Unexpected Opportunities (Yama/Ken)

[Ken Shirogane]

Yama had never been hired to bodyguard anyone before, but after brief consideration, he found that he wasn't against the idea. He wasn't sure he should expect anything to happen, but as far as being a meat shield went, he was the perfect subject. Tall, imposing, and not the kind of guy you wanted walking your way. A brute in every sense of the word. He was well aware of what he was and made no effort to change that fact. He had no desire to change.

And a job like this only reinforced that fact. He was making his way to the place where he would meet his charge. His protectee. He wasn't sure that this would be an extended job, expecting this to be a sample of his skills to see if he was a good fit. He'd get paid for his time either way, and the money was good, so he had no reason to say no. Not like he had anything else to do but hunt Hollow and the pay there was limited.

No doubt Yama would be easily spotted. Aside from his natural figure he also had an eyepatch, and that was something not many people had these days. He'd never even considered getting a prosthetic eye. He'd never felt the need for it. And he felt the patch fit him nicely.

[Gaz]

Ken #1

---

Life for any Quincy had been a whirl in the past few weeks, the chief of chiefs had been killed in a terrorist attack and that opened a once a generation race for the Quincy. One that Ken had decided to throw his hat into the ring for, while he was not a clan chief, he was the heir to a large clan, one of the largest in Japan. That was enough for him to be able to throw his hat in the ring, this was a lifelong appointment if he could survive the trials and political landscape he had just entered.

While his father was not in the running, he was not endorsing the plan for his first-born son’s intentions. He did however want his son to be safe in his endeavours and pulled some strings, one of those such strings was hiring an outsider to be Ken’s bodyguard. Someone to keep his boy safe and could be trusted, for now.

Ken sat on the low wall outside the arcade and leaned back to look up at the bleeding sky. The sunset was a deep crimson red, and it bathed the entire city in a maroon glow. The arcade and surrounding shops were blaring all sorts of noise and there was so many people around that nothing could really happen without it causing a scene… and scenes needed covering up.

The young man looked to the side as he felt a strange presence approached amid the sea of normal humans, that was either trouble or his newly hired body guard. With a bright smile he greeted the eye patch wearing biker and waved. “Yama?” He asked, jumping off of his brick perch to stand tall and holding out his hand to the man.

---

Ken: 6dffd4

[Ken Shirogane]

Yama nodded to Ken as he walked over. Being six feet tall, Yama stood above most other Japanese men by a good six inches or more. A full head taller than most. He looked Ken over, who matched the description he had been given.

He glanced down at the offered hand, only hesitating a moment before reaching his own out to take it and shake it. "And you're Ken then." He noted simply before glancing around a little.

"So what exactly are we doing that your father thinks you need a bodyguard? He's paying me good money to stick with you. I kinda assume that means we are likely to get into trouble." He mused. If Ken's father wanted someone who could protect Ken and keep his own mouth shut he chose well on that front. Yama was expecting some excitement, otherwise, he might be a little disappointed. He wasn't generally the slow and steady kind of guy. More like the guy who charged into the front lines ready to impale himself on spears like a bull just to get at the enemy.

---

PC: 2

Gaz

[Gaz]

Ken #2

---

Ken nodded as the biker leather wearing man approached, shaking his hand quickly and letting the hand drop as Yama inquired as to what exactly he was guarding Ken through. It brought a smile to Ken’s face; this man was straight forward and had an honest air about him. That was despite the scary look he constantly wore.

“I’m going to shake up the Quincy world.” Ken said simply with his big and goofy smile. “I am running to become the next head of all the Quincy Clans… To become the big cheese, the big boss.” He said with all the confidence in the world behind his ideal. Being the person in charge he could make the changes that are needed, stop the forced arranged marriages, enact plans to better protect the quincy people. Hell, the normal people and fullbringers too! If Ken got his way proper peace could be an option instead of a shaky agreement.

“I’m going to have people come after me… the Hell Knights, other Quincy clans who want the job. Maybe some rogue Shinigami and Arrancar. It’s going to be a rough few months and I need someone at my back to keep me safe.” Ken explained as he hopped back to stand on the small wall he had been using as a seat prior to the meeting. With his arms outstretched he looked like a man with a plan… a mad plan but a plan none the less.

