When Rescues Go Bad [Open]

The mission, if you could call it that, was rather simple. A large gathering of hollows had appeared near a small village just outside of the Rukongai and they needed help detaining the beasts. It would be a collaborative mission, the third and eleventh divisions would work together to undermine this small insignificant threat to the sanctity of Soul Society. The only question running through Saya's mind about this all was rather simple: why did they send a lieutenant?

Was the Gotei planning for something else? Could there be more than just simple hollows there? What could possibly motivate them into sending the Lieutenant of the eleventh division along with the group? The Lioness shrugged. She figured in the end trying to understand the motives of central garnered more headache than simply accepting their seemingly illogical motives.

The Lieutenant was a large man, standing a full head over Saya. Despite his height, he moved with a grace unmatched by the remaining members. It was strange to the prideful woman. The man seemed to exude an aura of peacefulness, and it irked her slightly. She didn't know what to think of the man. He seemed kind on the outer surface, but a lot of people wore masks. Saya would discover his true nature during this mission.

The scenery began to change quickly around the group as they traveled. The city limits of the Rukongai began to fade and the world slowly transformed into a flat empty plain. The plain soon began to grow foliage, and that foliage soon became a massive forest. The path scrawled its way by the thick trees and led deeper into the outskirts. The air felt oddly tense. It was odd. Every shadow on the path seemed suspicious and Saya's animalistic instincts began to cry out. Every cell, every fiber of her being, cried one singular word: “Run”.

Then it happened. The hollows screeches echoed throughout the entire area. It started with a single unseated member vanishing with a flash near a shadowed edge. Saya drew her blade, listing to the metallic scrape it emitted with a renewed ease. Her hand was shaking and her eyes scanned about. The hollows began to emerge from the forest one by one. Each one with a contorted image and a strange mask. Their grotesque figures twisted and curled in cruel and unnatural ways. The lioness swallowed hard. It was an ambush.

Saya looked over to the Lieutenant with an unnatural smile. "Well, at least they aren't making us look for them." Said the girl in an innocent tone. Her heart reverberated as more hollows made their appearance known. There were too many for this to be a considered a "Small" attack. At least now she understood why a Lieutenant was sent along for the mission.

It felt good.... Maybe to good to be out working again. Kaede had been cooped up in what he so quaintly dubbed his cave(Read office) for far to long... He couldn't help but think back to his child hood and remember what he thought this lofty job would be like. He would be a shining knight who rode forth and vanquished evil, he would slay the wicked with a shinning sword and strike down those who would do innocents harm. How little he knew back then, how little he had cared. He had to wonder what his past self would have thought of the actual job, of him sitting in a dim office putting words to paper, acting as nothing more then a glorified secretary and paper pusher. He probably would have laughed and declined the job.

But now.... Now is what he lived for. The chance to hunt a worthy prey, to stalk and to kill. It was odd honestly, but it was like an itch he could not scratch, and it was starting to drive him a tad crazy. Kaede needed to wet his fangs, to unsheathe his claws and let loose a howl. Yes... That would settle his nerves, that would scratch his itch. That would set him free. But a question remained, was it right to thirst for blood? Even if that blood was the foul ichor that ran threw the bodies of hallows?

That... That was a question for another day, for now all that mattered was that he would hunt, and he would kill, and he would be the knight he had dreamt of as a child. That was all one could ask for honestly. And so he walked in what he hopped to be a companionably silence, lost in his own thoughts as he was wont to do, and wondering just who this woman was that walked beside him. Every once in a while he would glance over and take her in, wondering truly who she was and why she was here... And some times he would wonder if she wold hold him back on that nights hunt.

So lost was he, that he didnt notice that they had fallen for a trap tell it was far to late. The screeches where what woke him up, the sound of a pack of hunting hallows. How foolish was he? "Well, at least they aren't making us look for them." He smirked at that, she was right after all... But he would have enjoyed the stalk. He drew his Zanpakto, its short blade shining in the dim light of a waning sun. "Yes, at least theres that... By the way my names Kaede... I hope you enjoy your hunt." The beast he kept leashed wanted to be let free, and Kaede was no longer sure he could keep him in check.

“Yes, at least there’s that… By the way my name’s Kaede… I hope you enjoy your hunt.” Said the man while drawing his short blade from the sheath. Saya nearly broke out into laughter at the words. She replayed the last line over in her head twice before forming a particularly nasty grin.

“There could be no greater pleasure than that of the hunt itself.” Said the girl in a darker tone as she held out her blade in front, tilting it slightly to the side. There were too many hollows for her to hold back now. “Bite the neck, Mielikki.” Whispered Saya as a bright light clouded over her transforming Zanpakuto. Her back hunched forward slightly and her auburn blue eyes reshaped themselves into slits. The transformation was quick, and it managed to kick up a swirling cloud of dust around the woman. She walked forward with her, now clawed, hands hanging low. The shikai transformation was complete.

Saya’s tongue protruded from between her supple lips and glossed over them. With all the force of a pouncing predator, the fifth seat of third squad launched herself into the fray and towards the nearest fishbone hollow to her location. The beast was colored a sickly dark gray and had pointed lances for arms. He stood upon legs as thick as aged saplings and his body was hulkingly large compared to the woman. His mask was like mercury, the quicksilver color oozing forth from it, yet it retained an animalistic shape. This hollow would become the first prey.

The beast’s limbs thundered forth to try and defend against the oncoming huntress. Saya, witnessing the spear-like object approaching, rolled her entire body to the right as if she had become a bullet. Her feet landed upon the hard packed dirt underneath her again and her eyes flashed up in time to see the creature recoiling back his opposite arm. A thin lipped smile spread across the cat-like woman’s face as she loaded back her right arm as well.

Swinging forth her claws with all the might her body could produce, Saya struck the lance-like arm of the beast dead on. The collision was violent as her claws tore into the beasts hardened flesh and ripped away at the very reishi that comprised him. The beast recoiled back at the surprising amount of damage, but it was far too late for him to escape. Taking a hard step forward, Saya placed her entire body’s weight upon her right foot. Her left claw began to swing forward, staying low enough to even uproot the very earth beneath her feet, before being slashed upwards the entire length of the fishbone’s body.

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