Welcome to Gaia! ::

Akane helped up her Diablo and gently placed a hand on his shoudler. "Come on, Rai-kun." They both flickered and disappeared in a rapid Sonido.

There was the barest sound of movement as Akane sonidoed into existence. Her shape flickered for a moment before settling and she started walking forward into the training grounds. For once the white cloak that hid her features was gone, revealing her uniform and the sheathed Angelique lying horizontally on her back.

She looked around curiously but cautiously, wondering just what to do now that she was here. She'd been careful to sneak away from Rai, something she'd never before done in her life, but she knew what she had to do, and if he was at her side then he could get hurt in the process.

She breathed a sigh of relief as she saw no one was around (she'd missed Kittukono lying in the grass a good distance away) and at last walked forward with surety in her step.

First came the gloves, she pulled them off to reveal her hollow hole on one hand and tossed the white cloth aside. Her sleeves, long enough to extend to her wrists, came next, leaving the top of her "dress" sleeveless. She reached and tugged at the skirt of the dress and it came free, revealing the white pants she wore underneath. Her clothing had been built for both her healing profession (which required covering her skin so she wasn't accidentally cut), and Chi's easier mobility (which she either forgot about or only used against opponents when she stopped messing around).

Akane stared blankly at her white skin, remembering a time when it had been filled with color and life. Hichigo had saved her from hell, but one day she would die and be dragged there anyway. Had it really been worth the cost in the end?

She sighed and shook her head, knowing Chi didn't regret her decision to accept Hichigo's aid except for the fact that she hadn't remained the dominant personality.

Dismissing her thoughts, she reached back and pulled her blade free of its sheath. For a moment she observed it, remembering that it had once had another name, when she'd been a shinigami. Then that thought was gone as well and she was moving.

She sliced through the air with a deftness and grace that none had ever seen before. The blade hummed softly, glowing a light blue as the reishi particles in the air gathered along it's edge.

One swipe, a crescent of blue energy flew out and slammed into the ground, leaving a deep gouge in the earth.

The dance resumed and she was moving even faster now, returning to the training of her time as a shinigami. The blade hummed louder now, accepting the energy she gave it and making the glow more prominent.

Slice. Slice.

Two more gouges in the earth.

Slice.
Slice.
Slice.

Three more, one for each soul she'd slain with this blade. She had a lot more to go.

Slice.

No more crescents, the blade just hummed louder than it had before. The glow increased, the humming grew to a buzz in her ears.

Slice.

Akane battled an invisible enemy, in her mind's eye she saw herself. A girl with blood red eyes.

Trying to fight? You know you'll never change.

Be quiet.

Slice.

You'll never atone.

Slice. Slice.

You'll never be anything but a murder-

"BE QUIET!" the glowing blade slammed into the ground and an explosion erupted. A roar echoed out, rocks crumbled under the sheer force, dust flew into the air.

Akane breathed hard, blinded by the cloud of dirt from the explosion. She had her eyes closed, listening to the silence. Nothing but her imaginary heart beating in her chest.

Ba-dump. Ba-dump.

"Hear that? It's not just your heart, but someone else's beating alongside it."

She opened her eyes again.

The ground had bent inward, forming an enormous crater from the impact. Akane straightened and stared into it quietly, bangs hiding her eyes. What now?

Akane stayed where she was, quiet and thinking. Memories that she'd thought had been gone danced behind her eyes, but they weren't the ones she wanted to see. Her human life... she'd never remembered it...

The whistling of something hurtling toward her was all that caught her attention. Her body reacted automatically, one fluid motion and the staff had been deflected, flying back and sinking into the ground.

For a moment, Akane stared at it, not completely registering its origins. Then her mind slowly took in the shape, who wielded it, where it came from.

"...what?" she murmured softly in surprise. In that moment a familiar energy became present at the back of her mind and she turned to face... "Kittukono-san." she said softly. There wasn't a trace of shyness in her eyes, her expression a calm mask. There wasn't even a glow in her eyes to indicate her Despertar, it was just Akane, coming to terms with something all her own.

The blunette sonidoed over to the staff, picked it up and twirled it lightly, and then threw it at Kittukono's feet, letting it sink into the earth before him. Beyond that she said nothing, did nothing, only stood there, waiting.

Akane watched Kittukono calmly with a quality of gentleness that was always in her eyes if one looked hard enough. At his question she bowed her head slightly "...I am a pacifist. I don't believe in fighting, and so... I don't partake of it. That is why Rai-kun fights for me." she raised her eyes again, meeting his gaze unflinchingly "But I'm starting to see... that while violence isn't necessary, sometimes fighting is needed in order to end it. There is a difference between fighting like a monster... and fighting with honor."

She stared at her free hand for a moment, remembering when the white skin had often been stained with red blood "...I started learning that... when I was a shinigami. I'd forgotten until now... but I'm remembering again. I need to fight, but not like a monster. I'll take every slice, accept every bit of pain and suffering that comes with this curse in order to better myself. Even Chi-san..." her voice trailed off there. It had been such a long time since she'd spoken her name, out of fear it had never been done.

Her other half was silent. Too silent. Once that might've scared her, but now she felt the other feelings mingling there as well. Shock. Anger. Fear. Of being overtaken? That wasn't her intention, she just wanted to become stronger. To protect those who had become precious treasures to her in a way she hadn't had in a long time.

Try to decide what's right.

Akane looked up, mildly surprised by Kittukono's soft chuckle. She tilted her head inquisitively as he dropped back onto the grass, listening quietly. After a moment of thought, she sheathed her blade and sat down on the grass close by.

"...A hollow devoured me... back when I was a shinigami. It came back here, to Hueco Mundo, before it could be slain. Chi-san was strong-willed even then, she cut through the hollow's mind, destroyed it, and emerged victorious as a new being. I don't remember because I never woke up then..." her voice trailed off and she looked up at the sky "It was because of Hichigo changing us... that I woke up again. If not I would have stayed sleeping forever. I owe him thanks for that at least."

She glanced over at Kittukono "And.. you're not just wanting after power and destruction. When you fight you have a reason, even if it's to become stronger, and you don't fight without reason. Maybe some of us are monsters without reason, but ones like Rai-kun, Kittukono-san, Shinshii-san, even Kanashimi-san all have a reason to fight." she returned her gaze to the sky. Sometimes she had to wonder, did her Despertar have wings because that was what she wished for most of all? Freedom?

Akane nodded in understanding, taking in his words carefully. She stared at his smile for a moment before smiling back with honest warmth. It was so rare to see anything other than a joking expression on his face.

"I see..." she smiled faintly before it dropped and she glanced over at Kittukono "Make a promise?" with a bit of her old shyness she held out her pinky finger. It was something she'd used often as a shinigami, once a few friends had taught it to her "I want to become strong, but I don't want Rai-kun to worry. Will you keep my secret?"

Akane smiled, but uncertainty flickered across her face as he spoke. For a moment, the old fear returned. She would be endangering his life by fighting with him. If he managed to draw blood, then Chi...

She felt her other half laugh and she blinked in surprise. Chi...

Her eyes hardened and she nodded, bringing their entwined pinky's up and down like a handshake "Deal." she smiled.

Akane blinked as she was lifted up by her pinky. As Kittukono spoke and released her she landed in a crouch and reached back, drawing her blade in a reverse grip. "I promise."

She dashed forward, pinwheeling as she got close to throw a spinning slash at him.