Gentle Giant vs Tiny Terror

[Madelyn Fūrinji]

Thread Title: Gentle Giant vs Tiny Terror
Participants: Maharo vs Madelyn
World: Human World
Death Setting: Non Death Enabled
Rating: R
Location: Karakura shopping area at night
Special Conditions: N/A
Circumstances: Madelyn has been contuining to suffer on the streets of Karakura ignored by all those that can't see her. Unable to control her actions once again she finds herself attacking someone spiritual before getting to know them. A patrolling Shinigami that has an incredible nature for good that will now have to fend off a danger even if it comes in a small package.

[Date Maharo]

Maharo had started volunteering to take on patrols in Karakura. Their anxiety made it difficult to find things to do in the Seireitei outside of their standard duties, and they could only touch up on their mask's paint so many times before it became redundant and frankly, boring. The World of the Living, though, was rarely repetitive. Even outside of the occasional Hollow incursion or run-in with a certain Fullbringer, they were fascinated by humans and had developed something of a habit for people-watching. They would never do such a thing in the Soul Society for fear of being seen as some kind of freak, but in Karakura? Most couldn't even see them at all.

That said, the streets were quiet this night. A few still wandered, but with the businesses of the shopping district beginning to close for the night, there was little reason for anyone to stick around much longer. Similarly, Maharo's patrol shift would end soon, meaning that they would once again find themself self-isolated in their barracks. If nothing else, Maharo wanted to enjoy the peace of not being perceived for just a little longer.

A few minutes passed; Maharo silently scanning the shopping district's streets one last time before they would open a senkaimon and return to the Seireitei. They would have- if they didn't pick up on a spiritual presence as soon as they had readied their sword to open their door between realms. It wasn't a Hollow, that much they could tell. Focusing harder, it almost felt like a Plus, but off in some way. A trap maybe? They would have to check this out.

They followed their sixth sense until found the source. They dropped down from their perch atop a building to greet the small figure. "Hello? Do you need help?" They maintained a distance from the odd spirit, wary of anything that could be hidden nearby, though they didn't seem to see the girl herself as a threat. In their mind, she was likely a decoy, a victim, or both.

[Madelyn Fūrinji]

“Wait please, I’ll leave. I’ll tell you everything I know. Just please let me go.”

Madelyn walked the short distance between herself and the Hollow that now lay on the dirty ground of the alleyway. She’d been in the alleyway like so many of the others recently before this Hollow had found her. This one retains its ability to speak and function like a human. A hollow that possessed intelligence but was plagued by arrogance. Madelyn hadn’t seen many of these sorts, usually the Hollows that came after her were nothing but savage animals that believed she’d be a nice snack. One of the few things about reality that Madelyn had learned since death. The other was that she couldn’t be around others and wouldn’t show mercy.

She’s been by herself now for . . . Long enough. Madelyn in truth didn’t know how long she’d been homeless at this point. All she knew was that surviving in a city with only the dangerous being able to see her was Hell. If someone could actually see her it meant they were a threat. It meant that she had to attack them first otherwise she was going to die. They almost always attacked her no matter whether they were hollow or not. Only the very few didn’t attack and spoke with her, but she hadn’t come across one of them in so long now. In truth it’s been a couple months since she’d left Keira’s lab knowing that she was at risk of attacking Keira when she felt the impulse.

Keira had been the only one beyond the first few Shinigami that actually tried helping her or showing her anything. Now though whether it be everyday or every few she was plagued by the same things over and over in some endless parade of gloom. The depression of having no purpose, no family, no friends nor home. It wasn’t something that Madelyn had been mentally prepared for and through that depression she sought refuge in the monster that lived within her body. Whenever she fought or gave control of herself over to the thing inside she felt good, happy again. Although it was usually brief it was an escape from reality and that was all she could accomplish.

What Madelyn didn’t know though was how much her reliance on the bakkoto was changing her. Her once beautiful blue hair had shifted with the bottom half turning a bright almost hot pink color, the same color of her reiatsu. That color although she didn’t know it was the mark of her bakkoto. Her eyes turned that color. That only happened when she gave it control though or called on it as some would say. Her hair was a sign of something else though. The Bakkoto’s influence was altering her physically. Perhaps she was calling on it too often? Maybe her body wasn’t strong enough to handle such frequent usage? Madelyn couldn’t begin to ask such questions and yet the observer already knew what was being recorded on his experiment.

Now though she felt joy, pleasure surging throughout her body. This was the only time she ever felt like this, combat. It was the only thing now that gave her a reprieve from the depression that clung to her heart like a thick glue. What ran throughout her normally was nothing more than sadness, so impossible to move through and push out of herself in the current situation that she found herself in. That’s why instead of trying to better herself in a way that didn’t seem available or even possible she just continued to give over control to the Bakkoto. If she couldn’t stop the pain and suffering then she’d let the monster inside her do it instead, anything to just stop the pain.

