---

"Shit, where'd all these Hollow come from...!", the groans and sound of gnashing flesh accompanied the frustrated thoughts out loud of the Shinigami, somehow not at all deterred in movement by his odd hair, and his wooden blade somehow slicing through the black fleshed Hollows like he was wielding a normal zanpakuto. Ouga groaned in further frustration each time he heard the soul pager go off, knowing the others were probably pinging for help as they wanted them to, but tonight, the horde of Hollow were numerous, particularly those near the park.

Like a yelling cyclone he rampaged through another group, smashing their masks, cleaving them clean, even shoulder checks and palm strikes to send them into other hollow as crowd control. Then, he stopped. His eyes widened, this reiatsu was... He recognized it, afterall he was the one who trained them. The Hollow felt it too, they seemed to stop and looked around, as if looking for potential threats.

"Alright, interesting...", Ouga took a stance, both hands on the wooden blade pointing the tip at the hollow in front of him. He was smiling, ear to ear... He knew exactly what had happened. This surge in reiatsu from familiar signatures... He felt as if he was filled with newfound strength, knowing that they were now in good hands.

"Come on don't get distracted you lot, I'm right here after all!"

---

It was not often Shouko would be on hollow hunting duty, she was often a coordinator and go-between, with Ouga making up his own force as an experienced hollow hunter, and the substitutes usually forming small groups. It was a mistake the other night to have them move individually though and so Shouko had decided to stay closer to their location however... She found herself occupied as a horde of hollow had begun moving in that direction. There was no way she can arrive to help them directly, though many of these hollow would be slain by a simple swing, in such numbers they might give these less experienced Shinigami some trouble.

And so, the roads below her had become a sea of flames, her family Kido arts were crimson fire, able to spread and control ground. The hollow caught within were burned to cinders, and the stronger more resilient one were sniped by hot red streaks of light she fired from her elegantly done red and black fingernails. As soon as the area was cleared, she began to flash step across the rooftops towards the nearest location where everyone else was fighting... Sara had a lot of help she saw on the pager, so she should try and assist Darius or Tony first. Then... Her heart almost stopped, she stood still upon the telephone pole and looked around. This release of reiatsu was intense... But she recognized it.

"There's no way...", she knew this feeling, between herself and Ouga, her own zanpakuto's release was fairly recent. The sensation was still clear in her mind, the flow of power, and the sensation of becoming wholler, not by much... But ever so slightly more whole.

Her eyes looked in the direction of the three locations... Carefully, to see if she can see anything from a distance. She grit her teeth, clutching her pager, there was happiness to be sure with the growth of these ones, but as her finger hovered on the contacts, there was a reluctance.

---

@LadyAnnaLee - Sara
@Dane - Rei
@BladeSS4 - Bakuto

A stunning glowing aura was practically flowing from Bakuto as he was suddenly standing. In the silence of the night, the dead silence of shock at Bakuto having been sent flying so far, the sounds of his voice were clear, and the call of his zanpakuto were heard. Like a crash of thunder his new form was brandished, a finely made and narrow spear. Even the hollow that had sent him flying was shocked at his sudden recovery and increase in strength, and it was in that moment of shock that Bakuto's first strike would run it through like a flash of lightning. Almost immediately, the Hollow was run through, the spear crackling with thunder and lightning as he drilled right through it, a line of light indicating his path of attack.

Just like that, this second Hollow was slain. Such power and speed, he was but a step closer to his ideal way of the warrior, whether or not he was aware of this. If any new hollow showed up, he was now more than a match for them.

It seemed for now, the battle was over, it was almost forgotten in the excitement, but they were here to protect Sara's family from hollows that were skulking about. Perhaps someone should go and confirm they're ok...

---

@LC

"Mmh... Mmm...? What's that noise?" The woman's eyes slowly opened as she was jolted awake by what she could only describe as... Construction work. She looked to her side, her dear husband sleeping soundly despite the noise. A trait of his experiences she wondered, though she could not help but place that 'sleeping like the dead' really described him here. Still, something unnerved her, about this ruckus. Normally this neighborhood was quiet, undisturbed, and this didn't sound like a vehicle or anything of the sort. It sounded like demolition.

