No Time for Rest [open]

A few rays of sunshine pierced the trees and reached the ground. A lone figure walked through the forest, eyes locked on the ground. He wasn't looking for anything, he was just in deep thought. The name of the man was Snopy Saika. The wind blew through the ragged remains of his clothing. He looked up at the sun and took a deep breath. The light on his showed all of its features. Snopy's face was odd, his left eye was pink and his right eye was purple. From his forehead, down his right eye to his cheekbone, ran a scar.

As the sun beat down on him, he sighed. Snopy had always preferred the rain to the sun. Not that he didn't like sunlight, but he enjoyed the cool feel of a rain shower. He had done a lot in the last few months. Ever since came to the Soul Society he went around doing odd jobs for money. Yet Rukongai was not a pleasant place. He had come to the forest to get away from it all. The wilderness was a soothing place compared to Rukongai. He could hear the birds chirping, and he enjoyed the feel of the cool breeze. It also helped not having sweaty guys constantly trying to pickpocket him.

He continued to walk, the sound of crunched leaves under his feet with every step. After a moment he looked up and saw a small lake. He felt kind of grimy, since he had nowhere to really wash himself off. Snopy hated the feeling of being covered in dirt and whatever else, so he went over and kneel'd down. He placed his hands in the water, it was a cool feeling. He splashed water on his face and began washing the dirt off. The cool water on his face was refreshing. He proceeded to rinse off all parts of his body thoroughly, including his cloths. When he finished, he was soaked, but a lot less dirty. Unfortunately some of it wouldn't come off of his cloths.

He looked down in the water and sighed. Snopy saw the scar on his face in the reflection. It was only a painful reminder of his past.

An entire life spent killing hollow without injury. Only to die at the hands of a traitor.

The event that caused his death had long passed. He feared that it may be too late to avenge his friends unfortunate deaths. He sat and looked out over the lake. He had spent the last few years alone. He was accustomed to it. Yet in the end, he hated it. He had spent an entire life with friends around him, but now he was alone. To top it all off his immense power was reduced to nothing. He had lost everything, and he wasn't sure if he could get any of it back. Yet he didn't plan on giving up. He was determined to find a way. As he sat, Snopy pondered his next move.

Snopy watched the effect the breeze had on the lake as he thought. He knew what he had to do, but he didn't like the concept. All information he had gained was from the residents of Rukongai. To find anything that might further his goals, he would have to ask for information. It wouldn't be much of a problem, if it wasn't for the district. He was near district 69, and it was more of a slum than a town. Even if he did get information, it would involve a constant effort not to be mugged.

If I had a weapon this would be so much easier. I could defend myself better and it would intimidate people enough so they might not even try.

Unarmed had never been his specialty. If anything was it would be ranged combat. He missed his old weapon from when he was alive. Snopy knew even people in Rukongai wouldn't f*** with someone with a gun. Yet his Marksman's Pride was long gone, he had no idea where it was.

Maybe not a gun, maybe a sword though. It wasn't my strong suit but I wasn't a bad swordsman.

Even if he had a wooden sword he could use it to effect. He sighed, as he knew the only way to get a weapon would to be to find one in Rukongai. What was worse was he knew he would have to wrestle it away from some thug, unless he found a cheap one at the market. He leaned over the lake and cupped his hands. Snopy took a long sip of water before standing up. He sighed as he brushed some leaves off his legs. It was an unpleasant proposition, but entering Rukongai was all he could do. After slight hesitation, he began to move forward.

He tried to distract himself as he walked. Yet if his mind wasn't on Rukongai, it was on his death. He hated both of them, but he attempted to focus on Rukongai. What's in the past cannot be undone, but what hasn't happened yet can be twisted in many directions. It was best if he put his brainpower there.

This is going to be a long walk.

