O’leary’s Cow
What on earth does that mean? Your eyes trace the letters again, trying to make sense of the words but it’s no use. What does a cow have to do with anything...or Nobu, you wonder.
Your first thought is to go ask in the office, but you realize it’s no use....no one’s there.
You take a moment, lowering the paper to your side, to think about the man in the picture - the memory of the last time you saw him, alive.
Blood covered the left side of his face, dripping down from the cuts and gashes that were hidden in his scalp. He staggered through the smoke, stabbing his zanpakutou into the ground, keeping himself from falling. You rush over to him, wrapping your arms around him as he starts to collapse. He’s dead weight, heavy to hold up, even with the faint effort he exerts, trying not to burden you. You don’t say anything but the impact hurts like hell because he lands right on your fresh, hollow-delivered wound.
“It’s ok, Nobu, I got you,” you say, struggle squeezing through your throat as you speak.
He tries to say something but his voice is faint and muffled by your torn kosode. The battlefield is quiet - much quieter than it should be - but you try to keep your mind on your friend, as you can’t see anything through the thick smoke..
“Don’t try to talk. Just stay with me...just keep moving.”
You feel his hand grab a hold of your shoulder, from behind. He pulls himself up and you two begin to move away, trying to get away from the terror above. A shrill cry roars out from the black skies, announcing the jet of fire that spews through the air and directly towards you. With the weight of your friend slowing you down, you have no way to escape. All you can do is turn and brace for the fire.
A powerful force suddenly grabs a hold of you and tears you away. You haven’t the strength or reaction time to keep a hold of Nubo. Before you realize what’s happened, you’re on your back and the blazing salvo crashes to the ground, engulfing the very spot you and your friend had just been standing. You scramble to your feet, rushing forward, trying to get back to your comrade but the same power yanks you back again.
Standing before you is a shaded figure, a shadowy silhouette before the flames. The little you can see reveals a flowing haori.
“C’mon,” another voice calls out, grabbing your arm, “we gotta get out of here!”
You offer little resistance, stunned by the chaos of battle, not even sure of who is pulling you toward the Senkaimon. Everything slowed down and your senses dulled, leaving with a final image of the world set afire.
The memory was burned into your mind, charring it just as it charred the bodies of those devastated in its wake. But what on Earth could this all have to do with Nubo?
That’s it!
You finally connect the dots. O’leary’s cow. Earth. Fire. Finally making some sort of sense, you snap the red folder shut and jump into a dash. Running through the grounds, you pull out your soul phone, flipping it open and ready to make the call. Before you can request the use of a Senkaimon, though, you’re attention is immediately caught by a Hell Butterfly, that just so happens to be crossing your path.
The convenience is all too pleasant but you don’t think twice about it. With a devilish grin, you rush away towards your nearest world-gate. It’s only a matter of minutes before you arrive and see two guards, on either side of the gate. The alabaster light glows brightly, shining through the already-open doorway. You race through, saying nothing to the guards, leaving the Hell Butterfly barely able to keep up.
“Wow...in a hurry, eh? Where’s the fire?” one guard asks the other.
The second looks at a small piece of paper in his hands. “America...a city called Chicago.”
“Something going down?”
The first guard puts the paper in his kosode and shrugs. “Iunno, there’s always something going down on Earth.”
The two go back to silence and the Senkaimon closes.
****
Chicago.
You hover in the clear sky, looking down on the bustling city. At first glance, there’s no sign of danger or anything that would indicate the need for a shinigami. As you know, though, there’s always the need for a soul reaper on standby. You’re not here on business, though - you’ve decided you’re getting to the bottom of this little stunt, no matter where it leads you.
You fall softly to the nearest rooftop, perching atop a steel spire on a skyscraper. In the distance, you see the serene waters of Lake Michigan and the busy harbor. Deciding to start your search there, you easily bound from building to building, spanning the distance of a few miles in almost no time at all. You reach the waterfront and look out over the stretch of buildings that span either side of the river.
More than a century ago, the great Chicago fire erupted from the O’leary barn, supposedly starting with a lantern, kicked over by a cow. The fire spread quickly, engulfing the surrounding buildings in no time at all. For two days, the inferno destroyed the city, rich with wood-built buildings, and left two halves of the bay in ruin. Both the left and the right, separated by a small river, are now risen from the ashes, full of life once again. Whatever the reason, whoever it was sending you on this goose chase wanted you to be here.
It doesn’t take long before your attention is grabbed. A slow, growing wave of energy makes itself known to your left. The reiatsu is that of another shinigami, though unfamiliar to you. You think to yourself that it’s most likely the soul reaper assigned to the area but the power grows larger, the pressure becoming heavier - surpassing your own.
A sudden eruption of dark, tainted energy comes from the right. It’s initial weight is terrifying and almost overpowering. It weighs you down, pushing you to your knees - forcing such a struggle that you start sweating. Just when it seems you wouldn’t be able to take anymore, the crushing wave of dark energy disappears, leaving you gasping for breath and unsure of what to do.
The distant shinigami’s reiatsu remains constant and your first instinct is to find out who it was but your curiosity tugs at you. Although the energy was overwhelming, something tells you to find out what the source of the dark power was. Looking left and right, you think for a moment, preparing yourself for the decision at hand.
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