Battle Of The Wounded Hearts

[✠Asmoskon Masurao✠]

Thread Title: Battle of the Wounded Hearts
Participants: Asmoskon Masurao vs Hotaru Kuchiki
World: Human World
Death Setting: Non Death Enabled
Rating: R
Location: A small island off the coast of Japan. The island is roughly a mile in size and has a small building in the center. The island is mainly trees and green vegetation while the breach is little more the a few feet off the shore.
Special Conditions: Asmoskon is already heavily injured from excessively being injured from the last few weeks of assassinations without allowing his body to heal.
Circumstances: Asmoskon had been sent to kill a small group high class drug lords on this island and has succeeded. On his way off the island though he is met by his former lover Hotaru. It seems that the former couple is going to have the epic conclusion to the horror that has become their lives.

[✠Asmoskon Masurao✠]

Asmoskon walked from the next of the stone building his black coat burnt and covered in blood. Asmoskon had black smug marks over his clothing and skin from the fire that now was engulfing the building. He began to walk from the building into the woods yet he limped as he moved his body fighting against his efforts to continue. He had to keep going that was something he couldn’t stop he wouldn’t just lie down and allow anything to get worse. The Vandenreich were growing stronger and Asmoskon knew it. He couldn’t keep taking on random assignments in order to get money anymore he had to focus more on the main problem.

It was difficult though to say the least. In the last month alone things had progressed so much both in the aspects of good and bad. Xcution had realized his potential and already achieved power and his ranking in the military had been raised. He was now one of the two highest members of the military. He had been training some of the military himself yet that had proven to difficult with what could be considered the bad aspect that continued to progress. “So you going to die yet?” “Yeah come on Asmo no reason for you to waste my time anymore.” “I just wanna go and hang out with someone special someone that I can count on.” “Shut up Hotaru!”

“Why?” “Why?” “Why?” Asmoskon continued to walk yet all he could hear was her voice everything was worse nothing was getting better. She wouldn’t stop and now she was not only cruel, but she was never ceasing. Hotaru previously been one that he had to put up with and had been failing to do so. Yet after the encounter with Yoko that had left him near death she had grown in power over his mind. She now was no longer a representation of only a single entity of the Shinigami that he once loved. She was three and she would never stop torturing his heart and mind.

Asmoskon continued to walk through the forest his vision blurring as he did so. He was losing what control he had over his body as he moved and a low branch from a tree caught his coat without him realizing it. It halted his progress and due to his pain and exhausted Asmoskon just pulled forwards. The branch was victories and his coat ripped which led Asmoskon to simply leave it there. His arms were covered in smug and blood and while his shirt was ripped in several small places which reveals the dark bruises on his chest. “Come on Asmo just die.” “Even the island thinks your coat is too good for you.” “HA that’s saying something considering the only good choice you ever made was thinking me pretty.” “Shut up Hotaru!”

Asmoskon broke from the trees onto the tiny beach and felt the sunlight move over his body. It was pleasant yet it only lasted for a moment. He felt Hotaru punch him in the face knee his gut and pull on his throat from behind all at once which without needing reason left him on his back in the sand choking and coughing for air. This was what was left of his sanity the illusions had virtually claimed his life for in reality and what others would see would be the man on the sand coughing and struggling to breathe not from being hit, but from breathing in the smoke of a fire.

[Hotaru Kuchiki-Masurao]

One week. It had taken Hotaru and Rivu~aiasan one week to fix her zanpaktou. She had told her captain to take her off of any mission roster, since her zanpaktou was broken. He agreed and sent her off to go fix it, letting her take her time to fix it. She bowed and ran off towards the manor. She had spent the past hour, with the help of Rivu~aiasan, putting all the pieces back into the correct order so that her blade was whole, in pieces, but whole.

Hotaru took a deep breath and started to channel her reiatsu through her zanpaktou. She felt Rivu~aiasan move from her to her zanpaktou, fixing it. She only gave him the reiatsu he needed. She would stop only when told to do so and during those times, she would quickly run and get food from the kitchen, bringing it back to her room and waiting for him to tell her to continue. She also went without sleep, only nodding off when Rivu~aiasan would give her breaks. 

Finally, a little delirious from sleep deprivation, she was woozy on her knees and Rivu~aiasan was trying to tell her something. But, the next thing she knew, she was opening her eyes, laying down on the floor. She looked around and had no idea how she had gotten on the floor, until she realized she must've passed out from being so tired. She was still tired, but she felt just a little bit better. She looked over to the bed and saw her zanpaktou. She smiled.

Her zanpaktou was whole again. She gingerly picked it up and placed it on the ground. She then fell onto her bed and slept for three days straight. When she woke up, she felt groggy, but a lot better than she had before. She looked towards the door and saw one of the servants at her door, with bowls and cups, smiling at her before she closed the door behind her. Hotaru slowly sat up in her bed, and saw that Rivu~aiasan had been put back in his scabbard and in his resting place.

She then moved her legs off to the side of the bed and noticed hot food on the table next to her bed. She immediately started to eat hungrily, finishing off the food rather quickly. She then touched the hilt of her zanpaktou and felt Rivu~aiasan's presence. She unsheathed her sword and saw that he was indeed whole again. She checked the blade and everything seemed to be in order. I'm so sorry, Rivu~aiasan. You got injured because of me. I had promised myself that I would not let anything happen to you and then this happened. Please forgive me.

It is not completely your fault, young one. You love him and it made you stay your hand against him. If I was in your position, I don't know if I would've done anything different. But, we were able to fix the blade and now I am whole again, ready for battle. You need to find him, Hotaru. Find him and set him straight on what actually happened. I know the effect he had on you when you saw him again. It needs to be fixed so you can be whole again.

She nodded towards her zanpaktou, sheathing it and dressing herself in her normal shinigami uniform with her new Vice Captain badge tied securely to her left arm. She tied her zanpaktou tightly to her sash, so he wouldn't get hurt again. She slowly walked out of her room, after checking to make sure Riff-Raff was okay. He just purred and stayed in his little bed, soaking in the sun. She smiled towards him and quickly walked out of the room. She knew that Asmoskon was now freed and she should be able to find him now.

She immediately went through the gates, since she still had time off from her squad. She appeared in Tokyo and started the search for Asmoskon. She had no idea if he would actually come back here, but she figured that this would be as good a place as any to start. She looked through Tokyo fairly thoroughly, not feeling his presence. Since she knew that he was just traveling randomly, she wandered farther off the coast of Japan, seeing if he could be on one of the islands.

She lucked out and she got close to one of the islands and felt a presence on it. The closer she got to it, the more familiar it seemed to her. She knew who it was. She used Shunpo to get to the island quicker. Once she got there, she stood on the beach and looked around, trying to see if she could see him. She didn't have to look long to see him, laying on his back in the sand coughing. She steeled her gaze and walked purposefully towards him. Leaving a few feet between them, she spoke. "Asmoskon. I have finally found you. We have a few matters to discuss, you and I."