She took the stairs down from the second floor, and was immediately in the hallway of her home, the dark corridors seemed forboding at this time, even moreso with the circumstances of why she had awoken, but there was a feeling in the air she could not place, and then...

"Huh?" Her eyes scanned the street from her front door and... She was not certain, but something was in front of her, on the street, in front of the gate. It's form was not visible, nothing but black fog, but there was a feeling within her chest. It was looking at her. Then for a moment, someone's face, familiar, came into view.

"Darius?"

Her eyes followed this smaller black fogged figure, that for a moment had a clear face, before turning it back in front. She flinched, stepping back, before in front of her, the back of what she can only describe as her husband's was between her and this odd beast. Then it's fist was raised... Fist? It seemed like one, and then, she couldn't watch. Turning her eyes away and covering her head, only for a powerful sound of steel to be heard. His form was much clearer now, and what looked like white smoke and flame rose from him. Was she dreaming...?

"Sorry, Aiko. Retirement just didn't suit me, I guess." This... Was certainly too much for her heart, as she began to step back, her legs giving out on her, and as soon as Darius strode forward to face the unusual Hollow, her eyes closed, as she began to faint, "Darius..."

----------------------------------------------

"Perhaps I was right to come here first, Mr. Stone", moments after Darius had squared up with the large lumbering hollow. She saw the matchup for what it was immediately... A slow, lazy foe with incredible power, and a shield that possessed few methods of offense, but boasted incredible defense. A fitting zanpakuto for this man she thought to herself, but as it is these two would be fighting for three days and three nights. An immovable object, and an unstoppable force.

Shouko was perched upon a telephone pole just above the two. Her parasol opened up as she began to think of what Kido spells she should use to slay this Hollow.

"Hmmm... Yes, I think I can make short work of this one, if you can keep him from moving from that spot", any regular spell would take a platoon to even get close to significantly wounding this thing, but a more advanced spell would be better. She wasn't her brother, who possessed a prodigious level of talent, but she was a wiz and better study than him, and so she can do the same... With a bit more time.

---

@McNephelim

The moon... It was beautiful. The moon, it's white glow illuminated the azure ridges of my mask. Why did it hypnotize me so? Why am I here? Something calls to me, a voice within my head, a power yet unleashed, this mask... It suffocates me. Yet it's existence, it's placement upon this face of mine is a comfort, safety... Or is it identity? The moon... Beautiful as it is... Will it help me find the answer...?

Or... Will you? You, the one whose soul is stained in red, familiar, yet alien, but more familiar than alien. No, just familiar? Or completely alien? Dejavu or delusion? Who are you? Who am I? Will you help me find out...?

The odd blue hollow looked upon the bleeding Tony... Disappointment. I was having fun, and you ruined it by getting stabbed... I thought I might find out some answers, to questions I know not, but you disappointed me. You felt different from others I had seen, but this is your limit... And so you must die, so that I may ponder the moon agai-

"Hehehe... Hahahahaha.... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA" It was laughing... It's voice distorted but laughing nonetheless... Tony who now stood tall, strength overflowing from his body, his mind clearer, his confidence through the roof now, and the weapon upon his back, despite it's odd appearance and even larger size than his previous blade it... Felt natural to him. It felt better. The blue hollow's singular arm brandished a new kind of blade, a long, curved blade that then sharpened itself as the bones of it's arm seemed to slide down it's length, finalizing it's form as that of a katana. It was seeing something... In the elation of knowing this thrilling opponent it had encountered was not yet down for the count, it was excited. Battle must be waged. Meaning will be found tonight, and if not that, a thrilling battle will occur.

Unlike before when it was goading Tony into charging it, it's excitement got the better of it, and so it began to rush at Tony, ready to strike with it's katana arm.

