Noriko of the Nine [Cinematic, DE]

[Noriko 'Asuka"]

Thread Title: Noriko of the Nine Elements[Cinematic]
Participants: Noriko, Adrastos
World: Hueco Mundo
Death Setting: Death Enabled
Rating: R
Location: In the desolate White Desert of Hueco Mundo, within a rock formation that was used once before as an arena for Hollows to battle each other to enhance their powers, to see who would achieve a higher level among the Hollows, Noriko calls back an old friend to help with her legacy.
Special Conditions: Permission was given by Rucho to use his Hollow, Adrastos
Circumstances: Having a bit of trouble with herself, the time has come for Noriko to prepare the stage of her ascension. But, before she can do that, she first must die. As death is only a stepping stone, she plans for the future, and so she calls upon her alley, Adrastos to insure that it all goes to plan.

[Noriko 'Asuka"]

This was a day long coming. She should have expected it much when the two didn't die as they should have. Even with her rebirth as a full Arrancar, her troubles never ceased to end. How deplorable. She almost couldn't stomach it all if it weren't for the fact that there was another way around it. A truly genius plan really that would have her reign on top again. Yes, very much so. The only problem there was for this to work was the setting. She had to make sure all the issues at hand were lured out into the open for her to really be able to set herself free. At the rate that she was going now, it would be only a matter of time before the two fully awakened and tore her body apart. If that were to happen, then even they will die. How truly wasteful that the very body that they sought to control would die with their victory. This was very amusing indeed.

Within the plane of white sand, Noriko had set the stage for the experiment to begin. All she needed was just one more element to help bring this all full circle. She waited. And waited. Her calls out to the great beast itself went unheard for nearly an hour. How dare something so feeble keep her waiting. If it weren't for its ability to recognize her, and its own circumstances, she would have gone with someone else to help achieve this goal of hers. But patience. Patience was necessary or less should will make a mistake. Now that would be very problematic indeed. That she couldn't allow to happen.

A Garganta warp gate came to fruition before her. The towering wall of dark energy split open its mouth to bare the void before her. Its nothingness reminded her of the days spent in said darkness. No where to go and no one to hear her cries for help. How fleeting those memories were becoming the more she spent outside of it. And yet, how amusing that she would have to rely on it once again to help her purge these other spirits from within her. Her body was deemed to be flawless, yet still had its imperfections. There were others that lingered inside of her that wouldn't stay in the shadows like they were suppose too. The twins were very much alive despite her best efforts to silence them altogether thanks to that wanderer.

Hell, she even laughed when thinking about bringing him back into the fray. Oh yes, how delicious it would be to have him carry out this little deed for her as he did before. What cruel irony it would have been to know that he would not only kill the twins off again, but help Noriko in her resurrection once more. Just the look on his face would make her knees feel a bit weak. She shook her head as the King of Beasts was about to make his entrance after she had waited long enough to have him here again. Back into the arena that they first met in as the twins remained as spectators for a time before coming down to assist the Adjuchas. She still remembered that day, and noted that there may come another in which she would have to make use of the location herself. Thus, her idea brought her and him back to where they first met. How thrilling really.

The large snout came out first as the war veteran emerged from the gaping mouth of the Garganta. Still as brutish as ever she saw eyeing from the front to the back end of his tail. Noriko remembered the last time that they traded gazes, and remembered how he continuously been had by that Wanderer. How many times did he face such a defeat at the hands of the Human hobo? She couldn't count, but for as long as they could remember each other, surely their rivalry wouldn't die. It would be a sight to behold seeing a full awakened Adjuchas, becoming a Vasto Lordes, facing against that man for a final bout. Truly an amazing show it would have been with her meal. Nevertheless, she would have to wait until her return to seek that out in the future. Hopefully by then, the two would have reached their peak to better entertain her.

Adrastos remained very much the same aside from the new scars and the severed arm it had now. Must have been a troublesome fight for the beast if it had to lose a limb to finish the fight. Hopefully it was well spent then having to waste it something so ridiculous. No matter. The snarling beast was as ready as he always was, having the moment to instruct the creature on what needed to be done, all that was needed to do was carry it out. Adrastos had no reason to argue with the Arrancar, seeing that he would be given what he always desired; a fight to the death. This was what Noriko required to happen. All the more pressure to put on herself, and all the more pressure to lure them out. All of this down to the letter of her design.

