A Reflection of the Past [AO | TBTP | Closed]

Mako felt the reiatsu. It was the only thing he was good at- but he also had learned from Zabel, that just because he felt a spirit it didn't mean he should react- in fact it was better to hold fast. So he did just that, it wasn't a Hollow, so that meant the chances of him being outright attacked were much lower .. though he also knew all too well, that monsters existed inside people just as much. Perhaps even more so, since they pretended to be people instead of exposing the monster within- in that was he supposed even Hollow were better than them. He continued his strikes, the slight jump with each blow making him wince- and after a few moments, he could feel the surface feelings of the man nearing him. Curiosity, but no aggression- it would seem that for now, he was safe.

Well, as safe as he could be- Mako knew he was never truly safe. Only that he could be in a temporary state of reprieve, and that, quite simply, was the limit as far as "safety" truly went. Keeping his senses alert, he prepared to run if need be- feeling the reiatsu grow closer and closer- until it was nearby, easily within visual distance. Mako's guard continued to remain up, waiting for any sign of aggression or threat- but there was none, and slowly, he would glance over his shoulder as the man finally spoke and stepped forward. His footing was quiet- like his own usually was, aimed, careful- as silent as possible. Similarly, the man kept his distance from him- as Mako's blank eyes turned to entirely focus on the new individual that had approached him for unknown reasons.

The words that he had offered were heard, of course, and his gaze slid downward for a brief moment to focus on the bokken- seeming to test its weight in his palm for a few moments as he contemplated the advice. Tightening his grip would deviate from what he had seen Zabel do, but perhaps that was what he needed to do? Not focus so much on mimicking her perfectly, and instead take what he had seen and mimic it with alterations that fit him? Though if he went that route he felt like holding it looser was a better thought process. He didn't have the physical build or power that his teacher had, so wouldn't trying to focus on a lighter grip and trying to force less power out of his strikes be better? He wasn't entirely certain. Slowly, his gaze lifted as the man introduced himself- still keeping his distance.

That was just fine by him. He didn't like men, and he hated adults even more .. they brought many memories to the forefront of his mind. The hand gripping his hair and lifting him by it, or the fist striking him again and again, blood running down his thighs from the feeling of his body being defiled ..

He blinked. Blocking the memories from his mind to instead focus on the man, he had introduced himself- so clearly he was expected to do the same. Slowly he shifted his grip on the bokken from an aggressive self-defense stance to a more neutral footing, the tip lowering to point at the ground slowly. He made no move to clear the distance between them, finding it comfortable as he simply looked into the man's eyes- his own dead, blank gaze meeting the .. fisherman? Slowly he tilted his head, before glancing at the fish briefly, and finally- he spoke once his gaze settled on the man's face once more. Certainly delayed, but better late than never .. he still struggled with communication, especially with strangers that approached him in the woods, of all things.

"Mako," he would state simply, obviously meaning his name before he slowly nodded at the last bit of his statement at not seeing many- it was true. The man, Hitsuyona, was the first person he had seen out here at the edge of the slums in a long time. Most people stayed away between the desperate Rukongai slums residents and the Hollow that occasionally prowled the outskirts. His eyes settled briefly on the blade at the man's side, and he slowly blinked, before raising his head to examine the man a bit more closely. His reiatsu was certainly strong, not as high as Zabel's, but far above his own. But he wasn't wearing the uniform .. but then, when he had first met Zabel she hadn't been wearing it either- the quickest way was to simply ask, "Shinigami?" the question was just as his earlier statement was, blank, monotone, and calm.

No expression, no excitement, or fear- nothing played on his face as if he were a robot in a person skin. Still, the question was relatively important- Zabel had told him that he Shinigami would likely try to recruit him, and that if he wanted to "Take time" as he had wished- that he should avoid them. Thankfully, he always had his spiritual pressure suppressed to its pinnacle- very few people could sense him, especially out here. But it was still better to be safe than sorry, if the man was a Shinigami then he had to make himself out to be even weaker than he already was to ensure there was no interest taken in him just yet.

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Mako watched him, silent- but beyond all else, observing. Every shift in the man's facial feature, every movement of his body, even if it was as minimal as talking with his hands or a muscle twitching as he re-adjusted his position. Mako missed none of it- but it went beyond the physical, he kept a keen eye on everything- even his breath, the feeling his reiatsu gave, the surface emotions that lingered around the man. Anything that could give him an advantage, forewarning to a possible threat- if it was there, he was keeping it in the back of his mind. A subconscious need to be aware of everything at any time- and that same obsession extended to the area around him, keeping his own reiatsu completely invisible, nonexistent while maximizing his sense of the world around him.

After he asked his question, the man seemed to be contemplating his response- he was trying to read him, and in return Mako's blank demeanor would evolve even further- his suppression shutting down everything, anything that could be read- even his body remaining stock still and in a completely neutral pose, head slightly lowered as he watched him through dead eyes behind bangs that stuck to his forehead due to the sweat he had built up. After a few moments the man seemed to give up reading up, and instead, would speak a response to Mako's question- to which the boy would listen carefully to. So the man wasn't a Shinigami- he simply had managed to obtain or manifest their weapons- there were a few means that could have been done, but the first that came to mind was killing a Shinigami and obtaining the weapon in question.