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats and Abilities}
Strength - 150 (112) Points.
Speed - 350 (525) Points.
Spiritual Pressure – 400 (300) Points.
Reiatsu Strength – 350 (525) Points.
Instinct - [100] Points.
Senses - [100] Points.
Energy sensory - [50] Points
Healing Expertise - [0] Points

[Weapons: Swords] 3
[Pain Tolerance] 3
[Bleeding Tolerance] 2
[Damage Recovery] 3
[Anti-Pain] 3
[Special: Hoho] 3

[✠Asmoskon Masurao✠]

The coughing wouldn't stop his throat her and so did everything else. It was like his body was finally tired of putting up with him and it had decided that living wasn't worth putting up with the treatment of the mind. There was a burning in his chest and he just wanted it to stop. Then he heard the sound of Hotaru again. "Asmoskon. I have finally found you. We have a few matters to discuss, you and I." Asmoskon couldn't even be bothered to pay enough attention to figure out that this Hotaru was the real one again.

He moved over onto his arms leaning in the sand with his back to Hotaru. He felt the burning in his chest intensify and in the next moment he began to vomit onto the sand. He continued for roughly a minute and by that time there was a fair amount of blood mixed in with what little food he had eaten in the last few days. Most of it was stomach acid that had just caused incredible pain along his throat. "Shut up Hotaru." Asmoskon waved his left hand back slowly believing it to still be an illusion that wouldn't leave him alone.

Asmoskon struggled with the pain that coursed throughout his body breathing raggedly as he stands up. "I already told you a few moments ago leave me be." Asmoskon turned around facing Hotaru his face bleak and the appearance of a half dead man was apparent. He only gazed at Hotaru for a moment and then looked at the water and began to walk towards it. "What did you get tired of teaming up on me or are the others just fed up with dealing with me?" Asmoskon was to far gone now he literally was at the point that speaking with the illusions was common.

He stumbled to the water and then fell in face first. The large splash covered his body as his front half was submerged without movement for a few moments. Asmoskon then slowly rose up from the water drenched now yet far more awake then he had been. "Damn this fucking ocean I can't even get a drink due to the salt." Asmoskon spat into the water yet the saliva was nearly completely blood. Asmoskon moved from the water down the beach away from Hotaru paying her no attention still believing her to just be one of the normal illusions that was for some reason not speaking right now.

[Hotaru Kuchiki-Masurao]

Hotaru stood there, staring at Asmoskon, waiting for him to finish coughing. She looked stern at him, only because she was still angry that he broke her zanpaktou. He knew what Rivu~aiasan meant to her and he broke him anyway. Just thinking back on the prison and seeing him there got her angry again. She took a few steps to the right, so she could see what was happening. Even though she was angry with him, she was still concerned for his safety. She still loved him. It seemed like he was also throwing up. The blood she saw worried her and her expression softened.

He definitely was in serious pain. Her rage ebbed, seeing him this way. What was wrong with him to make him cough up that much blood. When he told her to shut up, she was surprised. He then waved his left hand like he was dismissing her. She then thought back to the prison and remembered that he had done the same thing. He acted like she wasn't real and kept walking. So, he was still haunted by her. Her rage was gone now. When he shot the arrow off, he must've meant to actually hit her but he hit her zanpaktou instead.

She would still be angry about him for that, but hurting him over it wouldn't work. He was already in so much pain, she didn't want to put him through anymore unnecessary pain. She had done enough of that already. He slowly got up and told her that he had already told her a few moments ago to leave him alone. So, since he had seen an illusion of her so soon, he automatically assumed that she was another illusion. When he turned, her eyes got wider and her hands covered her mouth in surprise. The last she saw him, he looked healthy.

Now, he looked half dead, heading towards the point of what humans called a 'zombie.' She never thought this would actually happen to him. He continued, saying that she either got tired of teaming up on him or the others were fed up with dealing with him. She just couldn't believe it. He was broken. Severely broken. It was all her fault. She was the only one that could actually be blamed for causing him all this mental and physical anguish and pain. She eyes started to tear up, seeing him in so much pain because of her.

She followed him towards the beach, touching her zanpaktou only to get the strength from Rivu~aiasan. She now had made up her mind that she would not hurt him unless he actually attacked her first. She then watched him trip and started to run towards him. He complained that he couldn't drink because of the salt in the salt water. She saw that there was only blood he coughed up and he kept walking away. All this blood... Seeing him this way tore her up inside. She followed him, walking briskly behind him.

She would try to do what she had done in the prison to try to snap him back to reality. She caught up to him and grabbed his left arm with her right hand, trying to pull him to a stop. If he didn't immediately stop, she would step in front of him. She hoped that the warmth from her hand would be enough to make him think twice. She moved her left hand up to his face, tears filling her eyes, the same as it was in the prison. She touched his face lightly, ready to move away if he wanted to attack her. "Asmoskon, my love, what happened to you? I'm so sorry for what I've done. I love you, please forgive me. I will take the rest of eternity to make it up to you." The tears didn't flow yet, but they were on the brink of spilling over at any moment.

[✠Asmoskon Masurao✠]

Asmoskon even though most of his mind was broken and his attention was nearly completely away from Hotaru due to her never leaving him alone. He had noticed the reaction of horror when he turned around. It was quite odd and Asmoskon had not seen the illusions do such a thing so he felt that they were trying something even worse then normal right now. Now as he continued to move her felt the grasp of her small hand on his arm and then how she stepped in front of him like before at the prison. It was so similar to what had happened only about a month ago when he had been strong.

Asmoskon’s mind didn’t even process the reaction for a few moments and then he head moved down to her hand and he felt the warmth of her body against his skin. Hotaru would feel how his body wasn’t even the correct temperature. It would be far colder then what she would expect and his skin wouldn’t feel normal either. His skin was dry and sickly to the point that as she felt it she would get the sensation that even pulling away would cause it damage. How he was even still alive at this point was a mystery most humans would be dead from the lack of sleep and nutrition yet somehow he was barely alive.

Hotaru then moved her left hand up to his cheek and Asmoskon felt the sensation that he once could only dream of when he lost his mother. That sensation had only ever come again when he was with Hotaru and had been happy. That sensation had never been felt with anyone else none of the other females that Asmoskon had bed in the last seven months had ever given him the sensation of love and need yet this was so far away. The ach that he needed it was nearly overpowering and it awoke his mind to what was happening. Asmoskon’s left eye would narrow as he looked at Hotaru.