As Snopy approached Rukongai he noticed it wasn't as sunny as before. It seemed like it was going to rain. He took little note of it as his mind was preoccupied. Suddenly, he stopped. He could hear what sounded like footsteps in the leaves. After a moment, he was certain it was coming towards him. He sighed as he waited for it to approach. Snopy only hoped that it wasn't a thug, he wasn't in the mood. Though he wasn't in the mood for much in Rukongai. As the footsteps got louder, some figures began to come into sight. They didn't seem that large to him. It was obvious they were thugs by their movements. Their cloths were in even worse condition then his were. He could tell there was only 4 of them. Snopy simply stood there, an emotionless, almost unenthused, look on his face.

Hey you, you got anything of value?

Snopy had trouble keeping a straight face after the comment.

I think I'm gonna go with no.

I think that you're lying.

Snopy was having trouble not laughing at this point. Still he kept a straight tone and face.

I'm in ragged cloths, walking through the forest, in one of the crummiest districts in Rukongai. Do I look like I have anything of value.

Snopy was trying to avoid a confrontation, he just didn't feel like it.

Well we'll just see about that now.

Snopy sighed once again, it was unavoidable. He knew at the very least his fighting skills were better than a thug's. He simply got into a stance and made it obvious he was ready for a fight. For a moment nothing happened, the only sound was that of the wind through the leaves. Then one charged straight at him. Snopy held his ground as the thug went for a punch straight to his face. Just before contact Snopy moved his head to the side before bringing his fist straight into the thug's gut. The thug fell to the ground, obviously having a low threshold for pain. Snopy looked back at the thugs, with the same straight face he had had the entire time.

Well there's one, wanna try for 2?

A second thug stepped up. The it was the largest of the bunch, which wasn't saying much. He noticed they hadn't wised up to the idea of all attacking at once. He shrugged, it just made his job easier. The man charged as if he were an emaciated bull. Snopy stepped to the side and the man ended up headbutting a tree. Snopy began to laugh.

I can't even take credit for that one, he took himself out.

Snopy's laughing only angered the other 2. They both came forward and tried to attack at once. They punched at his face several times. He dodged 3 of the punched before being hit straight in the face. He stumbled back for a moment before putting his hand on his face. He wasn't bleeding, but it did hurt. When he looked up he saw they were laughing themselves. Snopy noticed their guard was completely down. He rushed the thugs at full speed and punched one of them in the face. Before the other could react, he turned and kicked him in the crotch. As he saw the two collapse on the ground, he saw the first one he hit trying to get up.

Why you little.

You have no room to talk, but I do have a question. Where nearby might I procure a sword?

A better question would be where did that sword come from.

Snopy was confused, but then he noticed there was some weight around his waist. There was a katana on his waist and he had no idea where it came from. It wasn't there when he started the fight. He began to walk, solely because he had had quite enough of the thugs' company. He walked for a minute before stopping. He drew the katana from it's sheathe and observed it. The blade was oddly black. The handle had pink cloth wrapped around it. Snopy stood trying to think of where the weapon could have possibly come from. It was another mystery for another time. He still had a little ways to walk before re-entering Rukongai.

Snopy had almost reached Rukongai when he stopped. He looked down at the blade on his waist and sighed. He knew he had seen something like this before, he just couldn't remember when. The sword had an aura of energy around it. It felt odd, in a strange way it was almost comforting. He drew it from his sheathe and observed it. Then something he had forgotten suddenly dawned on him. It was like the blade of the Shinigami that had passed him on. Snopy remembered having a conversation with the Shinigami too. The blade was called a Zanpakutō. He looked down at it in shock, he couldn't believe it. He was a Shinigami. In fact, he hadn't noticed he now had a black robe on, rather than his ragged cloths.

He remembered the man had come from the Soul Society through a gate he called a Senkaimon. Snopy wasn't exactly sure how to make one, but he figured he'd give it a shot. He wanted to see with his own eyes that he could go to the world of the living. He took a deep breath as he held out his hand in an attempt to open a Senkaimon. Though he couldn't get anything to happen. Then, as if by instinct, he stuck his sword out and it appeared to cut into the dimension itself. Suddenly a giant gate appeared before him and opened up. He took one last breath before stepping forward.

Thread Closed