Bound by the Chains of Fate [JT]; For Marik

[Satoshi Kazuhiko]

Continued From [Sweet Release]

"YAAAAAGHHHH!!!"

His scream cut through the otherwise silent eternal night of the white desert of Hueco Mundo. Alone, Satoshi Kazuhiko writhed and struggled against terrible, horrific restraints. Silver steel chains surrounded the boy, binding his arms to his sides and his ankles together. The chains emerged from his chest, secured to a hexagonal wall anchor that hovered above his heart. The bindings were tied at the end or locked together because they didn't need to be. They clung to the dark-skinned boy's body with hundreds of horrific, salivating mouths! They gnawed hungrily on the boy from all angles. For all this, one scream wasn't enough... But it was all he could manage!

[Links Remaining: 10]

This was the result of a battle with Lagos, the ninth Espada. He had seen fit to touch her face in an act of compassion. And she had repaid him in kind. However, Lagos's touch came with a fatal gift of pain! Her ultimate technique had been cast, and Kazuhiko was left in the desert to die! He would be consumed by his own corrupted chain of fate. A victim of the desperate hunger felt by the hollows that his peers hunted.

However, his condition was stranger than that. Though the teeth bit into his flesh and tore at him, their progress was slow to consume him. The constant release of uncontrolled Reiatsu interacted with the mouths in a way that slowed their progress. It extended the torture. And opened him up to a grim reality worse than being eaten alive by hundreds of tiny, drooling human mouths; While his body resisted, his Chain of Fate did not. And when it was fully consumed, he would meet an end most ironic for a Shinigami. He himself would become a hollow!

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"P-PLEASE!!!" He pleads. "I DON'T WANT TO BE ALONE!!!" His cries, though sincere, were inappropriate for the peril he was in. But this too was a result of the horrible technique. Along with dredging out his chain of fate, it also filled his head and heart with his worst fears. Isolation. It was an anxiety that he had been battling ever since being stranded in Hueco Mundo weeks prior. His mind had been balancing on a knife's edge. Occupied instead by the need to run, hide, or outsmart pursuers at every turn. The survival game, though dreadful, had allowed him to strive for the goal of reuniting with his Shinigami peers. His sister Fuuko. But now, under the weight of this twisted technique, he had nowhere to go!

[Links Remaining: 3]

[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 pale moonlight of Hueco Mundo would shimmer across the pale sands with an otherworldly beauty, a gentle breeze carrying the scent of iron and chilled decay wafted in the air. This was Hueco Mundo the land of eternal night , and marik had seen this pale hell more times than his mind could possibly concieve.

(2) the contsant smell of blood and death was the only thing that stopped this place from being a hell of sensory depravation well that and the infinite swarm of soul devouring hollows. Sadly he wasn't hear to sight see , the left hands little prisoner hadnt been felt in las noches for hours.

(3) He personally didnt care for the left hand , but despite his own feelings marik had orders and wanted to get a peak at the child the left hand had snatched from the heart of the rukon districts.  Sadly for all mariks tracking skills he couldnt get a ping on the boys location.

(4) 'where is this kid' he pondered as he rapidly ran his way across the endless sands of hueco mundo , it felt like he had been running for hours at this point just how far had a half dead shinigami gotten 'i'll give him this they're definitly resiliant' he would think to himself with a light smile the corners of his mouth upturned as he ran.

(5) 'maybe he was eate-' marik would have a chance to finish that thought as a pillar of light shined like beacon out the corner of his eye , "guess the boy finally showing his fangs" he breathed the words out in a sigh as he hooked right turn running his full speed twoard the location of the boy , his speed creating a wind tunnel kicking up a blistering amount of sand.

(6) Feeling another massive output of riatsu in that direction he would frown not sure of the hollow that kazu was fighting would even leave a body to find although when he was finally in range he would be acossted by the boys screams. To which marik had to admit was impressive his run slowing to a brisk job then a slow calm walk , to those of lesser speed and instinct it may have looked like he simply appeared.

