Bish
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TheLightSage as Toride Satoru
Satoru was curious.
This would come as no surprise to anyone who knew him, really, but this was something special. Normally it was a blind sort of curiosity that gave him a general interest in anything and everything. However, this was different. Satoru had been given his first leading assignment as a Fourth Seat. A wildfire in the brushlands of California had killed a few people and none of the deployed shinigami were near the area to perform the Konsou for them. Instead of pulling them from duty, Satoru had been assigned to take one of the lower-ranked Mystics and send the victims to Soul Society. Adelaide had insisted that he take a very specific shinigami along to show her the ropes of duty in the Living World. He had been told that a Duelist would accompany him in the event that a Hollow was attracted to the area.
With the gentle breeze rolling through the Tenth Division grounds, he awaited his comrades with a sense of anticipation and eagerness. Yes, Satoru was curious about many things. How bad was the fire? Who was the Duelist? Why that particular companion? Who were these souls? Why weren’t there shinigami there in the first place?
His Taidan darkened, pulsing with a small amount of his own reiatsu as he broadcast a single thought to the fellow Mystic. As for the Duelist, he figured she had been to the Tenth Division grounds enough times that she could find her own way to the Senkaimon.
Adele, we leave in ninety seconds. I insist you hurry.
Purple cat ears twitched. Adele brushed off Satoru’s message, as she was already there. Of course the Fourth Seat didn’t notice the small grey cat sitting in a tree above him. She had neatly repressed her small reiatsu reserves, though she didn’t think she could do so for much longer. She was too excited and her spiritual energies were busier than usual.
True to her prediction, the nekogami lost control of her spiritual pressure and it exploded outwards, humming manically and alerting everyone within a meter radius of her location. Embarrassed at the slip-up, Adele jumped down and released the illusion. “I’m sure five minutes is more than enough time...” she trailed off looking up at Satoru. What to call him? Purple-chan was undoubtedly disrespectful and inappropriate and she didn’t think he’d appreciate being called Toride-sama.
Her eyes turned a curious blue color as her ears twitched atop her head. Hearing an unfamiliar reiatsu approaching them, the ears disappeared beneath her hair which rested in two french braids that just barely brushed the base of her neck. Straightening her shihakusho, Adele turned her head in the direction of the incoming tune. “We have company,” she stated simply.
Being called in to babysit two Mystics wasn’t exactly Alexia’s idea of fun. However, seeing as the leader of the division was a very good friend of hers, the Duelist would let it slide. Besides,she had interacted with the Tenth and their members so much, she was practically an honorary member.
When she approached the two Mystics, it was easy to recognize the ‘Afrogami’ known as Toride Satoru. The other one was a dark-skinned lady, slightly shorter than the Duelist but considerably lighter in weight.
“Well you’re a new one. Guess Adelaide attracted another one. My name is Alexia Felone da Firenze. And you are?” she asked the girl.
“Hello, Firenze-san,” Adele greeted the other woman politely, offering her hand. “You seem familiar... weren’t you at the Women’s Association party earlier? I believe you were with Adelaide-san.” Her eyes turned a sharp ruby color. She vaguely remembered meeting this woman before. The nekogami probably hadn’t liked Alexia.
“I’m Adele Ama, it’s nice to meet you again.” Despite her smile, her reiatsu had gone deathly still. The cat eared Mystic wasn’t quite sure what it was, but somehow this woman had angered her the last time they’d met. However, immediately acting in anger would be rude. The kittygami decided she would be wary of this woman until she could remember why she didn’t like her.
“Oh,” Adele’s eyes faded from red to blue. “Forgive me, I forgot my manners. How are you?”
Alexia had to recall her memory of the SWA event that Adelaide had held. Her time with the girl had been quite short due to Lilith’s appearance, and the Duelist’s desire to properly say goodbye.
“Again...oh right. Now I remember. You’re Addie’s prodigy. Perhaps when we’re done here we can get something to eat. Assuming a hollow doesn’t go and spoil it again, right Satoru?” the Duelist said.
“Now then, may we get going?” she said.
The Inquisitive eyed the two women and found himself rather surprised at what was unfolding. Normally the smaller Mystic’s reiatsu wouldn’t shut up, but something about the Duelist’s arrival had changed Adele’s entire demeanor. He doubted she was an impostor, for her reiatsu was just as brusque as usual. However, he couldn’t really imagine Alexia doing anything overly offensive. She was a bit snarky and sometimes overly chilly in her demeanor, but she wasn’t a bad person by any means. Even still, Satoru could tell that this was not a peaceful response.
I’m supposed to be leading this little troop, eh? It may become more mediation than anything if Adele doesn’t calm down. Either way, it could get pretty interesting!
Quickly meeting both of their gazes, Alexia’s with curiosity and Adele’s with a strange mix of reassurance and worry, he turned toward the closed gate in front of the little trio.
“Yes, Ice Queen, we may,” quipped the elder Mystic with a hint of playfulness.
The Senkaimon stood tall and proud, just a little under twice Satoru’s height. As a Fourth Seat, only Satoru among the three was authorized to open the portal to the Living World. He smirked as he thought about the fact that not even Alexia’s strength could do this. Satoru inserted his zanpaktou into the Senkaimon and turned the makeshift key before withdrawing it. A gentle white light emanated from the gate as it opened, welcoming the shinigami into its embrace. Without another word, he sheathed his tanto and strode forward into the Living World.
While there was already a rapport between Alexia and Satoru, Adele appeared uncomfortable. The sudden fluctuation in her reiatsu had been a dead giveaway. She was not a fan of annoying people, yet she seemed to get on everyone’s bad side somehow. So she decided it was best to patch whatever hole there may be before they began the mission.
“Before we follow our colleague, I’d like to ask you something,” the Duelist said, her attention on the lady Mystic.
“Do we have a problem?” she inquired.
Adele looked at the Duelist her eyes turning a harsh, blood red color. Her reiatsu was still silent, much like the zanpakuto she carried. But the confused tone audible in the other's reiatsu was not ignorable. Sighing, the nekogami shook her head.
"It's nothing to worry about right now. We have a mission to complete," the feline Mystic wanted nothing more than to yell at Alexia for so carelessly insulting Adelaide and perhaps insult the other woman a few times.
But now was not the time nor place for such improprieties. The nekogami doubted there ever would be a time or place. Having little else to say, she followed Satoru through the portal. She could worry about her grudge against the older woman later.
So she walked away, seeking the sound of the Fourth Seat's reiatsu. Perhaps his spiritual energies would have a tune interesting enough to provide a distraction.
There was something there, but apparently it would have to get saved for later. Alexia would’ve preferred to have lanced the boil now, but the Mystic seemed...contained, bottling up her feelings rather than just let them out. Hopefully this wouldn’t affect the mission in a negative way.
Finally passing through the gate, the Duelist’s concern was quickly replaced by the variety of stenches that attacked her sense of smell.
It was hard to say what this place had used to be. A forest, acres of a farm, a nature reserve. In any case, the area was now just a smoking cinder of death and ash. Alexia looked around, disgusted by the gruesome sights of animal corpses that littered the location.
“Enlighten me Afro, what are we doing here exactly?” she asked.
“An excellent question, Duelist!” Satoru responded with a slightly forced enthusiasm to lighten the sizzling tension. He made a sweeping gesture behind him toward the landscape behind him. It was a dramatic sight, really. On one side, the landscape was lush and green with rolling hills and much flora. Some of the plants were coated in a fine layer of soot that had blown over, but for the most part it was intact. On the other side, the entire valley had been burned to an extra crispy caricature of its former self. The dark landscape appeared to be a cruel charcoal drawing of what the land once was.
“According to the mission briefing, this is what the humans call Lime Gulch, in North America. A wildfire broke out here around eight hours ago at the crack of dawn. It’s still burning in a few areas, actually, but the humans are working hard to try and contain it. Several humans were killed, but we don’t know exactly how many. Their souls are wandering about in this area here, with a possible distance up to one kilometer from our current position.
“Adele!” Satoru called out, suddenly focusing his words on the younger Mystic. “What is our job when a Plus soul is found wandering about?”
The nekogami blinked in surprise at hearing her name called. She’d only been half listening to Satoru, distracted by the foul stench the fire left behind and the oddest sound. It was one she found vaguely familiar.
“Um... we’re supposed to perform Konsou to send the Plus soul to Seireitei, right? Are those what I’m hearing? There’s quite a few of them; they’re scattered all around the area.”
The realization that the Plus souls were once living humans struck Adele with a near staggering force. Her eyes widened and paled until her irises were a faded, nearly translucent black. Had these people burned to death in the fire? Had they choked on the horrible smoke that still lingered? Did they scream, voices hoarse, for mercy as they burned? Had they tried to run? The chilling sound of the Plus souls did little to comfort the feline Mystic. How much had these people suffered?
Her reiatsu could no longer remain quiet, the familiar manic flood of noise her energies normally created surrounded the nekogami. The spiritual energy collected around the purple cat ears hidden beneath her hair in effort to drown out the sound of the Plus souls. It did little good. “...Can they still remember how they died?” Adele asked in a muted voice, her face devoid of expression.
Satoru noticed her reiatsu begin to coalesce around her ears and watched her expression change with a small measure of sadness. He didn’t want to be the bearer of bad news, but surely she must have already learned this in the Academy. Either way, he looked at her directly with a neutral tone surrounding his words.
“Some, but it varies from soul to soul. Some remember how they died, some don’t. Most remember their lives though, especially the ones who have not come to terms with the wrongs done to them.”
He chuckled bitterly as he glanced towards the burned valley. Ribbons of spiritual pressure began to flare out from his position. A grand total of eleven ribbons made themselves apparent, each colored the purest white. Pulling one ribbon and holding onto it, the rest faded back into nothingness. He muttered “eleven total” under his breath.
“Adele, I don’t expect you to have perfected this ability yet, so you can stick by me when the time comes to pursue. Firenze, you should be able to perform this technique by now. Can you locate specific targets or is your Reiatsu Noukan not that refined?”
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were saying we Duelists are not proficient at detecting reiatsu,” Alexia replied, smirking as she closed her eyes.
While she searched for the threads, the recent dialogue had clued her in to several things. Adele was still a rookie, that much was clear. She’d been sent out with a superior officer and a Duelist for further protection. Clearly this was a case of showing her the ropes, so to speak. Simple enough, though Alexia herself had been taken out by Kyuketsu, back when he was acting Captain. Adelaide must’ve been very busy if she had to hand this task to Satoru.
“I’m picking up eleven whites. Whether they’re pluses or humans dealing with the fire, we’ll just have to see for ourselves,” she said, a little irked that there wasn’t a more broad categorization of colors.
Adele frowned slightly at Satoru’s comment. She didn’t necessarily need him to find the pluses. They were so loud she could locate them on her own. Closing her eyes, she turned her cat ears under her hair in attempt to get an idea of what was going on. “...four... four of them are human.” The nekogami’s brow furrowed. “They’re not too far from the pluses... well except for two of the plus souls.”
