The Monster Beneath the Mask [JT]

[Maria Ashwin]

Marik Ashwin

tag:Satoshi Kazuhiko

Paragraphs: 8

Inovation

is the corner stone of being lazy

It opens doors to make life easier

(1)The blood-curdling screams of hollows echoed through the eternal darkness of the Menos Forest, a gentle breeze carrying with it the delicate yet pungent scent of death and the sweet smell of iron associated with blood hung heavy in the air. And the one truth in all the carnage and bloodshed was simple.



(2) The strong would survive while the weak where made to conform to their roles as prey, this was an unshakable truth of heuco mundo the place that all hollows called home. Regrettably, it was also Marik’s home, and no matter how far he ran or how much he denied it, it would never change.



(3) Marik yawned as he opened his eye’s the veil of death like sleep lifted as another ear piercing cry echoed through the menos forest again his entire world trembling as he heard a massive explosion near by as a flash of red light filtered through the cracks in his abodes roof with blinding furiosity.



(4) The neon green-haired Arrancar would wince as he brought his hands up and began to rub the sleep out of his eyes , sitting up he would stretch his arms toward the heavens rolling his shoulders several audible cracks filling the space as he did so. ‘Lets see’ he would think to himself as he surveyed the area.



(5) He was once again back in his old burrow from his days as a vasto lordez , a small smile would grace his lips as he examined the room recounting the time he had taken to decorate this pit he once called a home. “She sure had a held up nice” he would mumble to himself standing up.

(6) The room or rather a circular pit was fifty meters deep, meaning that had quite high ceiling while the room itself was forty meters carved circular space. On the far backside of the room Lay a California king with the fair-skinned shinigami he had found, although the word shinigami was probably no longer appropriate.



(7) In the middle of the room sat two simple brown couches between then sat a coffee table piled high with food from the human world , half of this was for marik the other half for kazu. The boy had been out for days only waking up to eat however brief that was today marik was hoping he was well enough to actually sit and talk.



(8) As kazu began to stir marik would sink back onto the couch grabbing a KFC drumstick and yawning before he took a bite , he would say nothing he wanted the young shinigami…well vizard to come a sate his hunger himself this day. As another cry of a gillian sounded through the area the entire room shaking as yet another resounding boom echoed through las noches marik would groan “sleeping wont make the noise stop get up already”

  

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[Satoshi Kazuhiko]

Kazuhiko's sleep was blissfully peaceful. It was the first he'd had like this in nearly a month. The constant pursuit of hollows had allowed the exhausted, starved, and wounded boy only enough of a break to rest. He was confident that he'd fallen asleep with his eyes open a few times, but that was the closest he'd gotten to genuine relaxation. It had taken a sound beating and an act of traumatic, soul-rending torture to put the messy-haired boy to sleep.

The unmistakable scent of mass-produced food filled the room. It was a familiar scent from a time he couldn't quite put his finger on. Another memory from life before death, like his memory of how he and his sister had died. It was blurry... But it was also an incomparable temptress! "Ngh..." He stirred. His eyes closed tighter, rather than opening just yet. His throat was dry and his head throbbed. But all of those pangs meant he was alive. ...How?

"I-ta-ta-taaaa! (Owwwwww!)" He whined as he reached up and placed two fingers to his temple. It offered little solace. But touching his own skin did in fact confirm to him that he was alive. His eyes finally opened then. His cool blue eyes were dulled, but active. They searched the strange room... No that's not quite right... It was more of a pit. Another cell? He noticed his weight now, or rather the way it sank into the surface upon which he lay. A bed. It was quite large and comfortable. The accommodations were too nice to be a prison.

Finally, his eyes fell on Marik as he lounged on the other side of the room. And immediately Kazuhiko sat up! His left hand instinctively fired to his hip! His tired, cracked fingers grasping for the hilt of his Zanpakuto! "Wha?!" It was missing! A moment of panic set in, causing him to tumble out of the bed in a ball of bedsheets!

"Hey! Let me go!" He demanded as he kicked and struggled against his fabric captor! After a moment of slapstick struggling, the sheets began to tear! His fingers pressed through the tear and he tore himself an exit-point. With both hands! He emerged from his clumsy cacoon triumphantly! And then turned his attention toward his right arm. The gold metal glowed with a cool white light. ...That's right. This was his shikai. His Zanpakuto still hadn't come back... Was this because of that woman? Number Nine?

