Meet and Greet

Tossing and turning in his sleep, The Stray Dog slept the day away. He had just been in a fight for his life(kind of) days before against a particular Zanpakutō spirit. Then just a few days before that he had faced off against another shinigami, and while he didn't have any trouble, the girl was definitely worth fighting. So needless to say the last few days had worn him out, and it showed. Jin had been asleep for the last twenty hours or so, becoming completely induced by the pleasures of sleeping. Regenerating his powers and becoming able to perform at his top potential. This was all going to end though. Jin had spent some time in the human world, and needed to take some time for him.

SFX: Thud

Groaning loudly, Jin rolled onto his back after smacking into the ground. He sighed as he came back to reality, his eyes staring into the sky as he laid there. What the hell just happened? He looked around, but didn't see anyone near him. He sniffed the air, looked from one side to the other once more. He could smell something in the air. It was like a bad perfume. Then, like a homing radar, Jin looked at the branch he had just been on and he stared ferociously at one singular object. SFX: Meeeoooooow After laying on the ground for about two more minutes Jin finally started to move. Rolling around and then stnading, he brushed the dirt off of his back. He slithered out of the rolled up jacket and then he pointed his finger, coughing before speaking loudly.

"You damn filthy animal, I'm gonna kick your ass!"

Jin let out a loud battle cry as he shunpoed to the top of the branch bring his foot across toward the animal to punt it but this animal, nay this adversary was not to be trifled with. In a single leap it landed on his shoulder, meowed again, and rubbed against his face. Jin howled angrily, shunpoing away as the cat fell off of his shoulders, landing elegantly on the ground. Narrowing his eyes, Jin only had one option left against this animal. He placed his hand on the hilt of his blade, drawing it from it's resting place slowly and then, when it was fully unsheathed, He lifted it to air, let out a loud battle cry, and ran after the animal.

"Raaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!" The cat perked up it's ears, but as he saw the crazed man running after him, he took off with gentle stride hops across the ground. Jin stopped, sheathed his blade, and stood their triumph over the little bastard that had disturbed his slumber on the comforts of the tree branch. He turned around, looking to see if any spirits had been around to see him. He lazily glanced over the are before returning to the foot of the tree, sitting against the trunk as he let his eyes slip closed once more. Maybe this time he could actually get some relaxing sleep.

Jin sat there in comfort, and quite; peaceful silence was everything he could have wanted, but something would soon come into his view that he wasn't expecting. AS the woman spoke to him from across the way, he peaked one eye open staring at her. She had started off by insulting his ability, but to any other person he would have probably thought the same thing. However true that may be, Jin didn't take entirely kind to it. His lips curled open as his voice slipped out softly. "To be honest, if it hand't disturbed my sleep I would of left it alone. But it deserved what it got, damn filthy animal..." Jin honestly didn't mind the animals but something inside him detested them; perhaps it was Zetsumei, perhaps it was part of his past. He shrugged inwardly as he once more closed his eyes, trying to relax once more. Yet, like the universe was playing some bad joke, there she was, getting closer and He felt it.

Sighing to himself, he opened his eyes when she spoke once more. It seemed that she had no intention of leaving, so Jin decided to entertain her attention. He stood as he placed one hand on the top of his hilt, pushing the blade down, and then lifting it again as it slid against his hip. She was cruious as to why he was here? Well, to be honest it would be silly to answer that question. What was truly curious though was why SHE was here. He felt something strange about her, like her reiatsu wasn't her own, but something else. He laughed cautiously as he responded with a wide grin across his face. "And if I don't leave?" His legs turning with his hips and body following only moments after. He started walking toward one large root protruding through the ground. He leaned down on one knee, running his hands against the dying bark. "I'm on a mission, that's all I'll say and that's all you need to know. As for you though..."

He stopped for a moment, clenching his fist as he stood once more. He turned back to the woman, and looked her over. She was definitely a shinigami...or at least she seemed like it. His eyes narrowed for a moment, connecting with hers. Crimson hues attempting to stare into her soul, but despite his best efforts he came up short. There was always the old fashioned way. "Why are you, a low level shinigami, by yourself in the human realm? Who sent you here?" And yet it seemed like his most recent inquiry would be in vain as she had answered his question already. Natalia...? Why does that name sound so familiar...?