Opening her eyes she turned and pointed, “there’s two plus souls in that direction. They’re all alone.” Turning in the opposite direction, she gestured towards the area, “somewhere over there we should find five pluses and four humans.” Her eyes had darkened to an off black color. Having figured out what she wanted to know, she flooded her ears with her reiatsu once more to block out that horrible screaming. “I think the two on their own might be in danger of becoming Hollows.” The shrieks from that had been particularly chilling. The nekogami envied her comrades’ inability to hear spiritual energies right about now.
“Then they must have been here before the fire,” Satoru responded with interest. “Plus souls take months to go Hollow, sometimes even years. Nevertheless, if you’re hearing those kinds of screams, we need to move quickly.”
The Fourth Seat wanted to know what was going on with those poor souls and he knew that being on foot would not be fast enough for his taste. Instead, by now having done this quite often, he assumed his peregrine falcon form with astonishing speed. His brilliant ebony and ivory color scheme was highlighted by the reflection of the setting sun on his wings. As he flapped his natural propellers to keep himself eye level with his comrades, Satoru said, “According to the thread, they are around point-three kilometres to our northeast. I will fly ahead and scout out the area to make sure they’re still Pluses. You two make your way there on foot and purify any souls we may have missed.”
With that, he ascended high into the skies. The Mystic’s curiosity to see exactly how those two would get along without him was a temptation too powerful to ignore. He figured that if she was truly in trouble, Adele would have the good sense to use her Taidan to call for help.
Idiot, the Duelist thought, knowing exactly what he had in mind.
“So he gets to fly, but he leaves the ladies walking? What a gentleman,” Alexia said as she started to walk.
It was obvious to her that Satoru wanted to see how the two would interact without him around. Fine by her, Alexia was curious herself as to what was on the lady Mystic’s mind.
“You know this a fine time to yell at me and get whatever you have on your chest off. Especially since your superior officer isn’t around right now,” she called back to Adele.
The nekogami simply shook her head and followed the Duelist. "I'm not surprised Satoru-san went on ahead. He isn't very focused on chivalry."
At the moment, the most irritating thing about Alexia was how she was encouraging Adele to be rude to her. "Why would I yell at you? That would be disrespectful as well as dangerous. I'd rather not provoke people several times stronger than me."
Her eyes were a dark red color. The nekogami's ears and head hurt, now was not the time to worry about settling her personal issues with the more experienced shinigami. Even if she did yell at Alexia, Adele would only succeed in making her own headache worse.
“Adele, trust me, you don’t want to keep your emotions hidden. Doesn’t do much for making friends. I wanted to keep my emotions in check, to be the cool ice queen that Satoru referred to me as. It is much simpler to lay your cards on the table now, and let us know where you’re standing.”
The Duelist then turned around, walking backwards as she continued.
“If I did anything to offend you, I apologize. But how can we get past it if you won’t tell me what’s wrong?” she asked.
Biting her lip, Adele struggled to keep her calm. The earnest tone in the Duelist's reiatsu and voice were impossible to ignore. Silently damning her own soft heartedness, the nekogami spoke.
"It was not me who offended, I probably would have forgotten a slight towards myself. But to disrespect Adelaide-san is a lot harder to forgive. How can you speak of her to a stranger in such a casual manner? In such a setting, to refer to her as the residential lesbian was a complete disregard for the honor and respect Adelaide deserves."
By the end of her speech, the young Mystic's cheeks had flushed red and her eyes were a pained cerulean color. "It isn't my place to be offended or to judge your actions, but..." The short arcanist's voice wavered. She sounded more distressed than angered now.
"It's impossible to keep it to myself when you keep asking me to yell at you. What good is it if I am impolite to you? Even when you insult the woman I look up to and do your best to get me to lose control. What good does it do?" The nekogami looked at Alexia imploringly. She was at her wits ends and close to tears of frustration.
"I'm not the one who you should apologize to." With that, Adele fell silent, her reiatsu wrapping itself tightly around her and suppressing itself from detection. How she wished she could disappear.
If the Mystic was expecting an explosive reaction, she’d be disappointed. She would a feel a hand on her shoulder as Alexia looked sincerely into her eyes.
“I’m sorry. You’re respectful of your superiors, which is very admirable. I’m not gonna hold this over your head, but I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Adelaide longer than you have. She wears her heart on her sleeve, and is very proud of her...marital status. No doubt she would’ve had a laugh hearing it, but it is unfortunate that it affected you in such a negative way.
“I’m happy to call Adelaide my friend, and you should be happy to have her as your superior. To be fair, it was a party. I was being casual. Don’t be afraid of getting to know the officers, it can only help to further your relationship. I know Adelaide already has a vested interest in you, so I’ll be doing my best to make sure you’re back in her division with little to no scorch marks, ok?” she finished, removing her hand from Adele’s shoulder and holding it out to shake.
Adele ignored the offered hand in favor of hugging the Duelist. "Thanks," the Mystic said softly, stepping back from the older woman.
The elder Mystic had flown a little less than half a kilometer, still curious as to what exactly was going on back there. He knew Alexia to be the direct type. Even in the Tenth Division, her persistence was known by many. Adele was a bit of a wild card though; she had her soft side, but it was hidden under a lot of bristle and attempted bravado. He took a mental second to chuckle at her attempt to threaten him with the training dummy. In any case, those two could either be stonewalling one another or they could have even resolved it already. It was a curious case, to be sure.
He might have continued to ponder it had it not been for the pained scream. The energy signature that he had initially begun tracking had begun to change feeling. Its reiatsu was no longer just a plain white noise that he had come to associate with non-spiritual beings. Instead, it had begun to pick up in frequency and intensity. As he looked down from his elevated perch, he saw a patch of the wildfire that still had not been extinguished. A lone firefighter directed bursts of water at the conflagration from a portable hydrant, but nothing seemed to dampen its rage. The death god in bird’s clothing descended to get a closer look, curious as to why on Earth the blaze wasn’t responding to the human’s assault.
Then he saw the eyes.
A scream made its way to her cat ears, making her cringe. Allowing the purple appendages to surface she started walking faster.
"I don't know if you felt that, but I heard it and it didn't sound good. I think we should catch up with Satoru-san." Frowning, she squinted into the distance. "We should be catching up with him in a little under half a kilometer. What do you say, do we help the bird?"
The hug was unexpected, this was probably the first time she’d been on the receiving end of one. Regardless, it was a nice heartfelt moment, Alexia patting the girl on the back a few times before it ended.
She was wondering what exactly Adele was hearing when they began to walk again. Then when they started to pick up the pace, she noticed something different about the Mystic. Namely her head.
“Adele...really hoping I won’t offend you again but...what are those?” she inquired.
The ears twitched under Alexia’s gaze. “Oh these?” The nekogami pointed to her head. “They’re my other ears. They can hear reiatsu and are a lot stronger than my human ears. I don’t find your question offensive... I suppose having cat ears is a little different. Didn’t you wonder how I was able to tell the plus souls from the humans?” Flushing red, the shorter Mystic tried not to look too embarrassed. Her eyes turned an interesting shade of pink, not helping her composure whatsoever.
“I mean, Satoru-san probably couldn’t tell, but only some of the souls had heartbeats. So I’m assuming they’re humans and not pluses. And they sound different. They’re not screaming.”
“Different, but unique. How did you come across those? Was it something at birth or just a technique gone wrong?” Alexia wondered.
“As for detecting the pluses from the humans...I just assumed Satoru was really bad at it,” she said, chuckling a bit.
Adele covered her mouth and tried to stifle a giggle. Somehow, the Duelist’s low opinion of Satoru was amusing. It reminded her of her own irritation with the afrogami the last time they’d met. Getting sat on was not fun.
“He could still be really bad at it,” she suggested as mirth sparkled in currently green eyes.
A chilling howl sent a wave of pain through the nekogami’s ears. She dropped into a crouching position, covering the purple appendages with her hands and attempting to flood them with reiatsu. “...Satoru... help... I think... Hollow...” the Mystic grit out, her eyes clenched shut. Opening her eyes, she shouted, “Go! He needs help! I’ll follow as soon as I can.” Another shriek reverberated in her delicate, reiatsu sensing ears, drawing a moan of pain from Adele.
The wildfire hadn’t been a fire at all. There was a man at its center, screaming in pain and agony. Upon closer inspection, Satoru noticed that the burning man was chained to the scorched earth beneath its feet. Such a spectacle he had only seen in textbooks, but it appeared to be what they called a Jibakurei - a demi-Hollow. These were Pluses who were on their way to transforming into Hollows and ended up restricted to a specific territory until that transformation. The earthbound soul let out another blood-curdling scream, slowly walking toward the unaware human who kept trying to put out what he thought was flames.
It burns... the Jibakurei moaned with its eyes fixed on the poor human. You have come to save me? Stop the pain!
Without hesitation, Satoru immediately plunged into the signature dive of the peregrine falcon, plummeting straight towards the burning soul before reverting to his human form midair. With breakneck speed, he drew his tanto and smashed hilt first into the burning creature. The Konsou insignia flashed white on the burning demi-hollow’s forehead, sending it on its way to Soul Society and quieting the scream. Naturally, this did not prevent Satoru from sustaining some burns from the flames that had wreathed the beast. A decent portion of his robes had been singed in the effort and his hands had been especially affected from the brief encounter with the burning beast. Several scorch marks adorned his hands, but the human was saved.
Then something else entirely worse appeared. Something that the Mystic had not been expecting. Without warning, a Hollow appeared on his spiritual radar... and it was heading straight towards the two women. As fast as possible, he raced back toward his compatriots.
Though she was concerned for the cat-eared Mystic, Adele’s urging made Alexia move forward to confront the threat. Once she could see it, it was clear that the wildfire was not man-made or a random environmental tragedy. It was the product of a monster.
It probably could’ve been blending into the forest, as its exterior looked like a cross between a golem and a tree. She could see white eyes where a face should be, its body completely on fire. A burning walking tree. Go figure.
And here I am wielding an ice-based release. Terrific, the Duelist thought.
Oddly enough, the hollow did not seem to take notice of her. It kept walking on a singular, the ground burning beneath its feet. Not wanting to attack it until they properly prepared, she carefully made her way around it to meet up with Satoru.
“I don't think that thing knows what its doing. What do you think will happen if we try to attack it?” she asked.
Upon seeing the brute of a Hollow, Satoru immediately understood how the Jibakurei had caught fire. Manmade flames wouldn’t touch a spirit being. Only spiritual flames could affect souls and shinigami. Meeting Alexia’s gaze as she approached him, he said, “It will do what any self-respecting animal would do when threatened. Attack.”
He noticed that the younger shinigami’s tune had run out of control. Even seeing Adele distressed, he had to quickly force his emotions into submission, as they would not help him solve the problem.
“If we don’t dispatch him, this whole gulch will be burned to a crisp before the nearest shinigami can get here. He isn’t overly strong, not like Dilaw, so we can handle this quickly."
A thought struck him, causing the beginnings of a smirk that was quickly extinguished. With a neutral tone, Satoru said, "Engage the beast, Duelist. I will provide back-up.”
Which left her with the burning hunk of wood. Fantastic.
