Chapter 9: A Matter of Respect
Hueco Mundo
Within a particular cave in Hueco Mundo, White slumbers peacefully—a rare occurrence considering nearly every hollow in Hueco Mundo is after him. Gradually, his dreams feed him memories of his life—faces of two human girls show up in his mind.
"Those are… my sisters!", he concludes as the scope of the dream widens to show the two sitting on a couch watching some television program where some kid with a ball cap is running around with a yellow rat.
But that isn't of concern to White as he tries to focus on listening to the girls, one of which, with light blonde hair, is paying particular attention to the TV program. However, he is unable to hear anything in this dreamlike state, let alone the girl's voices. He focuses some more, trying to read their lips but starts to feel a pain in his chest that forces the dream to end.
Snapping back to the reality, White feels something slithering along his body. His eyes shoot open just in time to realize a large bony centipede-like Adjucha has wrapped itself around him. The centipede is alarmed by White's awakening and instantly tries to constrict him. However, White effortlessly breaks free of the creature before a scorpion Adjucha bursts from the ground. It tries grabbing him with its claws, and quickly follows up with a stinger attack. White's tail wraps around the scorpion's at the last second, preventing entry of the stinger as his front legs easily overpower the scorpion's claws. He tosses both insect-like Adjuchas aside with ease and distances himself to the cave entrance, where he can see them better.
He examines the two Adjuchas curiously. Though they resemble insects, they have almost human female shaped torsos near their fronts. The centipede Adjucha's legs are similar to bladed spikes, and she also seems to possess two large tentacle-like appendages for arms. The scorpion Adjucha has scorpion claws which sprout out from the shoulders on her human torso. Their masks are identical, which is quite the unusual occurrence in Hueco Mundo.
White couldn't help but admire their appearance, "These two would be quite intimidating to other, lesser Adjuchas… But not me!"
The centipede Adjucha speaks first, "Damn, he woke up… you should have been ready Menoly."
"Easier said than done, Loly. I wasn't expecting him to react that fast.", the scorpion replies.
"There's no excuse sister… our ambushes never fail. You hesitated!", the centipede shouts at her companion.
The scorpion examines the dragon more carefully, gulping after making a realization, "Wait… that's not just any dragon Adjucha! Do you see the orange hair?! That's White!"
"What?! Don't be ridiculous! I'm sure there are plenty of dragon Adjuchas with orange hair… plus if this is White, we would be dead already!", her companion shoots back, in denial.
Normally, White would have simply killed them both without mercy and went back to sleep, but something about these two seems promising to him.
White decides to interrupt their argument, "Actually, my name is White…"
A momentary silence befalls the two Adjuchas.
"Oh shit…" Menoly says worriedly.
"We're screwed then!" Loly says as her eyes widen in fear.
White sighs at their behavior, "Am I really that infamous?"
"Are you kidding me?! Everyone in Hueco Mundo has heard about you by now—the orange haired dragon Adjucha who mercilessly kills any hollow he comes across—so fearsome that he managed to wound Barragan!", Loly shouts in utter disbelief of White's lack of self-awareness.
This causes White to snort carelessly, "Whatever… I'm leaving."
"So, wait! You're not going to kill us?" Menoly asks, surprised.
The dragon briefly glances back, "I can if you want me to… I mean, you did just try to kill me."
"We're sorry… please don't kill us, White! We don't like King Barragan either!" Menoly tries to justify.
Menoly's companion seems annoyed by her quick submissiveness and huffs, "Don't kiss his ass, Menoly. He'll probably just kill us anyway."
White turns around, fully facing the two, "So, you two don't like that wanker Barragan either, huh? Why's that?"
Loly scoffs at the question, "What kind of stupid question is that? You clearly haven't been here long if you don't know what kind of ruler he is."
"If his terrible personality is anything to go off of, I would assume I do know…", White muses.
Loly taunts, "So why aren't you trying to kill us?"
This causes her companion's eyes to widen in concern, "Loly! Don't antagonize him!"
White merely shrugs, "You're both too weak… eating you wouldn't really get me closer to becoming a Vasto Lorde… or ridding myself of this pain in the ass."
White gestures to the constantly deteriorating wound on his chest. Loly ignores him, taking issue with the first half of that statement.
