In More Fortunate Times [Kasumi, Hayai]

[Mudo-Toshin Ruide]

Against the trend of oncoming winter, the sun shone brightly down over Karakura’s glossy windows and busy streets, ebbing the chill of the seasonal winds and filling the otherwise turbid city with light. In Kasaki district, the Hirohyaku Supermarkets parking lot had filled with stands of various goods and amenities, no doubt the owner’s last efforts to take advantage of the weather before the cold set in. Tucked in between the merchandise, kneeling at the end of one such stand of groceries, was a mildly strained altogether serious-looking Ruide, the edge of the stand propped up on his shoulder as he struggled to align its leg. Waving off the vendor’s concerned expression, he bore his eyes unto the wooden corner joint, normally fastened with a nut and bolt that had since been stripped of its threads. It was difficult not to clench his teeth with the heavy table leaning on his neck, but the handful of nails he’d been holding in his mouth reminded him well not to lose his concentration.

It had been at least two months since any of the shopkeepers or frequenters of this place had seen Ruide’s face. After his encounter at the river, he had remained indoors for what seemed like forever. It wasn’t until his reserves of food and drink ran low that he had remembered he had a life outside, and dared to venture out into the streets to see it again. It had made him smile, the warm and worried reception they had given him; perhaps he wasn’t completely without those who cared for him after all; and so, at least for the moment, the cries of battle and the howling of nightmares were spared from his mind, quieted by the dull tack of hammer on nail as he tried to hold the table leg steady.

[Fujihara Kasumi]

Her breath streamed in front of her, like smoke from a restless dragon, as she perused the dainty market trying to find all of the ingredients for her super secret winter stew. Struggling to hold all of the items in her arms having foolishly forgotten to bring a shopping bag, she nevertheless continued on, hunting for a particularly shaped lump of ginger. Peering around her armful of vegetables, her attention was suddenly picquied by an abrupt hammering from the a nearby stall which startled a dozing cat causing it to run with an agitated yowl towards her feet. Innately she side stepped the animal and they both escaped without injury, but the tower of produce was unbalanced and she couldn't hold on as they tumbled to the cold ground. Stupid cats... She grumbled, cursing her clumsiness as she knealt down to retrieve the items. Nothing a good wash wouldn't get rid of... Sighing, she grinned as she met the eyes of a young man, the one who had been modifying his stand, and considered herself lucky that she hadn't had an armful of more delicate wares.

"Do you need any help? I could hold those for you..."

She enquired, noting his mouthful of nails. She stood after piling the food into a neat pyramid, dusting her hands off as she glanced around for something to hold them.

[hayai]

His legs took him. They took him far his running in a full sprint from the frustration of his problems and the manifestation of his will to want to bring back his own skills. He couldn't believe that he wasn't able to unlock it, after a few times of practice and keeping his training intact it just didn't come. The excruciating and antagonistic role of that feeling from within his gut which made him feel less like a runner and more like a chump. He would slide across the ground a she turned a corner and began running once again, almost making himself slip towards the road but catching himself.

"Woah!" He said with a loud remark as his hands wavered, he would almost slip, a sweat drop appearing on his head as he chuckled nervously. "That was close, I need to keep myself from being killed..." He would say this, but not truly learn from it. His fists clenched as his eyes began to glow with a large amount of enthusiasm. His body would clench. "Can't stop now... not now..."

"That feeling... I want it, I want that feeling!" An explosive sprint would come as he rushed forth with his body jettisoning against the snow. His eyes going towards a rail as he leaped towards it and slid with his shoes a skill that could be done due to there not being any snow. His body wouldn't allow him to stop as he went off the rail and did one somersault. His eyes capturing the lights of the city. He would nod as his hands went into a frenzy his nostrils flared as he began to shoot forward looking to the crowds. "Obstacles... oh no... practice." A small grin was placed on his face.

His body would move from a strafing motion, using quicksteps as he entered a large crowd of people. His quick stepping patterns and motions as he stopped and then used a spin motion taking his body into a curve as he dodged an arm that randomly appeared in the crowd his reflexes on high. His body sweated as his long-sleeves and pants took on the constitution of wetness and liquid. "Can't keep this up... gotta rest..." He said to himself as he finally came out of the crowd, his hand going against a building as the sweat would go down, his breaths heaving due to the naturally limited stamina of humans.