She had to run to catch up to the burning golem. Its pace was surprisingly quick, one step after the other. Then there was the issue of attacking it. Physically striking would only end up backfiring...literally.
She frowned as she looked at her blade. She hadn’t had much time to practice the technique, but figured that there was better way to practice than doing it in a fight.
Imagine the blood dripping down the blade, she reminded herself. Channeling reiatsu down the blade, she swung hard, a fiery burst of energy fired at the burning tank.
The blast made the hollow stop in its tracks, but it didn’t stumble or falter. She was wondering how it would respond, and she got her answer soon enough. The head twisted around like a sick puppet, its eyes now focused on her. Its left leg shot forward with unimaginable speed, and she could barely get her defense up in time. The worse of it was blocked, but the force behind the attack still sent the Duelist flying back several meters, rolling on the scorched earth.
“Okay...that one hurt,” she said to herself.
Adele's eyes shot open as she heard distress in Alexia's reiatsu. The Hollow had made a grave mistake; it attacked her comrades. Anger made her reiatsu buzz like a million killer bees, drowning out the beast's screams.
The Mystic vanished and suppressed her reiatsu. She darted towards the flaming tree monster, sword drawn. Crouching nearby Adele shoved a pair of earplugs in her cat ears. Tensing for a moment, the nekogami sprang forward, slicing at the Hollow's left shoulder.
The golem howled, using its good arm to swat at whatever had attacked it. The beast felt its arm come into contact with something but could not tell what it was.
Undeterred, Adele rolled when she hit the ground before climbing to her feet. Sneaking up on the creature, she stabbed it in the back of its left knee. Ignoring the ugly thing's pained howl, the nekogami cruelly twisted her blade before yanking it out. A large, burning foot sent her flying backwards, but the satisfaction was well worth it.
The Hollow was confused. What had attacked it? It couldn't see anything, but it had definitely kicked something. The beast stumbled towards the thing it had kicked, grumbling irritably. Was it a bug?
Adele lay still, breathing slow, shallow breaths. Her ribs hurt, probably bruised or cracked. Gingerly, she stood, shielding her ribs with her right arm, zanpakuto in her left hand.
Frowning at the incoming beast, Adele levitated a good sized chunk of charred earth and lobbed it at the monster. Smirking as the stupid creature turned in the direction of the attack, the nekogami made her way over to Alexia.
"Alexia-san, are you alright?" The invisible Mystic asked, crouching next to the Duelist.
“I’m just peachy. Getting kicked around by a hunk of wood is just another day in the life of a shinigami,” Alexia responded, shaking her head as she got to her feet. She looked around not seeing anyone attached to the voice.
“Where are you? Never mind...just get Satoru over here. Pretty sure you Mystics have some mind-to-mind chat powers or something,” she muttered.
The hollow had seemingly lost interest again, and resumed its walk.
“We’re going to need a better plan.”
Adele let Koutaizumai's illusion fade. She stood not too far from the Duelist, watching the tree Hollow limp about, probably in search of food.
"Alright," the nekogami agreed softly, hoping the aching in her ribs would fade soon. Brushing off her scorched robes, she sent Satoru a message, a curious tattoo the shape of a feather pen wrapped around an inkwell flashing in response to her spiritual energy.
Purple-san! We're over here. Alexia-san seems unharmed. I'm mostly okay, too. But get over here, we need a plan to destroy the tree Hollow before it finds something to feed on and heals. Hurry!
Adele watched the beast warily. "Alexia-san, if you stay close to me, I might be able to hide you under an illusion as well. I think it might be slightly safer if that thing couldn't see us."
The bronzed Mystic stood stunned at the ferocity with which Adele had attacked the hulking brute. Her technique still did not compare to other sword artists that he had seen, but Satoru could sense her indignation and the heart which she fought. And that technique Alexia had performed... it seemed simple enough from the observation he made of her energies as they flowed, but it was still powerful nonetheless. As they were wreaking their havok, Satoru had a hurried conversation with his zanpakutou.
Dia...
So you would like my help with this?
The Mystic let out an exasperated sigh before thinking back, I need to test if that fire is an ability or just a trait of its body. Our sound technique can help with that. Can you just let me do this?
His zanpaktou did not respond.
Satoru sighed, wondering how he would solve this problem. However, there was a golem in front of them that could not be ignored. As Adele finished up her assault, the afrogami began to chant and shape his spiritual energy. He did not bother to open his eyes, instead opting to focus everything on the spell ahead.
“Ensnaring sands, fleeting winds, bind yourself to mine enemy and cease his movements!”
Eyes flashing open with concentration and irritation, Satoru raised his voice and spoke, “Bakudou Number Seventeen, Earthen Maw!”
Around the flaming beast, the terrain near it became subject to Satoru’s influence. Thick tendrils of dirt and rock began to ensnare the Hollow’s arms and legs. The limbs of fire were gripped in the embrace of the Earth, halting its forward progress. While the monster was bound, Satoru ran towards the monster and leaped into the air, lifting his leg high. By bending the laws of physics to his will, his leap was far further and more powerful than anything he could have hoped to achieve on his own. As he began to descend near the Hollow the sandaled foot held aloft came crashing down on the monster’s head. The sole of his sandal was blackened and a small portion of his robes were burning on his leg after the attack, and Satoru quickly extinguished the flame by mentally throwing dirt over the burning fabric.
It howled in pain, but was held in place by Satoru’s kidou and unable to retaliate or thrash about. The Mystic looked towards Alexia with a pained smile that still managed to hold its usual snark. “Care to stab it? I think it’s done enough around here. Deserves a good rest and all that.”
“Adele stabbed it, and that hasn’t been doing much good. I doubt your little boot to the head will have done much either. The hollow needs to lose its flame if we’re going to stay close enough to do decent damage, not just poke it to death,” Alexia explained.
“I have an idea, but I need some kidou. A lot of it, and it needs to be hot. You two up for it?” she asked as she stepped forward.
“Chill to the bone, Kōri no Jotei,” she declared. The blade changed in her hands, and she began to rotate it, picking up speed slowly but surely.
“Answers would be good now.”
The Mystic was going to simply tell Alexia to purify it while it was restrained. With the monstrous size of that staff, she should feasibly be able to dispatch it without being too exposed to the flames. Nevertheless, he wondered what sort of crazy plan the Duelist had concocted. Against his better judgment, he decided to go along with her for the sake of knowing.
“I have Dragon’s Breath. That should work.”
He turned his puffy head to Adele and asked, “How about you, kit? How’s your kidou since our last lesson?”
"Well," Adele looked down, frowning for a moment.
"Is Inflamari okay?" She asked after a moment of thought. The nekogami twitched at the memory of her only kidou lesson with the afrogami.
"Of course if that isn't enough, I also know Dragon's Breath," the small Mystic added softly.
“Well whatever you got just ready it and aim in this direction. It needs to happen just before the ice reaches the hollow,” the Duelist explained.
With that being said, the rotation had now reached high speed, actually floating on its own. Raising a hand behind the spinning tornado, a constant flurry of icicles began to shoot forward.
“Now!” she called out.
"Soaring red dog, drink the balm of flame." The nekogami began, focusing on the sound of crackling flames being compressed, "into his eyes leaps the dragon's spark," Adele spoke quickly before pausing to inhale, "Hadou Seventeen, Dragon's Breath!" Her reiatsu resonated, vibrating against itself before a torrent of flames spewed from her mouth, aimed straight at the golem.
The fires held the intensity of her anger as she willed the flames to burn hotter and push forward. She wanted that ugly beast to burn in hell. The small, angry Mystic's eyes gleamed like rubies as she spit fire at her enemy. Hatred unlike anything she'd felt before fueled her attack. A Hollow would die today.
After funneling more reiatsu into Earthen Maw to affirm its integrity, Satoru synchronized his incantation along with Adele’s. He did it for the sake of both aesthetic value and functionality of releasing both flames as one. The two Mystics cried out “Dragon’s Breath!” at the same time. While Adele’s spell was fueled by rage, Satoru’s flames were fueled out of a morbid curiosity. He wanted to know exactly what Alexia had planned, and the flames surged outward as eagerly as his own inquisitive nature drove him to seek answers.
The combined surge of flame from both officers of the Tenth overtook the flurry of countless icicles. As the respective reiatsu fields of the three shinigami wrapped around each other, their attacks reflected the mutual goal held by all present... extinguishing that Hollow’s flame.
The ice was melted by the passionate bursts of heat, dousing the lost soul in a shower of spiritually-empowered water and causing the beast to cry out in pain. Satoru began to breathe with a tad more effort than normal as his body dealt with all the energy that he had just expended in the span of a few minutes.
“I think we should try and purify it now,” Satoru recommended as he eyed the beast. “Now that the flames are gone, I can see the mask.”
And indeed, the mask on its face was now exposed to the open air. It was vaguely reminiscent of the human apparatus known as a gas mask. Ribbed serrations of bone accented the blackness of its visage, It wrapped halfway around the hollow’s face, stopping just past where a human’s ears might be.
He glanced at both of his teammates; first Adele, and then Alexia.
“Together?”
In response, Alexia simply fell backwards on her butt.
“I’m content with letting the rookie letting the glory for this. What do you say Fluffy? Feel like getting your feet wet?” she said.
"Fluffy?" Adele squawked before coughing up a few puffs of smoke. Perhaps she had been a little too gung ho with that fire kidou.
"Um..." She looked at the Hollow. It was huge and hulking although burnt, soggy, and still entrapped. The hapless beast looked exhausted, like a hunted animal in a trap with no fight left. Could she brutally stab that thing in the face?
The nekogami pushed back her sleeves to see an angry red peeking from beneath the soot on her arms. She probably had first degree burns. Her fingers weren't much better, though her palms had been protected by now burnt, fingerless gloves. The aching in her ribs had grown steadily worse and her cat ears were numb.
Letting her sleeves fall, she drew her zanpakuto right handedly. Adele's stormy grey gaze fell on Satoru and Alexia. If it could, the Hollow would eat them. It would consume her. However sorry she felt for the golem, she knew she couldn't let it exist as a threat to her comrades. "I..." The lady Mystic started.
"I will purify it."
Her eyes turned silver before she turned away from them and ran. She ran with all her might to the Hollow, not bothering to turn invisible. Its screams of agony tore through her ears and reverberated in her head. Ignoring it, she leapt. Landing on the beast, she sank her blade into the center of its mask.
The shriek that followed was too much for Adele's ears. Her eyes paled as she fell from the beast, stunned by the blast of ungodly noise. She supposed it was fitting to suffer after attacking the wounded beast so viciously. It knew not what it was or the weight of its actions. How could a Hollow know any better?
The Hollow screamed. The little shinigami had stabbed it in the face. It had been miserably weeping before, injured and starving, but now, as the purifying power of that pesky insect of a death god's sword ripped through it, the beast hollered and wailed and sobbed uncontrollably. Its mask shattered and fell away and light emanated from the beast before it was no more. Where the fearsome Hollow had dissolved, a Plus soul sat crying.
