Empty Tears (Closed, Social)

[Shizuyoko Toraumi]

"Aevus...."

It hadn't been the first time that Shizuyoko had snuck into  barracks. In fact it was VERY common for her to be sneaking in and out of people's living quarters given that she was omnitsukido. But this was something of a special occassion. She was hurting. Bad. She felt... horrible...frightened, nervous. Kimiko had seen her. FELT her. And sure there was the other guy. And sure Raion had felt it too. He hadn't been upset, he seemed... calm about it. But kimiko was the HEAD of the police squad. She was doomed. She was doomed, dead, fucked. She was cooked. She had never felt so uncertain. Aevus was the only other person in soul society she thought she could trust. She felt... vulnerable. And endangered. So she went with the only man she thought she could trust. So there she was.... in his bed... trying to gently shake him awake as she fought to keep tears from flowing.

"Please.... please wake up." she whimpered softly, swallowing softly and looking nervously to the side as she did her best to keep it all together. Her tails weren't hidden, she was too upset to bother. The long lengths of scaly flesh were simply draped around her legs as she did her best to keep her spiritual pressure absolutely and completely hidden. She sniffled softly and looked a bit more worried, hoping he would understand, and more importantly help her. There was a slight fear... a fear that he would tell her to go away, that he would throw her out and tell her not to talk to him. After all... if she was a security risk, they may be monitoring her. Unlikely. Shizuyoko would have sensed other nearby omnitsukido unless they sent someone very strong, which she doubted they would. But Aevus didn't know that. And she.... she just hoped he knew what to do.

[☾ Aevus | Umbra ☽]

[smear:#ffd700]"Where is your heart?"[/smear:ffe34d]

Cold blues stirred within the darkness of sleep. Night fell upon the slumbering reaper as he awoke. He found himself awake in a world made for two and yet a golden eyed vixen danced gleefully beneath the undergrowth. Seemingly like a child in a playground. She tiptoed with both ease and care, her bushy tail swaying gently parting the tall grass with each step. All the while a black robbed man walked alone with only the company of his beating heart. Tap, tap, taping the darkly square guard of his Zanpakuto.

[smear:#ffd700]"Does it beat for you?"[/smear:ffe34d]

Tired eyes even in sleep, like a shadow his frozen blue gaze fell driftingly down upon that bioluminescent dwelling. Searching the horizon he’d soon meet the branching light of that cold yet beautiful world. How foreign it was but so close. He always found something new here and yet somewhat familiar. Seeking out in the dark, exploring the crevices of that wilderness. “[smear:#ffd700]"Or does it beat for me?"[/smear:ffe34d] The grass would emit a yellowish green light with each step, a small lithe figure stepped into his line of sight.

[smear:#ffd700]"I can hear it Little Hunter~"[/smear:ffe34d]

Aevus immediately sought his Zanpakuto, curling his left hand around that runic blade. Sheltering a golden lined gaze upon him the vixen would disappear from view. Moving like a shadow She rested herself atop a tree, her forepaws dangling freely from the hardy branch. [smear:#ffd700]"It's close now~"[/smear:ffe34d] Aevus met her golden gaze once more, his left hand tightly wrapping around his blade. They were softly placed but those irises haunted him. [smear:#ffd700]"Can you not hear it?"[/smear:ffe34d]

"Please.... please wake up."

Aevus shot up, that instinct of his quickly brought him forth to his Zanpakuto. It was always so close, a habit he would never break. In an instant he was on top of her. Like a wolf to a lamb. His blade outstretched to the girl’s neck. His eyes stirred ominously with a foreign golden hue clinging to her lovely gaze in that stray darkness. He had awoken from a nightmare. His mind rattled from confusion as he realized who this was. Darkness fled from his visage and blade shook in hand.

He had never gotten her name or yet perhaps he had forgotten it. He remembered her though from that spar not so long ago. “Who sent you?” He managed with a narrowed gaze. Those eyes stood frozen yet like water something stirred beneath the surface. He noted her tearful eyes, the look of shock on her face. She was shaking well before his blade met her throat. And yet he resolved to not stay his blade. Lumina growled within his mind as he held her to the ground. "Why did you come here?"

