Crazy=Genius [Closed, JT]

[Shizuka Sanamizu ✮]

"It's probably been around as long as the world of the living has. This is the wilderness. The Gotei and such are all that way."

"The Gotei?" Shizuka questioned.

A familiar word, but not a familiar force. Shizuka had never come in contact with anyone from the Gotei Thirteen. She'd only heard of them in passing before, and even then, it wasn't much. She lacked the desire to go through every single solitary file that Xcution had on what seemed to feel like everyone in the world, but even she knew there was information missing. Sometimes it was better for her to just have these experiences on her own rather than rely on incomplete data. Plus, this way, she could explore Soul Society without any concern from any of her higher-ups, though lacking they were.

"So, first things first. You probably notice that the spiritual density of the air is a lot stronger here. You might even find it kind awkward to feel and move around in. To that end, why don't you and I have a little go? Nothing fancy. No weapons. Just hand to hand stuff. Help you get a feel for the place?"

Shizuka nodded in agreement. "It does feel different here, and it's not something I'm used to. But I've never really said 'no' to a small fight before, especially against someone so new. If that's okay with you, then it's certainly okay with me!

This would be new. Shizuka never really had any actual battles with anyone in her family before. Her sister was as spiritually unaware as could be, and despite her two human parents having some awareness, they lacked any special powers or abilities the way Shizuka did. Her grandmother was the only person, as far as she knew, who possessed any of these strange gifts. Even her Aunt Momoko didn't have anything to speak of, though she was highly charismatic and typically used that skill of hers to get what she wanted either way. Shizuka learned from her aunt in that regard, and she was thankful.

Since it seemed like Shizuyoko was waiting patiently for Shizuka to make the first move, the human did so. Since it was a spar, all that mattered was strength and speed. She had sparred with her serpentine lady before, so it wasn't like she was completely hopeless. Still, she relied too much on her Fullbring and she realized that about herself. Fighting with her grandmother was beneficial, but it was weird to think about what each part of her body could do. Those tails seemed fairly dextrous, but did that mean they could really do any harm? If they were connected to her power, was she going to use them if this was just a spar?

Shizuka got close enough to her grandmother to try to grab her right hand and pull it along with the rest of her arm behind the woman's back. She moved at her own normal speed, but she was trying to get a feel for what Shizuyoko could do rather than blitz everywhere the way the Fullbringer normally did. From there, she gripped as hard as she could onto the hand and swept with her left foot against the outside calf of Shizuyoko's right leg. If the woman were to lose her balance, despite all of the inconvenient tails in the way, she could fall and dislocate her shoulder so long as Shizuka held on. But the problem wasn't with her balance. What could the tails do, and did Shizuka basically just launch herself into a bad first move?

SPOILER: Click to show

{Shizuka's Stats}

Strength - [100] Points

Speed - [300] Points

Spiritual Pressure - [200] = [500] Points

Reiatsu Strength - [400] = [1000] Points

Light Aura - [60] Points

Dark Aura - [40] Points

Instinct - [200] = [100] Points

Senses [200] = [100] Points

Energy sensory - [0] Points

Healing Expertise - [0] Points

Total SP: [1400] Points

SPOILER: Click to show

{Shizuka's Skills}

[Weapon: Firearms] {4}

[Analyzing] {3}

[Stealth] {3}

[Strength of Will] {3}

[Honeypotting - The art of manipulation to obtain information. Basically, a girl gathers enough information about her target - male or female, doesn't matter - and dresses accordingly or changes how she acts to be able to get them to do whatever she wants or tell her what she needs to hear.] {3}

[Shizuyoko Toraumi]

Shizuyoko smiled softly at Shizuka, her head canting to the side as that bright smile formed on her features again, her tails curling behind her as she took just a moment to circle the woman, her head tilted a little as she actually wondered what sort of capabilities the girl had. She of course, smiled and moved in closer, striding towards the woman with that calm, warm look on her face, and before Shizuka knew it, Shizuyoko was almost completely in her face, her head tilting a little as those pretty eyes stared into theirs.

"Are you sure though? I mean... I have to admit, I'm really happy that you got my looks. And then some." she paused, giving the girl a wink before leaning to the side. "But I do have a pretty tough job." She noted, and those tails shifted, though honestly they were constantly moving, which made it hard to pick things out. Normally shinigami could tell when techs were used based on the motion of the limbs as a transfer of momentum. However, Shizuyoko used her tails when throwing herself around, and as such even those who were masters of high speed shunko were not able to anticipate her motions.

Which made it incredibly hard when Shizuyoko suddenly vanished, and in the same motion of that flash step, she twisted and hooked her leg in snap, wrapping her foot behind shizuka's head and hooking around it, locking the woman's head behind her heel, and then SLAMMING it powerfully into the ground. One minute Shizuka had had her own grandmother leaning in and flirting, and in the next instant her face was being slammed into the ground using an incredibly fast technique, one fearful and rare among shinigami: Senka. Which had two attacks involved, however Shizuyoko had used both motions, to hook her foot on Shizuka, and then the second to heel drop and slam them into the ground. All of this done at a speed even above normal flash step.