He tucked his right arm back into his sleeve for now. And as he did so, his nose finally recaptured the scent of that food! His stomach growled, reprimanding him for his absentmindedness. "Wari wari. (Sorry, Sorry)." He mumbled as he patted his belly. "I hate to be presumptuous." He looked back to Marik, who had been stuck watching him panic, roll around, and destroy his bedding. "But may I have some?" He asked as his left hand went to the back of his head bashfully. He ruffled his own hair as he gave the green-haired man a goofy smile. "Frankly, I'm starving!"

[Maria Ashwin]

Marik Ashwin

tag:Satoshi Kazuhiko

Paragraphs: 8

Inovation

is the corner stone of being lazy

It opens doors to make life easier

(1)Marik would shift from his laying position as he heard the young shinigami shift in the covers, ‘ah he’s finally awake about time’ he would think to himself amusement playing in his mind as the boy began to talk to himself.

(2) Although what happened next mad marik break out in laughter as the young shinigami went for something beneath the covers, no doubt searching for his weapon that had changed forms long ago. The laughter would stop altogether though when a loud seam shredding tear.

(3) The sound echoed through the room, the neon green-haired Arrancar would sigh as he raised his chicken leg to his lips and took a few bites finishing it just as Kazu bursted from his now ruined sheets tossing the bone over his shoulder letting it clatter against the rough stone floor.

(4) Marik made no attempts to move as Kazu made his way over the boy’s growling stomach making it apparent what he sought When he made mention of starving Marik would yawn stretching his arms upward with a satisfying pop. He would then gesture to the couch across from himself, it was pretty clear what Marik wanted and that was for the young man to take a seat.

(5.) “Before you start eating i think it only fair we exchange names, you're free to eat as please after that i just have a few questions” he would say pulling his hand pack resting it on his lap , should Kazuhiko take note of Marik’s appearance he would notice several key things that would stand out.

(6.) The first was a lack of a zanpakuto Marik himself didn’t carry on his person any bladed weapon, the reason he simply believed using the blade would act as a limiter on his part stopping him from reaching his natural peak which these days seemed depressing close.

(7.) The next most noticeable thing that would pop up would be his bandaged hands and arms, the bandages constricting and conforming to each digit and curve of his slender arms the bandages stopping three and a half inches above his elbow. The third and final thing being a white eye patch on the left side of his face.

(8.)the scrap of leather hiding the one wound on his body from view. If Kazu said nothing marik would sigh and join him in sating his own hunger , should kazu continue onward he would also give his own name in turn with a small smile “My name is Marik Ashwin so do you mind me asking what is it that has you wandering the desert? Seems like you had a run in with semi-truck” he would inquire as he picked up a box of panda expresses orange chicken and a set of chop sticks.


  

···

[Satoshi Kazuhiko]

"Mhm! I'm Satoshi Kazuhiko!" He said enthusiastically. His name was his meal ticket after all. Immediately after giving his name, he descended on the chicken like a... Well, a man who had been starving! His left hand shot towards the bucket and he thrust a drumstick into his mouth, bone and all! His lips created a perfect seal around it, and when he pulled the thing free of his mouth it was stripped clean!

He cast the bone onto the table beside the bucket before going for another piece and devouring it just the same! His right arm stayed immobile, but his left moved through four or five pieces with windmill-like efficiency! After he cleaned the sixth drumstick he paused to let out a burp!

"Wari wari!!!" He apologized again and covered his mouth in bashful amusement! He normally had better manners than this, but he was simply so elated to be eating that he lost himself. The last month or more had been an endurance test. A horrific gauntlet that strained him physically, spiritually, and mentally. And the feel of warm food in his mouth and belly felt like a divine gift. Having taken in his fill, he reclined backward and let out a deep, appreciative sigh!

SPOILER: Click to show

{Kazuhiko}

Finally, still, Marik had a moment to observe the boy. He was far from intimidating. Even sitting it was obvious he was short, only a few inches above five feet. He had a thin, scrawny frame. It was made scrawnier still by his emaciation. But the act of gorging himself had reinvigorated him almost immediately! His pallid, dry skin was already looking darker and healthier. His cheeks had a rosy blush to them that he hadn't had in weeks.