"Why you!", Loly prepares to lunge at the dragon, but her companion holds her back.
"Wise choice… uh, 'Menoly'? If your sister had gotten any closer, I'm afraid I'd have gone feral and killed you both. The insufferable pain I feel from this wound does have a tendency to bring my bloodlust out…"
"Um… thank you, master White!", the scorpion begins performing bowing motions.
Both White and Loly become confused at this.
"The hell?", they say simultaneously, which causes them to look at each other briefly before both of them snort and look away.
Before White leaves, Menoly tells him one last thing, "Thank you for your mercy master White, we will be rooting for your success in becoming a Vasto Lorde!"
White glances back at the two, "Yeah. Maybe I'll come back and visit you two again one day…"
The dragon then spreads its wings and takes off, in search of worthy prey.
Menoly turns around and starts scolding Loly, "You idiot! I can't believe you're my sister! What were you doing trying to provoke him like that?! He took on Barragan and he isn't even a Vasto Lorde!"
Loly replies, carelessly, "So what? Just because he's strong doesn't mean we have to kiss his ass, Menoly. Plus, I don't really think he's as strong as the rumors say he is. Otherwise, he'd have succeeded in defeating Barragan."
Menoly sighs, "If you say so…"
Kurosaki Clinic
Yuzu wakes early in the morning, as usual, and heads to the kitchen to fix breakfast for her, Ryuken, and Isshin. Near the sink, however, she finds a note in her father's handwriting, picking it up and reading it.
"Hey kiddo! Looks like you already got in touch with Ryuken! He's a family friend who grew up with your mother. Of course, it wasn't easy convincing him to let me marry her—he also recognized Masaki's loveliness! I know he'll take good care of you!
On that note, it tears me apart that I'm so busy and can't be there for you right now, but duty calls!
Karin's exchange program and business is keeping me busy, but I'll be back home as soon as I can—I promise you that.
If you need support or someone to talk to, please turn to Ryuken while I'm away. I know he's a little rough around the edges, but trust me, he genuinely does care about those he considers family. I'll be home as soon as I can.
Love, Dad."
"Oh daddy… I wish you were here right now; I don't know what to do…!", the girl murmurs to herself, strongly wanting to run into her dad's arms and see those dumb goofy expressions on his face.
She wipes some tears from her eyes as she hears a knock on the door.
Yuzu perks up, "That must be uncle Ryuken…"
Suddenly, it feels like someone took a knife to her stomach as she recalls the conversation she had with the Quincy women last night—more specifically, her experience with Bambietta.
"I… really don't like her… I want to learn my Quincy powers, and while Ms. Cand—I mean, Candice seems like a kind person, Ms. Bambietta is scary… I don't want it to be her who teaches me…" Yuzu states, sullenly as she paces about the room nervously.
Another knock prompts Yuzu to head to open the door, not particularly looking forward to the conversation with Ryuken.
"Please say you'll train me…", Yuzu thinks, as she finally opens the door.
Upon opening the door, Yuzu is confused to find no one on the other side.
The girl frowns, "I'm not in the mood for pranks—"
Yuzu stops herself as she sees Ryuken's car pull up to the front gates. The man promptly gets out and approaches her. "Good morning, my niece. Have you eaten breakfast yet?"
Yuzu shakes her head, "Actually I was starting to cook it just now."
Ryuken adjusts his glasses, "I see… may I come in?"
Yuzu nods with a polite smile, "Of course."
Ryuken pauses, glancing at a building across the street.
Yuzu looks at the man with a worried expression, "Is something wrong?"
Ryuken once more adjusts his glasses, "No. Thank you for letting me inside your home."
On the roof of the building across the street, a silhouette appears that watches the two enter the Clinic.
Ten Minutes Later
Yuzu and Ryuken quietly eat their food for what feels like an eternity to the young girl, who pokes anxiously at grilled fish she had prepared.
Ryuken, after swallowing a piece of the fish, states, "You're cooking is quite good, considering how young you are. I daresay my servants have less skill for it than you do."
The girl continues to poke her fish with a downcast expression, "Thank you… It's just something for me to do… Dad and Ichigo can't cook and Karin refuses to learn…"
Ryuken narrows his eyes, observing his niece's behavior for another moment, before addressing her seriously, "Something happened yesterday. Something bad. Tell me."