"I just want to... I just..." His fist clenched as his eyes closed. "Why can't I?" He asked himself in a semi-rhetorical question motioning forward in one-step, his eyes would stop for a moment. His chest began to pound deeply, the signature of power that made him terrified to fight for such a long time. His breaths would shift from warm to cold. "D-don't tell me... damn those things and in this place crowded with people!" His stamina would come back to is once winded body and he would begin to run once more, a loud screeching scream would release as he ran quickly, his eyes closed.

He had yet to master those powers, he couldn't even summon them. And now, he was in a very weird place where death could be imminent at any time, where he was most vulnerable. His eyes still closed, his body moving as fast as it could, would come with something much more evil. A food pyramid.

As he finally opened his eyes, his body would move forward, his teeth showing as he tried to stop and yet slipped on some ice throwing him forward into the fruit as he screamed loudly. The loud thud from his crash would push him through and slam him towards the ground, crushing some of the oranges as he made it down, stretching his hand towards his back as he grasped an orange. Unknown to him he would meet two people that were just like him.

Who would of thought?

[Mudo-Toshin Ruide]

‘tack, tack, tack, tack, tack~’

Ruide’s eyes and hand ran delicately over his progressing work as he figured the direction of weights and strains on the table joint. He’d need a piece of wood to brace the corner, which had already been grabbed for him by the kindly vendor, but he’d need an extra hand to hold it in place if he couldn’t keep the leg steady. Gently, he lifted his free hand from the stand’s base, watching the strain on the one nail he’d set to keep it steady. That ought to do it. A faint twinge of confidence stretched across his face; he’d gotten pretty good at this carpentry stuff, for not really knowing what he was doing. Sizing up the brace against the table’s underside, he placed another nail against the outside edge, pressing faintly to mark the surface with an indentation.

It was about that time that the clamor of the woman falling in front of him, no more than three or four feet away from where he was sitting, caught his ear, not quite jerking him to attention in the manner of others passing by, but nonetheless leaving him with raised eyebrows and almost one less nail in his lips. Naturally, a bit of concern crept into his expression, but he wasn’t in a position where he’d be able to move and help her, lest he let the stand and all its goods fall. He did watch for a moment or two, though; hopefully she wouldn’t miss anything she’d just dropped. It wouldn’t be too long before she looked his way, however, and for a moment, he averted his eyes to his work, not so much a gesture of shyness as respect. When she spoke, however, he turned back, as if he could look in control with a crick in his neck and a mouthful of metal.

“Mnah, I fhink I’ve got it. Fhanks for askin’, fhough~” He had to chuckle to himself a little as he steadied the table and tapped the tip of the nail in. It’s have to be steady enough to stay where it was without his hand so he could hold the brace. As he watched his own work play out, he was already beginning to understand why this was usually done with the table upside down. He continued to acknowledge the young lady in front of him, as he’d intended to say more, but his words were cut off quite pointedly by the alarming shout of the incoming male. Ruide wouldn’t quite see the flying collision the young lad made with the woman’s assorted foods, seeing as her figure blocked his view, but his eyes nonetheless winced in surprise and sympathy. He still wasn’t quite ready to move, but the two of them had undoubtedly gotten his attention. Now if he could only get these nails in.

[Fujihara Kasumi]

Giving a quiet nod to the vendor, she smiled as he looked as if he might continue but suddenly the peaceful frosted air was pierced by a n awkward shriek. She watched with helpless dismay as the human tornado skidded on a patch of ice hidden by the light powdering of snow and came crashing down on her little pile of vegetables, completely obliterating them. Her hands balled into fists as she felt a flash of annoyance, but there was nothing to be done now. The long sleeves of her simple, tawny coat hid her tell, but the frown so full of disdain was enough of an indication. She recognized most of the towns younger residents, either through school or training, but this kid was as unfamiliar as the stall holder behind her.

She extended an ungloved hand towards him in an elegant motion, smirking as she noticed that he had squashed a squash and was now streaked with pale, gloopy seeds. "You gotta watch where you're hurtlin' guy, or you might run into something you can't handle." Feeling eyes on her, she glanced around noticing the cat from earlier was watching her from a shadowy doorway. Though it wasn't black, more a silvery grey, she already could tell her luck was about to change as he'd chosen today to cross her path.

