Rome Ruined in a Day? (HW-DP-R)

[Nakajima Kimiko]

The new individual that had taken Kimiko's place would observe Teresa with a smile that remained seemingly perpetually amused by what she was seeing. She would not show an intent to attack, or at least not a physical one, and she would not prepare a technique of any sorts. In fact, it almost seemed as though she was totally inclined to allow the "ink" that was currently affecting her body to eventually dissipate alongside the effects that it procures. And yet, once again, it did seem as though she was actually going to attack. Even though she did absolutely nothing remotely threatening to even her surroundings, she sported an aura that brimmed with such darkness that it was almost as if she was going to swallow the whole world at any given moment. There were a few Shinigami who did sport such auras... but something about this one was different. It was not naturally dark, not something built from emotion alone. No, it was something familiar to Teresa.

Of course, she could not know. She did not have the power to detect the familiarity within the woman's aura, and judging by the gaze the being was giving to the Hollow as the latter cauterized the wound that had taken the place of her arm, it seemed to disappoint her. Perhaps fortunately for the antlered one, however, that disappointment did not last for very long, as her eyes would then be filled with more amusement upon hearing Teresa's reply. "Oh, no, I'm not using Kimiko-chan like a phone. She's not the kind of girl that would allow me to use her like that," she would chuckle quietly at the idea as she gazed at what was previously the Shinigami's enemy. Though she spoke of the Shinigami with apparent respect, it wasn't the kind of respect that would be given to one, let alone a Human being. It was lower than that, almost as if this being was treating Kimiko as though she was kind of animal, a pet. "If she could, it'd be too easy~." 

The beacons of silver would continue to stare down at Teresa. They were ever-so-amused, ever-so-entertained by her predicament, without even so much as showing a hint of appearing threatened by the Hollow. For all sense and purposes in this very moment, the antlered one would feel as though she was being treated as a toy. This would explain her lack of interest in pursuing a fight against her any further and why it seemed as though she could be discarded at any moment. Of course, this begged the question: why had she not discarded Teresa yet? With such clear power, it was rather obvious that she could kill her in the matter of a few seconds, and yet she simply wasn't. There was an ulterior motive behind this scene, something that was hidden in plain sight that the being wanted her to figure out on her own at first. However, after a time, she would realize that the Hollow had no answer to give to her, and so she would answer for her.

"You could say that I'm a special soul~," she would explain with a smile as she descended towards Teresa as though walking down a set of stairs, doing so confidently and without fear. Meanwhile, the "white ink" followed her close, absorbing the sound around them further and further in the process. "A soul born from very special circumstances." As she would do so, her silver eyes would remain onto the creature, analyzing her every move. Her earlier threat still rang very true. It wasn't the only thing that Teresa needed to be wary about as the being approached her. Although it remained somewhat playful throughout her effort to converse, her tone had become almost as threatening as her aura. The more she spoke, the more casual it became, unbothered, unchallenged. It was maddening, and it became even more so once the being had settled herself near the beast, standing right in front of her with that smile of hers. "A soul that wasn't born, but rather created."

A deliberate moment of silence would then follow these words while she would simply continue to stare at the Hollow. There was no disappointment this time in her gaze; in fact, there was simply nothing by the amusement from before. All she had wanted to do was to cause a little bit of shock or confusion to appear within the antlered one's mind with a dash of panic. She wanted her to fear her, to fear her malevolent energy, to fear its weight that was slowly starting to be pressed onto her shoulders. Then, suddenly as she simply stood there and stared at the Hollow so menacingly, her smile would turn into a small grin. "You must be wondering why I haven't killed you yet," she would tell Teresa then in a tone that was less casual than before and instead now more so outright mocking. There was no need to hide her plain amusement anymore. "Truth is, I don't have any reasons to kill you myself. No, you're too important for Kimiko-chan~. I need you alive."

Despite saying this, her spiritual energy then suddenly became heavier on Teresa's shoulders, enough so that it might be capable of immobilizing her to the point that she could potentially be forced onto one or the both of her knees. The tiles of the rooftop below them would start to crack in multiple places, and the windows underneath could be heard shattering into a dozens of pieces that then fell into the streets below. While this weight would be applied onto the antlered one, the being that had taken the place of the Shinigami would then bend her body forward so that her face would near the Hollow's. "I want you to deliver a message to my creator, the one named Sonadora," she spoke with her amused smile first before her gaze then became extremely cold and her spiritual energy turned darker than ever.

"T e l l   h e r   t h a t   t h e   d r e a m   y o u   s e e   s t a n d i n g   b e  f  o r e   y o u   n o w   w i l l   n e v e r   b e   h e r s ,  a n d   t h a t   h e r   P a w n   i s   m i n e ."