“So you’re the real one again. I told you Hotaru to leave me alone. I warned you that if you came to me again I’d kill you. Wasn’t having Rivu~aiasan broken enough to wake you up from this nonsense you pretend to believe in!” Asmoskon moved his arms up again yet instead of smacking her arms away like he had in the prison he moved them onto Hotaru’s stomach and pushed her away with what little strength seemed to be in his body. “You still cling to the hope that somehow I’ll find it in me to forgive you. To forgive you for picking someone else over me.”

Asmoskon could easily see that Hotaru was on the verge of breaking down in tears and there was at a point that he would have done anything to simply keep every single tear from leaving her. That time was done though and he was different. He had to be different to survive that was all he could do. He had to survive long enough to stop the Vandenreich that was all his life was worth. He had to keep going he had to live. It didn’t matter that he was haunted and in total despair. Death was welcome more often then not now yet taking down the Vandenreich still gave him strength. It was not Hotaru not anymore or was that just what he told himself?

Hotaru had asked him what had happened to him and when she did that Asmoskon felt the abyss within himself that seemed to only be filled with despair burn with rage. His form became strong again for a moment only for him to actually turn to the right and cough heavily speckles of blood marking the sand. He turned back a few moments later looking at Hotaru with blood on his lips and chin. “You know damn well what happened to me. I put my happiness and hope on someone I thought was faithful and true. Only to find that I had been betrayed in the worst way possible.”

Asmoskon felt all of the anger in his body swell yet the despair was gripping onto his mind just as much and without him realizing it his left eye began to run with what little liquid was in his body. “I loved you Hotaru and you chose to simply go along with someone else! You betrayed me! YOU RUINED EVERYTHING!” Asmoskon moved his right arm backwards his rage overcoming his logical thinking again yet this time he knew what he was doing. He couldn’t continue to survive if Hotaru plagued his thoughts and life. The only way to escape her was to kill her here and now.

Hotaru would see that a very familiar technique was being executed in front of her. Asmoskon’s right palm was back and now moving towards her with a large crimson arrow being generated from the palm. Asmoskon was going to fire it off at point blank range in hopes that the pain inside of him would vanish if he eradicated the source of it. He had to there was no way he could continue to survive if she lived. She didn’t deserve to live anyway. She was a betrayer and those who can’t be faithful don’t deserve life.

Remaining Reiatsu: 1435/1000
Quincy Cross: +500
Versteckte Pfeil: -65 {Class 4 Arrow}

SPOILER: Click to show

Strength ❖ 100-50%=50
Speed ❖ 350
Spiritual Pressure ❖ 100
Reiatsu Strength ❖ 300x2=600
Light Aura ❖ 80
Dark Aura ❖ 20
Instinct ❖ 200
Senses ❖ 150
Energy sensory ❖ 0
Healing Expertise ❖ 0

SKP 19/19 1/8

•[Weapons: Archery] [4]
•[Weapons: Swords] [2]
•[Acrobatics] [3]
•[Battle Analysis] [3]
•[Battle Focus] [2]
•[Focused Eye] [2]
•[Sex] [2]

[Hotaru Kuchiki-Masurao]

Right when Hotaru touched his skin, she definitely knew that he hadn't been taking care of himself as well as he should. She noticed something off when she touched his arm, but didn't think too much of it. It was only when she touched his face that she was able to tell how off he actually was. When she touched the skin on his face, she could feel that his skin was off. The first thing off about it was the temperature. When she touched him, he felt much colder than he had before. Almost like it was impossible for him to keep himself warm.

The next thing she noticed was the actual skin was dry and the color, since she was closer to him now, made him look sick. She looked at him and then the zombie thought came back to her mind. It seemed that she wasn't too far off from that idea. Where her hand had grabbed his arm, she could feel a pulse. It was weaker than it had been before, but it was there. If she hadn't felt that pulse, she was sure that he was among the walking dead. She was afraid to even move her hand from his face, thinking the skin might tear from her fingers.

She showed concern in her eyes, but she saw his eye narrow at her again. She knew that he still wouldn't believe her. She could tell just from the way his body was now that he was gone. But, she was determined to bring him back on the right path. He started to talk to her, saying that she must be the real one and that he had warned her that if he came after her again, he would kill her. She didn't care about that detail honestly. He then said wasn't having her zanpaktou, Rivu~aiasan, getting broken enough for her to wake up from her nonsense.

When he pushed her away, he didn't push her very far, but she knew what it meant. He was trying to push her out of his life, so he could try to find some peace. He had already done that to her, scarring his body and leaving her behind. But, what did it get him? What did it get either of them? From what she could gather, he still saw her as illusions around her, and they haunted his every waking minute with lies. She had turned to drinking to drown her pain and though she didn't drink much anymore, she was able, with help, to steel herself to find him and fix things.

When he pushed her away, they both suffered. She knew that because of how the relationship affected him, that she had really found her soulmate. She couldn't live without him and it was clear he couldn't live without her. She just needed to make him understand all of the details. He only pushed her about six feet away. She slowly walked towards him, keeping her legs down at her side. He said that she still hoped that he would forgive her for picking someone else over him. It was obvious from that statement that he had missed most of what she had said that day.

Tears were on the verge of escaping, and a few did, but it wasn't a complete waterfall of crying. At least, not yet. He answered her question by saying she knew what happened. He put everything on someone he thought was faithful and true only to be betrayed. He just didn't understand that she didn't. She looked up and saw more blood on the sand and when she looked at his face again, she saw that he was crying. The sight of him crying made her start to cry. She kept her breathing even so it helped a little, but it still clouded her vision a little.

He said he loved her but she betrayed him and ruined everything. Her hands were shaking. He really didn't hear what she said. He only heard that she was with Vandenreich and that was it. Not the fact that it was before they became a couple and it wasn't until she started to date him that she realized how much in love she was with him and how she knew that he was the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. Vannan meant absolutely nothing to her now. Asmoskon was the only man she wanted to be with.

She saw his right palm moving and knew that he was going to try something. She was getting angry that he hadn't listened, so she was going to make this man listen to her, even if she had to die to do it. So, while he was moving his right arm backwards, she walked towards him at a faster pace. She was quickly trying to think of the best way to try to avoid the arrow. So, using her full speed, she ran at her love. This is all while he is bringing his right arm back. Once she got a foot away, she ran around his left side and stopped when she was right behind him.

By the time she got right behind him, his right arm would be half way out in front of him. Once his arm was completely extended out to release his arrow, she quickly moved both of her arms up, hugging him from behind. Her hands would stop at his chest and she would lightly pull on him. She was afraid to pull on him too hard. He would feel wetness on his shirt from her crying eyes. She buried her head on his back, laying the right side of her face on his back, rubbing her face on his back. She took a breath before speaking.

