Judgment [closed|Kasumi]

One of the things she couldn't ignore were potential Vaizards. While she didn't have any particular hatred toward them, not even after Kionchi's treason, she still felt the need to make sure that none of those existing would form a threat to the recovering Gotei. As far as she knew, Cheshire hadn't lied to her about those who were ..infected. Among the names she had gotten back then, an old mentor of sorts had been listed – Shinkiro. A man whose presence in the Seireitei had been rather scarce lately. This fact only led Kasumi to believe more and more into the idea of him being one of them. Of course, she would have to check it out herself, make sure there was anything to worry about at all. The gained information would probably be kept to herself, for the time being, should the assumed scenario would turn out to be true. With the exception of Nagisa – the woman was a Vaizard herself, and could help out those of her kind way better than most Shinigami could.

“Commander?” One of the present officers got Kasumi's attention when the Senkaimon started to open. Leaving the thoughts to deal with the real business, she was glad to see that her subordinates had timed the arrival well. Only two minutes had passed since her arrival at the gate and Shinkiro was already here – which she found impressively accurate, but at the same time logical.

“I am the one who's sent for you.” She calmly stated once Shinkiro's surprised expression had faded slightly. The words coming from his mouth could be considered disrespectful, but she let it slide because of his obvious confusion.

“Well done, I'll take it from here,” her blue eyes slid towards the men behind Shinkiro. “you're all dismissed.”

Watching them bow and disappear from sight without any protests left Kasumi feeling a bit proud of the progress she's made during the last couple of days. At the start the looks of confusion and moments of hesitation had been at war with the haori she now wore, but as the time went by the idea of her being the Captain Commander seemed to settle in bit by bit, and the men no longer wasted moments when she gave them an order.

“I can only imagine that you've missed a couple of things while being in the world of the living,” she spoke while studying the man who had tried to teach her some Zanjutsu not even a year ago. It seemed so long ago now, but she could still clearly remember his two Spirits being shrouded in Shunkō.

Her eyes narrowed slightly.

Soon she neutrally continued to speak while turning around: “let me fill you in while we walk.”

Without waiting to see whether or not he was ready to follow, Kasumi strode into the direction of the First division. Some matters shouldn't be discussed in the open. Especially now that she knew what type of information gathering system the Gotei had.. well, she was surprised nobody had ever called her out on the crap she had done. Then again, after seeing what type of crimes Shinigami committed hers seemed to be child's play.

“Fujikagi Tokiyo is gone, and so is Minamoto Shun.” The latter might still reappear, but with Tokiyo becoming what he had become – well, Kasumi was pretty certain he would never be Captain Commander again.

“When the both of them disappeared after a fight amongst each other, Tsukiyo Kionchi tried to claim the haori I'm wearing, but Captain Chinda and Hazuki stepped in, through a vote I was selected as the successor of Commander Fujikagi, but the man, Kionchi, -” she paused briefly, titling her head to the side to catch Shinkiro's gaze. “turned out to be a Vaizard – and a traitor, too. As his attempt to attack the Captains and everyone who had gathered on the hill was interfered with by Jian, the man fled before we could arrest or kill him.”

Crossing the streets she watched the few Shinigami they met on their way greet her with a bow. It was a little odd; she still hadn't quite gotten used to it, but she accepted the gestures with a gentle nod while continuing her journey to Senzaikyu – the white tower that loomed over the Seireitei.

“I bet that you have some questions, you're free to pose them, Shinkiro.”

They slowly arrived at the gate which provided them with the entrance to the tower – guarded by two Shinigami. The men nodded before the order was given, and both Shinkiro and Kasumi were left alone when passing through once the gate had been opened. It was strange to see how easily everything was thrown in front of her feet now that she wore the haori of the First. Before, Kasumi hadn't quite thought of all these things, but with the realization that change was inevitable and that she wanted to be one of those guiding the reformation into the right direction, had come the idea of power and authority being really handy.

“I've sent for you because I want to talk to you,” Descending toward the prison, Kasumi noted to remind him later not to speak of this place – if, of course, he would get out of it. “we're here, because it's a discussion that doesn't need too many, if any, witnesses.”

More stairs, check points and Kidō barriers made it obvious that people didn't simply walk in and out of this place. The deeper they went, the more oppressive the nature of the building became. It cost Kasumi some effort to ignore the halls which grew more narrow as the proceeded until the last floor was reached. Stepping onto the cylindrical platform she beckoned the man to follow her. Once he set his feet onto the artificially lit platform, the space was closed off and they moved further down.

Is this the right place to bring him?, she wondered briefly while the platform fell towards the darkness. The light above them shrunk until it was barely visible at all, and only when the platform came to sudden stop and a heavy, dull sound of metal hitting metal, did Kasumi realize how terrifying this place truly was.

Of course, a mere piece of paper could have never described the enormous space of, nor could have words, and this only appeared to be the income hall.

“Before we go any further,” the distant light somewhere above them gave Kasumi's white hair an eerie presence. Their feet were lost in the darkness – the platform was barely visible, she could barely see his face. A step brought her closer, she put her right hand on his chest, looking for his heart in hopes to feel if he would say the truth or not.

Killing her nerves, she let the icy cold seep through her voice. If he wasn't, there was no need to be nervous, but she wanted to make sure to push him.

“Are you a Vaizard, Shinkiro?”

The words seemed to echo across the colossal cavern with dying vibrations of her deadly tone climbing up the distant walls.


