Clouds hung down across the overgrown plains in an unsettled area outside of the Rukon District, and a strong gust of wind let out a distinctive howl as a moderate coalition of soul reapers traversed the area. Heading the group was a tall, somewhat rotund man adorning a captain's haori over a brilliant blue robe. Directly behind him trod two more captain class soul reapers - the writing on their haoris representing the same squad as the man leading the group.

In contrast to the trio heading the squad, the remainder chattered excitedly amongst each other. This was to be the squad's first excursion into what Commander Orochi Nakajima had simply referred to as "the Void". His confidence in the squad he had trained shown through, as he had taken the opportunity to invite many of the low-ranking soul reapers to accompany them to the training grounds, to "see the potential that lies in each of them", as he had put it.

"Ugh," one of the female soul reapers muttered, brushing a stray strand of her hot pink bangs from her face, "Whose brilliant idea was it to have a training ground way out here anyway?"

"Quit whining, Michiru," another soul reaper instructed, a coy grin forming on the corners of his lips, "We haven't even been out here that long."

"Shut up Matsumura," the pig-tailed shinigami barked back, her eyebrow raising slightly, "I wasn't talking to you."

"It's pretty evident that you weren't talking to anyone," he teased, "Just complaining to anyone who'd listen."

"Matsumura..." she grumbled annoyedly, causing the blue-eyed boy's grin to widen slightly.

"Both of you," a dark-skinned woman spoke up in a strict tone, "Knock it off. We're here to set a positive example. Your childish bickering goes against that."

"Hitomi! Relax!" the man responded, the corner of his lip turned up in a smirk.

"Shinji. Enough," the petite woman walking behind him interjected in a soft, delicate voice.

The chatter amongst the DSTF members ceased as they continued toward their destination, which was starting to come into view. The wind seemed to pick up as they came to the dark rift, which seemed to have spawned right out of the sky. It twisted and howled, adding to the already ominous atmosphere surrounding the portal, and for a moment, the blonde wearing the captain's haori paused, staring toward the rift. The blue-robed man noticed this, and paused as well, pushing his glasses up as he turned to face her.

"Something wrong, Miss Arai?" he inquired with a snake-like smile.

"No," she responded quickly, glancing toward the dark-haired captain next to her, who frowned slightly.

"Good," the rotund man responded in a sing-song voice as he continued toward the portal.

He stopped as the group neared the portal, turning to face his squad, as well as the other soul reapers who had accompanied them.

"This is such an exciting day for the Dual Strike Tactical Force," Orochi mused with a wide grin, "We've trained for months for something like this, and today, you all will bear witness to the fruits of my labor. Today, my squad conquers the Void, through the solid leadership and teamwork of Captains Rin Subakosu and Misako Arai."

Rin offered a wide grin to the squad members standing before him as he ran a hand through his shaggy black hair. Misa, too, found herself looking around at the coalition of soul reapers standing in front of her. The DSTF was a new project for the Soul Society, and as such, was a small squad, currently consisting of only ten soul reapers: herself, Rin, Akari Miyake, Hitomi Hara, Kannon Kobeyashi, Ronin Shimane, Michiru Takahashi, Ryuichi Matsuo, Saeko Fukushima, and Shinji Matsumura.

Misa's gaze moved beyond her squad, who all looked confident about their incursion into the Void, and instead scanned the faces of the soul reapers who had joined them. Many of the shinigami in attendance had participated in training and field exercises, as well as missions with the DSTF in the past, and she recognized many of the faces before her. A few faces in particular caught her attention - in particular, friends she had made in squad 11 and squad 9. She smiled briefly as her gaze met theirs, but immediately turned her attention back to Commander Nakajima.

Orochi seemed to have finished his speech, and was now staring expectantly at Misa and Rin, "My Captains... you'll be the first to step foot into the Void. Mark this occasion, ladies and gentlemen, for today is a special day."

Orochi smiled.

Misa glanced toward Rin, whose expression was still one of feigned confidence. He bit his lower lip in contemplation, his hand resting on the hilt of his katana. His eyes drifted toward the swirling portal before them. Misa nodded, reaching her outstretched hand toward the vortex. Her arm disappeared through it, then her leg. A moment later, the fluttering remnants of the tail of her haori disappeared into the void. Rin followed behind her, and behind him, the remainder of the DSTF entered the swirling purple void.

Black.

It surrounded her. Blinding her. Suffocating her. Misa gasped for breath, eyes darting left and right, searching for something... anything. However, there was only darkness. Several minutes passed, and still, she could see nothing. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes in an attempt to regain her composure.

