Chapter 44: Chapter 43: Expressions
[Furoufushi POV]
Gratitude.
It's kinda hard to put into words.
What I know is, I've been given a chance.
Makes me question where I'd be if some things were different.
I could still be slaughtering people on the street, searching for strength.
Stinking and filthy. Repugnant and detached.
For me, there was no such thing as a future.
Everyone feels the same. Soul Society is not perfect. Life is not perfect.
If it was, why would my 'mother' go as far as trying to sell me?
She almost succeeded.
But I fought.
Just as I'm fighting now, showing them who I am.
Showing them what I am.
They think I'm a mutt, a dirty street rat, a parasite.
And they're right.
But I'm more than that.
I'm so much more than that.
I can see that now.
They showed me.
Even when I fell down, knowing I can't mess with the 'balance' of the world.
They showed me I was more.
To be honest, it hurts a lot. But it's a warm hurt.
What did I do to deserve this?
Nothing.
Nothing at all. And it baffles me.
How can they give so much when I give nothing back? I don't know.
But that doesn't matter now. None of that matters now.
I'm here now. They're watching me now.
They showed me who I can be.
Shouldn't I express this feeling?
This gratitude? This…
Too mushy, get it together.
10 seconds is all I need to return something.
Forget the backlash. I'm here. Now.
Gratitude.
To think it was the first emotion I mastered…
Heh. A grateful killer.
What a fucked up world.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
[Neutral POV]
Separated by some distance, Furuoki's eyes narrowed as he witnessed Furoufushi's Reiatsu retract, soaking back into her body. Only a paper-thin layer coated her body. The odd sight was caught by all. Everyone leaned forward, studying her figure.
Her violet eye slowly closed. And once a second elapsed, she opened both eyes, revealing her violet right eye and her scarred, grey left. Nothing had changed externally. There was no eruption of Reiryoku in her system. There was no need. This was her Expression, the first path she chose.
She was simply accepting a piece of herself. And that scared Furuoki. The serene, grateful look she had borne made him wonder if she went mad. But the flourishing of her sword told him to prepare for the incoming clash.
He took a drastic step, hooking his swords together to increase his range. Linking the two swords, he lashed out, whipping them toward her with one hand.
2 Seconds.
Furuoki missed her as she contorted her body, bending backward in a flexible bridge.
4 seconds.
Using the momentum, he fully rotated. After spinning, he lowered his body, whipping at her feet with the sharp crescent guard and pommel.
6 seconds.
*Shud* *Clung*
Hopping up, she thrust her sword into the ground, catching the opening between the crescent guard and the handle of his whipping sword. Now caught and unable to move his blades, he was stuck kneeling, too caught up in retrieving his weapons. A second passed, a shiver crept down his spine as he glanced up at her face.
8 seconds.
Furoufushi's visage was haggard and fatigued, but a brilliant smile shattered her image of weariness. Pale and sweating from the path's reaction, her chapped lips split apart, a voice fluttering with warmth and worth poured from her tired appearance.
"You got to see something good today."
Gratitude. All of it compounded, strengthening her body beyond its limits.
10 seconds.
*THOOK* * BOOM* *thud* *thud* *thud* *thud*
Without warning, Furoufushi delivered a punishing front kick to his exposed chest. The impact of the kick displayed her pure aim, exhibiting her utmost concentrated power. Enough to sound like a cannon, Furuoki slingshot across the ground, tumbling through the dirt without his weapons.
'Haah~. That's as far as I can go.'
Her mutter remained unheard by everyone. Furoufushi plucked her Zanpakutou out of the earth. After freeing her sword, she picked up the pair of hook swords and tossed them 20 meters where Furuoki lay, recovering from the shellshock.
"*cough* *cough* Tsss~ *gasp*."
*Clang* *tang* *clang*
"Oughta teach you a lesson. Kinda tired, but I can show you something fun since you've been a good sport."
Her sarcasm pierced under his skin, sending more waves of humiliation into his body. But before he could retort and stand up, she grasped her Zanpakutou with both hands and lowered the tip of the blade until it hovered just above the dirt.
*Bwuuu-fuuu*
The pink Reiatsu she previously retracted began to seep from her body once more. Slowly and steadily, the output grew. Shinigami below the Lieutenant level held their breaths, feeling the ethereal energy rushing from her position.
"Exit from our seclusion, bear our wrath!"
*FWUUU*
Gusts of wind kicked up, threatening to peel weaker Shinigami off the ground. Slicing winds whirled around her.
She roared against the storm.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
[Two days ago]
Inside Furoufushi's mindscape,
*shu*
Sat on the steps of the Shrine, Furuofushi pondered, her head held in her hands. She didn't know how much time had passed inside or out. Time was limited, the deadline was closing in. This much she knew.