The name rang inside of his mind for moments that seemed to pass like eons. Then it all came crashing down like a monstrous tidal wave. It clicked, and he remembered where he had heard it from. Jin had heard some rumors about a girl who was just about to graduate, suddenly vanish into thin air. What was so strange was the fact that she hadn't been found. Thought to be dead, but was never actually found. No, that's not entirely true, she was found. By a young shinigami named Steven. In the report they had engaged in a small skirmish, but he came up empty handed. Not to surprising, he wasn't the most powerful, recently graduated himself. Then again, Jin was fairly old, even for shinigami standards. Jin smirked as he allowed his hand to completely grasp his blade's hilt. "I've heard about you, Natalia. You vanished, around eleven years ago, and no one's been able to find you...except for a young shinigami named Steven....You beat him, and he came back empty handed."

Jin let his reiatsu leak a bit more than he normally had. Letting her feel a bit of his true power, then laughing softly he dropped it back to a tolerable degree. He needn't fight her, not today. But that would explain that strange feeling with her reiatsu. He had heard of a secret group from years past...The Vizard. A merging of Shingami, and Hollow. Jin released his blade and spoke once more. "First things first. I don't plan on attacking you...I have my own mission, and I don't really care what you do." He started, his hands entering his pockets just before speaking again. "But I've got to ask...Are you living with another person inside of you? Maybe...a hollow?" Feeling it's presence wasn't that hard for someone like him, but Jin was a bit curious what she was going to do now that he had--oh, how rude of him. "Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Jin by the way...Jin Hoshigawa."

Jin wasn't sure how to respond to the girl; she seemed really distraught over the whole question. There was a certain air about her, something that told Jin that she wasn't completely sure how to answer his question. Then again, there was the fact that she was stammering on about coming back to the soul society, and how she was even sure if they would let her come back in her state. He understood that eleven years was a very long time to be away, to be missing but he shrugged and then let a soft sigh escape through his lips. Two crimson eyes meeting with hers before slowly taking off into the sky.

"Look, Natalia. I'm not sure, to be honest." He started, his hands entering his pockets. His head drooped down, away from the sky before he took a deep breath through his nose. He needed to take in the scent around him, the cool air that was brushing over his skin, and the way the sun felt against his pale colored flesh. He turned his head for but a moment away from the ground, continuing with what he had said. "You've been gone for so long. So very long. But, there have been..." He paused for a moment as he collected his thoughts, trying to figure out the correct word to use to not press the issue on her 'condition' " 'gifted' people in the seireitei, and the gotei for that matter, before." He brought his shoulders back up, his back straightening out and a smile coming across his face.

"For the time they were very powerful. Skilled in many different arts, and utilized all of their skills to the max. I lived through a lot of changes. The rise and fall of some of the most talented individuals..." His smile disappeared, and he turned his back to the girl walking toward a clean, untouched patch of grass. "But I just don't know. It's not my call; if it were I'd say hell yes. We need all the help we can get." H grinned and offered her a seat on the grass across from him. "When I'll report back, I'll..request some information, and ask them. For my own personal knowledge, and maybe a little birdy will bring some news back to you. But for now..." As he finished he crossed his legs in the Indian style placing both hands between his legs.

"Who is....Natalia?"

Jin listened to the woman, and that's all he did. He didn't interrupt her, question her, or bother her while she spoke. He understood better than anyone how hard it was to open up to someone you hardly knew. He spent most of his past life, and even the greater part of his shinigami life closing people out. Rejection, pain, heartbreak were all things that Jin understood well. It seemed though that this girl also knew about them. Like long lost friends that like to reminisce in the past, nostalgia coming down on Jin like a great wind, He simply smiled. Things like that will help shape your character, good or bad, right or wrong, they all helped. This girl was still very young, and she still had some time to learn the harshness of this world. But at the same time, there was still time to learn that this world has kindness, and understanding in it as well.

"Bloodthirsty? Hardly. I'm no professional, but you don't seem the bloodthirsty type. What with the lack of attempts to try and kill me." He teased, but if this was about revenge, or hate, Jin could relate to that sensation, now more than ever. He didn't know what he would have done a few centuries ago if Zetsumei had allowed him access to his past, and his bankai. Perhaps Jin would be the same, or perhaps he would have completely lost control. Rampaging the streets, or fleeing the seireitei altogether. It was this hate, and fear that kept Jin alive. It's not weak to fear, it's weak to not choose to be brave. And that feeling has been the single most compelling thing in this mans life.