In addition to this, Shizuyoko had made the attack a grapple by hooking the leg and then stomping. With her own spiritual p ressure being significantly weaker than just about any other shinigami, she was used to having to work around such things, and thus there was no actual impact that would trigger cutback. The entire thing being one enormous and vicious assault on Shizuka, to test to see just how durable her daughter was, using that heavy strength and speed of hers before pausing and then stepping past shizuka thoughtfully, looking at the woman up and down.

As it were, Shizuyoko had no real sense of shame or limitations. She had never been a true human. She had been BORN a hollow. So even compared to hollows, she seemed vicious and unemotional at times. Not only using a high speed attack, but using one so suddenly and quickly that even if Shizuka had had the reflexes to try and avoid the attack, she wouldn't have the speed to do so quickly enough.

"I've killed a lot of things. Shinigami. Arrancar. The worst part is how weak I've gotten over time. This will be a good way to get me back into shape. But we also have some things we need to establish about you. I don't know why you hate shinigami so much. But they aren;t all bad. I assure you. It's my job to kill the bad ones. As a matter of fact, you have shinigami blood in you as it were. She noted in that matter-of-fact tone, her arms folding across her chest as she regarded her granddaughter.

-100 reiatsu for Senka
Senka Speed: 6600
1000/1100 reiatsu remaining

SPOILER: Click to show

{Shizuyoko's Stats}

Strength - 200 Points (+25%= 250 Points)

Speed - 400 Points (+50%= 600 points)

Spiritual Pressure - 220 Points (-50%= 110 points)

Reiatsu Strength - 50 Points (-50%= 25 points)

Light Aura - 100 Points

Dark Aura - 0 Points

Instinct - 150 Points

Senses - 60 Points

Energy sensory - 0 Points

Healing Expertise - 0 Points


Total SP: 1080 (500 from Class, 580 from training)

SPOILER: Click to show

{Shizuyoko's Skills}
[Multi-Dexterity - This Skill Pertains to Shizuyoko's ability to use her tails simultaneously in combat]:{2}
[Damage Recovery]:{2}
[Stealth]:{2}
[Anti-Stealth]:{2}
[Mental Incantation]: {2}
[Hoho]:{2}
[Hakuda]:{2}
[Battle Analysis]:{1}

[Shizuka Sanamizu ✮]

Before she knew it, all Shizuka felt was pain. She had barely even a moment to gasp before she was slammed down into the ground beneath the two women. There she remained for a few minutes, maybe even longer, as she composed herself. She wouldn't be broken so easily at her class, at her level, and with her powers. But she could admit any day to being in some of the most extreme amounts of pain she'd felt in a long while. Shizuka was known for being quick on her feet, but she wasn't used to being caught so off-guard. Even such a lovely person as Shizuyoko had a heart of freezing stone.

Memories flooded the Fullbringer's mind as her grandmother spoke, but the words barely reached her ears. Instead, they brought up events, occurrences, any other moments in time where Shizuka ever felt hardship, and one memory in particular burned its way back into the blonde's conscious brain. There she was, screaming and crying as Kento's image appeared on Douma's mirrors. He was dying, completely mutilated, and a terrifying ghost of his former self as he pleaded with Shizuka and blamed her for his being destroyed. Shizuka saw no end to the torment, and all she could do was try to comfort the memory of him, to tell him that he would be okay and she'd save him. But even after all of her begging, he was gone.

The thought of Sozen's face pierced through that horrific memory, and she saw his evil smile as he'd once sought Kento out to murder him once before. Sozen had not known of Shizuka's presence during the fight, but Kento was pretty badly beaten when she did finally appear. The look on his face simply stated how happy he was to hurt someone, which began building up the rage inside the once happy-go-lucky girl. A laugh rang through Shizuka's ears, and she could not place its owner. All she knew was that it was terrible, and it was female. She did not piece together the fact that it belonged to the one who killed her former partner.

Shizuka brought herself back to reality when she realized she'd probably been on the ground long enough. She was being held there, but she remained motionless anyway. She didn't try to fight back just yet, but the anger from her memories started fueling her fire a bit more than she wanted to admit. This woman walks into her life like it's no big deal, shows up at her front door, calls herself Shizuka's 'grandmother,' and then turns around and wants to fight? Fine. She'd fight. She'd tell this stranger everything. And if that wasn't enough, she'd find some way to make it known that she meant business.

And that business came with Ken. Shizuka unleashed an aura so incredibly strong that it would blast Shizuyoko back quite a ways since she was still so close to her granddaughter. A glowing purple hue surrounded Shizuka as her Reiatsu created somewhat of a barrier around her body. Shizuyoko would also have an extreme sense of fear at just the sight of the Fullbringer as she rose to her feet, brushing any dirt off her clothes, trying to hide the small motions that admitted she was still in a bit of pain. Shizuka was at a high enough class to where her grandmother couldn't resist that feeling. She would have to just endure it.