(7) His eyes would scan the boy his stomach turning as he heard the tearing of flesh and gnashing of teeth , the boy crying out that he didn't want to be alone..marik may be a killer but he was no monster the boy was suffering but there was little he could do but simply watch. 'i remember it like it was yesterday' he would think to himself his right hand reaching up holding the cloth that covered his hollow hole. he knew this pain.

(8) he would walk up to a chunk of stone just high enough to act as a stable chair and take a seat , letting out a tired sigh as he looked down at kazu who was roughly twenty feet away. If mariks presence wasn;t registered before surely it was known now.

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[Satoshi Kazuhiko]

"NGH! GHAAAA!!" He screamed out again. The pain was so great now that only feral, violent screams were possible. The teeth gnawing at the side of his throat were barely noticeable against the scalding agony of the total eradication of his soul chain. It felt like his soul was being ripped apart. And... In many ways it was! The links of his soul chain were so few now that the ones remaining were weak. While the others had been corrupted one by one, these were now degrading and rusting and falling apart all at once.

[Links Remaining: 0]

The last quarter of the last link clanked against the wall anchor bolted to Kazuhiko's chest. And a moment later even that metal anchor turned to dust and fell away from the boy's chest! "RAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!" His eyes shot open, his mouth stretched impossibly wide as a hellish agonizing shriek tore its way up his throat and out of his mouth! Tears ran down his cheeks. And Marik from his post could see something horrifying in the center of Kazuhiko's chest. A hole. His screaming was constant.

His back arched as all of the muscles in his body convulsed! The sudden seizing of his body brought him up to his knees, stretching him backward at an unnatural angle. It resulted in a series of sickening cracks! His hips and chest were thrust up the heavens as his knees and the top of his head pressed against the pure white sands! The chains were gone, but his body needed no restraints. His arms were limp at his sides, one dislocated and the glorious golden release dull and unmoving!

His screams turned to sickening gurgles as his insides roiled. And a moment later something else escaped his lips. A viscous white fluid. Its consistency was like paste. And soon it began to flow from his nose and his eyes! It spiraled out of one orifice and forced its way into another. It was violent and disgusting and inhuman! And began to congeal around the left side of his face! It was happening. Just as Lagos suspected it might!

But for Marik... As horrifying as it was... It was just as strange. It was likely something he had never seen before. When a plus became a hollow it typically exploded from the inside. During this stage, the plus is obliterated and a new host body is created. Then, afterward the hollows mask is formed. But instead, Kazuhiko's body stayed intact. In terrible agony, but intact!

[Maria Ashwin]

Marik Ashwin

tag:Satoshi Kazuhiko

Paragraphs: 5

Inovation

is the corner stone of being lazy

It opens doors to make life easier

(1)The sounds of bone cracking and mending the sight of the hollow hole , this wasn't what marik remembered at all. This...was somthing alien and forn he wanted to look away but his eyes where glued to the boy's convulsing form as his chain finally self destructed. 

(2) He watched appearing unphased by what was happening , he debated for the briefest of moments weather he should kill the child or not. 'would it not be mercy to end his suffering?' he thought to himself yawning as kazu let out another blood curdling scream. 

(3) With each scream and thrash the boy would kick up mass amounts of sand and debris , he could sense any near by lesser hollows fading out from the sheer weight of the boys tainted spiritual pressure.  'this feels famililar..' he would think to himself as he reflected on his time in las noches.."the novena espada" he would mummble rather impressed.

(4) 'to think that power i felt in thier pallace could do somthing like this , i better be sure to build a bridge there while i can' he would think to himself as he let out a sigh watching the hollow mask form upon kazuhiko's face , rising from every orafice in his body and molding to his form and reshaping him like some twisted art project.