Strain creased her forehead. She'd been concentrating on finding the fourth and final answer. No rest, no breaks, she was determined to uncover the last piece. Still, the inability to identify the remaining fragment weighed on her mind.
Furoufushi had scoured her inner world, searching for clues. Poking around the shrine. Knocking on the wood floors and support beams. Sifting around the newly added decorations. Climbing onto the Shrine's rooftop.
Nothing.
But she didn't let the frustration cloud her mind.
So, here she was, sitting in reflection. Reminding herself of the three fragments she'd found, Furoufushi tried to discover the connection.
Single-mindedness. Closed heart. Absent values.
These three affected her perspective.
Perspective?
"AHH! MY BRAIN HURTS!"
She had surpassed her breaking point long ago. Running on fumes, the pink-haired girl had to cry out in annoyance. Rubbing her temples, attempting to ease the stress, Furoufushi sat back, resting her back on the steps.
Straightening her back, the sensation of the cool stone lent some reprieve.
Furoufushi closed her eye, listening to the whistling typhoon.
A wisp of green tea intertwined with the floral notes, fusing into a soothing scent.
She breathed. Filling her lungs with the sweet, clean air.
Furoufushi was tired. Her bones creaked as she shifted around. At the bones, her muscles groaned, taut from her zeal. The blood in her limbs was stagnant, refusing to warm her.
Sparks of understanding flashed like fireworks, but she couldn't move. Prying her eye open, sleep threatened to drag her into its embrace.
With blurred, dim vision, she watched the never-ending typhoon. Spinning on and on, pausing for none. Unlike her, the storm could rage on, unbothered by petty necessities like sleep and hunger.
But Furoufushi felt pity for nature.
It would never know the taste of her favorite food. Savory and salty.
It could never share the dreams that it had the night before. Something she did with Batsu.
It was unfeeling, untiring.
Immortal...
Cracked, dry lips split open, releasing a hoarse voice.
'Fleeting. I want to go back now. I wanna see them...'
The typhoon trembled. Ripples of petals ran along the surface of the typhoon. Emerging from the storm, the maiden floated down from the eye of the storm.
Hovering in the air, the maiden lowered herself to Furoufushi. As the violet pupil dipped into the peaceful abyss, a serene, glowing voice whispered its endless affection.
'My name is...'
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
[Back to the Present]
"Hyouteifujo! [颮庭巫女]"
The gusts halted and the dust settled. Her katana morphed; metal materialized along the blade into a straightened sword. It sharpened into an unblemished, pinkish-white steel Chokutou [Straight sword]. Her hands gripped a unique tsuka [handle], which appeared like a Tamagushi. Pink strips of cloth crisscrossed and tied the interwoven bundle of Sakaki wood together. The handle was graced with sparse green leaves that served as a mock tsuba [handguard].
Furuoki grabbed his Zanpakutou and stood at attention, his expression was grim. He quickly linked his swords together and hurled the coupled swords toward her in what looked like a last-ditch effort.
But before the spinning blades reached her, he released a thunderous shout.
"Touzaibundan! [東西分断]"
Furoufushi's eyes widened as his incoming hook swords separated from their mid-flight bond and curled around her left and right sides. Threatening to flank her, the swords closed in, spinning with ferocious speed.
Finding the timing too short, she unleashed her own ability.
"Gekitaimai! [激颱舞]"
Before the hook swords could reach her, she swiped her own Chokutou twice, slashing at the empty air to her left and right. As the hook swords inched closer, Furuoki quickly finished his trap. His fingertip glowed as he released a swift Kidou spell.
"Hadō 4: Byakurai!"
*Tshu~*
Expecting her to jump, he unleashed the piercing pale lighting bolt above her head.
*Clang* *Clang* *Wo-ro-ro*
But she didn't jump, his trap failed. The hook swords he sent forth were blocked by tangible slivers of air, rattling upon the transparent impact. They soon returned to his side like boomerangs. He tried to process the incredible anomaly, yet Furoufushi was already on the move.
She swiped her blade at the air once more, this time in front of herself. Leaping up, she landed on the slender air platform and swiped again. She intended to propel herself to his position using invisible platforms conjured by her slashes.
Seeing her approach, Furuoki sent out his hook swords unlinked, hurling them overhead as two separate entities.
*Whoosh*
They neared her airborne position and converged, joining on their own. Taking the form of a waterwheel, they flew up with rapid speed. Ten meters in the air, Furoufushi looked to descend, slashing below herself. But the hook swords snapped into the form of scissors, using the lowest sword as the axis point. The swords aimed for her landing.
"Nanbokuhoui! [南北包囲]"
Furuoki's shout stirred the air as the hook swords threatened to bisect her through the head and crotch. Faced with death, she unleashed a technique in return.