"Fine. I'll tell you why I hate them so much. Shinigami tortured my aunt when she was a child. I've heard all the stories. They also make it their mission to kill first and ask questions never, which I've never agreed with. They're rude, crude, self-centered (she was mostly talking about Sozen), and they murdered my former partner. He meant the world to me, even if we separated for a while. Sometimes people go down different paths, but they always meet back up in the end. I'll never have that now. He was torn apart and beheaded by one of your kind, and that's something I'll never forgive. So now I'm hunting for her squad. I got word that she was killed by someone else, which is a pity." Shizuka looked at her nails. "I wanted to be the one to end her."

So now she knew. Shizuka didn't think she'd never understand, but she knew. It was because of personal things that Shizuka hated Shinigami so much, and this encounter certainly wasn't helping any case against such hate. Whether it was just a test or not, she even admitted to killing plenty of other people. So what if they're bad? Even Shizuka didn't get enjoyment out of being assigned a new target. She preferred knocking them out, but killing them was mandatory sometimes. She just tried to put it out of her head and do what needed to be done, even if she didn't always agree with it.

"Oh, and by the way, don't ever tell me that I have that disgusting blood in my veins. I'm a human."



Shizuka's Remaining Reiatsu: 4800 (-200 for Ken)

[Shizuyoko Toraumi]

Even as Shizuka seemed to be stunned, Shizuyoko's tails gently writhed along the girl's bother, slithering in and gently winding around Shizuka's legs and arms, her foot keeping the woman's head pinned to the ground with something of a calm expression on her face. However, this new trick did surprise Shizuyoko when she was suddenly blasted away from the woman, and she actually was a little surprised. She was familiar with this particular brand of oppressive power shunting, the gush of reiatsu from every inch of the user's body was something she had known very well. However, she was unfamiliar with the fear as when she had last encountered it, she had been far too strong to be effected by it.

But this was not new. This sudden intimidating Aura.... for shinigami.....humans... fear was something that froze. Made one flee. But this was not the case for Shizuyoko. In face, she had a similar reaction to fear as quincy. So when that aura suddenly gushed from Shizuka. She was completely unable to resist. When Shizuka got up shekept ken. But Shizuyoko lierally could not help herself. The instant that Ken ended she would move.

"Aoiro de nomimasu"

As Shizuka got up and began brushing herself off, speaking about how she had a hatred for shinigami, Shizuyoko was only barely able to hold herself back long enough for the girl to finish talking. In the next moment Shizuyoko's wakizashi snapped, the blade completely popping off from the hilt, the weapon held in Shizuyoko's left hand. Shizuka would see that blade hop into the air, and glint for just an instant before it simply seemed to disintegrate. But of course, in actuality, it was just breaking into many many small pieces. Pieces invisible to the naked eye, at least for Shizuka. And even if she dodged, Shizuyoko was perfectly capable of mentally controling the shards, which would simply follow the woman until they hit their target. And without the ability to sense them, that would be a fine trick to pull off.

The ground at Shizuka's feet would be obliterated in the same moment that those fifty shards of invisible metal slammed into the woman, shredding the girl's hair, her clothing, and punching numerous holes into the girl's arms and legs. Shizuyoko had only barely managed to direct all of her shards away from Shizuka's chest area and face, managing ONLY to do so because Ken had stopped when Shizuka had gotten up. Those invisible shards of blade still were very unforgiving. Ken was powerful but it only repulsed, it did not destroy. Those shards would not be sensed even as they endlessly bounced with every outward pulse of ken. It would only be a matter of time until ken wasnt there to stop them.And even when the fear wore off, and Shizuyoko would take a slow, deep breath, she would close her eyes and calm herself.

"You should be careful instilling fear into people. Emotions are a very powerful thing. I don't recall if I told you this.... but I used to have eight tails. When I was very very young, at least....much younger than I am now.... a very important man to me heped me cut off one of my tails. He said to pour my power into it. But... I was.... foolish. I wanted all of my power for myself. So instead... I poured all of my fear and anxieties into the blade. So much... that even to this day... it bleeds anger fear and anxiety. Five thousand years worth of it." She noted, raising the blade-less hilt of her weapon up to her face. That horrible, 100 dark aura gushed out into the air around them.

"Much like you've poured all of your hatred into the idea of shinigami. You blame them for the death of your companion. Even though it was just one of them. You wanted so badly to take down this woman. But you couldn't. And you had all this anger left inside of you. You've dedicated so much of yourself. But then she was already dead. And instead of moving on, you just focused on her kind instead. And as for your blood, do not be a brat. Shinigami is not a race, it is a profession. And a stolen one. Hollows were pouring their power into swords far before Shinigami ever existed." She noted calmly, eyeing Shizuka once again.

"What would you have done after killing her yourself? I can guarantee that the anger would not be gone. In all my five thousand years of living, I have never seen revenge satisfy a person. One death would not have been enough." She then paused, closing her eyes for a moment and sighing. "Your grandfather.... was a beautiful man. No matter how much hate was in his heart... he still loved me. I never even understood why he did. Sure, when we both became human all we had was eachother, but he could have easily made it on his own. If anything I was a burden. But..... he looked at me so gleefully... So happily. He was happy that he did not have to fight anymore. and when he held me... I knew it was because it was me... not because I looked like her..." She closed her eyes, remembering that man with a heavy heart.