---

Ken: 6dffd4

[Ken Shirogane]

If there was anyone more blunt than Yama was, he'd yet to meet them. He was like a rock smashed to the face at times. He had no desire to mince words. He was very consistent in his upfront approach. It was practically a creed. Even his Arrancar girlfriend wasn't safe from his blunt attitude, much to both their distress at times. But at least with her Yama did try to occasionally soften his blunt language, like hitting her in the face with a pool noodle instead of a rock.

"Sounds like a riot." He agreed with a smirk to the idea. "Sure. You do whatever you need to do then and I'll do my best to keep anyone who comes after you off your ass." He suggested. "And I assume that I'm free to do whatever I want with anyone that does come after you?" He asked just to make sure what limits might be imposed on him if any.

"Also, I might bring my girlfriend in on this later. She's an Arrancar, but she won't hesitate to kill Hollow or her own kind for me generally. Killing an Arrancar might actually be a big benifit for us later." Considering Yama had future plans for Shizu to eat his soul and attempt to help him speed run the process of becoming an Arrancar like her, they would need one of those Zanpakuto things anyway, which he imagined both Shinigami and Arrancar had since one was practically born with them, and the other stole them from those born with them. Although he didn't know how they were made, just that both Shinigami and Arrancar had the blades he needed to expedite the process he'd carry out one day assuming things went according to plan.

And seeing as that plan was to fight as much as he could, die someday, let Shizu eat his soul, become a Hollow, then and Arrancar, the plan was pretty simple, but also extremely flawed. There were many factors that Yama wasn't even aware of, not that knowing would change his mind. Even after a dozen or more warnings he still planned to go to Huceo Mundo at some point with Shizu.

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PC: 3

Gaz

[Gaz]

Ken #3

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The man did not take much convincing to join him, if anything the prospect of a good fight excited him and was all the bonus the Fullbringer needed to be onboard one hundred percent. Though he did seem to be pretty blood thirsty… that might be needed to ensure his plans do go through. With a slow nod to the next statement Ken was thoroughly confused by this man and his existence.

“You are dating an Arrancar?” He asked sceptically, his quincy nature making the idea painfully repulsive. His blood was unable to deal with any sort of prolonged contact with a Hollow… it was pure poison to him and if he was exposed to too much in a short time, he would suffer the effects of a soul suicide.

With a long sight and laugh he nodded. “Just don’t kill people who surrender, if we show them mercy and compassion, they will likely follow us to the end of the earth and back.” Ken explained as he stood back and spread his arms into the air, the world had so many possibilities and being helped by a normal human and an Arrancar was not something he was expecting to have happen today.

“Now, first order of business. We need to look good. So we are getting suits.”

---

Ken: 6dffd4

[Ken Shirogane]

"I am dating an Arrancar." Yama agreed simply. That was just the case. Shizu was living with him, and they went on dates together. They had not kissed yet, but Yama wanted to fix that at some point. The problem with that was that it turned out his ghostly girlfriend had a biting problem, and while Yama didn't mind that fact on its own, the issue was that there was no safe word and he'd basically had to choke his girlfriend out before giving her face a splash of water to wake her up once she looked back to normal. Not an especially fun night for Yama. He liked to fight, but it was a unique situation that took much of the thrill he normally got out of a fight away.

Ken's instructions were simple. Don't kill people who surrender. Well, Yama had never killed a human yet, so that wasn't much of an issue. He wasn't sure that Ken's idea of mercy would play out the way he seemed to think it would, but Yama could appreciate the positivity, even if it came off as a little nieve to him. "Sure thing," He agreed simply.

When Ken mentioned suited though, Yama grimaced. "Really? Suits?" He asked not too happy with the idea himself. "I mean, I guess I'll wear one since you are paying for it. But I feel like a suit might take away from the way I normally present myself." He said gesturing to himself. "You're probably going to have to buy me a new suit every time we have a fight to win too. I'm not some fancy martial artist, I'm a dirty street fighter. If I have to fight in a suit, there is a good chance it's going to end up shredded in any half-decent fight." He noted.