All nine of her tails emerged from their hidden space beneath her garbs. Adrastos split his chompers open. The two engaged the other. The nine tailed Arrancar swept off to the side of the beast to avoid his jaws, the main weapon in its arsenal. Noriko was fairly familiar with the King's strengths and weaknesses. Immense physical strength with high levels of endurance. There weren't many like him among all of Hueco Mundo, which made him a sort of rare find. Hollows typically relied heavily on their reiatsu, for good reason, and fail to be able to hold their own against brutes such as him. Their keen focus was on reiatsu mainly because of the benefits that it gave them across their ability spectrum.

From their release to that of their most simple techniques, Arrancars held many advantages over the other races when it came to their natural reiatsu. For one, the Quincies had a difficult time making use of it, especially when it came to contaminating the area. It proved to be very hazardous to their race as being individuals who are somewhat imbalanced themselves. Their power came from a single source, and for their ability to be able to pass on like all the others was pretty much null and voided. That same nature was what made the Hollow reiatsu very poisonous to them. As when they came to absorb their reiatsu, terrible terrible effects would befall them as the result. The worst of it all would come down to dying if not treated.

The other creatures had a limited supply of reiatsu and strength overall. For Hollow and Arrancars, they were capable to replenishing their reiatsu reserves when around the Humans. Eating them was sufficient enough to do so, despite only getting so little back for the effort, yet, they were able to do so when ever they desired. They were not forced to eat like that of the Hollows, at least Arrancars could choose to do so whenever, though for the other races that required Human souls to sustain them, it granted them no other benefits. While some Arrancars may also fall into the same category, for those that have learned to take in reiatsu from their bodies, they were able to refuel themselves when needed. Thus, making Arrancars far more superior to that of any other race, more so as they no longer have their limiters in place to restrict them from going all out. Unlike Adrastos, Noriko can fight unhindered by her mask.

The tails whipped about targeting the beast's knee caps. His massive weight only being held up by the tightened muscles around his thighs and feet, the only place left vulnerable without muscle was behind the kneecaps. The combination of her tails working in unison with one another made it seem as if the beast was being lashed at by a massive whip itself, lashing at the sensitive surface that was squeezed by the large layers of muscle around it. The beast toppled over easily being unable to keep up with Noriko's sudden movements of speed. The difference between them was definitely clear as she hadn't used any of her reiatsu just yet. But, she needed to.

The Arrancar pushed forward, charging into the Hollow as her strength came pressed into his body and smearing his side against the white sand. Noriko pushed and shoved as Adrastos would claw with his one arm, trying to halt what was happening to him. However, the sand had no traction, had no hard surface to really grasp onto. There was nothing but sand that only piled up on the other side of his body. At least it did until his body would draw closer to the rock formation that made up the edge of the arena. It was only then that the beast decided to muster up one of his attacks, utilizing that of his reiatsu to demonstrate his raw power. Such raw force that even she wouldn't be able to stand against. Despite what little reiatsu it took, a direct hit from it, with Hierro being active, was still very harmful.

Her ears rung violently as the sky and ground took their own turn in rotation occupying her field of vision. Her smaller body flailed about quite some distance away as though she were being forced back by a rampaging cruise liner. Bits of her body felt sore with Hierro beginning to ward off due to force of the Adjuchas' stream of destruction. She couldn't hear anything, let alone her own panting. She only seen it in action before as he used it in various cases of fighting. But never did she had to put herself in a position in which she would have to face it. This was something that she would make sure to remember for future events. Honestly, the lengths she would go to seek perfection was just tiresome. Hierro consumed a lot of her reiatsu in order to try to maintain it. If she hadn't used it, then her body wouldn't have been able to taken the full front of the Hollow's technique as she did. Truly, she was grateful in having the technique available to her.

Dusting herself off the two came back to their feet to begin once again. Their collisions of brute physical force shook the walls of the arena. Sand erupting from the surface as one would stomp and swing his massive tail, to that using her own fists and tails to better manage the beast. Nine coils of fur came about around the beast as if to wrangle in the creature, to keep it still. Tying a single tail around its snout and neck for better control of his main weapon, along with strapping around his ankles with another four tails to keep him from stomping all over the place. It looked to be that the Arrancar was going to be turned into a stretching childrens toy. She lacked the strength to really control the beast like this, even as she tightened her grip, it's claws came about to slash at them. Another three had to occupy its only wrist to keep it away from cutting off a tail. At least not yet.

