SEPTEMBER 28
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The noble with brown hair and blue eyes was frantically running.
The speed which she ran with was all in hopes to get to her allies as soon as possible because she was so far away from them. A few seconds ago, she left Grimmjow by himself after he told her the little story. She didn't even waste another second as soon as he finished. She ran off so fast that almost tripped on the sand.
She needed to find Ichigo… Rukia, anyone really. She needed to tell them the truth and be careful of the danger that had yet to fall upon them. They also needed to find Katsuko quickly now that she felt Captains from the Soul Society arrive.
There was Zaraki Kenpachi, Kuchiki Byakuya, Kurotsuchi Mayuri, and Unohana Retsu. They were here with Seventh Seat Yamada Hanatarou, Lieutenant Kotetsu Isane, and Lieutenant Kurotsuchi Nemu. It felt like Captains 11, 6, and 12 were currently engaging in battle with Espadas.
That only gave them a little more time to search for Katsuko and secure her.
We need to hurry!
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"Hm… hmmm… Hmm… hmmm~"
A jagged line was visible on the white wall. It was a trail left behind by a Zanpakuto. It kept dragging as the individual walked lazily with a playful smile. He was humming a tune, adding more severe angles with every pitch of his tune. The lines that were crooked and making zig-zags were only hints of the chaos hiding inside the Soul Reaper dressed in white.
Noctter closed his eyes and used his senses to seek every soul, every intruder in Las Noches, to get an idea of who was where.
He knew all those souls. He could easily place names on them.
For example, Kuchiki Rukia… her spiritual went down a little, but her brother was near. Zommari was most likely going to face and lose against Kuchiki Byakuya. The same could be said for Nnoitra and Szayelaporro who were facing their own Captain opponents.
Oh well.
There is always death in war.
"Streak of lights came bursting from the ground~"
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Grimmjow was up and walking seconds after Chisaki ran off to find Katsuko. Lone, he quietly walked down an empty corridor. Saving Katsuko, huh? It wasn't going to be an easy task. He knew that. It couldn't be.
He lifted his left hand to stare at his open palm.
SEPTEMBER 26 – LATE AFTERNOON
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Katsuko awoke around four hours after she was given treatment and fell asleep in Grimmjow's room. Her eyes squinted when the light attacked her eyes… (or just eye). With a hiss, she sat up fast and held up a hand to her covered eye. That muscle movement just now gave her a sharp pain, it was still kind of fresh.
It wasn't an overstatement if she were to say she felt like shit.
When she heard something rustle somewhere in the room, she flinched and whipped her head in the direction of the sound. It was Grimmjow. He was coming out of the bathroom with a bored look. He was in the middle of drying his hands with a towel.
"Oh, you're awake." He said flatly before tossing the towel on a small counter. There goes his 'time off' from his duty. He was enjoying being free from this tedious duty when he found her knocked out on the couch. She was sleeping soundly and she was practically dead to the world with how she didn't react to even the loudest noise he made to close the door behind him, and when he had non-ranked Arrancars come in to sweep up his room and clean the blood that Loly spilled. She was twitching in her sleep, jolting lightly sometimes while mumbling names. But that was it. She was really deaf to everything but the dream she was having.
Ulquiorra, who was usually in charge of giving him orders handed down by Aizen, had postponed her feeding time until she awoke. Aizen's orders. Now that she was awake, the job fell onto him. What a damn chore.
Katsuko relaxed when she saw that it was just him. She was safe, kind of. Her hand fell on the couch and she leaned her side against it, lazily staring at him with a half-lidded eye. But that soon ended when she closed her eye and tilted her head down, still lethargic from her sleep.
After waking and returning to the real world, she already felt exhausted. It was hitting her fast. If sleep brought her peace, maybe it was best to just sleep some more. It was better than dealing with life right now.
And she could forget about the obvious sound her stomach made.
Why was hunger a thing? She didn't need this right now.
A sigh escaped her while he let herself go limp and fall back on the couch. Yeah. Just forgetting about everything and going back to sleep seemed like a much better idea. Screw Las Noches. Screw Aizen. Screw those jealous butthurt Arrancars. Screw her eye. Just…
This all sucks.