Her voice had never sounded so monstrous since the beginning of their conversation. Previously more natural and unchanged compared to the one Kimiko was using while she was in control, it had become in this moment less Human and more so damaged, charred, as though it had been burned to a crisp. This was not the voice of a Human, let alone even a Shinigami proper. This was the voice of a Hollow, or something that was similar to a Hollow in nature. If the voice was truly a Hollow's, then the Hollow in question would not be one that that could be found in the dregs of Hueco Mundo, not some weakling that isn't worth even mentioning in a conversation between higher beings. No, it was the voice of a greater Hollow, a being of greater caliber than Teresa, a monster of such potential that it could rule over the entirety of Hollowkind from the top of Las Noches... the voice of a silver-eyed Vasto Lorde who would consume all in her wake.

But this would not happen today. Instead, the spiritual energy that was being pressed onto Teresa would be removed, setting her free from her invisible prison. Once freed, the being would settle down and return to the calm state she previously held. "Alright then, I'm done talking. You can leave now~," she would say as she took a few steps back from Teresa, with her voice having apparently returned to normal in the process. "Please be sure to deliver the message, okay? That would be really nice of you~." 

SPOILER: Click to show

{Boosted Stats & Skills (Inner Hollow Takeover) }

Statistics

Physical	Spiritual		Sensory	Miscellaneous
Strength: 204 [ (135-33) * 2] Speed: 1190 [ { (320+112) * 2} + 345]	Reiatsu Strength: 60 [ (40-10) * 2] Spiritual Pressure: 864 [ (320+112) * 2]		Instincts: 420 (210*2) Senses: 300 (150*2) Energy Sensory: 50 (25*2)	Light Aura: 0 Dark Aura: 100 Healing Expertise: 0

Skills

Mental	Battle		Body	Utility
Analyzing: 2 Strength of Will: 2       Learning: 1	Iaijutsu: 2 Martial Art - Hohō: 2 Battle Analysis: 2 Martial Art - Hakuda: 1 Battle Focus: 1		N/A	N/A

          Reiatsu: 3320/4320 | Shizukakane (1m) : 5 Posts Remaining | Kagayaku Kasoku (40%) : 1 Post Remaining | Light Gauge : 35%

[Teresa]

The pain of cauterizing her wound was more immense than Teresa had been expecting, which was quite something when she wasn’t even positive that she’d be able to stomach the pain long enough to keep herself upright and awake. After the couple seconds that she believed she’d need to make sure the wound was really burnt shut the thin Hollow was nearly on the verge of passing out. The entity in front of her was so obviously above what she could do at the moment that emerging victorious at the moment meant running at the first possible moment. This thing wasn’t the shinigami that Teresa had come across in the past, but someone much more dangerous.

Although sweat wasn’t something that Teresa’s body was able to produce, the visible signs that she was exhausted and on the verge of collapse were more than obvious by her posture, breathing and reiatsu. Confidence had morphed into arrogance in this battle against the shinigami which ultimately had led to her suffering wounds she couldn't ignore nor overcome completely. Now all she could do was contemplate on whether she would have been better off unleashing everything she had learned and crafted in order to wipe the shinigami off the map without ever gaining the pleasure of witnessing her victory on her foe’s face. Still though what she was learning at the moment made that decision in the future all the more reasonable.

While this other entity spoke all Teresa could do was gather what little mental strength she still possessed in order to make a plan of escape. Based on everything that this entity said though while she got closer and closer Teresa was able to piece together that someone was clueless enough to allow a science experience to escape. Kinmiko was likely an experiment that had succeeded in whatever this entity happened to be and no one in Teresa’s opinion would be able to control what was in front of her. Someone had done something with their believed authority and now that authority held no power. “You won’t kill me so Kimiko can do it later?”

Teresa questioned knowing that was the most likely reason although she wasn’t going to ask whether or not it was wise to risk such a test for the shinigami when it was clear to Teresa that if she really gave it everything she had Kimiko was the one that would be in this position. What came next was spiritual pressure, an immense amount that Teresa felt like a weight across her whole body, one that was pressing her downwards. The entity would watch as Teresa fought against what was pressing her down, a Hollow that would not kneel nor bow, a Hollow bleeding from her legs as she fought against the pressure.