"Why didn't you listen to me, my beloved? WHY DIDN'T YOU LISTEN?! You are the only one that matters to me. The other quincy could die for all I care. It was before us baby, BEFORE US! I was completely faithful to you while we were together and I've been with no one else since you. He was a mistake I made after my mind was clouded with alcohol. What I told you in the prison is true. I have been searching for you the entire time you were gone. THE. ENTIRE. TIME. I have never stopped loving you or looking for you. If I have to fight you to make you understand, so be it."

[✠Asmoskon Masurao✠]

It seemed that even in the face of danger Hotaru was not going to give up on her love. Asmoskon was fiery with rage and hate all of it aimed at her for what she had done. He was so lost in the emotion pain that coursed through him that he hadn’t even been able to pick up the fact that she was shacking and at the point that tears flowed from her eyes. All he could see was the girl that he had placed everything upon only to have it thrown on the ground and stomped into the dirt.

As his right hand moved backwards and he channeled his reiatsu into the arrow he watched as Hotaru moved at a speed superior to his own. It was strange his mind was in a state of rage and he hadn’t been able to pick up the obvious senses of her own pain due to his own yet the details of combat fueled his rage. He had seen her movement and knew that she was a fair amount faster then him now. He hadn’t seen any type of special movement so he cast out the possibility of a slower shunpo being preformed. No it was her own true speed and he was going to have to deal with it.

What came next though was something that made him stop for a moment. He felt her embrace him from behind her arms wrapping around him and then she spoke. Her words were as powerful as his own and it seemed like for a moment they alone would be enough to snap Asmoskon back from the depths of darkness. Almost every fiber of him was at a breaking point and had been for the last two months yet now he didn’t even have a ground to stand on. If she was telling the truth then it was impossible for him to blame her.

“Since when has she spoken the truth? Since when has she told you everything? There was a secret and there will always be more.” Asmoskon’s left pupil widened in disbelief. How was this possible it couldn’t be it made no sense at all. Starring up at him with a look of cold steel and determination was himself. It was like looking back into a picture of what he had been prior to everything happening. He was standing right in front of him in the same school uniform that he once wore and the appearance of just a kid.

“You know deep down that she has been sent to destroy us. The Vandenreich has been attempting to wipe us from the equation you know that. The first step was using her to infect us with her promises and words of being together. She was sent to us by them. She’s just trying to make us believe that it wasn’t like that. The Vandenreich has trapped us before and butchered our life. They took mom and dad and grandpa. They . she is the enemy!” Asmoskon began to shake his mind past the point that someone should ever endure. Why was all of this happening why had he been born only to suffer? It wasn’t fair who would want his life?

“STOP LYING!” Asmoskon’s hands were already at his sides yet now they were close to his waist and in the next moment the crimson plasma blades would ignite. He had angled them so they the blades would thrust outwards from the hilt right for where Hotaru was standing behind him. What she said couldn’t be true it just couldn’t be. The Vandenreich was behind it all again they were using her to destroy him. They had been succeeding this entire time, but now he knew how he had to get rid of the pain. He had to kill her and then them.

If Hotaru was stabbed by the plasma blades she would feel them burn into the sides of her chest yet that outcome was next to impossible due to her speed and skill in combat. Asmoskon knew that this method would not succeed in killing her so he had to follow up and make sure that she would fall and the pain would go away. He would turn to face her and then rushing forwards he would spin the plasma blades in his hands. It would only take a moment for both blades to actually be facing opposite directions and then there was a click.

Asmoskon had the hilts in front of him and the blades each directed at both sides yet now the hilts seemed to be connected and he was no longer wielding two different swords. When he had learned of Hotaru’s betrayal he had been one to use knives and mainly hatches in close quarters. In the last seven months however the young Quincy had developed himself as a swordsman and was one that his former love was about to face off against. Asmoskon now though unlike almost every battle that he had ever faced wasn’t composed or calm or even stern for that matter.

He held the face of a man that had no sense of sanity or happiness. He looked at Hotaru as he ran and she would be able to see the expressions of rage and sorrow clashing against one another each attempting to claim his mind. Neither wished to lose and it seemed to have resulted in Asmoskon’s sanity being ripped to shreds. In the short amount of space that would likely be between them Asmoskon was now twirling the hilt in his hands at a speed that nearly made there appear to be a crimson circle in front of him.

"You continue to lie right to my face over and over again. You won't stop you never stop. You work for them! You work alongside them! You work with him! You killed US!" It was hard to believe yet even after so much pain and damage not only mentally yet physically as well at this point Asmoskon was displaying power above that of what he had been the last time Hotaru had seen him fight. As he would reach her the spinning would suddenly stop and one of the blades would be brought down from her left shoulder to right hip.

Remaining Reiatsu: 1935/1000
Quincy Cross: +500

[Hotaru Kuchiki-Masurao]

Hotaru cried on his back and relished the warmth that she felt from her lover's back. She hadn't done this in so long, she held onto him tightly, wanting to never let go. She breathed in his scent and cried more, missing his scent more than she even realized. Even though he looked so different, he smelled the same. It was then, when she was close to him like this, that she thought back on all the times they spent together being this close. All the hugs, all the kisses and all of the late night adventures they had all came rushing back to her.

There were two unifying themes in those memories. The smell of him remained the same and the love he had for her. She could tell it in his eyes, the way he talked to her and the way he treated her. He loved him with every fiber of his being. She loved him the same way. If he would just listen to her and believe what she said... But she doubted that this talk would help her. She just had to try, to tell him what she was feeling. She felt his arms at his side, so she kept her arms there, just to feel his bare skin against hers.

She felt a tenseness and had an idea of what was going to happen next. He screamed out, telling her to stop lying. She wasn't lying, but she felt his arms move to his waist. She had no idea what he could be reaching for, since the last time she had fought with him, he had only used his bow. She did remember the little objects that he had used before, so her first thought that he was going for one of those. She kept her eyes on the lookout for anything different that he could be reaching for. She saw the slim handles and she quickly backed away.

She felt a pain in her heart when she had to let go of him. He had never wanted to willfully let him go again, but it seemed like she had to. She had to until she actually got through to him and made him see that she was telling the truth and she had remained faithful to him until the very end. She was just glad she was keeping her senses up. She could've been so lost in the emotions of the moment that she could've gotten stabbed with what she now saw as blades. Before, when they fought, he held back not to hurt her.

It was now painfully clear that he wasn't going to hold back against her anymore. She took a breath to steel her nerves. If he wasn't going to hold back against her, she couldn't hold back against him. When he turned around to face her, she saw the emotions there. He was showing pure rage and a terrible sense of sorrow. Her love was torn. She guessed that he still loved her and wanted to be with her. He didn't want them apart like she didn't. But, the rage was from being with a Vandenreich. The rage came from a betrayal he thought was real.