Only then did the azure aura of a Cero came to be formed from the center of Noriko's body. A bright blue sphere that swallowed the colors of the world around them that gathered the Arrancar's reiatsu into a compressed form before it could be used. The Hollow knew what was coming and fought to remove the woman's grip on himself. Her grip on the creature was strong, but not sufficient enough to truly tame the monster's strength. Slowly her grip on the Hollow was loosening. Her tails coming undone as with each jerk she made only made her own handling on him slip all the more. However, the shrieking that came from her Cero numbed his senses, and thus his body. He couldn't react quick enough or muscle through the side effect of her Cero fast enough. Then, the blue light came and vented from below the Adjuchas' body.

A pillar of reiatsu violently shot out from the sand and into the air from a distance. The strength of Noriko's reiatsu put on display as the beam spread across nearly the whole of the beast, and enveloping him in light. Yet, it didn't go plan. Adrastos' muscles were hardened. The large body of the creature speared through with a snail's speed, but was still cutting through it all. He was tanking the entire beam of the Arrancar's Cero. Despite the distance being that of zero, the space that her Cero covered was too fast for him to even use a defensive technique, so how did he? Then the thought came in. His physical strength of course. It far surpassed that of Noriko's own reiatsu strength to the point his own body became that of a shield. This was one of the reasons why she wanted to keep friendly relations with the beast.

This was a trait that only Adrastos was capable of from all the Hollows that she came to know. Only his strength was able to survive a blow with minimal damage to himself. Yeah sure he would need to take it head on. He lacked any proper defenses that would avoid him using his body. Any reiatsu that he had was directed and traded off for more physical power. And actually, it quite worked for him. Sure that his body now didn't really make proper use to fighting against opponents who were more strategic. But still, when it will finally come to his evolution, then he might quite possibly be one of the strongest that she will ever encounter.

Noriko could only imagine what powers Adrastos can create from his strength alone. Lots of ways of hurting and defending himself before attacks could even make contact, just purely out of his strength. A force to not be taken lightly that was for sure. When opening up his abilities and powers further on, he may be too dangerous to even be allowed to live. That was what she liked about him. The danger that could pose when evolving was what she needed. She needed him to grow more. She saw potential in him when the twins first sighted him. An overwhelming torrent of power that hadn't been released yet, and without the use of reiatsu. A body that would surely become stronger than diamonds. This was what she needed to safeguard her until she returned in the future. This was what her plan needed.

A snap at her tails did his fangs came to clamp down on, now having the Arrancar being towed and flung about. Her body deemed more that of a rag Doll than that of a Arrancar really. Swung around into the air before meeting the uneven flooring of the sand beneath them both, leaving an explosion of force to erupt outwards into the air. Her body was flailed down making a ditch just from the impact alone. Her Hierro took the brunt of the impact, and forced it to dissolve around her. Her defenses were gone with a large chunk of her reiatsu with it. Now she only need to push a bit further before--- A voice came. It whispered as though it were next to her. It mummered softly to make itself known. They were coming.

Noriko stood up tilted from side to side slowly. A bit groggy from her head spinning and body hurting a bit. The voices crept up closer and closer as her own mind was being drawn to them. A moment of sight did Noriko noticed the tail coming at her, then another moment feeling her body being slammed by the thick appendage of the Hollow's whip like tail. Skidding through the air and into the rock wall formation, another small crater was newly made, jerking out the air that was in her lungs a moment before. The Arrancar's attention was being drawn elsewhere than that of the present situation. As if being forcibly dragged into the pit of darkness once again, the voices grew for her to notice that the pair presenting themselves were the twins, Iraishin and Shiryou.

Both spirits she had eaten at the point of despair, allowing Noriko to suppress them both, and reawaken back to the true reality. Iraishin passing on that drove Shiryou to despair and wallow in complete sorrow for the loss of her only sister. A part of the pair weakened thanks to the Wanderer. Together they were strong, making an entire new persona that came to be known as the third personality, Shinzui. Three spirits that grew out and became something that was never suppose to happen. While Noriko was the true spirit of the Human girl that became a Hollow, others were now manifesting themselves from inside her. Parts of her own persona making on their own form through the grief she had experienced. Shiryou taking on joy and innocence of Noriko, while Iraishin being the more logical and tempered of the two. Shinzui was the third, one that was developed out of the fear that she was forced to endure. Three she thought that stood in her way. But she was wrong.

