A/N: Heyo! I hope you guys enjoy!
PREVIOUSLY:
My hairs lift, a roar rips from my chest and the fire rises to the challenge, scraping the skies as Sado rushes through the escape.
They're getting closer.
My feet bite into the ground, sparking just a bit as I propel forward.
Sssssssssssss.
I fear my flames die and curse what ever may be
They're here.
~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~
Chapter 14: Opposites that Attract
Punch!
"Go ahead" I coax, but it feels like I'm ripping the words out through my teeth. My nails are using their new hardened tips to rip into my palms and I can almost hear the large rock that pummels into my gut.
Punch!
"Tell me how much you hate me now! How I disgust you because I'm demon! Come on... I need it to beat this guy," my words dwindle to a whisper. Green eyes stare hard into the calculating Teal. This guy is clearly no joke. He may be short and child like, but the composition of his music is fierce. A traditional bamboo flute howls longingly into the night air around us. It couples with hyper beats fueled by his youth and together his spiritual pressure calls out for war.
Punch!
I need Sado to condemn me.
Punch!
My flames have gotten too weak, they're like hot summer breezes compared to the tower I produced upon my arrival. I can't protect anything with such weakness!
Punch!
"Uh..." The friendly giant hesitates between blows to approaching foe.
"Just say it!" Spare no feelings big guy. Do that, and I can stay with you and fight with you.
Even if you hate me.
"Shiro-!"
"Do it!"
Punch!
I want to turn to show Sado how serious I am, but the Shakuhachi flute before me calls for all my attention. I'm lucky he hasn't attacked me yet...
"I can't..." Sado finally says, and my face scrunches up in irritation, I flick my eyes off the white haired captain for just a second. I swear it was no more than that, and he rushes for me.
Shit!
I meet his blade with my daggers, and his spiritual song blares, arguing my own wispy chords for dominance.
"I don't know why you think I hate you Shiro, but I don't. You being a demon caught me off guard but it was the cat part that freaked me out a little. It just seems like cats are...really weird now," he grunts during his struggle.
"If you want my honest opinion of you it's not that. You're incredible for being able to push through life the way you do. You've had a very different up bringing, but you've managed to not be bitter or angry or resentful."
I feel my strength weaken with each pronunciation of his love and dedication.
Ok. This is super sweet, but this really isn't the time!
"The truth is you're pretty cool, maybe even cooler than Ichigo..."
"Ahk!" I crumble to my knees, barely able to fend off the captain coming down on me. Teal stares curiously but stay guarded. Crap...
I really didn't want to do this. Especially since I'm not sure it will work.
"You're so Stupid! How the hell are you in the top 50th of class you can't figure out what someone is trying to ask you? You're cool? What the hell?! I don't give a shit about what lies you tell yourself in order to bare my existence. Tell me the truth!" I get to my feet and fight my way into a standing position.
"You Hate me! I hate me! I'm disgusting I'm gross. I fuck up everyone's day and I cry like I'm stupid all the time. I'm unreliable I'm irritating and I just came out of nowhere and you wish you never met me!" Salty murk pricks at my eyes, and a roar bubbles in my throat. I fling the Captain off, flames chasing my enemy.
"I'm leaving. Find Rukia without me,"
FwoOSH!
I burst forth in a ball of green fire, speeding past my opponent with a beckoning glare.
"Bring your ass, so I can whoop it,"
Astonishment glints in those eyes, and I barely notice the twitch in the side of his mouth.
The static-like sound of the flash step is heard behind me.
The maze walls are bleached green by my passing, luminous form, and the white ears upon my head twitch to listen for the flutes reaching a peak.
He's getting antsy.
Though I'm sure if I were to peek behind me, I wouldn't find it on his face.
I Stop, turning in my slide to face him.
"Are you done running?" he asks, and despite his steely tone I can hear the taunt in it.
Regardless of the situation, a smile spreads upon my face.
"You know you can cut it with the serious act, right? There's no one around." I gesture to the empty night. "Go head! I can tell you're a little excited," my grin welcomes the company of his own.
"Hm," he brings forth a smirk instead, placing his weapon before him. "I'm Toshiro Hitsugya, Captain of tenth squad," he introduces himself. "Now it's your turn,"
I raise a white brow.