Adele landed on her back. Groaning, she lay still. The impact had done her ribs no favors and her head felt as if it would burst. When the Hollow's screams finally ended, she sighed in relief. Head still pounding and ribs sore, the younger Mystic crawled to her feet and shuffled over to the Plus soul. Pulling out her blade once more, she stamped the Plus on the forehead with the heart shaped charm on the pommel of her odd looking sword.
"Please stop crying," the nekogami begged wearily, tears slipping down her face as the whimpering soul was transported away. Falling into a sitting position, Adele hugged her knees. The motion jolted her ribs, but she was beyond caring about that, now. Tears fell from pale, silver eyes.
The Mystic had the eyes of a man watching a new pet or a young child; eyes that were somewhat disconnected from the scene that he was watching. He felt little remorse for the Hollow; it was simply a misguided soul that needed to be cleansed for the betterment of the universe. Nor did he feel much hesitation in allowing Adele to slay the beast. After all, she had to learn how to fight and win under conditions that were unkind to her reiatsu. Satoru observed Adele’s act of cleansing with an unreadable expression, but showing concern once she sat and began to cry.
The Inquisitive gave Adele a puzzled look, wondering exactly what was ailing his sort-of-apprentice. He focused in on her reiatsu, looking to hear the normally high frequency of her spiritual pressure. Instead, Satoru noticed her energy was unfocused and loosely contained. It was as if she had sent the normal orchestra of her sound on a lunch break.
What should I do? he mused. She’s crying her tiny eyes out... think Inquisitive, think!
The Fourth Seat walked over to her and, after a moment’s hesitation, put a hand on her shoulder. It was a gesture meant to impart a sense of comfort and stability to the young Mystic. His bronzed grip was accompanied by no sound, but the sixteenth note tattooed to his neck flashed with his ebony energy as his words were mentally projected to Adele.
Adele, you’ve done a wonderful job here. Certainly not bad for your first day on the rock.
I swear Addie, this wasn’t my fault, Alexia said to herself upon seeing the female Mystic as she began to cry.
Was this her first fight against a hollow? In the Duelist’s case, she had been triumphant but had hardly shed a tear. Still the Mystics always tend to be more... in tune with their feelings. Satoru had placed a hand on her shoulder, most likely doing that mind-to-mind thing they do. Alexia walked up and sat down next to the cat-eared Mystic.
“First one’s always the hardest. Just remember that slaying a hollow is basically a mercy killing. Regardless of how monstrous they may be, you’re showing them kindness by putting them out of their misery. They will hurt you, and you will hurt them. In the end though, it’ll all be worth it,” she said.
She then placed her arm around Adele, drawing her into a gentle hug.
“So...would you like to get fixed up in the Fourth, or should we celebrate your first victory with a nice dinner?” she offered.
Adele's eyes darkened a little when she recognizes Satoru and Alexia's approaching reiatsu signatures. Her purple cat ears, though they rested flat against her head, detected concern and confusion from her teammates.
Mentally, she spoke to Satoru. Thank you Satoru. That helps a little.
"Th-thank you," the nekogami said softly. The Duelist's hug might have made her uncomfortable in any other setting, but today it was extremely comforting. Leaning against Alexia, the female Mystic wrapped an arm around the Duelist in acceptance of the hug, despite her ribs which ached under even light contact. With the sleeve of her other arm she wiped her face.
"I think dinner would be more pleasant than the hospital. We could go somewhere once we finish up here." Adele made no move to end the contact, it was kind of pleasant even if it hurt. "Would either of you happen to have bandages?"
She probably should have asked to go to the Fourth, but the younger Mystic didn't want to be left alone. Without the comforting sounds of Alexia and Satoru's reiatsu, the feline arcanist knew she would be haunted by those screams. If she could put a bandage on it and move on, it would be much better to stay with her superiors.
"Nope. But need I remind you, Adele, that we're Mystics," said the Fourth Seat confidently. "It's our job to work creatively with what we have!"
With hardly a thought, Satoru removed the kosode part of his uniform. He tossed it into the air and caught it at the apex of its ascent with naught but his mind. While held aloft there, it began to tear itself into long strips of black fabric. Then they began to gently float down towards the two Mystics, as if carried by the wind's gentle currents. One by one, Satoru grabbed each strip and wrapped them tightly around the area that he had seen her clutching at. After rubbing his hands together, he looked at her before speaking once more.
"For your burns, a bandage couldn't quite help. The fabric might infect the wound. While you will need proper care eventually, I'll try to do what I can for you."
He kneeled next to Adele, thinking that there had to be some sort of way to cheer Adele up. Satoru knew that dinner would have to wait until they were back in Soul Society, but he didn't want to spoil the moment. Suddenly, he had an idea. With a few mental commands, his headphones switched on. However, these were not standard apparel. Satoru's headphones played music via his own reiatsu, which the kittygami would likely sense. To cheer her up, he began to play "Divinire" by Ludovico Einaudi.
"Alright, Adele, hold still," Satoru commanded before placing his palms above her burned hands. The Fourth Seat took a deep breath and closed his eyes, willing the power within him to follow his command. When he exhaled, carbon dioxide was not the only thing released. Reiatsu gently emanated from his hands, flooding her wounds with his spiritual energy via Reiki. He continued this process for a few minutes. Satoru knew that this would not outright heal the girl, but it was hopefully enough to provide some measure of comfort.
"Alright ladies, there are still a few Pluses out there. Despite recent events," the Inquisitive stated in a tone that showed both his concern for Adele and his obligation to the lives in the balance. "We still have a job to do."
“Well since Kittens here got the kill, I’ll go deal with the leftovers, ok? You two can catch up or something,” the Duelist said before running off.
Adele stared at Satoru as he ripped his robes. She winced at the pressure of the bandages, but didn't react otherwise. Her ears perked up a bit at the tune coming from his headphones.
The feel of another shinigami's reiatsu was rather different, distracting the nekogami from the pain of her wounds. Satoru's spiritual energy sounded kind of nice when he was healing her hands. The light hum soothed her cat ears as well.
"Thank you," the younger Mystic uttered softly, watching Alexia's retreating form. "You didn't have to do this much." Flexing her newly healed fingers, she noted that while they still stung, they were much easier to control.
"Why did you do this? You could have healed your own hands."
“My hands will be fine,” Satoru remarked. “But you, dear cat, have been placed under my charge. Had Alexia not decided to do her thing, I’d be seeing to her wounds too despite how strong that woman is.”
The Mystic watched her go on and smirked, mainly at himself. It had only been a couple months or so since their spar, and already he had let himself fall behind her. He'd grown stagnant. It was a depressing thought.
But this little shinigami before him... she had grown remarkably fast. When he first noticed her flitting about the Tenth Division grounds, the younger shinigami’s energies had not been this loud. As he returned his gaze to meet Adele’s own, his smirk mellowed out slightly.
“Your kidou has also improved! You’re actually casting the spells as intended, I see,” Satoru noted with a joking tone. He ruffled the young Mystic’s hair, ignoring the minor burns left on his hand. “Who knows? Maybe you’ll be a better Mystic than I some day.”
Without warning, he twisted his spiritual pathways to match those of the Duelist’s as they were earlier. He then lifted a single hand into the air. A fiery burst of energy was shot forth from his left hand without warning, raising itself into the sky like a midnight-colored flare. With that beacon of power, Alexia should be able to easily make her way back to their meeting spot once she was done.
“But before that happens, you’ll have to be able to do what I just did.”
Adele ducked away from Satoru's hand and grit her teeth. He had almost touched her ears. "What was that?" The younger Mystic asked, eying the curious flare. The small crackling pop sound it made was interesting.
While she waited for his response, the kittygami took his hands and flooded them with her reiatsu in hopes of lessening his burns.
“I have no idea what the technique is,” Satoru said truthfully. He found himself smiling like a cat who’d just stumbled upon a secret stash of milk. “I just borrowed it from Alexia.”
"Borrowed?" The younger Mystic's eyes turned from silver to a curious blue grey color. "Hitomane?" She blinked, wondering if she could copy the flare.
“Quite right!” confirmed the Mystic. As he recalled the training with Adelaide, he winced. It had taken quite a bit of time for the Fourth to get all of those glass fragments out of his body.
“You will have to talk to our dear sometimes-Captain about that. I’m not sure if I’m the right guy to teach you that, and certainly not here and now.”
"Oh," the feline shinigami looked down and realized that she was still holding his hands. Releasing them, she withdrew her own into her singed sleeves. "Sorry about that... I don't think it worked very well." Healing wounds with pure reiatsu was more difficult than she thought.
“Leave ya’ll alone for five seconds, and now I see you two are holding hands. Should I be worried or jealous?” the Duelist said with a smirk.
“In any case, any lingering souls have now moved on to the next life. So yeah confetti and sparkles galore. So if you two are done playing ‘Guess what I’m thinking?’, how about we get something to eat? Satoru here knows how to treat a lady to a meal, don’t you Afro?” she said.
Satoru just sighed. What was it with women and physical contact these days? All Adele was trying to do was return the favor he had done her.
Despite his inclination to inquiry, even he realized that it was a very simple answer.
"What you should be is neither of those two things," he responded to the Duelist with a rather casual tone. "You should be more concerned with the fact that we don't know where we are eating. I picked last time, after all."
He looked back at Adele, wondering as to how she reacted to the woman's unfounded assertion.
Turning slightly red, Adele failed not to look embarrassed. Even her eyes turned pink. "Do either of you like sushi?" She asked, refusing to further acknowledge Alexia's teasing. Honestly, such affections between her and Satoru would be terribly inappropriate. Nevertheless, she only glared at the Duelist half heartedly. No harm was meant.
“Hmm...fish. Should be something new...and a change of pace from this hot place,” Alexia remarked. She decided not to comment on the irony that a girl with cat ears had an affinity for fish.
The Duelist looked at her hand, rather surprised at how strong she had become. It had been a while since the scion fights, and she had grown with each victory. While Afro here may have had the higher rank, she was sure she could probably kick his ass now. Regardless, it was nice to have led two comrades to victory without them being completely messed up.
“So...why don’t you go open the gate, Mr. I Have A Decent Rank?” she asked.
[COL="#4B0082"]Sushi, mused the afrogami. Never had it before. I wonder if it’s anything like yellowtail?
Noting the sarcasm in her tone, Satoru turned to her and remarked, “Thanks for remembering! Still holding down the bottom rung of the professional ladder?”
Satoru gave a dismissive chuckle, sending his bass tone rolling outwards and washing over the ears of his comrades. He then stood tall and brushed off the remains of his shinigami uniform. His kosode was currently wrapped in pieces around Adele, so Satoru found himself garbed in an all white ensemble save for the headphones around his neck and the burn marks near his foot and hands. He reflected on the overall success of the mission, though he wondered exactly how Adele would take the purifying of her first Hollow. Everyone responded differently and he still hadn’t technically killed his first yet, so he had no idea how she might be feeling.
Making a mental note to himself to follow up on Adele’s thoughts, Satoru shrugged at the two women as he drew his tanto. The Fourth Seat thrust it into the open air and turned the spiritual key, opening the Senkaimon to return home. With a curious lilt in his voice, the Inquisitive muttered to himself, “Since when do Italians do sushi?”[/COLOR]
[9374]
Dysney as Adele Ama
vincent valen as Alexia Felone da Firenze
Only You Can Prevent Wildfires
Satoru was curious.