[Shizuyoko Toraumi]

Eyes were suddenly wide as Aevus suddenly was ontop of her, pinning her down with a sudden surge of motion that she hadn't been expecting, thus she was moved without even a lot of resistance, that is until that blade moved in, and began to reach for her throat. There was a brief little blur before one of her tails moved in it's way, pressing against the side of the blade and then wrapping around it from behind, curling along the side without an edge before five other tails all moved in, three of them moving to press the sharp points at their tips to Aevus's throat, whilst the other two wrapped around his wrist and elbow in an attempt to keep him from cutting her neck. Shizuyoko's hands raised, grabbing, or attempting to grab, Aevus's shoulders as she stared up at him. And almost instantly she felt it. And so would Aevus. everyone in that room would suddenly feel her darker zanpaku'to.

Lumina would suddenly feel the pressure of black, invisible coils that slowly slithered around them, the feeling of Daihachibi's spiritual pressure as it reacted to the other hollow's reiatsu. Of course, unlike Lumina, it was almost forty feet in length. And while it did not have a physical manifestation, it could certainly project itself to a fellow hollow. Enough that it's dark aura would practically lick her face. "I... I just thought.... that you could help....." Shizu murmured softly, suddenly realizing her mistake. She had assumed that just because they were similar that he would understand. And suddenly she turned her head, shutting her eyes tightly as she did her best not to break down.

It was over. Wasn't it? If even Aevus couldn't help her.... she was alone. She had nobody... Nobody who would ever help her at least... And it didn't matter that her zan spirit was slowly waking up. Both of them. The stealthy snake, and the seven headed monster. It didn't matter that she hadn't technically been arrested yet. She could still feel that metaphorical noose... and she began to wonder... should she run away? Had she been... kidding herself? Thinking she could honor Itahke's memory like this? She didn't blong here after all... And it hurt. "I.....I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come here. If.... if you let me up... I'll leave." she sniffled.

[☾ Aevus | Umbra ☽]

Her wide eyes, left him open in the dark. She curled around him like a serpent, seductively coiled thusly amidst the shadow. He felt the tips of her many tails nip his neck causing the pale faced reaper’s eyes to widen in turn. He was at an impasse and that’s when he felt it. A strangling reaitsu cover that room in a hollows shroud. It was like before, like that spar. A giggle sounded within that bioluminescent dwelling. A melodic dreamlike voice sifted into his ear. [smear:#ffd700]"Easy prey~"[/smear:ffe34d]

The darkness that fled from his visage returned oh so suddenly. Almost like a black tide a gold shimmer took both of his eyes. Tightening the grip on his Zanpakuto he would eye the girl with a strange new hunger. He felt for a moment that he had almost given into the golden eyed vixen. But no, what came out of her mouth left the Shinigami still and wide eyed. It brought the reaper back from that animalistic instinct. The instinct that brought him to his Zanpakuto. The very same instinct that brought him to the dance of the blade.

That made him a hunter of those white masked fiends. Those whose golden visages flickered in the darkness like fireflies. He’d cut through them with blade in hand. His darkly silhouette dancing as he jolted forth with both his blade and his eyes narrowed on but prey. But like before, like that night with that other bewitching fox. It took an emerald gaze to soften his own or least chase the darkness away. It would take so much more to melt that frozen gaze of his.

His tight grip loosened and he would slowly remove himself from the girl. His eyes stirred to the bleak light as he’d sigh, his fingers tracing the sliding door. He had to gather himself, at least he had to try.“I’m sorry...” Cold eyes fell to the strange girl. He knew she had felt his reiatsu that day but he had to act ignorant. At least that’s how he felt. “I haven’t been sleeping well.” His voice was almost a whisper as he looked upon the girl. “You surprised me and well my body did the rest.” He would fake a chuckle."I guess i'm not used to having company." That half assed chuckle of his would end as he slowly opened the sliding door. He was terrible at this.“Let's both go, we'll talk about it outside.”

[Shizuyoko Toraumi]

Well.... this is certainly interesting

That voice in her head whispered. The one that had been so very silent up until now. The larger of her zanpaku'to. The one that had no darkness. Those dark coils vanished, no longer needed, as suddenly Shizuyoko felt.... at ease. Her zan-.... no... herself. Her older self. Would simply force her to calm down, and slowly, Shizuyoko's aura would return to that brilliant light that it usually was. The fear melted a little bit, and she found herself relaxing a little as she looked up at the man ontop of her. If she had to guess, he was only just a few inches taller than her. Excluding her tails of course. The tails which slowly relaxed their grip on him, holding him much more....gently. As he apologized. She could FEEL it now... She could almost sense his regret, his sudden remorse with his overreaction.

