Ultimate Tier up, 3 on 1........

Garanzo, Kazama, and Asuma quietly moved through the streets of Dallas texas. Unusually out of the way for the three vc level shinigami, but there had been reports of unusual activity in the area, and they had come to investigate, looking for any trouble to be found. Unfortunatly, the streets were unusually quiet this night, and nothing was to be found.....

"Garanzo, I hate to say it, but I think the information was faulty on this one."Kazama said as he walked out of an alley he had gone to investigate, shaking his head slowly. "There isnt a hollow or sinner in sight. In fact, as far as I can tell, there isnt anyone around with any sort of spiritual pressure. Not like what would match the reports anyway."

Garanzo looked down at Kazama as he walked back and smirked. Garanzo was currently hanging upside down from a lightpole, spiderman style, and he could appreciate his friends current doubts on the situation. Asuma spoke his concerns aloud, voicing the same concerns Garanzo had. "Exactly Kazama. Nothing. Not even a guardian shinigami for the city. Nothing at all." Asuma said, flexing his fingers and looking around. "Strikes me as odd......unnatural."

Rui woke up, yawning and stretching cutely. The four foot ten boy looked around his dull surroundings. An abandoned building with a few working facilities. Even a cot. Just enough to keep him comfortable while recovering from a fight with a Vasto Lorde. And now he's fully recovered. Blond hair with a lightning bolt shaped hair pin on the left side, dark, crimson eyes, red hakama, black tabi socks, matching red and black long tailed jacket that also left his stomach visible rounded out what he looked like. He looked like jail bait. He felt around. A trio of shinigami...not good. Vice-captain levels, approximately...he couldn't really tell that well. Being fully recovered also meant he had full energy. Having so much and having complete control over it did have a bad side...a constant, mind splitting migraine. And an inability to use his resurrecion unless he uses up a lot of energy. That was just the start of it.

He kept his energy under a strict lock and key, standing up and grabbing his sword, putting it back on his back. The boy started to walk out. He felt around again. Again, just the three shinigami. Did he scare everything away? It was possible...he was one of the strongest beings in Hueco Mundo. Unfortnately, that also brought him more grief than what it was worth. But on the other hand, he'd be dead. He actively avoided the shinigami. He wanted to see one last thing before he left. That idea went out the window the second a hollow appeared.

Even he was shocked by its sudden appearance. But he could feel the shinigami coming. With any luck, they'll kill it and let him go...despite not being able to feel a thing from him...

The shinigami were indeed approaching, Garanzo in the lead. They had spotted the hollow and decided that, rather than letting the trip be a waste, they could at least off this thing. Garanzo took a running start and launched himself into the air, throwing his kama and chain to wrap around the hollows ankles. Asuma would follow through, leaping up past Garanzo and down towards the hollow, swinging his sword as he passed, neatly decapitating it. "Dun dun dun, another one bites the dust." he said with a smrk, rising from the crouch he had landed in and sheathing his sword, before turning towards the building that the creature had been on, raising an eyebrow.

Kazama and Garanzo drew up next to him, both sheathing their weapons. "Asuma, whats the matter?" Garanzo asked.

"Its.....I dont know. Something feels wrong. Come on." he said, redrawing his sword and shunpoing up to one of the window ledges to peer inside, Kazama and Asuma following to peer inside. "Hello?" Garanzo called.

Rui had dashed around the corner and jumped up into the ceiling panel, replacing it, as the shinigami took care of the hollow. There wasn't much room...but he was small. He could fit in the most unlikeliest of places. He waited and kept tabs. But then he heard a squeak, a rat. And it was starting to crawl on him. He paled as he endured it. But that idea went out the window when eight hairy legs was crawling on his stomach. That was it. He screamed like a little girl, falling through the ceiling panel, and threw the fatass rat and the huge spider in a random direction. Which just so happens to be one of the shinigami (Asuma) standing in the way.

Rui, still keeping his power locked completely, panicked. He scooted back and started to tremble, eyes slightly water, and put up his arms to protect his head. With a whiney/about to cry voice, he yelled. "Please don't hurt me!" He somewhat curled up in a ball. If anything were to reveal him it would be his lack of displaying any spiritual pressure and his sword on his back. But he was also quite the actor too...and has done this act many times before...