What she didn’t expect though was to turn into someone else completely, despite it already happening though Madelyn either didn’t realize it or didn’t care anymore. She was standing over a Hollow now who she’d slashed multiple times already. Slicing through its body easily with the silver blade that grew from her left arm. Begging for mercy wasn’t something that she would have expected from a Hollow and yet mercy was something that she wouldn’t give it despite her kind heart. A deranged smile creaked across her beautiful face as her left eye glows even brighter. “No no, you weren’t fun enough to deserve seeing again.”

Just like that Madelyn thrusts her left arm forward shoving the silver blade right through the mask of the Hollow. Piercing through its bone mask, cracking the bone around the blade for only a few moments and then its body would begin to dissipate like all the others. One moment she could feel the resistance of its body against her blade, feel it actually around it and then just like that nothing. A strange thing to feel and come to terms with and yet Madelyn could feel like there was something else nearby. There was a reason the Bakkoto wasn’t giving up its influence already. "Hello? Do you need help?" That was the trigger that told Madelyn she wasn’t just alone, but someone or something else could see her. Another surge of adrenaline splashing throughout her brain causing any sort of question to be drowned beneath the sensation of excitement.

Turning her head and then her body Madelyn would stare with her twisted smile at the massive figure that donned the uniform of the shinigami. Madelyn had met a few of them in the past and some of them had been very nice and helpful. That was before the Bakkoto had really started to take control though and altered her. Now perhaps it was due to the effects already being in full swing, but Madelyn didn’t see the man in front of her as a shinigami. She saw someone who could see her, someone with a sword, something that could fight, prolong her joy. Raising up her left arm she’d make it abundantly clear that it was clad in black armor. Her fingers covered in what would seem like a glove weapon and yet the sword was retracted back into her arm. Pulling her index finger backwards several times indicating that she wanted the shinigami to come close to herself she’d laugh slightly as her left eye glowed bright pink in the darkness of the alleyway. “Come and have some fun!”

[Date Maharo]

The moment that the spirit turned her gaze toward the Shinigami, a primal instinct in Maharo told them that it was time to either run or prepare to defend themselves. Of course, they weren’t so simple-minded to immediately follow every little instinct that they had. They would soon come to regret as much.

There was something wrong about the woman, that was plain to see. Everything she did, the way she turned, her smile, her laugh, her words, that arm… She was clearly dangerous, but Maharo could still tell that she was a plus, at least, part of her was, and that meant that it was their duty to guide her to the Soul Society. Something had to be done about her arm, it was unnatural, corruptive maybe. Had a Hollow done this to her? They could sense traces that one was here just a moment ago.

Maharo approached slowly, one hand in front of themselves, trying to keep her calm. “I do not want to play.” The other hand grasped the sheath of their short Zanpakuto, ready to pull it free if she were to prove genuinely dangerous. “I believe that there is something wrong, affecting you. I can help if you just remain calm.” What were they going to do if she did? Call someone from the Twelfth and just hope that she doesn't end up dissected- or worse? Cut her arm off before sending her to the other side? Maybe someone from the Fourth could look at her, but this didn't seem like any sort of normal injury that could just be healed away.

They were so caught up in thinking about their next step once she stood down that they failed to consider what they would do if she didn't.

[Madelyn Fūrinji]

Madelyn’s twisted creeped up smile only seemed to solidifie even more as the Shinigami began to step forward. This was something rare, something that didn’t happen often now. Usually only the Hollows that fought like savage animals would actually step up towards her. Everyone else that looked like a person usually turned tail and started to run or even spike more gibberish like asking her to talk or please don’t. Didn’t they get that fighting was the only thing that felt good, why did they want her to go back to feeling nothing but darkness?

That's when she saw this wasn’t someone exciting, no it was another just like the others that wanted her to stop and suffer in the mind numbingness of sorrow. If she didn’t fight, if she didn’t have this feeling from fighting then all she had was sorrow. Shaking her head horizontally for a moment she fought off the thoughts of all her struggles. “You want to help? Then fight! There is no other help!” Although she couldn’t see his sword, Madelyn knew by now that all Shinigami had one or more.

The adrenaline pumping throughout her body while the dopamine flushed her brain kept Madelyn from observing things clearly as the high of pleasure pushed her towards blind combat. It was due to these small limitations that she overlooked the position of this shinigami’s arm. It was obvious that his sword was behind his back and his hand was on it now, but Madelyn missed it and rushed forward down the alleyway ready to with her left hand extended outwards grab at the massive Shinigami with her blades fingers.