The Lion, the Witch and the Quincy [private]

Yubaba

Tick tock. Tick tock. Left and right go the chimes of the clock. The repeating tick and tock was all that could be heard throughout the front room of a peculiar cottage sitting firmly in the midst of tree's and foliage. Deep within Karakura forest, this house could be found. But then again, it could not be found for it was enchanted with magic far beyond the norm. It's owner was incredibly cautious when it came to outsiders as she would call them. The people in the tall buildings with the expensive wine and the fashionable clothes. Bah! None of it appealed to the likes of this woman. This old, aged woman. She was short in structure but huge in form. Her head alone took up 50% of her mass with a bunched up twist of hair sitting like a dinner plate on top. The rest of her body was tucked into a blue dress that shook to and fro as she wandered through the forest.

This woman did not follow any clear path. She stepped over tree roots and slowly wandered around the trunk of the tree three times. She looked up, staring at the leaves as though she was looking for something. Balanced on her forearm was a basket full of strange items: Leaves, twigs, a frog that was still alive but pinned to the wall of the basket and several mushrooms. What could she be up to? She stared for a moment. A few more moments went by in perfect silence. Her eyes did not move. They were fixated on something nobody else could see from this distance. Then, slowly but surely, she began to levitate upwards. Her body was brought higher and higher to the top of the tree where she would come upon a few apples bunched together on a branch. Her mouth grinned as she pulled each apple off slowly and put them into the basket. Once she was content with her collection, she began her descent.

On the way down though, something glimmered in the corner of her eyes. She usually wouldn't pay much attention to it as usually she gets the sun in her eye. It's an annoyance. However this felt much more spiritual. She could feel a power emanating from the flash. She turned to face the glow and fluttered down to the ground so she could walk towards it. On approach, she discovered something she wasn't expecting.

"Ohohohoh. What have we here?"

Laying on the ground before her were two people, humans from the looks of things. One was a tall male, the other female. Their colours were quite the contrast as one was draped in purple, blacks and yellows while the other was all red and white. Usually the old lady wouldn't care much for any of this, but they were different to your usual person. She knelt down, only really dropping a few inches considering her legs are quite small, placing a hand on the males head. He was alive for sure. there was a very weak energy coming from him. She then moved to the girl and did the same. She too was living, physical and merely knocked out cold. Something terrible must have happened to these two. The lady stood back up and began to take a few steps backwards.

With a flick of her free wrist, she began to move some energy over to the two on the ground. The energy coated them like an invisible shield, cocooning them within and making them just as invisible to the general public as the old lady was. What followed was a telekentic spell. The two bodies were stiffly lifted into suspension, anchored to the lady. She would then begin her trek back to her cottage with the two in tow.

Ryushin Chaozu

Several weeks had passed since Ryushin was met with the most unfortunate of fates. He was rendered incapable of waking until a whole month and a half had passed. His eyes were sealed shut, but one afternoon they would slowly begin to flutter open gently. It was painful to do since the muscles were still so tense in every part of his aching body. Gently, he began to raise himself onto his elbows, one eye closed from the strain of moving. His vision blurred, dazed still from waking. After a few minutes, he began to take in his surroundings. A wooden structure, books, cushions lining one wall, an open window with a cool breeze blowing in. Where was he? Groaning as he shifted his body up further so that he could rest his back against the wall behind him, he started to think about his situation.

What happened? Why was he here? The last thing he could remember was a woman of some kind. She was terrifying. Almost demonic and it brought back very painful memories. He could remember standing on the wall of the Sereitei. It was under attack. He was late to the defence and so they managed to break through the wall. the woman. She...

Ryushin's face just dropped. He caught his head in his hand and just sighed deeply. He remembered what happened fully now. he was caught out after acting so vulgar. Beaten down with his own stunts. It actually made him chuckle slightly. That was when somebody else entered the room he was in. His head shot up and he looked directly at the one who stepped in. It was a girl, red hair and wearing a long dress. It really suited her: white with black and floral patterns running up it. Ryushin squinted his eyes for a moment at her and she just sighed back at him.

"You're awake" She spoke in a sort of obvious, sarcastic tone. Whoever she was, she wasn't pleased to know he was moving. She walked over to the bed he had been left in and sat on the end, never making eye contact whatsoever. Her next words came out as a shout that would frighten Ryu slightly. "YOU IDIOT!" It was then that she turned to look at Ryushin, tears starting to swell up in her eyes. "You just had to be the good guy didn't you? Look where it's gotten us you...you dumbass!" This was followed by a swift slap around Ryushins face that he didn't really know why he was so deserving of. The girl then stood up and ran out of the room. Ryushin however was left speechless. What the hell was that slap for?