This would come as no surprise to anyone who knew him, really, but this was something special. Normally it was a blind sort of curiosity that gave him a general interest in anything and everything. However, this was different. Satoru had been given his first leading assignment as a Fourth Seat. A wildfire in the brushlands of California had killed a few people and none of the deployed shinigami were near the area to perform the Konsou for them. Instead of pulling them from duty, Satoru had been assigned to take one of the lower-ranked Mystics and send the victims to Soul Society. Adelaide had insisted that he take a very specific shinigami along to show her the ropes of duty in the Living World. He had been told that a Duelist would accompany him in the event that a Hollow was attracted to the area.
With the gentle breeze rolling through the Tenth Division grounds, he awaited his comrades with a sense of anticipation and eagerness. Yes, Satoru was curious about many things. How bad was the fire? Who was the Duelist? Why that particular companion? Who were these souls? Why weren’t there shinigami there in the first place?
His Taidan darkened, pulsing with a small amount of his own reiatsu as he broadcast a single thought to the fellow Mystic. As for the Duelist, he figured she had been to the Tenth Division grounds enough times that she could find her own way to the Senkaimon.
Adele, we leave in ninety seconds. I insist you hurry.
Purple cat ears twitched. Adele brushed off Satoru’s message, as she was already there. Of course the Fourth Seat didn’t notice the small grey cat sitting in a tree above him. She had neatly repressed her small reiatsu reserves, though she didn’t think she could do so for much longer. She was too excited and her spiritual energies were busier than usual.
True to her prediction, the nekogami lost control of her spiritual pressure and it exploded outwards, humming manically and alerting everyone within a meter radius of her location. Embarrassed at the slip-up, Adele jumped down and released the illusion. “I’m sure five minutes is more than enough time...” she trailed off looking up at Satoru. What to call him? Purple-chan was undoubtedly disrespectful and inappropriate and she didn’t think he’d appreciate being called Toride-sama.
Her eyes turned a curious blue color as her ears twitched atop her head. Hearing an unfamiliar reiatsu approaching them, the ears disappeared beneath her hair which rested in two french braids that just barely brushed the base of her neck. Straightening her shihakusho, Adele turned her head in the direction of the incoming tune. “We have company,” she stated simply.
Being called in to babysit two Mystics wasn’t exactly Alexia’s idea of fun. However, seeing as the leader of the division was a very good friend of hers, the Duelist would let it slide. Besides,she had interacted with the Tenth and their members so much, she was practically an honorary member.
When she approached the two Mystics, it was easy to recognize the ‘Afrogami’ known as Toride Satoru. The other one was a dark-skinned lady, slightly shorter than the Duelist but considerably lighter in weight.
“Well you’re a new one. Guess Adelaide attracted another one. My name is Alexia Felone da Firenze. And you are?” she asked the girl.
“Hello, Firenze-san,” Adele greeted the other woman politely, offering her hand. “You seem familiar... weren’t you at the Women’s Association party earlier? I believe you were with Adelaide-san.” Her eyes turned a sharp ruby color. She vaguely remembered meeting this woman before. The nekogami probably hadn’t liked Alexia.
“I’m Adele Ama, it’s nice to meet you again.” Despite her smile, her reiatsu had gone deathly still. The cat eared Mystic wasn’t quite sure what it was, but somehow this woman had angered her the last time they’d met. However, immediately acting in anger would be rude. The kittygami decided she would be wary of this woman until she could remember why she didn’t like her.
“Oh,” Adele’s eyes faded from red to blue. “Forgive me, I forgot my manners. How are you?”
Alexia had to recall her memory of the SWA event that Adelaide had held. Her time with the girl had been quite short due to Lilith’s appearance, and the Duelist’s desire to properly say goodbye.
“Again...oh right. Now I remember. You’re Addie’s prodigy. Perhaps when we’re done here we can get something to eat. Assuming a hollow doesn’t go and spoil it again, right Satoru?” the Duelist said.
“Now then, may we get going?” she said.
The Inquisitive eyed the two women and found himself rather surprised at what was unfolding. Normally the smaller Mystic’s reiatsu wouldn’t shut up, but something about the Duelist’s arrival had changed Adele’s entire demeanor. He doubted she was an impostor, for her reiatsu was just as brusque as usual. However, he couldn’t really imagine Alexia doing anything overly offensive. She was a bit snarky and sometimes overly chilly in her demeanor, but she wasn’t a bad person by any means. Even still, Satoru could tell that this was not a peaceful response.
I’m supposed to be leading this little troop, eh? It may become more mediation than anything if Adele doesn’t calm down. Either way, it could get pretty interesting!
Quickly meeting both of their gazes, Alexia’s with curiosity and Adele’s with a strange mix of reassurance and worry, he turned toward the closed gate in front of the little trio.
“Yes, Ice Queen, we may,” quipped the elder Mystic with a hint of playfulness.
The Senkaimon stood tall and proud, just a little under twice Satoru’s height. As a Fourth Seat, only Satoru among the three was authorized to open the portal to the Living World. He smirked as he thought about the fact that not even Alexia’s strength could do this. Satoru inserted his zanpaktou into the Senkaimon and turned the makeshift key before withdrawing it. A gentle white light emanated from the gate as it opened, welcoming the shinigami into its embrace. Without another word, he sheathed his tanto and strode forward into the Living World.
While there was already a rapport between Alexia and Satoru, Adele appeared uncomfortable. The sudden fluctuation in her reiatsu had been a dead giveaway. She was not a fan of annoying people, yet she seemed to get on everyone’s bad side somehow. So she decided it was best to patch whatever hole there may be before they began the mission.
“Before we follow our colleague, I’d like to ask you something,” the Duelist said, her attention on the lady Mystic.
“Do we have a problem?” she inquired.
Adele looked at the Duelist her eyes turning a harsh, blood red color. Her reiatsu was still silent, much like the zanpakuto she carried. But the confused tone audible in the other's reiatsu was not ignorable. Sighing, the nekogami shook her head.
"It's nothing to worry about right now. We have a mission to complete," the feline Mystic wanted nothing more than to yell at Alexia for so carelessly insulting Adelaide and perhaps insult the other woman a few times.
But now was not the time nor place for such improprieties. The nekogami doubted there ever would be a time or place. Having little else to say, she followed Satoru through the portal. She could worry about her grudge against the older woman later.
So she walked away, seeking the sound of the Fourth Seat's reiatsu. Perhaps his spiritual energies would have a tune interesting enough to provide a distraction.
There was something there, but apparently it would have to get saved for later. Alexia would’ve preferred to have lanced the boil now, but the Mystic seemed...contained, bottling up her feelings rather than just let them out. Hopefully this wouldn’t affect the mission in a negative way.
Finally passing through the gate, the Duelist’s concern was quickly replaced by the variety of stenches that attacked her sense of smell.
It was hard to say what this place had used to be. A forest, acres of a farm, a nature reserve. In any case, the area was now just a smoking cinder of death and ash. Alexia looked around, disgusted by the gruesome sights of animal corpses that littered the location.
“Enlighten me Afro, what are we doing here exactly?” she asked.
“An excellent question, Duelist!” Satoru responded with a slightly forced enthusiasm to lighten the sizzling tension. He made a sweeping gesture behind him toward the landscape behind him. It was a dramatic sight, really. On one side, the landscape was lush and green with rolling hills and much flora. Some of the plants were coated in a fine layer of soot that had blown over, but for the most part it was intact. On the other side, the entire valley had been burned to an extra crispy caricature of its former self. The dark landscape appeared to be a cruel charcoal drawing of what the land once was.
“According to the mission briefing, this is what the humans call Lime Gulch, in North America. A wildfire broke out here around eight hours ago at the crack of dawn. It’s still burning in a few areas, actually, but the humans are working hard to try and contain it. Several humans were killed, but we don’t know exactly how many. Their souls are wandering about in this area here, with a possible distance up to one kilometer from our current position.
“Adele!” Satoru called out, suddenly focusing his words on the younger Mystic. “What is our job when a Plus soul is found wandering about?”
The nekogami blinked in surprise at hearing her name called. She’d only been half listening to Satoru, distracted by the foul stench the fire left behind and the oddest sound. It was one she found vaguely familiar.
“Um... we’re supposed to perform Konsou to send the Plus soul to Seireitei, right? Are those what I’m hearing? There’s quite a few of them; they’re scattered all around the area.”
The realization that the Plus souls were once living humans struck Adele with a near staggering force. Her eyes widened and paled until her irises were a faded, nearly translucent black. Had these people burned to death in the fire? Had they choked on the horrible smoke that still lingered? Did they scream, voices hoarse, for mercy as they burned? Had they tried to run? The chilling sound of the Plus souls did little to comfort the feline Mystic. How much had these people suffered?
Her reiatsu could no longer remain quiet, the familiar manic flood of noise her energies normally created surrounded the nekogami. The spiritual energy collected around the purple cat ears hidden beneath her hair in effort to drown out the sound of the Plus souls. It did little good. “...Can they still remember how they died?” Adele asked in a muted voice, her face devoid of expression.
Satoru noticed her reiatsu begin to coalesce around her ears and watched her expression change with a small measure of sadness. He didn’t want to be the bearer of bad news, but surely she must have already learned this in the Academy. Either way, he looked at her directly with a neutral tone surrounding his words.
“Some, but it varies from soul to soul. Some remember how they died, some don’t. Most remember their lives though, especially the ones who have not come to terms with the wrongs done to them.”
He chuckled bitterly as he glanced towards the burned valley. Ribbons of spiritual pressure began to flare out from his position. A grand total of eleven ribbons made themselves apparent, each colored the purest white. Pulling one ribbon and holding onto it, the rest faded back into nothingness. He muttered “eleven total” under his breath.
“Adele, I don’t expect you to have perfected this ability yet, so you can stick by me when the time comes to pursue. Firenze, you should be able to perform this technique by now. Can you locate specific targets or is your Reiatsu Noukan not that refined?”
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were saying we Duelists are not proficient at detecting reiatsu,” Alexia replied, smirking as she closed her eyes.
While she searched for the threads, the recent dialogue had clued her in to several things. Adele was still a rookie, that much was clear. She’d been sent out with a superior officer and a Duelist for further protection. Clearly this was a case of showing her the ropes, so to speak. Simple enough, though Alexia herself had been taken out by Kyuketsu, back when he was acting Captain. Adelaide must’ve been very busy if she had to hand this task to Satoru.
“I’m picking up eleven whites. Whether they’re pluses or humans dealing with the fire, we’ll just have to see for ourselves,” she said, a little irked that there wasn’t a more broad categorization of colors.
Adele frowned slightly at Satoru’s comment. She didn’t necessarily need him to find the pluses. They were so loud she could locate them on her own. Closing her eyes, she turned her cat ears under her hair in attempt to get an idea of what was going on. “...four... four of them are human.” The nekogami’s brow furrowed. “They’re not too far from the pluses... well except for two of the plus souls.”