His golden blonde hair was a mess and getting closer to white from all of the alabaster sand that had blown in it. His eyes were a brilliant blue, like the depths of the ocean. Typically he wore glasses, but they were gone entirely now. He'd been left with only a single lens for a few days, he had taken it apart. He'd needed the glass to fashion a small cutting tool. This had broken as well by now.

His vestments were in tatters. The oversized robe he wore was torn apart from the many many days of the conflict. He had once worn two robes, but now only his white robes remained. He'd cut up his black robes with the cutting tool fashioned from his glasses to make bandages or to us as kindling. His sleeves were fully gone. The one on his left had been ripped when Lagos hurled him through the desert. And the one on his right had been blown off during his release. His feet were bare. He'd lost one of his sandals in a chase and had deconstructed the other for the valuable hemp string it was made of.

"Ahhh... So good." He patted his belly and licked his dry lips. "Do you have water?" He was parched as well. He'd been surviving off the dense Reishi of Hueco Mundo. It had kept him alive, but it had been its own type of drain on him. It was just one more trial of agony... Testing his will to live. But when it resolved, he had come out the other side. If he was frightened or distrustful of Marik, he certainly didn't show it.

"Thank you for saving me!" And part of that was because he assumed that the man had picked him up from the desert. He hadn't a clue where he was or why he was there. But he knew he was finally fed and no one was trying to nip at his heels. "I'm here because I was kidnapped." He finally answered him. "I don't know why I was kidnapped... I can't imagine what purpose a low-ranking shinigami like me could serve." He paused recalling the experience with Rizer.

"But I escaped. And..." He balled his fist... His the right one this time. It closed with a heavy-sounding finality. "I have to stop that man. No matter what!" He was stoic and confident... But he didn't seem angry. At least not yet. But his right arm was glowing white. His resolve pulsed through that golden prosthetic. "He's going to hurt people. I don't understand why he wants to. But I know that if he gets what he wants, he'll use it to kill more and more." He recalled the child, the puppy, and the older man in the 80th district that Rizer had murdered with total disregard for the sanctity of their lives. "Can you help me get back?"

[Maria Ashwin]

Marik Ashwin

tag:Satoshi Kazuhiko

Paragraphs: 7

Inovation

is the corner stone of being lazy

It opens doors to make life easier

(1)Marik would give a light sigh as he flopped onto his back on the couch resting his head on one armrest, while his feet kicked up on the opposite end. Taking his left hand and gliding between the couch cushions he would wrap his fingers around a cold plastic surface, as fast as the average human he would lob a cold bottle of dasani water toward Kazuhiko.

 (2) "Think fast kid' he would yawn out as he stretched out on the couch getting comfortable once again, Marik hope the boy wasn't one of those weird people who had some sort of brand loyalty that stopped him from being a reasonable person and just drinking the damn water.

(3) "drink up then focus on talking" he would say an expression of pure boredom etched upon his face as he spoke, not for lack of Kazu being interesting the man had resting bitch face and had it bad. Years of running for your life tends to have that affect.


(4) Marik would lay down there eye's closed his breathing slowing as he let Kazuhiko ramble on for a bit, once the boy was finished he would crack open an eye and throw kazu a sparing glance. "so then kazu humor me , I send you home you give a report and Hueco Mundo suddenly has shinigami poking their noses in every hole worth checking for powerful adversaries to kill"

(5) He would yawn that last part out. "...convince me what do I stand to gain from sending you home besides a soul reaper poking around my home and potentially killing me?" he would let that statement hang in the air for a few seconds while he fished around inside the couch for another bottle. When his hand returned to view he would have a lime brisk tea in hand, sitting up ever so gently and opening the bottle he would take a swig of the juice.



(6) "I don't have anything against you personally, and seeing as part of soul has now been permanently warped making you part hollow I have even less reason to hold anything against you.." he would pause putting the cap back on his brisk tea.