Heck, he had not worn a suit since his father tried to get him into the family business. He'd always fucking hated those trips and resented his father for even attempting to make him into something he wasn't. He didn't think Ken was trying to do that, so he'd try. But he wasn't going to sugarcoat the fact that if Ken wanted someone who could pass as "Professional" Yama was not going to be able to deceive anyone for very long. His manner of speaking and movement clearly made him look every bit like the bruiser he basically was. But he supposed that if Kingpin could do it, then why not him? Though he'd never have half the elegance of someone like the Kingpin, he was pretty sure he could match the brutality and ferocity of that particular character.

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PC: 4

Gaz

[Gaz]

Ken #4

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Yama did not seem to be too happy about the prospect of wearing a suit, something that he was vehemently against! It made Ken tilt his head to the side quizzically as he waited for the man to finish his presentation about how it would be expensive to keep getting new ones after each fight they would be going through. As the man finished Ken smiled.

“Have you played the Yakuza games?” He asked in a chilled tone. Spinning on his heel to start leading the way through the crowd of people, his natural aura of Reiatsu making a natural split of people around him. “While complete works of fiction they did nail something on the head.” Ken added as he kept walking, turning to head into a store.

“The Quincy have had their fingers in many pies since the dawn of time, secretly keeping the spirit world away from the eyes and ears of normal people… and to do that we put ourselves in positions of power and prestige to guide the world.” Ken explained as he stopped his walk outside of a suit shop, pointing to the side as he waited for the bodyguard to catch up. The none descript suit shop was still open, well past its usual closing time and it had one person carefully milling about inside and moving around as he cleaned the shop.

“One of those positions in Japan was in the Yakuza… and they all fought in suits. Sure they took their jackets off to fight but they all fought in suits.” Ken said with a chuckle before pushing the door open. “Oh and speaking of suits I know how we can get your Arrancar Girlfriend a Gigai to properly interact with the world.”

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Ken: 6dffd4

[Ken Shirogane]

"It's been a few years since I played a Yakuza game, but I'm familiar with the series." He agreed. He hadn't had the money for a new system let alone games since leaving home. He had taken barely any of his possessions having never gone back for them. He left his old home with a stack of cash, his bike, and the clothes on his back. And that was about it.

"Hey, well if you'll give me time to take off my jacket, that's just dandy." He chuckled. "But we'll see just how realistic it ends up being that I get to take my jacket off before a fight starts. Because in my experience, and I have a lot of it when it comes to fighting, I don't generally get the chance to take my jacket off even if I wanted to." He noted simply. "I'm not saying that I'll try to ruin the suit. I'm just saying that while I'm the one wearing it, it's going to be a risk factor, you get me?" He asked with a chuckle at the thought.

"A... Gigai?" He asked since that was a term new to him. He'd perhaps had the item in question vaguely described to him, but the word itself had never been used, and the fact that a fake body had been in use had only been vaguely gestured to. It had never been made clear to him that an Ex-Soul Reaper named Nikki had been using this thing called a Gigai. "Getting her a new body sounds neat if that's what this gigai thing is like. I wonder how she'll feel about it." He imagined she'd be interested in not delighted.

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PC: 5

Gaz

[Gaz]

Ken #5

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Ken nodded through Yama’s talk about videogames and suit jackets, it was a decently big ask in real life. When it came to some foes they were never going to be courteous enough to let you doff a jacket. The suits were more a sign to everyone that Ken was meaning business and looking good was a symbol of professionalism.

“It will let her do more than skulk about in the shadows barely able to interact with all the normal people in the world that can’t even see or sense her.” Ken explained as he pushed his way inside of the tailors with a great big smile.

“Ah! Young master Ken! It’s been years!” An elder man exclaimed as he saw Ken walk in, smiling back as if he was seeing an old family friend. “I am very sorry to hear about your mother… She was always a friendly face whenever I saw her.” He carried on, letting the smile fade as he solemnly bowed to the young man.

“Mister Touya, it is great to see you… and thank you. It’s been hard but this project should keep me busy and help her leave a better legacy.” He said, keeping his smile as he stepped further inside and gestured to let Yama enter behind him. The shop was laid out with a compliment of lower ranked quincy staff, as the door closed they started to reveal weaponry and specially woven clothing. “This is going to by my right hand, my bodyguard… a Fullbringer called Yama.”