The betrayal wasn't, and he needed to realize it. What she had said was the truth. All she could do was keep telling him the truth. She had to make him understand. She saw him spin the blades and then was surprised when they clicked together. It made him twice as deadly. She unsheated her zanpaktou, standing in her normal stance to defend against his attack. Her knees were slightly bent, shoulder width apart. Her zanpaktou was angled with the tip towards her left shoulder, hilt towards her right hip. She took a breath to think of what she could do.

She had no idea that Asmoskon had learned to wield swords as well. He was definitely making himself more deadly. She only knew how to use her zanpaktou and swords. She also held no other weapons on her and he now has two blades that could be made into a double-sided sword and his bow and arrows. If he had this one new weapon, he could have any number of other weapons on him that she didn't know about. She would need to keep on her toes whenever he went towards his waistband or any other piece of clothing in case he pulled out something else.

He ran full force at her and she had to admit that he did seem faster. The spinning blades were making it hard for her to tell where he would hit, but what he was yelling at her stabbed her straight in the heart. He continued to believe that she was lying but when he said that she killed them, she had to fight back tears. She didn't need the tears clouding her vision in a fight. She was able to tell that he was going to come down at the same angle that her zanpaktou was going. She needed to figure out something quickly.

She could move to the side. She could tell that she was faster than him, so that would be one of the easiest things for her to do. She could also move her blade up, blocking his own, but there was still the other sword at the end of the blade she had to worry about. So, based off that, she decided that avoiding the blades all together would probably be the best option for her. So, while the blade was coming towards her left, she ran off towards her right, pushing her blade out in front of her, holding it horizontal, parallel to her body.

So, while she was moving towards the right, her blade would be out and trying to slice Asmoskon from his chest to his left arm in one clean swipe. When she was done running off, she stopped about five feet away from his left arm, going back to her stance. "Don't you think I know that I killed us?! Don't you think that I regret it every single day?! I told you the truth. I was under the influence of alcohol when I was with the Vandenreich. I'm not lying. If I was lying, then why would I even be here trying to get you back? I want you to know the truth about everything. If you would listen to me and ignore whatever else you're listening to, you would know I speak the truth."

[✠Asmoskon Masurao✠]

The buttons of the plasma blades pressed down from the both of Asmoskon’s thumbs and he listened behind him for the sound of Hotaru being burnt through. The sound of sizzling flesh wasn’t present the only thing that he could hear was the sound of her feet moving backwards and the air behind him shifting. He could feel the air on the back of his neck as she moved and he knew that she had evaded his sudden activation of his swords. He had to just kill her that was the only way that he could stop all of this despair the only way he would be able to continue on his path of righteousness and bring about the eradication of the Vandenreich.

Asmoskon spun around on the balls of his feet the sand that he was standing on sinking slightly due to his weight and the displacement of it. As his left eye gained the view of Hotaru he saw her hand down towards Rivu~aiasan. Asmoskon knew immediately that she was going to fight for her life instead of just dying like she deserved. The stance that she took though made everything changed as he moved his blades together. The breach in the background changed to that of a park with trees in the background. Then all of a sudden it was back to normal and Asmoskon was moving his blade towards her.

Asmoskon wasn’t sure what to believe was going on why something had like that just happened. He had just told her again why everything had gone wrong, but even saying it made the despair inside of him grip his heart tighter. He realized just as his plasma blade was going down towards Hotaru that the park he had seen was the one in Tokyo that the two of them had trained and fought in before. That had been where they had first met one another and it had been where she had brought up the idea of marriage. Asmoskon couldn’t believe that such a thought was brought up in his mind even after everything and as he gained his attention back he realized Hotaru was evading his slash.

She moved to the right and it was obvious that she had developed her speed far more then he had in the last few months. Preparing for a counter of attack of some kind Asmoskon stepped to the right while turning his body to the side in order to face Hotaru. At the same time though he brought the other half of the plasma blade forwards towards her in an attempt to cut her down as she evaded to the side. All that would be heard was the sound of the plasma clashing against the spiritual metal of Hotaru’s zanpakuto. After all of that happened he spun the double sided plasma blade in his hands the sound of it’s hum being louder as it moved in that manner. He spun it about three times and then stopped holding it with his right hand at his side as he looked at Hotaru and saw the same stance that she had always taken in a fight.

“You see she won’t even fight us! She is under the orders of the Emperor to waste our time. Don’t let her waste our time we aren’t immortal. We can’t live in time forever. The blind foolish man can we need to use every moment to work towards his death!” Asmoskon was panting as he looked towards Hotaru her blade held parallel in front of her. The image of himself was right in front of him screaming all of these things at him it was just as breaking as Hotaru and his mind wouldn’t keep up it was on it’s last leg and it was breaking from this long beating.

Asmoskon listened to Hotaru as she spoke his mind fighting against logic and the reason in her words. All he could hear was himself screaming in his mind that she was lying. Asmoskon actually moved his left hand up to the side of his head and placed his hand over his left ear with pain written across his face. He was actually red in the face now and sweat was dripping from him already. The fact that he was this far done in already after only a brief movement meant that his body really was at a point that combat was completely against logic.

“You’re here to waste my time! You’re here to keep me busy while the Vandenreich surround the area and try to kill me again. You were always sent to waste my time. He ordered you too that’s what it was. .that’s what it was. YOU HIDE THE TRUTH! You kept it from me! You betrayed my love! You . . you . none of you will kill me I will kill the Emperor. I will kill his emperor! I will kill your Vandenreich!” Asmoskon was panting heavily as he screamed in rage towards Hotaru his mind consumed by rage and hate now all directed towards her.

Asmoskon spun the double blade in front of him again as he began to walk towards Hotaru and then he suddenly managed to get off the ground. He was spinning in the air with his legs only a foot or so off the ground yet most of his other body in a slightly horizontal manner. It would definitely be surprising to see and hard to react to due to the fact that Asmoskon had just disconnected his plasma blades. Hotaru would have to react to Asmoskon spinning in the air with his plasma blades coming at her from above one after the other. It would only be a single sequence of slashes and after the second blade was brought down Asmoskon’s feet would touch the sand again.

Remaining Reiatsu: 2435/1000
Quincy Cross: +500

[Hotaru Kuchiki-Masurao]

Hotaru watched everything go on with Asmoskon. When she dodged, he just stood there with the blade in his right. While he was standing there, she took a minute to try to process everything that she had seen him do. First off, he wasn't using his bow anymore. It was either that, or he felt the need to beat her in a sword fight, which would definitely be interesting. She had no idea that he had skill with a blade, but the way he was using them, he had either learned in six months how to wield a blade well or he had always known, just never used it before.