"Aren't you tired of it Shizuka? You have a wonderful life. You're not consumed by revenge just yet. You still have yourself together. But if you keep up this pursuit of vengeance. That will go away. All of it. Your need to kill shinigami will come before everything else. And one day, it will kill you. Shinigami, are just humans. The Gotei Thirteen is not some special entity. They are human souls who pass on, and decided to take on special weapons. A Shinigami has unique tools, but none of that makes them, at their core, different. The people that killed your Lover are no different than thugs who murder people in the human world. What you've been murdering without discrimination, are the ghost version of police. Some of them are corrupt, but that's just a statistical fact. And it sounds like you've just been killing them en masse. Men and women from the rukongai, who actually, probably were drafted.

Because of invasions and deaths of personnel, MOST of the current shinigami actually never wanted to be them. The Gotei needed more able bodies, so ordinary men and women were pulled in. They tend to stick in groups based on their families actually. And many of them don't wand to be in the gotei and risk being attacked when soul society is invaded again. So those who want to try and stay alive, those with families and loved ones... tend to pick squads where they get deployed to the world of the living. Sure they have to fight hollows, but it is far safer than being in the Gotei base.
Those, are the men and women you've been slaughtering. And there..."

Shizuyoko pointed toward the rukongai. And even from here, Shizuka would be able to see them. The slums. Disgusting, dirty, half-assed housing. Most of them just slept out in the streets. The most dangerous of districts. But even beyond that were miles and miles and miles of houses. All progressively getting better. "Is where their families waited. For their loved ones to get time off and get to visit. Because even though they were forced into the gotei, they still get to visit their loved ones when they are not on duty." she explained, sighing as even now, her heart was still pouding from the technique Shizuka used. "Why don't we go see them? It's not too late. Around this time the children are still out playing. Eventually they too may end up being drafted..." Shizuyoko then glanced over her shoulder.

"Would you like to meet the people you've decided to wipe out?"

-200 for Shikai of Daihachi-bi
Shard speed: 800

SPOILER: Click to show

{Osoroshi Sukeru}
Osoroshi Sukeru (Dreadful Scales)
Daihachi-bi Shikai-level Ability

This technique corresponds to the 50 shards of the zanpaku'to's blade. When shattered, the shards of this blade are treated as if they had a 2 in stealth, making these blades all but impossible for the naked eye to see. However, they give off an incredible 100 Dark Aura, allowing those with at least a 100 Dark Aura, or a 85 light aura to be able to sense the general direction of the blades, and if combined with a 1 in anti-stealth, able to discern their exact location. Additionally, at least 200 in senses or Energy senses will also count as if they had 1 extra anti-stealth. A 400 in either will count as 2. Anti stealth of 2, obviously, also will allow them to be seen.

Necessary to sense Daihachi-bi:
-100 DA + (1 point in anti-stealth or 200 senses/ES)
-85 LA + (1 point in anti-stealth or 200/senses/ES)
-200 senses/ES (1 point in anti-stealth)
-400 Senses/ES
-2 anti-stealth

800/1000 reiatsu remaining

[Shizuka Sanamizu ✮]

"Aoiro de nomimasu"

A technique. She didn't know what it was or what it meant, but she knew it held power. Once the blade practically destroyed itself, Shizuka paused for a moment before letting out a guttural, animal-like snarl from deep within herself. Shizuka did possess some feral qualities about herself, but only when she was becoming enraged did they ever show. She essentially manipulated the soul of the sounds she made without realizing it so that they became much more sinister than she could have done on her own. Normally, though, they weren't quite loud enough for others to hear unless they were close, which Shizuyoko was. She would probably be able to hear the Fullbringer's frustration.

"You should be careful instilling fear into people. Emotions are a very powerful thing. I don't recall if I told you this.... but I used to have eight tails. When I was very very young, at least....much younger than I am now.... a very important man to me helped me cut off one of my tails. He said to pour my power into it. But... I was.... foolish. I wanted all of my power for myself. So instead... I poured all of my fear and anxieties into the blade. So much... that even to this day... it bleeds anger fear and anxiety. Five thousand years worth of it."

"How did you manage that, exactly?"

"Much like you've poured all of your hatred into the idea of shinigami. You blame them for the death of your companion. Even though it was just one of them. You wanted so badly to take down this woman. But you couldn't. And you had all this anger left inside of you. You've dedicated so much of yourself. But then she was already dead. And instead of moving on, you just focused on her kind instead. And as for your blood, do not be a brat. Shinigami is not a race, it is a profession. And a stolen one. Hollows were pouring their power into swords far before Shinigami ever existed."