As he slowly pulled away from her, she let her tails linger on him for just a bit, the tails were about three feet long after all. And for just a moment, she used him to pull herself up, and for just a moment she hugged him, holding onto him. It wasn't for his benefit. Not in the slightest. And with the empathy that his own aura gave him, it wouldn't be too hard to tell that she was comforting herself, not him. As at that moment, she was.....relieved. She hadn't made a mistake. He wasn't some monster, or some sour man who had no care for others. In that moment when the orange glow had left, she could FEEL it in him. On some level at least, he seemed remorseful. And it made her feel so much better. She couldn't keep herself off of him. She nestled in for just a moment, wrapped around him as she simply relished in the fact that she HAD someone to talk to. Even if they weren't particularly close. She could trust him. And it made the weight on her heart feel so much...lighter.

But of course she would extract herself from him. Even if... she really didn't want to. He was bigger than her after all, AND well... that reiatsu. He was just familiar. And even when she was sveral thousand years younger, she had always felt safer with well... other hollows. Even if she wound up having to kill and eat them now and then. It felt nice to have even the smallest sense of solidarity, any mote of belonging around someone or something else. And really that's what aevus gave her. She felt like she belonged around him. And the happer she became, the brighter her spirit's light became. That almost disgustingly bright light aura didn't really...melt his bad mood. She wasn't an eraser of abd thoughts. She just sortof pulled on his good ones, making them easier to feel.

"It's fine. Not the worst thing a guy has done to me out of reflex..." She suddenly smiled a little, chuckling to herself as she found a little memory floating to mind. About how Itahke used to try and strangle her tails in his sleep because he thought they were real snakes... Ah.. That gsve her a nice, sudden knife to her good mood. Remembering her lost lover... That smile dimmed just a little, and she simply shook it off, trying to just....not remember any of that as her focus shifted back to Aevus. And to her surprise.. he actually invited her to go on a walk with him.

she paused, thinking it over as she reached up to run her fingers through that golden hair. It was a bit more...messy than usual now. It actually looked a lot prettier. Thankfully, her hair was just like her heads had been in the old days. The more wild and tangled it was, the more it seemed to shine, the prettier it looked, the more wild and untamed she seemed. Of course with that little scuffle in Aevus's bed, her uniform was a bit out of place, so when she gave a light little nod, emerging from his room with her hair a mess and her clothes kinda lopsided, in the middle of adjusting it back into place, well.... it was probably lucky nobody was around to see this.

Looking toward the man she nodded. "Thank you... and.... a walk sounds wonderful."

[☾ Aevus | Umbra ☽]

Wide blues, Aevus would flinch as he felt the blonde take hold of him. His gaze drifted down to the girl who buried herself into his chest. Nearly clenching his Zanpakuto, he tried to talk but nothing came out. It was a strange sensation being held by another, especially a woman. He would sigh softly as he stood there with that becoming girl in the dark. Not out of spite but because he couldn’t do anything else. Not like he knew what to do in this type of situation. She was warm to the touch and as she fell away from him he felt relieved.

Not wanting to linger in her gaze, he would look away. His heart sank for a moment. It wasn’t like he didn’t enjoy the moment more so he couldn’t let himself. A sleepless visage fell back to the girl as he heard her quip and he couldn’t help but chuckle. He even felt his spirit’s Reiatsu gently cuddle against him approvingly. She didn’t say anything but she didn’t have to. It was just a little push to ease his mind and that’s all he needed to continue.

It would take him some time to say anything as he walked in that dark night. Meandering around the barracks, his trek was uneventful and was obviously leading nowhere. It was just a passing of time and the silence he thrived in felt a little more than awkward. ”I remember from our spar that day, you were trying to find out which squad you wanted to go to.” He would pause for a moment, taking but a passing glance to the strange girl. “You seemed lost in yourself, similar to how you seem now.”

He was dancing around the subject at hand. He had an idea of why she came to him. “I know you felt my Reiatsu, and you know I felt yours. I wont deny what I am-” His voice wasn't stern as he spoke nor was it completely gentle, it stemmed on hesitance. “-but What are you-" He would interrupt himself with a sigh once more, realizing he had forgotten something. He didn’t have a name to her face. Gazing into those emerald irises he would continue. “I don’t even believe I got your name that day...”