[hayai]

The touch of juice against his back made his eyes follow with the pace of his touch. "Dammit." At least he hadn't hit his head for the time the oranges rolling across his bottom as he tried to stand but slipped again, this made him grunt as he started to stand up slowly looking towards the woman who had a mild case of anger in her eyes. It receded as she helped him up smoothly, he took his strides over the oranges as he looked to the woman fully.

He blushed a bit. In hindsight she was angered and probably a bit peeved even if he couldn't pinpoint her anger. His eyes went across to hers, a tiny hue of pink trailed through his cheeks as he released her hand and almost tripped once more. He would grip his head from behind. "T-thank you, sorry for the fruits..." He began to pick up the oranges slowly trying to collect the ones that could be saved from his not so cool cut-in. "But I'll pay for the ones I've m-"

He stopped a huge scream could be heard from behind him, the vastness of the roar had came as he felt himself being watched from a high-point. "Y-you guys have to leave... tell everyone else to leave to, hurry up!" Even if he hadn't conversed with the man, he asked them both in a crazed manner as his eyes flashed back to the creature that was now almost to the destination. "I mean it, run!"

As seconds would pass, the entire situation would change a looming spirit would come crashing into the ground with tremendous force. The impact causing a deep crater into the ground as an extremely large roar could be heard from the area of impact. Seeing this "thing", Hayai was now afraid of the implications of this creature. "Dammit all, it was OK when it was only around me..." Screams could be heard as panicked faces loomed around. Hayai's fists clenched as his teeth gritted.

"But now... all these people." His eyes would shift to the creatures hand as a large sword hand been made in its palm, gripping the blade he would throw it with tremendous force as it was aimed at him, leaping with great agility as he flipped towards the nearest pole. He caught himself spinning as he slid down holding himself to the side with his feet and one hand. His agility didn't surprise the creature in the most as it chuckled.

"So you're the one that beat Rotura..." Note: Rotura means Smashing, the creature he faced could use shockwaves with its super strength to destroy objects. The large creature that scaled over as he hunched his back with large menacing eyes would watch greedily at his next meal the saliva which dripped seemed to come in troves. "Seems kinda iffy to me... but your energy is so juicy... I couldn't help but try my hand!" A volley of strikes would come from its body blackened needles of shrapnel would release and go towards Hayai once more who would dodge once again.

'It can fire weapons from its body?!' Hayai sucked his teeth in a notion of difficulty.

Going forward with a dashing movement, he took forth his body as he launched against the creature to attack the creature was hit square with a powerful yet meaningless kick of which seemingly deflected off the creatures body. A swipe of its claws would come as Hayai was hit with a strong steely blow falling backwards as he screamed from the pain of going against a wall. The blow making him fall to his knees, his eyes closed as he was helpless to the ground.

"Weak, completely weak!" The creatures body would begin to become another weapon as the "weapons" he used would come back into its skin quickly reforming into a darkened katana-like sword. With this, it would be an end to Hayai, whose story would end as quickly as it would begin.

[Mudo-Toshin Ruide]

As attention slowly reverted from Ruide to this incoming character, his own attention quickly traced itself back to the table and finishing his job; a few rough strikes forced the brace into place, and with an increasing haste, he set another nail, all the while a faint tension growing in his body. ‘Tack, tack, tack, tack, tack’ without fully realizing, he’d been exerting more effort into getting this done quickly, and before he’d fully realized it, his last nail was in place, just fast enough to hear the distant scream over the crowd of shoppers. For a moment or two, the feelings didn’t even register in his mind, not until he heard the sound of nails on concrete.

‘That’s-’ He never turned his head, but his attention swung immediately off in the direction of the screams, and his body in the direction of the vendor. “Yamada-ojii; there’s another earthquake coming. Get everyone inside!” By now, the older citizens he assisted in town had already grown weary of these strange “earthquakes”, but they knew enough to listen when Ruide warned. The older man froze with surprise for a moment, but Ruide’s eyes could back up the fear behind his voice, and moments later, he was off to spread the word. Ruide, tense with an oncoming rush of adrenaline and fear, pushed himself out from beneath the grocery stand and a little toward the others. Already his spiritual senses were growing acute, and he could feel the dark mass of energy descending before the hollow’s body hit the ground.