Hate was lingering. A form of frustration that of her Human self that Noriko didn't seem to really harbor herself. Yeah she showed definite signs of anger, but only momentary. Not driven by that sense of passion, but something else entirely. Hate of having to put up with those around her, and the fate that she was given despite all that she did. The unfairness of it all. Courage, one that did not relent to anything that stood in its way. No matter the severity of the situation, regardless of the challenge, it was always there to push ahead and desired to overcome it. She heard more voices. More than the twins, more than that of Shinzui coming back to drag her down into the depths too. There were a total of .... five. Five voices added together to that of the twins and Shinzui.

Hate. Courage. Envy. Passion. Ambition. There were a total of five others that called out to her, each one demanding control over that of the body. Five in total that were wrestling for the spotlight that Noriko resided in. But how, and where did they all come from? Other parts of Noriko that never felt satisfied with the life that they lived back in the Human world. All aspects of herself as a person was restricted and forced to care for someone who gave up on their family, and on life. Noriko had to give up on a childhood and a possible future to try to make ends meets. All of it sacrificed to only die in the end of it working herself to the bone to survive. And still, with all of her best effort, it wasn't enough.

Each aspect of herself felt cheated. Each aspect wanted to live the life that they always dreamt of, but never could truly do so. There were three spirits that were formed while one of them was being towed by her sister. Another five spirits were taking position and gradually making themselves known by devouring the spirits within Noriko, and amassing a new individuality within her spirit. Eight in total that were wrestling for the control that Noriko had taken as being the superior being among them all. But, if that was the case, if parts of her were forming and creating themselves as individuals, then, what was Noriko? Was she one of them as well, only a part to make a whole person? Was she Despair? She strained herself fighting back up to her feet as her mind was being pulled back away from reality. The others were making themselves known, just as she needed. The only thing that she didn't expect were there being others. Perhaps her resurrection would take more time than she first realized.

With what she could manage to do was emit the Hollow cry. A shriek filled with reiatsu to beckon to that of her Hollow brethren. The time was now. It was now or never as she fought to stay in control of her own body. Fingers wanting to go into a direction she did not desire. Her feeting kicking back as though someone was pulling it. She could feel her hair being pulled back and hands coming to strangle her. There were eight parts fighting for control. Adrastos came near as this was the sign for him to do what was needed, of what she asked him to do. Soon the Gargantas would be opened as more Hollows came to filled the arena. Everything had to go as planned.

The Hollow came to bite down on the woman's collar to leave her spasming body levitated over the white sand. This wasn't going to be pleasant in the slightest, but necessary. She had to do this in order to secure her own salvation. If not, then she would be buried alive within the shell of her own body. This was the only way out of it. With the last bit of control she had, her tails stretched themselves out in every direction. Hollows came up to snap at the woman's hovering body, wanting to taste. Adrastos knocked them away with a single swipe of his tail, leaving only but one Hollow to remain. That Hollow would sink its fangs onto a single tail of the Kyuubi. Her tail was stretched out, and torn off as the beast came to feast on it. As well as others that Adrastos repeated the process until one tail remained.

The last tail, and with the woman's body was left for Adrastos. With the last ounce of strength and will, Noriko jettisoned each of the other parts into a separate tail. Each one being sealed away in a individual tail that would be consumed by the Hollows, and then among themselves. Each part of her willing to fight for the light of control, and slowly, take over the Hollows as they would come to manifest into the evolved Menos Grandes. She knew that each of her parts wanted to take over, and considering their strength was equaled to her own, it was more than possible. And highly likely to occur. However, this will take time considering the Hollows took years to evolve. All of this would come down as to how quickly they will feast and evolve. However, even by doing so, Noriko herself needed time to do the same.

Even as Adrastos was an evolved Menos, her strength would eventually return as a Hollow would come to feast on a part of his flesh one day. Not that of his body, but just a single part. When that day arrived, she would be ready to be accepted into the Hollow. After that, she will feed on the spirits that Hollow came to collect over its life cycle. Once that occurred, she will become the dominate will of the whole. This was her way of coming back. As when it came to Hollows, the strongest spirit will reign supreme over the rest when they evolved. All she had to do was buy her time and grow internally. For that, Adrastos took the final bite, and merged her spirit with that of his own.

[Shizuka Sanamizu ✮]

27 paragraphs x 20 TP per paragraph = 540 TP gifted to Adrastos