(7) the green haired Arrancar would then reach into the bucket of KFC and pull out a thigh taking a bite chewing slowly relishing the flavor as he looked down at the meat in his hand. "...what I'm saying is I'll cut you a deal Kazuhiko , before i offer my terms is getting home that important to you? and why? " he would continue with a rather tired look on his face awaiting Kazuhiko's answer. 'lets see where the boy's loyalties lie'


  

···

[Satoshi Kazuhiko]

Marik's first response to his plea was to toss a bottle of water at him. It was a simple action. But Kazuhiko wore an expression of shock as the bottle gently sailed towards him. It wasn't because the man had given him water as he'd asked. Nor was it that he'd thrown it at him, rather than simply handed it over. It was because Kazuhiko experienced the action in slow motion.

Rather than see the bottle plainly, he felt it as it gently turned in the air. Front and back. All of it. From the condensation wicked plastic to the soft flutter of the label as air passed beneath and above it. He'd never felt anything so intensely as this... Bottle? It sounded ridiculous. And beyond that, it sounded wasteful. To feel something so mundane as a water bottle in such a magnificent chorus of stimuli!

Kazuhiko raised his left hand and the bottle clapped right into his palm. Exactly where he knew it would be. It wasn't a herculean feat. There would be no tales of the boy who caught water. Any average person could have caught the bottle. But in it Kazuhiko gained knowledge about himself. He hadn't simply moved his hand in the way of the path of the bottle. He had put it where he knew the bottle would be. Academically. Socratically. Clear as One Plus One equals two. And then, opening the bottle with his other hand, he laughed!

He laughed at the absurdity of the experience he was having. He laughed at the strange world he'd found himself in. Away from his friends, his family, and his home. He laughed at finally tasting the cool, revitalizing water as it ran down his throat. He laughed at the joy of being alive. And how he could feel the world so much more intensely than he had before!

He finally set the bottle down as Marik began to talk of being part hollow. It wiped the smile from the boy's face, but he didn't interject. He hadn't a clue what the man meant by this... But none of that mattered at this moment. He didn't have time to address that. Instead, he focused on the rest of Marik's statement. His deal. His inquiry. Kazuhiko was seemingly a fool... But if Marik took the time to look into Kazuhiko's eyes he would see that he was considering him. Considering his words and concerns. And working out a solution. He was silly. But he wasn't stupid.

"I can't possibly say what you stand to gain, Mr. Ashwin, sir. I don't truly understand who you are or where your interests lie. Admittedly, I don't even understand why you picked me up from the desert or why you have fed me." He took another drink of water, this one slow. It served as punctuation for his statement and an opportunity to fluidly buy more time to think. "But I do know that people will come for me. People I very much don't -want- to come for me." He added as he screwed the top of the bottle on.

"I don't mean like hollows. Or like Number Nine. Friends and Family. They'll do anything to get me back. And I'm sure they've noticed I'm missing by now. And I'm sure they're trying to find a way to get here, to... Hueco Mundo?" He guessed. He wasn't really certain where he was, but he assumed that this man hadn't taken him back to the human world. "And I think that if they do that, they'll be in grave danger. I... Don't want that to happen ever again." He finished as he looked past Marik, into the distance. His cool blue eyes began to fill with the makings of tears.

He blinked them away before looking back to Marik. "And like I told you. I need to stop that man. He intends to kill until he gets what he wants. So I need to find out what that is. And I need to stop it. I don't want anyone else to get hurt. Not here in Hueco Mundo. Nor in Soul Society." He frowned. So many had been hurt already. It was foolish to try and save everyone, enemies and allies both. Especially in his predicament. But perhaps he was a fool after all. "I don't want to see anyone else in pain! So please, won't you help me heal the world?"

SPOILER: Click to show

{Appropriate Skills}Charisma/Leadership:2

[Maria Ashwin]

Marik Ashwin

tag:Satoshi Kazuhiko

Paragraphs: 8

Inovation

is the corner stone of being lazy

It opens doors to make life easier

(1)Marik would keep a keen eye on kazu taking a bite of his chicken once more, chewing twice then swallowing as the boy began to give Marik his speech. by the time the boy had finished speaking Marik had picked the bones clean and tossed the bones over his shoulder, he would then lock eyes with Kazuhiko his one good eye still holding that bored glow his face unchanging.

(2) It was very clear to Marik now what mattered most to Kazu and that was his friends and family, and that information alone was enough for Marik to begin his rebuttal. Clapping his hands together smacking the crumbs off his hands, he would clear his throat as another earth-shattering hollow cry ripped through the area and another flash of red light filtered its way down into the pit-like room they were both in.