Words: 1187
Ooc: Went by this description, sorta

Shinkiro spared a short glance towards the Shinigami behind them as they were dismissed, his brow furrowing in a curious frown. She had sent for him? Since when did Kasumi have that much pull? The expression slowly softened and returned to his usual passivity as things slowly pieced themselves together in his mind. She was right about that, at least; he had missed quite a few things while being absent from Soul Society. This, it seemed, was one of the biggest things. Kasumi as Captain Commander...it was an unexpected turn of events. Maybe, he figured, her being the head honcho would be better for him and people like him. While he didn't particularly know what her stance was on the matter, it had to be better than the one held by that uptight tyrant and at least a little better than the one Old Man Tokiyo had.

Only time would tell, he supposed.

"Yeah, that might be a good idea." Shinkiro remarked evenly, the former informality he had spoken with replaced by a neutral tone that rivaled Kasumi's. As they began their trek towards the First Division, Shinkiro continued to think things over. For months he had managed to stay under the radar, or at least had thought he had managed to. There hadn't been any real slipups since his run-in with Jian in Karakura, but even that hadn't generated many waves as far as he could tell. Even during the invasion he had managed to keep a tight rein on Kuro and prevent him from manifesting; that was a feat in and of itself. Upon hearing confirmation that not only had Old Man Tokiyo disappeared, but that uptight tyrant Shun was gone as well, Shinkiro gave a thoughtful nod.

"Kionchi...I see..." He muttered quietly, processing everything she had just told him about the aforementioned Vaizard. A traitor...he could understand why Kasumi spoke about him the way she did, especially after hearing that the man had attempted a coup so brazenly. Hearing that Jian had been present as well elicited an amused chuckle and subdued smirk from Shinkiro. That kid was everywhere these days, whether he belonged there or not. Being a hero was deeply ingrained into his character, it seemed.

He continued to be led by Kasumi, presently forgetting to question exactly where they were going. But as he raised his head to look forward, his steps began to falter and his jaw tightened. His gaze quickly slid towards Kasumi then returned to the ivory monolith that loomed ahead of them. Very few, if any, Shinigami didn't know what Senzaikyu was and what it was for. Sure, Second Division had the Maggot's Nest, but this place was unquestionably worse. His throat became as barren as the Sahara, countered only by the thin film of cold perspiration that form on his brow. For a moment he had even forgotten to continue forward. It was the sound of Kasumi's voice that snapped him back to reality. A frantic blink then his eyes quickly panned left to right before settling on the young woman in front of him.

"Kassie this is...why are we here?" He questioned, his voice a low rasp. He swallowed in an attempt to return some moisture to his throat---it had little effect. He didn't have to really ask why she wanted to talk to him, or rather, he didn't want to ask. He knew full well why she wanted to speak with him, and the fact that Kuro's smoldering gaze burned into him and his taunting scratch of a laugh echoed in his mind didn't particularly help matters.

"Looks like your time's run out, boy! What happened to all of that bravado you showed back with the little cat girl? I thought you weren't afraid anymore? I thought you were going to put me in my place?" Kuro mused. SHinkiro's fists clenched tightly and he could feel his teeth grinding together from his frustration. He remained silent as they continued further into the prison. Desperately he worked to regain his composure, to calm down and properly think about the situation instead of panicking needlessly. But the deeper into the prison they proceeded, the more difficult he found it to regain rationality. The irony of the situation left a bitter taste in his mouth and he had to consciously fight back the urge to laugh cynically. He had always been able to keep a tight hold on his emotions and remain collected, but now here he was panicking like a child being caught by a parent.

This was one rabbit hole that he would have rather avoided.

"Shin...calm down. Breathe. It'll be alright, we'll be here with you. Kasumi wants to help you, talking in this place is just so there won't be any unwanted witnesses. It's better off for you this way, don't you think?"[/I] Kaori questioned gently, an ethereal hand settling on his shoulder to offer him some comfort.

"Don't be naïve! This is a prison, not too far from here is the hill for executions. That's rather convenient, don't you think? She brought you here to do away with you, even a blind monkey could see that!" Shinkiro had stepped onto the metallic platform beside Kasumi, but as Kuro spoke he reflexively took a step back away from her. Before he could actually renege on his decision to follow her further down, the passage behind them was closed off and the platform gave a sudden lurch as it descended. As the light gradually dimmed, the subdued panic he felt began to become magnified by their rapidly darkening surroundings. Slowly but surely his eyes began to adjust to the darkness, they themselves giving off an almost haunting golden sheen in comparison to the ghostly shimmer of Kasumi's hair. He felt her hand settle against his chest and their gazes met. At this point, she would be able to feel the accelerated thumping of his heart as she questioned his nature as a Vaizard.

"I..." He had barely managed that much, let alone the entire statement. But what should he say? What could he say? There was certainly no need to lie about it, but what would happen if he told the truth? His eyes shifted away from Kasumi's and gave her a cursory glance. Even in his apprehensive state, his ability to read the intentions of people and their body language had not suffered. She was serious, that much he could tell just from her tone, but there was no hostility present in her posture or her reiatsu. Now that he actually thought about it...

The panic that had previously gripped him was briefly sidelined in favor of curiosity. Now that he focused on her, he could feel the increased strength in her reiatsu; it was much different than it was back then. She was stronger, that much was certain, but more than that---Kasumi had matured. There was still a playful mischievousness to her, but it was tempered by a quiet resolve and sense of responsibility. Perhaps becoming the Captain Commander had been the wakeup call that the young woman had needed. Not unlike an elder brother, Shinkiro felt himself actually being proud of the change; it was a good one. The moment passed just as quickly as it had surfaced, however, his panic returning as he remembered the question she had posed.

Are you a Vaizard?

He realized he hadn't yet answered, and he still debated back and forth on whether he should answer. Whatever social connection the two of them may have had, right now this was the Captain Commander speaking to one of her soldiers. He let out a quiet sigh and his hand rose to take hold of Kasumi's, removing it from its resting place on his chest then releasing it from his grasp. For a moment he remained silent, his gaze lowered to stare at the darkness enshrouded floor beneath them.

