He had woken in a wide patch of scorched earth. Nearby trees were broken, charred shadows of their former selves. The blackened corpse of what he hoped was a fallen hollow lay close by. He was disoriented; unsure of his surroundings, of himself. He had stumbled around, clearing his mind, letting his memories flood back and wash over him.

That had been a couple hours earlier. He wasn't sure how long he had slept after his mad run from the Fourth. It didn't matter, he supposed. He wasn't tired anymore. Just angry. This should never have happened, and he was determined to make sure it never would again.

He stood before the massive gates that led into Seireitei. Stood, and waited. They would have to help. After such events they would have no choice. The Rukongai bore the brunt of it, sure, but judging by the corpses littering the First the Shinigami had gotten their fair share as well. The walls hadn't been breached, though. If they had the Swords might be more sympathetic to his cause. Oh well. He would state his case. He would make his point. And by the Spirits they would damn well listen to him.

He stood, and he waited. Eventually someone would take notice. A lone Rukon glaring hard at the walls. He would not allow any merchants in; no Shinigami out. Not from this gate. Not until he was heard. Any sentry worth his salt would be curious enough to get someone to investigate. Eventually.

Staggering and limping to the gates of his home had been Brain. His dominant right arm clenched softly against his broken ribs as he was slouched over on the left from having his left arm dislocated from his shoulder. His gait was slow, crippled and the man came toward Rip in such a fashion that it looked as if he was going to collapse any minute. Beads of sweat trails down his face, almost at the same rate in which the blood flows from an open wound on his shoulder. He did not look to be, in any way, shape or form, in the condition to address the man's needs and concerns. However, as injured as he was he would take a moment to stop and look at Rip, simply just looking at him from a pointblank range before he opened his mouth, "Well.. out with it, man....,"

Rip stared at the wounded, broken Shinigami before him. This man couldn't help him. Couldn't even fetch someone who could. He needed medical attention. Immediate medical attention, by the looks of it. Rip stared, his anger fighting his compassion.

"You're hurt. You should get looked at by your doctors. Behind your high walls." He paused. He let his gaze slip from the stranger before him, falling to the ground at their feet. "Your dead and wounded are being tended to. That's good. You should join them. You look in need of it."

That was one thing that could be said of the Shinigami; they took very good care of their own. They eased their suffering, behind those white walls.

His eyes rose; his voice following their example, both directed at the wall before him, "My people, however. My dead and wounded. Dead and dying. They continue to suffer. Out in the Districts we have no high, white walls to hide behind. We have no medical centre to tend our wounds. All we have are fear and death!" He was shouting now. Little flames licked across his shoulders; down his arms. Danced around his feet.

"Who are you to take our crops, our goods? And only offer a security blanket in exchange? We fight the Hollow! We have no wall, just the ruined structures of a fallen District. And yet we fight the Hollow! What do you do? You sit in your white city, defend your white walls. Soon our only wall will be the ruined structures of two fallen Districts. Will you protect us then? Will you?! Because we'll fight on. Broken and bloodied, we'll fight. That's the life of a Rukon."

The flames curled around his body; scorched the earth beneath his feet. His fists clenched, wreathed in fire. "We are dying! Our borders are ill defended; they are too wide. We have the manpower, but not the training. Help us! Help us reclaim what is ours! Help us establish a beachhead! Help us push back the Hollow! Help us get justice for the horror wrought this past day! Help us live without fear!"

His head dropped. He had forgotten about the man before him. The wounded, bleeding man. The Shinigami. He spoke then, barely above a whisper, "We need you. More than you could possibly know..."

Brain replies to the Rip's first concern about his own well-being, "Ever since the invasion has started, I've been on the clock and until I turn in my report, I refuse to see any medic. You are a disgruntled citizen, I take it? Here about the invasion? That means I need to hear you out, so I can include you in my documents. So again, out with it so I can be on my way."

Brain stands there, taking in the passion, depth and tone of it all. Rip's speech was sort of touching, even though numb with pain, he manages to relate to his plea. Looking down, away and to the side while giving sighs throughout the lot of it. He knew all to well the struggle. Rip's presentation however, the flaming display of anger he brought in his speech, caused for Brain to take a step back cautiously, unaware of what the man might do. Though Brain would ease up during the last bit of his notion, the whisper.

"You think I know not the life of a Citizen?" he turns his gaze back to Rip and attempts to look him in the eye, "I have endured the harsh reality in which you are trying to bestow upon me through justified anger. The 4th, the slums of the district, aka the Borderlands, I lived and breathed that place for many years. I saw women and children suffer through starvation and dehydration. I've seen families literally torn apart by Hollow scum."

Brain waves his right arm out toward the walls, exclaiming, "So hold your damn tongue as you speak ill of your saviors! You speak as though you've never read a book..."

