Devil In A Midnight Mass [CLOSED]
Characters: Shinji Hirako, Anthy Himemiya, Muguruma Kensei, and later Penelo
Content: Someone comes out to play, and it wants blood.
Setting: Initially, Shinji's quarters
Time: Following the string of "oshit!" posts. Evening-ish?
Warnings: Creepiness, violence, angst. Oh, and a Hollow.
( Resurrected from the past. )
Content: Someone comes out to play, and it wants blood.
Setting: Initially, Shinji's quarters
Time: Following the string of "oshit!" posts. Evening-ish?
Warnings: Creepiness, violence, angst. Oh, and a Hollow.
( Resurrected from the past. )
Eventually the short game of cat and mouse came to an end in a dying rice field quite a ways from the 4423. The Hollow paused and waited very patiently for the other man to arrive, unmoving once more. By now the sun had begun to set in the horizon, the sky painted in a variety of shades of violet and loud oranges and pinks. Shadows danced across the left side of the mask, dipping into the creases and over divots to cast an ominous cover over the boning. A moment later, its hand twitched, the blade slashing against the stalks of grass, as though it was an agitated dog.
And so it waited for Kensei, as it would continue to wait even if the sun went down.
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Still, he wasn't going to let this weakness falter him from his task at hand. Kensei forced himself up straight, raising up his zanpaktou as he forced himself to even his breathing - with the way he was now, he was only going to put himself at the disadvantage. While he did that, he waited on his own end for his opponent to strike first; if it did, then it would be easier for him to get the advantage. Being a Vaizard, he did know what it was like having to face a foe like the one before him - and what better way than to put that knowledge to it's intended, proper use?
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What better way indeed?
There was nothing in the air save for a sharp breeze and the sound of Kensei's panting, which lessened over the time that the Hollow stood and merely surveyed him. Was the human expecting him to attack? No, not a human. It could smell the Hollow on him; he reeked of death. Did he know it? Surely he did.
The Hollow tilted its head. Yes, he was waiting for an ttack.
But instead of making the first move, it gripped the sword hilt tightly, reitasu levels spiking eratically in a matter of seconds. The energy was dark and heavy-- almost wrong. Diseased. Beneath the mask, it growled lowly as even the wind stopped howling past it in the field.
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The silver-haired man bit down on his bottom lip as he narrowed his eyes, breaths evening out as he managed to catch his breath. His fingers tightened around the grip of his zanpaktou, gripping the handle of his dagger tightly as he swung it down to let out a large blast of wind towards his opponent. He gave no reprieve for that though, as he rushed in right behind the attack with Tachikaze on the ready to strike once he was in range.
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The appropriate move then would've been to dodge, or relocate to a place behind the older man. It should've been a top priority, survival, and yet the Hollow occupying Shinji's body did nothing of the sort and waited for that blast to connect, the approaching gust of wind violently pushing the blond out of its face. Somehow, it barely seemed phased, or even remotely intimidated by the energy.
No, it only welcomed it.
After all, would Kensei really go through with attacking a friend? Could he find the strength to pierce him with that little dagger of his? Murder him? It wasn't ready to leave this vessel just yet. But still, still.
Humanity was so intriguing in its complexity.
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But, his brain reminded him, as his eyes widened at the sight of his opponent just standing there-- human's the last thing be is right now. Being human was the very last thing that Shinji ever was right at this moment.
Still, even then... the human mind was a most troubling thing, and even though he had warned himself, had prepared himself for this, has made sure that he was ready to do this when the time came... his sword faltered, and the dagger twisted around to just nick the blonde at the part of the mask where the cheek was supposed to be instead of the stab he had been attempting. Gritting his teeth, the man went past his foe after that and turned around once he was behind, firing out a roughly-charged hadouken towards him.
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Like bad reception, Shinji's form flickered once then twice before vanishing, his reiatsu lazily trickling behind in an intentional trail that was meant to be followed. Because those who left trails intended to be found. And for the Hollow, this was a win/win situation. Follow it, or don't. Either way, the result was a good one.
It reappeared midair from behind, Sakanade aimed down at Kensei's head with intent to sever and kill because unlike Shinji, the creature did not recognize him as a friend.