Yubaba

The next person to enter the room where Ryushin was sitting would be the old lady from before. She slowly stepped in after the girl from before had run off. She had a chair in a trance behind her that was slowly being dragged by unseen forces. She took this chair and sat on it in the middle of the room. Her stature would surely cause anybody that ever saw her to feel some sense of fear and confusion, but she showed no signs of being a threat in any way. She just smiled as she looked Ryushin over with her soccer ball sized eyes. Then she opened her smiling mouth to speak to him.

"Well, Ryushin. I have heard quite a lot about you from your friend Onzon there. She seems... quite vexed at your recent encounter. I do hope you are awake enough to listen to what i am about to tell you"

Regardless of whether or not he was actually paying attention, she would want to continue speaking. Her tone was somewhat eager to get this information out of her brain and into Ryushins but at the same time, it had a slow hint that she honestly didn't mind if he didn't understand. "You've taken quite the blow to the head and your soul. It has been some time since you have woken. Your friend woke up much faster than you did however. She has been really helpful around my house as well. Part of me doesn't want to see her go, but she has told me you are the most important person in her life. It's understandable I suppose. Albeit a shame for me to admit."

A few moments later, the door would slowly creak open and the girl from before would be standing there. She still had a teary look in her eyes, but she had calmed down. The woman turned to see her and smiled, motioning for her to come in with her hands. "I understand you are upset my darling but we need to all talk remember? My mind is old and weary so I may forget the details." She nodded but remained where she was, not wanting to come any closer.

"Anyhow, Ryushin Chaozu. The man who tried to take on a monster and failed. Quite harshly in fact and the results were apparently quite dramatic. From what Onzon has told me of you, you two were both partners in crime. A shinigami and his sword, now broken and no longer what they once were. Two humans created from impossible ability. I can't explain any further than that, but it seems you two were lucky to escape death."

Ryushin Chaozu

The woman entered the room rather strangely. The chair was dragged along behind her and moved into the center of the room for her to sit upon. Ryushin did not dare move. She was hideous. She was gigantic and could probably eat him without chewing. When she spoke though, he realised she was not as threatening as she let off. She just wanted to help and Ryushin decided to listen to what she had to say. He owed her that much after all. She explained everything he needed to know and it all came as quite the surprise to him.

"So you're saying that me and Onzon were separated and...turned human? But...but that doesn't make any sense"

Ryushin looked over towards Onzon who was now standing in the doorway. She clearly showed great distaste in Ryushin as her eyes were affixed to him, glaring with soggy cheeks. "If...if this is true then... I can't... I don't know what to say..." He looked towards Onzon, somewhat fearful for her reaction and her state of mind. "I'm really sorry... I thought we could do something but..." She didn't respond. She just shook her head, clearly wanting to leave. Ryushin then turned back to face the woman. He had questions for her.

"Lets start from the top. Who exactly are you? How did you find us and... can you help us get back onto the right track? I mean... I'm a captain for goodness sake... at least... i was..."

His expression dropped even lower as he thought about this fact. Was he really a captain any more? With his power blown apart, could he really say he was in such a position? Was all of his lifes work really ending here? He didn't want to think of it like that. he wanted to get back into the game. he looked over to onzon as he spoke again. "I want to get back to where we were and to fix the mistakes I have made. Can you help us?"

Yubaba

The woman stood up from her chair and slowly moved it back to the side of the room. She then whirled her hand to move the bedsheets aside so that Ryushin could get up. She then motioned for him to follow her out of a door to the side. Onzon also followed her, moving out into the front garden. Here, there was a large clearing with beautiful hedges trimmed to perfection that followed a stone path down to a front gate. The grass here was oddly greener than the grass around the house further away as though it wasn't supposed to be here at all. This would be a good place to explain things to the two.

"My name is Yubaba. I have wandered the worlds forests for centuries now, enjoying my ever changing hobbies. However the one thing that will never change is magic. I am a witch and this cottage, me and both of you two have been enchanted with my magic. Nobody, be it a squirrel, a dog, a person or even the woman that rendered you powerless would be able to see us. It follows my will and we are phased completely out of the other world."

Yubaba then bent down slowly, pointing out that a small frog had hopped into the garden. "See this small frog? It is not part of my home. so..." Her hand, as it enveloped the frog appeared to move right through it as though she was ethereal. "...We cannot interact with those in the other realm unless I will it. Do not leave my garden or my home however or the effects will not last until you move back in."

