Homecoming [Ask to Join]

Fri Jan 05, 2018 1:03 am

Stepping through a magical portal to another dimension, provided by an old man who seemed all to willing to help and all to familiar with the situation to entirely ring true. However, it was the only ride home they'd found in a long bit of searching through this unfamiliar world. And truthfully, it should have probably caused more of a concern, but maybe he was desensitized to this strangeness anymore. Genpaku Arishima would like to say he didn't hesitate to step through that portal, to head back home, but that would be false coin. It wasn't hard to understand why either. Back home he was strong, but that strength had not managed to let him stop atrocities and destruction on a wide scale. Here though...that strength was almost unrivaled. His power could go far here.

But this world wasn't the one that needed it; he stepped through the portal.

His first indication that things weren't going well was the darkness that swirled around him, and the loss of sight of Kaminari in that swirling darkness. As the path situated itself once more though, he took note that it seemed...familiar. It reminded him of the pathway between Hueco Mundo and the Soul Society. That was also his second warning sign that things were going off the rails a little bit. The third and final indication that something had gone wrong was when the path shifted again, and Genpaku found himself standing in the path of an oncoming wall of flame.

While Genpaku's reflexes may not have deteriorated in his time away, there was nowhere to run. Without a word he reached for power, releasing Fujin to Shikai in the same moment as wind whipped up around him. It was his best chance to block such a wide wash of flame. Behind him something shimmered. The flame washed over him, but Fujin's winds shed as much as he could have hoped for. He gave a swing of her blade, using the winds to scatter the remaining flame. Out from the smoke and flame though came a huge clawed forearm; it caught him up in swing with immense force.

The sky was strangely clear and blue today; he noted that as he fell through open sky, shoved back by the force of the blow. But he recognized this sky, the feel of this world. He righted himself, forming a platform of himself beneath his feet as he 'landed' and stopped his momentum. He brought his gaze back up, blade at the ready.

What came flying down to him was a barrage of energies, formed to the purpose of laying waste; to him in specific as the destructive forces converged on his location. So maybe it was a lie that his reflexes hadn't deteriorated in his time away. There was a cacophonous explosion that shook the air.

Talk about your homecoming.

Fri Jan 05, 2018 2:41 am

Laughing. Smiling. Having a good time. These things had been lost on Lilith for a while. A few years back, it felt like her life came to a complete halt. The disappearance of the only one she treasured had stopped her for so long. Only in the recent days, yes days, had she started talking to other people again. With the meeting of Ulv, a young girl who knew little to nothing of her own existence, she had those dusty heart strings pulled at for the first time in a long time. Then, soon after, she met Ritsuko. Ritsuko helped her out in a strange situation, one that should have been easily avoided, but now she owed the girl a thank you of sorts. It was in that conversation that her halted life truly started turning again.

No, it wasn't Ulv's naivety or the kindness of Ritsuko, but that moment that stopped her in her tracks. In the middle of cheering a new friend on, something clicked. Connection reestablished. "What?" was the only word that went through her mind. It was true. She felt it. He was back and even in this realm. It took a lot of will to give that short farewell to Ritsuko after leaving her gigai. She turned and left the girl there confused, likely a little annoyed, but that was not Lilith's focus.

Lilith ran in his direction as fast as her speed and strength could carry her, with the adrenaline pumping through her veins. Both fear, nervousness, and excitement fell over her. Why here? Why now? Was he okay? Where had he been? And what the fuck was he fighting? She didn't think she had the ability to move faster, but it came when she sensed a second pressure emerge within moments of Genpaku's. She didn't recognize it, but she could feel the hostility from her location.

"Be okay. Be okay. Be okay." she repeated through a clenched teeth with every step she took, the world around her only a blur as she darted beyond it all without a care. She was getting closer. She was close enough that with one final move, a quick flash step, she stopped about one hundred feet away from him. She stopped, stunned at the sight. She didn't care about the open portal or what might be coming through it. She just cared that he was in her sights for the first time in too long. She said nothing. She just watched him, one wide eye focused only on him.

Sat Jan 06, 2018 7:56 am

The roaring detonation shattered what tranquility was left in the area, and a heavy pressure suddenly ground down upon the surrounding woods. It was a power that had not been felt in this world in many years now; it felt like summer heat, sounded like the low rumbling of a volcano considering whether it wanted to erupt.

Turned out, it was a day for that.

Out of the destruction came another wave of power. This one pushed back at the first, shoving away that heat and noise like a storm front. The smoke from the explosion was suddenly forced away to reveal a vibrant splash of emerald green. Genpaku stood there, singed and battered from the attack but focused and standing. He now stood encased in armor, and the winds kicked up around him in a sudden gale.
“Bankai; Gekidou Fujin,” he said, his voice steady and calm. All around him his power hung, ready to be used and called. It washed over the forest below and the lands around; it had not been felt in this world for years either, but it was a hopeful feel.