[Shizuyoko Toraumi]

Shizu.... could feel it. She felt that disconnect between her and him. And she pulled away a little earlier than she would have otherwise. It wasn't until she noticed how tense he was that she realized how.... little they really knew eachother. And as they walked... slowly... she leaned less and less... and eventually stepped away. Just sortof... walking beside him more than anything. She stared straight ahead and felt a slow, dipping weight in her chest.

Why was she doing this.....

Even as he spoke to her, she felt so... naive. Did she think he would understand? Make things better? In her head she could feel those dark coils, the feeling of.... difference. That she was a snake in a pit of mammals. Trying to slither around in borowed skin. Just trying... not to be stepped on. And as he asked her those questions.... she felt a pang. 'What are you?' And she really did feel so very... alone.

"I don't know..." She murmured, and suddenly looked down at her feet, and she could feel her wakizashi pressing against her thigh, and she felt it's cold steel like a blight in her heart. She couldn't bear to look at him, and that sadness reached inside of her. But this time no tears fell in it's wake, just a crippling despair.

"But... I know that I'm not a shinigami." She murmured softly, and turned away from him. "I'm... sorry. I should not have broken into your quarters..." She noted softly, and began walking away, a brisk stride that was actually... much faster than normal, if Aevus weren't so fast he probably would have no chance catching her. Faster and faster she kept walking, and slowly she broke out into a jog... and then she started running. Not toward her squad barracks, not toward the training area. She headed for the wall.

She headed for the Rukongai.

She headed for the wilderness.

In her mind... and in her heart.... she knew exactly where she was going.

Itakhe's grave.

[☾ Aevus | Umbra ☽]

Aevus felt it. He felt the warmth of her presence leave him. Little by little she strayed from his side, leaving him all by his lonesome. He was attempting to keep the illusion of a reaper. To steady his own resolve as he walked further and further down that path. In truth...he didn’t know what he was doing anymore. All of this, it all felt pointless to him. This masquerade, hiding behind the mask. He forced a smile against his features so many times that it had became second nature. So many times that he didn’t know if he was doing it for himself or those around him anymore. Either way it didn’t matter.

"I don't know..."

His tired gaze would trail to her at that. It was but a murmur but something felt off. Gentle to the ear and yet there was so much weight to it. It caused the man to stop and turn to her. His sleepless eyes clinging to her mysterious lovely visage. He sought forth those dear emeralds as if they were a light in the dark. Something was wrong. “But... I know i’m not a Shinigami.” His fingers drew onto the handle of his Zanpakuto from those words alone. Was this about that hollow’s Reiatsu he had felt earlier? Something cold ran up his spine as she escaped from his sapphires.

"I'm... sorry. I should not have broken into your quarters..."

Aevus didn’t give chase immediately as she swiftly left. He was anything but a dashing romantic. Instead he stood there simply bewildered, his fingering still stirring on that sheathed blade. Unblinking in that pale moonlight, a rising growl slowly fell through that deafening silence. He could feel Lumina’s silvers narrowing on him as he stood. “After her Aevus!” That delve deeply into him and he would sigh in turn. What she meant wasn’t quite clear but he couldn’t leave the girl to her own devices.

One must not keep a girl waiting. His presence was subtle but she’d feel him preying forth against her Reiatsu. He was invasive to her privacy, like a predator to prey. Pressing roughly against her Reitasu with his own as if attempting to sink his teeth into very flesh. His gravitational pressure was a warning to her of his impeding arrival. With but a step, his eyes would fall to hers. His sandaled feet laid atop but a sturdy branch. “You think i’d just let you leave after saying something like that?”

His tone darkened. “Any other Shinigami would have assumed the worst and you decided to make it worse by fleeing...” Narrowly his cold eyes would freeze over her. “You must take me for a fool.” She’d see his left hand clinging to the handle of his Zanpakuto. It'd look as if he was taking the stance of a reaper in the sight of a hollow.

[Shizuyoko Toraumi]

Rage.

"Do I look like I care what ANY OTHER SHINIGAMI WOULD HAVE DONE?!"

She howled, and the wind howled with her(MUSIC)

The sudden wrenching shriek of reiatsu filled the air, that bright reiatsu bursting from her body as suddenly that wakizashi was in evidence, the dark blade suddenly shrieking through the air as cracks slithered upon it's blade and suddenly erupted into dozens of dark fragments, fragments which almost instantly fell from Aevus's sight, those little blades becoming invisible as the fragments spun around her body in a frenxy of so many little teeth, her eyes hardened as she glared at the shinigami, those tails arched behind her like vipers ready to strike.