Sara couldn’t pull her gaze away from Bakuto as he used his spear drill Zanpakutō to completely destroy the Hollow. Sara still wasn’t sure what had happened. She stared at the man as he came over to join them. She didn’t know if she was shocked, impressed, or worried. He had been injured before he had used his Shi Kai. Would those injuries return if his Zanpakutō returned to normal? Sealed State? Katana Form? Was he okay? She didn’t think she would be if she had suddenly destroyed a Hollow that had injured her that badly. She wasn’t sure that she was okay, so she wasn’t sure Bakuto could be.

That voice came again, “Sara! The twins.”

Sara swore as she turned from Bakuto and quickly headed to the window to look in on the twins. They looked fine and a quick use of her spiritual sense didn’t reveal any more Hollows. She thought that she, Bakuto, and the other woman might have eliminated all the dangers that had been in the area. Well, mostly Bakuto. Sara felt her heart finally start to slow down. She had been running on adrenaline for what felt like forever and now she was exhausted. She slowly returned to her fellow Substitutes as she finally fetched out her Soul Pager. Less time had passed than she had thought. How had it been so short a time.

She smiled shakily as she attempted and failed to laugh lightheartedly, “I think you got them all. Thank you for that. Her frazzled voice gained just a hint of concern, “Are you okay Bakuto?” She should him the Pager, ““I’m going to text Hayasegawa or Tatsuha. I think the emergency is over, but you probably need medical attention. You got hurt pretty bad. Do you have a preference for who I text?”

---

"That won't be necessary Sara", the familiar voice of a mature, refined woman reached the ears of the young girl as Shoko landed just a couple metres away. She had with her Darius and Tony, who both appeared not long after her arrival jumping down from the rooftops. The two appeared to have a different air about them, similar to Bakuto who had just awakened his zanpakuto... Or rather, it was pretty obvious Tony had awakened his, given the new shape of his weapon.

"I see the battle here has ended too, a moment of respite then it seems. Tatsuha has informed me too that the horde of Hollow tonight have stemmed, so we shall take this chance to rest up", she began, pacing up the street, it seems most everyone has suffered a few wounds, particularly the three who had awakened their zanpakuto, but any moment now their surge in reiatsu will stop, and their wounds will start affecting them.

"Hmm, you three, please be seated. I will see to your wounds. Everyone else, make preparations to go meet Tatsuha", her tone was direct, serious, though it seemed she will be taking some time to treat them. She started with Bakuto, whose wounds seemed to be the most active. It was miraculous seeing the hole in Tony's chest be completely healed, was it a part of his zanpakuto's ability? And Darius, though his wounds were open, they did not bleed, likely something to do with his zanpakuto's attribute being defensive.

---

A lone soul sat upon the bench under the moonlight, blood dripping down his bandaged hands and cheek, his smile slight and tired. A wooden sword stuck in the ground beside him as he finally found a moment of respite. He pulled out what seemed to be a small green candy and popped it in his mouth, though his wounds did not heal, his energy was back. "Gotta thank the candy shop lady for these, they can't heal wounds but they'll keep ya goin'".

Tatsuha pulled out the phone from his pocket as he watched the moonlight, sending a message that things had calmed down... For now.

"But he's still at that tree I can feel it... Now that all the hollow are gone I can definitely feel it...", there was a bad feeling he had. What was it about that tree that got hollow so worked up or rather, made this one so fixated on it? Regalhorn was more than just a mindless hollow, one of the most intelligent recorded that were not vasto lordes. Most were beasts, and at most became gangs, but this one seemed to lord over them more like a king than a gang leader. Well, he had a feeling they were going to find out why they were fixated on that tree tonight... But he had not the energy just yet to go for it, not to mention, he got a couple messages from Shoko... Some of them have awakened their Shikai tonight... For a moment he was glad to hear that, but the next... How did they do it so quickly...?

Sara looked up with a half-crazed look in her eyes as Hayasegawa landed next to them. The adrenaline must not have completely worn off because as Darius and Tony appeared behind the true Shinigami, Sara practically whipped her sword out in front of her body. Then her brain caught up with the rest of her body, and she knew who they were, allies, comrades, potential friends. Sara dropped her katana, so it pointed at the ground, but she didn’t loosen her grip. The twins were safe. Hayasegawa said Tatsuha said it was all over, but it didn’t feel over. Not to her mind, not to her body, not to her soul. Hopefully she wouldn’t start crying again. She wasn’t sure what Hayasegawa would think of her if she started crying two battles in a row.