For a few moments silence reigned in the wake of this activity. Above him, and his observer, hung the strange portal. Something shifted behind it, and a single massive eye appeared in the space of the portal. It looked out and down at the Shinigami standing there defiantly. It took him a moment to place it, but Genpaku recognized that eye. A voice rumbled out from the portal.
“Consider that a polite greeting, Shinigami. A welcome home present. In time, I'll make you regret meddling in my affairs. You, and her,” the voice said. It wasn't shouted, one got the feeling it wasn't even really a raised voice; yet you could feel the words as they were spoken. The single great eye glared down at Genpaku for another moment before the portal suddenly slammed closed.

It left a hanging sense of anti-climax. There had been the underscore of more violence to come, and then it was over. Genpaku's power hung in the air, but now didn't have anything to fight against. As the peace settled back in, he gradually lost his readied stance, and then his Bankai faded away into wispy air to coalesce into the form of his Zanpaku-tou. He stood up and sheathed the blade, taking several deep breaths. He'd recognized that eye, that voice.

Nothing was ever simple.

Sat Jan 06, 2018 6:39 pm

The initial shock faded with the increasing pressure that fell upon the surrounding area. Lilith's eye wandered from the silver haired Shinigami and toward the open portal that the immense power was coming from. She felt the heat on her skin, like the desert sun beaming down from above. Her eye narrowed angrily as she waited for whatever this was to appear before them both. Before it did, however, another mass of energy exploded, this one familiar and damn-near welcomed. Lilith knew not to step in on another's battle, but that did not keep her from resting her hand on the hilt of her zanpakuto, waiting to be given a reason to step in.

The reason never came. The devilish eye that shined through the blackness of the portal above them wasn't one she recognized, but she could sense its wrath through the few words it spoke. Those words reverberated through the area, able to cause lesser Shinigami's skin to crawl and hair to stand. Lilith would have only accepted the challenge, but she quickly became more curious about the "her" this hidden creature was talking about. The portal slammed shut moments later, the energy it once allowed to spread across the area shutting off with it. That was going to be a bit of a blip on the Gotei's radar. She wouldn't be surprised if they were already dispatching forces to deal with it. What a pain in the ass.

Letting her hand fall from her blade, as Genpaku's energy calmed and peace continued through the area, Lilith began making her way toward him. He was lost in thought; he hadn't even noticed her presence yet. As he sheathed his blade, she ended up behind him, setting a hand on his shoulder. The act may startle him, but that wasn't on her mind. What was on her mind was the last four years of him being gone. "Where the hell have you been?" she asked in a solemn tone, concerned, worried, almost in disbelief that he really was standing in front of her, "You just disappeared. And now, four years later... You're just back?"

Sun Jan 07, 2018 9:11 am

It would not have been fair, or true, to say that Genpaku had not noticed the arrival of his audience; it would be more accurate to state that some part of him had taken note of the fact that Lilith was there but that it hadn't been entirely relevant at the moment of her arrival. He'd been busy staring down a monster that, until about a minute before, he'd believed dead. The fact that it wasn't only made things worse in many ways, not the least was the fact that now the entirety of his sojourn from this world had now basically been in vain.

As Lilith approached him though, his consciously became aware of his presence; it was hard not to, given how much power she always let off. He didn't turn immediately, watching the spot where the energies of the portal were still disspating in case it was some kind of trick. Granted, that didn't seem this particular demon's style but one could never be too careful. Lilith put a hand on his shoulder, and he turned to look at her. He started to smile, started to make an apology for being gone for a bit but her tone and body language gave him pause. She asked her first question; that was going to be a story all its own. He started to answer, but she kept speaking. She seemed so worried, but he couldn't figure out why. He'd ran off for longer before and she hadn't reacted quite thi-

“What?” he asked, and this time there was disbelief in his own voice. “I've only been gone for...eight...months...” he started to argue, but trailed off. Unfortunately, that timing didn't seem right in actuality, mostly since the seasons didn't quite match up from when he left to now. He looked around a moment as though he was hoping to find an answer here, but of course no answer presented itself. He reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose, letting out a long and drawn out sigh. He seemed to take a moment to collect his thoughts before he moved his hand away and met Lilith's gaze once more.
“Has it really been four years?”