Zabel had mentioned that people could simply "manifest" one, but he didn't know the exact details on how such could be initiated. As such due to lack of information and evidence, it was safer to assume he'd found it- either by his original assumption in the way of obtaining it off a dead Shinigami he killed or off the corpse of one he found- considering he had two, the later seemed the most likely. He doubted a soul in the Rukongai could handle two trained Shinigami, no matter how much natural talent they may have. Though his knowledge in that area was limited, he knew all too well- still, no matter what it meant the man was a greater threat than he had initially realized. He maintained his neutral positioning, everything remained the same, but mentally he focused more intensely- giving the man even fewer options should he wish to attack.

After a few moments, the man would fire back with a question of his own, the words coming forth were obvious- he wanted to know if he personally knew a Shinigami. Here rose an intriguing question, if he told the man there were three most likely outcomes- one, he would be struck down instantly if the man had some unnatural hatred for the Shinigami. Two, the man would use him in an attempt to gain a connection to the Shinigami in order to learn to better use the weapons he had most likely obtained from their corpses. Three, should he had somehow "manifested" the blades as Zabel had briefly mentioned- option two was likely due to a complete lack of understanding of the weapons. The first was an immense threat- but it seemed highly unlikely.

He had not wavered once in carefully feeling out his reiatsu- there were no ill intentions within his surface emotions, no subtle attempts to hide any rage or loathing- nor any bloodlust, he was simply inquiring a basic question. But the question become: Did he have anything to gain from telling the man this information? It would mean the man owed him a possible favor, certainly, but did that really mean anything against the slight risk of losing his life? It was a difficult question to ask himself. Still, as he contemplated it- he realized that he could use that minor debt, and make a deal out of it- he needed more training, he needed tips, the man was much stronger than him, and Mako assumed he had basic knowledge on how to use the blades on his hip. If that were the case ..

In his mind, the mental debate seemed to last for hours, but in reality- it had only been a few moments since the man had asked the question, before Mako replied calmly, "Personal," then, after a few moments of thought he decided to clarify the last bit of the question as well, "No one bothers to tell stories of the Shinigami in these districts," the words were simple, monotone and blank. Instead, he would let his gaze trail toward the blades, and after a moment focus on the man once more before he shifted the Bokken, just slightly in his palm, he still felt no ill intent- so his guess and risk reward had paid off. The man could ask him right away if he could take him to the Shinigami, he was sure, but he had no intention of doing so unless he was offered something first in return .. and he had any number of reasons he could give in order to solidify that line of thought.

Patient, and careful planning- he needed both, it was the only was he had managed to survive this long, and this could help him get over the barrier he was currently fighting a losing battle against .. he had to break through it if he wanted to progress, if he wanted to achieve the goals and promises that he had set for himself.

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Mako's eyes didn't miss the slight raise of the eyebrow, the way he delayed just slightly in his response- so he'd been right, the man wanted to meet a Shinigami for information- or something of similar status. His mind worked quickly, the best way to use this to his advantage was to bait the man into offering first in order to make it easier on himself. Otherwise, he'd have to play the guessing game, which could end badly out of his favor if he wasn't completely careful. Due to this line of thought, he blinked- just once when the man came forward with an offer that was absolutely perfect. He was after the man's skill and knowledge, however much it may be- it was certainly more than his own.

He had expected to have to try and beat around a bit in order to best understand the man's specific personality type, reactions, and how best to predict him- but thanks to his direct question, he would be able to analyze those things far more effectively, while also learning a bit at the same time. It was clear the man wasn't offering out of some desire to be kind, which was good, he got enough of that crap with Yuuta- this was a deal, as unsaid as it may be he didn't doubt they both understood it. This man would help him get stronger, and break past the barrier that was currently in his way- and in return, he would introduce the man to Zabel- or if nothing else, direct him in the direction he needed to go in order to meet her, or another Shinigami himself. It was a fair deal.

Still, he couldn't simply give in, instead he would remain quiet- watching his movements carefully, especially when his hand lowered to his blade, the first real reaction he had managed to get out of the boy- being a simple shift, his footing and the grip on the bokken- an automatic self-defense reaction. Though as he noticed that it was in too awkward a position to draw the blade properly, he would remain relaxed and calm as he instead watched him silently from his neutral position once more- and slowly he would seem to contemplate the information given that much further. In reality, his decision was already made- but baiting the hook a bit would certainly be a good measure- after a few brief moments, he would nod his head once calmly.

"Yeah," he would state simply- approval of the offer before he would slowly glance at the weapon in his own hand, shifting it idly as he contemplated the easiest way to explain his current issue. It wasn't an easy thing to really go through- there was a lot of information and he didn't think most of it mattered. A basic summary was sure to cover everything to some degree, right? After a few brief moments, he would look back up, calm, blank eyes staring into the man's own before he simply lifted the weapon up. "Fear is controlling my reactions. I need to break that habit, but I don't know how except repeatedly trying until I get used to the fear," the statement was simple, and to the point- he knew that eventually, his method would work.

Habits could be broken and built through repetition- but the point was that he didn't want to wait that long, he wanted to evolve beyond the boundary without having to do this repeatedly over and over through the years, using fear as a tool was one thing .. letting it rule him like this was quite simply, unacceptable. Slowly, his gaze would focus on the man quietly. "Do you know how to control fear?" the statement like all he did, was monotone, blunt, and to the point- because it was the core of his issue. He didn't want to try and "purge" the fear, or defeat it- he knew fear was his greatest weapon. It was what had kept him alive all these years. But he also knew that as it was now, it was a very limited tool- and if he wanted to expand it, he needed to learn to properly control it.

Perhaps this man could help him with exactly that.

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