I hate it.
Screw everything.
But alas, things don't always go the way she wanted them to.
Presently, she was seated at one of the many tables inside what looked like a dining hall… A dining hall belonging to a research facility somewhere in Area 51. It was so freaking white with some splashes of gray here and there. Grimmjow had her get out of the room to go eat something since she missed it. That explained why she was seated at one of the many tables while Grimmjow sat in front of her, chewing on some Hueco Mundo meat or something. It looked like he was enjoying it from the way he just continued chewing those white sticks that looked a lot like beef jerky.
As for her? Same old white weed. Plain as she liked it. No need for any special Hollow seasoning that might contain human souls.
Bored, she watched him eat while ignoring the Arrancars that were coming in and out of the dining hall to grab something to eat. She and Grimmjow were seated in the middle, near the grand windows that showed a blue sky. That was something she didn't bother understanding. The sky was black on some sides of the fortress but on the opposite sides, it was blue like the one she was familiar with.
But anyway, with the way they were sitting, it didn't even look like she was his ward. They looked like two individuals just eating away and minding their own business while probably talking about the weather. And with how she didn't make an effort to escape again so far, it certainly cemented that image.
"What?" Okay. Now he was tired of it.
Katsuko lazily looked at him, head tilted slightly. "Hm?"
"Why do you keep ogling me?"
Might as well just ask.
"… Is that a Hueco Mundo hot dog or something?"
"Again with the food." Grimmjow mumbled before chomping on his food. Can't she just nibble away at her white weeds without asking about something mundane? "It's food. And what is a hot dog?"
Katsuko put down her fork and started gesturing to form a hot with her index fingers tracing the air. "It's… like that and I think… it's made of intestines? Can be a snack sometimes. It's… a popular food, I guess."
"You eat intestines?" Grimmjow quirked a brow. Sure, Hollows ate Hollows to survive and grow stronger, but hearing that some purposely chose to eat intestines made him frown. That just painted a picture in his mind that he could only associate with psychopaths.
And they say Hollows were the monsters.
Katsuko could already see a pointless discussion if she tried to defend hot dogs…
Forget it.
Katsuko continued nibbling away on another white grass. She couldn't explain the flavours bursting on her tongue right now. But it was good enough to temporarily sweep away the depressive thoughts she was having about herself. Grimmjow watched her eat thoughtfully. A few hours ago, she had a creeping despair on her face and became quieter (as if she wasn't already quiet), but not anymore. He could still see it though. It just wasn't as prominent as earlier. That nap must have calmed her down somewhat.
"You didn't answer me last time." Katsuko reminded him, munching on her grass. "Your arm… it's gone."
She could almost feel his mood suddenly turn sour. Okay, so maybe talking about it wasn't going to make things fun. Was she going to stop talking? Maybe not. He could hurt her for talking about it, but he couldn't kill her. She had Aizen's oh-divine-protection after all.
"Was it because of that night?"
Grimmjow scowled at her, dropping his stick on his plate. "Why does it matter to you?"
Katsuko shrugged. "I guess… I'm just curious."
"And that kills you if you dig too deep."
"Fine." Katsuko sighed and lifted her hand to set her cheek on it as she continued eating the rest of her Hueco Mundo meal. Grimmjow picked up his food and continued eating his own food as well, pleased with how she dropped the subject. Really, it was none of her concern.
"Just eat your food. I'm not staying here longer than I need to."
"Want me to pack it up when you're done eating your… whatever that is?" Katsuko looked him in the eye and nibbled away at her grass. "I can just grab it in my hand and eat it on the way back."
"Good idea."
Their poor excuse of a discussion about his arm did not go unheard to nearby Arrancars who weren't even present in the room, because they decided to butt in when unwelcomed. "I can tell you how he lost his arm."
Katsuko quietly eyed the Arrancar approaching. They were coming in from behind the entrance behind Grimmjow. He was accompanied by Gin who had his hands hidden away in his white sleeves. With that close eyed smile of his, he smiled even wider and greeted her amicably as if she wasn't a freaking captive. The Arrancar he was with was the one Grimmjow and her ran into before she went to nap. His hands were hidden away in his lengthy sleeves as he casually took steps to their table. He was the one who spoke.