“Here we go again…” he muttered under his breath; quickly, his attention turned to the woman, who no doubt was beginning to notice too. “He’s right; we should get out of here as fast as-” His words were cut off by the boy’s charge, completely against everything he had just advised. Alarm rippled across Ruide’s expression. “Shit~ be right back. Stay away, but don’t run off on your own; there might be more.” Without a pause to allow response, Ruide ducked into a sprint in the hollow’s direction, their would-be hero already having gotten himself swatted away. ‘Damn it; kid’s gonna get himself killed.’ …and so was Ruide, if he wasn’t careful. Still, he couldn’t sit idly by. Strafing momentum into his arms, he slid almost to a halt, the hammer he’d been carrying hurled into the air toward the side of the massive hollow’s head. He seriously doubted that the strike would have any damaging effect, but by the time the beast had turned to see what happened, Ruide would be out of sight, around the nearby stands, and at the side of the young man who’d just rushed in.

He was a pretty decent runner himself.

“Get up!” If the young man’s body was not compliant, he would find it nearly wrenched into a standing position as Ruide pulled him by the arm. “That thing doesn’t care about anybody else. Just take your own advice and run!” He could only hope that the recent collision wouldn’t inhibit his ability to get away, but Ruide would be the first to take off in the direction he had came from; if the hollow had noticed them by then, highly likely, then they would need to keep the stalls and stands between them in order to avoid the creature’s projectile weapons.

[Fujihara Kasumi]

About to wave off his reasonable offer of replacement, she stared at him mildly as he cut off mid-sentence to look out into the distance. As he abruptly told her to hurry up, and then run with increasing urgency, her eyes widened in confusion. The stall holder seemed to agree, telling his fellow sellers that an earthquake was coming and they should retreat indoors. Kasumi watched them both as their attention was drawn down the street, wondering how he could possibly have known there was a quake about to hit. Such things were rare in Karakura, it being so far away from any fault lines. She followed their gaze, peering hard but she couldn’t see anything against the dull, steel-coloured sky, nor could she hear anything out of the ordinary save for the people of the market heeding the mans warning and heading into their warm homes.

“Isn’t it better to stay away from buildings during an earthquake…?”

She pondered aloud, finally feeling vibrations beneath her feet that were increasing rapidly causing her legs to tremble. This doesn’t feel right at all… Suddenly the young man took off, sprinting at an impressive speed towards whatever was spurring the interest of the two. Then the man beside her spoke and she listened with her mouth slightly agape, wondering at the strangeness of the entire situation.

“More of what…?”

He too left, presumably trying to catch the boy, when suddenly his target seemed to kick an empty space of air and rebounded as if he had struck something solid before being launched into the air and striking the side of one of the houses lining the street hard. Terror was slowly creeping over her, replacing the confusion. It didn’t matter what was happening because they couldn’t stop it and if they didn’t avoid it then the outcome would be fatal.

A furious yowling snapped her out of that scared state; the silvery cat from earlier was arching its back and hissing, focusing on the same area as the boy. Recalling the mans words, Stay away, but don’t run off on your own, she bolted to the doorway the feline was guarding, her little pile of vegetables completely forgotten. She picked up the kitty with two hands, holding it tightly to her chest and stroking it gently to soothe. It relaxed but still its eyes warily gazed down the street. It’s still here… Often she would meet a cat on her wanderings that would be fixated on a seemingly vacant spot and when she approached she sometimes would smile with a vague sense that the feline wasn’t alone after all. Nothing like this had ever happened though.

Her concern for the boy was considerable; he had been thrown brutally into that unyielding surface and had almost certainly earned some serious injuries. And the man who had followed… She couldn’t see him anymore, but assumed that he gone to help the boy. The vibrations had become stronger, shaking the frame of the doorway she crouched in, and the source seemed to be getting stronger. She felt fur bristle beneath her touch but the cat remained silent, seeming to recognise that something very dangerous was making its approach.

[hayai]

A hit against the Hollow's body had only sold to become a distraction as it didn't move an inch nor was it particularly hurt only showing a bit of anger as the hammer fell to the ground in a bump. The weapon smashed into its side but made no indenting to his body striking the strong surface of its powerful skin. It's eyes had turned looking towards what had been a human but the figure was gone. A large growl could be heard as it turned away from the young runner.