"I'm Shiro Bokuso-chi, Nekomata," Toshiro's eyes widen.
"Nekoamta?" he breaths into the night, and I inhale it.
"That's right. You stand accomplished among Soul reapers and have vanquished many a Hollow." I raise my Daggers and fill them with my energy till they burst into fans of metal.
"Let's see how you do against a demon,"
Clck! Clck!Fwoosh!Ssssss
I ignite, and challenge him with green fire but he answers with blue Ice.
"It'll take more than that to bring me down," his eyes glimmer with excitement.
"Well... alright then." I rush him, but he meets me. My height and weight gain me no advantages, but I expected that. He's a captain after all.
I hear his bamboo flute hasten in pace, fluttering in sync with his kicks and clipping with his punches. The notes even curve with the swing of his blade. His body conducts the wood instrument into a fierce battle cry.
We throw each other.
Like choreography, we curl our bodies and catch ourselves, marking up the ground like a studio floor.
We breathe.
Our bodies heating up the night, but no sweat falls and no muscles ache. No. It's far too early for that.
I pounce, slipping past his blade and tangling his arms to a stop, The power of my legs strike at his core, lifting him, but he swallows the pain and slides up my thighs, encasing my waist and forcing us to the ground.
It's my air that's stolen; He raises his blade for deadly blow, but I find my lunges and roar in his face.
On the ground we dirty ourselves and struggle. The dragon in his soul demands respect and fear, but cats recognize no masters and bow to no one.
Neither of us have climbed back to our feet, even after we've separated. I fling flames but he kills them between us.
I attempt to best him but he wont be bested, He attempts to conquer me but I can't be taken.
I dig deep within me, remembering those taunting dreams, the boy I attacked, the people that avoided me, the friends I'm currently failing. I reach deep into the recesses of my soul and pull the mucked up pieces of emotional trauma and relive each one in my mind.
I howl to the heavens, but it dies into a screaming sob. Powerful tears race down my face as I level my gaze. Flames ignite the air, reaching to drag the captain before me down to the deepest depths of hell, but he brandishes his sword with defiance.
he shouts his objections, and freezes over. My enemy merges with the ancient beast in his spirit, adapting their flight and tail. But they're incomplete, there is no flesh! only more ice
And Ice can be melted!
Burn! He's going to Burn!
I detonate once again, but this time he's eager to greet me, cutting through dense flames to get to my fiery core. It's me who rises to the challenge, spacing out my legs to bare the weight, and we bellow into each other's contorted features, daring the other to make a move.
Our blades meet, but no ground is gained. wind around us kicks up to force him forward, but I won't have it.
Water and steam shoot off like fire crackers but that doesn't stop us. Then the slick ground betrays me and I glare like the demon I am.
I will not be bested!
I pound his face.
I will not be frozen!
I bite deep into chilled wing.
I will not lose!
I palm his head, forcing his momentum into the ground and he splets into the thick mud.
I drop onto him like a bolder, but he chokes me with his legs.
Clawing does nothing and struggling makes my vision fade quicker. My head dips but I snap up, taking hold on his body and elevating him, before slamming him back down in the sloppy mess, a hearty laugh in my throat.
He regains his breaths and chuckles, shifting to slice my thigh and ram into it.
Blood merges with sloppy sludge, Fan and sword argue, and our foreheads are pressed tight together as we giggle like mad men. He grants me passage only to nail me in the stomach with deceptive strength and I'm almost certain I puked.
Crushing his body into the earth, his added appendages shatter, but it matters not.
Our breaths are fought for, and for the first time in what seems like hours, the fighting stops. His flute has been soothed to a lullaby-esk melody.
And yet we're still finding time to laugh between our laborious inhales.
I smirk to him as he lays in the earthy liquid. he has his arm thrown over his eyes and the largest grin I've ever seen on his lips, But I can't judge, I'm here hunched over my knees, and I'm probably showing twice as many teeth.
"Well? Are you gonna kill me?" He blesses me with a teal pupil, and I flop my wet hair around.
"Nah man, I was never gonna do that," I assure him.
"Somehow I knew that," he huffs.