Asuma, to his credit, reacted pretty fast to the spider, snapping his katana up to slice it in half. The rat though hit him square in the fae where it paniced, scratched, and then leapt away! Asuma stumbled back, tripping over a pipe to fall flat on his ass as Garanzo and Kazama leapt foward, expecting an attack, but stopping when they saw a boy instead.

Kazama and Garanzo couldnt help but look at each other with raised eyebrows as the kid curled up ad began freaking out. "Relax boy." Kazama said, again sheathing his blade, Garanzo lowering his. "We have no reason to harm you." he said, glancing back as Asuma clambered to his feet, looking downright livid. "Well.....most of us." he said as he stepped back to try and restrain Asuma as Garanzo stepped foward, eyebrow still raised as he looked the boy over. "Tell me, why do you have a sword, and why can I sense no spiritual pressure from you?"

Rui looked up, tears still in his eyes. "The sword is an heirloom...it's the only thing I have left of my family..." His voice turned even more whiney than it already was and started to outright cry. Sobs, snot, and everything. This lasted ten minutes. When he was done, he was calming down now, though still sniffling. "What's spiritual pressure?" He looked like he meant it.

He was now starting to stand up, though still sniffling and wiping his eyes. At the sight of the pissed off man, Rui jumped back in fear...or tried to...he landed on his butt. Trembling with no control. Or at least that's what it appeared. Centuries of perfecting this was time well spent when these types of situations came up.

Garanzo raised an eyebrow slowly as he looked at the boy. It didn't make sense to him. A boy like this on the street should have had the sword stolen from him a long time agoi, and while it was perfectly feaseible for the lad to not know what spiritual pressure was, the only way Garanzo wouldn't be able to sense it would be for either the boy to have unthinkably high levels of spiritual pressure, or else the boy was suppressing it like a true master. And if he was suppressing it like that....Garanzo didn't want to think about it, even he wasn't that good. He looked back at Kazama, still trying to restrain the rather livid Asuma, before looking at the boy, his elbows resting comfortably on the hilts of his twin zanpaktou. "You are a good actor kid, I will give ya that. But I get the feeling you are doing just that, acting. I would be able to sense your spiritual pressure, no matter how little you had, unless you were either as powerful as Aizen once was, or you were suppressing it. And if you were as strong as Aizen, most humans wouldn't be able to even move around you, hell, that hollow wouldn't have been able to move either in your general area. So that leaves just one option, now don't it. So, wanna try this again? I promise, we wont hurt you, so long as you are willing to work with us."

Kazama and Asuma by now were listening, Asuma even having lowered his blade. They looked at eachother and separated, both of them also eyeing the young boy with curiousity, Asuma resting his sword on his shoulder. "Garanzo has a point kid. Wanna come clean with us or do we gotta take ya back with us?"

Rui didn't panic. "Just because I'm good at keeping my things doesn't mean anything!" He stood up, face now suddenly calmer. "But there is another possibility...I have met one before. A bounto. I have no idea who or how strong this Aizen fella was, but that must be an awful lot of power for him to do that. Alright though, yes, it was a bit of an act. I don't like to fight and I have no idea who you guys are. So I guess I should be glad you guys aren't bullies like other shinigami I've met in my very short life span." He decided to do a different route. His voice was more worrying sounding and a tiny bit on the hostile side.

"I almost lost my heirloom once. If it wasn't for a Coalition officer, I would have. You guys should enforce a bit more dicipline on your peeps. Just saying is all. Anyway, thanks for helping me out by killing that hollow. Oh, just because I am suppressing what little power I do have doesn't mean I'm very strong. There are some with good control, but little power. I'll be going now." From innocence to a bit bratty and even a little hostile. But still a genuine word of gratitude.

He turned to leave and started walking, hands in his pocket. He wasn't rushed or anything like that. He just hoped they didn't start following him...