Yuzu perks up at this, her eyes widening at being found out, "How did you-?"
"You're bad at hiding your emotions. That is something you share with both of your parents.", Ryuken states matter-of-factly.
Yuzu shifts nervously, biting her lip.
Ryuken elaborates, "No need to tell me about what you did with your friends yesterday or other menial details. If there is something troubling you, it is now my responsibility to ensure it is no longer an issue."
Yuzu lets out some tears as she begins to break down and cry, placing her face in her hands while weeping out incomprehensible statements.
Ryuken's eyes widen, "Please calm down, Yuzu! I can't understand you as you are right now."
Ryuken's plea proves ineffective, prompting the man to shift over and awkwardly embrace the girl due to the table separating them.
Yuzu weeps for a few more moments as Ryuken's silence and embrace cause her to start to think straight.
"Are you ready to explain this to me now, properly?" Ryuken asks.
Yuzu's eyes widen, recalling Bambietta saying something similar, albeit in a completely different context, last night.
The girl breaks the embrace, stiffening a bit. Ryuken looks at her with concern in his gaze.
Yuzu wipes her tears, "I think so…"
Ryuken nods, "Whenever you're ready."
Yuzu nods, "Well you see…"
Ryuken clutches his fist as Yuzu concludes her explanation, his eyes containing a cold rage.
Ryuken eyes his niece, who still very much appears troubled, "So you're saying they touched you…?"
Yuzu nods, "Yes… I was hoping you'd start to teach—"
"Unacceptable. For those devils to even so much as look at you is unacceptable. If they don't like me, fine! But you have nothing to do with this!", Ryuken slams his fist on the table, starting to lose his composure.
Yuzu hesitates, seeing the rage leaking out of Ryuken's features, "Are you proud to be a Quincy?"
"Of course not.", Ryuken answers immediately.
Yuzu lets out a light gasp, which the man takes as an invitation to elaborate. "I hate being a Quincy with every fiber of my being—I lost all desire in being one the day my wife died. That's why I'm so hard on Uryu, because despite all my countless warnings of the dangers of being a Quincy, the boy, like the fool he is, still insists on being one!"
Yuzu lets out another breath, "Then why are you letting me become one?"
Ryuken sighs, beginning to calm down, "There are two reasons for that. First, unlike Uryu, you actually have a talent for the Quincy craft. I've felt your reiatsu. Your potential, as a result of your parents, far exceeds anything a normal Quincy, like myself, could ever achieve. Secondly, you are not my child—you are Masaki's, and as I told you before, I believe that Masaki would have liked at least one of her children to take after her as a Quincy, at least to some extent. Unlike myself, she took great pride in her abilities as a Quincy, as they allowed her to protect those she cares about."
This prompts Yuzu to clutch Masaki's cross in her hand and asks what she thinks is a simple question, "How come you don't think that way about your powers too? You could save a lot of people with them…"
Ryuken is silent for a while. The silence is so long that Yuzu begins to shift nervously, not liking long silences.
The man finally breaks the silence, "I once told Uryu that there wasn't any profit in being a Quincy, but I will tell you something different, as clearly you have found benefits of being one for yourself. The reason I don't view my powers in the manner your mother did is because I, like most people, am nothing but a coward. Masaki was truly special… she had the bravery to stand up against anything, no matter how strong it was."
Yuzu begins to protest, "No! Uncle, you're not a coward! You can't—"
"Don't you want to ask about your training?", the man asks, changing the topic.
Yuzu's eyes widen briefly before she nods her head, "Will you train me yourself?"
Ryuken is silent for a moment and lets out a sigh, "I made a promise to myself that I would never teach the Quincy Craft to another person unless it was a matter of life and death. Personally, I would prefer if the Quincy died out entirely."
Yuzu begins to hyperventilate a bit, "Does… does that mean I'll have to learn from the Stern—"
"Absolutely not.", Ryuken cuts her off immediately.
Yuzu attempts to protest, "But—"
"This isn't up for debate, Miss Kurosaki.", Ryuken cuts her off once more, more coldly this time.
Yuzu furrows her brow, now wearing a frown, "These past two days, I've seen all kinds of spirits in Karakura town—including a hollow."