"I guess there's no point in denying it anymore, huh? So is that why we're here? Are you going to lock me up down here because of something I didn't want or have any control over? Well...I guess that'd make sense considering what the rest of the Seireitei thinks about my...condition and what that Kionchi guy just did." He gazed absently at his upturned hands, barely able to make them out in the dim light. Maybe being imprisoned would be the best course of action. It would keep him from causing trouble and it would appease the rest of the Seireitei knowing one less potential Vaizard was out in the world. Yet as he began to raise his gaze to meet Kasumi's once more and accept the idea of imprisonment, a sense of vertigo gripped him.

"Really? Did you really think I'd allow something like that to happen? You may be fine with staying locked away in a dark hole, but I have no intention of spending my days as a caged animal any longer. So why don't I take over from here on out?" As the words were spoken, Shinkiro felt himself forcefully relinquishing control of his body as he was pulled into his Inner World. As Kuro surfaced, Shin's skin seemed to become ashen, the golden sheen of his eyes deepening and shifting into a baleful glow of Kuro's own eyes. The onyx flames of Shunko erupted along the length of Kuro's arms and a fanged sneer shined out through the darkness at Kasumi.

"There, that's much better! It was getting a bit too cramped in there, this is much more gratifying, don't you think?" His grin widened as he began to pace, eyeing Kasumi with sinister intent.

"So then, was your plan to bring him down here and lock him away? I'll tell you what I told him...I don't plan on allowing that to happen, little girl. If you want to lock me away...you'll have to work for it!" Without warning he charged, a Shunko wrapped fist drawn back in preparation to attack.

Word Count: 1,665
Total Word Count: 3,166

She knew, her eyes widened ever so slightly while Vör slowly awakened from her slumber. Tendrils of icy cold ran down her spine and lovingly dug into her muscles to spread out through her body.

Yes, she knew.

Even before he had answered her question she had already known by the way his heart leaped in his chest what the answer would be. That was aside from the fact that Shinkiro took way too long to reply. Of course, a panicky 'no' in the form of a shout or a growl would have been obvious as well, but his hesitation, the stretching of time as if the answer would change if he would keep it for himself for long enough, the way she heard his breathing pause and the following sigh escaping him when he got a hold of her hand in order to remove it from his chest.. All of it revealed plenty of information on its own.

His grip was strong but he clearly didn't plan to hurt her. No squeezing of fingers, no violent pulling or pushing. The connection broke when her hand slid out of his and neither tried to hold on. There was no need for that, everything was already laid out in front of their eyes. Even through the darkness they found themselves in both were able to see the missing pieces of the puzzle.

Not that they would be missing for long. Two second passed and then the stream of words that came falling from his lips wasn't all that surprising to Kasumi. She could only imagine the way she would have reacted to being brought to such a horrible place just to be asked such a sensitive question. As his defensive – yet fairly calm – reaction spread, she briefly thought to interrupt him, but decided against it. Letting him finish his tirade might be the better option. That way, once he was done, she could take over and fill him in on her plan. Leaving him behind, here, in the darkness, to rot away, wasn't something she thought to be beneficial for anyone.

I should have gone with my first train of thoughts.. , she inwardly grumbled when something in Shinkiro's presence snapped. It changed so quickly that Kasumi had barely the time to realize that the switch of his personalities was real. One moment he was the Shinkiro she could remember from their meetings, a calm man with quite some understanding even if a defensive attitude, and a split of a second later the voice tearing through the cavern was not far from that of a predator.

While she didn't know how predators sounded, she felt like they should sound like the man across of her.

Angry golden-like eyes, unlike Cheshire's, they held nothing that could ever resemble kindness. His teeth cut white against the darkness. Pale skin gave off the same eerie shine Kasumi's long curls did.

It was intriguing to say the least. Kasumi had always wanted to see an Inner Hollow, had wanted to meet and fight one. After so many attempts to coax Nagisa into showing her the mask, she had given up on ever coming across one when Kionchi had surprised her on the hill. It was a shame that Jian had taken that one for him, she would have been curious to see what they were capable off when driven into a corner.

'He would have run anyway', Vör commented in disgust, though Kasumi knew that the Valkyrie hadn't graced her with her presence simply to utter her disapproval toward a rogue. No, Vör was as interested by the noisy creature ahead of them as Kasumi was.

Her fingers itched, heart rate quickened. Vaguely the act reminded her of herself and all of the bottled up anger she's had. Except that with her it hadn't been a Hollow, it had been the maimed past she had clung to so desperately. A past long gone, a fleeting pile of melting snow – no longer there in presence, always alive in her memory.

“Work for it?” She grinned, matching his bare-teethed sneer in the process. As his Shunkō came alive – a cozy fire compared to the silvery snakes erupting from beneath her skin – the young Captain couldn't help but to feel rather excited.

Instead of dancing away from his punch she opened her hand and slammed her Hebi covered palm into his upcoming punch. Silver snarled at the onyx flames while energy rushed away in streams of crackling energy. Kasumi's smile widened. Sharp teeth – a thirst for battle she hadn't satisfied for quite some time. The fight with Nanami had been relaxing, freeing, but what she wanted was a real bone snapping, pain wrecking dance until the floor was slippery with blood.

“You'll be the one working to stay alive,” the icy tone was cutting. She dashed forward, pale skin aiming to hit the same shade of white as Kasumi jerked her head forward in an attempt to break his nose. The Hebi strands sizzled – the space they were in was oddly lit by the reiryoku clinging to her skin.

“I'm just playing.” She growled, Hebi wrapped hand digging into the man's shoulder while the strands fought with his Shunkō to squeeze his limbs against his sides.