Yubaba stood back up and turned back towards the two, rather confused people. She chuckled to herself and began to wander around her garden, tending to the plants and making sure everything was as perfect as she remembers. "I found you two out in the forest about half a mile to the west of here. I believe there is a town 3 miles in that direction but I wouldn't be hasty to leave here yet. You asked for help. That, I can only give up to a point so long as you stay here. My resources are very limited. Most of the effort will have to come from within you and your own power."

Yubaba then paused as she stared the two down. "know this, I am not doing this because I need to. It is because I want to. At any moment, I may change my mind. I may move you two elsewhere without warning if I so choose to. You owe a lot to your friend Onzon, Ryushin. She certainly helped give a good impression of you two. I could have just used your body parts for alchemy." She then let out a terrific laugh. Was she joking about that?

Ryushin Chaozu

Yubaba stood and left the room, leaving from a door on the other wall that lead straight outside. Convenient that this door was in a bedroom. Ryushin slowly brought himself up and slid out of the bed as best he could. his body was still quite sore but that was mainly from laying in bed for several weeks. Ryushin was still dressed in his old outfit. He even still had a captains haori draped over his body. He spent a few moments to look over himself, just to make sure he was all still there before following Yubaba outside. Onzon waited, watching him before following him out as well.

The garden looks beautiful. Everything seemed to have had hundreds of hours drained into it to make everything look symmetrical, bright and lush. A small fountain with a stone fish in the center spewed a little trail of water from it's mouth into the stone bowl around it. If she had the mind to do it, she could probably turn all of this into a huge maze. She probably doesn't want such a complex garden though. Yubaba then began to explain herself even more. She demonstrated how her phasing ability worked. He watched on, interested but it felt completely believable. He took in her advice and nodded along to what she was saying, strolling round her garden as she spoke.

"You found us in the middle of this forest?" Ryushin looked about his surrounding outside of the garden. "How the... did she move us here? and there's a town not too far away? I guess once were done here we can go find somebody to contact."

Ryushin stopped at the edge of her garden, noticing how the grass was bright green where he stood and that there was a perfect line between him and the forest only a few feet in front of him. It was much darker there. Even more so when you get up close in fact, as though from a distance light was being bent to fool you. he couldn't confirm it though. Yubaba then explained her opinion of what Ryushin was going to want and what she can do. She may not help him once she loses interest in him. Hopefully that means he wont have to stick around for long.

"You don't need to do more than you don't feel comfortable with Yubaba. I'm sure we can get on fine. All we need is to regain control and we can grow from there. I want to begin as fast as possible. I may feel weak now but... I need to know what level i'm at"

Ryushin took a stance, not moving from where he was already standing. He held his hands out in front of himself and tried to tap into what little power he had, if any. he held his stance, ignoring any words thrown at him from either Yubaba or even onzon. he needed to see what he could do. For a short while, little happened. He simply stood still with his eyes closed. Then, out of absolutely nowhere, his hands exploded with bright purple energy, hurling his body backwards. Without realising it, he was thrown out of the cottage area and crashed right into a tree with a heavy thud before flopping onto the dirt beneath it. he coughed, he spluttered and then he began to laugh. Looking up, he addressed absolutely nothing in front of him but he knew Yubaba and Onzon could see him.

"Ha... At least there's... something still in me. Sorry about... that."

:: Yubaba ::

Yubaba's large eyes traced the movements of Ryushin, also somewhat paying attention to Onzon who was standing to the side out of the way. She didn't seem to want to interfere at all. Maybe she was still mad and hesitant to say anything in case it came across badly. The old witch let out a deep sigh, of which to some would have seemed more like a big exhale since her mouth was many times the size of a normal persons. As Ryushin responded to her, she decided to move about the garden as well, meandering around her ornaments and displays whilst Ryushin did the same.

"Oh trust me boy I will only do as much as my patience will cope with. Now, before you do anything stupid, move away from the edge of the garden. You cannot leave it or that girl over there may spot you." Yubaba nodded behind Ryushin, noticing a short figure standing a little way away beside a little bright light. She couldn't focus on it very well, but she was certain they couldn't see the house or the three within it and thought nothing more of her. It wasn't until Ryushin decided to try and access his powers once more that things went sour. "Careful you twit!" Suddenly, boom. Ryushin was hurled backwards and Yubaba watched, not bothering to apply any magic to stop him. He honestly deserved whatever came next.

