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And that's when things got a little interesting. Instead of reacting to the leg grab and tumble Tezuka suddenly froze, eyes defocusing for a moment as his now heightened sense of awareness caught a whiff of something foul in the air. But he wouldn't have the chance to focus entirely on it, suddenly grunting quite loudly as Zaine's punch landed squarely in his unprotected stomach. He arched his head forward, then finally caught himself, bringing his other leg up to spring board the 6th seat off his frame. His eyes were still wide open though, neck craning off to the side as he looked off into the distance, probing the surrounding area as best he could. "You feel that?" He asked, not looking at Zaine as he rocked his body forward into a sitting position. His battle demeanor was gone now, replaced by an expression halfway between a quizzical frown and a grimace, and boding none to well either way.

He leaned even farther forward and got back on his feet, hand unconsciously snaking towards his knife-like zanpakuto. Fingers gripped the tsuka tightly, making his knuckles go from red to white and then back again in a repeating cycle as he flexed his grasp on the weapon. It shivered slightly, whether in excitement or awareness even Tezuka was unsure of. He turned back towards Squad 1's barracks and office housing area, zeroing in on what seemed to startle him and found his target: an ominous presence around the office complex. It wasn't like the other people the Captain usually had hanging around, no, it didn't really have any layers to it, just, uneasiness. And it was this quality all by its lonesome that caused Tezuka the greatest alarm.

His feet moved before his mouth, stirring up the grass as he dug his sandaled feet into the earth below the greenery, a full out run in motion. "C'mon! Move!" It was an order now, and not the kind that could be done with silent contempt. This was the bark that made everyone in line stand straight. No jokes. No camaraderie. Just point-blank obedience. If Zaine was half the man Tezuka had felt he was he wouldn't have even needed the order and would've probably been nipping at his heels already.

[Exits]

Jake sat/laid against a tree dozing off during the cool quiet day. Though everything looked peaceful, his eyes were rapidly darting back and forth as his dream took him back to when he was alive.

~
"Tadashi! We have to move!" Jake screamed in Japanese towards the Japanese Medic as he turned to speak with the man without having to shout louder than he already was.

They were in the middle of the desert. Flat dry land, not close to the setting where the real event took place but they were being shot at by all sides and the confusion as well as the people dying around him were the same.

"Wait! I'm almost done. If we move him now, we might as well kill him ourselves!" The Medic answered, as he feverishly worked on the chest wound of the dying man in front of him. His hands were soaked in blood and the sweat from his brow was stinging his eyes.

Jake trained his Machine Gun on where he thought some of the small arms fire were coming from when a squad mate to his left, suddenly went down.
Screaming in rage he let loose a long stream of bullets out into the middle of nowhere.

Suddenly, he found himself helping his friend carry the wounded man towards a Helicopter Jake didn't remember hearing or seeing. They hurried towards a waiting Soldier who took over Jake's job in carrying the body.
Jake Otsuka then turned and fired behind him towards the enemy.

His surviving squad mates ran past him, as he laid down heavy covering fire. He heard them call his name and he turned around, sprinting towards the Helicopter when it suddenly exploded.

The shockwave sent him flying back. He saw Tadashi Nakagawa's face, the Japanese Medic...his friend, right before the back of his head hit the floor knocking him out.
~

At that same moment. The knock sent a reflex throughout his body and he jolted awake, breathing and sweating heavily.

Jake Otsuka couldn't lie. He hadn't been sleeping well recently. These dreams keep coming back in his mind, but there was no way he was going to go to someone about his problems.
He didn't have friends, not yet anyways. That's what happens when you're the new guy of the squad.

The Shinigami gripped the 1:1 replica rubber band gun Assault Rifle, in his lap as if it were his Zanpakutou...which he left in his room...again...
But he gripped it like it would actually do something to anyone except annoy them.

Regaining his composure he, laid his head back against the tree, and attempted another nap.
Hopefully without the bad dreams.

His eyes drooped, and then slowly started to shut when a blur of motion jolted him awake again. The Shinigami looked left and right frantically but saw no one. Then there was the fact that it was suddenly quiet. No rustling of the leaves in the wind, even the splash of water from the Koi pond was silent.
His hands raised the Rubber band gun to a ready position, as he got his feet under him in a low crouch. His eyes jolted left and right, his head moving opposite of it as if to catch whatever was near him.
And then there was that feeling. That sixth sense that told him someone was watching him. It made his hairs stand on end and his skin crawl.

"So...you're Jake Otsuka."
The high pitched voice made Jake jump and spin around to look up into the tree he had been lying against. Up on one of the lower branches was a very short Shinigami. One that resembled Yachiru Kusajishi (same height, same hairstyle, same hair color, same childish pipsqueak voice [just for reader's information, not really her, and has different name]).