Katsuko could see Grimmjow just focus on eating his food, clearly annoyed by his presence.
"Espada Number Six lost his arm to Director-General Tousen after he disobeyed our leader's orders." Luppi said, eying Grimmjow to check if he was getting a rise out of him. But the blue haired Arrancar just kept eating. "That's why he's now the former Number Six… because he lost the power to be an Espada." Still nothing. Well, that's no fun. He held in the urge to snort at him and then looked at Katsuko. She wasn't looking at him either. She was just focusing on her food as well. No one was paying attention to him. How utterly boring.
She could already tell there was shit going on between them.
And she just didn't want to feed it.
She just wanted to eat her damn grass in peace.
"Oh, how sad."
Katsuko stiffened in place when she felt Luppi reach down to hold a lock of her hair, his fingers brushing too close to her left eye. She could hear disgusting laughing. She could feel the fingers shoving into her eye. She could feel everything again. Grimmjow locked eyes with her when he heard her shaky breath just before she suddenly swung and rammed the side of her fist into Luppi's face. She heard him grunt from the impact while he stumbled into Gin (who merely side stepped) just as she bolted out of her chair and turned around a few steps later. Her fork was in her other hand and she held it like a Zanpakuto. Her breath came out in shuddering ones as she stared at Luppi with wide eyed caution.
Gin chuckled, lifting a hand to cover his mouth as Luppi held his cheek with a dark look. "Oh, how embarrassing."
"I'd be careful if I were you." Grimmjow sneered, finding satisfaction in Luppi's non-existent reaction time. "Get too close and you might be next." He lifted his snack to his right eye and tapped the skin below it, causing the current six to growl. Seriously, with how she was holding that fork… it might just be possible with how she detested others touching her right now. He's lucky she wasn't left-handed.
"How dare you—" Luppi made a move to stomp after her. He tried to, at least. Gin stopped him by grasping his sleeve. At the same time, Katsuko had already placed her hand on a nearby backrest when she heard him. Did she even care that she angered an Arrancar? No. He could get into a scuffle with her, she didn't even care at this point.
Gin chimed in. "Little Katsuko isn't quite in the right state of mind to be touched so easily." He mockingly patted Luppi's shoulder, earning him a harsh shrug to have him get away. He then looked at Katsuko and looked at her almost apologetically. "You can relax."
Katsuko glared at Luppi and gripped the fork tighter. This guy can eat shit and roll around in it.
She threw her fork at her plate, purposely making it bounce to have it hit Luppi's abdomen, and went to the windows. She needed to calm down right now. Why did that simple touch just have to reignite all her feelings she temporarily stomped on?
Anyone who dared to try and touch her without her permission like that… could catch a swift fist to the face next time.
His touch alone reminded her of everything.
Everything that she wanted to forget in exchange for peace of mind.
His touch woke her up.
For real this time.
His touch reminded her cruelly that she couldn't hope for peace of mind in a place like this.
No. She could never get security if she remained here. Katsuko glared darkly at Luppi even after he walked off with Gin following behind him in amusement.
I won't let them mess with me like this again…!
As Katsuko remembered her resolve to escape, she missed the way her earlier assaulters snickered at her from behind a wall.
"Look at that… she's still traumatized from before." Loly cooed in a whisper to Menoly who stood beside her. The way that Katsuko just shook from Luppi proximity with that look on her face was just priceless.
"It makes her easy prey…"
SEPTEMBER 28
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Ichigo stiffened.
Inoue looked towards her left.
There it was again.
Katsuko's spiritual pressure.
Ichigo tore his eyes away from Kenpachi and Nnoitra's fight to look at one of the towers in the distance. There were twelve towers in the distance… but one of them had Katsuko's spiritual pressure relighting inside. He could feel it with how it just suddenly sprang to life.
"I'm not letting it disappear again." Ichigo grabbed his Tensa Zangetsu and made a move to flash step there until he remembered how Inoue's shield knocked back his hand moments ago. It would stop him from going after Katsuko. "Inoue. You can stop now, thank you."