(3) "my interest is you is curiosity, I wanted to see what all the fuss was about before the hollows decided to have their way and turn you into a snack" this statement in itself was mostly true, he wanted to gauge whether this boy would be a threat in the far or near future and the sheer fact he was a vizard already meant he had a strike against him.

(4) "as for the people that you think will come for you, was anyone there when you where kidnapped? between all 3 infinite realms you think they'll sift through the grains of eternity and find you?" he would stand up yawning walking toward his bed stopping at the nightstand and pulling out cell phone, naturally it had no service but marik had downloaded several games on the device to help him pass the time.

(5) "As for your mystery man who wants to kill people, that's your problem like it or not im still a hollow and your organization would see me butchered for so much as stepping foot in that realm" he would say walking back over to the couch and sitting down, holding the power button and powering the phone on.

(6) "as moving as your speech was, I'm not unhinged enough to deny reason and logic, sending you back doesn't ensure hollows on this side of the fence stay safe and in the same breath I watched your fight how is sending you back going to save anyone?" a very real question. Marik didn't know what the boy's speech was supposed to invoke but it wouldn't be getting the desired effects out of marik , as he himself would've rather killed both him and rizer but as we all know death doesn't exactly stick thus what marik wanted was simple.

(7) "you can talk to me till your blue in the face, but I've already said id send you home i just need your unshakable word if you cant give that i can always guarantee your silence my own way" he would say calmly as he looked down at the cat currently dancing on his phone , the veiled threat within his words was serious enough.

(8) "i dont wanna have shinigami sniffing around here and you want to go home , the concept isn't to hard to understand i send you home , i get something i want in return a favor later down the line or well i let your organization know about what happened here and they execute you before you have a chance to do anything , you'd leave behind a lot of people or we can find that lady and you pick up where you left off" he would say matter o' factly he wasnt leaving any wiggle room. "im not a hero or a man of high morals im just a bastard who wants his home left alone and to sleep his days away"

···

[Satoshi Kazuhiko]

Kazuhiko's attention was drawn immediately to the flash of red that flooded the pit. It was accompanied by a beastly, supernatural scream. Marik hadn't answered his inquiry about where they were. The environment did. He was still in Hueco Mundo. He closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath as Marik dusted off his hands. He tried to focus himself... The last six weeks had been constant anxiety. Unending flight and panic. And the moment he had stood up for himself, in his battle with Number Nine, he had been forced to endure a thing more terrible than death itself...

Though he'd slept and been fed, he was exhausted. His wits had been stretched and his hopes dwindling. This was becoming more and more clear as the man talked. Not to him, but rather, down at him. He addressed him with equal parts disinterest and disdain. The boy had considered the guarded way that Marik spoke. The methods by which he attempted to ease their tension with gifts. To instill in him a sense of debt, before asking for the debt to be paid back. He was a gangster. Another bad man in the badlands of Hueco Mundo.

"Thank you for the food, Mr. Ashwin." He offered his gratitude with a smile before placing the now-empty water bottle on the table in front of him. He then put his left hand against the arm of the couch and braced himself with a sigh. He couldn't sit down in front of this man any longer. He was dangerous.

"They'll come." He said plainly. "Nothing would keep my sister from finding me." He began to push himself up to his feet. "She might have to search all of the human world. And all of hell. But when she's done with the devil, she'll come." He nodded with his eyes closed and a sad smile on his lips. He knew there was no stopping Fuuko. As it was in life, so would it be in death. "It's been six weeks already. In those six weeks, some of the most clever, powerful people I've ever known have surely been investigating. I have the utmost confidence in them." He put his hand of flesh over his heart.

"But. How confident are you in the man who kidnapped me? He didn't seem like an especially careful man. I'm certain he left some sort of clue." He recalled how Rizer had murdered a number of individuals. How he had used his strange sword powers just for the sake of knocking him out. Twice. How he had engaged him and given him his name in the middle of the Rukongai. Mr. Ashwin might not have known who his kidnapper was, but that would only make the quality of his actions more questionable. After all, Kazuhiko was running free around Las Noches.