Sun Jan 07, 2018 4:30 pm

When your child disappears, they take your world with them. You never know what's going to happen. Will you see them again? Will you find them some time later and realize they've no intention of returning? Are you doing to one day find a body and realize they're gone? When a child returns, however, elation takes hold and there's truly no more relieving or uplifting feeling. Her heart was racing. She wanted to cry, but Lilith Antonovich showing a tear wasn't going to happen. She wanted nothing more than to pull him into her arms and hold her son for the years she had missed. Sadly, that wasn't going to happen either. She refrained.

His reaction to the amount of time that passed was worrying. Had he been locked away somewhere and unable to count the days? There were so many questions to ask, and possibly more to come when she actually found out where he had been. As he thought, her hand never lifted from his shoulder. It was like she thought he'd disappear again if she dared let him go. As his gaze returned to her worried eye, she nodded in reply. "Yeah. It's been four years since you left. Where did you go?" she asked before remembering the worlds of the beast that had shown only its eye through the portal, "Or... where were you taken? Did that thing have anything to do with why you've been gone? And who is this her he was talking about?"

Yes, of course that's what she asked. Her tone had the exact one you'd expect as well: a mother protecting her son from floozies. Lilith finally lifted her hand from Gen's shoulder, though there was a noticeable moment of hesitation there. She pulled her arms into herself, crossing them along her chest. With a nervous clearing of her throat, Lilith forced herself to relax. "So, why don't you tell me your story. What happened? There's a lot you're going to need to know about your own world now, but... I want to know what happened to you first."

Wed Jan 10, 2018 2:11 am

Genpaku let out a huffed breath. This was a lot to take in, but maybe it was fortunate that this was almost more of what he was used to. Genpaku's life was one where huge shifts in his worldview were almost more common than might have been healthy. Alas, what could you do about that?

He took note of Lilith's body language, her hesitancy to remove her hand from his shoulder, and put a few things together in his head. As she took her hand away he closed the distance and pulled her into a hug; he felt reasonably certain she wasn't going to complain about him doing that. He left her questions hanging in the air for a few moments; he could answer them when this was done. Lilith wasn't someone to show certain emotions openly, but spend enough time around her and you'd begin to learn how to read her. Even when she was trying, Lilith was someone who wore her emotions on her sleeves. He let her hold the hug as long as she needed.

Once she was done he stepped back, giving her a small smile before his expression turned pensive.
“In a sense, yes that creature had a large hand to play in where I went. That was Abaddon, the Demon King. Well, one of them at least; even when I was up to date on the information the numbers of their royalty were always a shaky guess at best,” he said, glancing back to where the portal had been.
“I encountered him on the outskirts of Karakura, working some kind of magic. It didn't really matter to me at the time what it was, it couldn't have been good. So I took the fight to him. While I was doing so, someone joined me. A woman named Kaminari. Over the course of the fight we pursued Abaddon into some kind of in-between dimension he'd created. I don't know what the purpose of it was. We took the fight to him, and we won. At least, so we thought.”

“As the last blow was landed, things started to go wrong. The portal we'd come through vanished, and the realm began to simply fall apart. I took a chance; I grabbed Kaminari and jumped through another portal that had appeared as things were falling. We ended up...somewhere else. A different world, disconnected from all that we knew. Which in Kaminari's case wasn't hard; over the course of the fight she used some ability that seemed to have sealed Abaddon's power to a major degree...but it cost her. He power, her memories. She didn't even know her own name by the time we reached a quiet place. That's where we've been until recently. In this other world, searching for a way back. We found it, but as we headed through we got separated. I got jumped, and here we are.”

Wed Jan 10, 2018 3:05 am

Four years between hugs was not a welcomed thing. A natural reflex that she developed over time took over when Genpaku pulled her into a hug. It wasn't easy for someone to actually move Lilith. Most of the time, the woman didn't budge under some of the most extreme pressures. However, when Genpaku, or the other rare few that she cared for, pulled her with intention to hug, she let it happen. She returned his hug firmly, holding onto her son with the embrace of a relieved mother. In this moment, she almost cried, but held those tears back for another time. She held on for a bit, but not so long it'd bother him. She slowly released him and gave him the space he needed to explain. And his tale was... remarkable.

"Oh shit. That was him, hm?"

Her eye shifted up to the area the portal had once been. That single eye that she saw staring down at Genpaku was the Demon King that vanished a while back as well? It seemed there were a lot of disappearances around that time. Kaminari was a name she only partially recognize, likely through rumors and reports. The two had fought along side each other? Well, this girl better be worth his time. Yes, Lilith was automatically assuming things. Every time he mentioned Kaminari's name, her eyebrow would raise, she'd smirk, and just watch him knowingly. The explanation of his whereabouts during the years he was absent weren't being ignored, but she was more interested in the girl, not some world she'd never see.