He was still trying to retain a matching gaze with Rip, "Let me give you a little history lesson before I keel over and die: The Rukongai is the manifestation of a people whom became to stubborn to live within the rules of a structured society. Now you come here, complaining about your fallen brethren like I, or any of us Shinigami, have never seen before." Brain was literally on edge, nearly coming to with a plethora of curse words he had so dearly wished he could tell the man. Though he had to be considerate, because everyone dies. Not just Shinigami. So with a sigh, he would say, "I know it isn't easy, losing the people who live around you. Watching them suffer. But blaming us is not going to aid your cause. I have already-" Then, like a sack of bricks, it hits him, Rip was one of the people in attendance at the tavern some nights back. So, cut off from his previous statement, he switches to, "You.. hm.. you were in the Notched Axe that night, when Sengoku was rallying troops to retake the 4th District?"

SPOILER: Click to show

edited spelling errors

Yoshiya was in the area.

Carrying they young child back home had reminded him of the last time, at harvest, when he had handed off a child to Harupia. He had never seen the child again and, whilst that was not a cause for worrying, the Rukongai was a big place after all, he was curious as to what had become of her. As such, during his lunch break (for battle was no excuse for the farmers to take a day off) he had handed a note to the guard at the gate.

His intention was to stand by and wait, until he noticed some commotion, a man he had seen thrice, at both the battles and at the tavern when Sengoku proposed the battle. He seemed to be conversing...no that was too mild a term, with a Shinigami of the Third, who seemed to be more wrapped up in this discussion than his Kurai was in bandages. He wandered over to investigate.

Rip stared at the man. He had dismissed him at first, but the wounded Shinigami had replied to his outpouring of anger and he felt he should listen in turn. And as he listened his anger rose. From this one man Rip began to see why Sengoku disliked the Swords so much; a complete lack of respect.

Ignoring his last question, Rip growled back, "Saviours? Saviours?! You have the gall to call yourself my saviour? I make my home in the Fourth. I live and breathe that chaos. And you would call yourself my saviour?" He stared at the man incredulously, "So you hold your damn tongue, Sir. Do not assume that because I am not a high and mighty "shinigami" that I am also uneducated. I know where we come from. I know what drove us out here. And I know that without us, you and your ilk would starve. So who saves who? Because I can guarantee that beyond the Second, you don't save anyone."

He let that sink in. But only for a second. If they man attempted a reply, Rip cut him off, "And one more thing; I am not blaming you for anything. Not for the incursion, not for the suffering, not for anything. I am asking for your help, as crazy as that sounds, to prevent it from happening again."

And that was it. He stared at the man hard for a moment, then added in a softer tone, "You'd best deliver your report, then. You look about ready to keel over and die, 'saviour.'"

Brain shakes his head at the man, his eyes remaining glued toward Rip's sockets as Rip gave his reply. The lot of it was clouded with anger and sarcasm, but the point was clear. Nonetheless, Brain was not a man to just be verbally assaulted without barking back. Though because all that barking did, was raise more barking, he decided to keep his reply short, and horribly sweet, "Our protection is not your right, it's your privled-" he is cut off by Rip's second half. The blood in which ran from it's wound on Brain was fresh, and because of that, by this point, he would have lost so much blood, that his vision begins to blur. Squinting his eyes at the three Rips, he would say, "And another thing..." Brain's knees would buckle, nearly giving in. "....." he tried saying something, but his breathing began growing erratic. As he tries to catch what breath he seemed to be losing, a sweat broken down the side of his head.

(Rip) And that was it. He stared at the man hard for a moment, then added in a softer tone, "You'd best deliver your report, then. You look about ready to keel over and die, 'saviour.'"

Brain falls to his knees while managing to say, "Sakoukoi Kurisuna," before falling over onto his stomach. the name, if used correctly, would lead Rip to his Taichou, whom should have read Brain's report on said meeting in the tavern. It was a long shot, and Brain didn't know why he even bothered to attempt to help the man with possibly his last breath, but now he just lay there with the light of the world slowly closing inward.

"Baka."

Anyone with any amount of predictive ability could have foreseen this moments before. As such, Yoshiya caught Brain effortlessly, holding him until the guards took over.

"I presume you will be taking this man to the Second Division, then," he said, under his shadow. "I request permission to enter and accompany him, for both myself, my friend here, and my cat. That is, if the gentleman behind me is willing. If not, summon someone who can answer him. He deserves more than this deluded cripple."

Brain had better hope that this was his last waking moment, for Yoshiya was not best pleased with him.

And as he finished speaking, the man fell over. Rip was stunned. He was too wrapped up in his own anger to properly take note of the man's injuries. The flames dancing about his person abruptly died, the man muttering a name, as Rip stepped forward to help him. He was too slow, however, as a third, maddeningly familiar person caught the Shinigami mid fall. Rip couldn't place him, but he was to preoccupied to care right now.

He turned to the previously amused guards who had been watching the spectacle, and were now rushing to the Shinigami's aid, "Well? Open the damn gates! One of your own is dying here!"