The round door was a shade lighter, seemingly glowing when Kasumi landed next to it. It hid the circular opening which led to the real hellhole. Ignoring the creature for a second longer, she turned the stone on the side following Tokiyo's instructions just to watch golden lines take over the darkness around them before the colossal door of heavy – what she assumed to be sekkiseki – stone swung open with an earth shattering noise.

“Let's see if you can survive..”

Her ominous words were accompanied by a burst of Shunkō as she let go of Shinkiro's shoulder and let the blast carry him through the opening into the endless space which was only adored by the light of a single lantern and Kasumi's Hebi as the latter stepped inside of the Muken.

“You've already attacked your Captain-Commander, so, don't be shy now, fight your execution.”


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By all accounts, Kuro represented the reckless and generally overzealous aspects of Shinkiro's personality---personality traits that he often made a very conscious effort to keep hidden. So to say that the violent spirit hadn't exactly thought through his actions when attacking Kasumi would be an understatement of the highest caliber. It was true that the two of them---Shinkiro and the darkest parts of his soul---shared the knowledge of his experiences, but even Shinkiro was not really aware of the full capabilities that the young Captain Commander possessed. He had attempted to teach her zanjutsu back then, but exactly what she had been up to between then and becoming the youngest ruler of the Gotei to date was a mystery to him that had yet to be unraveled.

The savage excitement that Kuro felt at this moment, that he felt as his fist pistoned forward on its course to strike Kasumi, was the same that he had felt back then during his assault on the mortal boy; it was a brutal glee that had even been present during his encounter with the Inner Hollow Katsumi some months prior. But the most interesting thing at present, however, was the fact that he could sense that same emotion permeating every bit of Kasumi's spiritual aura. Despite the opposite being the case of Shinkiro, it seemed that both Kuro and Kasumi were counting on this dance of savagery to transpire.

His fist continued forward wreathed in the onyx flames of his Shunko, a clear lack of restraint in the force propelling the strike. Yet when Kasumi did not dodge but rather thrust her flattened palm forward to counter the punch with her own achromatic shroud of reiryoku, the expression that crossed the sadistic spirit's visage was not unlike a maniacal sociopath reveling in the carnage they had wrought. He could still feel the bloodlust that wafted from the young girl; it was clear that her new position of authority rarely afforded her the luxury of truly letting loose in battle---at least not unless the entirety of the Gotei was gravely at stake.

"Is that so, little girl? Well if you're certain then please tr---" The statement he had began to make was cut short. A flash of white erupted in his vision and a dull crack echoed through his head. A deceptive amount of force had been put into the surprise headbutt, and needless to say he hadn't been expecting the attack. His head lurched back from the impact, slowly returning forward to peer at Kasumi with a crazed smirk. His tongue, a serpentine coil too long to be considered normal, slid out from between his fanged maw and swept away the trails of crimson that flowed from his nostrils. Speed and strength---two things that when combined by a truly capable combatant could be deadly.

He was unabashed by her threat on his life. In fact, Kuro actually seemed to be reveling in the promise of such excruciating agony. As Kasumi's hand clamped down on his shoulder and he felt the constricting coils of reiryoku encircling him, Kuro uttered an amused chuckle, one that seemed to reverberate eerily throughout the pitch-black chamber. This, all of this, was nothing more than fun for him. With feigned interest he peered over his shoulder at the circular door of the Muken as it was activated and subsequently opened, though the false interest became genuine intrigue when he beheld the odd space sealed within.

"Yes, let's!" His words drew out with a gleeful growl, fanged ivory gleaming ominously in the darkness. The moment he felt himself being released from the restraint of Kasumi's Shunko and launched forward into the infinite abyss, his own Shunko that still burned upon his arms gave off a seemingly reactionary roar. Clawed projections of his hands composed of the dark flames clashed out and anchored themselves into the floor, stretching out not unlike rubber and slowing Kuro's momentum gradually. It wasn't until those same dark flames of Shunko scorched from his feet as he righted himself and slid to an abrupt stop that his movement halt completely. The extended lengths of Shunko still tethered to the anchoring claws grew firmly taut, a whispering crackle faintly singing throughout the area.

"My Captain-Commander?" Though the words had barely been spoken above a hushed sigh, they had still managed to carry across the distance with surprising clarity as well as convey the amusement and belligerence that practically bubbled over from his words. Kuro raised his head to look at the ashen-haired girl with a smirk of disobedience that only further bolstered the tone he had used moments prior.

"Let me make one thing clear, snowflake; you may be that boy's Captain-Commander, but you hold no authority over me!" His voice rose in defiance and the Shunko upon his feet was extinguished. At the same moment, like a catapult being released, the lengths of Shunko ahead of him contracted and launched him forward with a rush of speed. An obsidian-wreathed hand reached up and drew the sword from its sheathe on his back, the flames immediately spreading to cling to the pristine blade. Wasting no time the moment he was within range, Kuro swung the blade in a downward arc towards Kasumi.

"You had one thing right, girl; someone will be executed here, whether it be you, me, or Shinkiro!"

==================

The daze of suddenly being drawn into his Inner World was still wearing off. Shinkiro knelt in a small clearing within the twins' bamboo forest, a knot of dread firmly settled at the pit of his stomach. This was the worst possible time for him to lose focus and let Kuro run free. Even before he had known she was the Captain-Commander, Kasumi was the absolute last person Shinkiro had wanted to know about his Inner Hollow, let alone what he would possibly become as a result. But the chips were down now, she knew. And what was worse was that Kuro had actually attacked the one person in the Gotei who could have him, have them executed with naught but a single command. His hand curled into a tight fist, dried leaves crunching in his grasp.