The older man turned to Yama and rolled a fail on his composure check, he was not someone that would be considered regular clientele for this establishment. With a chuckle he raised a hand and pushed it forward. “It is nice to meet you, Yama. Please take good care of Ken, I’ve designed him suits since he was young.”

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Ken: 6dffd4
Mr Touya: ff9f9f

[Ken Shirogane]

It would be interesting to see how having a false body would affect Shizu and her daily interactions. He imagined being human, even if only to a degree, would be an interesting experience for someone who had likely been a Hollow longer than she had even been a human. From what he'd heard she probably died on the young side, almost certainly died before she came close to thirty. Would being demi-human bring back any of her old memories? She couldn't even recall her human name. Her best memories were of the moon and the man that killed her, or so it seemed to him at least.

Yama glanced at Ken hearing that his mother had had something bad happen to her. Which he assumed meant she was dead. Unfortunate. It also made Yama think of his own mother and how he'd feel if she died... Well, he actually liked his mother. She had been one of the few friendly faces in an ocean of violence and disgust. He couldn't care less if his father died, he'd been the one to kick him out of the house with little but a bag of money to get by. Not that he blamed his father for it exactly. They were just too different. Yama was a brute and he knew it. His father was a businessman and despised such grotesque displays of brute force. Even so, Yama could not respect the man who had more or less abandoned him.

He chuckled when he was finally addressed having just been listening and thinking to himself up to that point. "If anyone touches him, I'll make them eat their own teeth." He said simply with a wolfish smile. "But his clothes are very nice."

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PC: 6

Gaz

[Gaz]

Ken #6

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The young Quincy watched the interaction, the confirmation that Yama was going to do his job and then some. Ken took a step back and sat in a chair to the side and watched as the tailor moved closer to Yamma and pulled out a measuring tape. “See, I’m surrounded by reliable and unusual people. I have some friends at school that I can call on too… they just don’t know it yet.” Ken spoke before looking to the side to see the laid-out selection of spiritually reinforced Kevlar shirts.

“You are ever resourceful, young master.” Mr Touya spoke without missing a beat, he seemed to be clued into the goal of this working relationship with Yama. “What colour are you wanting your shirts to be, Yama?” He asked as he deftly moved around the man, taking measurements quickly and noting them down on a pad to the side, one that had been enchanted to only be readable by the one who wrote them.

“We’re getting a set of bogen enhanced suits, damage resistant. They can stop a hollows claws or a Shinigami’s blade… they are for people who aren’t good using Blut.” Ken explained, rattling off the facts to the none Quincy as he looked through a few styles that were laid out along with the shirts. The Dark Ash Grey with the pale blue lining was speaking to him.

“Ah, young master. You forgot to mention the best feature, they are completely stain resistant. Just apply a small amount of Reiryuoku and the suit will clean itself. This also works on odour build up.” Mister Touya explained as he stood back and eyed up Yama with a considering eye. If this fullbringer needed an item to transform, he would need a place to store his item inconspicuously.

“May I see the object of your fullbring?” He asked, a gentle smile on his face.

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Ken: 6dffd4
Mr Touya: ff9f9f

[Ken Shirogane]

"You want to bring your school friends into this? I guess it's nice you have people you trust, but they all have powers like you then? Not the kind of fight you'd want to bring any normal person into." He noted while getting measured.

"Blue or black. I like darker shades the most." He noted simply as he was asked about colors, though usually he didn't try that hard to dress up. His usual outfit was jeans, boots, T-shirt, and leather jacket. Like a classic greaser really. Only he didn't grease his hair, he'd only tried it once and hated it. He could not stand having any goopy shit or chemicals in his hair, he just let it hang or go wild and that worked well enough for him. He'd get a haircut if he had to, but he'd prefer not on that point either.

"What's blut?" Yama asked simply, having never really learned the deeper details of Quincy powers. The description he'd gotten of them up till now had been pretty vague with limited experience encountering them.

"Reiryuoku that soul energy stuff I can use now?" He asked just to make sure. People had all these fancy words for things that could be explained so much more simply.

"Oh, sure." He said reaching up to his neck and pulling off a bike chain he had converted into a necklace of sorts. Of course he could pull it off and wrap it around his fist easily enough. The two ends just had some decently strong magnets to keep them together, otherwise he'd just end up breaking any clasps that tied them together.

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PC: 7

Gaz