Alas, he was caught and so instead of laying there, with said light closing inward, Brain manages to remain barely conscious. The massive blood lost, if inflicted upon any other slightly weaker soul, would have resulted in a coma. His body is fighting to preserve it's blood, and doing a miraculously damn well job of doing so. As he hangs limp against Yoshiya, his internal strength was struggling to turn and lift his neck so that his blurred vision could grasp a bit of what was going on around him. As he did this, he notices the gates swinging open to give way for Shinigami running through with a gurney. As he notices said stretcher, he would groan and stubbornly realign his blurred vision, mustering up enough strength to push off Yoshiya and begin trudging forward. Though as the man pushed away from Yoshiya and made way towards the medics, he would not stop to receive aid. Instead he would attempt to keep walking forward but be stopped, forcibly by the Shinigami aid. He's pulled back and strapped down into the gurney with ease.

Yoshiya watched as Baka was taken from him. He spoke to Rip, though not facing him, his eyes still fixated as to the commotion in-front of him.

"The Shinigami. We do not matter, we are just capital to them. They only care as so far as we keep producing for them. They don't even have the respect to be accountable for their failings, sending out a wounded fool to spout his propaganda. Our future must increase the separation between our two peoples. Though I fear that they would send out a force to submit us to their will."

He mused towards the centuries to come, looking at the silhouette of the white city. If only he had convinced the Rukon citizens to not split, all those years ago....

But what's this? A lone Shinigami in the Rukongai, at a timelike this? Oh what a poor lad... But he feared not, for you did not shoot the messenger...orat least, he was not wear of the anger bustling towards his kinsmen from certaincitizens of the outside area...he was looking for a burly beard man, and hefound him. With some other folks near him...and another Shinigami? Well, he didn’tcare for that, what he did was his deal. 

Approaching Yoshiya, the Shinigami took out a letter andofferd it to him saying "Special delivery from Hitoshi-Taicho, withapologies for the long delay" his voice sounding a bit...bemused. Acaptain apologizing to a Rukongai guy... but it wasn’t his deal. After offeringthe letter, he simply ran of back to the city, to deal with other errands hehad. And the letter went as follows 

SPOILER: Click to show

Spoiler
To Watson-san I was quite surprised to see an inquiry about the girl,though in a good way. It is a heartwarming feeling to see other people lookingout for their kin... it is something each and every being within the Wastelandcould benefit from doing more. 

However, sadly I must be the bearer of bad news, whichhappens from time to time in my profession. The girl, whose name was Sui, wasquite  handful during her healing, butshe recovered well from her injuries. However, one day she ran out of thefacility, chasing after one of the other Shinigami Taicho. I personally saw to guidinghe back, seeing how she was not fully recovered just yet...However, what Ifound was her body in the woods of the 3rd district, wounded severally. While Idid my best, the distance between my Division and the Rukongai was too large.She had died a quick, painless death... In spite of my abilities, I was notable to save her. 

Perhaps, if I may inquire, you may know any of her relatives?And If not, then...if it isn’t a problem, perhaps I could arrange for a properburial, somewhere within you lands? Her body is being kept in storage, and Ihave delayed its burial for now. Perhaps if you would have the time, we canarrange a meeting to discuss the issue further? I have been swarmed with workas of late...but the events transpiring have lead me to think about the currentsituation of our land's. And I find myself wanting to hear what the other sidein this struggle has to say. If you wish to perhaps speak with me, I shall bewaiting for you at the place where you specified you would be available for themessenger in three days at noon. If you wish to continue writing, then I shall await you reply. Should you wish not to speak at all... That is you prerogative,but in these times, perhaps it would do us well to talk more rather than less...Yours Faithfully Hitoshi Harupia, 2nd Division Taicho.

[Exit and entry, for great mail exchange]

Rip mostly ignored the newcomer. His attention remained on the Shinigami; Though he had not inflicted the wounds on the man, it was the time and energy spent on their 'conversation' which brought him to the state he was in now. In Rip's eyes, that made him responsible for the man's current condition.

Briefly, he spoke to the familiar newcomer, "They did not send him out." And with that he pushed passed the men about him, and followed the wounded Shinigami into the walled, white city.

[EXIT. Insofar as this thread should continue in Soul Society.]

One of the Shinigami tears off the maroon soaked cloth of Brain's uniform so that another Shinigami could begin administering a special reiatsu to heal and seal the open gash. With it mended just enough to stop the bleeding, the medic would rub on a numbing salve, the equivalent of a pain killer to counter-act that rough, bumpy ride of a gurney. After having subdued the bleeding and a bit of the pain, transportation of Brain would now be possible and so they would start carefully marching him off with Rip at his side. All the while Brain stared up at the sky wondering when he'd once again have the energy to stand, and turn in his report.

[Exit; Agreed, new thread in the Seireitei]

Yoshiya took the letter. One would have had to be staring fairly intently at his face to see a slight drop in his expression. "So be it..."

He tucked the letter into one of his left hand pouches, his right hand clenched. His eyes met those of the messenger.

"Thank the Taichou for his letter. Pass on my understandings at his situation. Tell him I have no information to give, but I will meet him at the prescribed time. I pray you can deliver that orally/"

The messenger went into the city, though Yoshiya would not. His business there would wait...for now.

[EXIT]

I'll PM Aki

Rewards:

Haru - 1 RP
Brain - 5 RP
Rip - 5 RP + 1
Yoshiya - 4 RP

Thread locked, points to be added shortly.