Ryuken's eyes widen at this, "What—"
"I'm not done!", the girl cuts her uncle off, prompting him to listen with a slight scowl.
Yuzu continues, "I know that my potential is great… If I don't learn how to control myself, I'll end up putting everyone around me in danger by attracting hollows… and Shinigami."
Ryuken counters, "The Shinigami aren't a threat to you—"
"It's not about that! Just think about how many people end up being hunted, one way or another, just because they can see spirits! I refuse to allow what happened to Ichigo to happen to anyone else!", Yuzu declares, with tears of frustration falling from her eyes.
Ryuken's eyes widen at the sight before him, as the girl breathes heavily.
The man adjusts his glasses, "Those type of thoughts are the most sure-fire way to get yourself killed, girl. I won't let that happen."
Yuzu looks towns the floor, crying lightly, "Then you're just like Karin and dad… treating me like I'm just some baby who needs protected…"
Ryuken's gaze softens by a degree, as the man observes her in silence for a about a minute.
The man lets out a sigh, "I'll explain why you are not to associate with the Sternritter."
This garners the girl's attention, as she wipes the tears from her face, "I mentioned I would never teach the Quincy Craft unless it was a matter of life and death—well it certainly is, however, I assure you YOUR life is not the one in peril."
Yuzu blinks, "What do you mean? Whose life is in danger?"
Ryuken adjusts his glasses, "I told you I didn't agree with this 'Wandenrecih' because they are too revolutionary for me. That much is true, however, there are other reasons I disapprove of them. Think about who it was that found you—who would've been the one who reported your existence to the higher ups. If the organization wants you as a member and they sent this person back to train you, don't you think that there is a high probability that their life depends on whether they return with you battle ready as one of their Quincy?"
Yuzu's eyes widen, somehow this news being even worse than her own life depending on her training.
"You don't mean…", Yuzu trails off.
"Indeed," her uncle states. "Candice Catnipp's life is in your hands, my niece."
Yuzu stumbles, as the full weight of the meaning behind Candice's words from the previous night start setting in. "She told me I'm free to do as I please when her life depends on it… why?"
The girl's thoughts are interrupted by the sound of Ryuken raising his voice, "I won't allow you to be part of such an organization that treats their subordinates in that manner. Do you understand?"
Yuzu nods slowly.
Ryuken sighs, "Good."
The man turns, looking at his wristwatch, before picking up the dishes, "Finish getting ready for school. I'll handle the dishes. We'll leave in 3 minutes."
Yuzu dejectedly goes to pack her bag for school, unable to shake thoughts involving the Quincy woman from her mind.
Xcution Hideout, Karakura Town
Ginjo is sitting at the bar of the Xcution hideout, thoroughly enjoying some liquor when there is a knock on the door matching their secret code.
Giriko, who was sweeping the floor behind Ginjo, nods to the man, walking towards the door with great enthusiasm, "I'll answer the door, sir. Our guest is right on time."
Giriko opens the door, letting a tall man with long dark hair wearing a white shirt and black suspenders enter. The man has a scar above his left eye, which is currently hidden by a book he is reading. The man closes the book abruptly and slips a bookmark in between the pages once Giriko redoes all of the locks.
Ginjo addresses the man nonchalantly, "Well would you look what the dog dug up?"
The tall man snickers, correcting Ginjo, "Oh Kugo, I believe you meant to say, 'would you look what the cat dragged in?' Truly, you should familiarize yourself better with the sayings nowadays."
Ginjo shrugs, "I don't care about the sayings, Shukuro, I want to know why you are here!"
"Shouldn't that be obvious? I thought we were planning on developing and then stealing the Kurosaki girl's Fullbring and using it against the Shinigami. All of the sudden, I get a call from you late last night saying that plans have changed without explanation."
Ginjo takes a swig of his liquor, "I didn't think you ever needed explanations from me, Shukuro."
The man, known as Shukuro Tsukishima, shifts about a bit nervously. "Of course, I don't require an explanation from you. Never. I will follow you without question. I'm just curious what led to the sudden change in plans."