Shizuka scoffed at the woman. That was ridiculous. And how dare she call Shizuka, of all people, a brat? She was the one who insisted everything that came out of her mouth was practically something from the Bible, if Shizuka even believed in such a book! She preferred Wiccan traditions. But the Fullbringer's anger grew with every word. One death would have been enough. It would have been more than enough. But now she couldn't even take down the one person she hated the absolute most because she was already dead. If Shinigami die, do they stop existing? Shizuka was completely aware of what happened to human souls as they passed, but she knew not everyone became a Shinigami. All they did was live the rest of their eternal lives out in Soul Society.

None of that mattered, though. The truth was that she hated what Shizuyoko was telling her. She hated every single word the woman spat in her direction, making everything seem like the Shinigami were somehow innocent. Didn't she just get done talking about how she killed them, too? How she turned against her own kind? So what if it's not a race? They're still murderers. They're still horrible creatures who deserved whatever punishment came their way, even if Shizuka had to be the one to deal it. She was simply doing her job, wasn't she? Just making the world a better place.

But the question Shizuyoko asked tugged at the human's brain. Why would she want to go see something like that? Why would she ever care about Shinigami having hard times? They didn't really matter anyway, right? It's not like they were actual living beings. When they were defeated, they just stopped. Didn't they? That was still unclear, but it didn't matter anyway. She might as well go. For so long as Ken was active, that extra two and a half inches of aura surrounding her body meant she couldn't really be hurt. Well... not unless there was a stronger technique used. But Shizuyoko couldn't possibly manage that quite yet. So she pondered for a moment and finally answered.

"Fine, I'll go."



Shizuka's Remaining Reiatsu: 4600 (-200 for Ken)

[Shizuyoko Toraumi]

The word meant so very little, when that fear was stabbing desperately into her very core. And her zanpaku'to trembled and gave it back, that ferrociousness bleeding out of the air from Shizuyoko herself as it exuded in a wave, the blade was not fearsome itself, but wounded itself, and fear bled from it like black wine. Even as she spoke, that fear drove her, even if she wanted to keep to her word, even if she wanted to restrain herself. She could not resist it. Ken was just too powerful for her to ignore. She was not a creature who ran. She was a creature who killed. And every moment that damn technique was active, the absolute urge to obliterate Shizuka grew inside of her like a cyst, that pulsing acidic mass that refused recession.

"You should know. Do you think that your fullbrings are filled with warmth and joy? The emotions you harbor are etched into them. And if you listen, they will whisper echoes of your true self. Shinigami are the same with their zanpaku'to. They pour their spirit energy in order to develop them. A mimicery of Arrancar. She murmured, and she narrowed her eyes. Terror burning through every vein like molten lead. She was still afraid. Even as Shizuka agreed she was terrified. And the dark memories continued to dig deeper and deeper into her mind. Normally she was so busy when Daihachibi was released. This was the first time she had so little to do while she was released.

Break her. Or Be Broken She shivered, and the air around her trembled. A single shard separated from the rest, leaving the other 49 to continue to swarm shizuka. The shard was not visible to them, but Shizuyoko could feel and sense it as though it were a minitatue black sun. It caressed the air and tore a wound in it. Shizuyoko frowned, and those green-yellow eyes slowly shifted, the sclera turning black as more and more, because of Ken, Daihachibi's fear could sink in deeper, and deeper. Ever since becomming human, Daihachibi had always been held at bay. Even when the fear had corrupted Shizuyoko's reiatsu, the emotion itself was resisted.

But there was no resisting this. And because of Shizuka, that hatred and fear bled into her heart. A single black spot forming at the center of the woman's clavicle. Not a hole, but a void. Memories of those she had killed. The experiences she had let slip over the decades and centuries. You're going to die. You need safety. You need protection. Let me reach. You've always held onto survival. Why else would you hide one of your tails? The thing whispered, and deep in her gut she felt the bravery twist, that bravery that had gotten her so far. She felt it snap, and splinter, and crack. The bravery that she'd used to be like her fiance. Good. Reasonable. Kind. Everything she had never been.

The reason she had bothered finding her family.

"You don't sound too sure. In fact. It sounds like you have no intention of paying attention to anything I have to say... Are you that afraid? Is hating Shinigami that important? My job is to kill shinigami that go bad. The ones who cause trouble and go against the balance of the realms. Did you know, that a shinigami's job is to protect humans from hollows? To ensure that there is balance in the realms? There are bad ones. Which is why my squad exists. It is our job to kill the dark ones. It was one of us who probably killed whoever got you so disgusted with shinigami in the first place." She stopped, and stared intensely at Shizuka. And her spiritual pressure trembled around them. It did not weigh down, but it simply bled.

Even if those blades could not reach and claw, they could still sing their silent song. A song of terror and uncertainty. A song of doubt and self-loathing. A fear that incited memories. For Shizuyoko? It brought back the memory of those seven daughters. The seven she had devoured for the sake of her senses. For Shizuka? It would be the shinigami she had killed, and the slow, deep, pa9inful twist that was realization. Peeling away the Bright Lie, and showing the Beautiful Painful Truth. There was no 'Evil'. Shizuka had murdered people. Out of Anger. Out of self-inflicted justification.

