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 Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 8:57 pm
Location
--Ruins of the Seireitei--
An older, unkempt part of the Seireitei east of Squad 1's north barracks. The area is very open with a large walkway splitting through buildings both fallen and still standing. A larger piling of stones and rubble makes a small hill off to the side while shrubbery and trees line the walkway in an orderly fashion, bringing both shade an a warm gloom to the sight. If one looks off in the distance while facing north they can clearly see Sokyoko Hill looming over the ruins. A quiet wind is always sweeping through the area.
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Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 9:11 pm
Tezuka heaved and convulsed in a standing position, letting the saliva drip from his gaping mouth before spitting a few times. The last elements of what had been his lunch lay before him behind the cover of a bush near the downed building of what seemed to be an old storage room before it had collapse from old age. He wiped the excess spit from his mouth and shook his hand twice towards the ground to get rid of the disgusting residue. With a start and cough to clear his throat he let the same hand that had cleaned his mouth now rub up against his nose for a moment, sill tasting the nasty after taste that came with vomiting. He sighed and spat again, pursing his lips in preemption for another volley after it collected just behind his front teeth.
He was nervous about the situation, to say the least. Not having a shikai in his position made him feel weak, but going about getting it made him feel uneasy, not really fearing the process in which it took to gain the fabled trump, but dreading what his zanpakuto really had to offer him. It seethed and trembled now and then, but that was about as much as he could ever get from it. Aside from the occasional hiss here and there. That was what really set him on edge. It was malicious, yet cooing. Excited, but cautious as if he were the strange beast lurking inside the sheath. And, sometimes, it evened frightened him. He had seen dripping teeth in his dreams too frequently as of late and it was beginning to take its toll on him.
Granted, he hadn't lost any sleep over the sightings. The nature of their appearance was almost soothing, like being killed in his sleep, and he couldn't find a reason other than dreading what was behind it all to fret over. Hopefully Captain Fefnir would help him find out what the signs truly meant. He was getting tired of all the smoke and mirrors bullshit anyway.
Feet now planted firmly in place a little left of center on the walk Tezuka spat out the collection pooling in his mouth and grimaced again, sniffing the air briefly as he stared off at the towering form of Sokyoku Hill with his hands on his hips. <******** teeth..."
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Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2010 7:20 pm
There was a light clicking sound as Fefnir's swords bounced along gently at his sides, and a little scuffing of his sandals along the dusty ground too, providing just enough noise to purposefully give away his approach to the area chosen by his VC for shikai training. There was a slightly acrid smell in the air as the captain approached Tezuka, and it led to the rhetorical question, "Nervous?" Fef could feel the tension in the air around the man, and didn't need an answer to verify it.
"So..." He said, his tone friendly in an attempt to soothe some of that anxiety, "Here's how this works. I'm going to knock you out, and once you're unconscious, you'll be able to enter your spirit world. While you're there, there won't be anything that can hurt you physically, and you'll always be able to come up. Within, you'll come into contact with your zanpokuto spirit in it's truest form, and you'll most likely have to earn it's trust in some way before it will reveal it's name to you. That name is the key to accessing your shikai release. More good news; once you attain shikai, you don't even really have to work much on honing it, because it is an expression of you. Things will come naturally with whatever your release entails. Just relax, Tezuka, alright? Even if you fail to get your release this time, it will be easier to do next time, so there's no pressure. Besides, I'm sure your spirit will be pleasant!" He gave a goofy grin, trying to put him at ease a little more, but he had a feeling it wouldn't really help that much.
"I've got two surefire ways to knock you out. I can either push my spiritual pressure on you until you pass out, or I can give you a good shot to the head and make it quick and clean. I'd suggest the latter, because it's quicker, but it's up to you. Just take your time with this, alright? I'm ready whenever you are,"
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Posted: Mon Jan 25, 2010 3:06 pm
Tezuka nodded at his captain, hands still on his hips. "You could say that, sir." His voice trembled a little, but if one focused they could feel it was in fact from excitement rather than fear. Unfortunately in his state of mind he hadn't entirely noticed the captain's presence as he made his approach, with shoulders only now relaxing after being startled by the sudden inclusion of another being in his mind's eye. Turning, he bowed his head a little, showing respect even if in such a small dose for the man. Even now he could feel almost nothing of the man's presence other than what he allowed others to sense, a truly disturbing attribute to be able to suppress so much reitsu into such a small signature. "If it were all the same to you, I'd rather just be knocked ******** out. I'm no stranger to pain." Another sniffing huff, hands dropping away from his body as he stepped closer to Fefnir and knelt, allowing him the grace of having to exert the least amount of energy possible to knock him unconscious. It was the least he could do to repay him for his hospitality in the matter. "Ready when you around, Captain." He said as he closed his eyes. His hands lifted a little and settled back down on their respective thighs, waiting.