"Damn it! That fucking bastard..." He slammed his fist to the ground with a dull thud. He would have to regain control before Kuro did something truly regrettable---like harming Kasumi or, even worse, getting them killed. The more he thought about it, the more hopeless the situation seemed and the more frantically angry he became. Neither of those feelings would do him any good right now. He needed to calm down, to focus. The first thing he needed to do was reconvene with the twins and confront Kuro. Like the previous times he had lost control, Shinkiro could still Kuro present in his Inner World. After all, the bastard needed to keep him in check here while he wreaked havoc on the surface. With a measured exhale, Shinkiro calmed himself and rose to his feet, his gaze sweeping across the clearing to assess his situation.

"Well, it looks like at least this time I'm in the forest and not that city...but this still feels....different." He muttered as he continued to look around. There were only a small handful of times that Shinkiro had felt what he was currently feeling while in his Inner World. It wasn't necessarily a bad feeling, it almost felt as if he were in the presence of a slumbering beast. And each time he had felt that feeling, it was when...

"So you finally noticed, huh? About time." The teasing din of Kaori's voice reached his ears suddenly, causing him to quickly turn on his heel and gaze behind him. There, standing beside the mysterious shrine bound in ethereal chains, stood both Kaori and Shiori. While he was in fact glad to see them, he could not pull his gaze away from the shrine that loomed between them like a silent sentinel. Shiori chuckled quietly as she stepped forward, giving him a quick tap on the forehead to get his attention.

"Hey! No spacing out now, Shin. You've been here before, you've seen this before and you know what it is." Shiori paused as she, too, turned her gaze upon the shrine.

"You know who is in here. We finally decided that the time was right." There was a sort of reverence in her voice, but at the same time, there was something else just beneath: content regret. Kaori moved to her sister's side, a reassuring hand offering a gentle squeeze before falling away as the two turned towards Shinkiro.

"I do know, but...if this happens, then..." He finally managed to wrench his gaze away and focus on the twins, only to be greeted by Kaori's patient smile and a slow sway of her head from left to right.

"It's alright, Shin, really. Besides, it's not like we'll be gone forever, you know that's not the case. We're just...switching places, I guess you could say. This is what needs to happen if you're going to get Kuro under control. We promised you the full use of our power the next time you fought him. This is us fulfilling our end of that agreement." She gave another, shorter nod before urging him on his way with a gentle shove.

"Now get going, this is going to take a bit of time and you need to keep him busy until we're done. That, and..." Kaori paused, as if debating whether to continue with her statement or not. Ultimately, regardless of if she did or not, Shinkiro knew. They were connected, their thoughts were his as well even if they didn't want them to be. With a tightened jaw and solemn gaze, Shinkiro turned away and departed the clearing. His destination was clear; he was headed to Kuro's ruined city to confront him and finally put an end to all of this.

It's not goodbye, just an "until the next time". Kuro needs to be stopped. Now.

Word Count: 1,692
Total Word Count: 4,858

It was incredibly interesting to watch the creature’s behavior. If it wasn’t for their complicated situation because of the Vaizard being Shinkiro Kasumi might have tried to put the man in one of the upper levels in hopes of studying him for a little. The idea was tempting, but at the same time quite terrifying. She couldn’t imagine how, for example, Nagisa would have felt if she had known what the young Commander allowed herself to even think. Holding someone against their will in order to study them wasn’t morally correct, but with the Vaizard being who they were.. the line where something acceptable turned into dirty practices frowned upon by the majority of the population was blurry here. That, or the Second was talking loudly inside of the white-haired Shinigami’s head right now.

“Yes,” she chuckled. “you are nothing more than his pet and I am his Captain-Commander. Therefore.. well, in reality the details don’t even matter because you’re about to be tread upon, you filthy parasite.”

Due to some reason it pleased her to say those words. She felt good knowing that they would get rid of that infection of Shinkiro’s one way or another. Either the man would do it, or she would crush it in order to spare him the life of a mindless beast in an endless desert.

A smirk marked her lips. She watched him come into motion; the man was a blur of his own reiryoku as it growled all around him with every move he made. The sight thrilled her more than it should have, it edged her closer to something real. She almost felt like she’s been in a dream, drifting somewhere near consciousness but not quite being able to reach out and wake up. But now, she felt Hebi’s cold grip on her soul and every breath she took left her purring with satisfaction.

Yes, bring it. Her mind called out greedily.

While her experience with Hollow-breeds wasn’t over the top, it was still a fair amount for someone her age, and if she had learned anything from fighting them then it was never to underestimate how fierce they were. Some of the Hollow-breeds behaved entirely out of control, others had a better grasp on reality and didn’t get carried away by their desire to feed, still, all of those who were in the fight for the win would do anything to finish their opponent.

His hand was reaching for the hilt of his blade and Kasumi shot forward in order to get close enough for his sword to become useless. As his arm came down in an arc she used her Hebi wrapped forearm to block his wrist. The sword never hit its target, remaining somewhere above her when she duck beneath his arm while aiming her knee into his ribs.

The silvery energy burst forward, crashing with what currently remained of Shinkiro’s consciousness and forcing Kasumi to slide to the side because of the energy that came free from the collision between them. White and black mingled, crackles and curled while washing over the floor of the endless room. For a second Kasumi expected for the energy to wipe away the only source of light but due to some reason the lantern remained where it was. The energy rushed around it and up the walls behind the Captain, while the other half disappeared into nothing on the opposite side. It looked like the lantern was made from some sort of ancient spell which didn’t crack beneath the currently present pressure.

Probably like the door and its spell-type of lock, perhaps this whole place was some sort of divine creation – she wouldn’t be surprised if someone out of their league had been the one to built the Muken.