Kazuhiko's hand dropped from his heart as it balled into a fist at the continued talk of his 'mystery man'. He didn't hate Rizer Tile. But there was no denying that the memories he conjured made him angry. He was right, however. It wasn't his problem. And the Shinigami would surely cut him down if he trespassed into Soul Society. "You're right." He nodded, frowning. "They would."

He considered his next question. How would sending him back save anyone? The first answer was simple. "If my friends and family didn't have to search for me, they wouldn't wind up here. They wouldn't be fighting in Hueco Mundo. At least not over me." He added, acknowledging that there would always be fighting within Hueco Mundo. There was a war, after all. A war in which he was a soldier. That fact gave him pause. For all this time within Hueco Mundo, for all the attempts on his life, he'd yet to kill. But how long could he keep that up?

"My fight?" He considered the tail end of Marik's statement. He'd watched him be brutalized by Number Nine in the desert. Watched him ragdolled into sand dunes and be easily overpowered. He'd watched as he'd been made to wail in ghoulish agony as his own soul-chain attempted to consume him! His first instinct was that Marik was calling him weak. Questioning how such a meek boy could save anyone. But then... It felt like there was something more to Mr. Ashwin's words. Was there something within Kazuhiko that he was afraid of? ...Was sending him back somehow... Dangerous? "What do you mean?"

But then came the meat of Marik's proposal. The unveiling of his identity that Kazuhiko had already sorted out. For all the devil-may-care presentation and hospitality, he was a rogue. But removing the sugar coating from his demeanor was a welcome change. This was a negotiation under the illusion of a conversation. He offered a number of grisly outcomes. Death in Soul Society. Death in Hueco Mundo. Death on the spot. All he needed to do to find another way was to agree to a deal. To prick his finger and sign in blood. One I.O.U to a gangster. Surely, it couldn't be that bad? He'd get to live. He could pursue his goals. His lofty ideals. And prepare himself for the day Marik Ashwin came to call in his debt.

"I refuse." He shook his head. "I can't do that." He reiterated. "I don't think you are a bad hollow, Mr. Ashwin. I think that what you're saying about wanting to protect your home is very true. I think we're very alike in that way. We both want to create a life free of pain." He extended his hand towards Marik. "You for the hollows of Hueco Mundo." He then pulled that hand back to once again place it over his heart. "And me, for everyone. Including Hueco Mundo." He offered another sad smile. It wasn't because he thought his own notion was ridiculous. But because he knew that Marik wouldn't believe him. Who would? No one ever did.

"I don't think you're a bad hollow." He repeated himself. "But, I think you have bad intentions. You'll use an unnamed favor from me to hurt people. It doesn't matter whether they're people I know or not. Maybe it'll be other hollows in a personal power struggle. Perhaps it'll be all of Soul Society. Or a clan in the human world." He swung a hand across his chest, cutting the air and striking down the very notion. "It doesn't matter. I won't let myself be used as a tool to hurt others. I'm not so desperate to live that I would pay for it with the lives of others. Then, now, or any time in the future. I'm not afraid to die, Mr. Ashwin. You don't have the leverage against me that you think you do."

His right arm moved for the first time since waking up. The golden shell began to resonate with white light. The flickering, almost heavenly radiance of his right arm battled against another flash of red light that filtered from below. Kazuhiko turned his body, so that his right shoulder was facing Marik. His forearm crossed his own belly. His left hand raised in a fist, just below his own chin. It was a fighting pose. Though not one that was especially traditional. If Marik had any knowledge of the sport of boxing, he would recognize it as a defensive stance. "I've been fighting for my life from the moment I got here. I'm not ready to throw in the towel. So if it's a fight you want-" He nodded. "Then let's get it over with."

Kazuhiko didn't step forward. He held his ground. "But if you want to avoid conflict, then Please, open a gate and send me home! I'm not your enemy. I know you didn't bring me here, and it is unfair of me to ask for you to fix it. But consider what happens if I stay here. Whether I'm alive or dead, when they get here, they'll still come. If I'm dead, it'll mean war. If I'm alive it'll mean a seige to try to get me back. But if I'm home, they'll call off the search. There'll be no need to breach your lands. This is the most rational way to keep your lands safe. To undo the misdeed that your companion committed. Set things right and protect Hueco Mundo!"

