Sleeping Amongst The Dead

The grounds of the tiny temple were silent as the grave that morning as the fog rolled slowly off the grass that lay flat over the hill; still fresh with due and stretching itself from the long night before. The sun had nearly found its way over the tops of the deep, violet mountains and illuminated the smooth white stone of graves that were lined up in rows that seemed to span on for ages in each direction. Stones that marked the final resting places for people young and old, loved ones and those who's lives had been long forgotten, and stones that ranged from small and simple to majestic and well cared for. If one wandered a bit to the left of the temple, weaving around the stones where flowers had been placed not long ago by visiting families, they might hear the gentle breathing that seemed to come from nowhere. They might stop before a stone that had become slightly coated in moss from age and might even think they were hearing the breathing of phantoms in the early morning mist, but if one was smart enough, they might just look behind said stone and see what lay in the grass in its shadow.

The tiny creature lay still, its ears back upon its tiny head and its fluffy tail wrapped around it for warmth. The white gold of its fur seemed to glisten as sunlight began to reflect down upon it from above and its tiny back rose and fell in the gentle rhythm of sleep. It didn't take much to wake it from this seemingly heavy sleep, a single drop of dew sliding off the arched end of a blade of grass that fell upon its nose sent it in a startled frenzy. When it finally realized what had happened, the creature, now quite clearly a tiny white fox, shook itself and looked up at the sky that now burned with the light of day.

Normally, such a creature would take off into the cover of trees, far away from anything that might cause it harm, but instead, this one stretched and yawned and perched itself atop a headstones if it were some form on sentry for the graveyard. And from there, it leapt from one stone to another, feet barely taking enough time to settle upon one before moving to the next and finally stopping when it reached a path and then....it spoke. "Of all the places to fall asleep...." Raising one paw and smoothing back
its fur a bit, the fox sat, not quite an animal, and not quite a human. Simply...

Chinchuro.

As if to disturb the perfectly quiet morn, an odd presence began to eminate from the graveyard, somewhere near the mausoleum in the center. In front of the door to the mausoleum, space began to distort, appearing as if some kind of creature were clawing at the fabric of reality. Suddenly, and without warning, the dimensional fabric was torn open, as if by the claws of some giant creature; and out walked a tall, dark figure. The figure had a slow pace, as if it was more important than anything else in the world. As the figure stepped out, the portal it had used closed behind him, leaving no trace of what happened. Looking out into the distance, the identity of the figure was revealed by the rising sun; Alfons.

Despite the sun beginning it's slow rise into the sky, simply Alfons' presence, his figure standing in the fog, would be enough to scare most men away. Continuing his slow pace, he walked over to a certain grave, as if he knew exactly what he was looking for. Taking off the white glove on his right hand, he reached out to touch the top of the gravestone with his bare hand, sliding it across the granite surface. Looking at his fingers, Alfons smiled his wicked grin to himself before taking out a handkerchief and cleaning his fingers off and putting his white glove back on. "It seems that she has finally returned, and I am the first to find her" he said to himself, his thick German accent audible in his tone.

Looking around, Alfons silently took a small device out from one of the pouches he kept on his belt and held it up to his face. Channeling a small amount of his spiritual pressure into the device, it suddenly gave off a ping noise, and was obviously showing him the location of something. Smiling again, he put the device back away "I knew it would be beneficial to track her spiritual pressure." With that, he continued his slow pace once again, walking in the same direction as the fox-human creature had gone. As he walked, Alfons was letting out a presence of fear that would keep any normal humans away from himself and the graveyard. Although this might have been seen as odd in any other place, nobody would question the fear they felt eminating from a graveyard.