"Captain!" I hear her before I see her. Her boobs proceed everything, and in abundance, man, she's got some nice hair.
"Rangiku," the beaming grin shrinks to a tiny smile on the captain's face as he addresses the subordinate.
Why am I even still here? I'm too injured to take on another high ranking reaper, and I have no idea what her ranking is. I turn to do a pitiful limp from the scene. Geeze, I had hoped to leave my first real fight in a much cooler state. A proud stride or something.
Anything but a limp.
"Halt! Ryoka!" the women challenges me,
fuck...
"Can we not? I'd much rather do this another time or something..." I find her over my shoulder. It took me forever to turn the first time, I'm not turning back around. Though, even this position isn't helping much, if anything, it's just alarming me of my sore abs and possible bruised ribs.
Shit. Even my shoulder got cut. When did he do that?
"I said wait! You think you can just attack my captain, invade my home, and expect me to-""Rangiku, enough," Toshiro interrupts.
"Captain?" she turns to him. and her face says it all 'How can he stop her?' and 'Just look at him! covered in mud and burnt clothing! That's no way for any soul reaper to be looking!' and maybe a little of 'Does he really want her to let me go?'
Toshiro peels himself off the ground, and I grin. I can almost see the aches that pulse in his tendons.
At least I'm not the only one who's feeling it.
"She didn't kill me, and she wasn't planning to, much like the rest of the Ryoka. We haven't suffered a single casualty," He expresses. The bamboo flute grows fierce in my ears.
"I wanted to interact with one for myself to see if my hunch was correct, and it was," Toshiro beckons Rangiku to his aid, climbing to his feet.
"Cool, I'mma leave" I continue limping into the night.
"I don't think the Ryoka are bad, my theory is that this is stemming from deep inside of the Seireitei." Toshiro continues to hypothesize as I make my way into the shadows.
"Hey!" I stop, glancing back at the sparing partner. He has something in his hand it seems, and with the flick of his wrist, it's propelling for me.
My cat irises hone in on the structure, determining it's docile nature before I catch it.
In the dark I can see it perfectly; it's a healing kit. Awesome, I could really use this,
"Thanks," I nod once before finally exiting their range.
Scurrying along the shadows, I find a empty place to bunk.
Thank goodness.
Now, let's see what goodies they have here.
...
Oh! They got creams for soothing muscles and for getting the bleeding to stop. I honestly don't know what I'm doing, but I think if I just wrap the bandages around me tight enough, without cutting off my circulation, it should be fine?
Or not.
Whatever.
Nah I should be fine.
My robe and waist garment are shed like a second skin, and I relax in their absence. I fold them over my arm and smack at the dirt and mud on it, and surprisingly it comes clean.
Huh.
I guess Urahara was right.
A sigh leaves me as I slap the grossness from my being. It's coming off, but I can't seem to avoid hitting the bruises, Once clean, I finish dressing my wounds.
Ok, I am no longer dying, I think, so now what?
grrrrrrr
Welp, if you say so tummy.
Peering over at the bento box Urahara gave me, I pull on the Obi to bring it closer.
Man I hope I don't get found, because I will abandon the shit out this kimono if I need to.
Fuck this Kimono.
Thnk!
My body seizes up. Why did the top drop so loudly!?
I listen carefully but hear nothing but distant orchestras.
"Oh! I can still hear Sado! that's good, and it sounds like he's alone." my heart flutters.
The confirmation of well being seems to relax my tense muscle. Dang, I didn't realize how worried I was.
I pick at the rice and sushi, my tail thumps happily at the flavor of raw fish and I hush it. How dare this fury noodle give me away...
Ok. Bed time.
Pulling the traditional dress upon me is the only comfort I get. But I'll settle for it.
Ok...
now...
to just...
fall...
asleep..
.
.
.
..
~X~
Haughty strings pluck loudly in my ear and I jerk awake as the door caves.
"Shit" I hop up.
Oh thank goodness there's barely any soreness!
I barely See the flutter of black shihaksho before I stay true to my word, damning the kimono and my enemy's sight to make a quick escape.
"There she is!"
Shit! There's more!
A hand encases my ankle, dragging me down to his level and I can't seem to stop cussisng.
A/N: Thanks for reading! Comment if you feel like it :D