"You don't care! Why are you even following me?! You don't give a shit but you decide to come after me.!" she hissed, that hollow reiatsu gushing out like a spigot, saturating their surroundings with a deep dread as the full dark aura of those blades would weigh down on Aevus. She knew she couldn't take him on. Not in the slightest. But she still felt...cheated. She felt that he was being fake. This disgusting practice of pretending to care, of going out of his way just so that he SEEMED like some sort of caring guy?

"We're not even in the gotei, we may as well not even exist. My job is murdering the shinigami that get out of line, what the fuck would I care what some of the Captain's pigs think of me?!" she spat at the man, clearly furious. Because for the first time she actually felt alone. Aevus wasn't with her. Kimiko wasn't with her. Not even Raion was with her. She was alone, and she felt injured. And any animal, when it was alone, afraid, and hurt, was always at it's most dangerous.

[☾ Aevus | Umbra ☽]

"Do I look like I care what ANY OTHER SHINIGAMI WOULD HAVE DONE?!"

Cold eyes lit up from that fire in her eyes. That flame that raged on against the backdrop of that boundless forest. He felt her Reiatsu fall against him. Well that is if it was her Reiatsu to begin with. It was dark and dreary. Like a foreboding storm and he was unlucky enough to be caught in its eye. It surged from her as he watched her blade splinter and break into countless fragments. He couldn’t see them but he felt and heard the air being sliced. Was this her Shikai? Is this where her malicious Reiatsu was coming from?

"You don't care! Why are you even following me?! You don't give a shit but you decide to come after me.!"

Her words stung as they fell from her enraged lips. She was right to question him. He himself, didn’t even know why he had followed her. Why was he following her? Did he care? Maybe he was just following the beckoning call of his spirit. Or perhaps... Aevus winced as he felt the glaring golden eyes clinging to him. But unlike this Reiatsu, the vixen’s felt rather welcoming. Which was frightening. He had never thought of it like that before. But like always he would toss those lingering feelings to the side.

Like an afterthought, he’d attempt to ignore that preying vixen all together and flee from her shadow. The snake, no the girl was the only thing that was on his mind. Foul Reiatsu or not, she was a Shinigami in the eyes of the Gotei and central 46. His opinion in the end wouldn’t matter. Those who evaluated her most certainly had to know what she was. But yet again that half demon had managed to get into their ranks and so had he. So their system was a flawed one.

"We're not even in the gotei, we may as well not even exist. My job is murdering the shinigami that get out of line, what the fuck would I care what some of the Captain's pigs think of me?!"

“Before you left, you said that you didn’t know what you are.” It’d be better to keep his distance but he was a fool. A single shunpo and he felt a jagged blade rip against him. A small stream of blood fell down his cheek. He’d fall back at that. Part of his shikakusho had been ripped as well. Even with that warning he had walked right into the girl’s twirling blades. Careful... Lumina’s warning came rather late for once. Not like he’d have heeded her anyway.

He would look at the girl with a narrowed gaze. “Regardless of what you think or look like. You are a Shinigami, as am I.” His gaze never left her and he would slowly, forcibly remove his hand from his very blade. “I had asked you what you were... But I should have asked, why did you come to me? What were you expecting and what did you want?” He was ever wary but he was also confident in his abilities. It would seem he had fully let down his guard but that wasn’t it.

If she talked back or said something in defiance Aevus would take a defensive stance. His hand would reach for his Zanpakuto. “Honestly, I’m not one for words so i’ll be blunt with you. Betray the Gotei or Central and i’ll kill you myself.” His words rang hollow as if some part of him had hesitated. In the end though his cold gaze would freeze over her's once again.

[Shizuyoko Toraumi]

She paused, Shizuyoko lifting a brow slightly before she took only a moment to consider the man's words, her head tilting for an instant before suddenly, a soft little smile spread across her visage, a gentle bell of a giggle escaping her, one that rank beautifully as she looked Aevus up and down, amused at his choice of words. "I never said anything about that. I said I didn't belong, and I started to leave. If anything, the logical conclusion would be to accuse me of desertion. But you had a very interesting little point of accusing me of...betrayal?" She tilted her head and gave a bit of a bemused smirk.