Briefly wondering about its origin she figured to do some research on it later, after getting things settled with the deformed Shinigami across of her. Speaking of which, the creature was burning with excitement and ready to attack.

This ought to be fun.


--672/ 2882

Rather than be annoyed or angered by the opposing Shinigami's words, Kuro was actually amused by them. From the shared memories that Shinkiro and he possessed, coupled with the exchange that led up to their current encounter, Kuro knew that Kasumi was a rather vocal girl with a penchant for snide remarks; it was a trait that the three of them had in common. But apparently, it seemed that Kasumi was much more privy to mouthing off now than usual. If Kuro had to guess, it was likely due to the unique circumstances they found themselves in. He found himself wondering how many other Inner Hollows the teenage Commander had met prior to him. Judging by her excitement, the number was likely minuscule.

A parasite? This certainly isn't the first time I've been called that.

It would be foolish of him to have not expected Kasumi to defend herself from his attack, but for her to have the reflexive acuity to stop it just shortly after it had began brought a sinister grin to his fanged maw. At the lowermost edge of his vision, Kuro could see the girl's knee rising to strike at his midsection. While it was true that Kuro was a glutton for punishment and could take quite a beating without much thought, there wasn't much fun in granting her complimentary attacks. And so his free hand, wreathed in an opposing shade of Shunko, pistoned down and met Kasumi's knee with an open-palmed thrust, the resulting shockwave forcing both combatants away from each other. Kuro planted his sword into the ground, slowing his momentum while carving a deep groove across the floor. Curiously, however, the groove stitched itself together just as quickly as it had been created.

"How interesting..." Kuro mused in a low murmur as he wrenched the obsidian-bathed zanpakuto from the floor, that damage also mending itself posthaste. He had to commend the little brat's foresight, the two of them fighting in a place secluded from the outside world and apparently impervious to lasting damage was a good decision on her part. He likely would have tarried on those thoughts a while longer had he not decided that clashing blades---and probably fists and feet---was a more gratifying line of thought. A few stray wisps of Kasumi's Shunko that persisted on his chest were brushed away with an absent flick of his fingers. Smoldering crimson swept over the dimly lit room as he scanned both the immediate area as well as his opponent.

There were very few, if any, vantage points that he could see. As far as he could tell, the room was a perfectly angled square of an indeterminable area. The only definite markers being the vaguely outlined frame of the door and the strange lantern that idly swayed nearby. As much as he may have wanted to, Kuro knew that getting into an outright brawl with Kasumi wasn't the best course of action for him. Even he could sense that there was a sizeable gap in their spiritual power. If he wanted to win, especially since he could also feel a confrontation with Shinkiro within their Inner World, he would have to outwit her. The question was....how?

As he continued to peer across the darkness at his opponent, an idea came to him. A sinister grin gradually spread across Kuro's face as, bit by bit, the Shunko that covered his sword spread to engulf him as well. In conjunction with this act, he began to backpedal away from Kasumi and mask his spiritual presence. By the time he had been completely covered in his Shunko, his spiritual presence would appear to have completely disappeared. With the only visual indication of his location being the crackling flames of his Shunko, Kuro dispelled it to further hide himself from her.

"We have a shared past in...Second Division, was it? Let's see just how good your stealth tactics truly are, shall we? But remember..." His voice seemed to echo throughout the room, sometimes seeming very close, other times as if it were barely audible and far away.

"Any mistake can and likely will be fatal!" His voice was barely higher than a conversational tone, as if he were right beside her. Almost immediately after he emerged in a full rush of speed from behind her, his sword once more drawn back then swung diagonally towards her back. Whether the attack landed or not, Kuro would immediately retreat back into the darkness to prepare to launch another attack.

============================

Despite only having just left them, Shinkiro found his thoughts drawn back to his twin zanpakuto spirits and the shrine. Even if they attempted to comfort him and he knew that their departure wasn't permanent, it was still difficult for him. They had been with him since the beginning of his journey as a Shinigami, and now they were to be...exchanged? Switched? He couldn't exactly find the correct word to describe what was about to happen to them. But...it had to be done. Kuro had been causing enough trouble as it was, he had to be put in his place. Whether that meant Kuro being exterminated completely, subduing him, or---in the most extreme and unfavorable case---Shinkiro himself ceasing to exist and being taken over, this confrontation would have to be the last.

As the bamboo gave way to the ruined cityscape that marked the outskirts of Kuro's city, a sudden pain shot through Shinkiro's head and he doubled over, dropping down to a knee and cradling his face in his palm. Drawing his hand back, his eyes widened in shock as he beheld the spatter of scarlet that stained his palm. Just as he had feared, Kuro had engaged Kasumi in combat. There was no degree of certainty on whether Kasumi knew that injuries were shared between Kuro and himself, but judging from the severity of the pain he had just felt, it was safe to assume that she didn't. And while he didn't know much about Kasumi's fighting style outside of the brief sparring match they had partaken in during training, it was also clear that the Kasumi from back then was much different from the one that Kuro currently traded blows with.

"So you've finally crawled out from under those little twins' skirts, have you?" The amused chortle of Kuro was like nails on a chalkboard to him. Shinkiro's hand clenched into a tight fist, droplets of blood trailing down his forearm as he rose to his feet and glared ahead of him. There, standing atop the stout remnants of a fallen building stood Kuro, a defiant crescent of ivory glimmering from the dark depths of his hood. Seeing him look so smug and confident made Shinkiro's blood boil. He absolutely despised Kuro and everything he represented. Most of all, he despised that Kuro was part of him.

"No more talking, it's time to end this. Now." Shinkiro responded with a frigid tone as he drew his zanpakuto from its sheathe upon his back. Despite the hostile action performed by Shinkiro, Kuro actually appeared to be further amused. Onyx flames hissed to life upon the Inner Hollow's fists, his foot pressing more firmly against the crumbling ledge that it was rested upon.

