as passionate about protecting his hometown as he is protecting his sister, then his heart is in the right place," Reina walked up to stand beside Jierumi, as she glanced around at the others. "So I say, give him a chance."

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"Well, I'd rather not kill him," Jiro says lightly. "It's a waste of potential, not to mention it seems like it'd take effort better used on defeating Hollows. So it seems it would be better to help him out. After all, if one's destination is downstream, it's better to swim with the river than against it."

He turned to face Rangiku. "That is, if we have permission to offer this mortal a bit of enlightenment as to what he's facing, and why? The secrets of Soul Society are not to be doled out without the knowledge of one's superiors after all."

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  • 2 weeks later...

Jiro offered Rangiku a little bow, then turned to Jierumi.

"The creatures you've been seeing...the masked ones...are called Hollows. They are the spirits of dead mortals who have met unfortunate ends. Either they did not pass on to the realm beyond this one for some reason, or they were themselves the victims of other Hollows, and are now afflicted with their eternal hunger for souls. Hollows have no memory of the mortals they once were, and few of them have any intelligence...their hunger drives all such things out. After time, and after...well after a few meals you could say, a Hollow can begin to regain its mind, but it will never be the person it was when it was alive. And despite being 'ghosts,' in a sense, you can see that they can affect the world of the living as though they were solid. Most human beings cannot see them though, and are totally vulnerable."

"It's not completely unheard of for a living human to have the power to see spirits...but I don't think I've ever heard of humans who have powers like yours," Jiro went on...shaving the truth a little close, but not straying into a lie, since Jierumi's powers were quite different than those of the Quincies. "You must be different than most others you know."

He was prying gently for information, of course. Offering a little, then encouraging the boy to open up with some of his own. Even in a mixed group like the one he was in now, Jiro never forgot which squad he was from.

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"Yes. Well, A realm beyond. When humans die, their souls find their way to Soul Society, and life there is much like life here in general. Eventually they are reborn here. It is the great cycle upon which both worlds depend. Hollows threaten the balance by preventing souls from moving to Soul Society. We counter them..."

He drew his sword, though held it to show the blade, not in an aggressive posture. "Our weapons do not merely destroy Hollows...they purify them. The Hollow and all souls it has consumed pass on to Soul Society. In this way we guard the balance, and make sure the cycle continues."

The zanpakto slid back into its sheathe with a clack.

"Souls do not age as humans do. Many of us are much older than we look." He winked with a sudden grin. "Not polite to ask."

"Now then, that covers the basics. I suggest we return to school for now and meet up again afterwards. That will give the Research squad some time to figure out what happened and get back to us, and you time to wrap your head around all this. Lieutenant, was there anything else you needed from us?"

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"Well, I guess things are settled here then," Reina said with a grin as she turned to Matsumoto. "With your leave, I'd like to take some time to familiarize myself with the surrounding area."

Receiving the nod of approval from her superior, Reina turned back to face the others. "It was nice meeting you Jierumi," she said, bowing her head slightly. "I guess it's goodbye for now. You take care of yourself, okay?" Spinning around swiftly, she lept up and forward, sailing gracefully through the air before landing gently a moment later atop a telephone pole a short distance away.

Looking over her shoulder at Jierumi, she smirked. "Oh, and try to pay more attention to Aoyama-san," she added with a teasing tone. "It's quite obvious that she's taken quite a liking to you, and doesn't want to see you get hurt." Her gaze fell on Kaori for a moment. "That is why don't want Jierumi hunting hollows or getting into fights with bullies, isn't it?" She said with a playful wink before the other female shinigami could muster a reply. "There's really no need to deny, hide, or be ashamed of it you know," she continued with a chuckle.

And with that, along with a quick friendly wave to all others present, she flash stepped off into the evening.

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Jiro clenched his fist at his side and winced. How troublesome, he thought resignedly, she stirs up the tigress, then runs and leaves her for me to deal with. And I thought we'd be friends.