The witch turned to Onzon to talk to her quickly and quietly. "My dear, stay quiet for now. Ryushin will have attracted the attention of that girl over there and I'd rather you didn't drag her into my home." Onzon nodded in response and watched Ryushin from afar. He had caused the girl to dive to the side and now that she was back on her feet, would move into a stance to potentially do battle. neither the witch or the red haired woman would move however. They just watched, Yubaba chuckling under her breath. "Part of me hopes she cuts his head of to be honest, the brat." Onzon clearly disapproved as she glared at Yubaba of whom had to respond with a slightly embarassed look. "I'm sorry dear, Iv'e not been around people in so long that I may have lost touch with my sensitive side. Ohohohohoho!" Yubaba's sudden outburst of laughter was her attempt to cover up her words but she herself had forgotten her own precautions. Her laughter was loud and Ryushin would have been able to hear it, same as the girl and her little light thingy.

Onzon wasn't really in the laughing mood, looking back to Ryushin and walking closer towards the edge of the garden. Yubaba slowly trailed behind her, reaching for her arm and pulling her back. "Don't go out there. You'll blow my cover." Sadly, Onzons own intentions didn't match Yubaba's. "I'd rather make sure my partner is alright. What if this girl did cut her head off? What do I do then?" Yubaba paused for a moment, not releasing her grip. Her huge hands clasped around the girls thin arm of whom was not trying to pull away from the hag. Yubaba finally replied. "Fine, I shall watch and make sure nothing too threatening becomes of our friend and our latest visitor. Hopefully Ryushin isn't one to pick a fight with strangers... unless that-" Onzon quickly cut her off. "Is exactly what he always seems to do...yes"

:: Ryushin Chaozu::

Ryushin smacked into that tree pretty damn hard and hurt his back a bit. As he tried to stand onto his two legs, he felt a sharp pain shot up his spine. His grin was reinforced when he felt this as he understood that he deserved it. Yubaba did pretty much tell him not to do it but he was way too eager and now this had happened. What he wasn't aware of was that he had a new audience to his side that he hadn't noticed yet. Ryushin began to wave towards the direction he though the house was probably in, suddenly hearing a loud laugh that must have been coming from Yubaba. It sent chills down his spine and forced him to become alert. At first he thought a wolf or bear had suddenly appeared nearby. Looking to the sides rapidly, a black blur in his vision was smeared as he turned to look way too fast and made himself dizzy. Not exactly helping. He held onto his forehead and shut his eyes tight as he regained some sense. Then, he opened his eyes and turned to look at whatever that blur was. Standing there, hand on what seemed to be a sword handle was a relatively short girl. Her blonde hair, black cloak and right cheek looked a bit messy from what looked to have been a tumble of some sort. Ryushin quickly put two and two together.

"Did...did I almost crash into you? S-shit... er..." His eyes quickly trailed down to notice something in her arms. It was bright and seemed like it had nested into her hold like a baby fox that didn't like being surprised. Ryu tried to see if he could handle the situation with words before trying anything else. "is...is your thing okay?" Obviously referring to the wisp that he was shyly pointing towards with an uncertain finger. "I really hope I didn't start it, or you in fact, too much... I er..." His mind moved onto what he probably should have worried about first. Her hand was quite firmly on her weapon and could have smacked him right in the jaw with it already. His attitude in shock, Ryushin leapt backwards and flung his arms to cover his face. "Please don't attack me! I didn't mean to hurt anyone!"

To Onzon and Yubaba, this would probably look absolutely hilarious. Maybe even this girl would find him a bit funny, but he was certain he was giving off the most awkward and unfriendly vibes imaginable. It's not like he really has experience talking to women that weren't Onzon, let alone a woman with a sword and potentially frightened pet. Who knows how strong she could be? Hoping that she was a more forgiving type of person and wasn't going to be aggressive, Ryushin let out a line under his breath. "Can my day be getting any worse?" If she did retaliate, chances are he would begin hopping and jumping away like a rabbit being chased by a wolf. If not, then his stance would lower and Ryushin would try his best to continue apologising with uncertainty plaguing his body language. At any rate, he wanted to try and sort the situation out even if it was churning into violence. "is there anything I can do to make things up to you....or uh...could I get your name at least? Maybe I can come back to this later if you're busy..." Then Ryushins mind decided to wander yet again into another potential result he wasn't covering. Maybe she just didn't care. "U-unless you're busy or just want to leave. That's cool too! I guess" Could he be any more of a child?