In an effort to stem the tears she gave the other woman a shaky smile, “Yeah, we do make a pretty good team.” She held out her hand for the other woman to shake, “I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced. I’m Sara.”

In the back of her mind, Sara realized that she wasn’t completely sure what the correct social custom for introducing herself in Japan was. Hopefully the other woman wouldn’t be too offended if Sara had gotten it wrong. It was just that the high schooler was worn out, tired, and ready to go to bed. Or maybe just cry again. She didn’t have the energy to worry about the precise introductions right now. She absently looked over at the boys. All the substitutes were here. Tony, Bakuto, and Darius looked like they had been through the ringer. She and Rei didn’t look much better. At least the boys had something to show for it.

Sara nodded as she acknowledged Hayasegawa’s order. She wasn’t entirely sure how she could prepare to do see Tatsuha. She supposed that she should put her sword away, but she couldn’t make her grip loosen. She should also probably not sit down, but before she knew what had happened, Sara found her self sitting on the nearby curb. Then, either to her shame or relief, she wasn’t sure which, the youngest of the group started to cry again. It wasn’t sobbing, but it wasn’t pretty either. Sara pressed her eyes to her knees to stem the tears. That was one good thing about the uniform. There was plenty of material to absorb tears as Sara cried out her tension once again.

---

The moment of respite was something that was perhaps sorely needed. As the various substitute Shinigami shuffled around and took a breather, Shoko could not help but feel a sense of relief herself. Immediately she got to work healing Bakuto... An arm wrangled, and a chest bruised, it would take some time. It was a wonder he was able to keep talking so much and display so much energy, but she had to chalk that up to the reiatsu flowing through him, and not to mention him awakening to his Shikai... She was unsure of what to make of this, most Shinigami would spend years trying to commune with their Zanpakuto through various methods, and fewer still would find even the slightest result. For the substitutes to reach this level so quickly, she was shocked to be sure.

She had been keeping a close eye on Sara, initially it was due to the curious nature of her sensitivity to spirits. She had also finished a chat with Darius, who had decided he wanted to go back to his house, and stand as it's guard tonight... Given the recent events, she understood his worry, and allowed him to head off. Rei however was a curiosity to her. Her heritage was unquestionable of course, there was no greater proof than who her grandfather was. She knew very little about the Quincy, but they have appeared every so often in old scripts as an anomaly. Nothing more. She had never imagined there would be one, let alone two in this town, although Rei did not appear to be using those powers and why that was, she did not know.

"It is good to see you all getting along... Some fine work coordinating together, perhaps I was worried for nothing", for now, that was the best she could do for Bakuto. The arm will work, and the chest will ache rather than burn with pain. It will be a bit of time before it's fully healed. Shoko stood up, holding her paper parasol aloft, the form of her zanpakuto, leaned against her shoulder as she gently and walked over. The click of her geta both distinct and rhythmic.

"And dear, Sara, you've done well", she offered a few extra words for the young girl, for whom the adrenaline had finally worn off.

"With luck, after we meet up with Tatsuha we can retire to bed", there was a brief sigh of relief in the air before Shoko's phone began to buzz. She pulled it out, flipping open the soul pager,

"And of course, we have no such luck..." The message read plainly...

Come to Sakuhana Park, now!

---

@yoshua171 - Yuen Kashimori

The late night train back into Sagamiyama was a lonely one, the hum of the tracks, the white, robotic lights and the shifting scenery in the back, mountains cloaked in shadow dotted by the signs of civilization scattered in this inner countryside town. Sagamiyama was by no means the 'boonies', but it was not a town one went out of their way to go. For this young man, this fact has always stood in the back of his mind, and so it was a surprise that Don Kanonji, a rather popular TV personality had come to visit town, and he wound up being picked to be his personal trainer! It was a handsome amount of pay, maybe at least a few months worth! Turns out, he was picked because he had a "spirit-y" vibe... Whatever that meant. He was here on vacation and wanted someone to help with his 'personal lifestyle' for that month. Not to mention he was also really popular in Sagamiyama, so he found himself double duty as a bodyguard too.

