The Scientist and the Natterfly

A few months ago


Out on another run through a wrecked appartment complex, still to be fixed after the White Invasion almost 2 years ago, Natsu was letting his body run in and out of destroyed appartments, climbing the wreckage and jumping down again, only to run back via a different route while his mind wandered as always. However, suddenly he stopped dead in his tracks. What is this uneasy feeling I have? he thougt, looking around. He was sure he felt a vague hint of reiatsu for a short moment, only to have it vanish later. While he never was any good at sensing these things, he was certain it wasn't just his imagination.





((OOC: Crap post is crap, but we need some kind of opening for this thing. Figured Kurokotsu would use his Technicolor Pedocape at first, or at least make a vague attempt to hide his presence - it's Kurokotsu after all.))

In response to Natsu's noticing, a static-filled click filled the air. "Study Note: Subject, while not as paranoid as #69, is still able to detect spiritual pressure when it's masked. After that last one, he'll finally figure out where exactly I am. Best be off. Talk to ya later, Captain Kuro. Captain Kuro signin' out." A hand stretched out from behind some rubble, waving a small white flag.

"I do believe this is known as the white flag of surrender among your people?" A light grin on his face, the figure stumbled over the debris. Most of his body couldn't be seen, there seemed to be a rainbow coming off from where his clothes should be. "I'm what you might call a Taicho, a Captain of the Soul Society. To be specific, I belong to the Twelfth Division. Now, in case your adorable little mind doesn't know all the squads, mine is that of R&D, or Research and Development. Right about now, the research is on your kind, the Superhumans. One in particular, but since he's quite used to me, I need new subjects. So, my dear, you've been chosen."

Natsu, upon hearing who the Captain was, instantly took a defensive stance. "I've heard of you before, possibly from the same Superhuman you mention. Captain Kurokotsu, right?". According to Sempai, no matter what he says it's best not to let your guard down...

"So, what do you mean by wanting to perform research on me, Captain of the Twelfth Division?" Natsu had heard some rather disturbing things about this Captain. He figured that some might be exaggerated, but still...

"Oh, where are my manners? Name's Natsu. Fuuga, Natsu, Superhuman Overseer of England, based in London. And spare me the jokes about my name, I've heard them all before." He inched forward towards the Captain. "Forgive me for not shaking your hand - but I haven't been told many pleasant things about you."

"Oh, Subject #69 sure has been a spoilsport, telling the rest of his kind about me. Well, let me fill in some of the blanks he didn't know about. I first went to him because, yes, he was incredibly hot. I stayed working with him because I felt I could make him stronger. There's no point in having specimens of manliness if they die early on, no? Anyway, I'm here to make you a bit stronger. Judging by what I've seen of you, you definitely have speed goin' on. You just need a little more power."

Stepping forward toward Fuuga, Kurokotsu extended his right hand toward the man as if to shake hands. Meanwhile, his left hand reached around toward his Zanpakuto, making no secret of what he was doing.

"Extends one hand and arms the other..." Natsu murmured with a sigh. It was clear he didn't have a say in how things were about to unfold. "So, Captain... what kind of power is it you expect? I don't know how much you've studied us, but our powers differ in many ways. We're probably as individual as you are with... I believe you call them Shikai?" he asked with a friendly smile, slowly activating his Karada.

"However, I have a hard time believing you came here purely to make me stronger; you have an agenda of your own, am I wrong? This 'research' you mentioned... what is it about, I wonder? The powers of a Superhuman Overseer? To see how different they are from your own? Or is it a comparison to... you called him Subject 69? Or another Superhuman?" His eyes starting to glow, Natsu slowly moved towards the Captain, extending his right arm as well. If the Captain would shake his hand, it would show at least some degree of manners and good will. If not, he prepared himself mentally to respond in kind. With his left hand he removed his pendant, putting it in his pocket, in the back of his mind hoping it wouldn't get damaged.