Though, thinking back on his fighting before the parted, it was fairly obvious that he depended on his bow as his main weapon. Everything that she remembered gave her the inclination that he had only ever used a bow. He was so comfortable with it, it was like an extension of his arm, like how Rivu~aiasan was an extension of her arm and body and even her soul. So, in his travels in the past six months, he had learned how to wield a blade well. She was now curious if he carried anymore weapons on his person and couldn't assume he did.

He had changed a great deal. She looked at him and the scar that he gave himself just glared at her, because it was her fault. It was completely her fault that he had that on his chest. She took a breath to steady herself and waiting for what he would do next. It was then that she noticed his left hand go to his head and the pain on his face was very plain. She was right. He had been broken badly. He was fighting with himself, trying to make sense of what was actually going on. He was fighting with himself and her.

She then knew that maybe actually fighting him so he didn't think too much on it might help her break through to him. If she kept his mind away from fighting with himself, he might be more open to actually listening to her words and not fighting himself to make sense of what she was saying and having himself fight the logic of her words. She felt something in her blade, and knew Rivu~aiasan had listened to what she was saying and had agreed with her. Maybe fighting him really was the only way to make him see the truth...

She then listened to him spew out pure nonsense. She was sent there to keep him busy while the Vandenreich was surrounding the area? What? She did hide the truth but when he said that she betrayed his love, it hurt. He was starting to throw barbs at her that was cutting her deep to her core. While they were together, she was with no one else and was truly happy with him. She felt nothing for anyone but him, even after he left her in the park in Tokyo. She turned to drinking when he left her, because she was in such poor spirits.

After she got herself a little bit better, she did keep drinking, but it was mostly because she never wanted what happened with the Vandenreich to happen to her again. Now, her alcohol tolerance was high enough that she could drink men under the table and still be sober enough to go on about her day. But, looking at him and what crazy things must be going on in his mind because of one mistake she did...It hurt her and her eyes started to swell with tears again. She really was his everything. She knew it, but she never really knew how far it went until now.

He completely broke because of her. What she did, broke him to the point of hearing voices and assuming horrible things about it. It meant he held a love for her above everything else. In the same way, she had been broken the same. Even though she had friends that helped her see a light at the end of the tunnel, to go find him and set things straight, she was still broken. He left a huge hole in her heart that was filled with nothing but a yearning to find him and be with him again. He was the only one that could fix her and she hoped that she could fix him as well.

She took a deep breath and readied herself for what she would say and his actions. He spun the blade in front of him while walking towards her. She narrowed her eyes, trying to stay focused on what he was going to do. Once he spun them, he jumped off the ground and was in the air. He moved horizontally towards her and she was just trying to keep the blades in focus. Once he jumped up in the air and started spinning the blades, she side stepped to the left quickly, moving the pommel of her sword up, making the sword horizontal and even with the height of the tip of where her zanpaktou was.

So, while sidestepping, she had the sword up to block his plasma swords. Since he was moving forward, when she sidestepped, he moved in front of her. When he landed, she quickly stepped behind him and moved her right arm out to the side, pointing the tip of her zanpaktou to his back. "I am a member of the Gotei Thirteen. We are AT WAR with the Vandenreich. Why would I help them?! I will NOT go against my duty to Soul Society. I was faithful with you my beloved, there was no one else. I made my mistake BEFORE we were together. BEFORE. You can kill all the Vandenreich for all I care. The only reason I'm here is to make you see reason and be with you again. If I have to injure you to do so, so be it."

[✠Asmoskon Masurao✠]

Asmoskon spun through the air something that had once brought joy to his heart yet now it was empty and the sensation was just another thing that he had lost when everything fell apart. He watched as Hotaru positioned her zanpkauto in the correct way and felt the metal clash against the plasma of his own sword. It was obvious that Hotaru was still physically stronger then Asmoskon for even after both of his blades clashed against her zanpakuto her arms hardly moved downwards. He saw that she was stepping to the side and was going to do something when she got behind him.

Asmoskon was nearly on the surface of the sand again and his body was pretty much back to a normal vertical stance with only a slight tilt. When his feet touched the surface of the sand he was ready to simply use movement and bring his blades backwards into Hotaru only to feel the metal of her zanpakuto against his back. Asmoskon knew now that in his current condition and with his skills in swordsmanship he wouldn't be able to kill her. She was more experienced in the art and she wasn't injured at all. It would take more to free himself from this despair.

Hotaru was beginning to speak and as she did so Asmoskon's emotions were rushing even further out of his control breaking from his skull such a containment was futile. As she spoke about being at war with the Vandenreich and why she would aid them Asmoskon suddenly interrupted her. "YOU SLEPT WITH THE ENEMY YOU WHORE!" If Hotaru continued through with her reasoning Asmoskon would remain still his body shaking from the different emotions that were clashing in order to rip him apart from the inside. She spoke of never betraying the Soul Society and that she was faithful to him the entire time that they were together.

Hotaru spoke about how she had bed with the Vandenreich prior to them being together and a small part of Asmoskon's soul clung to that idea. It was a small hope that the light inside of himself pulled on for survival. Hotaru continued and spoke about how she didn't care if he killed off all of the Vandenreich and that she was here to reclaim him. It seemed that the light in his soul was growing and fighting off the darkness that raveled around his reason. "You're falling into her trap again. Didn't you just hear what she said? Even if she just spoke the truth completely we're still only a second option to her."

Hotaru was done speaking and a few pasted of Asmoskon just standing there his head low and his shoulders hunched over. A single tear drop fell from his face to the dry sand and then the buzz of his plasma blades was gone. The crimson blades appearing to slither back inside of the hilts. The blades dropped from his graphs to the sand with a low thud and to Hotaru it might seem like she had broken through to him and had just reclaimed him after everything. "I don't believe you Hotaru. Even if you bed with the Vandenreich prior to knowing me then there is still one problem with me being with you."

Asmoskon suddenly disappeared from view only to reappear about ten feet away and a few feet up off the ground from Hotaru looking down at her. Asmoskon was standing on the air and he motioned his left hand out towards her. "Gerechtigkeit." Hotaru was one of the very few individuals that would be able to feel the familiar sensation of reiatsu as Asmoskon released his bow. In the next moment the pitch black longbow materialized in the grasp of his left hand. "To me you were everything in existence and the only thing that truly mattered." Asmoskon spoke in a rough direct tone as he drew back the bowstring and a crimson arrow formed.

He was acting far more different then he had been only a few moments ago. It was strange like he was no longer insane yet calm and just anger yet collected. "I'm not your everything and the time will come when you betray me again. I will not suffer this despair for another moment let alone have it occur again. I have come to the conclusion that I will never be the first priority in your eyes. The Emperor of my people caused death to my people. Your race was more then happy to go through with it and continued to hunt us down even after. I won't pledge myself to someone that would follow through with an order to kill me."