"Kouyoutsui! [黄葉墜]"
*Fwom*
*Shinnn* * Wo-ro-ro*
The invisible platform she conjured below herself shot a golden gust of air, launching her further up into the air. The force of the gust sent Furoufushi's soaring figure 2 meters higher, gliding above the snapping jaws of death. As scissor swords flew by, Furoufushi slashed below since the platform beneath her had dissipated with the last technique.
Missing their target, the hook swords started back to Furuoki. With measured mid-air acrobatics, Furoufushi chased after the swords. Bouncing from newly created platforms, she closed in on Furuoki.
*Wo-ro-ro-thuk* *tsp* *tsp*
In a flash, the swords arrived in his hands while Furoufushi landed in front of him.
*shuuu~*
His right index finger was lifted, pointing at her damp forehead. Her Chokutou was at the ready, inches away from his sweating neck. Breathing heavily, they grasped the outcome. A second passed in silence.
""WHOOOA!"" *WHISTLE* *WHISTLE*
The spectating Shinigami erupted in excitement. Roars of admiration and whistles of cheer drilled through the atmosphere, lifting everyone's spirits. But not everyone was happy with the fantastic duel.
Furuoki's mind was in turmoil. Shame and disgrace soaked his bones, seeping into his heart. His goal was to become the strongest swordsman. Today, he relied on Kidou spells, trying to find an edge over the one he considered to be a weak mutt. Every step of the way he had been countered. This was not a draw to him.
"We're done…"
*Shk*
He released his Shikai back into its sealed form and walked away, leaving short words of parting. Furoufushi gazed at his receding back before turning to her side of Soukyoku Hill. Her eyes scanned around for Kenji and Batsu. The two were standing off to the side, away from Yamamoto's group. Both had teasing smirks that filled her with dread.
She trudged closer only to hear Batsu's sarcastic voice.
"What was it again? You were gonna kick everyone's ass?"
"Hggh…"
The only response Batsu received was a weakened groan.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"Those three are the ones you should not cross, not without me."
Chigiri quietly took in the advice the veiled female captain gave him.
"Yes… Haha-ue [Mother]."
"I hope you take my warning seriously Chigiri."
The Second Lady of Shijima squinted her eyes as she glared at him. She shook her head and turned to face her band of Shinigami.
She called upon one, peering around the assembly of black uniforms.
"Sakahone-taichou."
The moment she spoke, all the faces of the Shinigami twisted into disgusted grimaces and hateful scowls. The sea of black split apart, exposing a hunched old man dressed in a Shihakushou and a captain's white haori.
A raspy, aged voice lingered in the air like a murky fog.
"You called for me, Inoue-hime?"
He stepped forward. Gaunt and wrinkled, his resting face was unreadable. Sunken and dark, his eyes were hidden in shadow, cloaking the windows of his soul. Despite his weak figure and short height of 154 cm, the Shijimas' Shinigami avoided his presence, distancing themselves from his path. Arriving before the Lady of the Shijima clan, he bowed. Her sharp eyes glared at his bald head.
His mouth creaked open, displaying his few rotting teeth.
"I apologize for the slip of the tongue, Shijima-sama. How can I be of service?"
"Ensure my son doesn't get involved with Tengoku… I want you to look into the reason for their attendance today. Find out who they came with and where they were before this."
"It would be my pleasure, my lady."
A captain obeying another captain's orders gathered stares of surprise. But those who'd seen this sight before moved on. Shijima Inoue's twenty guards were unflustered and disciplined like soldiers.
Sakahone trudged to Chigiri's side. His throat rattled as he voiced his excitement.
"You're quite fortunate Chigiri-kun. It's been so long since I've laid eyes on the Red Revenant. So long~."
Chigiri maintained his indifferent outlook as he observed the Tengoku family on the opposite side of the hill.
"Why should I care about some lower house?"
Sakahone giggled, spraying spittle from his rotten mouth.
"Hehehaha~. Oh, Chigiri-kun."
His raspy voice lowered, advising the young man.
"It's best if you heed your mother's word of warning. They are no common house, boy. Their roots run deep. Warriors of old. That patriarch you see is no mere man, he is the image I tried to paint myself as."
"That man?"
Chigiri stared far across the barren ground, focusing on a red-haired man. Sakahone left the question unanswered as his own sunken eyes drifted to the same man.
*Shuuu~*
Watchful dull black eyes set upon them as an icy breeze brushed along their skin and curled around their bodies.
Chigiri shuddered under the gaze, reflexively lowering his own, while Sakahone faithfully bowed in reverence.
Sakahone's raspy, elated utterance crept into Chigiri's ears.
"He is far beyond us! Beyond the edge! Wait for me! I will… I will…"
[A/N: I've based some characters off some famous or obscure historical figures. The second Lady of the Shijima Clan is one of these. Shijima Inoue, formerly Princess Inoue of Japan (717-775). Research if you want, I'll be adding or subtracting elements from real-life figures.]
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