At the mention of Sonadora, Teresa’s reiatsu would flare for a moment while the realization that the fog Hollow had managed to craft something far beyond the control she could muster. Almost as if being given the answer by a teacher in the middle of a classroom. The theory that Teresa had only just mustered up was already answered and she believed herself to be one hundred percent correct in that Sonadora was a fool for letting this thing out of her sight. Only a couple of more moments and then the pressure that was being placed on Teresa was gone and the entity was telling her that she could leave. A humiliating defeat at the hands of something that was above her Authority. Vanishing below without a word with Ulcera burned the image of this entity into her mind with only one thought. “This thing will become mine.”

Appearing over a mile away from the building where she had been Teresa dropped into an apartment living room without much control over her body managing to knock over a small stand with a lamp on it. The ceramic lamp shattering on the floor at her feet actually worked in her favor as a young woman came rushing from one of the rooms in the apartment to see what had just randomly broken. Walking right up to the shattered lamp on the floor without being able to see Teresa right there it was almost like the Hollow was being brought a plate of food by the very food itself. A meal that she had no problem taking as she leaned forward and sank fangs into the back of the woman’s neck digging through her flesh and piercing into her spine then ripping off one of the most important pieces of her body.

Remaining Reiastu: 2909/4310
Ulcera: (-50)

Devoured: 1x Class 8 Human Girl

[Nakajima Kimiko]

The understanding of the situation that flashed within Teresa as she declared the reason behind this strange being's unwillingness to kill her caused said being's smile to widen a bit. She was very clearly pleased by the fact that her words were being taken seriously, or well, at least to the extent that the antlered one could muster out of her broken self. Even the energy that surrounded the area seemed to share her happiness of the moment as the white "ink" floated about with greater fervor to the point that it almost appeared to be exclaiming victory. Then again, perhaps it was not quite doing so, but rather instead mocking the Hollow to a degree, as the being would then go on to clap her hands in a form of putrid congratulations. "Exactly~. You learn quickly! Kimiko-chan really could not have deserved a better rival," she admitted plainly then without any worry for her well-being. Considering what happened next, it was hard to blame her for feeling this way.

As the wave of spiritual energy crashed onto the top of the Hollow, it would feel truly heavier than anything she has ever faced before. It broke tiles and pieces of concrete to bits, leaving them broken, and even spread downward into the apartments below. It held such strength that it shook the entirety building with great strength, sending heavy vibrations throughout it that caused quite a fair bit of damage. Pieces of glassware and precious ornaments crashed rapidly and powerfully as they fell from their initial position, and furniture like chairs and tables started making horrible noises as they trembled against the floor. Even electronics were not spared from this latter process as a few had their internal components destroyed from the invisible force. There were few residents inside due to the chaos which occurred at the nearby grocery store, though those that were on the lower floors immediately started believing that an earthquake had been set off directly beneath their homes, and so started running out into the streets below. Those on the upper floors unfortunately were not granted such a merciful fate. Hopefully, the police officers who have fled the scene earlier will avert their eyes from their crushed remains later.

Naturally, the Humans and their homes were not the only ones who were affected by the force. In fact, all things considered, they did not receive the brunt of it. The one that did receive it was Teresa. Standing up to this being was a very commendable effort. By doing so and battling the invisible force which was pressed onto her, the antlered one easily proved herself to be an even worthier opponent for the vessel of this silver-eyed oddity. With that said, this decision did not come without a cost. As to be expected from a being of such power, the invisible force projected by her would relentlessly press onto her back, pushing Teresa downward and downward as if it was attempting to force her into her knees. Since she refused to lower her body, her legs - especially the one that Kimiko has cut several times during the earlier fight - would be most punished by this. Bones would crack, muscles would tear, and the injured leg would bleed even further, causing more pain to the beast.

And then it ended. Just as suddenly as it had appeared, the invisible force vanished and the Hollow was allowed to leave. It wasn't even done as dramatically as everything she has done to Teresa so far; if anything, after all that was unleashed upon the antlered one, the one the silver-eyed anomaly took was almost casual in comparison. It was as if the woman had made sure to push every single button that the creature was showing to her and then some, all so that she could embarrass her as much as she possibly could to prep her for her next fight with Kimiko. Such actions were not so different than what would usually be seen being projected by a being of Hueco Mundo or Hell; after all, beasts tend to be prideful at their core due to the rules of nature, even the weaker ones. However, though she expelled corrupted energy, this was not a being of either of those dimensions. Not quite, at least. It was what made her so abhorrently intimidating.