She had slaughtered more human souls than any run-of-the-mill shinigami would ever even injure. In the back of her mind she would see it. The hateful twisted mask, that man who was dark and destructive. The man that had attacked her and her lover. The man who killed and destroyed so much for his own selfish reasons. But when the Mask of Douma peeled away, in her mind she would see her own face. And she would see hate bleed from her own eyes.

It didn't matter that it was true. It did not matter if Shizuka believed it, even though the evidence was just a few hundred yards away. What mattered was the fear. She inflicted fear and thus invited it upon herself. Shizuyoko opened the wound and through wound came the poison. The poisin hidden in Shizuka's own soul, that had always been killing her, but had never tasted air. The poison that withered happiness, dried out confidence. Shizuyoko's fear bled into her, and in doing so left it's seed. A perfect copy of her hatred. A worm of Daihachibi. A tail that would writhe and search for the root, the glimmer of what Shizuyoko herself had passed down genetically. And it latched on to feed.

[Shizuka Sanamizu ✮]

Shizuyoko's words were practically a mockery. Shizuka knew that her Fullbring was used for good things, and she assumed the same for any other Fullbringer. Sure, she came into contact with a couple here and there who could be somewhat evil, but she couldn't remember a time when she didn't end up making friends with them or coming to some understanding. Even Zack and she got along to an extent before he decided to jump off the face of the planet for some reason. But the fact of the matter was simply that if this woman was going to make Shizuka listen, she would have to do so quickly. The human girl was losing interest.

As they carried onward, Shizuka's grandmother seemed to get strangely quiet, acting as if she were kind of trapped within her own thoughts. She didn't seem to be much of a threat anymore, and the pain from the attack earlier was finally subsiding. Shizuka, feeling somewhat at ease, let her guard down a bit and deactivated Ken. She was about to take a sigh of relief at the lack of a need to keep using up all of her Reiatsu on that one technique, but something hit her that stopped that desire as quickly as she conceived it. This wasn't much of an exaggeration or a figure of speech, either. Something literally hit her.

Actually, it was a bunch of little somethings. It started off feeling kind of like stings, but then Shizuka realized there were small pieces of who knew what stabbing into her skin like small, bladed bullets. Tiny holes began weeping blood as her eyes widened in surprise. She figured it out, but it took too long. Shizuyoko's sword never disappeared, it just disintegrated. And Shizuka couldn't even see these damn things so how was she supposed to repel them without Ken? She certainly didn't want to waste all of her Reiatsu on just trying to keep these things at bay, and she'd never be able to attack for so long as they were active!

The Fullbringer, overwhelmed with the attack brought upon her by the Shinigami, kneeled down on the ground and tried her best to keep from crying out in pain. She curled herself up into a tiny ball and refused to let this woman see her face. Any words that Shizuyoko spoke were nothing but faded statements as terrible memories flashed before Shizuka's eyes. Some of these memories seemed unreal, but Shizuka knew that she went into somewhat of a frenzy when overworked during a battle, so she couldn't imagine how many Shinigami must have lost their lives to her own hands. Shouldn't she be proud of that? Why was she feeling so guilty and upset if she should be feeling pride for her accomplishments?

Unable to hold herself back anymore, she screamed as tears from the pain of both the small shards and hurtful memories flooded within her mind. She couldn't stand it anymore. She felt like she was losing it. She wanted so badly to go after Shizuyoko, knowing that this woman was the cause of all of the pain, but she didn't want to move. She didn't want to risk being hurt any more than she already was. So instead, she stayed in her little defensive ball, unmoving, and just let the overwhelming feeling of exhaustion take over. Something drained every ounce of energy she had, and she just blacked out.

[Shizuyoko Toraumi]

That expression on her face changed, and she finally dropped to her knees when the Ken ended, and her heart pounded in her chest, still sweating now that it was all over, and she saw her granddaughter on the ground. and deep inside of her, that new voice whispered. Finish her But she ignored it, panting softly as she shakily got up, having used up a lot of energy to have stayed composed through all of that. She made her way over to Shizuka and sighed softly, her eyelids slowly dropping halfway down.

What a troublesome child. Not only that but she was going to hate what happened next. With her tails, she reached down and coiled them around the young woman, pausing for a moment to feel along her body, checking to see if anything was broken. And after that she simply vanished with a shunpo, toward a special meetup spot. Where she knew a certain buddy boy would be there for her to meet. Honestly she wasn't entirely sure about him meeting up with her granddaughter. But he was one of her closest friends.

---

"Uh0-uh Guuuuurl! You did NOT come into MY clinic with some dead-hooker looking corpse!" Ricky shouted as Shizuyoko ignored him, striding into the back room as Ricky growled, gritting his teeth, about to follow before he paused, turning to the young man sitting on the examination table. ".....what are you doing? We're through here. Your prostate is fine. also the couch should go away in three days. The Syphilis however, will. Not. Which you got from me. Haha! Just kidding kiddo, it's herpes and you should call some people. Take this three times a day and watch who ya let up your poop chute!" He noted with a bright smile, patting the kid on the back before storming into the back room.