"And just what do you expect to do with that, boy? Without those two slatterns with you, that's little more than an oversized letter opener." Kuro chuckled once more and gave a quick shove of his foot against the ledge, sending the entire wall crashing down towards Shinkiro. Shinkiro's scowl deepened and his grip on the katana tightened. With a upward swing, he cleanly sliced the wall in half well before it seemed to even make contact with his weapon. The two sections of the wall fell harmlessly on either side of him with an echoing crash. Before the dust even settled, Shinkiro had already rushed forward with his sword ready to strike out at Kuro. Kuro's Shunko enshrouded hands rose once to swat away a seemingly unseen attack then again the catch Shinkiro's blade between his palms.

"An interesting trick, boy, using the force of your swing and the method to project your strike further than its natural reach. But you'll have to do better than that if you think you'll win against me!" Kuro released his hold on the katana and struck out with his own fist, only to be parried by Shinkiro's blade. Back and forth they exchanged attack attempts, neither seeming to give any leeway.

The battle for Shinkiro's soul, his very being, had thusly began.

Word Count: 1,437
Total Word Count: 6,295

So far she had been pretty certain that things wouldn’t go wrong. They couldn’t go wrong because she had to keep this creature under control in order for Shinkiro to retain its normal life. That, or she would have to kill him right here and right now. There were no other options, and while it was hard she knew that things wouldn’t be easy from here on. Decisions had to be made even if she didn’t like any of the ones presented to her.

Thinking about it, she silently watched the floor heal itself as the beast pulled its sword out of the ground. This place was fascinating to say the least. Perhaps, one day, she would get the chance to explore it a bit more. Finding out what made it the way it was.. well, this had to be a whole other level of Kidō, and she couldn’t help but to be quite intrigued by the old magic.

’Don’t relax’, Vör warned, but Kasumi didn’t plan to. Hollow-breeds were dangerous creatures with a devious mind and an unpredictable way of fighting. The grin on the man’s deformed face only caused the young Captain to narrow her eyes a bit more. Something about it held an ominous sign; he seemed to be too happy about this fight – even while he had a taste of her power.

Something shifted radically. The thirst for battle, the excitement mixed with anger. All these different feelings that’s been seeping off the Hollow-breed were suddenly fading. As if they were cloaked by a thick layer of plastic – Kasumi tried to feel the fine edges but there were none. Smoothly and quietly they vanished. The only thing she could trace was his Shunkō – bits of it still violently crackled like they used to up till now. To her horror it didn’t remain there for long.

Even if he hadn’t voiced the general idea of the hiding of his reiatsu, she already knew where this was heading to. Unsure if Shinkiro knew about her weakness when it came down to tracking spiritual pressure, or the Hollow was simply enthusiastic about attacking from the dark, Kasumi gritted her teeth. It would get dangerous now that she wasn’t sure where he was planning to pop up from. The fact that his voice echoed across the area only confused her more. She hated being unable to tell where her enemy was – fighting head on held more value to her, but she knew that it wasn’t the Seconds style. Soundless, quick, and deadly were – if only she had given the first two aspects of her training some more time.

Tuning a bit she suddenly saw him appear from the nothingness around her. Bringing her arm up she felt the steal biting in her skin. Through the dark matter it was, slicing slightly into her leg as well. Should she have stayed the way she had been standing the slash would have definitely caught her back.

Angrily biting her lip, Kasumi let her Shunkō crackle violently. An orb formed around her fist as she tried to see where her target was. She could feel the sleeve of her uniform clinging to her arm. The wound wasn’t deep but enough to sting quite a bit. At least she knew now that he wouldn’t take off a limb from the first time – unless there would be more power behind his next attack.

“What are you going to do? Hide all the time?” She taunted, hoping to get him to show his ugly ass sometime soon. “Can’t blame you for it, honestly. It’s your only hope at survival.” A sizzling around her hand briefly stopped as she fired the Bala-like bullet toward her right, wondering if she would at least see a bit of him should the attack miss entirely.


635/3517

A laugh, taunting and brimming with malice, echoed through the darkness. Kuro's assumption about Kasumi's reaction to his surprise attack was immediately verified. Although it wasn't a complete dodge, the intoxicating copper scent of blood filled the air and the satisfying sound of rending flesh brought a sadistic sneer to Kuro's hidden face. He would have preferred a cleaner hit with more devastating results....but it was a start.

"Sticks and stones, little snowflake, sticks and stones. That looks like a pretty nasty cut, does the little baby need a moment to fix her ouchie?" A second, more condescending chortle echoed through the area again. If there was one thing that Kuro prided himself on aside from his brutality and conniving nature, it was his ability to effectively get under his opponent's skin. And judging by the angry scowl that adorned Kasumi's face, he had been successful in that endeavor. But before he could truly revel in his accomplishment, his gaze was drawn towards the achromatic volatility that gathered upon Kasumi's hand. He sensed a noticeable shift in the composition of Kasumi's Shunko.

Ah, a makeshift flashlight. How interesting.

Unfortunately, given their current environment, the effectiveness of it was negligible. At the very most, Kasumi's immediate area had been illuminated enough to provide a bare glimmer to cut down the darkness---darkness that Kuro was presently nowhere near. Again he prepared to lash out from the shadows, but he was quickly forced to rethink that course of action when Kasumi launched an unexpected burst of reiryoku from her illuminated hand. It wasn't Hado, but the method of its utilization and its speed was oddly familiar to him in some way.

Cero?!