[Maria Ashwin]

Marik Ashwin

tag:Satoshi Kazuhiko  , Brutus

Paragraphs: 5

Inovation

is the corner stone of being lazy

It opens doors to make life easier

(1)Marik would sit quietly and listen to kazuhiko's reply his bored expression shifting eventually to one of a small warm smile , amusement dancing in his single eye the conviction of this child was both astounding and refreshing. 'maybe...if i was half as determined when i he was chasing me with that butchers knife i might have..' he would stop himself from pondering on the thought ,

(2) He would set his phone down on the couch and lock it slipping it between the couch cushions. "in another life..." he would mumble under what he believed to be to low for Kazuhiko to hear , "first allow me to address the simplest of your lines , i dont trust your kidnapper in the slightest what i trust is my own ability and efficiency" he would then stand looking up at the roof of the pit , as if listening for something.

(3) "you are right about my goals , one day i want to make a place where hollows no longer suffer from endless hunger..but it's not like a shinigami would care..look i have offered you a way home and in exchange i have asked for your silence in the form of a favor which you have refused" with a sigh he would stand up and begin walking the opposite direction twoard a wall.

(4) "in this life you dont get something for nothing, and no good deed goes unpunished , I'm going to step out i brought us here via garganta and I'll be leaving by such terms i will return in an few minutes with your desert think my offer love some more and if you leave this space before i return ill be forced to hunt and kill you please understand this isn't personal" he would say with a sigh.

(5) Touching the wall he would open a small door sized garganta and step through into the void of nothingness vanishing , the holes near the base of the pits roof where 3 inch wide holes that let fresh air and light filter in. The sounds of hollows crying and prowling around would also filter in through the holes , marik wanted to let the boy marinate in his situation for a bit then make him an offer. Should he not see reason he'd be handing the boy back over , little did marik know another spirit lurked within the area.

···

[Satoshi Kazuhiko]

They were close enough that Kazuhiko could feel the man with that strange extra sense he had awakened. He didn't need to look at him to see the subtle shifting of the muscles in his face. He could feel his smile long before he could have seen it. Something that Kazuhiko had said had left the man amused. Or perhaps it was something else. Either way, he appeared to have gotten through to him in some way.

The man's secret mumble was detected even clearer than his smile. But Kazuhiko didn't react to it. He simply continued to watch the man intently. To see how he would react to his plea. He couldn't conjure a reason the man would want to keep him here any longer than necessary. Surely he would listen to reason? Or perhaps there was a reason he was being kept prisoner in Hueco Mundo that he wasn't aware of.

When Marik finally began to speak back to him it was in rebuke rather than a receipt. He sought his silence. Or at least for Kazuhiko to lie about it... His request had been unclear, but even now it didn't matter... Kazuhiko wouldn't have agreed to that either. Silence about a man like Rizer Tile could endanger others back home. If he didn't warn the Gotei 13 about him and people died... Those lives would be on him.

There was sadness or perhaps exhaustion in his words as he revealed his beliefs and goals. A world where Hollows would no longer feel their hunger was partnered with the belief that no Shinigami would ever care about that. Followed by the declaration that every exchange in life was transactional. And that good deeds had painful results. The boy's lips twitched into a frown. "I'm sorry Mr. Ashwin." He offered from his seat. He took hold over the place where his own heart was, his hand trembling from the sadness he perceived from Marik.

He watched the man touch the wall to open a way out. And he didn't try to chase him. That gate wasn't a way out for him. It was an escape for Marik. But before he left Kazuhiko spoke. "I don't begrudge you. I'm going to heal the world of all its' pain, Mr. Ashwin. And one day... If you'll let me. I'd like to heal yours too." It wasn't a promise... But a declaration of intent. There was kindness in that man. But it was buried beneath a pessimistic worldview, depression, and a world where weakness resulted in being cannibalized.

And when the gate closed Kazuhiko was left alone. The trembling fist over his heart balled up tighter with frustration. He knew Marik would hunt him if he tried to escape... But he didn't think he wouldn't try to hurt him when he returned either. He seemed just as eager to leverage his life to hurt others as Rizer had been... Though admittedly with a bit less psychopathy. He had apologized to Marik. Partly in empathy for his pain. But also because he had already known at that time that he would try to escape...