Then, as her statements came to a close, she did something that Jin wasn't expecting. Her tattoos weren't really tattoos. They were caused by her condition. Gift? It was part of her, something that she could use to help her succeed, or maybe it would be her ultimate downfall. No one could make that call, not even her. The future was unknown for a reason, but as Jin sat there thinking over everything that just transpired, she removed her eye patch. Something even more strange than that was the fact that she hadn't a need for the patch, at least that's what it seemed at first glance; and Jin knew better than to take things at face value. Something started to creep over him. It wasn't a foreign feeling, oh no. This feeling was very familiar; something he had used on others ever since unlocking his bankai. Yet this wasn't so much stealing his soul, but It was more like she was peering into his soul, trying to reach out and grasp it.

Jin's crimson hued eyes stared at her fiery one. Was this also caused by her condition, accident, curse, gift, what have you. This was truly unique. Then he was snapped out of his trance as she spoke. Jin laughed and nodded. "Oh yes, this is certainly going into my report. This is astonishing, to be honest. Your eye...it's familiar to some of my own abilities...in a sense. What does it do?" He did have an idea of what it did, but he couldn't be sure without a bit more information, or an outright answer. But there was something he had to do first. Something he doesn't do often. "You've been very brave, or accepting...take your pick. But I feel like a bad guest, and I want to show you something too. I don't know why, maybe you can take some solace in the fact that everyone has their own little, dark secret."

Jin placed his finger tips along the white cloth that clad his neck. He started to unwind them slowly, then as he got toward the bottom one could see the gleaming of metal from around the sides. Then, finishing he tossed them aside and turned his head. A large chunk of metal was burned onto his neck, almost like it had been forced there. After a moment he turned back and shrugged with a grin. "Accidents happen. Whether or not they're good isn't really decided by anyone but ourselves. We are what we are, and we can choose to run from them...or we can accept it, and use it to bash destiny in the face for fucking with us to begin with." He un-sprawled his legs and arms, lifting both into the air before flopping on the ground like a fish out of water. His voice came out shortly after, finally answering her question. "I think I know Natalia well enough...You're a bloodthirsty runaway with a freaky eye. And you have a knack of running into strange shinigami who like to blow off their mission to relax in the sun...Sound about right?"

Jin nodded with his head rubbing against the ground. A small smirk spreading across his face and the idea that this girl could just know what her opponents were going to do. That would certainly make fighting her more tedious than it needed to be, but Jin didn't plan on fighting anyone right now. He was enjoying everything from the sun on his skin, to the grass blades running through his hair and fingers; The soft breeze brushing over his cheeks while his eyes closed to allow his day dreaming to continue. What would it be like to fight someone that knew everything you were about to do? It would be challenging, that's for sure. Jin entertained the thought, but made sure to keep it just that: A thought. "You know, that helps my report, and who knows, maybe they'll see your potential with it. Just be sure to keep it under control."

Jin wasn't' sure if he was giving her too much information, or if everything that she had told him was too much information. She was certainly giving him plenty to write about, but then she said something that really caught his attention. She didn't even have her shikai unlocked yet? What was she doing for the last eleven years? Perhaps suppressing whatever it was that makes her so scared to come back. Jin sat up, once more crossing his legs. "You don't have your shikai yet? Have you ever tried to make contact with your spirit?" Jin started, his hairs were standing on the ends of his skin like they were teetering at the top of the world. This was exciting, and something unique. She is able to keep her other powers under control, but hasn't even touched a fraction of her potential.

"You have so much potential, you have to try and find it." He said, his lips curling into a smile, and then he pulled his own blade from it's sheath, laying it against his lap. It has been some time since he awakened his shikai, but he remembers every moment from time past. He brushed his hand against the cold steel. "I'll tell you a story. It was some time ago, a few centuries at least. But I was on a mission. Heh, and if anything could have gone wrong, it did. Ambushed, trapped, my friends were being torn apart. But there was one person in particular that they had targeted. Her name.... He paused, his eyes still beaming down on the blade. They reached the tip, paused for a moment as he lifted the blade and then dropped it again. "Well, that doesn't matter. But I just kept thinking to myself, I need to save her...if for no one else...her."

Jin...you're a sappy fellow today, aren't you? Zetsumei said, mocking the older man. But he was, he was feeling more emotional now than he had in a long time. He wasn't sure why, but he once more continued on with the story. "Anyway, I kept calling out to my sword...Help me, just for now. Help me! Then he told me his name...Zetsumei...Ever since then I've been improving with him, never taking his power for granted...my power." Jin snapped back to reality, shaking his head and looking up. "The point of the story being, always listen for your sword...your spirit...your other half. You never know when it might be calling out for you." Jin flopped back down to the ground, turning his head slightly to look at the girl. "As for you, don't worry too much about it. You've been doing fine up until now, and you'll continue to do fine. Just keep your head up."