wonderful_logs | WEEK 1 DAY 5: MISSION

[If Ichigo had to step up his game to survive? He would. Maybe when he was human, he'd be able to ignore his instinct to survive. But Hollows? Hollows had an extremely powerful survival instinct. Hueco Mundo, the world of Hollows, was a place where it was literally eat or be eaten. Hollowfication programmed a soul with that instinct, deeply entwining it into its very being. It was impossible to ignore.

And Ichigo was not going to be eaten.

Later, he would feel guilty. Full of despair, for judging his soul to be more worthy than theirs. But right now? He's focused on the task.

He watches the boss-level Drake Noise he summoned tear apart a group of three Players, one at a time. With fire. With energy bursts. With blades. The ferocious Noise has one Erased, and the other two very close. It's making quite a racket in the UG, probably enough to garner the attention of other Players and Reapers. Ichigo simply watches the monster work from a perch up high]

[It certainly does get some attention! It's actually loud enough to get Joshua to pause in his prowling just to take a look at what's going on. And what he finds... hm. Well, for the set of Reapers he's been working with, it's quite impressive, actually.

Hope you don't mind a fellow Reaper leaning against a wall just behind you, Ichigo.]

Amazing what it takes to get someone to pull out the big guns.

[Ichigo feels Josh coming before he ever sees him. He doesn't look at him, but his wole demeanor is colder than before. His voice is much more distorted than before, as well.]

They were serious all along. [he visibly twitches when he hears a scream of "HELP ME" from the street below. He can't help. He knows he can't. He should. Every ounce of his humanity is telling him to save them. But he can't.]

This goes against everything I stand for. Everything I believe in.

[Hardly surprising. He's all too aware of what this sort of thing can do to people. He's seen it many, many times with fresh meat Reapers on their first Erasure. The thought that they're doing something horrible. That they had chosen wrong in joining the "bad guys".]

If you didn't do it, someone else surely would have. [He hardly sounds fazed by it all. In fact, he's probably standing back here inspecting his nails.]

Only they are the ones capable of determining whether or not their lives are truly worth fighting for. We simply give the means to an end.

[Ichigo still doesn't look back. But his wings droop and his usually twitching tail is motionless on the concrete of the roof. He can't take his eyes off the bloody fight below. The dragon is clearly going to win.

They never stood a chance. The last remaining player is sobbing over the loss of her partner, struck down by the Noise. But she's smart. She's running away. But it didn't matter. The drake gave chase, never letting its prey out of its sight.]

We sentence them to their doom, you mean. If we all just... stopped. Doing anything. What would happen. Would they just Erase us all? Start over with a whole new set of Reapers?

No. We force them to choose.

[After all, not everyone goes up against a Reaper and fails.

Joshua watches, completely apathetic. It's a shame that none of them were strong enough to survive, but that's how it goes sometimes. Three Erasures in one go is pretty impressive, though, especially with the current set of Reapers. And especially this late in the week.]

If we were to stop doing what we're doing, we would simply fade from existence if we weren't Erased outright before we had a chance. Things wouldn't be run correctly. Souls wouldn't be processed properly, unfit Souls would end up winning the Game, and the whole system would be thrown out of balance. But only for as long as it would take to induct brand new Reapers into the empty positions we'd left behind.

Choose? [Ichigo laughs, humorlessly] Those three. They chose to fight. But they failed. This Game is rigged, if you aren't a fighter. What does that have to do with being worthy?

[Ichigo listens to Josh, but doesn't respond. Unbreakable status quo... he was never fond of that]

... How can I move up the ladder.

They chose to fight, because you gave them no other choice. But they didn't apply themselves well enough to win. [Joshua tips his head a little in thought.] Just because someone has no physical strength or skill doesn't mean that they're unfit to win. Anyone can win the Game if they try hard enough.

[... ah, but that's what he's been looking for. A chess piece to push forward.]

By doing exactly what you did just now. Play by the rules. Do what you're supposed to do. Good dogs get rewarded, after all.

[Ichigo flinches as the girl who fled for her life is struck down by a barrage of sword-like projectiles. Stabbed, right through. She vanishes completely, leaving behind only a puddle of blood. In a matter of moments that, too, vanishes. No trace remains of any of the Players. Not even a scrap of cloth, a drop of blood. Erased. It really was an apt term.

The drake, now out of targets, sinks down into the ground, forming a blue and black tattoo-like mark on the ground.

Ichigo wasn't so sure about that. Players needed to use psychs to win. They wouldn't be able to avoid Noise all week, after all. But then again, Ichigo didn't quite understand how those powers worked.

He finally does turn to look at Joshua, eyes still cold... but now determined]

And if I get high up enough, can I change the rules?

Edited 2012-10-10 05:24 (UTC)

[It's why the term is used, after all. Joshua watches, slipping his hands into his pockets. A pity - she'd had potential. Even as restricted as he is, he could tell she had potential. If she had only been a little less gunshy...]