Shizuyoko was already laying the girl out, looking to Ricky Spanish as the man fumed. "Dammit Shizuyoko I TOLD you! I only accept TWO kinds of hookers! Living or Puerto Rican! UGH, who is this girl? She looks like Anne Frank after the Nazis found her. Or my Uncle ted when I GET MY HANDS ON HIM!" He slamnmed his fist on the table, pausing a bit when he got a bit of blood on his wrist, frowning as he wiped it off on Shizuyoko's sleeve.
"Ew."

She rolled her eyes. "Ricky this is why you got kicked out of Squad Four, I jus-"
"QuIT! I Quit Squad four! Honestly you'd think a few unnecessary surgeries would be water under the bridge in a place like that." He complained.
"I JUST need you to heal her up. She's in shock and I don't want her dying. Oh and also she's a human." She pointed out, causing Ricky's brows to perk up with renewed interest. "Sounds great! And because you're mah bestie, I won't even cop a feelsie! Hahahaha, ahhhhIamsoalone" he sighed, getting to work.

Shizu rolled her eyes as she watched the man work, using Kaido to mend Shizuka's wounds, her arms and legs healing up as well as her reiatsu being replenished, until eventually her arms and legs looked absolutely good as new. "Tch, I tell ya, a few less saline drips switched with urine and I absolutely would have passed my BAR exam." He noted with a suave smile, wiping his hands off before turning his attention to Shizuyoko.

"She should be out another ten minutes. Don't do anything I wouldn't do~ ANDY! SEND THE NEXT ONE IN!" he called out as he exited the room, moving to the front of the clinic and leaving Shizuyoko with her granddaughter. She sighed softly to herself, folding her arms as her mind buzzed away. She knew damn well that this transition was going to be tought. even if she HADN'T cheese-grated her limbs. But... what could she do? she had to help her on this.

She wasn't a human. She didn't have a sense of maternal protectiveness. But there was...SOMETHING there. Something that made her want to care for this girl. She just hoped she could figure it out before it was too late.

[Shizuka Sanamizu ✮]

Faint words were flowing through Shizuka's mind as she was left unconscious. The pain had subsided, though perhaps it was simply because she could not feel anything from the material world around her anymore. Instead, what she felt was an unmeasurable amount of sadness and sorrow as memories flooded her mind, bringing back what she wished she'd forget. She started to recall what her life was like when she met Kento, and what kinds of influences he had on her. She remembered their fleeting romance. That hurt her heart. She didn't care for him the same way anymore, but the history would always be there. Nothing could make that go away.

Shizuka's brain took complete control over her body, forcing her form into a limp, lifeless state. While she was still very much alive on the inside, anyone who was around her in the real world may think otherwise. The Fullbringer opened her eyes to a sea of darkness within her subconscious self, watching each memory and every feeling and emotion fly by her like clouds in the night sky. A flicker here and there would show her a new memory, like a star shining its way into her heart. Shizuka smiled when certain childhood experiences made their way back into her conscious mind, but those didn't last very long.

Even so, it was amazing to be able to see her entire life flash before her very eyes. It wasn't in the same sense as people tend to see when dying, but it was similar. What was happening here was more that Shizuka was reliving most of her influential experiences rather than her entire life. She started to recall what it was like for her to learn gymnastics and how her aunt thought she was incredibly gifted. She remembered the precious shoes and what it was like to feel like a woman. She remembered joining Xcution and pledging herself to the organization, believing it was the only thing she had in her life that was without lies.

So what was even the point of all this? Why would Shizuka's mind choose to replay all of these precious moments? If Shizuka was worthless, anyway, then maybe she should have just died rather than black out. That was her thought. This whole argument with her grandmother got her no where, and the only thing she could think of was how much pain she was in. But, wait. She was in pain, wasn't she? Last she could remember, Shizuyoko's sword shards were digging their way into her skin as soon as she released Ken. Was she not dead? Was she actually still alive somehow? If this was the case, then...

Shizuka's eyes shot open and she quickly lunged herself forward as full consciousness flowed through every cell in her body. Her eyes were wide with shock and surprise as she looked around the horrendously unfamiliar room, hoping to latch on to anything she knew. Unfortunately, that thing was her grandmother. The young woman was staring right at Shizuka with a forlorn look upon her face. Shizuka's heavy breathing started to slow down and return to normal, but it was hard to come back to Earth. Were they even still on Earth? Were they in the Soul Society? Everything looked kind of normal. The human girl clutched at her heart with her right hand. Everything felt normal, too.

"Where are we?"

[Shizuyoko Toraumi]

Shizuyoko was a bit surprised when her granddaughter suddenly sprang up and latched onto her, her brows lifting for just a moment before she offered a warm smile, gently putting her arms around the girl and hushing them gently, easing Shizuka back down onot her back, looking them over to make sure that everything was tight, Ricky had certainly done a very lovely job with his repairs. "You're in a rukongai clinic. A friend of mine runs it when he is off duty and he patched you up. I.... do appologize."