"But… Kurosaki-kun… are you sure your wounds are fine?" Inoue fretted when she saw how eager he was to get out. More enemies were lurking around Las Noches who were just as strong or even more than Nnoitra, she didn't feel at ease about letting him out if there were still more wounds on his body. The thought of him getting hurt again made her feel uneasy.
Chisaki succeed in stopping Tesla from attacking her, and he no longer posed a threat after he tried attacking Kenpachi in his state. And Chisaki also sealed away Ichigo's wounds so that he could fight better against the Espada, but even then, it was still difficult. Thankfully, he didn't suffer too many wounds before help arrived.
But Ichigo wouldn't exactly call it help after remembering the old man's words.
"Katsuko's spiritual pressure keeps appearing and disappearing in weird places. It's going to vanish again if I don't go. If I can get to her, we can end this." Ichigo summarized for her. "I need to save her."
The last time he felt Katsuko's spiritual pressure, Ulquiorra told him it would be the last time he would ever feel it. But he was wrong. Did something go wrong to contradict his words? What was happening to her? Were they doing something to her?
Seeing the unwavering conviction in his eyes, Inoue reluctantly put down her shield. But as he got up, she made a move to go after him. "I'll go with you, Kurosaki-kun!"
"No." Ichigo stopped and held out a hand for emphasis. "You stay here with Kenpachi and Yachiru. Kenpachi's going to need some healing later… so I'll go by myself." He gave her a small smile to reassure her. "I'll be fine."
"But…"
If Ulquiorra or Aizen was nearby, he couldn't get Inoue involved there. It was better to leave her somewhere where her abilities were needed and where she would be safe. Not just those two either, there were more Espadas around. It wouldn't be too hard for him… but that meant that it was too dangerous for Inoue.
The busty teen then nodded reluctantly with her hands hovering near her chest and watched him disappear before her eyes to chase after Katsuko's spiritual pressure. She desperately wished he remained safe.
As he sped off to the towers, he could almost visualize the way her spiritual pressure flickered. It was almost like a small will o' wisp in the dark. He went as fast as he could to the towers. If he could just figure out which tower she was in, it would increase the probability of finding her if her presence disappeared again.
Wordlessly did he cut down Hollows that tried to stop him from advancing.
When he made it close, he directed his gaze to one of the towers in the middle.
There.
He flash stepped to the exact tower in which her presence strongly echoed. He made an entrance for himself at the base of the tower and ran inside, looking up at the ceiling with the blade ready.
Don't disappear.
Don't disappear again.
Stay there.
Stay and wait for me.
With his power, he destroyed the ceilings that blocked his path to the top floor, flying up and instantly saw the individuals in the room.
Ulquoirra.
Aizen.
Noctter.
But no Katsuko.
Her presence faded away a second before came he came into their sights. When he landed on the floor, his eyes darted around to try and spot any trace of her. A familiar long black hair? A Shihakusho? No. There was nothing at all. Just the enemy. She wasn't here. It's like… she was never here.
Why?
Ichigo could feel himself deflate at her absence.
The ring on his finger felt heavier…
Aizen and Noctter were standing close to each other while Ulquiorra stood a few feet away from them but closer to Ichigo.
Where are you now?
"Kurosaki Ichigo." Aizen addressed calmly. "You seem to be in a hurry."
Why aren't you here?
"Did you get lost?" Noctter deadpanned, confused by his grand entrance. "Why'd you just destroy the floor? There are some stairs over there, man." He spoke, gesturing to the side that had some stairs. "It's way too early to cause a ruckus."
"I don't get it…" Ichigo spoke, his sword hand shaking, making the chain jangle. "She was right here. Why isn't she here?"
"Who?" Aizen questioned, observing the way Ichigo reacted. He saw him stiffen just before he lifted his head and glared at him. "Katsuko!" Ichigo yelled the obvious, evident frustration in his voice. Why were they messing with him like this? He didn't imagine it! She was here! "She was right here! Aizen! Where did you take her?" He demanded to know. He wasn't going to play whatever game they had for him. He's had it!