The revelation was momentarily disarming, enough to almost catch him completely offguard. At the last moment, however, Kuro made a quick dodge to his left. Unfortunately, the maneuver would not leave him entirely without injury. The projectile managed to sear away a rather sizeable chunk from his side and simultaneously reveal his location for a brief moment as it traveled along its path. Kuro let out a sharp and agonized hiss at the flare of pain on his left side, his eyes sharpening down to infuriated slits and lips twisting into a fanged sneer. A moment later his usual belligerent sadism returned, the angry furrow replaced by an amused smirk.

"Oooh, so close yet so far. Such a shame you can't follow my presence, you may have gotten a better hit. Such a shame, indeed." His taunting voice echoed out once again, he himself hidden in the unnatural abyss that surrounded them. While it was true that he could regenerate given the opportunity and time, that didn't correlate to taking unnecessary attacks. She had already surprised him a few times now with her capabilities and they had not yet begun to truly fight. As much as he would like to draw out this battle for his own enjoyment, doing so was also suitably detrimental to his own wellbeing. His best course of action was to try to end this as quickly as possible. After all, he was currently waging a war on two different fronts simultaneously. Speaking of which....

"Are you certain you should be so cavalier with your attacks against me? You're aware that any harm inflicted upon me is shared with Shinkiro. Are you aware of what that means?" Kuro mused as he circled her in a wide berth. Perhaps she would piece things together and figure it out; the more damage she did to Kuro on the outside, the more damage Shinkiro suffered on the inside and the easier it would be for Kuro to win their battle of wills. Regardless of whether it became clear to her or not, Kuro continued.

"I don't doubt you've seen some of the tricks that Shinkiro has used Shunko for, and it seems you're rather skilled with your own variation of it. But perhaps I should show you how I use it." As Kuro spoke, he idly strode out from the darkness directly in front of Kasumi. Although his spiritual presence remained suppressed, the abyssal flames of his Shunko erupted to life once again, roaring and twisting as they spread out from him.

"Shunko...Kageoni." As the words were spoken, the shape of Kuro's Shunko began to shift. Within moments the blackened reiryoku seemed to harden and molded itself into shadowy projection of his own upper half with a noticeably more demonic appearance. One of its clawed hands dug into the floor beside him, carving ragged grooves through the floor that quickly stitched themselves back together. Unlike its creator, however, the construct's visage was not hooded, but rather exposed to reveal the Hollow mask that likely paralleled Kuro's own.

"Now then..." The construct drew back its clawed hand in preparation. In the same instance, Kuro readied his blade. Without another word Kuro launched himself forward in a burst of Shunpo. Both Kuro's zanpakuto and the construct's hand arced towards Kasumi, albeit from different angles in an attempt to catch her in a pincer attack.


========================


Back and forth, Shinkiro and Kuro traded blows. Neither seemed to be capable of gaining the upper hand on the other, either parrying or outright dodging each other's attacks. While Kuro appeared to be enjoying the stalemate they were currently locked in, Shinkiro grew increasingly aggravated with it. He hated that Kuro had gotten to the point where he could match him so effortlessly. But more than that, he hated himself for not exercising better diligence to avoid the circumstances that had led to Kuro's growth. Another clash brought them together, Shinkiro's zanpakuto halted against Kuro's upraised Shunko-enshrouded palm.

"Your movements are so laughably easy to read, I never realized your battle tactics were so telegraphed. Is the outside world distracting you, boy?" The already wide grin that Kuro perpetually wore grew wider still. A quick pulse of his Shunko broke the deadlock between them while simultaneously propelling Kuro a short distance away from Shinkiro. A single hand absently rose to brush away stray dust that had gathered on his forearm.

"Goddamn parasite..." Shinkiro growled, the black cloth of his zanpakuto's ito groaning in protest within his tightening grip. Unabashed as usual when it came to Shinkiro's disdain towards him, Kuro simply regarded him with waning intrigue. His gaze shifted upwards towards the crimson moon that hung in the sky above, thoughts turning towards the battle taking place on the surface. That white-haired brat was entertaining, no doubt about that, but she was also a veritable pain in the ass to fight with. He himself was persistent, but with this girl, it was nothing short of a beast latching onto a piece of meat and refusing to let go. Persistence was one thing, but hers was tempered profusely with stubbornness. While presently he had no trouble with fighting them both, it would gradually become more difficult if something wasn't done.

Frustrated that Kuro had decided to ignore him on top of his very presence itself being a blight, Shinkiro launched on the offensive in an attempt to catch Kuro offguard during his moment of apparent distraction. But before he could even begin to ready his zanpakuto to attack, an explosion of pain in his side shattered his focus and he coughed up an alarming amount of blood. Eyes widening in bewilderment, Shinkiro stumbled to a stop and a hand reached for his side. What he felt---r rather what he didn't feel due to the large chunk that was missing---further confused him. Upon seeing the reflected damage from Kasumi's projectile and the confusion on Shinkiro's face, Kuro chuckled.

"Oh, so the effects of that attack have finally reached you, I see. Things are only going to get more fun from here....fun for me, at least. You, on the other hand, only have agony and pain to look forward to until you eventually lose it all." As Shinkiro stood dazed and reeling from the sudden injury, Kuro dashed forward and struck at Shinkiro's wounded side with a devastating backhand fist. The force was enough to send him smashing into a nearby building wall. Approaching the wreckage with slow deliberation, Kuro repeatedly clenched and relaxed the hand he had so recently used to strike Shinkiro.

"Don't die just yet, boy, I've still got plenty of punishment to subject you to before you get that privilege."

Meanwhile, elsewhere deep within the bamboo forest of Shinkiro's zanpakuto spirits, the rattle of chains slowly breaking whispered across the wind.

Word Count: 1,433
Total Word Count: 7,728[/i]