(5) "who knows maybe he'll be a more co-oprative hollow" marik would mummble to himself as he leaned foward , resting his chin in the palm of both his bandaged hands. Marik was paying great attention to detail now that he was over the initial shock , he thought it was rather curious how the white of the eyes turned black.

···

[Satoshi Kazuhiko]

[smear:d8f205]"RAAAAAAAAGH!!!"[/smear:ffffff] Kazuhiko's scream echoed across the desert landscape. It was a shrill, bone-chilling sound. One which contained not only his voice but a second voice beneath it. It was harmonious with his own but too alien to actually harmonize. It was a heart-rending death cry. Sorrow, pain, and lost potential mixed into a sickening sound that the small, grossly contorted boy shouldn't be able to make. His eyes were open, but the world as he saw it was closing in on him. Dark, black veins pulsed into the sides of his vision. They crept towards him. Curled around his throat. And still screaming, the world went dark.
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"Ahhhh~!" His voice was noticeably different now. Quieter. Alone. But it echoed just as loudly as he fell through the pitch-black darkness that the world had become. Whatever he was falling down seemed impossibly deep. So deep in fact that he ran out of breath to scream and drew in a deep breath to begin screaming again. And just as suddenly as that breath filled his lungs did the world begin to change again. The blackness he was surrounded by was becoming punctuated by streaks of neon blue and red! He could hear something other than his own voice... And it pumped like a heartbeat.

The longer he fell, the closer he got to the strange sound. It began to become clearer... But that didn't make it less strange. It was... Somehow upbeat? No. That was undeniable. It was cheery and made up of a number of congruent sounds. It was at this point he noticed that he could move his arms. Both of them. And neither of them was golden. He stopped screaming and simply made a confused "...Huh?" Sound. His body was no longer bound by chains... And better. His mind was no longer shackled by despair.

"Today is another day to find you..."

He could hear his own voice... And just beyond the music, he could hear another voice! It was familiar... But so far away. He was getting comfortable with falling now. The streaks of light were strangely pleasant. He knit his eyes and tried to focus on it. It was barely audible... But growing with every passing second. Beyond that, the identity of the music was becoming clearer and clearer. Though that only made Kazuhiko purse his lips in disbelief. "No way... That's ridiculous..." He posited crossing his arms in defiance as the voice below him was now close enough to understand.

"Shying away-"

SPOILER: Click to show

"I'll be coming for your love, OK?"

Kazuhiko's fall suddenly stopped! He landed upon something plush and sank into it with a surprised grunt. He was unhurt. But he must have been going mad! "TAAAAAAKE ONNNN MEEEEE!!!" He was in a room. Not just any room. But a club of some sort. His butt was sank into a large U-shaped couch. And though the room was dark, it was lit up by blue and red lasers that bounced off of the reflective glass walls.

SPOILER: Click to show

"TAAAAAAAKE MEEEEEEE ONNNNNNN!!!!!" And standing in the center of the room was a figure most strange! It was clutching a microphone stand in one great, meaty hand! One leg was kicked up, a boot placed on a square glass table in the center of the couches. The man(?)'s arms were covered in tattoos. He wore a jacket that stained the scarlet crimson of blood. It left his bare chest exposed, and it too was covered in tattoos. He looked very much the street tough. The white fur trim of his jacket surrounded his head. Which was somehow the strangest part of this entire experience.

His eyes were glued ahead of him, looking at a TV screen that was illuminating lyrics. But those eyes were narrow slits lined in black and hiding great golden cats eyes. It wasn't human. But rather. The head of a great predatory cat. A lion. "I'LLLL BEEE GONE...." His muzzle opened wide as he sang. The lyrics slid past rows of pearly white fangs. His ears wriggled with a strange cuteness in anticipation of what was coming next. And then it shifted to poorly hit the high note... "IN A DAY OR TWOOOOOOOOOO!" It was passionate and powerful! The beast poured his heart into it! And it was absolutely dreadful. Not even close.