As the creature was distracted, the chance had came as the carpenter made his way towards the young boy. In what seemingly was a change of pace. Rising with the males arms he would begin to feel himself be pulled from his unconsciousness, coughing from the strong blow that was credited towards giving him his wheezing problem right now. Each step would be quick yet rough on his part. "W-wha..." He said in a murmur as his eyes fully opened.

"Who threw that, you fucking bastards?!" The Hollow said as Hayai began to stand once more on his own two feet struggling a bit from the impact he hadn't had anything broken however, due to shifting his body to fall backwards after the blow, but he was still in considerable pain. It's stone hard body was something that gave its attacks more weight with its weight, and Hayai being human only made it all the more powerful.

The creature had turned looking for its quarry as it growled loudly once more punching the ground in anger as it looked towards the two of the men coming into the stalls in order to gain ground. The Hollow would begin to create a weapon. Its skin becoming buoyant once more liquifying and then recreating a weapon to be made to attack. Hayai had finally awoken shrugging off the pain as he gasped. "Thanks for the save guy, but you should of ran a-" The projectile this time was a javelin-like weapon which would come at them with blinding speed, as Hayai went for a tackle towards Ruide as the weapon almost hit him making a deep incision into the building behind them.

"Damn..." Hayai said as he began to stand once more, the Hollow starting to run as a strong roar could be heard, the low echoing footsteps blowing across the ground as its huge hand smacked away the stall. "Get going, guy, you won't be any help to me here!" The Hollow's attacks would come with a large down swipe as it went towards both Hayai and Ruide. "DODGE RIGHT!" A huge scream pierced the lips of Hayai who rolled away and then began running around the Hollow's body. Ruide would have enough time to dodge as it wasn't a particularly fast attack but the impact it made would create an extremely large hand print.

'I need to divert this thing from him and get it to come at me... I can't let anyone die because of my... wait can he see the thing?' Hayai asked himself these questions while grasping a rock close-by lifting it and throwing it towards the Hollow. "Hey you big jackass!" The rock hit towards its head as the creature began to move towards Ruide. Hayai had began to run towards this monster. 'I can't go for a full on attack, with that hard skin even my strongest kicks won't affect this bastard.' His hands went towards the sides as he ran at full speed, the Hollow looking towards him as he did.

"Lets see if I can mount a counterattack!" The creatures eyes watched Hayai's whose running sprint made it also charge giving Ruide enough time to run if need be. The creature swiped its arms as the creatures weapons flew across towards him as he would begin to dodge them with great quickness being cut by some towards his cheek and arm and almost his legs had he not leaped towards a lamp post close by popping off with his great leg strength and coming down on the Hollow's head with a strong spinning axe, flash kick.

The hollow had been pushed towards the ground from the great weight of impact. But it didn't really do anything. It didn't phase it and that would be a problem. "Shit!" Hayai said as the Hollow's hand went overhead and with this the creatures attack would come into a strong palm strike from the sky. "What a stupid human!" This would not be the case, Hayai wouldn't be caught again so easily. As he fell, he used the Hollow's mask to flip off as the Hollow's palm came and flipped off with great agility placing his body airborne.

As he came downward he'd do a flip sliding backwards. He sucked his teeth into a 'tsk' watching the Hollow as it began to create more weapons. Two swords actually, very long and powerful swords. Hayai's eyes would flash with a conclusion. 'It's body seems to bounce after creating weapons... maybe...' Maybe he could mount a counterattack after all. He would need Ruide if this would work. 'I hope he's still around.'

[Mudo-Toshin Ruide]

‘Good, he can still move,’ Ruide’s vision shifted back a little as he ran, the wounded runner trailing just behind him. ‘We don’t have a lot of time; it knows where we are.’ With a moment longer to respond, he would have acknowledged the young man’s gratitude, but the faint whistle of splitting air and the shared sense of alarm between them overrode the thought, not to mention the other’s body slamming into him in a spontaneous tackle. Ruide’s body slid grudgingly against the asphalt as the black javelin hurtled by, his side and hip protesting as bits of skin and flesh were torn away. The pain was momentary, but his frustration lingered; it was an unnecessary injury and an unnecessary fall, thanks again to this newcomer’s heroism. His teeth clenched as his momentum settled on the ground, but before he’d the chance to speak, the charging hollow’s massive hand cast a shadow over the area around them.