Forcing a carefree smile he turned to face the others. "Well then, our gigai are waiting," Jiro commented to Kaori. To Jierumi he nodded and mentioned, "And for you, class. I'm sure your friends, family and teachers will miss you if you turn up absent."

Hoping that the gentle reminder of who would miss him would convince Kaori not to kill him to prove her point, Jiro started back towards the school...though at a normal walking pace, at least until he could be sure no carnage would be left behind.

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If there was any truth to Reina's assumptions it didn't show in Kaori's expression. As always she just simply stood there, unable to kindle an emotional response to any sort of stimuli unless it involved fried chicken or a male oogling her bosom. Reina did earn herself a glare accompanied by an 'as if' arch of the brow. She didn't even look at Jierumi. "You are correct Jiro," Kaori's monotone was hardly unexpected. "However, considering the current circumstances being what they are I feel it is unwise for any of us to be alone. It is for that reason I will accompany Reina for a short time to ensure her safety. We will be long shortly."

Just like Reina, Kaori launched herself off into the distance taking a moment to track Reina. When Kaori appeared moment's later along side Reina she didn't seem the slightest bit surprised. "We should not be alone. We will remain in pairs until the nature of this threat is revealed to better ensure our survival."

Were there ever opposites it would be these two and it was no secret that Reina's rather out going personality grated on Kaori's nerves, then again, everything seemed to grate on Kaori's nerves. "I will accompany you, lead the way." She swept her arm out in a motion that signaled for Reina to continue with plans as they were. "And I am not taken with the barbarian mortal. Your joke was not funny."

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Reina had been moving quietly and swiftly from rooftop to rooftop, but she slackened her pace, coming to a brief halt as Kaori caught up with her. She acknowledged the other shinigami with a quick nod and grin.

While operating in pairs seemed logical considering the circumstances, it was going to take Reina some time to get accustomed to. After years of working solo in the outer districts of Rukongai it felt odd to be working as part of a team and a unit once again. The years had taught her to be independent and how watch her own back, and she really didn't need someone to watch it for her. The current situation was unusual, there didn't seem to be any hollows in the immediate area, and having an escort didn't really seem necessary.

"Well, okay. If you want to tag along, why not?" She said with a shrug as she took off once more, this time keeping a somewhat slower pace so Kaori could more easily follow. "But there's no need to trouble yourself on my account. I think I can handle myself just fine." She hopped over to the next rooftop, Kaori following closely behind.

"Besides," she added, calling over her shoulder as she shot a mischievous grin in Kaori's direction. "I wouldn't want to keep you from that crush of yours back there."

Reina laughed as Kaori glared silently at her. "Aww, come on, lighten up!" the dark-haired shinigami said waving a finger chidingly as the two came to a stop at the edge of the current roof, which overlooked the street below. "Seriously, you're going to scare Jierumi off if you keep making faces like that."

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"I've nary a clue as to what you mean. As much as I despise the mortal, I have a duty to his kind. I shan't 'crush' him until I have proper evidence that will seal his fate." Kaori's brow was straight enough to draw an even line across it. Reina knew Kaori was not stupid, hells, she was top of her classes academically and physically, but for the young blond there was only duty. Only the sword. There was only her orders. So much so that nearly everyone knew that she had given up everything dear to her for the betterment of her mind, body and soul. She'd dedicated her existence to what she had become: Shinigami. "If the fool is so driven aback by a strong and independent woman, then that's his fault, not mine. I've no sympathy for him and his future endeavors with his barbaric species."

"You are an ally in this world, I assure you, you are no trouble. I am prepared to lay down my existence for any of you, should the need arise." As the two made the next leap Kaori landed with a puzzled expression on her face. "Lighten up?" She asked. "Is my complexion too dark? I am to be in the guise of an Caucasian-American transfer student. I studied extensively to match the proper parameters for such a ruse. I do not believe I am in error."

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  • 3 weeks later...

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