In the next moment four additional crimson arrows seemed to appear in Asmoskon's right hand all nocked to the bowstring and pulled to full draw. It was then that he released the arrows from his grasp and all five were sent soaring towards Hotaru. she was one of the very few that had even seen his release before and one of only perhaps three that would know that evading them was next to pointless. All five of the arrows had already locked onto her reiatsu and would never allow her to escape her fate of death. As the arrows reached about halfway between the two of them all five suddenly split apart doubling the actual small assault into a volley heading right towards her.

Remaining Reiatsu: 2535/1000
Quincy Cross: {+500}
Class 4 Arrows 10X: {-400}
Bow Release LvL 1: {-100}

[Hotaru Kuchiki-Masurao]

Hotaru stood like she was, with her blade to his back while she was talking. It would only be noticed to a very trained eye, but her hand was actually a little shaky. It was a very slight tremor, something that had never happened to her before. In fighting always, she was so sure of herself. Even if she would lose, she was very sure in her movements. She had never hesitated and been shaky like this before. But, of course, there was a reason for her being this way. It was the person she was fighting against. It was the one she held high above all others.

When he screamed out, she ignored it. She knew that until he truly saw the light, he was going to keep calling her a whore. It hurt her that he would call her that, but he did have some right to it. She would hold back her tears, trying to keep her steady resolve. She continued speaking and that was when she noticed something happen with him. His shoulders drooped forward and he dropped his weird blades. The actual blades seemed to have just disappeared from the sword all together, though the most reasonable thought would be that they are retractable.

She almost thought that she had gotten to him. She ALMOST thought she had. But, she thought back on what had happened so far in their current situation. He would look like this and would still go against her, not believing her. So, she held herself in place, just waiting for him to say he didn't believe her and make up some other things or taking something that she said completely the wrong way. It was then that he started to speak. He said that he still didn't believe her and that if he did accept the first part of what she said, there was something else.

When he disappeared, she knew he used the weird Quincy step like Shunpo to get away. She turned around and saw him standing in the air, taking the high ground. So, he wanted to make sure he was above her in pretty much every way when he took her down. It was a very interesting idea. She stood and looked up at him, taking deep breaths to make sure she wouldn't just scream at him to listen. When he extended his hand out, she have a very good idea of what he was going to do next. She heard him speak the one word she had heard before.

She knew that it was the first bow release of his power, he had told her so himself. So, seeing the black longbow appear again was no surprise to her, but she knew that he was actually being serious. He really was aiming to kill her. Well, she knew it before, but he hadn't really done anything to show to her that he was going to. Using his bow on her, that was the move that made it serious for her. He was calm, but she knew him. He had changed a great deal, but there were a few things that didn't change.

To her, this looked like the calm he had while in a life or death situation, almost like he was looking at her as a target. She knew that he was gripping tightly to anything he could so he could kill her and more than likely end his pain. But, she doubted that her end would help him. It would only hurt him. So, she needed to get him to see the light sooner rather than later. She listened to what he was saying, that he would never be first for her, he was not her everything and that she would follow through an order to kill him.

She just stared at him. Was he really being this stupid? He completely took what she said out of the context of her words. She DID NOT mean her words that way. She was seething now. She was curious if all men were as stupid as Asmoskon was being right now. He obviously had semi-selective hearing. He nocked five arrows at her in his new bow, aimed, and shot them at her. She didn't know how strong these arrows might be, but she knew the best way to counter them. "Asmoskon, you took that completely out of context. Burn, Rivu~aiasan!"

Her sword started to form and once her cannon was completely formed, she shot out liquid from it, hitting all of the arrows and destroying them. Since the class of the arrows was four and her Shikai was powered up to class three, the liquid beats the arrows. She watched the arrows get destroyed and looked up at her delusional, crazy beloved. "You idiot, I meant that I wouldn't be with a Vandenreich Quincy because Soul Society is at war with them. It would be stupid of me to be with the enemy. But you, Asmoskon, are not a Vandenreich Quincy. You are not the enemy.

I got in the relationship with you, knowing the risks and taking them all happily, so we could be together. Do you remember that day on the rooftop? I wouldn't have even started this relationship if I wasn't prepared to do anything I could to stay with you forever. You misunderstand me. I have never been ordered to kill you and if I was ordered, I would resign my position in the Gotei Thirteen and turn rogue for you. I would go rogue for you. I don't know if you know what that means, but it means I would lose my zanpaktou.

I would lose Rivu~aiasan FOREVER and I would gladly do it. I would do it so that I could live the rest of my life with the one man I love and treasure over everything, including Soul Society. The man I'm speaking of is you. My loyalty and honor is for you alone. I plan to spend the rest of my life with you. I plan on spending the rest of my life with you, which means I leave my old family behind and embrace my new family, you. You would do the same. I would gladly give up everything I have in Soul Society to have a normal, human life with you forever."

OOC: Remaining Reiatsu 2650/3000, -350 for Shikai Class 3, Shikai 1/9

[✠Asmoskon Masurao✠]

Asmoskon stood on the air as he released the five crimson arrows from his fingers and saw them soar down towards Hotaru. All of the arrows were locked onto her reiatsu signature and even if she attempted to utilize shunpo they would alter their course and continue until they made impact with her body. That was when Hotaru spoke out stating he took what she had said wrong and then her zanpakuto command was spoken and Asmoskon watched as her sheath and blade took on the forms of the long dragon like cutlass and the sheath took the form of the wrist cannon. Asmoskon's sanity was ripping itself apart right now he was pushed to a point that many would have simply begged for death.

In truth Asmoskon had already begged for death about a week ago when he went up against the Fullbringer known as Yoko who he found out worked for Kazura. It had not been well for Asmoskon and the wounds from the short confrontation against her were still not healed completely. Asmoskon's assistant that normally got him his assignments was now gone no longer wishing to deal with him and watch him suffer to the point that he killed himself. It was his fault completely she had warned him and tried to help him get over Hotaru yet nothing had worked and now he was left with nothing. Even when he went against Yoko Asmoskon had lived through an inner realized that involved his father and grandfather yet they had been turned into the other Hotaru's in his mind and that only caused the new life in his soul to die over the last week.

It was actually strange right now this was the first time that Asmoskon was seeing himself and was being effected in that manner. The three different Hotaru had been not leaving him alone which had caused him to mess up so much recently and caused his injuries to worsen and his life to reach a new low. Now as Hotaru motioned her cannon in front of her and the liquid was fired out from it Asmoskon saw that her power had indeed increased from their last confrontation. He hadn't fought against her in the prison and instead just destroyed her zanpakuto to prove a point now he saw that her fire was more potent then when they were together.