Ginjo sighs, "There are a couple of reasons for that… It might be too dangerous for me to try and absorb a Fullbring so closely related to Quincy abilities. I doubt Quincy reiatsu mixes well with Shinigami and hollow reiatsu…"
Ginjo takes another sip before continuing, "Another, much more important, reason is that kid sitting over there."
Ginjo then points to the corner of the room where Yukio is sitting on the sofa, playing his video game.
Tsukishima raises a brow, "I don't follow. How is Yukio involved in this?"
"Well, he wasn't… until after the girl left yesterday. As soon as her and Chad left, he was on me like a hawk, begging me to let the girl keep her powers and that we can find another way. It was quite precious."
Tsukishima still has a confused look for a moment before his face relaxes into a smile. "Ah, so Yukio has found a girlfriend. That is precious indeed."
Yukio overhears this from the other side of the room, pausing his game and shouting at Tsukishima, "She's NOT my girlfriend! I just met her yesterday!"
This causes the two men to chuckle, Tsukishima correcting himself, "My apologies, I meant to say, 'Yukio is crushing on her'!"
This causes Yukio to get even more flustered about it.
Riruka, who is still fixing her Dollhouse from last night, states in an uncharacteristically casual tone, "Just ignore them, Yukio."
Yukio's eyes widen, about to thank her, but is cutoff by what she says next, fully facing the boy with a proud smile on her face.
Riruka gives the boy a thumbs up, "I'm so glad you were able to find your sweetheart so young! It's adorable!"
This causes the boy to groan in embarrassment, hiding his tomato red face under his hat and within his jacket.
"Well, this visit sure has been entertaining… Is Jackie around by chance? I'd like to see her before I go.", Tsukishima states casually.
Ginjo shrugs, "You know Jackie. She likes to keep to herself."
Tsukishima nods, "A shame, but I really should be going now."
"Yeah, see ya later." Ginjo responds as Tsukishima turns to leave.
Karakura Elementary School
Yuzu was showered with sympathy from everyone at school as soon as she got there, most of all from her friend, Midoriko Tono. However, the girl's thoughts were too occupied by what her uncle told her earlier. Even by the time the class was having lunch, her thoughts interrupted by Midoriko calling her name.
Yuzu regards her friend, "What?"
Midoriko looks at he classmate in concern, "That's the tenth time I said your name… Are you feeling alright, Yuzu?"
Yuzu nods, "I'm fine, I just have a lot on my mine."
Midoriko nods slowly, feeling a bit guilty, "That makes sense I guess…"
The two sit and eat their lunch quietly for another moment.
Midoriko grabs Yuzu's attention once more, "So what kind of exchange program did Karin get into? I'm pretty sure the whole class wants to know…"
Yuzu carelessly answers, "She's going to be an undead samurai…"
Midoriko gawks at Yuzu, who is now alarmed, having just realized what she said.
The blonde girl scrambles to come up with an explanation, "That's the name of some western band our dad is into, I think! The two of them are going there together! They didn't really tell me much…"
Midoriko nods, "Oh, ok! For a second I thought you meant that in a literal sense! That'd be crazy!"
Yuzu wears a neutral expression as she watches her friend giggle for a few moments.
Yuzu's expression tilts to the ground slightly as she clutches something in her pocket, "Yeah… that'd be impossible…"
Kurosaki Clinic
After school, Yuzu is dropped off at the Kurosaki Clinic by Midoriko's parents.
Midoriko waves to the girl as she walks off alongside her parents, "I'll see you tomorrow, Yuzu!"
Yuzu gives a soft smile as she waves back. As soon as Midoriko's family is out of sight, Yuzu pulls a slip of paper out of her pocket.
The girl thinks to herself, "Uncle won't be happy about this… but I have to do this!"
Yuzu follows the directions on the paper Candice handed her last night, leading her to a door on the second floor of an apartment building near the Clinic.
"This should be the place…" Yuzu states to herself.
Yuzu balls her hand into a fist, lost in thoughts, "I know I wanted this, but I'm still intimidated by Ms. Bambietta… but still, someone else's life is on the line! I can't just stand by and let them be killed because of me! Even if there's a chance they won't be..."
Yuzu states with finality, "Yes, it's what mom would do…"
The girl proceeds to ring the doorbell. She can hear some clanging and some shuffling around from inside before the locks on the door are undone. As the door opens, empty beer cans come rolling out, as Yuzu is face to face with Candice, who looks like she hasn't gotten much sleep, as there are dark rings under her eyes.
