Welcome to Gaia! ::

It was then that footsteps were heard through the clouds of red dust thrown up by the ethereal winds, swift calculated steps of wood on sand as a figure emerged from the dust to put a face to the sound.



He stopped a little away from Bushimaru, throwing a glance at Bushimarus new found weapon with his good eye. The chances were he had been watching the conflict the whole time.

Ararikku glanced back up from Bushimarus sword "Tell me, samurai, what is your name?..." he asked with his imposing voice.

Though he had one of his tattooed arms casually rested on the hilt on one of his 2 huge swords, it didn't appear he was there to fight.

"I see....well Bushimaru, it appears you saved me the bother of disposing with Byakuya, as was the original reason why I'm here..." He said "I must admit, I am interested by your skills with the blade.....It's been too long since someone worthy of the samurai name arrived here.....it would be quite hard to believe that you took down the royal demon Byakuya just shortly after arriving in the netherworld, had I not witnessed it myself" he went on "....you have potential, there is little doubt"

He then closed his eye, turning around in a swift motion, starting to stroll back the way he came "However potential without direction will go nowhere fast..." he said as he walked "Hell can be many things....I'm quite sure you've heard that from somebody before.....to me, this place is just a continuation of my life, only with a different master to draw my sword for....such is the life I chose, and that I'm sure you're familiar with" he continued "Follow me...and I shall give you a direction...." he finished.

Hours later....


*In Ararikku's sector of the Netherworld, there are structures that are reminiscent of ancient Japan that are painted in many shades of red with black undertones. However, upon closer inspection....there is one place that looks slightly different. Outside one structure is an indigo and white banner with the name "Lieutenant Bushimaru Kusunoki" written in kanji. There also appears to be a flower garden that surrounds the house. But they're not flowers at all, but rather crystals that resemble flowers.


Within the structure, we find Bushimaru's bedroom. His old Yukata is folded neatly on his bed mat, with his old wooden sandals, headband, and gloves resting on top. He has just finished donning a new outfit.


Bushimaru's cumbersome old purple headband is replaced with a sleak black one. While it may not look like much, it can block an arrow or even a light attack from a sword. Not as strong as a ninja headband, but still quite durable. It's certainly better than his previous one.

On his upper body, he is wearing a strange indigo & white body armor-top...it is flexible, lighweight, and quite durable. The one strap allows him to move his arms with maximum manuverability. The armor protects the front and back with surprisingly durable protection. On the back, there is a holster for where he keeps his Byakuya "katana" when not in use.

Bushimaru's hands have hand wraps on them, making his grip tigher and more resistant to outside impact on the wrists and hands. Also it's reminiscent of his student, Anahata, who wore the same thing.

For his lower body, he is wearing an indigo hakama with an indigo obi, to hold his katana: Masahige. This is perfect for maximum movement with the legs and quickness. Not to mention it looks pretty cool. Definately samurai garb.

His footgear consists of white tabi socks with tight straw sandals. This also is for maximum manuverability and slight physical protection. Bushimaru relied on wooden sandals before, but tabi and straw sandals are more comfortable and easier to move in. Overall, you could say that Bushimaru's wardrobe reflects his transition from a samurai of the Daigo clan to a samurai of Ararikku and his master Pandemonium: upgraded. Also, he believes that indigo and white is a good color palette for him.*





*Bushimaru then kneels in Japanese fasion on his floor mats and thinks to himself:

Well then, I suppose this will do nicely. Cerberus-sama...Ararikku-sama...you were right. Even in damnation, how I exist here is my decision. I choose to become Hell's sword, and serve my masters here. My will shall cut through all obstacles, and break through my limits.*


Bushimaru's Afterfate: End

"Going somewhere are we?" Came a smug sounding voice from the shadows, where 2 glowing red dots were present gazing out at Bushimaru "Maybe you should slow down. There can be nasty things lurking in the darkness you know, it would be just awful if you ran into one of them, huh?" The voice went on as a wealthy looking man, or at least in the shape of one, stepped out of the shadows, revealing himself to be Makuro, one of Pandemoniums 8 servants.



He grinned venomously at Bushimaru, revealing a row of sharp looking teeth. "Fancy running into you here kiddo, and here I was hoping Ararikku would send someone more worthy for me to kill" He scoffed.

"Well, what can I say, for now my part in Kokujins plan is done, leaving me some time to kill, so I figured I would have some fun, and kill some people as well, pity though, all I see here is a bug, oh well, I always did hate that fool Ararikku, always trying to get in my way and making things difficult for me, I believe I owe him a dead newbie lieutenant...." Makuro said arrogantly, not perceiving Bushimaru as any sort of threat. He produced a small red gem from his pocket, and with a swift motion, crushed it in his hand, the dark energy released forming into a medium sized sword with a cruel-looking hook at the end.

Makuro adjusted his tie, resting the sword over his shoulder "Ok kid, lets see if I can squeeze some fun out of you"

Makuro was slightly surprised by Bushimarus speed but quickly turned sideways pulling his sword down slightly form his shoulder to block the attack "Heh, speedy fellow huh? Well, I'll give you a speedy death to suit you" Makuro said, pushing away from Bushimaru, spinning round as if to smash thin air, though in the middle of his swing there was a series of metallic clicking sounds as Makuros hooked blade split up into smaller sections, held together by a chain running through the center of the blade, drastically increasing the rage of the weapon, the large hooked end now being swung down hard towards Bushimarus head.

"Hah, do you think such a weak Devil Sorcery can do anything to me?!" Makuro laughed, pulling his whip-like sword back as he raised his other hand "Devil Sorcery #557: Nethershot" he recited, firing his own red blast at Bushimarus, causing a large explosion as the two attacks collided between them. He used the smoke as a cover for his next attack, swinging his blade once more at Bushimaru from a different angle, going for his Midsection, this time putting even more power into the strike.

"What? how were you able to use that technique?!" Makuro growled pulling his sword back into it's normal form, watching as Bushimaru powered up, although his eyes were hidden behind his glasses, the surprise was clear on him. "...This is impossible, your just a lowly lieutenant!" he said, then smirked uncertainly "...heh, I know whats going on, this must be some trick to try and scare me off so you can get away with your worthless life! Well, It won't work on me, no mere samurai can stand up to Makuro the Black Devil!!" He shouted. He held his sword out infront of him "Time to get rid of you insolent fool!" He said, A familiar series of clicks sounded as the sections of his sword detached from one another but as Makuro pulled the sword to the side there was another series of more audible clacks as this time the chains detatched from the segments of the sword, leaving the sharp sections floating in mid air infront of Makuro. As he pointed the hilt of the sword at Bushimaru the sections of the sword sped away, shooting around and converging on Bushimaru from multiple directions "You're finished..." Makuro said smugly, as if his win was assured.