Rules of Nature

**Date Started:** 18 January, 2022
**Date Completed:** Ongoing
**Previous Role-Play**: N/A
**Next Role-Play**: N/A
**Users Involved:** User:ComicMaster619, User:GuyCivic, User:Nearó\_Unlimited
**Setting:** Seireitei, Hueco Mundo
**Characters Involved**: Yoshino Jūsuke, Iharu

## Wrong Place, Wrong Time

"Two years in the making... Time to see if it was worth it."

Reaching up to wipe the sweat that had been trickling down her forehead, the Lieutenant of the 12th Division and Deputy-President of the S.R.D.I. pushed all her weight on the wooden crutch at her side as she rose to her feet. A grimace of both sleep depravity and pain spread across the surface of her face as she did so, exhaling a hefty puff of air from her lungs as she was finally back on her feet and looking at the small, cubic device that had kept her up for so many sleepless nights.

"Alright, I should not need to tell you all this. But follow protocol and take up your positions, this will be our first test at re-discovering the scientific method of which our late Captain used to open up a rift in our space to access that of another... Perhaps better known by most of you as the Garganta."

At the woman's orders, a group of researchers within the facility would follow suit and evacuate the large room of which they had been occupying and preparing for this moment. The room was hidden underground and only the members of the 12th Division was really aware of it at this point. It was shaped like that of an open bubble, with each corner spreading out to cover the same area as that of the typical barrack used by the Gotei 13 above, with the only exception being the four metal pathways created in the middle to cover each cardinal directions before leading to the small device at its very center. And soon enough, the facility would be empty with the expectation of the Deputy-President herself due to her deformity preventing her from moving too fast, but she too would soon be in toe and walk through one of the doors. Following which she would start climbing up the stair leading to the control room, an ascent that had been constructed up against the dense wall. Besides locking things away or preventing people from coming inside, the wall had ley lines all across its surface that pulsated with both electricity and kidō - created with the sole purpose of preventing whatever spells or accident that was to occur from escaping the facility itself.

Reaching the top of the stairs and walking inside the control room, Yoshino stood next to her fellow researchers and took a moment to observe the moment. Turning first right, and then left, to see the faces of those surrounding her. They'd had all been working hard for this moment... But to be frank, Yoshino had doubts that it would all work out at their first attempt, such feats would only be considered miracles or a basic contraption, something of which this was certainly wasn't... Far, far from it.

She reached out to a pair of keys laying in front of her and turned them, which caused a small box to rise just above it to reveal a small, red button. Wasting no time, Yoshino lifted her finger before pressing down at the device. Doing so would cause the cubic device at the center of the facility to light up... Shake... Jump... And continue fidgeting as the light emerging from it would grow brighter and brighter before finally triggering a blinding light to emerge from it that covered the entire facility. Causing every onlooker to cover their eyes for a moment, only to look back to see that the device had opened itself up much like an ordinary box. An alarm sound would follow as several of the meters across the panels before the researchers would be lit red, indicating that the object had indeed been activating and was extorting tons of Spiritual Pressure... But there was no rift to be seen. No tear in space or anything at all for that matter. It was just the box.

"Something went wrong... HURRY UP AND TROUBLESHOOT EVERYTHING, FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENED!" Yoshin called out, having raised her voice for the first time in a long while. Something which was clear given the rest of the Divisions reaction to it all before hastily moving on to find out more.

"Please don't be a headache..." The Deputy-President whispered to herself.

In the grey, desert landscape that was Hueco Mundo, two rifts would tear itself open somewhere in its open sky. From which a Shinigami would emerge from each of them, just a few meters above the ground, before the Garganta's would close in on themselves. Leaving the new arrivals to fend for themselves for the time being.

One of the figures that would suddenly find itself landing one of the many heaps of sand and find himself suddenly tumbling down its hill was that of Iharu. "Woah, what the...!" The member of the 5th Division grabbed hold of the scabbard of his Zanpakutō and plunged it into the shifting sands and used it as a makeshift anchor, sliding only a few more steps before stopping right at his tracks. Sighing, he'd raise his gaze to take a look around, trying to spot if he was truly alone in this hollow world.

Leaping out from the portal, a small figure jumped straight onto a nearby tree, completely white in its complexion with not a single leaf or other shade to make up the white form, hopping onto all fours across the white dunes. Dusting off what little sand was on his fur, the small feline from the 5th Division, Lieutenant Tenma couldn't help but observe the wasteland that stretched endlessly, only comforted by the presence from his own ally. "Iharu? Where...what...how?" Moments before arriving, Tenma had heard an alarm flare, sounding off several buildings away from their own barracks, but before he could act, he found himself here a moment later. Sifting through his pockets, Tenma pulled out a flip phone, a traditional Soul Pager used by Shinigami while off in the Human World, but for some reason, he wasn't getting any reception wherever they were, something that shouldn't be possible if they were where they were supposed to be. But what really gave it away was the fact that Tenma could feel that he was at full strength, with no sign that the Gentei Reīn was in effect to limit his power due to his Lieutenant status.

"Wherever we are, this isn't the Human World," Tenma said coldly, keeping his hand resting on top of his Zanpakutō.