Soon, Alfons had reached a small path seemingly leading away from the graveyard, and it was there that he found the creature, the reason why he had come out here. Smiling, but a much more gentle and less frighting one this time, he approached the strange creature. "Why hello there" he said, standing tall "...Chinchuro" he finished, a hint of his earlier smile, the creepy grin, returning. As he spoke, the presence of fear now focused on the creature; not enough to make her run away, but enough to keep her there. "Please don't try to run, it was hard enough to track you down to here, but I will be able to do it again" he said, not so much as a threat, but as a warning. "Besides, I do not wish you any harm."

It was in the animalistic nature of a fox to run when confronted by anything not of the norm. Though they were cunning and spirited creatures, they knew far better than to stick around for something they may or may not survive. It was by this nature that Chinchuro stood and weighted her choices between remaining and fleeing into the brush where she would be less likely to be found. Of course, she knew very well that anyone with half a brain could find a talking white fox so thus, she stayed put, braced as if to leap at any moment. Her ears folded back and large blue eyes examined the stranger carefully as she let her mind race through names and faces she had known for years. None of them rang a bell with this one. None of them explained how the heck he knew her name and what on earth he wanted with her.

A wisp of blue flame swept from beneath her paws and flared up around her in a small inferno that rose then died away. No longer did a small fox stand in the path, but instead, a young woman in a white and blue kimono. Pale, thin arms crossed in front of her chest and the same tail she had previously had flicked warily behind her. Moving a strand of white gold hair back away from her face, she spoke.

"Am I to assume you were looking for me...." It was not really a question that required an answer. Of course this man had been looking for her or else he would have no purpose being there. "I cannot say I've had the pleasure of making your acquaintance..."

Watching the fox as it turned into it's human form, Alfons was now certain that this was the person he had been looking for. Grinning, Alfons bowed slightly, an oddity for anyone who might have known his true nature; but to ensure that this girl did not run away, a necessity. "Why, I am Alfonso Gunter Reinhold, but you may call me Alfons" he said, introducing himself, his thick German accent still audible in his tone. Standing back up straight, he looked into the young fox-girl's eyes "And as I stated previously, I do not wish you any harm; I am merely interested in your...unique circumstances."

Grinning, Alfons slowly walked closer to the girl, walking over to her right side. "You see" he said "Although you may not know me, I know about you, but not quite as much as I'd like to." After saying that, Alfons pulled out the small locating device that he had just used to find her "You see, I took notice of you right before your...unfortunate incident, and knowing that something like this would happen, I made sure to keep tabs on your spiritual pressure." Grinning, Alfons walked around behind her, now on her left side. "You see, there is something very special about you and your powers, and quite simply, as a man of science, I could not live with myself if I didn't learn what that was."

With that, he walked back in front of her, his back facing her before he turned back around to face her. Smiling, he once again put the device pack into its pouch. Looking into the girls eyes, he smiled again. While doing so, the girl would be able to feel fear, just from him alone, even if she was fearless. It all lied in Alfons' powers, fear. "Now, I would love to have your cooperation in my endeavors, and I assure you that no harm will come to you while you are with me, but one way or another, I really must find out what it is about you that is so special, and what the root of that is."

There were a few things Chinchuro had learned over the course of her life.

1. Never trust someone who randomly appeared in a graveyard who wanted to “get to know you”

2. Always look under the couch when in search of anything you had moments ago

3. Men of science was like slang term for “Stay Away From At All Costs”

Still, she felt almost rooted to the ground as he spoke to her and looked at her with a dark intensity. It was almost hypnotic, but not in the way one might see at a child’s birthday party. It was a trance that reached deep down into her and pulled out every possible uncertainty and fear she might have possibly had. Scenarios of all kinds ran through her head and ranged from tame and expected to morbid and horrific and it took all she could to keep her face stern and forward. Chinchuro didn’t show fear, it just wasn’t her style. If she could help it, she would make the world think she was a fearless warrior and as of right now, she still had the will to do so.

How long that would last though was yet to be decided.