SPOILER: Click to show

Kazuhiko grimaced and frowned. And with disappointment muttered- "So. This is it then, huh?" He sighed. "This must be hell..."

[Maria Ashwin]

Marik Ashwin

tag:Satoshi Kazuhiko

Paragraphs: 2

Inovation

is the corner stone of being lazy

It opens doors to make life easier

(1)Marik would wince as another ear piercing scream echoed through the area , The rising amount of spirit energy that was pouring out of this boy was becoming an issue , 'if he's going to die i wish he'd do it quicker' he would think to himself with a yawn shielding his mouth.

(2) He would reach down and grab hold of a rock and gently chuck it at kazu aiming for his forhead , "you take an eternity to die" he would yawn out as he sat and watched growing both bored and impatient with dealing with what he now deemed to be an excessivly flashy technique.

···

[Satoshi Kazuhiko]

Marik's rock sailed through the air, right at the side of the youth's head. Kazuhiko's screaming visage was slowly being swallowed up by the swirling viscous white fluid! It continued to surge into and out of his open mouth, eyes, and nostrils. The fluid parted as the rock came in, striking the shrieking boy in the side of his face. It was clear whatever it was had no intention to protect him.
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Meanwhile, Kazuhiko watched as the muscled half-man, half-lion finished his song. He drew in deep, patient breaths as the karaoke room was filled with the too-gruff-for-singing growls of the mysterious being. 'Why would he choose a song with so many high notes? This is... Aggressively bad'. It was agonizing. But it did eventually end. And when it did, the great beast of a man put the microphone back on the stand as if he hadn't just been performing. He grasped the collar of his jacket and pulled it straight, as if he had just taken care of an especially cumbersome bit of business.

"Wakashu." His voice rolled like thunder. A booming, ferocious sound. He recognized it from his battle with Lagos. "Hyakujuunoou?" He asked, despite knowing the man's identity. No. Not a man. This was the spirit of his Zanpaktou. And looking at him now, the title he gave him made more sense... A Wakashu was an initiate for the Yakuza. An errand boy. They were protected. But they were also without status. Unproven. The thought made Kazuhiko frown.

"Wakashu." He repeated. "I would not waste my time frowning if I were you. You haven't much of it left." He scolded before slipping down into the coach. His knees were spread and he rested his forearms upon them. His great golden mane looked ridiculous on the body of a human. And it made the act of pouring a cup of sake for himself even more preposterous. "I protected you with my song as much as I could." He continued. "But it is time you fight for yourself."

"What in the world are you-" He turned his attention to the world around him. All the neon lights and reflective surfaces. They were growing dimmer. As if the world was swallowing itself up. Inky blackness was creeping in from all sides. That was what he meant by time. And his song... Kazuhiko's frown deepened. From the moment Lagos had inflicted him with her technique, he had only just screamed. He put up no defenses. He simply suffered and allowed her to come in.

"That's right Wakashu. You allowed this. You refuse to fight if it isn't for somebody else." He placed the sake bottle down with a clink before throwing the tiny cup's worth of liquid into his great-fanged maw. "If not for my song, your body would have been swallowed as swiftly as your chain. Your soul. All because you let her in. And now she is coming." The room was continuing to grow smaller and smaller. "A peaceful fall into darkness would suit someone like you. But you still have things you want to do in the world... Don't you, Wakashu? Then why won't you defend yourself?"

Kazuhiko had to retreat further into the room as the tenebrous environment continued to consume his inner world. "I do! Of course, I do! I want to see Fuuko! And I want to help as many people as I can! I-" He declared. But it wasn't convincing. Not even to himself. Leave it to one's own soul to make them feel seen... Kazuhiko always quickly rushed to the aid of others... But when there was no one to protect, when it was just him. He wouldn't even draw his sword. Why? Was it truly just because he didn't want to hurt anyone? The world grew smaller again, interrupting his train of thought.

