Evergloam
New Member
Change
Manifestation
- 2,080 -
The night was young, the moon had yet to reach its peak and the stars were dotted sparingly throughout the sky. There was an eerie silence in the Fourth, a contrast to the usual rushing footsteps or wails from patients in pain. Outside, on one of the Fourth’s roofs, a single figure sat in meditation. Her hands were folded together in her lap, her eyes closed and her feet folding under one another. If one had gotten close to her without her attacking in defense, they would have thought she was deader than she already was. Any sign of her chest moving from breathing was nonexistent. Manifestation
- 2,080 -
In front of her was a wakizashi, the beautiful steel stabbed into the cement tip-first. The name of this zanpakutou was Kyuketsuki, otherwise known as Vampire. But the manifestation would have argued vehemently that her name was not ‘Vampire’ as if she was a commoner.
Without warning, the blade was snatched from the range of the meditating figure. This figure was known as Ren Tegishahara, the wielder of this vampiric blade. Ren opened her eyes, the previous traces of azure lost in a sea of bloody scarlet. Her pupils changed from the black circles into feline-esque slits, accompanying her red irises well. A smile formed, though the teeth were hidden.
“I’m assuming my cosmetic changes are of your doing,” Ren paused, the scarlet orbs moving to her left to look at the individual who snatched her sword, “Kyuketsuki?”
“I figured you would notice them. Think of them as my way of showing your growing power.”
The vampire was as regal in the flesh as she was in her inner world. Beautiful black hair made its way down to the small of her back in beautiful cascades, with a defiant lock of hair falling close to her left eye. Her eyes were the same beautiful scarlet that Ren’s were, though they were far different. They looked down at Ren as if she was inferior, constantly judging her or planning to simply get away to do as she pleased. She was a queen, Ren was just the wielder who allowed her to be free.
Ren unfolded her legs, looking at the spirit, then around her. The area remained the same. Her roof was still there, the sky was still fresh and cloudless. No signs that she was in her inner world at all.
“Where are we, Kyuketsuki?”
“The Fourth Division, of course. We haven’t left anywhere.” There was a smirk plastered on her features as she spoke, a giggle barely contained behind her words.
“Then how can I see you?” The vampire stood up, walking to the zanpakutou spirit. With a careful hand, she brought it across the cold, pale skin of Kyuketsuki’s cheek. No illusion, no trick of her mind. Just cold skin. “How can I touch you?”
“In a lot of ways, but I don’t think you’re a fan of sharing an intimate, physical moment with me,” the vampire joked, bringing a hand across the cheek of Ren much like she did previously to the vampire spirit. Scarlet eyes met Ren’s own as she smirked. “I suppose you don’t want a smartass answer. I’m here because you’ve attained a new level of release. Sort of.”
“I can now appear in the spiritual world as a physical aspect. I’m as real as you now.”
Ren looked at the regal spirit, raising an eyebrow. “So now I have to deal with you in reality and not just as some annoying voice in my head. Lovely.”
“Sticks and stones, darling.” The vampire grinned, holding up the wakizashi she previously looted from Ren. “Take your zanpakutou.”
The words carried a threat, almost as if the vampire challenged her wielder. Ren looked at the blade, seeing her reflection inside of the blade’s mirror-like steel. With a simple movement as natural as breathing, she reached for her sword. In an instant, Kyuketsuki’s hand grabbed Ren’s. It wasn’t gentle, it was violent. In a fluid motion, Kyuketsuki slammed the medic into the ground, dropping the wakizashi immediately.
The tip of the blade dug into Ren’s kosode sleeve, pinning it to the ground. Ren’s scarlet eyes didn’t budge, staring up at Kyuketsuki.
“I said ‘take it’, or are you incompetent?” Kyuketsuki barked as her wielder continued to stare up at her.
Scarlet eyes drifted down to the beautiful wakizashi, her hand twitching as she felt the cold steel press against her flesh inside of her kosode. Then, she reached to grab it. Once again, an obstacle. Kyuketsuki’s hand slapped away Ren’s, leaving two lines of red etched into her palm. But Ren felt her fingers grace the hilt.
Immediately, Ren grabbed the zanpakutou, only to have a foot dig into her stomach. But she held onto the blade, cringing and grinding her teeth. Pain filled her body from such simple movements, as if everything felt more sensitive. No. It felt... real. For once, Kyuketsuki was attacking her and it was real.
She held the blade in her hand tightly, laying on the ground without retaliation. She didn’t move, she only stared up at the zanpakutou spirit with spite. But anger towards her or not, Kyuketsuki held a perfect smile, fangs bared and golden eyes watching.
“Congratulations on getting your weapon back. But that’s not what I meant. I said...” there was a small movement that let Ren know what was going to happen, tensing her body as Kyuketsuki finished her sentence. “... take your zanpakutou!”
A fierce kick sent Ren flying directly off the roof, leaving her mere seconds to react. “Bansoukou!” she cried out, adhesive energies gathering on her feet. She clung to the face of the building, her fingers pressed tightly against the surface. The medic looked up to see Kyuketsuki peering over the edge, still showing her famous fanged smile.
The vampire zanpakutou leaped, matching the distance to Ren immediately. With a fierce demonstration of the true strength of vampires, Kyuketsuki sent Ren flying away from the building with a single punch. On top of that, the sickening feeling of her draining ability filled Ren, adding more to her shitty night.