"You would be correct, outsider," a voice confirmed from above.

Flying above their heads, a creature of white bone with reddish skin, with large bat like wings flew in circles within the dark, night sky. The yellow years peering down at them with an intense glare, like a vulture waiting for the dying animal to give in. The flying creature continued to circle above their heads, a menacing laugh escaping its jaw into the air. Every flap of its wings pushing it higher into the sky, disallowing it to hover closer to the intruding soul reapers. But with every push came a burst of air that raced downwards, slightly pushing the sand across the terrain. However, it felt as though it shook the ground with every flap that the creature took to keep itself high in the sky. Pure power shaking the desert the longer the creature circled around its implied prey.

"You are quite bold for arriving here, black robed ones. The Cadenas have plans for the likes of you."

"Lieutenant-dono!" Iharu had first called out at the sign of his superior being presence before taking the first few steps to reach him, only to find himself gliding back down from the hill and covering his face from the whirling gusts of sands caused by the beast up above. "A-... is that a Hollow!?" Squinting his eyes whilst he murmured, peering up from the arms shielding him to get a better view at the creature.

"Whatever you're planning, I'd suggest you back off now before it's too late. You hear me!?" The Shinigami called out loud enough for the creature hear him, all the while lowering his arms and having his hands reaching for the hilt of his sword. His eyes would stare back at the devil, there appeared to be no hesitation in them. His movement almost came to a halt whilst still hovering his hand above the blade, suggesting that he was a man that truly believed in his skills and formidable enough to back it up. Iharu was outright exuding confidence with every fiber of his being in these moments...

With one swift swipe of his hand, the arm would pass by his Zanpakutō and instead reach out to point straight at the feline that had accompanied him, before raising his voice even louder than before; "Because that man is really strong and will fuck you up!" Even as he was shouting, his face remained dead serious despite his words having now utterly demolished any hopes of having himself appear like a real threat.

"All that talk and that's what you double-down on Iharu? Sheesh," Tenma muttered, looking at Iharu with disgust, his eyes narrowed as he gave him a slow disapproving nod for throwing him directly in front of the Hollow's line of sight. But at the same time, Tenma did feel a little bashful for the unintended attention, and was flustered all the same, his tail swinging from side-to-side. With the Hollows sudden appearance, it made all the more clearer where they were: Hueco Mundo. Until now, Tenma had only read about it and heard rumors through word-of-mouth, a place where all Hollows are said to originate from, but how or why they arrived here in the first place was still up in the air, but that was the least of their problems now. *Cadenas? Could that be the group in charge of this area* he thought, taking a few steps closer to their host, examining the unique features he had. What immediately stuck to him was the level of intelligence it had, speaking coherently and driven by instincts other than simple hunger, more human-like than the bestial appearance that traditional Hollows had.

“Plans? Cadenas? Look, I don’t know who you are and I don’t want to know. The only thing I DO know is that we’re not supposed to be here and it sounds like you're going to be standing in our way, so what are we going to do here?”

"Once again, you are correct. You're not supposed to be here," The creature spoke, "But I'm afraid it won't just be me who will be standing in your way."

The desert around the two shinigami continued to shake, every second the ground shook being more violent than the last. However, as the sands shifted from their place, creatures of similar kind to the one that flew above them rose up from underneath. Their skin of different colours and shades, held by white bone like armour around their bodies. The yellow pupils of their eyes staring to the shinigami that laid in their territory, severely outnumbered by the once slumbered forces. Each creature pulled themselves up and stood in place, some cracked their necks or their knuckles, other shook the sand from their heads from side to side. Others did not break their sight on the two intruders of their land, their groans merging into one loud hum that echoed out into the sky. A melody that vibrated the land just as powerfully as the thunderous flaps of the flying creature's wings.

"Me and my brothers are hungry," The creature spoke out again, "But we must wait for older brother's decision to see if we can let you go..."

Many of the creatures that surrounded them held their jaws open as if they were ready to feast, all waited patiently for the time to strike. Some were almost ready to just about start sprinting, while others looked cool and relaxed. The creature above their heads grew his range of flight further to scan over the crowds of these new creatures, its sight still trained on the shinigami before them. A sea of heads was all that surrounded the shinigami, a sea of hungry beasts ready to charge at the command of whoever led them.

"But I don't think my brothers can wait any longer," The creature said as it began to hover in place, now above the crowd of beasts.

"FEAST MY BROTHERS. **FEAST, CADENAS.**"

The closest of the beasts charged towards the shinigami first, some broke into sprint, and others galloping towards the shinigami as they sped ahead of their Cadena brethren. Their prints in the sand were covered back up by the rumble their charge caused, a wave of force all directed into the middle where the shinigami stood. While some of the first wave of beasts looked to be directed towards Tenma, the rest looked to Iharu for his boisterous actions. The rest simply held back and awaited their turn, the flying creature still hovered above in the air, its gaze looked over the battlefield. As the beasts inched closer to the shinigami, their arms, or whatever closest to be them, reached out for the two of them, as if to grab the soliders and bring them closer to their gaping jaws, ready to clamp shut onto Soul Reaper flesh.