"Rin?" she inquired softly.

No response.

"Saeko? Michiru?"

Still, silence.

Something flickered in the distance.

"Hello...?" Misa called, slightly louder.

"You don't belong here."

Cold and snake-like, the voice in the darkness hissed the words toward her. Something about it gave her chills. She stretched her hand out into the darkness, but there was nothing.

"What is this place?" she asked again, ignoring the feeling of dread welling up in the pit of her stomach.

The voice refused to answer.

One step forward, and her foot connected with something on the ground in front of her. Soft and squishy and warm. Liquid began to soak through her tabi. Her eyes widened as they moved down to the object in front of her. Even in the darkness, the silhouette was visible. It breathed shakily, its body trembling violently. A quivering hand raised up from the body, gently grabbing the bottom of her hakama.

"Mi...sa?" the voice choked out, and the co-captain of the DSTF froze.

"This place?" the voice finally responded, a wry tone overtaking it, "Why... this place is your tomb."

The tip of a blade penetrated her shoulder and, in an instant, sliced down her back. Misa fell forward, stunned, as crimson began to pour from the wound. As she hit the ground, her eyes made contact with the near-lifeless ones of Ronin Shimane.

"Cap...tain..." he uttered, his features twisting into an anguished expression.

The sound of steel connecting with steel reverberated above them, causing her attention to snap toward it.

"Don't die," Rin Subakosu uttered desperately as he struggled with their unseen foe's blade, "Don't you dare die on me."

His arms were trembling, his eyes filled with tears. Beaten, battered, and covered in blood, Rin looked like a shell of his former self. She had never seen him this way. He was always cheerful, always smiling. The look of fear and sorrow on his face belied everything she had ever known about him. A renewed sense of urgency coursed through her, and she forced herself to her feet, her hands shakily reaching for her zanpakuto.

"They're dead," Rin proclaimed, his voice cracking as he spoke, "Everyone is dead."

"Rin..." Misa responded, her whisper barely audible.

Fight.

The word rang out in her mind, and instinctively, she swung her chakra-shaped zanpakuto out in front of her, willing it into its shikai form in the process. It connected, deflecting another blade and sending it flying into the air. Behind her, the clash of steel echoed out again.

Fight.

Again, she felt the breeze of a blade swinging toward her. Again, she countered. Again, it came. She dodged. The attacks continued to come, one after the other. Somehow, the darkness still obscured her attacker, but not its weapon. All she could do was dodge. Each swing was blind. Each dodge was on pure instinct.

Don't die.

Steel connected, slicing across her torso, her arm, her face. She dodged again, dropping one of her glaives in the process. Grabbing the other with both hands, she swung, and the figure in the darkness let out a hiss. She swung again in desperation. Nothing.

Don't die.

Her gaze snapped toward Rin. He was gone. Her eyes darted around desperately, searching for her co-captain. There was nothing but darkness. Even Ronin's near-dead body was gone. The figure lurched forward, taking advantage of its opponent's distraction. Its blade connected again, and again, and again. Somehow, she could see its smile, even in the darkness. It swung again, and she moved the remaining glaive up to block it. A loud, violent crack echoed out through the darkness, and the top half of her zanpakuto shattered. The figure reared back again, and delivered a final blow.

She felt herself spin and hit the ground, landing on her back. The life slowly drained from her body as she looked up through glassy eyes, expecting her assailant to deliver its final blow. Instead, there was nothing. No presence in the darkness. No spiritual pressure... from anyone. At that moment, it seemed she was once again alone.

A light.

It radiated in the darkness, illuminating her broken body. After a moment, she could see a hand reaching out toward her. The hand became an arm, and seemed to be coming closer... closer. She forced her arm up, her fingers desperately stretching outward in an attempt to reach the outstretched hand. She felt its fingers wrap around her hand, and with a firm grip, it slowly pulled her toward it.

Please, don't die...

And then, nothing.

"We need immediate medical attention over here!"

"Where are the fourth squadders?"

"Where's the rest of the unit?"

"What happened in there?"

"Can you hear me?"

"We need medical attention! Now!"

"Get the Captain!"

"Someone help!"

Ten soul reapers had entered the Void, but only one had emerged. Severely injured and barely breathing, no one was sure how she had even survived, or what had happened to the remainder of the squad. A crowd of soul reapers, students, and healers surrounded the half-dead body as it fell from the portal. Meanwhile, Orochi Nakajima stood back, arms crossed, and visibly frowned.