Jake was relieved to see another Death God but what she had in her hand made him freeze in shock. His hand gripped his chest to where his Dog Tags and Christian Cross SHOULD be, and didn't find it. "GIVE THAT BACK!" He screamed.

The little girl didn't seem phased by it as she propped her head up with one arm and hung both necklaces off her other hand in front of her face as she examined it. "Look at all these numbers. And the letters. And Chr-isti-an. You shouldn't believe in things that aren't real."

"GIVE IT BACK!" Jake jumped up and made a grab at the dog tags but missed when the little girl snatched it just out of reach.

"Nope! You didn't ask nicely for it the first time. And you don't even have your Zanpakutou with you so you can't challenge me for it-..." Jake let go of his rubber band gun with one hand and groped around his left hip. He groaned loudly. I forgot AGAIN He thought to himself. "...-So that means I automatically win. And I choose to dispose of such false information."

"Wait! I'll do anything to have them back!" Jake begged, pathetically dropping to his knees.

"Aww...is the poor wittle Jakey gonna cwy?" She asked in a way more childish voice than Jake thought she could have done.

He felt a silent rage build-up inside of him at being ridiculed and he suddenly jumped up and snatched his belongings out of her hand. "That's it! I've had enough of you, ya little brat!" Jake screamed as he fired two rubber bands at the little Shinigami.

The little girl used her shunpo to dodge both and made a happy face at him. "See? I knew you could do it if you tried. Bye!"
She started running off.

"Oh no you don't! Get back here!" Jake screamed as he chased after her.

[Exit to...somewhere]

(Enter from wherever the hell I was before)

"Damn, here before the big man himself...That's gotta be a first." Zaine commented with a slight bit of amusement upon shunpoing into the area around the koi pond. Immediately was hit with the sheer force of the reiatsu emanating from the bount. "Well Fef wasn't shitting when he said that we would know their reiatsu as soon as we felt it." He thought to himself wryly, he could already feel his body preparing for a fight, the slight tightening of the muscles, the increased beat of his heart that thumped powerfully in his ears. Licking his lips the vice captain barely managed to keep himself from leaping at the stranger and beginning the attack himself, lately he had been shocked by the feral tendencies he had began to take on and he was forced to remind himself that this was no ordinary opponent; but a Bount, one who drew his power from the very air itself. Zaine managed to snap out of it by reminding himself that Fefnir had more experience and that attacking now would do nothing but get him injured.

Then again..."Since when have I ever been this careful in a fight?" He said with a laugh, "Anyway my orders are to attack and kill on sight, I'd probably get in more trouble for just sitting here picking my nose." he figured that at least this way he could gauge how strong the b*****d was and even figure out some of his powers to help Fefnir out when he finally arrived, seeing the man fall to his knees in what appeared to be pain of some sort Zaine decided to take advantage of the opportunity and brought out his twin bladed zanpakuto, separating the blades with a quiet 'snick' before shunpoing in front of the man who would be his opponent. "Allow me to welcome you to the Gotei, sorry that your visit couldn't be a more pleasant one!" He exclaimed as the bount rose, bringing both blades down on Blume's head with frightening speed and power."

((Bleh hope this is ok..))

"You think I can understand ya bud?" Zaine inquired as the bount easily evaded the attack, meanwhile Zaine took careful note of the reaction time of his opponent, thankful that his test attack had worked so well in helping him gather even a little bit of information on his enemy. "I'd hardly be considered a crony, especially of the one you call the "Red Man", I prefer to think of it as a mutual team sort of setup ya know?" he drawled with an air of disinterest in the Bount's general sense of superiority, "Again with that underling s**t eh? Do you have something in your ears? Or are you just that sure of yourself that you think you can brush me aside?" He stated rather than really asked these questions, upon hearing the man command him to sit like a trained whelp he actually burst into a fit of warm laughter.

"Oh that's just perfect, who the hell do you think sent me here? The ******** tooth fairy?" He stated with a trace of mockery, just as the bount released his doll the shinigami's grin grew even more wicked upon seeing the doll reform into a copy of its wielder and the man proceeded to introduce himself at last. "I do believe you left out the fact that you have to be one of the longest winded bastards I've ever had to listen to in order to get their name." He stated bluntly, blades loosely held in each hand as he kept the pair in view, his body language would appear to be unprepared for battle to most but that was simply part of Zaine's fighting style, he preferred himself to be loose and prepared to counter any attack instead of tensed up, which would lower his reaction time greatly. "Finally done talking then? Let me keep this short for both our sakes. I'm Zaine Tsukioma, the Vice Captain of the Ninth Division and I'll answer you with a question of my own, What makes you think I don't have what it takes to face you?" he asked dryly.