"It sounds a little like you're projecting your own desires onto me. Is that what that broody face of yours has been hiding? Have you been thinking of betraying us? You only just barely got here from squad two. So I'll excuse your ignorance, but you can't sense me unless I want you to. I'm not implying, I'm telling you. You've noticed it. We're both good at hiding, butonly I'm good at finding. Have you wondered why that is?" She asked idly, taking a step toward him, only a sparse few feet between them.

"Because unlike you. I've been in this squad since the academy. Every single mission I go on, is to hunt down a runaway. A traitor. Someone who decided that their own interests went above those of the central 46. And I've killed every single one of them. Sometimes with help, I admit, but that's beside the point. Unlike you." She pointed, that finger squarely poiting to the center of his chest. "I know how they go after traitors. I know what we do to them. I heard some rumors about you. You don't even like to kill do you? You don't even get it.... it's not about liking it. It's about being able to do it. Being okay with killing. And from what I hear, you're not very okay with that at all." She mused, her head canting to the side for just a moment.

Unbeknownst to Bomei, there was still that outter layer of spinning shards of blade, but a large number of those shards had begun to coat her hands and forearms as well as the tips of her tails, invisible little shards like razors, carefully oriented so that the points faced outward. "So no Aevus. If I had any intention of leaving the Omnitsukido, it would be through resignation. And I should hope that whatever mild little play-hero ideas you have in your head about betrayal-" And like that she was gone. Shizuyoko was incredibly skilled. Not only did she have a fantastic sense of prowess and stealth, but she was strong. She was fast. And she was skilled. As good as she was at sneaking, she was just as good at the art of Hoho and Hakuda. Which is why in that split second, when she vanished, she fused together two very strong techniques.

Hyaku Shikon and Senka. Normally, Senka was a two-part attack that initiated two attacks mid-flash step at high speeds, and Hyaku Shikon was a massive flurry of blows initiated with a combination of speed and strength. In that instant, she combined the two, using senka UPWARD, forming reishi pads at her feet, for the first attack, Shizuyoko was up in the air instead of on the ground, streaking past Aevus, as well as up into the air. And the two attacks of Senka were replaced with two halves of the technique Hyaku Shikon. The first fifty strikes slamming into Aevus's shoulders from Shizuyoko's fists, still coated in the shards of her shikai, so that not only did she not incur cutback, but she could bury several of those shards inside of his shoulders.

The second attack came from her tails, all seven of those limbs peppering not the shoulders, but instead the back of his knees, those sharp-pointed tails stabbing repeatedly, coated in those invisible shards and similarly burying those tiny fragments of shikai into his body. When it was all said and done, Aevus would feel the force of those blows, which combined Shizuyoko's speed and strength for their offensive power, distributed as both a forward force to the back of his knees and a backward force to his shoulders so that unless he was strong enough and heavy enough, he would find himself backflipping through the air as the force of those strikes exploded through those targeted joints. If he didn't have some sort of protection, it was quite possible that the limbs would be shredded and blown clean from his body.

Once it was done, Shizuyoko was standing on reishi platforms just behind Aevus, and slightly above him, though it had hardly been an effortless affair, almost instantly Shizuyoko felt incredibly sharp pains lance through her arms and legs as she combined two very strenuous techniques into one, if she had tried it without her skills in both arts, she may very well have wound up blowing her own arms and tails clean off her own body. It would not be a technique she would be able to do again for quite a while, EVEN with her having distributed the strain of the attack amongst all nine of her limbs.

In any case, she let out a slow, calming breath and narrowed her eyes. " -be discouraged from this point on." She noted finishing her sentence and smiling sheepishly, grunting and rubbing her forearms as she crouched just a little, not bothering to hide the pain in her limbs despite her assault on Aevus, that sheepish, girl-next-door smile on her face as she looked over(or down) at Aevus. "I came to you because.... I thought you were like me. I can't help but hate shinigami so much... I mean... I meet so many horrible ones as part of my job. And even before that....before I'd died as a human. I still killed them. So very long ago... I wasn't this pretty thing. I was a monster. With a mask... and a hole in my heart. And I still remember all of the shinigami I'd eaten. So many...that even becoming a human... dying... and taking up a zanpaku'to of my own... I still reek of hollow... almost like I cant get rid of my sins. I...." She trailed off... and smiled.