Opening her eyes she turned and pointed, “there’s two plus souls in that direction. They’re all alone.” Turning in the opposite direction, she gestured towards the area, “somewhere over there we should find five pluses and four humans.” Her eyes had darkened to an off black color. Having figured out what she wanted to know, she flooded her ears with her reiatsu once more to block out that horrible screaming. “I think the two on their own might be in danger of becoming Hollows.” The shrieks from that had been particularly chilling. The nekogami envied her comrades’ inability to hear spiritual energies right about now.
“Then they must have been here before the fire,” Satoru responded with interest. “Plus souls take months to go Hollow, sometimes even years. Nevertheless, if you’re hearing those kinds of screams, we need to move quickly.”
The Fourth Seat wanted to know what was going on with those poor souls and he knew that being on foot would not be fast enough for his taste. Instead, by now having done this quite often, he assumed his peregrine falcon form with astonishing speed. His brilliant ebony and ivory color scheme was highlighted by the reflection of the setting sun on his wings. As he flapped his natural propellers to keep himself eye level with his comrades, Satoru said, “According to the thread, they are around point-three kilometres to our northeast. I will fly ahead and scout out the area to make sure they’re still Pluses. You two make your way there on foot and purify any souls we may have missed.”
With that, he ascended high into the skies. The Mystic’s curiosity to see exactly how those two would get along without him was a temptation too powerful to ignore. He figured that if she was truly in trouble, Adele would have the good sense to use her Taidan to call for help.
Idiot, the Duelist thought, knowing exactly what he had in mind.
“So he gets to fly, but he leaves the ladies walking? What a gentleman,” Alexia said as she started to walk.
It was obvious to her that Satoru wanted to see how the two would interact without him around. Fine by her, Alexia was curious herself as to what was on the lady Mystic’s mind.
“You know this a fine time to yell at me and get whatever you have on your chest off. Especially since your superior officer isn’t around right now,” she called back to Adele.
The nekogami simply shook her head and followed the Duelist. "I'm not surprised Satoru-san went on ahead. He isn't very focused on chivalry."
At the moment, the most irritating thing about Alexia was how she was encouraging Adele to be rude to her. "Why would I yell at you? That would be disrespectful as well as dangerous. I'd rather not provoke people several times stronger than me."
Her eyes were a dark red color. The nekogami's ears and head hurt, now was not the time to worry about settling her personal issues with the more experienced shinigami. Even if she did yell at Alexia, Adele would only succeed in making her own headache worse.
“Adele, trust me, you don’t want to keep your emotions hidden. Doesn’t do much for making friends. I wanted to keep my emotions in check, to be the cool ice queen that Satoru referred to me as. It is much simpler to lay your cards on the table now, and let us know where you’re standing.”
The Duelist then turned around, walking backwards as she continued.
“If I did anything to offend you, I apologize. But how can we get past it if you won’t tell me what’s wrong?” she asked.
Biting her lip, Adele struggled to keep her calm. The earnest tone in the Duelist's reiatsu and voice were impossible to ignore. Silently damning her own soft heartedness, the nekogami spoke.
"It was not me who offended, I probably would have forgotten a slight towards myself. But to disrespect Adelaide-san is a lot harder to forgive. How can you speak of her to a stranger in such a casual manner? In such a setting, to refer to her as the residential lesbian was a complete disregard for the honor and respect Adelaide deserves."
By the end of her speech, the young Mystic's cheeks had flushed red and her eyes were a pained cerulean color. "It isn't my place to be offended or to judge your actions, but..." The short arcanist's voice wavered. She sounded more distressed than angered now.
"It's impossible to keep it to myself when you keep asking me to yell at you. What good is it if I am impolite to you? Even when you insult the woman I look up to and do your best to get me to lose control. What good does it do?" The nekogami looked at Alexia imploringly. She was at her wits ends and close to tears of frustration.
"I'm not the one who you should apologize to." With that, Adele fell silent, her reiatsu wrapping itself tightly around her and suppressing itself from detection. How she wished she could disappear.
If the Mystic was expecting an explosive reaction, she’d be disappointed. She would a feel a hand on her shoulder as Alexia looked sincerely into her eyes.
“I’m sorry. You’re respectful of your superiors, which is very admirable. I’m not gonna hold this over your head, but I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Adelaide longer than you have. She wears her heart on her sleeve, and is very proud of her...marital status. No doubt she would’ve had a laugh hearing it, but it is unfortunate that it affected you in such a negative way.
“I’m happy to call Adelaide my friend, and you should be happy to have her as your superior. To be fair, it was a party. I was being casual. Don’t be afraid of getting to know the officers, it can only help to further your relationship. I know Adelaide already has a vested interest in you, so I’ll be doing my best to make sure you’re back in her division with little to no scorch marks, ok?” she finished, removing her hand from Adele’s shoulder and holding it out to shake.
Adele ignored the offered hand in favor of hugging the Duelist. "Thanks," the Mystic said softly, stepping back from the older woman.
The elder Mystic had flown a little less than half a kilometer, still curious as to what exactly was going on back there. He knew Alexia to be the direct type. Even in the Tenth Division, her persistence was known by many. Adele was a bit of a wild card though; she had her soft side, but it was hidden under a lot of bristle and attempted bravado. He took a mental second to chuckle at her attempt to threaten him with the training dummy. In any case, those two could either be stonewalling one another or they could have even resolved it already. It was a curious case, to be sure.
He might have continued to ponder it had it not been for the pained scream. The energy signature that he had initially begun tracking had begun to change feeling. Its reiatsu was no longer just a plain white noise that he had come to associate with non-spiritual beings. Instead, it had begun to pick up in frequency and intensity. As he looked down from his elevated perch, he saw a patch of the wildfire that still had not been extinguished. A lone firefighter directed bursts of water at the conflagration from a portable hydrant, but nothing seemed to dampen its rage. The death god in bird’s clothing descended to get a closer look, curious as to why on Earth the blaze wasn’t responding to the human’s assault.
Then he saw the eyes.
A scream made its way to her cat ears, making her cringe. Allowing the purple appendages to surface she started walking faster.
"I don't know if you felt that, but I heard it and it didn't sound good. I think we should catch up with Satoru-san." Frowning, she squinted into the distance. "We should be catching up with him in a little under half a kilometer. What do you say, do we help the bird?"
The hug was unexpected, this was probably the first time she’d been on the receiving end of one. Regardless, it was a nice heartfelt moment, Alexia patting the girl on the back a few times before it ended.
She was wondering what exactly Adele was hearing when they began to walk again. Then when they started to pick up the pace, she noticed something different about the Mystic. Namely her head.
“Adele...really hoping I won’t offend you again but...what are those?” she inquired.
The ears twitched under Alexia’s gaze. “Oh these?” The nekogami pointed to her head. “They’re my other ears. They can hear reiatsu and are a lot stronger than my human ears. I don’t find your question offensive... I suppose having cat ears is a little different. Didn’t you wonder how I was able to tell the plus souls from the humans?” Flushing red, the shorter Mystic tried not to look too embarrassed. Her eyes turned an interesting shade of pink, not helping her composure whatsoever.
“I mean, Satoru-san probably couldn’t tell, but only some of the souls had heartbeats. So I’m assuming they’re humans and not pluses. And they sound different. They’re not screaming.”
“Different, but unique. How did you come across those? Was it something at birth or just a technique gone wrong?” Alexia wondered.
“As for detecting the pluses from the humans...I just assumed Satoru was really bad at it,” she said, chuckling a bit.
Adele covered her mouth and tried to stifle a giggle. Somehow, the Duelist’s low opinion of Satoru was amusing. It reminded her of her own irritation with the afrogami the last time they’d met. Getting sat on was not fun.
“He could still be really bad at it,” she suggested as mirth sparkled in currently green eyes.
A chilling howl sent a wave of pain through the nekogami’s ears. She dropped into a crouching position, covering the purple appendages with her hands and attempting to flood them with reiatsu. “...Satoru... help... I think... Hollow...” the Mystic grit out, her eyes clenched shut. Opening her eyes, she shouted, “Go! He needs help! I’ll follow as soon as I can.” Another shriek reverberated in her delicate, reiatsu sensing ears, drawing a moan of pain from Adele.
The wildfire hadn’t been a fire at all. There was a man at its center, screaming in pain and agony. Upon closer inspection, Satoru noticed that the burning man was chained to the scorched earth beneath its feet. Such a spectacle he had only seen in textbooks, but it appeared to be what they called a Jibakurei - a demi-Hollow. These were Pluses who were on their way to transforming into Hollows and ended up restricted to a specific territory until that transformation. The earthbound soul let out another blood-curdling scream, slowly walking toward the unaware human who kept trying to put out what he thought was flames.
It burns... the Jibakurei moaned with its eyes fixed on the poor human. You have come to save me? Stop the pain!
Without hesitation, Satoru immediately plunged into the signature dive of the peregrine falcon, plummeting straight towards the burning soul before reverting to his human form midair. With breakneck speed, he drew his tanto and smashed hilt first into the burning creature. The Konsou insignia flashed white on the burning demi-hollow’s forehead, sending it on its way to Soul Society and quieting the scream. Naturally, this did not prevent Satoru from sustaining some burns from the flames that had wreathed the beast. A decent portion of his robes had been singed in the effort and his hands had been especially affected from the brief encounter with the burning beast. Several scorch marks adorned his hands, but the human was saved.
Then something else entirely worse appeared. Something that the Mystic had not been expecting. Without warning, a Hollow appeared on his spiritual radar... and it was heading straight towards the two women. As fast as possible, he raced back toward his compatriots.
Though she was concerned for the cat-eared Mystic, Adele’s urging made Alexia move forward to confront the threat. Once she could see it, it was clear that the wildfire was not man-made or a random environmental tragedy. It was the product of a monster.
It probably could’ve been blending into the forest, as its exterior looked like a cross between a golem and a tree. She could see white eyes where a face should be, its body completely on fire. A burning walking tree. Go figure.
And here I am wielding an ice-based release. Terrific, the Duelist thought.
Oddly enough, the hollow did not seem to take notice of her. It kept walking on a singular, the ground burning beneath its feet. Not wanting to attack it until they properly prepared, she carefully made her way around it to meet up with Satoru.
“I don't think that thing knows what its doing. What do you think will happen if we try to attack it?” she asked.
Upon seeing the brute of a Hollow, Satoru immediately understood how the Jibakurei had caught fire. Manmade flames wouldn’t touch a spirit being. Only spiritual flames could affect souls and shinigami. Meeting Alexia’s gaze as she approached him, he said, “It will do what any self-respecting animal would do when threatened. Attack.”
He noticed that the younger shinigami’s tune had run out of control. Even seeing Adele distressed, he had to quickly force his emotions into submission, as they would not help him solve the problem.
“If we don’t dispatch him, this whole gulch will be burned to a crisp before the nearest shinigami can get here. He isn’t overly strong, not like Dilaw, so we can handle this quickly."
A thought struck him, causing the beginnings of a smirk that was quickly extinguished. With a neutral tone, Satoru said, "Engage the beast, Duelist. I will provide back-up.”
Which left her with the burning hunk of wood. Fantastic.