She closed her eyes, a bit ashamed of her lack of control. "Whatever it was you did... I was....confused. Normally I am able to resist fear effects with no isssue at all. But I couldn't stop myself with...that thing. I do not react to fear as most do. A cornered snake attacks, it generally does not run. At least not my breed. I am feeply sorry for the injuries." She noted softly, looking to the woman with a worried look.

She completely did not pick up on the fact that Shizuka probably should not be informed that the clininc she was in was run by a shinigami. But she was concerned for her daughter. She was distracted to a very distinct degree. The idea slipped her mind as she continued to check over Shizuka's body, a little paranoid that Ricky had missed something. "I honestly ....don't know what to say. I've never exactly stabbed my own granddaughter before." As soon as the words left her mouth there was a sound like someone slamming into a wall and then topping to the floor.

"Bié dǎng wǒ de lù! Chūlái huò wǒ huì niào nǐ de tā mā de kāfēi!"

[Shizuka Sanamizu ✮]

"Well, suffice to say you've never had any sort of relationship with your granddaughter before. You know you have two of us, right?"

It was true. Shizuka had an older sister named Kaede who was easily the worst human being on this planet. Perhaps it was just sisterly bickering, but while Shizuka's own mother and father were loving and caring and mature, Kaede was like the spawn of Satan and did everything in her power to make Shizuka's life difficult. She was the only one in their entire family who wasn't at least spiritually aware, so keeping secrets about "ghosts" and other such nonsense was kind of a common thing for the rest of them. She'd never understand because she'd never be able to understand. It was just easier to keep things hidden.

"Unfortunately, she's horribly mean to me all the time. Come to think of it, she's like that with everyone. I doubt you'd ever want to meet her, and I would highly encourage you not to."

Shizuka gripped her forehead and quietly grunted in pain. She was dizzy from blacking out and waking up so suddenly, but she was recovering. The boisterous sound that had come from wherever it was happened to be ignored by the Fullbringer out of sheer frustration for still feeling tired and hurt. Apparently no one in this miserable place understood manners, so her first impression was rather negative. She quit mentally cussing out herself for ever agreeing to come, but decided soon after that it was still probably worth it. She would be able to experience Soul Society, which many humans didn't until after death. That was something. But what on Earth was this person shouting?

[Shizuyoko Toraumi]

Shizuyoko shook her head. She'd heard that of the two of them, Shizuka was the more...popular one. She had surmised that she would be the easiest to speak to. But now she was second-guessing seeing the other. She would perhaps keep an eye on them, but she didn't know if approaching them would be a good idea if they were not spiritually aware. She sat on the edge of the bed and sighed softly. Shizuka seemed not at all thankful for being treated. So odd, humans were. She would have been astounded back in the day to be healed. Of course, hollows just had a different social conduct. It made trying to relate to the girl so much harder.

"One would think that I knew exactly what to do. Really, humans make it sound as though being a Mother just automatically stuffs your head with all you need to know." she noted with a slow close of those eyes. "Bye the by. I would be careful who you use that ability on. There are two types of reaction to fear. Well, three. But the point being, that people are forced into certain behaviors. And not everyone's behavior is set to flee." she noted, those eyes slowly turning to stare at the girl. "Frightened individuals can become terrifyingly strong when they are afraid. But...in any case. Your wounds are healed. By shinigami no less. even if perhaps he certainly does not act the part." She noted softly, idly kicking her feet as she stared up at the ceiling.

"I think I've given you plenty to sleep on. Don't you¿ There is so much more. But I do believe you probably would like to rest and regain your energy. If you like, you can stay here with me for a while. In Soul Society. You would have to stay with Ricky. As I do have duties I need to tend to from time to time. But you would be able to explore the rukongai at your leisure. On the other hand. I can take you back to the world of the living. And we can meet again once you've recovered. The choice is yours. You're an adult after all, yes?"

[Shizuka Sanamizu ✮]

Shizuka looked up at her grandmother with sincerity. This was probably the first actually normal conversation they had since meeting. They were either sparring or avoiding each other in some way, and then Shizuka just had to go and black out the way she did. Truthfully, she was afraid to stay in Soul Society on her own. Would she be protected? Was it just something she would have to get used to? The biggest problem was that, despite her hatred for the people, she was in a world in which only Shinigami existed. Well, them among other souls. Pluses. Whatever. She didn't think she would really fit in.

So, ultimately, she decided going home would be best. She didn't see herself having to stay anymore if she were healed, but she was actually still rather tired. She didn't realize how long she had been away from the World of the Living, even if it didn't seem like much. Shizuyoko was a bit of a marvel to be around, but the Fullbringer came to the conclusion that talking another time may be the best choice for both of them. With a quick glance around the room, Shizuka noted a few things about their healing tools and medicines and how oddly similar they were to Human doctors'. How odd.

"Home would be best. It's nothing against you, but I think I've had my fill of Soul Society for the time being."

[Johnwaluigi]

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+735 CTP to Shizuka and Shizuyoko