The woman's eyes widen slightly in recognition of the girl before they relax again. "Nah, I must be super hung over and hallucinating. No way would that girl want to learn from us…"
Candice is about to shut the door, but Yuzu grabs it, stopping her. "No, I'm really here Ms. Can—I mean, Candice. I want to learn the Quincy Craft from you."
Candice looks at the girl again, as if a light has returned to her eyes, "Are you sure? I mean Bambi—"
"What about me Candy?", the voice came from right behind Yuzu, causing her to tense up and freeze.
Candice shrugs, "Nothing. Did ya get the fruit juice and honey?"
Bambietta nods, "Yeah, but between all the beer you bought last night and the downpayment for the apartment, you're coming up negative."
Candice shrugs carelessly again, "Whatever… that's what I have you for isn't it?"
Bambietta scoffs at her peer's financial irresponsibility before finally acknowledging the girl standing in front of the door. "Well, look who decided to come after all! Can't say I recognized you in that schoolgirl getup, but regardless it's nice to see you've decided to join our side of the Quincy hierarchy!"
Bambietta proceeds to pat Yuzu on the head, which makes the girl flinch.
The black-haired woman chuckles, "Good obedient girls like you deserve a treat. Oh, I know! How's ice cream sound? Kids love ice cream, right?"
Yuzu normally would be down for something like that, but as with everything with Bambietta, Yuzu feels squarely uncomfortable.
Bambietta notices Yuzu's unease, "Why the long face, girl? I'm just offering you a reward… so you'd best speak up, it's the polite thing to do." Bambietta clutches Yuzu's hair again making her yelp lightly.
Candice looks like she is about to intervene but stops when Yuzu turns and looks Bambietta in the eyes with resolve, "I'd rather you teach me how to fight."
Bambietta's eyes widen at this before softening. She lets go of Yuzu's hair and starts wearing one of her smug smiles.
"Seems like a fire has awakened in you girl—that's good. Because you'll need it to survive training with me!" Bambietta turns towards her colleague, "And in his majesty's name, would you get your shit together woman?! Your girl has come back to learn from us, you should be jumping for joy, with lightning crackling throughout the sky but all I see is a sad, drunken mess!"
Candice snarls at Bambietta, "You want lightning? I'll show you lightn—AAgghghuu"
Candice pukes on the floor right next to Yuzu, causing the girl to look down at the vomit with a horrified expression.
"I rest my case." Bambietta states with a nod, before shifting to a thoughtful expression. "I'll take care of training her today. You focus on getting yourself cleaned up. I want the apartment cleared of your beer bottles by the time we return or I'm kicking your freeloading-ass to the curb!"
"Why you—" Candice starts to counter but is unable to finish her sentence as she feels more vomit coming, holding her hand over her mouth.
Bambietta turns to Yuzu, "Come with me, girl. We're heading out of town for today's training. The Shinigami don't usually focus on unpopulated areas, so we should be fine to do some basic training out there."
"I understand.", the girl states.
Yuzu follows the woman to the stairwell, pausing at the top to glance back at Candice once more before following Bambietta down the stairs.
A distance away from the apartment, Chad observes Yuzu following a woman he doesn't recognize.
"Yuzu said we would meet up after school, but she's walked to that apartment and is following some stranger…It's not like her to lie, is it? Just what is going on?" Chad thinks to himself.
He stands still for another moment before stating, "She doesn't look like she's in danger… This might not be my business, but I ought to get Ginjo's help in case this is trouble."
Chad turns and runs down the road towards the Xcution hideout.
Karakura Outskirts
After about an hour of walking through the forests outside Karakura, Bambietta stops in the middle of a clearing.
The woman regards Yuzu with a bored expression, "This should be far enough away from the Shinigami's gaze… ok Yui, show me what you've got."
Yuzu huffs and pants as the distance of trek here and the many up-hills without any breaks did a lot to wear her out.
The girl looks up at the woman, confused, "Huh? But we just got here… I need a break… also, my name is Yuzu not Yui."
Bambietta shrugs, "Well I asked Candy last night if Yui would be a cute nickname for you and she agreed to it."