She had to run to catch up to the burning golem. Its pace was surprisingly quick, one step after the other. Then there was the issue of attacking it. Physically striking would only end up backfiring...literally.
She frowned as she looked at her blade. She hadn’t had much time to practice the technique, but figured that there was better way to practice than doing it in a fight.
Imagine the blood dripping down the blade, she reminded herself. Channeling reiatsu down the blade, she swung hard, a fiery burst of energy fired at the burning tank.
The blast made the hollow stop in its tracks, but it didn’t stumble or falter. She was wondering how it would respond, and she got her answer soon enough. The head twisted around like a sick puppet, its eyes now focused on her. Its left leg shot forward with unimaginable speed, and she could barely get her defense up in time. The worse of it was blocked, but the force behind the attack still sent the Duelist flying back several meters, rolling on the scorched earth.
“Okay...that one hurt,” she said to herself.
Adele's eyes shot open as she heard distress in Alexia's reiatsu. The Hollow had made a grave mistake; it attacked her comrades. Anger made her reiatsu buzz like a million killer bees, drowning out the beast's screams.
The Mystic vanished and suppressed her reiatsu. She darted towards the flaming tree monster, sword drawn. Crouching nearby Adele shoved a pair of earplugs in her cat ears. Tensing for a moment, the nekogami sprang forward, slicing at the Hollow's left shoulder.
The golem howled, using its good arm to swat at whatever had attacked it. The beast felt its arm come into contact with something but could not tell what it was.
Undeterred, Adele rolled when she hit the ground before climbing to her feet. Sneaking up on the creature, she stabbed it in the back of its left knee. Ignoring the ugly thing's pained howl, the nekogami cruelly twisted her blade before yanking it out. A large, burning foot sent her flying backwards, but the satisfaction was well worth it.
The Hollow was confused. What had attacked it? It couldn't see anything, but it had definitely kicked something. The beast stumbled towards the thing it had kicked, grumbling irritably. Was it a bug?
Adele lay still, breathing slow, shallow breaths. Her ribs hurt, probably bruised or cracked. Gingerly, she stood, shielding her ribs with her right arm, zanpakuto in her left hand.
Frowning at the incoming beast, Adele levitated a good sized chunk of charred earth and lobbed it at the monster. Smirking as the stupid creature turned in the direction of the attack, the nekogami made her way over to Alexia.
"Alexia-san, are you alright?" The invisible Mystic asked, crouching next to the Duelist.
“I’m just peachy. Getting kicked around by a hunk of wood is just another day in the life of a shinigami,” Alexia responded, shaking her head as she got to her feet. She looked around not seeing anyone attached to the voice.
“Where are you? Never mind...just get Satoru over here. Pretty sure you Mystics have some mind-to-mind chat powers or something,” she muttered.
The hollow had seemingly lost interest again, and resumed its walk.
“We’re going to need a better plan.”
Adele let Koutaizumai's illusion fade. She stood not too far from the Duelist, watching the tree Hollow limp about, probably in search of food.
"Alright," the nekogami agreed softly, hoping the aching in her ribs would fade soon. Brushing off her scorched robes, she sent Satoru a message, a curious tattoo the shape of a feather pen wrapped around an inkwell flashing in response to her spiritual energy.
Purple-san! We're over here. Alexia-san seems unharmed. I'm mostly okay, too. But get over here, we need a plan to destroy the tree Hollow before it finds something to feed on and heals. Hurry!
Adele watched the beast warily. "Alexia-san, if you stay close to me, I might be able to hide you under an illusion as well. I think it might be slightly safer if that thing couldn't see us."
The bronzed Mystic stood stunned at the ferocity with which Adele had attacked the hulking brute. Her technique still did not compare to other sword artists that he had seen, but Satoru could sense her indignation and the heart which she fought. And that technique Alexia had performed... it seemed simple enough from the observation he made of her energies as they flowed, but it was still powerful nonetheless. As they were wreaking their havok, Satoru had a hurried conversation with his zanpakutou.
Dia...
So you would like my help with this?
The Mystic let out an exasperated sigh before thinking back, I need to test if that fire is an ability or just a trait of its body. Our sound technique can help with that. Can you just let me do this?
His zanpaktou did not respond.
Satoru sighed, wondering how he would solve this problem. However, there was a golem in front of them that could not be ignored. As Adele finished up her assault, the afrogami began to chant and shape his spiritual energy. He did not bother to open his eyes, instead opting to focus everything on the spell ahead.
“Ensnaring sands, fleeting winds, bind yourself to mine enemy and cease his movements!”
Eyes flashing open with concentration and irritation, Satoru raised his voice and spoke, “Bakudou Number Seventeen, Earthen Maw!”
Around the flaming beast, the terrain near it became subject to Satoru’s influence. Thick tendrils of dirt and rock began to ensnare the Hollow’s arms and legs. The limbs of fire were gripped in the embrace of the Earth, halting its forward progress. While the monster was bound, Satoru ran towards the monster and leaped into the air, lifting his leg high. By bending the laws of physics to his will, his leap was far further and more powerful than anything he could have hoped to achieve on his own. As he began to descend near the Hollow the sandaled foot held aloft came crashing down on the monster’s head. The sole of his sandal was blackened and a small portion of his robes were burning on his leg after the attack, and Satoru quickly extinguished the flame by mentally throwing dirt over the burning fabric.
It howled in pain, but was held in place by Satoru’s kidou and unable to retaliate or thrash about. The Mystic looked towards Alexia with a pained smile that still managed to hold its usual snark. “Care to stab it? I think it’s done enough around here. Deserves a good rest and all that.”
“Adele stabbed it, and that hasn’t been doing much good. I doubt your little boot to the head will have done much either. The hollow needs to lose its flame if we’re going to stay close enough to do decent damage, not just poke it to death,” Alexia explained.
“I have an idea, but I need some kidou. A lot of it, and it needs to be hot. You two up for it?” she asked as she stepped forward.
“Chill to the bone, Kōri no Jotei,” she declared. The blade changed in her hands, and she began to rotate it, picking up speed slowly but surely.
“Answers would be good now.”
The Mystic was going to simply tell Alexia to purify it while it was restrained. With the monstrous size of that staff, she should feasibly be able to dispatch it without being too exposed to the flames. Nevertheless, he wondered what sort of crazy plan the Duelist had concocted. Against his better judgment, he decided to go along with her for the sake of knowing.
“I have Dragon’s Breath. That should work.”
He turned his puffy head to Adele and asked, “How about you, kit? How’s your kidou since our last lesson?”
"Well," Adele looked down, frowning for a moment.
"Is Inflamari okay?" She asked after a moment of thought. The nekogami twitched at the memory of her only kidou lesson with the afrogami.
"Of course if that isn't enough, I also know Dragon's Breath," the small Mystic added softly.
“Well whatever you got just ready it and aim in this direction. It needs to happen just before the ice reaches the hollow,” the Duelist explained.
With that being said, the rotation had now reached high speed, actually floating on its own. Raising a hand behind the spinning tornado, a constant flurry of icicles began to shoot forward.
“Now!” she called out.
"Soaring red dog, drink the balm of flame." The nekogami began, focusing on the sound of crackling flames being compressed, "into his eyes leaps the dragon's spark," Adele spoke quickly before pausing to inhale, "Hadou Seventeen, Dragon's Breath!" Her reiatsu resonated, vibrating against itself before a torrent of flames spewed from her mouth, aimed straight at the golem.
The fires held the intensity of her anger as she willed the flames to burn hotter and push forward. She wanted that ugly beast to burn in hell. The small, angry Mystic's eyes gleamed like rubies as she spit fire at her enemy. Hatred unlike anything she'd felt before fueled her attack. A Hollow would die today.
After funneling more reiatsu into Earthen Maw to affirm its integrity, Satoru synchronized his incantation along with Adele’s. He did it for the sake of both aesthetic value and functionality of releasing both flames as one. The two Mystics cried out “Dragon’s Breath!” at the same time. While Adele’s spell was fueled by rage, Satoru’s flames were fueled out of a morbid curiosity. He wanted to know exactly what Alexia had planned, and the flames surged outward as eagerly as his own inquisitive nature drove him to seek answers.
The combined surge of flame from both officers of the Tenth overtook the flurry of countless icicles. As the respective reiatsu fields of the three shinigami wrapped around each other, their attacks reflected the mutual goal held by all present... extinguishing that Hollow’s flame.
The ice was melted by the passionate bursts of heat, dousing the lost soul in a shower of spiritually-empowered water and causing the beast to cry out in pain. Satoru began to breathe with a tad more effort than normal as his body dealt with all the energy that he had just expended in the span of a few minutes.
“I think we should try and purify it now,” Satoru recommended as he eyed the beast. “Now that the flames are gone, I can see the mask.”
And indeed, the mask on its face was now exposed to the open air. It was vaguely reminiscent of the human apparatus known as a gas mask. Ribbed serrations of bone accented the blackness of its visage, It wrapped halfway around the hollow’s face, stopping just past where a human’s ears might be.
He glanced at both of his teammates; first Adele, and then Alexia.
“Together?”
In response, Alexia simply fell backwards on her butt.
“I’m content with letting the rookie letting the glory for this. What do you say Fluffy? Feel like getting your feet wet?” she said.
"Fluffy?" Adele squawked before coughing up a few puffs of smoke. Perhaps she had been a little too gung ho with that fire kidou.
"Um..." She looked at the Hollow. It was huge and hulking although burnt, soggy, and still entrapped. The hapless beast looked exhausted, like a hunted animal in a trap with no fight left. Could she brutally stab that thing in the face?
The nekogami pushed back her sleeves to see an angry red peeking from beneath the soot on her arms. She probably had first degree burns. Her fingers weren't much better, though her palms had been protected by now burnt, fingerless gloves. The aching in her ribs had grown steadily worse and her cat ears were numb.
Letting her sleeves fall, she drew her zanpakuto right handedly. Adele's stormy grey gaze fell on Satoru and Alexia. If it could, the Hollow would eat them. It would consume her. However sorry she felt for the golem, she knew she couldn't let it exist as a threat to her comrades. "I..." The lady Mystic started.
"I will purify it."
Her eyes turned silver before she turned away from them and ran. She ran with all her might to the Hollow, not bothering to turn invisible. Its screams of agony tore through her ears and reverberated in her head. Ignoring it, she leapt. Landing on the beast, she sank her blade into the center of its mask.
The shriek that followed was too much for Adele's ears. Her eyes paled as she fell from the beast, stunned by the blast of ungodly noise. She supposed it was fitting to suffer after attacking the wounded beast so viciously. It knew not what it was or the weight of its actions. How could a Hollow know any better?
The Hollow screamed. The little shinigami had stabbed it in the face. It had been miserably weeping before, injured and starving, but now, as the purifying power of that pesky insect of a death god's sword ripped through it, the beast hollered and wailed and sobbed uncontrollably. Its mask shattered and fell away and light emanated from the beast before it was no more. Where the fearsome Hollow had dissolved, a Plus soul sat crying.