"I see... You were separated? This chick lost her memories and power, right? Didn't even know her name? Is she gonna be okay out there, or you about to run off to find her? You also mentioned only being gone a few months, so have her memories come back? And is she your girlfriend? You kiss her yet?"

"A-choo!"

Kaminari was just walking out of the weird yellow food building when it hit her. She wasn't the best at sensing things yet, but when something was so familiar, it sometimes came naturally to you. Her attention shot out towards the outskirts of town. At first, she didn't believe it, but a second wave came and she knew exactly who that was. She looked to her friend and then back toward Genpaku's direction.

"I... I gotta go. It's him. I gotta go! Thank you, goodbye!"

Not giving much else as a warning, she ran off through the city, her legs carrying her as quickly as they could. She pushed herself, likely she often did, trying her best not to stop or take any stupid breaks before she got there. She hoped he wouldn't leave, wondering if he was going to vanish like he did when they first got to this world. He better not because she had a bone to pick with him!

Wed Jan 10, 2018 6:17 am

As Lilith started with a new round of questions Genpaku nodded along as his answers. However, as she kept going his nods stopped and she got a continually more dull stare. He guessed her last question before she'd actually asked it.
“And if I did?” he asked with a perfectly straight face. He let the question hang in the air until just as she was about to answer.
“How's your love-life going since I've been gone? Finally shacked up with someone?” he asked, giving her a raised eyebrow before his straight face broke. He barely kept from laughing out loud; he did chuckle though, and it was good. Having a chance to laugh eased some of the stress that was starting to mount.
“No, nothing like that happened mom,” he said, giving a sarcastic bent to the final word.

“We were too busy trying to get home.” His joking manner faded, letting out a breath. He looked out, towards Karakura Central and his home.
“As for finding her, yeah probably. Her memories haven't fully returned. I figure maybe the Vanguard can pull up information on her and maybe put her on the right path towards getting herself restored. Not sure where to st-” he started, but trailed off as he felt a now familiar energy approaching them.
“Or she'll find me...” he commented, giving an almost wry smile. Granted, it was nice not having to go sprinting off to find someone in the first few minutes of being home. Especially considering that most likely there was an angry dragon demon that was now going to be gunning for her.

Wed Jan 10, 2018 6:58 am

Yeah, his face was dull! Perfect reaction! Lilith always enjoyed picking on her baby boy. Of course, her baby boy had every ability to pick on her and that tongue of his had a habit of throwing things right back her way in a more effective way. His reply caught her off guard. Her words were caught and the rapid blinking expressed her shock pretty damn well. She went to respond and there was that quick tongue again! Now he was asking about her love life? Ack! Damn it!

"No. Not even a date. I have no interest in that in the first place, you know? And besides, there aren't many men who could handle this family anyway.

Lilith's smile widened greatly. He could say it sarcastically all he wanted, but she would always be his son. Even if he never said it the way she wanted, she loved him. Both of their joking manners faded away as the conversation moved on. His mentioning of the Vanguard reminded her that she'd likely have to clue him in on the new workings of multiple organizations. The world around them was constantly changing. There were things that Lilith wasn't aware of because she too left the one place she would have gained all of this information. She hadn't returned to the Soul Society in some time. When she had, she wasn't exactly doing her duty as a Shinigami of the Gotei. That, however, was another story entirely.

"Hey. Stop that. No smiling that way. Looks like you did do more than you're letting on! Lookin' all... happy for some chick running your way. Not allowed!"

Lilith looked off in the direction his gaze implied and tried to hone in on any signatures that were heading this way. She found one pretty weak one that she'd overpower in an instant if she tried. Off in the distance, she saw some little dot appear and this disappear, obviously using shunpo to close in on their location. The next flash-step had her end up about ten feet away from the two. Kaminari took a moment to catch her breath, bending over with her hands on her knees.

"So... This is he-" "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!?"

Lilith actually jumped, startled at the mouse making more noise than it should have been able to and daring to yell at Genpaku right in front of her. Lilith's head just tilted to the side, her one eye shifting over to Genpaku for a moment and then back to the tiny breakable little toy that just arrived. Kaminari, having finally caught her breath, stood up straight and glared at Genpaku. She then noticed Lilith, bowed respectfully, and then returned her attention back to Genpaku again.

"Did you just try and ditch me? You just let me fall out of the sky! That hurt, you know! If you were gonna just up and vanish, you could have at leas-..."

Kaminari let out a squeak as she was suddenly lifted from her feet by the back of her shirt. Kaminari's eyes widened as Lilith turned her toward the giant red-haired monster. Kaminari said nothing. She curled her legs in like a cat behind held by the scruff and looked to Genpaku before turning her attention back to her captor.

"Uh... Hi."

Homecoming [Ask to Join]

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