There was a hole in the wall that was letting in the sounds of the outside world. Shrieks of hollows and flashes of violence were being let in from there. Perhaps that was opening would be the structural weakness he needed to find in order to escape! With his resolve steeled he hurried to his feet. He rushed over to that gap. That brief peak into the infinite white of the deserts of Hueco Mundo! 'Once more into the breach!' He thought.

He braced himself and took up a fighting pose. His right arm, that great golden limb, began to fluctuate with white reiatsu. His will pulsed through it, illuminating the room in heavenly light. Metal rubbed metal as his prosthetic fingers balled tightly into a knuckle! "Okay! Time to go!" He stated with conviction as he coiled every muscle in his body. He'd have to apologize to Marik later for his wall...

He took a step forward! It directed all of his weight and momentum down the line of his shoulder! His elbow cocked like the hammer of a gun! And when he threw that ferocious punch, all of that energy and momentum surged down the length of his arm! Culminating at the points of his knuckles! His fist struck the perceived weak point of his prison wall with a fist that roared with tremendous spiritual pressure! It surged the same way it had when it had destroyed Lagos's Cero!! Freedom at-

...Last?

Kazuhiko frowned. Not only was the tree intact, but it also wasn't even scuffed. "Oh... Oh no..." He lamented. His Shikai was birthed from his will... 'Do No Harm'. It wasn't just beings that his arm kept him from hurting. He couldn't damage anything material at all! The breach would have to wait...

[Maria Ashwin]

Marik Ashwin

tag:Satoshi Kazuhiko

Paragraphs: 11

Inovation

is the corner stone of being lazy

It opens doors to make life easier

(1)Marik would sigh as he stepped out of the Garganta appearing roughly half a mile away from his old den, the cries of hollows carried on the wind. His foot would find purchase upon a thick branch from one of the many tree's in the menos forest.

(2) he would step upon it gently testing the petrified tree's tensile strength before stepping on it completely. "this is as good a place as any" he would mumble to himself as he suppressed his spiritual pressure down to inconsequential levels.

(3) he didn't want a crowd gathering. leaning his back against the tree trunk, he would slowly slide down wholly exhausted and mentally drained from the boy's stubbornness. 'i should snap his neck and feed him to the hollows.

(4) but that's such a damn chore' he would think to himself with a sigh as he let out a small huff his stomach rumbling. Reaching into the folds of his uniform he would produce a king size snickers bar which he quickly unwrapped and began to eat, 'rizer should've taken this kid to kohai from the start, or better yet not go around kidnapping children in the first fucking place'

(5) Savoring the taste of the chocolate on his tongue as he ate the snickers, there wasn't much in this dreadful universe that could satiate his foul temper say for sugar and sleep, and one of those he couldn't do. This whole mess with rizer and his pet was becoming the most annoying thing to plague his existence since his own death.

(6)  that took several agonizing days before he was finally gifted with the cold and final embrace. The child was by no means dull quite the opposite mind as sharp as a knife, but he lacked the simple common sense to just lie and be allowed to go home.

(7) 'people fucking confuse me' he would think to himself as he took another bite of his guilty pleasure, he would lean back and gaze up at the canopy of the menos forest his mind drifting to kohai and the other espada and lastly rizer.

(8) "It doesn't matter..." he would yawn as he felt a wave of relaxation wash over him, he had allowed himself to relax a fault on his part. The Primera's aspect of death was apathy which often left him falling in pits and bouts of being stuck in complacent bliss.

(9) this was often counteracted by him setting lofty and stress-filled goals for himself the way things were going he didn't wish to go against the grain much longer. Stumbling to his feet he would chuck the half eaten snicker over his shoulder onto the menos forest floor,

(10) "...the kids stuck in pit with several tons of quartz and sand atop the mouth of the pit.." he would pause as he yawned snapping his finger's causing another garganta to open. He would step into the void and begin walking a neat path of reishi would begin forming beneath his feet as he walked.

(11) "...if they show up at las noches , kohai will kill them , if they manage to find him before the hollows do well I hope they have a way back" he would yawn out as the garganta closed behind him. As he walked through the void his thoughts drifted back to simpler times when the world wasn't tertering on the machinations of complacent kings a foolish shinigami , a time when he could just sleep for fifty years at a time and live in a world where he was afforded the peace of eternal rest.
  

···

[Shawn Rabuburēdo]

I count 90 paragraphs between the two of you, thus awarding both participants with 450 TP!