His remark may have seemed off mark with the others but… for her, it wasn't anything new; if anything, she wasn't surprised by his words- even if she didn't believe in it. He had been open to admitting that he had always admired her from a distance, remarking that he had almost immediately been drawn to her physical form. Although he seemed to be slightly put off when she replied that he wasn't the first. She rebutted his loose compliments but had to admit to herself that she had done just the same- after all… that's all their first encounters consisted of. Observing and studying one another from a distance, memorizing every physical detail they could see, learning more about their different skins before they even knew each others' names.
Of course he would seem disappointed that it wasn't her physical traits that were passed on.
"Perhaps it's not such a bad thing though." he continued, fingers moving to push up on his glasses now; settling them more comfortably on the bridge of his nose.
She heard the scattered shouts behind her as yet another building in the distance collapsed. She could hear the kicking of feet as several Lieutenants took off to confront the still emerging Arrancars; a few more voices called out commands as those remaining were forced to evacuate those still trapped inside of the wrecked buildings. It was a lot of commotion for such a short amount of time, but she found herself hardly paying attention to it. She was more focused on him and what he might possibly say or do.
But there were others destined to break them apart.
Buildings were being destroyed left and right but the next one that started to crack was off in the distance… and she could pinpoint its location from here; and she knew which one it was.
Her own Division was being attacked.
Akira.
It was one step back before she tore her way through the city, completely ignoring the ongoing battles around her and ducking around the collecting debris; almost forgetting about him all together. She completely forgot about everything else around her- nothing else mattered right now. What if someone was trying to hurt her? No, no, Akira was fast, she could outsmart anyone just long enough for her to get there; she could keep herself out of danger…
The damage to the labs were easy to see; there was smoke forcing its way up into the sky, waving and twirling in uncontrollable spirals. It was enough to tell her that more than one attacker was inside with possibly a few more standing post. She didn't care though; she knew this building more than anyone else, she would find a way in regardless. But stopping to find an opening would cause her to lose precious seconds and she wasn't going to stop long enough to find a door. Bracing one shoulder, she turned her body with the run and forced herself through the nearest wall; feeling the thick material crack underneath her strength before it collapsed down all around her, giving her the opening she needed.
She paused just long enough to try and pick up on some kind of energy source, hoping she could figure out Akira's somewhere in this mess. But the air was too thick, there was energy radiating all over the place… and Akira would know not to let her position be discovered like that. It made her task a bit more difficult, but she would know where to look first.
Stopping was dangerous though and she felt a second instinct push her onward. Her feet felt like they barely hit the ground as she weaved her way in and out through the corridors before she knew exactly where to go; when such realization tapped in, she drove herself through rooms and walls to cut time and corners.
Hitting through that last wall of resistance, she felt it; the slightest shift of energy in the air- the one profile that didn't fit anywhere in the mess of tension around them.
But… almost immediately, other energy profiles flared up.
They found her…
She held nothing back as she forced her way through the crumbling mazes as a few damaged walls around her started to collapse; they had been damaged far before she got here though, which meant the Arrancars were close by. There was absolutely nothing else going through her mind. She was going to find Akira and if there was anyone near her who would even attempt to harm her… she was going to kill them. It would be quick, she wasn't one to linger with putting out potential danger, and it would get her point across the fastest.
Focusing on a concentrated spot of energy, she braced herself once more and broke through yet another wall, however this time, she was bracing for more. Her left shoulder broke through the concrete wall while she kept her right arm pulled back, waiting for her body to steady and the dust to clear before she drove it forward. Almost immediately, she felt her fist sink in through soft flesh and continue on forward until she had dug her forearm through the Arrancar's unsuspecting abdomen. The heartless being barely had time to react before she pulled herself free and kicked him aside; watching as his body went down all too easily from the shock and surprised attack. Blood dripped off her fingertips and splashed to the floor below her as green eyes settled on the remaining four Arrancars.
"Momma…"
Her concentration was broken by the quiet voice and eyes dropped to greet identical ones that stared at her with mixed fear and relief. That small, pink braid of hers was messy and had started to unravel; a few scuff marks dirtied her right cheek and her little uniform was ripped just slightly on one arm.
One of the Arrancars kept his hand tightly around the back of her neck and she wanted to rip it clean off from the shoulder.
"Well I think this is getting a bit more interesting." the Arrancar remarked, lips slightly twisting into a brief grin. "Tell me then, is this your little bundle of joy?"
