[Open] Searching for a soul lost [Part 1] [Ashlei]

…Wasn't a bad plan, really… but honestly… it's just unfortunate that I live here…

A routine patrol through the shadows of the Seiretei and Rukongai. There were few who could move through shadow quite like this man. He lived within them, he breathed them. They enveloped him in their presence, the only constant he had held onto throughout his life. These shadows that he resided within had... something else enter within them. Darker shadows splayed out along the Rukongai, dark shadows in a pattern that the Shinigami recognized. …Yes… dimensional tears… the worst kind…

Typically, he should inform his squad of these happenings. A Hell Butterfly was dispatched, containing a single message: "Possibility of intruder through the Rukongai, several moving… forms ~ Kuro Okami."

The first object that he came across he could finally understand the peculiar shape of. I had felt a puddle of some kind… but… that's not quite right… look how red it is… I suppose it's meant to be blood… The Shinigami was not unused to the sight of blood. It was almost… a welcome sight. It reminded him of why he was here, what he was meant to do. …It seems to not be doing anything… hmm…

It was then that he felt a peculiar sense, a foul energy. Foul… foul… demonic… Kuro's teeth grit in his mouth. Demons… Truth be told, Kuro could not stand bad demons. He got along with the ones who wanted to get along with him… but he had an almost irrational hatred towards those who chose to use their abilities to harm others. His skin crawled, his body shifting and shimmering as he slid back into the shadows, passing through them to where the signal had come from.

One… two figures…

It seemed unlikely that the one who had not sent up the flare would notice him. The one who sent up the flares, however… well, that depended upon how keen her senses were. If they were exceptional, she would just barely be able to make out a presence sliding and shifting around the area where she was standing, as if it were analyzing the situation.

"You…"

Slowly, the figure rose at last, standing between Ashlei and the other woman. "…Ashlei… Mischevang…" The figure that rose out of the ground had a black hood stretched over his head, white tufts of hair rising out of the front of it. A red line grasped the side of his chin, some kind of scar, perhaps? The rest of his garb was black as night, except for one single thing. Around the center of his chest, a white fabric poked out. The fabric of a captain's haori, matted with splashes of red, as if it were rarely washed.

He was clearly aware of who she was. Yet… there was not a trace of fear coming from his body. Perhaps he was suicidal, perhaps he was insane. All that mattered was that her presence did not intimidate him, and he would treat her like any other intruder in his home.

"…You don't belong here. Not at all. You're aware of how much of an enemy… you are, correct?" He asked, his voice almost… cracking, from lack of use. He did not seem to be carrying a weapon, but in reality the long sleeves he wore were concealing two daggers. "…" The figure was then silent for a few moments, the look on his face becoming a hard line. I hate it. I hate that she's here. I hate it. I hate it. Leave. Get out of my home. Stop it.

He was unable to stop the bloodlust that was now rolling off of his body in great waves, killing intent making itself clear as he slightly rose his head… allowing for his peculiar eyes to look directly at Ashlei. A star shaped scar darted through the left pupil, his slightly yellowed pupils staring right through her. "… … … I can relay a message… but if you try to leave this spot.. I will regard you as a threat to the Rukongai and the Seireitei in general. Do you understand."

While his last sentence was technically a question, there was no inquiry about it. After all, Kuro already knew how he would react to either situation. His eyes were staring directly at her now, that intent not diminishing in the least. "…also… retract… Those pools of blood… right this instant."