Adele landed on her back. Groaning, she lay still. The impact had done her ribs no favors and her head felt as if it would burst. When the Hollow's screams finally ended, she sighed in relief. Head still pounding and ribs sore, the younger Mystic crawled to her feet and shuffled over to the Plus soul. Pulling out her blade once more, she stamped the Plus on the forehead with the heart shaped charm on the pommel of her odd looking sword.
"Please stop crying," the nekogami begged wearily, tears slipping down her face as the whimpering soul was transported away. Falling into a sitting position, Adele hugged her knees. The motion jolted her ribs, but she was beyond caring about that, now. Tears fell from pale, silver eyes.
The Mystic had the eyes of a man watching a new pet or a young child; eyes that were somewhat disconnected from the scene that he was watching. He felt little remorse for the Hollow; it was simply a misguided soul that needed to be cleansed for the betterment of the universe. Nor did he feel much hesitation in allowing Adele to slay the beast. After all, she had to learn how to fight and win under conditions that were unkind to her reiatsu. Satoru observed Adele’s act of cleansing with an unreadable expression, but showing concern once she sat and began to cry.
The Inquisitive gave Adele a puzzled look, wondering exactly what was ailing his sort-of-apprentice. He focused in on her reiatsu, looking to hear the normally high frequency of her spiritual pressure. Instead, Satoru noticed her energy was unfocused and loosely contained. It was as if she had sent the normal orchestra of her sound on a lunch break.
What should I do? he mused. She’s crying her tiny eyes out... think Inquisitive, think!
The Fourth Seat walked over to her and, after a moment’s hesitation, put a hand on her shoulder. It was a gesture meant to impart a sense of comfort and stability to the young Mystic. His bronzed grip was accompanied by no sound, but the sixteenth note tattooed to his neck flashed with his ebony energy as his words were mentally projected to Adele.
Adele, you’ve done a wonderful job here. Certainly not bad for your first day on the rock.
I swear Addie, this wasn’t my fault, Alexia said to herself upon seeing the female Mystic as she began to cry.
Was this her first fight against a hollow? In the Duelist’s case, she had been triumphant but had hardly shed a tear. Still the Mystics always tend to be more... in tune with their feelings. Satoru had placed a hand on her shoulder, most likely doing that mind-to-mind thing they do. Alexia walked up and sat down next to the cat-eared Mystic.
“First one’s always the hardest. Just remember that slaying a hollow is basically a mercy killing. Regardless of how monstrous they may be, you’re showing them kindness by putting them out of their misery. They will hurt you, and you will hurt them. In the end though, it’ll all be worth it,” she said.
She then placed her arm around Adele, drawing her into a gentle hug.
“So...would you like to get fixed up in the Fourth, or should we celebrate your first victory with a nice dinner?” she offered.
Adele's eyes darkened a little when she recognizes Satoru and Alexia's approaching reiatsu signatures. Her purple cat ears, though they rested flat against her head, detected concern and confusion from her teammates.
Mentally, she spoke to Satoru. Thank you Satoru. That helps a little.
"Th-thank you," the nekogami said softly. The Duelist's hug might have made her uncomfortable in any other setting, but today it was extremely comforting. Leaning against Alexia, the female Mystic wrapped an arm around the Duelist in acceptance of the hug, despite her ribs which ached under even light contact. With the sleeve of her other arm she wiped her face.
"I think dinner would be more pleasant than the hospital. We could go somewhere once we finish up here." Adele made no move to end the contact, it was kind of pleasant even if it hurt. "Would either of you happen to have bandages?"
She probably should have asked to go to the Fourth, but the younger Mystic didn't want to be left alone. Without the comforting sounds of Alexia and Satoru's reiatsu, the feline arcanist knew she would be haunted by those screams. If she could put a bandage on it and move on, it would be much better to stay with her superiors.
"Nope. But need I remind you, Adele, that we're Mystics," said the Fourth Seat confidently. "It's our job to work creatively with what we have!"
With hardly a thought, Satoru removed the kosode part of his uniform. He tossed it into the air and caught it at the apex of its ascent with naught but his mind. While held aloft there, it began to tear itself into long strips of black fabric. Then they began to gently float down towards the two Mystics, as if carried by the wind's gentle currents. One by one, Satoru grabbed each strip and wrapped them tightly around the area that he had seen her clutching at. After rubbing his hands together, he looked at her before speaking once more.
"For your burns, a bandage couldn't quite help. The fabric might infect the wound. While you will need proper care eventually, I'll try to do what I can for you."
He kneeled next to Adele, thinking that there had to be some sort of way to cheer Adele up. Satoru knew that dinner would have to wait until they were back in Soul Society, but he didn't want to spoil the moment. Suddenly, he had an idea. With a few mental commands, his headphones switched on. However, these were not standard apparel. Satoru's headphones played music via his own reiatsu, which the kittygami would likely sense. To cheer her up, he began to play "Divinire" by Ludovico Einaudi.
"Alright, Adele, hold still," Satoru commanded before placing his palms above her burned hands. The Fourth Seat took a deep breath and closed his eyes, willing the power within him to follow his command. When he exhaled, carbon dioxide was not the only thing released. Reiatsu gently emanated from his hands, flooding her wounds with his spiritual energy via Reiki. He continued this process for a few minutes. Satoru knew that this would not outright heal the girl, but it was hopefully enough to provide some measure of comfort.
"Alright ladies, there are still a few Pluses out there. Despite recent events," the Inquisitive stated in a tone that showed both his concern for Adele and his obligation to the lives in the balance. "We still have a job to do."
“Well since Kittens here got the kill, I’ll go deal with the leftovers, ok? You two can catch up or something,” the Duelist said before running off.
Adele stared at Satoru as he ripped his robes. She winced at the pressure of the bandages, but didn't react otherwise. Her ears perked up a bit at the tune coming from his headphones.
The feel of another shinigami's reiatsu was rather different, distracting the nekogami from the pain of her wounds. Satoru's spiritual energy sounded kind of nice when he was healing her hands. The light hum soothed her cat ears as well.
"Thank you," the younger Mystic uttered softly, watching Alexia's retreating form. "You didn't have to do this much." Flexing her newly healed fingers, she noted that while they still stung, they were much easier to control.
"Why did you do this? You could have healed your own hands."
“My hands will be fine,” Satoru remarked. “But you, dear cat, have been placed under my charge. Had Alexia not decided to do her thing, I’d be seeing to her wounds too despite how strong that woman is.”
The Mystic watched her go on and smirked, mainly at himself. It had only been a couple months or so since their spar, and already he had let himself fall behind her. He'd grown stagnant. It was a depressing thought.
But this little shinigami before him... she had grown remarkably fast. When he first noticed her flitting about the Tenth Division grounds, the younger shinigami’s energies had not been this loud. As he returned his gaze to meet Adele’s own, his smirk mellowed out slightly.
“Your kidou has also improved! You’re actually casting the spells as intended, I see,” Satoru noted with a joking tone. He ruffled the young Mystic’s hair, ignoring the minor burns left on his hand. “Who knows? Maybe you’ll be a better Mystic than I some day.”
Without warning, he twisted his spiritual pathways to match those of the Duelist’s as they were earlier. He then lifted a single hand into the air. A fiery burst of energy was shot forth from his left hand without warning, raising itself into the sky like a midnight-colored flare. With that beacon of power, Alexia should be able to easily make her way back to their meeting spot once she was done.
“But before that happens, you’ll have to be able to do what I just did.”
Adele ducked away from Satoru's hand and grit her teeth. He had almost touched her ears. "What was that?" The younger Mystic asked, eying the curious flare. The small crackling pop sound it made was interesting.
While she waited for his response, the kittygami took his hands and flooded them with her reiatsu in hopes of lessening his burns.
“I have no idea what the technique is,” Satoru said truthfully. He found himself smiling like a cat who’d just stumbled upon a secret stash of milk. “I just borrowed it from Alexia.”
"Borrowed?" The younger Mystic's eyes turned from silver to a curious blue grey color. "Hitomane?" She blinked, wondering if she could copy the flare.
“Quite right!” confirmed the Mystic. As he recalled the training with Adelaide, he winced. It had taken quite a bit of time for the Fourth to get all of those glass fragments out of his body.
“You will have to talk to our dear sometimes-Captain about that. I’m not sure if I’m the right guy to teach you that, and certainly not here and now.”
"Oh," the feline shinigami looked down and realized that she was still holding his hands. Releasing them, she withdrew her own into her singed sleeves. "Sorry about that... I don't think it worked very well." Healing wounds with pure reiatsu was more difficult than she thought.
“Leave ya’ll alone for five seconds, and now I see you two are holding hands. Should I be worried or jealous?” the Duelist said with a smirk.
“In any case, any lingering souls have now moved on to the next life. So yeah confetti and sparkles galore. So if you two are done playing ‘Guess what I’m thinking?’, how about we get something to eat? Satoru here knows how to treat a lady to a meal, don’t you Afro?” she said.
Satoru just sighed. What was it with women and physical contact these days? All Adele was trying to do was return the favor he had done her.
Despite his inclination to inquiry, even he realized that it was a very simple answer.
"What you should be is neither of those two things," he responded to the Duelist with a rather casual tone. "You should be more concerned with the fact that we don't know where we are eating. I picked last time, after all."
He looked back at Adele, wondering as to how she reacted to the woman's unfounded assertion.
Turning slightly red, Adele failed not to look embarrassed. Even her eyes turned pink. "Do either of you like sushi?" She asked, refusing to further acknowledge Alexia's teasing. Honestly, such affections between her and Satoru would be terribly inappropriate. Nevertheless, she only glared at the Duelist half heartedly. No harm was meant.
“Hmm...fish. Should be something new...and a change of pace from this hot place,” Alexia remarked. She decided not to comment on the irony that a girl with cat ears had an affinity for fish.
The Duelist looked at her hand, rather surprised at how strong she had become. It had been a while since the scion fights, and she had grown with each victory. While Afro here may have had the higher rank, she was sure she could probably kick his ass now. Regardless, it was nice to have led two comrades to victory without them being completely messed up.
“So...why don’t you go open the gate, Mr. I Have A Decent Rank?” she asked.
[COL="#4B0082"]Sushi, mused the afrogami. Never had it before. I wonder if it’s anything like yellowtail?
Noting the sarcasm in her tone, Satoru turned to her and remarked, “Thanks for remembering! Still holding down the bottom rung of the professional ladder?”
Satoru gave a dismissive chuckle, sending his bass tone rolling outwards and washing over the ears of his comrades. He then stood tall and brushed off the remains of his shinigami uniform. His kosode was currently wrapped in pieces around Adele, so Satoru found himself garbed in an all white ensemble save for the headphones around his neck and the burn marks near his foot and hands. He reflected on the overall success of the mission, though he wondered exactly how Adele would take the purifying of her first Hollow. Everyone responded differently and he still hadn’t technically killed his first yet, so he had no idea how she might be feeling.
Making a mental note to himself to follow up on Adele’s thoughts, Satoru shrugged at the two women as he drew his tanto. The Fourth Seat thrust it into the open air and turned the spiritual key, opening the Senkaimon to return home. With a curious lilt in his voice, the Inquisitive muttered to himself, “Since when do Italians do sushi?”[/COLOR]
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