“I-I’m afraid I will have to decline…I don’t much care for science.” She hadn’t meant to stuttered, but made a quick recovery from it. Anyone not paying attention (though she was sure this man wasn’t part of that majority) wouldn’t have even noticed her slip, but all it took was a to look at the way her tail twitched and the discontented fold of her ears. She knew very well what she was, how she had come to be, what indeed made her special, but she would rather not let anyone else know her secrets. The last person who had proposed such an idea had stolen as much from her as he had given and she was less than keen on reliving the experience. No amount of promises could bring trust to her heart right away.

Sighing, Alfons held his hand up to his face, shaking his head "No, you do not seem to understand, I am not asking weather or not you will accept my offer, I am merely asking weather it will be by your own will or not." With a sigh, he looked back up at the girl, knowing that she was falling victim to his presence of fear. "Now, I will state once again, I am not here to hurt you, nor do I want to steal anything from you, I merely wish to examine the basis of you and your powers, and understand this...phenomenon" he said, his thick German accent in his tone. With that, he brought his hands together and intertwined his his fingers.

Impatiently, Alfons began to tap his foot, focusing his gaze on the girl. Sighing again, he brought his hands back down to his sides "Now, I have been quite reasonable here, I am not asking you much, but do not think that I will simply let you walk away." As he spoke, and became more impatient, the presence of fear became more intense, and his demeanor was changing as well. "I am quite a busy man, and i do not have all day to wait for your response."

Her mind screamed for her to give in, to just get things over and done with and not cause anymore trouble than she was worth. Still, there was another voice far in the back that told her otherwise. Who was this man to tell her whether she did or didn’t have a choice? Who did her think he was, staring at her like he did and talking to her like she was some lab rat for him to study? Between the fear in her chest and the rage in her heart, she was more than ready to take things one way or another, neither of them being a wise choice of action for her situation. Still, she had never been one to take such talk from her husband or any other and she would certainly not take it from this guy.

Already she could feel her anger swelling as it often did when she was in the line of fire. It was an inner fight or flight instinct that, with her, formed into raw power. One false move and she would be sure to use it for more than simply backtalk and angry looks. Ignoring the terror that had kept her there from the started, she narrowed her eyes and stood tall and ready for whatever he had up his sleeve. Be it the difference between life and death, Chinchuro would NOT go down without a fight.

“I said, No…”

Sighing, Alfons once again shook his head "I had hoped to avoid any violence, but I simply cannot let you get away." With that said, Alfons held his left hand out in front of himself, and snapped his fingers "Come out Yuu" he said, and in an instant, his Zanpaktou materialized in his left hand. Moving his right hand up, he gripped the swords handle and drew the Zanpaktou, the sheath disappearing as soon as he drew the sword. Standing there, he pointed his Zanpaktou at the girl "Now, since I wish for you to remain unharmed, Strike fear into the hearts of men, Oni Yuuku."

At first, nothing seemed to happen, Alfons standing there still with his Zanpaktou in hand. Suddenly, however, all of the shadows cast by the rising sun began to move and converge on to one point, right behind Alfons. Slowly, two bone-like wingtips began to rise out of the shadows. As the shadows grew larger, Oni Yuuku herself, the Queen of Fear, rose out from them, eyes closed as she did so. Once on the battlefield, Oni Yuuku's ability immediately came into effect. If the girl had thought that what she felt before were to be fear, then this would be utter despair and madness. Simply Oni Yuuku's presence was enough to drive lesser men to insanity, and even some of the strongest of opponents would find themselves shaking in their boots.

"I will ask this once more, unless you wish to know true fear, give up and come with me, I would prefer for you to be in good mental health for my studies, but I will take you any way I can." As he said this, Oni Yuuku's eyes slowly began to open. Once her eyes fully opened, she stared directly into Chinchuro's eyes. As she did so, the young girl would feel fear like she would have never imagined. Alfons hoped that she would bend to his will soon, before she suffered any mental trauma.