Garanzo shot his hand out, aiming to catch the kid's shoulder. "Hold it right there kid." he said with a bit of a smirk. "I still aint buyin it. You made the transition way to easy from sniveling coward to bratty runt. Besides, I don't believe you are tellin us everything, and if our ranks really are breakin the rules and tryin to take stuff. then we three, as officers, need to know." he said, all with a small smirk on his face.

Kazama shook his head and stepped forward, taking a different approach. "Come on, we wont hurt you and you can tell us about these shinigami that tried taking your sword, and get you a bit to eat, before taking you to your home. You look far to nskinny."

Rui stopped and turned with a glare. "Baka...once you're caught, there's no reason to keep play'in. Just because I switched it like how you switch a light doesn't mean Jack. You'd be surprised how well that act works when getting out of bad situations. Combine that with my natural looks and most bullies and people leave me alone or treat me to a free meal. This was about a month ago when the attempt was made, and he's been trying to avoid me since then. I haven't seen him around lately, though." These three weren't as dumb as he had hoped. Oh well...he just needed to work them over a bit.

"As far as a bite to eat...I'm quite full. A nice older couple took me out to a semi-nice place for dinner. Thanks for the offer. But no amount of food will fatten me up...my metabolism is just so high. Now, if you don't mind, there is something I'd like to see before I go home...and I don't wanna miss it." Then he would walk out, heading towards the park. When he got there, he stopped a looked at the fountain, waiting.

Almost ten minutes past when fireworks exploded across the sky in a dazzling array of colors and shapes. Rui stared at the near constant display. It was more than just a little heartwarming. Rui even smiled a little. Despite the appearance of three hollow heading towards him...weaker adjuchas class menos. Probably nothing the shinigami can't handle...

Following their instincts, the three shinigami had indeed followed little Rui. Asuma even had to admit, he liked the kids attitude, and Garanzo had been impressed by his acting. But none of the three bought his story either. It wasn't that it wasn't a good story. It just didn't feel right to any of them. And so they followed him, doing their best to suppress their spiritual pressure and stay hidden, more intent on following and watching the boy then anything else. At least until the adjuchas showed up. Now, all three shinigami believed that the boy was far more powerful then he let on. But they weren't exactly going to place all their bets on the boy beating the adjuchas.

As the adjuchas made their way towards the boy, they would be intercepted by the three shingami, fanned out to make a barrier between the boy and the hollow, weapons drawn. Garanzo smirked a bit as he slowly twirled his zanpaktou between his fingers. "Hey there hollow. Where ya goin?" He asked with a smirk before suddenly using shunpo to get right up under the first adjuchas face, driving his left zanpaktou up towards the creatures throat.

Asuma had a similar approach. He rushed his opponent, running in a serpentine fashion, slashing at the creature whenever it tried to hit him, closing the distance to slash at the creatures knees, hoping to drop it onto a suddenly planted sword.

Kazama took a much less physical approach. "Bakudo number seventy five. Gochutekkan." he said calmly, five massive, heavy pillars falling from the sky towards the adjucha.

Rui ignored the fighting. Until one was simply captured. And started to beg to let him kill the "God of Hueco Mundo". Rui's spine stiffened at the cursed nickname. It said it again, three times, and more. Rui turned to face it if it wasn't already dead. His smile was gone. He no longer looked like a cute little kid. He looked like he was out for blood. The boy did his best to keep his spiritual pressure under lock and key, however, barely succeeding, but at the cost of his migraine going up in intensity, making his vision swim.

The hollow was now begging to be let go so that it could escape, if it was still alive. And if it was still alive, Rui would walk over to it, his killer's intent purely on the hollow. The boy took out his sword, a double edged blade like a knight would use, and started to slowly, intimately cut the hollow to pieces...making it yell and scream for mercy. It got none from the boy as he finally put it out of its misery.

Either way, his overall cover was blown. Even after he started to calm down. He sighed heavily and looked at the three shinigami. "I was planning on returning to my world after watching that display and losing you three. I only came here to rest and recuperate. In the process, it seemed I unintentionally scared everything spiritual away. Seeing as I'm your "natural enemy", though a monster among my own kind, are you going to attempt to strike me down? Or are you going to allow me to return home and continue observing the worlds from a distance?" He now waited and watched. His power still under lock and key...but that may change very quickly now...