The Composer does what he or she wishes with the Game. The Composer makes the rules. Get high enough in the chain of command and take out the Composer, and it's yours to do with as you wish.

[Ichigo frowns, turning his back on Josh again] ... That's a lot of people to take out. [But how many could he save if he did? He'd have to give it more thought. Maybe Neku and Riku would be interested in helping.

He shakes his head.]

How do you stand it, Joshua. Doesn't it... just... kill you inside?

[ugh. What was worse than watching the Erasure was the scent of blood reaching his nostrils. Sharp and coppery... it made him remember how hungry he was. Mixing the empty feeling in his stomach and the guilty feeling in his chest made him feel like vomiting]

Technically, you only have two. [Two incredibly difficult people to take out, but it could be done. It's been done before. Sometimes even by people that didn't seem like they could do it.

The question makes him pause for a moment, and he glances up at the sky, completely ignoring the smell of blood. It's nothing new.]

At one point, perhaps.

So what? You're just... jaded? [How long HAD this kid been at this? Ichigo knew he was different. But HOW different? ... Was he even a kid?

Ichigo frowns and sits down on the edge of the roof, looking at the people milling around below. Totally unaware that people were fighting for their lives just beyond a spiritual curtain. The blood smell wafts up again, and Ichigo's stomach rumbles audibly] ... dammit. Shut up, would you.

Experience something strange for long enough, and it doesn't seem so strange anymore. [And that's all the answer that Ichigo would get to that.

... that reaction gets a raised eyebrow, though. It wasn't honestly that surprising, considering how different Ichigo was from the other Reapers here, but even so...] What a thing to get hungry from.

.... ain't that the truth. [Ichigo mutters. Just a few short years ago, anything outside of the normal Plus ghost would have been weird. Now he'd seen Hollows, Shinigami, and everything in between. Jaded was a good word for it. Acclimated might be a nicer word.

The Hollow bristles, the fur around his neck and wrists poofing up] ... It's.... yeah. [he laughs, but it's humorless] Comes with the predator territory, I guess. I should do something about it. [usually Ichigo would save his hunting for after the mission was over. Track down some people possessed by the Noise... kill two birds with one stone. Happy people, full belly. But the frog Noise floating around up here would do for now. And his hunger wasn't going to wait. Josh would start looking quite delicious, soon. So it was eat in front of him... or eat him.] Excuse me.

[Ichigo blurs out of view and reappears across the roof by the Noise, grabbing it out out it's little portal and just... shoving the whole frog in his mouth. A mouth that was suddenly much too wide to be human. Crunch. Did you know Noise bleed? Only briefly, before it all dissolves into static]

[... oh? Well, isn't that interesting. It doesn't put him off at all. In fact, Joshua watches with rather rapt attention. Forcibly pulling a Noise from its symbol? That's quite the talent indeed.

... and in all of his years around this sort of thing, he can't say he's ever seen a Noise bleed. Not even for a split second. Then again... he could have just been Erasing them too fast to notice.]

Impressive.

[Ichigo turns with one of the little Noise's legs sticking out of his mouth. It'd be almost cute, if he didn't still look like someone had sliced his mouth from ear to ear. The leg finally turns to static and Ichigo swallows]

Wha, that? [he frowns and lets his mouth knit back to it's... regular gape] The frogs are so little, it's not like it's hard. I ate one of the bear ones last night. [The point...! ... swing and a miss]

[... regardless, it's still kind of amusing. Enough to make Joshua's lips quirk up, at least. How comical.]

A bear. Really. My, you should try for one of the elephants next. [So, so amused.] I can't imagine that Noise would even be palatable.

[Ichigo blinks] There's elephants? [news to him]

They don't really taste like anything. But I need a source of spirit energy in my diet because of what I am. They're just... pure negative spirit energy, so it works out well.

Elephants, rhinoceros, drakes... of course, you're aware of the latter. There are plenty of things larger than bears.

Well, you're just in all kinds of luck here then, aren't you? I'm sure the Noise population could use a little culling anyway.

I like the dragons. [he mentions sort of off hand] They're pretty cool to watch.

[Ichigo just huffs and walks back over to the edge of the rooftop, hunger sated, for now] It's a good thing I can eat them. Or the Players would be in danger. More danger than they're already in.

Hardly surprising. [Was that a jab at Ichigo? Possibly.

Nonetheless, Joshua stays put, loosely folding his arms across his middle.] If you forget, that's sort of the point of it all.

[if it is, it rolls right off.

Another huff from Ichigo] At least when they're Erased, their spirit particles go back into the ether. If I eat them? They go away. Besides, I'd get in trouble. "Hands off", isn't it?

[... oh.]

You mean that they might be in danger from you. [How interesting...]

Yes. From me. I have to eat. [he narrows his eyes] If I get too hungry, bad things happen. [he touches his collar. Without Rukia, or a link to Soul Society, there would be no way to stop him, either]

WEEK 1 DAY 5: MISSION

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