Alfons and Oni Yuuku:
https://bleachuntoldstories.rpg-board.net/viewimage.forum?u=http%3A%2F%2Fi47.tinypic.com%2Fmlqa1k.jpg

The fear was great within her heart, a monstrous hand the gripped her heart and made her feel almost sick to her stomach. She had experienced a fear like this before and knew very well that nothing good ever came of it, but it only served to fuel her anger. This was the fear that had meant the threat of her children, the feeling of terror for someone else’s life other than her own. It had torn her apart inside, made her wish she could be the one held at arms length from certain doom, but even then she had refused to break her spirit and bow to the will of another. Her breath came out unevenly and seemed to shudder, but she grit her teeth and braced herself with her right foot. “What part of no don’t you understand…”

Without a second thought, she let her eyes drift shut and felt the blaze of blue fire surround her. Anger, fear, determination all encircled her and she felt herself changing quickly. Where once stood a girl was now a canine-like beast with fur of white and crimson. Large teeth barred angrily though her legs were uncertain beneath her. She knew very well she didn’t stand much of a chance and with her mind being dominated by fear, she would hardly be thinking on her feet, but she had to try. Fire, a mixture of powerful spiritual energy and blazing heat, flared from beneath large paws and surrounded her as if to show the will to fight still in her.

How long she would last was uncertain, chances of her fight making any difference were slim, and she was quite sure that she was being stubborn and stupid, but she liked those odds. What was life worth without taking a risk here or there? Raising her head to the sky, dyed black by the strength of this overly pushy stranger, she howled a deep cry of war and then fell into a fighting stance.

As she found her so called "will to fight," Alfons just stood there, seemingly unimpressed by her determination. "You fool, you dare risk the integrity of my research on some hopeless struggle!" he shouted, his German accent in his tone. It was now that Alfons' true nature began to show. Long gone was the facade of kindness, and in it's place was left this man with a demonic intent. Raising his blade towards the sky, he looked down at the girl "Girl, you may think you know fear, but that is nothing, I will break down your soul!" With that, he turned to Oni Yuuku "Now, show her the true meaning of fear!"

With that, Oni Yuuku raised both of her hands, and suddenly, there were three Alfons' instead of just one. "Now feel the fear" they all said in unison, not a difference in any of their tones. With that, two of the Alfons' used Shunpo to appear on either side of the girl, now in her beast form, and grabbed a hold of her arms. As the did that, the third Alfons rose his Zanpaktou "Hibiki no Kichigai!" he shouted. As he did so, Oni Yuuku opned her mouth, and bellowed out a sound, twisted with the sounds of a thousand tortured souls. Anyone other than Alfons who heard the sound would be paralyzed with fear, not to mentioned deafened for a few minutes. As Oni Yuuku let out the sound, she also focused her gaze on the girl, maximizing the fears Chinchiro would feel.

Now, Chinchuro didn’t transform without reason. Each form had it’s own strengths and weaknesses, its own aspects that made if both desirable and a hindering during one fight or another. It would be a waste of energy to simply choose without thinking which was why her instincts had become so keen. For you see, unlike humans, animals had a different response to fear. Even the tiniest, most insignificant of animals wouldn’t simply stand there and let themselves be torn to pieces by some predator and Chinchuro was not some mouse. She was a fox, powerful and cunning, and she would not let anyone change that. The fear that plagued her only fueled a deep rage that sparked her will to live at any cost.

Thus was the benefit and the curse of Chinchuro’s Hellfire Form.

The flames leapt up as if they had a mind of their own and severed the hold upon her body, but not by touching her attacker. Instead, it made a clean slice through her front paws as one might imagine a coyote would chew off its foot to escape a bear trap. When she was a fair distance away, they seemed to form back from nowhere, a thin red line marking where they had previously been displaced from her body. She panted a bit, a thirst for blood running through her at the moment of adrenaline and she lunged forward, sword-like fire surrounding her and reaching out to the man who had dared challenge her. She wouldn’t last at this rate. Sanity was one thing, but her own strength to continue fighting was another and it was draining quickly. Each image was attacked with equal vigor and she leapt back once more, blood forming around the marks on her legs where there had been none before.