“Che~” Ruide’s now irritable limbs scrambled beneath him and his body shot out from beneath the hollow’s blow, the impact throwing his body into a tumble and against a nearby stand. ‘Shit,’ blinking a few times to restore his shaken vision, he scanned the terrain ahead for signs of the other male, eventually catching sight of him in the midst of his next attack. ‘Again with the rushing in. Well, if he’s going to get himself killed…’ “Yo!~ Aim for the face! The mask is their weak spot!” As he spoke, he pushed his body against the stand he’d been thrown into, sliding it a foot or so out of his path. He didn’t take kindly to being cornered, and he needed to put some more distance between them. Why? He had something he needed to check on.

It hadn’t occurred to him the knowledge he’d gained from just being part of that battle, from watching the way those strange, black garbed figures conducted their battles. At the time, he never would have imagined that knowledge would be useful, but here he was. Still, the chances of them dealing a lethal blow on such a large creature with no weaponry was slim to none; even with great bodily strength, someone of the runner’s size wasn’t about to pierce that mask with just his own body weight. They would need something more. Victory, however, was not on Ruide’s list of priorities; he was already flying between stalls at his full running speed, hoping to use their shades as cover from the much taller creature. Eventually, he would skid to a halt close to the doorframe where the young woman from earlier had taken to hiding. His attention, and then his eyes, would swing off in her direction.

“Phew, you’re alright.” a wave of relief washed over his expressions, and simultaneously, his eyes ran over hers. Quickly, he gestured his approach to slip past her and into the safety of the building, a bit of a pant presenting itself in his breathing. “He’s off fighting; dunno what he’s thinking.” He assumed she would understand that he was talking about the other male. “Sorry it’s so confusing; it’s not exactly easy to explai-…” His words trailed off as his eyes met the feline in her arms, its gazed still fixed in the direction he had come from. “Is that the cat from the stand?”

[Fujihara Kasumi]

She bit her tongue to stop herself blurting something hysterical and took a moment to calm her mind and focus on the situation. No one had been seriously injured yet. The young stall holder standing beside her was testament to that and as she had peered cautiously around the doorframe moments earlier she had watched the boy perform some impressive acrobatics. He must be made of stronger stuff… Really it was quite incredible he could even run after such a blow, but she knew if you landed in the correct way most of the force could be transferred away from the body. Maybe he’s a martial artist…

Turning her attention back to the man in front of her, she nodded in acknowledgment to his statement.
“Alright for now… But what is he fighting? I can’t even see it, whatever it is…” She almost felt disappointed. The urge to protect her town simmered inside her, but without her weapon, and without the ability to perceive their enemy, there was nothing she could do. “At least give me the abridged version. All this destruction and not a thing in sight… It’s enough to make me doubt me sanity…”

She shook her head, and remembering her manners gave the relieved man a respectful bow that shifted her messy hair, and an introduction.
“Yes, this handsome gentleman seems to know more than I do. I’m sure he can see it too. And I’m Fujihara Kasumi.” The smile that graced her lips was almost an innate response that came with the introduction, but its sincerity reached her eyes and warmed them. Her affinity for making new acquaintances might be somewhat misplaced in the current environment, but she really couldn’t help it. But instead of expanding on her introduction, she allowed a pause to catch his name before continuing.

“We should help him. Or at least remove him from the situation.” Still holding onto the placid feline she stepped out from the doorway into the street, appalled at the mysterious destruction all around. Shards of wood littered the streets, produce lay strewn across the path and the air seemed to have taken on an oppressive heaviness. A flash of movement drew her eyes sidewards as she caught another glimpse of the boy, and to her surprise a slight shimmering of a goliath outline. “I could distract it, draw its attention away and you could grab him…” But she had no idea of the nature of the beast, and even using the cat as a guide she probably wouldn’t be able to move fast enough to avoid an attack. She looked to Ruide with an apologetic grin, feeling slightly stupid for her helplessness, but seeking an answer from the more knowledgeable man.