ooc; memory #2
The air-conditioning unit, while certainly welcome in this heat, made the air inside the house feel stale after a while, so Bastet had decided to go up on the roof.
It was fine for a little bit--the sun was setting, and it was starting to cool off, so it wasn't so bad being outside. But after about twenty minutes of lying on the roof, she heard a loud buzzing noise, and it sounded like it was getting closer. She pushed herself up on her elbows, only to see a giant mosquito diving towards her.
"Does the wildlife here have something against me?" she muttered, rolling to one side. First that damn squirrel, and now this. Once she caught a wing, it was easy enough to smash the thing against the roof--it was light despite its bulk--but the resulting noise brought both Throne and Argent running outside.
She called down to reassure them that she was all right, but just as she was about to jump to the ground, something twinkling in the waning sunlight made her examine the insect's body. There, among the broken legs and smashed innards was a memory crystal--no, two. She carefully picked them out, touching only the rings surrounding them so as not to activate either while she was still on the roof.
She leapt down to the ground, holding up the crystals. "Let's get inside. I don't want to be out here when something comes to eat that thing."
After washing her hands, she settled herself on the new chaise, which they'd proudly informed her earlier was meant especially for her use. She picked one of the memory crystals off the coffee table, examined it for a moment, then took a deep breath, closing a hand around the glowing facets.
The first thing she saw was a misty shield, diffusing red light onto Honest's face as he brandished a sword.
"Sorry we're late~" he sang as the shield shattered. Even though she stood at his side, she still missed his next words, distracted by the first confirmation outside of their dreams that they had indeed known each other before Edensphere.
Toushi lay crumpled on the ground behind them, dazed and bloody, wearing a tattered black coat. Their opponent was enormous, easily twice the height of a tall man and many times as wide. There was an exposed jawbone on the outside of his face, and his right arm looked to have been recently severed. Another, smaller man stood behind him, motionless and expressionless, a bone-white half-helmet on his head and strange, tear-like markings beneath his eerie green eyes.
The air was sharp and heavy on her tongue--she could almost taste the vast amounts of power concentrated in the immediate area.
"What now?" the larger man sneered. "One after another, are they ever gonna learn their lesson?" He drew back a huge fist, his face splitting in awful joy. "If you're gonna line up like that, that means you wanna die first, huh? Sounds good to me!"
Honest was relaxed at her side; his tiny smile never slipped, his sword never wavered. Their opponent towered over them, his rage and hate and bloodlust almost tangible as he brought down his fist.
That fist is almost as big as I am--why am I not afraid?
With no more than a small grunt of effort, she caught his arm above the wrist, flipping him as easily as turning a page. The ground shattered as he landed on his back, the impact spraying rocks and dirt.
"What. The. HELL?" he snarled. What the hell is right--I had no idea I could even do that.
Bastet ignored him. "Take care of him," she told Honest, gesturing towards Toushi.
"Yes, ma'am," he murmured, his eyes playful beneath the brim of his hat. She felt herself smirk in return, holding out a hand into which he dropped a small bag.
The enemy bellowed, lurching up onto his knees and slamming a fist down where they stood. Both of them flickered out of the way, Honest going over to Toushi, while she headed towards--gods, is that Nova? So much blood; she looks half-dead. Another man lay injured just past her; his height and wavy brown hair stirred faint recognition.
"Wait, bitch," their opponent roared, one large arm stretched towards her back. Her muscles bunched and released in response to the threat, sure and deadly.
Turn. Leap. Spin. Her blows slammed into his cheek, sending blood and teeth flying.
She didn't wait for him to recover, flipping to hang suspended against the sky as he fell to his knees a second time. A second later, his face smashed into the ground as her heel connected with the top of his head.
This last blow seemed to end it--he lay unmoving. She hesitated when she landed on the ground in front of him; although she couldn't feel it, she knew she'd injured herself landing those blows. But she ignored it, and a moment later she was lifting Nova, supporting her with one arm around her shoulders. A strange, unearthly cry drowned out the girl's first broken whispers. "--is...is he--?"
"He's fine," Bastet heard herself say. Even now, she's worried about Toushi. "Don't worry about him. Can you swallow this?" She held up a small pill she'd taken from the bag Honest had given her.
"Yes," Nova replied, her voice weak.
A moment later, she looked over her shoulder, eyes narrowed as the enemy surged to his feet once again. "You just don't know when to quit, do you?" she said.
"I'll kill you!" he howled, his bloodied, broken face twisted with rage. "I'll fucking kill you!"
She gathered Nova closer to her, startled as a ball of energy began to form in his open mouth. "Cero," she muttered. You can't dodge it in time, her mind whispered.
...but you don't need to.
A split second later, a red beam shot towards them, full of immense power that crackled in her ears and lit up the sky.
"Serves you right, bastards," he said, his voice rough and gleeful. "There's no way you could have dodged a cero from this...close?"
The dust and haze from the attack cleared to reveal Honest, who had placed himself between the women and their opponent. His clothing fluttered in the wind from the force of the strike; he held his hat in place with one hand, while the other pointed his sword at their foe.
"What?" the big man said, his face slack with shock. "How did you dodge it?"
"Can't you tell?" Honest sounded relaxed, even amused. "Since deflecting it is dangerous to bystanders, I simply canceled it out with a blast of equal power." The ground between the two men was now scored by a wide chasm, evidence of the enormous forces they had unleashed.
Honest has that kind of power?
...do I?
"No way!"
"Ah, you seem not to believe me," Honest sighed. His voice darkened, going low and dangerous. "How about I show you again?"
With a speed and grace belying his normal lazy facade, he sliced his sword through the air, red energy arcing from the blade. "Sing," he growled, "Ben--"
Bastet gasped, her golden eyes wide and blank, Honest's menacing voice still echoing in her ears. She felt herself crumpling forward, her friends' startled cries buzzing in the background.
"What," she muttered as darkness slipped over her.
What the hell am I?
(ooc: Scene is the Ulquiorra and Yammy vs. Yoruichi and Urahara fight. Last 2 pages of chapter 193 through page 13 of chapter 194. Or, if you prefer, the scene on youtube.
Dialogue used and paraphrased is from scanlations by Ju-ni and Manga7, as well as the Dattebayo sub.)