It hadn't taken them long to react to the boy's sudden change. They let him kill the hollow, though its cries pained Kazama. They had bigger issues. Garanzo and Kazama didn't trust arrancar as far as they could throw them, but if this one was willing to leave peacefully, then let him. Asuma was a much different matter. He hated arrancar, all of them, with a passion, blaming them for the death of his friend Hinata and the ugly scar on the center of his chest. As soon as he realized what the boy was he had readied his blade and started charging, and both Kazama and Garanzo were trying to hold him back. In his blind rage Asuma was proving quite the challenge, his blind hatred fueling his strength, and he was pressing Kazama and Garanzo just to be held in one spot. But hold him they did. Asuma, who had never been that great at sensing, probably didn't realize it, but the other two had. They still couldn't sense his power, at least his true power. And an arrancar with the name God of Hueco Moundo probably meant an espada. A very powerful one.

After a moment of struggle, and bakudo number four, Kazama got Asuma restrained for a moment, allowing Garanzo to turn to the boy, both zanpaktou at the ready. He studied Rui calmly and quietly for a moment, looking the boy over for clues before speaking. "The little lightning bolt thing. Its your bone mask. And you are an espada, a powerful one I am guessing." he said, voicing his thoughts. "You serve Arngrim? Seems odd that three adjuchas, creatures usually loyal to the ruling espada, to want to attack you like that, god of hueco moundo." he said, Kazama still struggling to hold  Asuma back.

Rui watched them restrain their friend. He saw the hatred in his eyes...and he saw a little of himself in them. He waited till they restrained him somewhat...and listened. He frowned heavily at the nickname and the assumption. "Please avoid using that disgusting nickname. If it can be cut...if it can bleed...it can die...Gods cannot be killed. I can be cut, even by you three despite the power difference, I can bleed, I can be killed. I am no "god". You're right that my accessary is my bone mask...but you're wrong in that I serve Arngrim. *cue letting his power known* The arrancar, before he became the Espada King, went after my life once. We gained an understanding with each other. I won't interfere with him, period. Only way I'll become one of his espada is if he offered me something in return...or Aizen was let out of his cage. The latter is more likely to happen. Arngrim is more of a brute then a negociator or manipulator."

He waited and let them digest what he said. He continued. "As I'm sure you can sense, or I would hope one of you three can sense decently, my spiritual pressure is warped. It still feels like an arrancar, but feels very off about it. This is the reason those three menos were after my life. I'm hunted by everyone. A monster among monsters. Now, may I go? Or are you gonna sick your friend on me?" Again he waited for an answer as he kept a close eye on the struggling shinigami that wanted him very dead.

Garanzo and Kazama had indeed noticed the oddness of the boy's spiritual pressure, both being skilled in sensing. But both had other things on their mind. Especially Garanzo. He looked back at Kazama and Asuma, Asuma still struggling to get free and Kazama working hard to keep him restrained. Garanzo looked back at the arrancar and his decision wasn't hard. In a sudden flash of movement, his right foot snapped back and up, right at the shocked and bound Asuma's jaw, or more appropriately the nerve closter tucked in behind the jawbone. With a well aimed kick it was a guaranteed KO. And Garanzo was certainly one for well aimed shots.

Kazama caught Asuma as he slumped, jaw open in surprise. "Garanzo are you mad?"

Garanzo smirked. "Kazama, take Asuma from here. I wish to speak with this young man, alone, and then I will follow." he said before looking back at Rui. "And I shall let you go unfettered. I just want to talk about something that may prove beneficial to us all." he said before looking back at Kazama. "Go."

Kazama gritted his teeth, every instinct and all his training telling him to stay right there with Garanzo and fight beside him. But he had to admit, Garanzo was the strongest of the three, the highest ranking, and the one most likely to escape from a fight. And with the now unconscious Asuma, Kazama knew his options were very limited, and he cursed Garanzo for it. "Be careful." he said as he picked Asuma up and quickly shunpoed away, leaveing Garanzo alone with the unknown arrancar......