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The man had barely anytime to react after that before he felt the trail of magic leading towards his back, and instinctively he raised up Tachikaze just in time to block the strike that had been coming down from above his hand. The blades clashed in a flurry of sparks, and Kensei could feel his arm shaking from the fierce impact that had brought their zanpaktous together.
And he really didn't like it.
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"Why don't you let it out?" it crooned in an almost nonchalant, barely strained tone, as though they were talking about something as simple as the weather. Maybe it was that simple. "Your Hollow. Can't you hear it, Ken-Kensei?"
His name was sarcastically uttered in as pitiful a tone as possible, to mimic Shinji's call out to him over the network. This was pathetic. If there was going to be a fight, it should've been a good one. This way, things weren't even. And when things weren't even, the satisfactory of victory was ultimately much less satisfactory.
"Release it!" the Hollow roared in sudden irritation, increasing the pressure on the sword to press him back.
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...the same voice he was hearing now from the Hollow that had been Shinji Hirako, and the same voice that was causing the Hollow within him to stir proper, to respond the call of its kind as the adrenaline of battle started to empower it. He could hear it, alright - he could hear the rising cries of his Hollow all to well. Which was why he didn't like it ( ... )
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"If you won't make it come out..."
There was a rustling of grass around them as a particularly rough breeze forced its way through the field, whipping blond this way and that. The creature deftly adjusted the sword in its fingers, inky eyes focused on Kensei. For now, the weapon pointed away from him-- and this time, at its host.
"... then I will."
Shirt material ripped and blood suddenly began to flow down Shinji's arm as the blade lacerated flesh, just above the bicep. Crimson seeped into the navy material, appearing black and nearly non-existent in the dim lighting of what remained of the sun.
And then it waited for an angry reaction.
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What the fuck-- the man started internally, but quickly stopped himself when he decided that it was way past the time for internal monologue and growled as he steadied himself with his zanpaktou, eyes blazing in rage as he rushed out. Palms cupped, Kensei summoned out another hadouken and blasted it towards his foe, backing up the attack with a couple of wind blasts from Tachikaze.
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Disappearing once again, the Hollow was off the radar for a few moments, until it appeared once more directly in front of Kensei. One fast hand flew up to the man's face in the blink of an eye, slight (ice cold) fingers harshly gripping it into palm. A bright flash of reiatsu erupted, designed to melt Kensei's face off if he didn't move, and the beast growled dangerously to let him know that was exactly what was going to happen in two seconds.
This was no time to be stubborn.
Because if he didn't release his own Hollow, he was going to die.
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Fingers gripping unforgivably around his skull, the nails dug harshly into his skin. There was no time to register the sting of pain that came from that action before he could feel the magic building up right on his face, threatening to sear his skull right off soon enough if he didn't try to fight back and he was going to die--
Not a chance, old man.A burst of magic came from Kensei all of a sudden; magic that he could recognize all too easily from the churn of disgust in his gut to the rush of power flowing in his veins. That was all he could really register now - not the pain that came from tumbling down onto the ground after that vicious burst, not the throbbing of his arms and legs. All he could feel was the power of his Hollow, from the bone-white mask that was covering half of his face and continued to creep across, stark while adhering itself onto slightly ( ... )
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Pleased, although not visibly, the creature canted its head at Kensei, as if it were a stray dog admiring something curious. If it'd had the proper ears, they might have twitched in delight. Now this was more like it. Much more like it. Of course, it still didn't mean they were even. Regardless of the mask, the advantage wasn't lost.
Excitement bubbled in its gut as it immediately proceeded into an attack, Sakanade thrust directly at the other's stomach to skewer him on the blade.
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He had hoped he hadn't needed to do this but... the bad combination of the season, timing and even the situation had forced him into this. Clearly, the world just loved to place him in the most difficult of situations. But just like how he was always in such situations, the man always tried to find a way out of them; just like what he was going to do now.
Flipping Tachikaze around in his hand, Kensei dashed forth as well at the same time as when his opponent did, dodging the thrust and returning the attack with another hadouken of his own - this time charged just on one palm and lunging it towards the Hollow's mask in an attempt to break it.
The sooner he was done with this, the better.
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