All five of his arrows were destroyed and that's when Hotaru really began to speak. As she spoke though Asmoskon's eyes began to shake from side to side and his sense of reality was cracking worse then before. He started to cough again worse then before to the point that the air ground below him couldn't be held. So as Hotaru was speaking about knowing the risks of being with him Asmoskon fell from the air to the surface of the beach. His body hit the sand hard and he screamed out in pain. He struggled to get up after a few moments. For the first time he had lost the handle on his bow and was now moving his left hand over the sand trying to find it.

Hotaru would most likely find this unbelievably weird yet if she was looking closely at him she would see that Asmoskon actually had blood flowing from his left eye. Asmoskon's brain was under to much stress and strain and was now actually causing so much damage to his body that he was literally killing himself. His vision was blurred and he was having such a difficulty time seeing that the bow barely in front of him couldn't be found. He started to smack his hand on the surface of the sand over and over frantically until he found it. He then slowly tried to stand up struggling obviously like he had no bones to support him.

"You can't let this happen if this happens then we were never worth anything. You remember what father and grandpa said. We need to live and defeat the Vandenreich that's our true purpose. That's the reason for our existence! She is NOT the reason we're alive! We are the true threat to the Vandenreich we have the power to turn the tides like no one else. We need to survive and stop them or else our family died for nothing! Get up and kill her so we can go kill the Empire NOW!" Asmoskon finally managed to stand up as the younger him in his mind screamed at him. Asmoskon moved his right hand up over his left eye and wiped it. After a few times he refocused his vision although still incredibly poor compared to his pinnacle he was able to see Hotaru.

He was breathing incredibly heavy and sweat was flowing over his face. His eye looked like someone who had abused drugs to the point that logical thinking was no longer possible. Exhaustion didn't begin to example his appearance right now it was like a man who just wouldn't accept death then the entity was pulling at him to leave the world of the living. Asmoskon had dealt with death his entire life and in truth felt that such a thing had to be a friend. He wasn't dead yet and with everything that he had gone through that it was waiting to claim him until after he gave it the Emperor.

"Well I guess it's fitting that you be the one to first see them. You were the first to gaze upon Gerechtigkeit might as well kill you with them." Asmoskon was struggling to even speak now as he stood hunched over looking at Hotaru. That was when his reiatsu would skyrocket yet again and his long black bow disappeared. No entity had yet seen Asmoskon's second bow release and now his former lover would be the first to both see it and deal with it. All of a sudden two twin crossbow handguns hybrids would materialize in his hands. Asmoskon leaned outwards and extended his right arm out aiming at Hotaru.

"I only live to kill nothing else." Asmoskon spoke and then all of a sudden a crimson arrow was fired off from the crossbow in his right hand towards Hotaru. What she wouldn't know what that she was now facing off against a level of power that she might not have thought possible and she was going to see how strong the man she loved truly is. The arrow was stronger then the five he had fired off prior and if she attempted to do the same thing again would only lead her to harm herself for Asmoskon's true strength was now set loose upon the purple haired firefly.

Remaining Reiatsu: 2785/1000
Quincy Cross: {+500}
Class 3 Arrow: {-50}
Bow Release LvL 2: {-200}

[Hotaru Kuchiki-Masurao]

While she was talking to him, she kept her eyes firmly fixed on what he was doing, just to make sure that she would be able to avoid the next attack if need be. But, what she saw next made her hurt worse than anything else. He coughed and the air ground under him must have disappeared, because he fell down to the ground. He hit pretty hard, because she could hear the impact on his battered body. He screamed in pain as he hit, Hotaru herself flinching from watching his impact. He was slowly getting to his feet when he lost his bow and moved his hand around to try and actually find it.

Her eyes teared up then. It was obvious that he was in an insane amount of pain and she had caused it. She also now couldn't really help him because he refused to see her side of this argument. She tried to focus and saw the blood coming out of his eye and she realized he was much worse off than she thought. All of what had happened to him had definitely hit him hard. She, of course, already knew this, but she had no idea that it would hit him as hard as it obviously had. He was in so much turmoil with himself that he was actually damaging himself.

She tightened her grip on her zanpaktou and looking at him through tear filled eyes as he slowly got back up to his feet. He was completely covered in sweat and breathing hard, like he had just ran a marathon, but she knew why. He was fighting against himself, which was killing him and hurt her to see him in this much pain. She took a breath and wiped at her eyes with her left hand. Once she was done, he glared at her and knew that something was going to happen now. She stood and waited for what he was going to say or not say.

When he started to talk about being the first to see something, she had an idea of what he was talking about. She knew that she was one of the first, if not the first, to actually see his first bow release. She had always assumed that there were more levels of power than just one. If Shinigami could do it, it would make sense that the other races had more than one level of release. It was then that she felt it. His reiatsu was charging, and knew that he must've reached the next level of power. It was then that his bow disappeared and something else appeared.

Twin crossbow handguns. Hotaru arched her right eyebrow at that. It was an interesting form to take, and it would work well for him to be able to shoot from both hands, dealing with people on each side of him. She took a breath and tried to clear her head to focus. But, it was very hard for her to do so. When he said he lived to kill and nothing else, she frowned. She remembered a time when he never would've said that. He would've said that he lived to protect the people he cared about and above all else, lived to be with her like she now lived to be with him.

She wanted to try to talk him out of it, to make him see reason. She saw the crossbow bolt coming towards her and she was opening her mouth to say something when Rivu~aiasan stopped her. You can no longer talk to him, Hotaru. You should know this already. He is hurt and broken badly. His mind is lost to his own pain and anger. You have to do something else, because talking will no longer get to him. But Rivu~aiasan, I don't know how I can hurt him. I care for him and love him too much to want to. I know young one, but it must be done. Fighting is all he will understand now. You must face him head on and win, or else something worse could happen.

When she started to talk to her Zanpaktou spirit, she completely forgot about the arrow that was coming towards her. She was too occupied talking with him, so after he said something worse could happen, the arrow struck her on her right side, under her collarbone. She winced in pain and looked down at the actual arrow. She quickly brought her fire sword up, and after a few seconds, was able to pry the arrow out of her. Thankfully, with the fire going on her sword, her wound was cauterized immediately, stopping blood flow and making the injury manageable.

She took a breath after getting the arrow out and threw it on the ground. She then glared up as Asmoskon. So, Rivu~aiasan was right with her. He was so lost in his own pain and rage that he needed to be defeated to be shown the light of what she was saying. So, she nodded her head, more in agreement with Rivu~aiasan. She had to fight him again. She had to fight and win. She used her speed to get in close to him while raising her left arm. Once she was six feet away, she would spew out her liquid in his direction. If only some of the liquid would hit him, then she would have the advantage.

OOC: Remaining Reiatsu: 2650/3000, Shikai 2/9