"Let's just say, I didn't like the odds of my faction defeating the less savory among us. There's a lot to be gained by getting some support from the Organization, even if my Sotaicho is too pig-headed to admit it. So, I help you guys get stronger and maybe you can help us fight against those who'd see us all go boomies?" With a knowing smile on his face, the captain quickly shook Fuuga's hand.

"I think it fair to warn you, I plan on fighting now. Nakisakebu, Arashimaru!" Twisting his left arm around, Kurokotsu brought it around in such a way that a gust of wind swept across the clearing they stood in. With a graceful, almost mocking flip backward, Kurokotsu brought his newly-relased weapon around him like a ribbon. "Ready or not, fleshie, here I come." Deciding to test this guy out, Kurokotsu lead off with a quick, spinning strike of the weighted end, smacking straight into the already-destroyed ground they stood on.

Natsu fully activated his ability a mere moment after Kurokotsu released his sword. Stepping hard into the ground with his left leg, he placed enough force into it to jump backwards, landing on his right leg, twisting his foot to use it as a hinge, turning it into a spinning kick to send some of the debris Kurokotsu had just sent flying up back towards him. He doubted such a straight forward attack would actually hit, but he was sure the Captain was still testing him.

"I think it's fair to warn you, I plan on fighting back. Though, would you mind if we still talk while exchanging blows?" he asked with a little smile. "I hope you know helping one or two Overseers won't necessarily make others more willing to help you out. Though we may band together to fight a common foe, our Organization doesn't quite live up to the name... What about Soul Society? Would most of you even ACCEPT our help if we were to offer it?" Natsu didn't want to waste such a rare opportunity to inquire about Soul Society. While he couldn't exactly count on gaining too much information, if they kept it at an even level it could benefit both himself and the Captain to talk relatively openly.

"The Soul Society has learned that if I do something, there's always a reason for it. Even if that reason is only for myself..." He began, letting go of his Zanpakuto with the left hand so he could swing it around, wrapping around a large piece of debris. "It still exists. The Sotaicho gave up on trying to stop me years ago, almost before he took that office, and he wouldn't second-guess my motives if I got you all on board." Having spent that time spinning around, Kurokotsu used his momentum to fling that boulder back at Natsu far faster than it had been the first time 'round.

Using that as cover, Kurokotsu began chanting softly. "Disintegrate, you black dog of Rondanini. Look upon yourself with horror ant tear out your own throat. Bakudo number nine, Horin!" Striking one of his patented Magical Girl poses, Kurokotsu swung the suddenly-materialized ribbon of energy at Natsu.

"You said you wanted to see more power, right?" He stepped hard into the ground, changing the flow of reiatsu in his body, focusing more on his muscles. "Chikara!" he proclaimed with a smile, vaulting over Kurokotsu's Kido in the opposite direction. As the debris came close, Natsu thrust his left arm forward with a spinning motion, pushing it to the side before landing on his feet. "In Tai Chi, you send attacks in a different direction rather than block it. Circling movements are also part of the ba gua, as depicted by Baguazhang."

"So how would you even want our help? How could we help to start with? And, as many of us would ask, what would we get out of it, if we were to survive long enough to see an end to another White Rebellion, as you call it?" He took a chance by moving closer to the Captain. He would try throwing a punch as a feint, hoping Kurokotsu was true to his word of wanting to train him, and block the punch. If so, he would attempt to turn towards the Captain, bring their hips close together, and attempt to throw him.

"The Seireitei mobilizes quickly, but we don't have enough high-reishi combatants to match the Arrancar. As such, we need someone a bit slower, who would appear right when the fighting starts slowing down. As humans, you're more likely to have someone who knows the areas we'll be fighting in, so you have the advantage." His explanation suddenly halted by a punch to the face, Kurokotsu decided to do what he'd just seen done.

As such, with the hand attached to the Horin, Kurokotsu pushed to the side. "Deflect rather than block, aye?" Expecting something to come next, Kurokotsu swung both of his arms around, the Horin and Arashimaru's lengths both about to wrap around his body. At best, this would wrap the two of them together, since his foe seemed like a melee type.