“I’ll never let you break me….Never.”

As the girl began to fight back, Alfons' rage began to climb "YOU FOOL!" he shouted, his two illusions suddenly disappearing as they were attacked. Alfons was now past simply making her subdue, now, he wanted to hurt her. Normally, Alfons preferred not to fight, but when he got angry, he was liable to kill at the drop of a hat. Suddenly, Oni Yuuku made the illusion that the girl''s hands and legs were being grabbed by dead, rotting arms brought back to life from the dead. Even though the girl may have been working off of instinct, the illusion was complete with making her nerves actually feel the hands.

While Oni Yuuku was doing that, Alfons quickly reached into his pocket. Quickly, he pulled out what appeared to be a collar, but with a thick spike on the inside of it. Quickly using shunpo, Alfons appeared right in front of the girl and grabbed her by the neck. Without hesitating, he slapped the collar onto her neck, the spike stabbing through the back of her neck and barely stabbing into her spine. The collar was specially designed by Alfons for specimens like this, by puncturing a certain spot on the neck bone (or spine), it would block all reatisu to the one whom wore it. Although it did puncture the spine, it caused no perminate damage, but the wearer would be paralyzed until it was removed.

The yelp was that of a wounded dog, but the pain was that of a girl who had been treated like this more than one time. Memories shot back through her in quick flashes and scenes that were more real than the moment she was currently in. Regression only worked when one wasn’t put through something familiar to the event and this was a near case of deja vu. She could move for the first moment as her body tried its best to reject the driving pain slowly numbing her from head to toe. She thrashed and snapped at the man, managing to clamp her sharp teeth around hand by sheer luck, but it would be the only thing she did to truly wound him. Moments were all it took for her fight to fail her and her eyes to glaze slightly as a state of unconsciousness began to overtake her.

Her form shifted slowly and her vicious hold on his hand fell away as her muscles grew limp and her heartbeat began to slow to a slumber-like pace. Still, she refused to let herself fail just yet. Her mind became cloudy, pain faded until it was left as a mere nagging upon dulled skin, and her legs gave out beneath her. Now a human once more, she possessed only the blue fire of life that worked slowly at healing the cuts at her arms still oozing blood and then slowly faded as what little strength she had faded away.

The strangest part about being so drained was how much it changed her. The fight was gone, the spirit and will wounded but unbroken. She would have her revenge sooner or later, be it in her own way or by the hand of her husband, but she was not going to let this ends here. “Heh….t-this…isn’t…over…”

As the girl became paralyzed, Alfons grinned, allowing his shikai to fade away "Foolish girl, you could have avoided the pain." As he said this, any damage the girl thought she may have caused to his arm disappeared; him actually getting bitten was merely an illusion Oni Yuuku had created. As he heard her last words, he laughed a bit "Foolish once again, that lumbering idiot shark is no threat to me, I have many ways of dealing with him." With that, Alfons reached into one of his pouches and pulled out a small needle-like device. Quickly, he stabbed it into the girls neck and drew out, not blood, but a small amount of reatisu. "Heh, with this, I will be able to make it appear that your spiritual pressure is still here in this world, by the time anyone's the wiser, my research should be complete."

Turning around, now holding the girl under his arm, he sighed a bit "I told you that you could have come along without a fight, but you were to ignorant to listen to be; you have only yourself to blame for your injuries." With that, he snapped his fingers on his free hand, and once again, that dimensional rift that was his portal opened up. Grinning, he walked towards it "Oh, and you don't have to worry, once I am done with you, I'll let you go...I mean, I'm not that much of a monster." Laughing, he walked through the portal, and tossed the small tube containing a small bit of the girls spiritual pressure onto the ground.

Since Rav is gone, this thread is going into the Archives