Her hands curled into fists at her side; she could feel the warm mess of blood slipping under the nails of her right hand.
The man only gave a brief chuckle at her before he hoisted Akira into the air, maintaining a strong grip on the back of her neck as he held her at shoulder height. "Is that so? Funny you should say that seeing as I'm in the one in the position of power here."
The sound of the girl screaming at the motion drove her forward a few feet before the Arrancar held his free hand forward; a brief light collecting in the center of his palm. "Uh huh, a bala hit at this kind of range wouldn't do much damage to you, but… think about her."
Her heart nearly stopped at the words.
This was a game to him and she was forced to listen to him chuckle once more at his stronger advantage.
"Now then, let's get something straight-"
The words never left his lips in a finished sentence as she watched his body fall still for a moment. It didn't take long for her to notice the silver tip of a blade cutting its way up through his chest, through his neck before it ended by splitting his head clean in half. For a moment, the scene didn't fall together until she watched as the former Arrancar slowly tilted forward. His body broke apart down the middle before it collapsed into two separate segments; a mess of still warm intestines spilled between the two halves as bones cratered and cracked with the landing.
"Unfortunately no. There's nothing here that needs to be straightened."
Akira managed to land on her feet from the initial fall but stumbled briefly and fell regardless.
The remaining two Arrancars stepped forward, rushing to take the place of their fallen counterpart but something else stopped them in their tracks.
She watched as he slowly moved and carefully placed himself between the two Arrancars and Akira; keeping her safely tucked away behind him. His sword was drawn but kept to his side as thick droplets of blood rolled from the blade and collected on the floor below. It had been a precise cut from bottom to top, splitting the body clean in two… it was a smooth motion, done in one swing; he would know exactly how to perform such a trick.
One of the remaining Arrancars sneered slightly at the motion. "And just why would you care about something like this?"
But it was the remaining counterpart who seemed a bit quicker, a bit smarter and just a bit more damning with his remark. "Just why does that little insect look like you?"
He seemed to muse with the questions for a moment, fingers pushing up on his glasses once more. "That is an interesting question, perhaps- tell me if I'm moving too fast for you- perhaps it's because… there's a chance she is mine."
She assumed the Arrancars had been expecting an immediately denial of the claim but didn't brace themselves in case the opposite happened. The two took identical steps back, staring at the man as though in preparation for battle before they seemingly disappeared. Their energy readings faded though and she could only assume they retreated from the confrontation, perhaps in fear of his words or in fear that he would do to them what he did to their less fortunate counterpart.
She didn't realize she was trembling until she watched as the girl pushed herself to her feet and immediately ran towards her; disregarding everything that had happened seconds before. Ignoring the man who stood in front of her. Kneeling down, she felt the full force of the girl running into her and closed her arms around her as quickly as she could, maybe it was in fear that someone else would try to snatch her away at the last moment.
"What's happening?"
"The city's being attacked." she started, fingers slowly tracing over the messy remains of her braid. "Are you hurt?"
"No… a piece of the wall fell on me but it didn't hurt."
"Her hierro's setting in. It's unique for it to be this strong for someone who's half-Hollow… not that we really have any data to base it off of."
She glanced up at the remark and looked to where he remained standing idly aside before he moved to slip his sword back into its sheath. "… Did you follow me?"
"I was your shadow there for a moment until I realized that these four were in here and figured that a different plan of action would be needed on my part." he nodded. "I can't exactly go around breaking through walls like that and assume that I can pull off an attack as such with ease."
Her arms tightened briefly before she slowly moved to push herself back to her feet, feeling Akira immediately move to hide behind her legs. He wasn't looking at her… instead he seemed preoccupied with something off in the distance. Perhaps he was concerned with those Arrancars spreading the sudden news but it wasn't like they had concrete evidence; it's not like they could prove anything without Akira being immediately present. Or perhaps he was just thinking.
"Who are you?"
It was Akira who broke the silence this time; her question proving to be a bit damning for the both of them. And while they struggled briefly with who should give her the wanted answer, she was the one who insisted on winning that battle.
"Do you remember when you asked me what your father looked like?"
Answering a question with another question never gave any solid responses, but the method was needed this time.
"Yes."
"… How did I describe him?"