Ren’s eyes widened, her body curling in pain as she was sent away. It seemed like an eternity before she landed, and she did so with a couple of skips, like a rock on a pond surface.
When she finally gained her bearings, the vampire medic looked around. Surprisingly, she was sent quite the distance away from their location. They were still in the division grounds, but not on a building. Perhaps it was better, given the look of how this was turning out.
Just like before, Kyuketsuki appeared before Ren, wielding her gloves proudly. The leeching gloves seemed to shake with energy, content with Ren’s reiatsu. The vampire medic groaned quietly, standing up on her feet, holding the wakizashi tightly in her hand still. Scarlet eyes met golden eyes, both stern and holding in their gaze. One demanded servitude, the other, a challenge.
In an instant, Kyuketsuki was in front of Ren. A fist raged towards the medic, but it was caught by her own hand. An errant twitch in her arm muscles and a slight flick of her wrist allowed Ren to manipulate Kyuketsuki’s body, if only briefly. The regal woman was slammed violently into the ground, her face imprinted into the ground in the form of a small crater.
There was no end yet, however. Kyuketsuki’s dangerous gloves lashed out, grabbing Ren’s ankle before yanking her down to the ground to join the vampire blade. A loud yelp left Ren’s lips as she found her neck being gripped tightly.
Ren’s scarlet eyes glared up at her zanpakutou in a brief moment, the two’s gaze meeting once again. Her eyes began to water up, her breath escaping against her will as her zanpakutou’s grip continued to tighten and hold. The world around her began to darken, the edge of her view turning black.
Slowly, her eyes closed, her body tensing as she began to relinquish her body begrudgingly to unconsciousness.
Shiiink...
There was a dripping noise, the faint pitter patter of droplets hitting the ground. Rain? No. A good look at the two would have revealed Ren’s hand buried against Kyuketsuki’s stomach. The faintest glimmer of her wakizashi hilt revealed that the blade was hidden within the vampire’s stomach. In an instant, Ren’s hand was covered in blood.
Despite this, Kyuketsuki still wore a smile. Perhaps a proud smile instead of one that meant to instill fear into her master.
“Congratulations.” The voice came from some distance away as Kyuketsuki’s stabbed form fell limp, then dissolving into a puddle of blood. A puddle of blood that gracefully fell on Ren’s entire body. Ren’s eyes widened as she jerked up, thankful for the hand leaving her throat.
“You didn’t do it flawlessly, but I suppose I should stop having fun before this gets worse.” A heavy sigh, though laced with teasing, came from Kyuketsuki as she sauntered to her wielder. “You, Ren Tegishahara, have permission to release me into the next level. It’s no Bankai yet, but it’s another testament to your growing bond with lovely me and your strength as a shinigami.”
“However,” there was a pause as her scarlet eyes bore into Ren’s very soul, “you do disappoint me. Quite often, at that. I have to remind you that this world is bad? I have to remind you that you’re stronger than you show off? What the fuck. Ren, you’re a vampire. Though not in the traditional sense like I’d like you to be, you are. You wield a vampire blade. A badass one at that. You are trained by people like Adele and Lucia, but you don’t show off your most inner strength that I know you have.”
“For fucks sake, start acting like it, y’know? You should be able to put me in place with that sort of strength, but all you can manage is a simple stab? Ren Tegishahara. You disappoint me.”
Ren flinched at her zanpakutou’s words, her body slowly shifting in uncomfortability. The vampire medic looked up at her zanpakutou, rubbing her neck in an attempt to brush off the pain caused by the vampire.
“I’m not going to spend my immortal life watching you go by barely in life. Before I even think of giving you my Bankai, you’re going to shed this skin of yours completely. Even if I have to beat it out of you, you will never be scared of anyone again. You’ll never be scared of a sword again, even if it pierces your heart and ends your life. You’ll never be scared of yourself either.”
“I will only bow before you when you are strong enough to demand my knee. Until then, Ren Tegishahara,” the vampire paused, grabbing her wielder by the shoulder firmly, “you’re no vampire queen. I may be your servant, but you are not fit for that title of queen. A queen is strong, powerful and demanding. They have few flaws, and they don’t allow their flaws to ruin their image. You do. So, try to prove me wrong in my judgement and I’ll contemplate giving you my name. Do you understand?”
Ren shook visibly at the hand on her shoulder, but nodded silently. Whether it was because of her brief brush with Kyuketsuki that took away her voice or the fear of her zanpakutou’s anger, she couldn’t tell. But she knew obedience was the key part in this moment. “I understand...”
Without another word, Kyuketsuki faded from existence, leaving behind nothing but the aftermath of her incident and the memories of her speech. Ren shuddered, slowly beginning to take a few steps forward. Did she have to change? To erase everything she was before, even if it wasn’t the greatest parts of her? They made her what she was now, they forced her to strive to become the woman she was.
Ren looked over to her hip, where the wakizashi resided. She could feel Kyuketsuki’s stern gaze burning into her, judging her still. Perhaps the vampire was right. Maybe Ren did need to change. How could she though? She was scared of herself, her innermost fears for so long. They felt like they were burned into her, like she couldn’t get rid of them. How does one get rid of a part of themselves?
A part of Ren gave a simple answer.
You don’t change yourself for power or for anything.