Yuzu stares at the woman blankly, sweat dropping as she mutters between her breathes, "That's probably because she was drunk…"
Bambietta eyes Yuzu, "What was that?"
The girl waves her hands defensively, "N-nothing bad! I just think you probably should wait to give me that nickname until I'm a proper member of your group…"
It's Bambietta's turn to look unconvinced, "Really?"
Yuzu starts sweating nervously before Bambietta shrugs, "Well, fair enough, I guess. But Yui, dear, you still have to show me what power you currently have. Please understand that the Shinigami are more active at night, so we're on the clock here."
Yuzu still has her hands on her knees, "But I need water—"
The girl suddenly finds herself doubling over in pain as the Quincy woman knees her in the gut. The girl yelps as tears fill her eyes at the pain as the woman glares down coldly at her. "Your reaction speed sucks, we ought to work on your defense."
Yuzu is still crying from the pain, trying to get up off the ground.
Bambietta rolls her eyes at the seemingly pathetic display, "I thought you said you wanted to learn how to fight, but you can't even take a kick from me! I wasn't even using any reiatsu! Talk about pathetic!"
"Why are you being so mean to me?! What'd I ever do to you?!" Yuzu asks, wiping the tears out of her eyes as she finally manages to get to her feet.
Bambietta wears a cold expression as she addresses the girl's question, "Exist."
"Huh?!", Yuzu gasps, completely confused.
Bambietta snorts at the girl's confusion, "Oh, don't pretend you don't know, Yuzu Kurosaki. I listened in on your conversation you had with Ryuken Ishida this morning to ensure you made the correct decision."
Yuzu's expression turns to one of dread, somehow becoming even more terrified of the woman in front of her than she already was.
Bambietta takes this as an opportunity to walk up to the girl, lifting her chin up with her hand as she speaks in her ear, "I might not seem it, but I am very protective of my friends, Miss Kurosaki. That said, if you chose not to train with us, that would only leave me with one choice—abduct you and force you to awaken your hidden potential. I refuse to let one of my closest friends and one of the most powerful Quincy in existence be tossed aside like garbage because some sniveling little girl refuses to awaken her power! Now, either you show me what you know right now, or your 'break' will be a something a little more literal."
Bambietta grasps Yuzu's right shoulder, beginning to clutch down on it harder than she did even the night before.
"Are we at an understanding?", the woman asks, with a cold look in her eyes.
"Y-yes Ma'am." Yuzu manages to respond with a quick nod.
Bambietta lets out a sigh, the look fading from her face as she releases Yuzu's shoulder.
Yuzu proceeds to demonstrate what little control she has over her powers by shooting red reishi arrows at a tree, although they completely missed their target. Yuzu expected Bambietta to be berating her for her horrid aim, but instead she hears the woman gasp.
The girl is even more concerned by this, her face wearing a worried expression, "Did I do something wrong?"
Bambietta breaks out of her momentary shock and shakes her head, "Besides having perhaps the worst aim I've ever seen? No…"
The woman investigates Yuzu's bow, "Have your bow and arrows always been this color? Candice didn't mention this… why do I feel traces of hollow energy? That should be impossible..."
Yuzu chooses to answer the first question, "Well, I guess my arrows were blue when I first activated my Quincy powers in the cemetery where I met Candice. My arrows turned red yesterday when I…"
Yuzu pauses, prompting Bambietta to narrow her eyes and ask, "When you what?"
Yuzu considers her next words carefully, before settling on a half-truth, "…after I had a life and death encounter with a hollow."
Bambietta hums and ponders to herself, "Non-blue reishi arrows are not unheard of among the Sternritter but are still rare. And the fact that she is emitting hollow reiatsu from her arrows is particularly troubling—she should be becoming a hollow right now! …perhaps this has something to do with what the emperor sees in this girl..."
Yuzu looks at the woman, nervously awaiting her next words.
Bambietta takes notice of this, "Relax. What color your arrows are doesn't matter too much. But I will have to instruct you on how to control your reishi better… as well as in marksmanship, apparently. Let's start with those."