But perhaps that wasn't what made this "dream" so unnerving. Maybe it was instead the sheer self-confidence that she constantly exhumed that did so. This was absolutely not the confidence of an ignorant being blinded by pride. If it was as such, she would not have so callously and deliberately created a target upon not only Kimiko's, but also her very creator's back. No, this was the confidence of someone who was absolutely aware of her power and of the fact that she was outright superior. No wonder she was not treating Teresa equally. To her, she was very clearly a lesser being, a mere product of entertainment whose Authority will never able to reach to her in this current time. She was a toy, something to manipulate, play with, and destroy at any given moment to her heart's content, nothing more, nothing less. Her earlier threat and spiritual demonstration were both testaments to that. Ultimately, that was why Teresa was let go. She had her fun with her and delivered her message as planned. There was nothing more to do with her, so in turn, there was nothing that she really needed to do to her any longer.

After the being allowed the antlered one to leave with those mocking silver eyes and proud smirk, the anomaly would find herself slowly approaching the edge to contemplate the chaos left behind Kimiko and Teresa's wake. As to be expected, the damage was astonishing. Many buildings had been left damaged and destroyed by Teresa's attacks, and the grocery store that could be seen from a miles away was vandalized to an astonishing degree with its windows long since shattered and parts of its structure seemingly about to crumble. Many vehicles within its parking lot were left damaged beyond repair by the spiritual energy the Hollow had conjured, and bloody corpses littered its entrance in a sickening display of sheer violence. Some were spiritually burned to a crisp, but the majority of them had been simply crushed to death. Surprisingly, there weren't a lot of souls left in their wake. They must have ran away after they died. Regardless, it did not matter very much to the anomaly. What mattered was what happened in this fight and what it entailed for her vessel.

"Ah, Kimiko-chan, you are so strong," she complimented openly with a large smile at first, though this did not last, for her tone would then shift from joyous to disappointed once again, "and yet, you could be so much stronger. So, so much stronger..." The remark brought bother out of her, enough so that she now found herself looking annoyed, maybe even a little bit frustrated. She would continue to look onto the ruined cityscape for a little longer in silence, as though she was briefly lost in thought over all that's happened before she would then chuckle and smile again, distancing herself from the negative feelings she was feeling the moment. "Oh well, I'll let this slide just this once~." She would then raise the both of her arms up before letting herself fall backwards towards the ground. As she would do so, the "ink" around the area would slowly dissipate, and her eyes would progressively lose their unnatural aspects. "Let this... be your first warning..."

Upon contact with the ground, the anomaly would disappear, leaving behind her wake a Kimiko sprawled unconscious onto the rooftop. Her spiritual energy would slowly fade, and for a time, she would simply lie there all alone, unbothered by her surroundings under the Roman skies. It would be only after a few minutes had passed that a single individual would walk forward towards her direction on the rooftop. Observing her at first, they remained at a safe distance, cautious so as to not put themselves in danger. However, they would eventually close the gap between themselves and the fallen Shinigami, and lift her up.

A moment later, the Senkaimon would be opened, and from there onward, Rome would be finally left alone to recover from the wounds inflicted upon its magnificence.

---

Kimiko did not dream this time around. She did not have any strange visions, terrible nightmares, or anything that could possibly disturb her slumber. The only thing she was able to see ever since she found herself in this predicament was a veil of darkness which she could not remove. It was too heavy for her weakened body, and so she felt no need to remove it. However, as further time was spent behind it, the veil started becoming thinner and lighter, as though it was steadily losing its grasp onto her mind. Slowly, but ever so surely, this process would continue until, after what felt like countless hours spent behind the veil, a faint light could be seen piercing through it. Aimless, the Shinigami would bring herself towards the veil, attempting to breach through it with all of her might. It again took longer, but eventually, she was able to push the veil and reach the light it hid behind its pitch black fabric. By the time the light had almost become blinding... her eyes finally opened.

The first thing that she saw upon waking up was perhaps the absolute worst-looking doctor she had ever seen in her life. His skin was stark white to the point that it almost appeared fake, and his eyes were wide opened to the point that they seemed like they were about to pop right out of their sockets as they examined her body. His face was toad-like in appearance, fat and meaty with a flat chin, a red nose, and a wide mouth, and his bright pink hair was raised up towards the ceiling. He was a literal clown. To say that she was completely flabbergasted by his appearance at first was nothing short of an understatement, as for a very brief moment, she would stare at him with a look of utter shock and disgust, though she would rapidly try to take a more serious gaze that was more reflective of her tiredness. "Uh... Hello..." she would ask to the doctor, hoping that he would notice she was awake. Evidently, despite not even looking at her, he had already noticed.

"I saw that," the man said as he continued to examine her body, at times looking down to write things onto what appeared to be a clipboard. This caused Kimiko to freeze,

"Saw what...?"

"You looked at me funny."  

"I, uh..."

"It's okay. Everyone looks at me funny. That's the point."