"I should probably take you to the infirmary." She chuckled to herself.

[☾ Aevus | Umbra ☽]

It may have looked like Aevus had let down his guard. But no, he watched her as she spoke. Ever so diligently, like a hawk. The way she spoke. It seemed that she had calmed down at least somewhat. Maybe, but the words that fell from her lips slammed into him much harder than her foul Reiatsu ever could. She was the one who bled ignorance at least in Aevus’s eyes. She knew nothing about him and well maybe it was better that way. Better that he had kept his distance from her perplexing yet warm embrace.

He had never thought of betraying the Gotei. Even the idea made him feel sick to his stomach. “Desertion-” Aevus narrowly glanced at the girl. “-is a form of betrayal.” Aevus corrected. It was true that he wasn’t a normal Shinigami. There was no denying it from her or even himself. That in fact he harbored far more than mere secrets. Golden eyes danced freely like glowing fireflies in the dark recesses of his very mind. He wasn’t a normal Shinigami. No not at all. But yet he still fled from it, he ran from that truth. He had lied to himself time and time again.

He was cowardice and foolish to think he could play the part and keep his composure at the same time. To keep and hold that smile without once wavering in the face of another. But in the end like Lumina had said. ‘Feigned smiles only reveal white lies.’ That single step forward. Aevus had took it as a threat activating Shunkassou as a fail safe. He was ready for her but at the same time he really wasn’t. He wasn’t looking for a fight tonight and nor was he ready to fight her. He had no drive to fight her.

Regardless of his choice of words. They had only come from his teaching in the Academy. That bottle fed textbook rhetoric. He was no killer. He painted that clearly with a sheathed Zanpakuto in hand. Aevus wasn’t surprised by the rumors of his previous actions. His inability to kill while on the field nearly cost him and the lives of those around him dearly. On more than one occasion. In truth he was foolishly trying to lead the dream of a stealthy teal eyed girl. To do what she would have done in spite of his instincts constantly telling him otherwise.

He was hesitate with his blade and that put more than his life on the line. He was just a fool... Regardless of what he had just said. He was certainly no killer. He outright lied and he clearly had shown how hesitate he was. It was a sign of weakness. A clear sign that he wasn’t being honest with her or even himself. Shizuyoko had caught him in that lie and next she had caught him by surprise. She was Fast, painful and rather sharp. Few words described how he felt when she had appeared at his side.

It took him half a second to react. But several of her attacks had already landed by that time. At least against his shoulders. He managed to only get grazed by her tails. But even just a graze jolted a sharp pain up both his legs. Like instinct he’d cast Shunpo to escape her and his feet nearly buckled under the strain of that step. Shunkassou had helped him react in time coupled with his near mastery of hoho. Yet performing a Shunpo while Shunkassou was active. Alongside the newly registered wounds nearly dropped him right there.

It was too much to bear and it took all of his willpower to even stand after performing that step. He held himself against a tree, bloody and panting. His arms felt weak and his legs strained under the pressure of his own weight. It was true, Shizuyoko was fast on her feet and she had clearly gotten stronger. The cries of his Zanpakuto Spirit were deafening as he held his shaky hand against that rough bark. Lumina cried for him to do something, to fight back. To protect himself.

It sounded like she was in more pain than he was and the echoes of her whines nearly made him faint alone. But there was no fight to be had here. He would chuckle to himself shaking his head. He had been caught unaware and boy was she lethal. And he himself had no desire to unsheathe his Zanpakuto even before being attacked. Besides the immense speed at which she had moved and attacked. Being sleep deprived didn’t help him any at reacting in time to her attack.

He felt it, the presence of a monster fall from her. She felt so much more hollow than before but some part of him saw past it. She was like an animal protecting itself and he clearly had gotten too close. Golden eyes of a vulpine hollow stirred within him and a pool of black began to quickly stretch across both of his irises. She was clearly interested in taking him over while he was still catching his breath. This was no good... He wasn’t just losing his footing. He was losing control of himself.

With clenched fists, he dug his own finger nails into his palms. All to try and steady himself, to keep in control. He had to keep control. He had to hold himself there for himself. But more than that, he had to hold it for her. He didn’t know what would happen when he lost control and it scared him. Darkly fragments of a vulpine mask began to appear over his pale visage. Covering his young unaging face in the shroud of a hollow. The crying of that wolf echoed within him and next that forest darkened.