After about an hour of explanations by Bambietta and practice of reishi control techniques on Yuzu's part, Bambietta was impressed to find that the girl had a near insane level of talent for reishi control that she was staring to expect is unnatural, especially after the girl's arrows suddenly turned back to blue, and she stopped emitting hollow reiatsu about 30 minutes in. Her marksmanship was still desperately lacking, but that would improve with time and practice.
Bambietta, satisfied with Yuzu's offensive progress, calls out to the girl, "Alright, you can put the bow away now, we're done with that for today."
Yuzu does as she is told, curiously awaiting further instructions from the older Quincy.
Bambietta explains, "Now, as I said before, your defense sucks too. So, your next lesson will be Blut Vene."
Yuzu tilts her head, struggling to pronounce the term correctly; "'Blut Vene'?"
Bambietta nods, "Yes, it is the primary method of defense for any Quincy. Observe."
Bambietta rolls up the sleeve of her suit revealing her bare arm. Shortly after, blue lines of light flash across her skin as the woman pulls a knife out of her jacket pocket and jams it in her arm, causing a crunching sound. Yuzu looks away, not particularly wanting to witness the woman cut her arm open.
Bambietta scoffs, "Oh please, you really think I would cut my arm open after going through the whole explanation of a Quincy's best defense? Look here, the knife hasn't even punctured me."
Yuzu looks at the woman and gasps in shock, seeing the blade of the knife smashed completely, the metal having buckled in on itself leaving what's left of the knife a crumbled slab of metal, not unlike crushed soda cans.
"Woah! How can you do that?!" Yuzu asks with stars in her eyes.
Bambietta huffs, "It's super simple. You just focus reishi through your blood vessels, hence the term Blut Vene, which greatly enhances your defensive abilities against any type of attack—physical or spiritual."
Yuzu nods excitedly, "Alright! I think I'll give it a try!"
Bambietta scoffs, "While it may be a fairly simple technique, no one is bound to get it on their first try. Even I took four—"
"I think I've done it!", the girl squeals in delight as blue lines appear on her skin.
Yuzu tries to bite down on her arm but squeals in pain. "My teeth! I thought you said this ability was defensive?!"
Bambietta sweat drops, "Well, a good defense is the best offense, so they say…"
Yuzu nods before giving Bambietta a big smile, "So, this only took you four tries to learn without any help? You must be a genius in the Quincy Craft, Ms. Bambietta!"
"Uh sure, yeah… Let's go with that." The woman gives the girl a nervous, crooked smile. "I can't let her know I was actually about to say fourteen tries! Defense has never been my strong suit..."
Bambietta shifts to a serious expression, "Alright. Now I want you to try using Blut on your entire body."
As Yuzu does so, Bambietta can see the lines extending down the girl's legs and up to her neck.
The black-haired Quincy takes this as her invitation to strike, attempting to land a hit on girl's midsection for the second time during the day. The girl's reaction speed was still too slow, so once Bambietta landed the hit, it sent Yuzu against the tree who closed her eyes expecting to feel a lot of pain only to feel… mild numbness.
The girl gets up, seeing Bambietta clutching her knee. "Verdamnt! This kid's Blut is strong! Where does she get it from?!"
"Are you ok?" Yuzu asks the woman, who gets up off the ground a bit more slowly than Yuzu expected she would.
Bambietta shrugs, "Just a bruise. It's my fault for underestimating your Blut by not using my own. Who'd have known a novice's Blut would be as hard as rocks… actually, scratch that, kicking you with your Blut felt like I was kicking a steel slab!"
Yuzu looks down, "Oh, uh… I'm sorry."
"Don't you ever apologize for your strength, Yui. You'll make a fine Quincy one day." Bambietta says, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder.
Yuzu looks in her eyes and at present, fails to see the predatory glare she has seen in them thus far.
Bambietta removes her hand from Yuzu's shoulder, "Now turn off you Blut. It's time for us to head back."
The woman starts to head down the hill before pausing and rummaging through her pocket. "Oh yeah, catch."
Bambietta, with her back still turned, tosses Yuzu an object. Yuzu catches the object Bambietta tossed her, finding a small-bottled water.
The woman elaborates, "You have 3 minutes to rest before we head back down. I'll be waiting up ahead."
Yuzu stares at the back of the Sterntritter woman, starting to think that she maybe isn't all that bad.