This did absolutely nothing to really put the swordswoman at ease. If anything, it made her want to distance herself from him as quickly as possible before she could do anything weird to her. She has never really been fan of clowns, mainly because they were never really portrayed positively in the media she consumed. In the manga she read, they were typically depicted as comically evil individuals who couldn't actually do anything successively even if their lives depended on it, and in fighting games, they were usually either very creepy or attractive women that happen to have a clownish style to them. In so doing, seeing this one actually wearing the garbs of the Fourth Division while seemingly treating her was not at all going to make her like them more. If anything, it just made her dislike them even more, especially since she has the displeasure of actually meeting this person right after finding herself waking up in a hospital bed.

Right... She... was in a hospital bed. Wait... why was she in a hospital bed? As her shock and disgust for the man standing right at her side both slowly faded away, she would frown before looking down. Her Shihakusho had been removed, and she was now wearing white robes given to patients of the Fourth. Underneath the robes were bandages. A lot of them. She also felt pain all over her body as she attempted to move ever-so-slightly to get herself more comfortable on her bed. Confused, she would find herself simply looking at them for a moment, frowning as she tried to recall what happened to her in order for her body to end up like that. Eventually, however, she would be able to remember what happened. She had gone to Rome in order to do battle with the Hollow named Teresa. Although it was somewhat difficult to remember everything, she could still recall much of her battle with her. The grocery store, the parking lot, the rooftops... The only thing she could not remember was how the battle ended.

Of course, since she was here, she had a gut feeling as to what actually happened. She wasn't going to jump to conclusions just yet, though she was hoping that it wasn't the case. "Doctor... How did I get here?" She would ask the strange man as she laid back against the bed, wincing a bit from her wounds. "What happened to Teresa...?"

The clown said nothing at first, simply continuing to do his job absentmindedly. It almost seemed as though he was completely ignoring her, which she found to be a bit rude. However, he wasn't actually ignoring her: he was evidently only lost in his thoughts as he tried to recall the reason for Kimiko's presence here aside from, well, her wounds. "You were found unconscious on a building in Rome after a fierce battle with a Hollow. That is all he told me before my assistants and I took you in three days ago," he answered as he continued to write on his clipboard. Despite his appearance and high-pitched tone that made him appear like a character straight out of a children's cartoon, he was actually responding to her question in a very professional manner. It was almost admirable. Almost. Quite frankly, his looks were still a great detriment to his image. The fact his eyes hadn't actually blinked once yet was perhaps the most unsettling feature that he was showcasing thus far. "I will suppose that this Teresa was that Hollow. He did not find her, so it is very likely that she-"

"Ran away."

There it was. There was what Kimiko had been dreading to hear. Once again, just like she had done so many years ago back when she was nothing more than a student, Teresa had fought her, realized how outmatched she was against the Shinigami, and then ran away. Rather than accepting her own death with pride and honor, the beast had instead preferred to opt for the coward's way of things. This realization made the scarlet-eyed warrior clench her teeth momentarily, enough so that it made her look extremely angry as her spiritual pressure started to rise. However, before she could do any damage to her bed and surroundings, the pain within her body would remind her of her predicament, and so, she would quickly calm down. The doctor, who had been observing her reaction, did not react negatively to her outburst. "Yes, she has," he simply noted with a nod, "but that's not an excuse to get yourself hurt again. You're already in a pretty bad shape as is."

The swordswoman would stare at the front of her bed in silence as she quietly took into account what he had just said. She knew he was right. Now that she was back in the Soul Society, there was nothing else for her to worry about but her own safety, and so far, all she could do to assure that safety was to rest here. Still, now that she had learned how she had scored this time in a hospital bed, she wanted to get out of here. "How... long will I need to stay here?" She asked to the medical practitioner.

"One more week, at the very least," he assured as he wrote a few more words on his clipboard, then finally properly turned his gaze towards her. "You have several wounds, but they are luckily not serious. You'll be totally fine by then, I'm sure."

It looks like she will be out of this place in one week. That's good enough. She can wait. "Thank you, Doctor," she would tell the man before turning her gaze to the ceiling with resolve. Once she gets out of here, she will make sure to train herself as much as possible to face Teresa again. She will become a better swordsman, a better Shinigami, and most importantly, just a faster warrior. Never will she allow that despicable coward to run away like that again.

Never again.

[ E N D ]

[Kitai Yoru]

Nakajima Kimiko: 90 paragraphs, 900 TP awarded, plus 100 for winning
Teresa: 54 paragraphs, 540 TP awarded, halved if used towards CTP. 11 class 8 humans, 660 TP awarded.