Well, perhaps he shouldn't be surprised... This town had a close relationship with the occult and Shinto, and gods and so on. Many of it's urban legends had a lot to do with the realm of spirits. After all his experiences, Yuen was inclined to really face that, after all... He was a Shinigami, or a substitute at least as of a couple months ago.

As he looked out the window again, he could see shadows moving through the skies... Bats? Out of idle curiosity, his eyes followed them, and soon he realized they were heading towards town... Hmmm...? What was that glowing, that should be where Sakuhana Park is, right...?

Well, he was just a couple minutes to the station now...

And then it dawned on him... Those moving shadows, including the ones in the sky, they were not active wildlife or bats. They were just really far away... The faint glints of white he caught with his eyes, straining in the darkness, and the occasional illumination from lights.

They were Hollow.

As soon as this realization dawned on him, his soul pager began to ping... Ah that's right, he's back in the city now so it'll get messages from Shoko and Tatsuha. Hm...?

Come to Sakuhana Park, now!

---

@Zman - Kael Arashiro

Trading the lush, earthy scent of the mountain air for the salty sea breeze for around a month was really a... Breath, of fresh air, for the young man. He was graduated now, and so they wanted to introduce him to the family businesses for a solid month. Whether or not he'll choose to pick them up later was up to him. Among the substitute Shinigami that had been picked up, he was among the most committed to the role, a forthright young man and with plenty of stamina, able to keep up both lives, even Tatsuha was impressed. Still, the month spent had been one of particular... Thought for him. The premise of him being there with his family was a break, but it felt a lot more like they wanted him to really think about his future. He had paths before him... The sea as his family's patriarchs had taken over, or even the modest business in Sagamiyama they had going.

The sky tonight was a full moon, although it appeared to be quite... Ominous. Normally, the feeling of the full moon was comfort, a gentle light that illuminated the dark night, but tonight it felt oppressive. This was just a small roadstop, a relative was driving him back to his home in Sagamiyama, and they were maybe another 10 minutes before they were home. It wasn't so far though that they were surrounded by forests though, houses and closed shops lined this road, so they were well within city limits, being so late his relative decided to stop here and buy food for the both of them in the convenience store while he stood outside.

Taking a drink of his choice of beverage from the nearby vending machine, his senses perked up. This feeling was familiar, of course, he had been hunting these instincts for the last month. It was a Hollow... No, wait... More than one? His eyes would gaze to the road again.

Standing there was a quadrapedal Hollow, making eye contact time appeared to freeze. It stood facing down the road, it's head turned to the side, as if noticing Kael... Of course, he had a significant spiritual pressure, he would garner attention of Hollow he was near, but just as he was ready to hop into action, it bounded off back down the road towards the city center... Odd. Normally they would just try to attack... As if an explanation for this strange encounter, he felt the Soul Pager in his pocket remind him of it's existence... There was a new message, his first in a month...

Come to Sakuhana Park, now!

A month away from Sagamiyama had done him good.

Too good, maybe.

Salt air, engine noise, and early mornings spent hauling nets beneath skies large enough to make most problems feel smaller than they actually were. It had been simpler than balancing school, training, family expectations, and disappearing into the night to hunt creatures most people would never know existed.

Graduation had only complicated things. The family businesses. The sea. Staying in Sagamiyama. Leaving it. Too many paths, and too much thinking.

Tonight, instinct cut cleanly through all of that.

Standing outside the convenience store with a cold drink in hand, Kael felt it immediately.

Hollow.

His gaze shifted toward the road.

A quadrupedal shape stood beneath the streetlights, motionless except for the slow turn of its head toward him. For a brief moment, neither moved. The familiar tension settled into his shoulders automatically, calm and practiced after the last month.

Then the Hollow turned away.