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Posted: Fri Feb 05, 2010 3:40 am
(( Jesus Christ, it took me a long time to do this... Short, because it has to be, and puppeting, because it has to be ))
"Alright then. Give good ol' whatever-it-is my regards!" With a little smile, Fef flashed a fair amount of reiatsu into his legs. The whole of his movements after that may have taken a full second, and that's a conservative estimate. With one sharp kick off the ground, he was gone, appearing again some fifty feet away behind Tezuka, give or take a few, and with a second push forward, rushed back at that same blinding speed. All the captain had to do was position his hand right, and he did so, feeling the back of his Lieutenant's head meet his fist. Momentum and all accounted for, that attack would easily render him instantly unconscious, no pain involved until he woke up later. Then, almost as an afterthought, Fefnir wrapped the arm that hadn't dealt the blow around the other shinigami's waist, catching him and ensuring his face didn't up and get broken on the stony ground by lowering him gently onto his stomach. "Good luck, kid," he stated, words surely falling on deaf ears, "I'll be rootin' for ya,"
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Posted: Fri Feb 05, 2010 11:06 pm
The blow was definitely quick.Tezuka felt himself grow drowsy at the same time his body began to accelerate, a sensation of going into light speed as his consciousness was flown deep within the recesses of his inner thoughts. Wind blew at his face, a smile smeared across it as he let his arms fly at to his sides like wings. A bird of prey. Yeah, that's what it could've been compared to. The galactic predator of these skies in his mind's eye.
A slight hum drummed in his ears, low and menacing, but relaxing in its consistence. It felt like his heartbeat, something he could envelop himself in and sleep with for an eternity like some celestial mother.
"Mother."
The word sprang into existence. Foreign in tone, but familiar in context. His lips hadn't moved, but somehow the word was formed from within. That cold again from earlier crept up his spine now, making him tremble and huddle his limbs to his body. This motion caused him to lose his direction, his body spinning out of control as he cringed and braced himself for another assault on his body.
"Mother."
The struck again, but this time followed by a low hissing cackle. It was sustained, eventually becoming a static 'shhhhh' sound when it registered in his ears. Tezuka's eardrums popped and began to ring. He wanted to open his eyes, but was unable to, scared of what he might see if he did.
The ringing grew louder now, drowning out all other sound, feeling, taste. His skin crawled and his stomach became queasy, easily turned with the erratic movement his body was making as he spiraled farther out of control. He opened his mouth, preparing to scream when the sensation of being submerged hit him, accidentally drawing in massive amounts of liquid. The fight was on. Blind, and now unable to breath, he flailed wildly about in the ooze that held him, but didn't physically restrain his movements. Was he really going to drown in the unknown? Would all of his effort and patience be brought to a disgusting and violent end right here and now?
"No. Embrace."
The voice called out to him again, its tone soft and loving, cooing him into a lullaby of syllables as he continued to fight against his demise. But the voice continued to call to him, repeating and repeating until he couldn't even hear his racing heart over its words. Another breath, he couldn't fight it anymore. He had to take another breath. And die. Clenching everything in his body, he finally let his lungs expand, no longer able to fight the need to breath.
And suddenly he sat up, eyes open. His breath was labored, trying to gulp in every little bit of air he could gather. His body was wet, hair dripping something that smelled nothing like fresh water, and submerged up his waist in the murky shoal. Yes, it was swamp-like in nature, but he couldn't really see out far enough to register that at his current level. Tezuka sat forward and clambered clumsily to his feet, feeling the rush of hot-sticky humidity cause his pores to open up and extrude sweat. His field of vision improved as well, revealing the thick layer of fog almost chest level on him now.
Glancing around revealed even more of where he hand landed: crooked, dark-wooded trees similar to the weeping willows of his realm scattered about in a thick coating. They stood meters above even him, obscuring what appeared to be moonlight and the frequent flash of lightning. Thunder rolled heavily above him now, suddenly realizing a heavy drizzle was pounding against his body. He welcomed it with opens arms, letting the muddy swam water run off his body and back into the fog below.
Tezuka sighed and let his eyes close for a moment, quickly opening them when the sounds of heavy breathing hit his ears. He spun around , flinging his arms a little as he went to grab from his zanpakuto and came up short. <********> He mumbled in dismay, eyes looking down at an empty sheath. He must've dropped it when he was making his way here. Or maybe he dropped it when he fell on his a** and woke up with a mouthful of shitty swamp water? That must have been it. Eyes scanned around where he stood before turning to look back at where he thought he had been only to be greeted by something big and black. "WHAT THE ********> He shouted in alarm as he sprang backwards, barely missing a pair of razor sharp teeth.
The beast hissed at Tezuka, baring its fangs to reveal a smaller mouth within where a tongue normally would have been. Normally. But this situation was anything but normal. It exhaled farther and took a few slow steps towards Tezuka, who in return took a few steps of his own in the same direction. His eyes spotted something moving in the fog behind the creature, something small and swishing. A tail perhaps? By the look of this thing most definitely. "What are you?" He asked, getting ready to make a defensive roll out of its charging line if it decided he was such a threat to attack twice.