Rui was shocked at what happened. And was very much amused. He could barely contain his laughter. He never would have thought he would see this happening. As the two shinigami left, he sheathed his sword and went over to the rail and sat on it. "I never would have thought I would see something like that happen." He leaned back.

He couldn't keep the amusement out of his voice. "Young man is a bit of a stretch given my appearance, but please go ahead and speak. Just know that in my 900 years as an arrancar no one has ever convinced me to work for them or anything like that. Also know that I will never go against Arngrim. I like my harsh life thank you very much."

Garanzo smirked, holding up a hand. "No, I wont ask you to fight Arngrim. You have told me your arrangement and I respect it. Nor do I wish for you to, as you put it, work for me. I don't want followers or an army or anything like that, I prefer to handle my affairs personally. No, I want to talk to you for two different reasons. One is a request for information, to placate my hostile friend that just left. The other is an offer, a deal you might like. Lets do the deal first. You like coming to the human world I am guessing. And you seem to be rather......peaceable I suppose. But with the shinigami here I am guessing that your nice little trips have been frequently interrupted as you try to avoid us. Here is my offer. We will be departing from the human world soon, to retake the soul society and return home. Meaning less of us here, less of us bothering you. And I can make it where there are even less of us bothering you. I am the second seat of the stealth corps, used for assasinations and scouting. If the other squads are looking for someone, they go through us. I can make it so that there information, if they are looking for you, is.....less than reliable."

Rui busted up laughing at the proposal. Really? He didn't need protecting or anything! He knew of the troop build up in Karakura Town. He figured that was the reason for it. After calming down, he spoke."Really? I'm quite the actor, I've fooled the Coalition's reiatsu identifiers, and as you could tell I can hide my reiatsu perfectly even at full strength and in high stress situations. As far as my visits go, peaceable is debateable. I've done my fair share of bad deeds...but I've also done my fair share of good. I'm trying to find my place in this world...but it seems so far that the best place for me is as an observer. I've known about your troop buildup for a while now. I figured you were preparing for an attack. To my knowledge, unless you will open your big mouth, the shinigami have no idea I exist. The Coalition has known for the longest time...I just haven't shown up in the proper places yet...at least, to their knowledge. I don't need protecting. A hollow or an arrancar, or whatever I am, don't live to be over 2000 years old by being weak or relying exclusively on stealth. So try again good sir. Your attempt is at the very least admirable."

Garanzo smirked and shrugged. "Eh it was worth a shot. A long shot admittedly, but a shot. Allrght then, how about the information then." he said, the smirk dropping from his face. "You saw my friend there, the angry one. Saw that nasty scar on his chest? It was caused by an arrancar. An unidentified arrancar. One who I believe to be responsible for another raid that took the life of a good woman, a friend of Asuma's and Kazama's. That's why he hated you so much. That's why he was suddenly so eager to kill you, because of the loss of his friend Hinata. I have tried everything I can think of to placate him. Everything but one last resort. You are arrancar, and despite your distance from the group, you are still in better touch with their personel. I want to find this arrancar, whoever it may be. I understand the information is little, but for my friends peace of mind, I beg of you to find this out for me."

Rui listened. "I can't do anything without at least an energy signature. Without at least that, there is nothing I can do. Having a few shinigami owe me can be in my favor. But if they're a part of Arngrim's army, I can't tell you anything, thus you won't owe me. How long ago was this? Depending on that, I might find the energy signature on him and then I can start looking. But it needs to be very recent. Like, minimum yesterday, and even then only if it was nearly fatal and healed naturally, without healing kido. If there's nothing else you can tell me, well...then you're out of luck. If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave..."

(OOC: Well now...congratz on having the first social tier up on site. Well done. Wish it turned into a fight, but whatever. At the time, you had two tier ups ready. So that's what you get. Apply them to whichever character you want, Idc, so long as it's the three you used in this thread. You do have another one you can start a challenge for.)

(Applying it to Garanzo and Kazama, thanks!)