Not retreating exactly. Moving with purpose.

It bounded down the road toward the city center.

Kael frowned slightly.

...That's new.

The vibration in his pocket interrupted the thought.

Soul Pager.

Right. He had almost forgotten what carrying the thing felt like after a month away.

Pulling it free, his eyes dropped to the screen.

Come to Sakuhana Park, now!

Short. Urgent.

The lingering pressure hanging over Sagamiyama suddenly made much more sense.

Too much reiatsu.

Too many familiar signatures.

Something had happened.

Without hesitation, Kael set the unfinished drink beside the vending machine and stepped toward the convenience store entrance.

"Sorry," he called toward his relative inside, already backing toward the street. "Something came up. I'll explain later."

Not a great explanation.

It would have to do.

The moment he cleared the storefront, his pace changed.

Movement flowed smoothly from one step into the next as he cut through the late-night streets toward Sakuhana Park. Corners shortened beneath practiced footwork, momentum carrying naturally through turns, stairs, railings, and narrow walkways without ever fully breaking rhythm.

Kaze Ayumi. Not explosive speed. Just efficient movement. Constant movement.

The full moon overhead felt strangely oppressive tonight, and the pressure in the air only grew heavier the closer he drew to the park. By the time the familiar outline of Sakuhana began appearing between rooftops and darkened streets, Kael was already reaching into his pocket.

Cold metal met his fingers.

The Substitute Badge.

His grip settled around it as his pace eased approaching the edge of the area.

Something serious had happened here.

He could feel it.

Without breaking stride, Kael pulled the badge free beneath the moonlight and continued toward the park.

Sara shakily smiled up at Hayasegawa as the woman came over. At least the proper Shinigami wasn’t chiding her for crying again. The younger girl wasn’t sure that the older woman was being honest or not, but the twins were okay and both Hollows were dead. That would have to be enough for now. Sara stemmed the last of her tears with her sleeves as she contemplated going to bed. Yes, they still had to go see Tatsuha to debrief, but hopefully that wouldn’t take too long. She wanted to wash her face and crawl into bed, maybe even wake up in time to join the Tachibanas for breakfast, that would be two days in a row. Himari, her stepmother, would probably a. be excited. and b. concerned about the sudden change in character and routine. But Sara wanted some normalcy after two difficult Hollow fights, two days in a row.

Then her Soul Pager buzzed and Sara read the message with some sort of cross of horror and exhaustion. She couldn’t … she didn’t … she wouldn’t. She couldn’t go! She was exhausted, burnt out, she had used too much Reiatsu during that last fight, and her bones felt like jelly. There was no way that she would be of any kind of use in a fight. She would probably just get in the way. She didn’t’ want to! She was tired, she felt terrible after crying, not to mention drained. Crying never really solved anything, and right now she could fathom moving from this spot on the curb, unless it was to go to bed. She wouldn’t … she wouldn’t … she wouldn’t. She suddenly stood. Sara’s grip on her Zanpakutō tightened. She squared her shoulders. She would! She could barely fight. She could barely even stand; she didn’t want to stand, but she would.

That voice in the back of her mind, her Zanpakutō spirit, gave calm reassurance, “It’s just another fight. Just another dance. You can do this. I’ll be right here. We can do this. Together.”

Sara’s voice was shaky, but still left no room for doubt, “I’m still in okayish condition. I’ll go on a head while the rest of you get patched up.” She nodded once, “I’ll meet you there.”

Then she turned to hurry off. She didn’t run. If she wanted any energy at all by the time she got there, she couldn’t afford to run, but she didn’t lollygag either. She had made her decision. It was probably a stupid decision, but Sara could feel it in her bones, her heart, her soul, that it was the right decision to make. There was no time to question, no time to doubt, no time to give herself a chance to talk herself out of it. She was scared, yes, she wanted nothing more than to run far, far away, maybe even all the way back home to the States with the too hot pavement and lack of shade. But she couldn’t run now. She didn’t even really want to run now. She wouldn’t run now. One careful step at a time she headed towards the park and whatever disaster waited there.