He could see Shizuyoko standing there but the world was different. She was clearly talking to him but it was muffled as if he was submerged underwater. The whining cries of his spirit were almost deaf to him as well during that time. The wounds that sheltered across his body still throbbed but the pain lessened. It was as if they were numb and his legs no longer trembled from his own weight. But he felt her. He felt the hollow, embracing him with her darkly Reiatsu. His left hand moved to the handle of his Zanpakuto all on its own.

As if something was puppeting him, leading him astray. It then moved him forward as if by a leash. No... he trembled trying to shout. But nothing escaped his lips. Not a single peep. He didn’t want to fight her. Regardless of what just happened. This was all just a misunderstanding, it was a mistake. He held no grudge against Shizuyoko for attacking him. He didn’t want to raise his blade to her. He had than felt it. It pierced him deeply.

A snarl rose up and echoed within that bioluminescent dwelling. His vision stirred within his inner world and the forest that he resided. He saw a snow white wolf with a fierce moonlit gaze. She was pinning something to the cyanic waters. The lithely beast thrashed and he heard a yelp and a whine echo throughout that world. His vision blurred as the darkly fragments of that hollow mask fell away from him. Lumina limped over, her white coat covered in a crimson hue.

"Aevus... Are you hurt? say something..."

The darkness covering his visage fell away as he leaned in and out of his inner world and that forest. His hand faltered from his Zanpakuto as his back slid down against that tree. He was looking at Shizuyoko with that sleepless gaze of his. “Clever girl...” Aevus quiped with a raised grin. “I could never get the hang of Hakuda... Iv'e always been good with a blade and nothing else really.” He chuckled as he spoke. “Heh, it's quite effective if I do say so myself. You managed to sit down this seated officer in the end.” He would cough before drooping his head. "I could use a good nap..." Aevus managed before falling into himself and succumbing to both his wounds and the manifestation of that hollow.

[Shizuyoko Toraumi]

shizu panted softly, wincing a little as she glanced at her knuckles, her arms trembling a little. She definitely had not used it as well as she could have. She had focused on maintaining the Hundred Fangs at it's base technique, which was to move the arms at twice the speed they normally did. But during senka that was hardly necessary, and the extra strain felt like it was ripping her muscles to shreds. It was agonizing, and she could feel needles pinpricking through her flesh. It was definitely something she would have to perfect if she ever wanted to use it in combat. Even her tails were numb.

"Seated officer?" She paused, a brow lifting as she glanced down at the man that was passing out. She frowned, eyeing him for several long moments, remaining completely quiet as she stared down at him. How long had she been unseated? She was honestly still incredibly weak among her squad. And this guy? She supposed it was just a difference between squads two and Omnitsukido. The difference between an execution squad and the gotei 13's own stealth forces. It was almost a joke. Se made her way over and knelt beside the unconscious male, eyeing the wounds she had inflicted on him and lightly reaching down, lightly curling her fingers beneath his cheek, lifting his face so that she could get a look at him.

Pretty boy. He'd get a lot of silent farts in the maggot's nest. Even so.... he was.....interesting. That anger and distress she had felt earlier was gone now. Replaced with... an odd calm. Something about fighting the man was odd. And she couldn't help but wonder to herself... "A clever girl, you call me now. And yet you fail to see..." she murmured, eaning down until her face was so very close to his, those eyes narrowing as her pupils narrowed into horizontal slits. "This pretty face is just a mask. There's a monster still in me." She muttered, and then snorted, giggling to herself as she sat down and shook her head.

"What am I even doing?" She murmured, the whites of her right eye slowly blackening as those bright green irises drifted back to the male, those lips curling into a slow, sweet smirk.[smear:696969]"Were I a few thousand years younger. I might find him tasty."[/smear:DA70D6] she noted lightly, shaking her head and sighing, standing up straight and grabbing him by the scruff of his uniform and lifting him up onto her shoulder. The injuries were primarily to his limbs, he didn't even warrant a visit to the squad four barracks. She however, had no real intention of continuing this little...meeting. She considered kidnapping him. call it Omnitsukido business. Which to be fair, she very much had a good case for. But she decided against it. And after some debate, she decided to do two things. First, she made her way to squad six, got some ink, pulled down his pants, and mushed his butt up against one of the walls of the Captain's office.

Then, with her little prank done, she snuck him into the Squad four infirmary.
And that was the end of that.