"You said he had pink hair and… amber eyes." Akira answered slowly, peeking briefly around the curve of her leg. "… And that he wore glasses."
"That was honestly your best description?" he questioned dryly.
She frowned slightly at his words before she felt the hands around her leg slowly move away; eyes dropped to watch as the girl carefully stepped around from behind her and cautiously took a step forward. "Does he look familiar?"
The question seemed to finally draw the both of them towards one another, finally linking together that missing piece. Akira looked towards him in questioning, observation, trying to get in as many details as she could from this distance. Her curiosity had yet to outweigh her sense of caution and she wasn't willing to leave her side just yet; preferring to keep one hand tightly curled in the hem of her kimono just in case.
He, on the other hand, seemed to share a brief moment of amusement at their first encounter. He had yet to fully settle his eyes on the child and get a decent chance to look her over, but that moment was here and now finally.
She caught the way he moved to push up on his glasses once more as he turned his head away for a moment; briefly hiding the grin that toyed with his lips. She heard him chuckle slightly before he recollected himself and turned back to them.
"You weren't kidding." he started. "She really does look just like me."
There was still a sense of amusement in his features. There had been hopes for acceptance, even though he seemed open about it throughout the ordeal, but seeing it in front of her… it was a relief. At least, on his part there was, she still wasn't sure about Akira; the girl had yet to say much.
"Did you think that was an exaggeration?"
"It was a possibility." he defended.
She studied him for a moment. "… You know me better than that."
He waited briefly before a semi-defeated sigh escaped him. "You're right, I do, or perhaps I should."
"I thought you said he was in a different dimension?" Akira questioned, finally breaking her sense of silence and interrupting their conversation all at once. Her fingers tugged lightly on the hem of her kimono when she didn't offer an answer quick enough. "Then why is he here?" yet another question she had to think over, but before she could even offer an answer to her first question, she was cut off once more. "… Are you the one attacking?"
She was already able to connect the pieces.
"I'm not the only one." he started, moving to cross his arms over his chest. "Is that a problem?"
Akira narrowed his eyes briefly at the question. "Are you… going to try and hurt my mom?"
The question caught him off-guard for a brief moment, his expression unable to hide the slightest sense of surprise that came in response. It only took a few seconds before he recollected himself. "Of course not."
That seemed to be all that was needed before the girl nodded. "Then no… it's not a problem."
He chuckled slightly at her response, finding the answers humorous to say the least. The child didn't care for the rest of the Society, not bothering to spare a thought for the others fighting for their lives. As long as no one tried to bring harm to her mother, she was just fine. He had a feeling that she more than likely had lived a life of isolation up to this point, having very limited access to the world outside. She probably didn't know all that many people, which narrowed down her point of emotions; making her care only for the woman she was with day in and day out.
"Are you really my dad?"
She watched as the girl took a few steps away from her, now allowing for her curiosity to take over. Again, it was impossible to ignore their resemblance, but for Akira… she wanted more; she wanted definite answers and she wanted them now.
Fingers pushed up on his glasses once more as he watched the child slowly work her way towards him. She moved with a sense of caution but the curiosity in her eyes seemed to outweigh everything else; her head was just slightly tilted to one side as though to better observe him that way. Asides from a brief instance before, he had yet to experience what her energy type was like. If it matched his own then she would be able to pick up on it and her energy should react appropriately to his.
He knelt down and watched as she continued to edge her way towards him until she stood just a foot or so from him. "Hmm… you don't look like just like me after all, you've got your mother's eyes."
"You didn't answer my question." she insisted.
Not yet.
He moved to hold one hand out in front of him and watched as she mimicked the motion carefully afterwards. Her hand barely fit in the palm of his own but she still made sure to try and match up their fingers as best she could. She didn't even question the motion and he had a feeling that was because of her natural curiosity still. He released a brief pocket of energy from his fingertips and watched as she curled her fingers in slightly at the sudden sensation.
Almost immediately, a countering wave of energy released itself in reaction.
"Yes."
She felt her own energy tickle slightly in her fingertips at their shared experiment and while she didn't think it was all that noticeable, it was still enough to briefly draw his eyes to her once more. Her fingers pulled into her palm at his reaction as though to hide the involuntary release.
But at least Akira got her answer- the defined one that she wanted and had been seeking out for months now.
"What now?" Akira questioned, turning back towards her. "Can he not stay with us?"
"I think the answer to that resides in who wins this war."