The beast cocked its head at Tezuka, gums moving up and down to sheath and reveal the good inch and a half teeth that lined its mouth. It snarled at him, snapping its head back upright. "Sssuch a ssstupid question to asssk ahhhh.!" The creature took an experimental step forward, but did so in a way that meant it didn't mean harm, not receiving the step in kind. It bared its fangs a little more now, in amusement of sorts one could guess. "The question isss not what I aahm, but who. You should be able to tell exssactly what I am with those pathetic little flesh balls you claim to be eyesss." It spread its arms a little and bowed its head mantle just so. "I am the ruler. The hunter. The killer. The Alpha and the Omega of thisss realm, boy."
Tezuka raised an eyebrow at the beast, letting his arms drop to his sides as he began to move forward now, ignoring the little grunts and hisses emitted as he drew near. "Then, if I may as, what is your name?"
The creature drew back and laughed its throat death rattle in a few short bursts, sinking back to look at him. Slowly, it began to stalk around him, sizing him up from different angles. "And what reassson would you have to know my name ahh?"
Tezuka smiled in concession and bowed his head a little. "Because if your are who I think you are then I wish to become familiar with how you pronounce your name."
It stopped now, just short of making a full circle around him and locked it mantle into place to stare at him. "And who do you think I am, boy?" Another hiss, fangs bared to their full extent mere inches from Tezuka's face. A thick mucus-like saliva dripped from them now, as if it were smelling its next meal before tasting it.
Tezuka wrinkled his nose a little, but held his ground, giving the beast no headway with him. "My zanpkauto spirit."
There was silence for a moment that dragged out for what seemed like an eternity, but the spirit finally withdrew its mantle a little, shaking it to and fro as it continued to stalk forward. "I am no man'sss possession. Yours leassst of all. Your world. Your life. It meansss nothing to me. Nothing of interessst to be found." It snapped its jaws shut for a second before violently turning its head to growl and hiss at something in the fog beyond them, screeching and whimpering of some kind being heard off in the distance and retreating. Whatever had found curiosity in their idle stance was quick to flight.
A scowl covered Tezuka's face now, taking a step forward with his right index fingering extended in accusation. "But it is your duty to obey me. To hunt for me. I am your master, even in your realm, and you must at least recognize my will." He had been watching his zanpakuto spirit move about. It seemed to be doing more than just sizing him up. It sniffed at him when it thought he wasn't paying attention and occasionally looked about into the distance, as if searching for something, someone. He had to gamble as to what it truly wanted. "I am the key to your salvation from an existence in a singular realm. You wish to escape from here. And I can grant that wish because I am your ******** genie. Minus the bottle."
The spirit scoffed now, inhaling in a low grumble as it stamped it feet with a slosh in the murky swamp. Rain dripped and collected from its mantle and fell to the ground, gravity collecting the droplets as they combined with each other. "And do I know you can guarantee me freedom?"
Tezuka shoke his head, stepping even closer to the zanpakuto spirit. "I can't. You need to trust me and my intents. You wish to hunt? I can give you prey. You wish to be free? Give me your name and believe in me, and I will deliver what I can when I can."
The spirit's teeth chattered and clicked loudly as another low grumble echoed from deep within its throat. It snarled a little and drew itself up a little more before jerking its head toward Tezuka at an odd angle, tail flicking sporadically behind him. "Ahhh, deal."
Tezuka smiled and placed his hand on his spirit's head experimentally, stroking the shielding of its mantle lightly. "Good to hear."
"Totoro..." It said with another clicking of fangs. "Totorokyoki."
Tezuka contemplated the name for a moment, peering to the sky. "For the beast who has no eyes the sky weeps for thy."
Totoro gnashed its now, growing impatient. "Now, leave me. I will sssee in the sssunlight." Its tail flicked again, drawing its head down and back, disappearing into the fog.
Tezuka nodded, feeling his hand gripping something solid, no longer standing there in soaking wet clothing. The air around him felt charged, blank in appearance for a moment before a sudden pain raked his brain, a splitting migraine tickling the back of his mind.
His eyes snapped open, coughing up the dust that covered the flagstone walkway, realizing he was back. Back in the Seireitei. Back, again. He attempted to stand, but slipped, feeling the after effects of his captain's handiwork showing in his blurred vision. He blinked a few times and used his right hand, zanpakuto gripped in it to push himself into a full standing position.
It felt a little heavy in his hands, but he could see why in the sheer ferocity of its design: chainsaw-like teeth, thin lines designating a break in the blade, and a thick tsuba. He tested its compact weight in his hands for a few moments before thinking and remembering what Totoro had told him. Letting his mind move past the throbbing from an on setting headache he let his reitsu begin flowing freely, giving it a few seconds before focusing a healthy portion into his blade.
The bits creaked, but quickly began moving around a thick groove on the four edges, the screeching metal turning high-pitched in a hideous symphony of its delicious purpose. Tezuka smiled. He swore he could hear Totoro crying with glee. 'I have brought you what you asked. Now deliver your promise to me.' And as if by a crude joke of acknowledgment the sections of the blade separated and fell to the ground, scoring the earth beneath the hilt. Tezuka moved a little away from his captain and gave it open form a few practice swings before squeezing the handle again. The sections quickly retracted and clamped down together, the reformed blade whole once more in his hands. <********' A, man..." He chuckled a little and pulled the reitsu endowed within the blade out, letting it disappear back into its sealed form.
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