[IC] 【Bleach: Souls Unguided】

[Brink]

太 郎 山 田

T A R O Y A M A D A

---

_{// L E D B Y B U T T E R F L I E S}

"Hai." Taro gave an honorable bow to his head captain before he spun on the spot towards the door. As he left he grabbed Mitsue in an embrace that was as friendly as it was controlling, shuffling him along by his side the decision was made for the pair to travel to the living world.

They soon arrived at the Senkaimon, the last blasts of soul society sun beating their brows.
"Vasto Lorde. This could be dangerous, Mitsue." the words lingered in the air a moment as if the sunlight weighed them down, preventing their escape. Taro was not actually worried about their patrol, he was confident in the two of them, especially together, but he had always enjoyed exaggerating the trials ahead. He peered forward as the portal opened.
"Maybe once it's over we could visit that cake shop again" his verbose smile contrasted the previous omen in a way only Taro could. Tucking his arms into the sleeves of his uniform Taro proceeded forward, led by butterflies to the world of the living.

---

The pair found themselves walking alongside a winding canal. It wasn't as sunlit as the Soul society, in fact the grey skies gave the day a muted, ponderous and ill-fated atmosphere. Taro walked on as subtly as a man his size could, he seemed lost in thought, not paying attention to the cars nearby or the people whom couldn't see him. In actuality Taro was alert, he conversed with his friend but all the while he was sensing spiritual pressures, checking corners and rooftops in his peripheral vision.
"Mitsue. If we find this hollow, we will need to protect the city first, then fight it."

[CaliforniaState]

光永 黒糖

M I T S U E K U R O T O U

---

It was never a dull moment in the presence of Okirigae and today would be no less the same vibe. “You place too much trust in the stars young one" Mitsue replied with a hand hovering over her head ready to pat down. An eyebrow cocked up in response to her reply, “I did too, but I guess he didn’t get the memo either. Being a captain is a drag, but you already have a lieutenant so it’s not like I can step down, Mosumi.” His hand gently fell to the top of her before retracting back to his side at the sound and presence of the Captain Commander appearing before them demanding their attention.

The words of the captain were heavy on Mitsue. The mission itself wasn’t hard nor was it outside of the realm of what he was expecting or used to. Fighting hallows and the stronger classifications of them was only apart of the natural flow of the world; balance among all things. The part that weighed heavy on him was the existence of one in the human realm. While everyone there had forgotten their lives in the human realm, his memories were still as sharp as a bed of needles with his skin pressed to each point. A lesser man would have run from the prospect of having to face his past, but Mitsue was stronger than that and knew it was his burden to shoulder even if no one else knew his struggle. Before he could say or discuss anything in the forum, he was whisked away by a force much greater than gravity. The texture and scent were all too familiar to Mitsue as non-other than the mountain known as taro.

The face of the mountain turned to face him sending tremors down his chest from his commanding voice. Stifling around to get his head free he sucked in some air before responding, “Don’t tell me you’re getting soft on me in old age Taro. Whatever it is, I’m sure we can handle it. Besides it beats being here doing nothing.” In truth the two of them together were strong enough at this point to have made the old guard seem like weaklings in comparison. Maybe if they had been that strong back then they could have saved more people. His mind refocused on the mission ahead as the portal opened before them almost if it were awaiting and old friend, “Yeah I could go for some custard right about now. Wonder how Mosumi will fair with her lieutenant. Maybe if we’re fast enough, we can catch up with her.”

Touching down on the world of living felt eerily familiar, the air, the ground, even the sounds were the same as if nothing changed and the world continued even without him. A poignant laugh escaped the space in his lips, admiring the twisted beauty in the world around him. “I was hoping to make it seem like a natural disaster was happening, you know ghosts and all that, joking aside you’re right. The outskirts are ideal we just need to start looking for clues. If you were a Vasto Lorde where would you be?”

[The World]

Shion took the news in stride. Of course, if there were a hollow as strong and intelligent as a Vasto Lorde in the Soul Society, it would make sense for it to be able to hide. She looked around, and unfortunately it seemed that her own Captain was still too busy with her mission to have arrived, even late. That meant that the duty of organizing the Stealth Force would fall to her.

"If it's alright, I'll remain alone for now and lead the Stealth Force in a search for this infiltrator. Once Captain Kawagana returns, I'll pair with her to search more intensely."