"Is that so? Then you had better start fighting Wakashu. Because I still have more songs on my playlist." The world's shrinking began to hasten. It was exponential, like an avalanche! The world shrank down to the size of a pinprick!
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"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHH!!!" The mask fully enveloped Kazuhiko's face. And with it came a spiral of white Reiatsu. It whipped around, picking up the sand beneath him and surrounding him with a dervish of spiritual energy and dust! The screaming echoed and reverberated within the impressive and luminous spire! The top of the spire began to wind like the head of a cobra. It whipped around and turned back on itself! It dove within the reiatsu sandstorm, clashing with itself!

A second later the entire tower of light exploded! The area was bathed in energy so vibrant that it was blinding and the many grains of sand that had been thrown into the air! Marik, the only known observer, would find it difficult to keep track of anything that was happening with his eyes. But he would also notice that the screaming was gone. Whatever was happening was over. As he'd wished, the struggle was over.

When his sight did return he would find a silhouette standing in the dust. The shadowy figure was standing with its shoulders slumped. The robes lent the appearance of a shinigami. And the height... It was clearly the boy who had been screaming... Because who else could it have been? The winds of the desert gathered, reclaiming the sands and scattering them away from the two. And standing before him was in fact the boy who'd been stranded in Hueco Mundo for nearly three weeks. Though his face was covered.

SPOILER: Click to show

The white viscous fluid had solidified. A mask sat upon his face. His dark skin was visible through the many holes in the fox-shaped mask. He was under there. But it had been completed. He'd been changed. He was still. Stoic. Quiet. And Ominous.

Until suddenly the veins in his right arm began to fill with white reiatsu. The golden limb filled up, starting at the shoulder and creeping all the way down to his hand! The fingers clenched, becoming a fist! And suddenly drove itself directly into the center of the mask! A crack formed... And from that crack splintered off many others! It began to crumble and fall away, revealing his face! He took in one great gasp of breath! Which he used to laugh in exhausted releif! Before collapsing to the desert once more.

Terminating Lagos's ultimate technique had taken no less than Four Thousand Reiatsu. Combined with the reiatsu that had been spent to fight off the chains, the boy had exhausted himself completely. Such a feat would have been possible for someone like him. A person with an unnatural amount of spiritual pressure. So much so that even now, exhausted, it continued to somehow leak out from him... The song of his shikai still roaring proudly.

[Maria Ashwin]

Marik Ashwin

tag:Satoshi Kazuhiko

Paragraphs: 6

Inovation

is the corner stone of being lazy

It opens doors to make life easier

(1)Marik would watch with what appeared to be a bored expression marred across his face , although his expression betrayed what was simmering beneath. 'so then thats what's happening here' he would think to himself with intrigue as this was the first time he had come across anything like this.

(2) As the mask formed marik felt the unmistakable malevolent presence  of hollow riatsu , things had taken a turn for the worst all things considering for kazu. A small pang of pity would splash against his heart as he watched the mask stop shifting and claim it place upon his face.

(3) Just as marik stood dusting off his pants he would pause feeling kazu's spiritual pressure rise once more , expecting this to be his death rattle marik would sigh as he looked up only to witness the man shattering his own mask an act that surprised marik.

(4) But the greatest surprise of all was that he was standing on his feet , gaunt , tired and wiped out as he may be he was standing tall and proud. Marik himself couldn't help but imagine the level of pride the boy must have felt after over coming such an arduous task.

(5) On the other hand the child had made a damn spectacle of his revival , which all in all wasn't a smart choice  in mariks opinion as he closed his eyes focusing his sensory skills on the general area 'two...no ten hollows of significant worth...time to-' his line of thought would be interrupted as kazu fell foward.

(6) "oh you have got to be kidding me" he would mummble as he walked over lifting the limp body if kazu by his metal arm slinging him over his shoulder. Marik didnt wana return to las noches right away and decided to make his back to his old home..his forst home.

···

[Col Arana]

I count 50 paragraphs, for a total of 250 TP to both participants.