The defector from the Soul Society didn't answer right away. Instead, he merely tipped his head and closed his eyes before speaking. "Unfortunately, Hiragi Katsuko is not here, so I have not done a single thing to her."
No one was answering him the way he wanted every time he asked his question.
They would never answer them properly.
Only Grimmjow would.
But with the leader of Arrancars, the man who schemed to take Katsuko away from his group, the enemy who might get her killed by the Soul Society, right in front of him… The answer was right in front of him.
Ichigo flash stepped and darted straight towards Aizen with his black sword. He wasn't going to waste his time anymore. He didn't have time to waste now that the Captains were here! He needed to move quickly to find her.
Unfortunately, it would never be that simple.
Two individuals with matching black hair and matching coloured hues, but with different contrasts, were immediately in front of him. Their blades clashed against his to stop him in his tracks. He wouldn't get close to their leader.
"Again." Ichigo gritted his teeth as Ulquiorra stared at him apathetically.
"Don't get ahead of yourself." Ulquiorra spoke.
"You really think we'd just let you swing your blade at Sousuke?" Noctter grinned with wide eyes. "Get real, punk. You try that again," He used his free hand to slice his thumb across his throat. "I'll end both you and your princess."
So they were going to block his way after all. He didn't have time for this!
"Move!" Ichigo lifted his sword with a shout.
Aizen began turning away from Kurosaki Ichigo to walk to another doorway that led to another flight of stairs. He could hear Ichigo demanding that he stay where he was. He still wanted to know where Katsuko was located. Aizen understood very well that Ichigo was in the dark when it came to her whereabouts. With her spiritual pressure suddenly vanishing and reappearing like that, it would have to make him wonder just what was going on with her. It was easy to see how it could mess with his emotiones. And with the Captains here now, he was pressed for time.
And there was no doubt that Katsuko could see how frantic he was in that context.
"Not yet… Kurosaki Ichigo."
There was still room to grow.
Aizen's words were carried off by the sound of clashing blades, fading away into nothingness.
"Noctter. Come with me."
With a harsh stroke of his blade, Noctter pushed back Ichigo and straightened up to stare at Aizen's back. He was walking off… And he was telling him to come along with him? How curious. But for what? Wouldn't it be better for them to just cut him down now?
What was he thinking?
"Alright, then." Noctter sheathed his blade without sparing Ichigo another glance.
SEPTEMBER 26
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Katsuko was left alone in Grimmjow's room after eating her lunch. After Luppi and Gin left, she just snatched her food off her plate and expressed her desire to be locked away in his room again and sleep. And after what Grimmjow saw when he saw her dead to the world, she was more than happy to ditch her in his room in the dark. He even saw her fall on the couch and silently placed a hand on her left eye.
She was depressed again.
At least… that's what she made him believe.
In still silence, she remained laid on the couch while listening to his footsteps receding down the long corridor. She kept still even after she couldn't hear his steps anymore. She gave it another minute before sitting up and holding out her hands in the dark.
I need to use Kido to protect myself.
I can't let them walk all over me like this.
It shouldn't be impossible for her to not find some sort of defensive spell to use. Yoruichi and Chisaki said that she had an affinity for Kido. She believed it. If it came from Chisaki, a noble from a Kido-using clan, then it carried more weight.
If she could visualize something to protect herself… then something should come out, right?
That's how it worked for her when she was in her corner trying to pour her power into that orb.
It was to imagine herself as being capable of doing it…
To spit out the result she wanted…
And it would be enough.
If she used her Hollow mask like Hachigen, she could make it strong enough. She could probably knock someone away even farther with that repel move she knew how to do.
If she could teach herself something else… she could be fine!
"I am going to create Kido." Katsuko focused her power into her hands. "I won't let them trample on me…"
In the dark, she sat there quietly and focused on creating something defensive… or maybe even offensive if it turned out that way. Her palms were pointed at the ceiling as they rested on her knees. Her mind was completely in the zone as she concentrated on the white light that would often appear in the center of her palms. This absolute concentration went on for minutes.
Several minutes later, after numerous failed attempts, was finally able to spit out what she began envisioning. They were small beams of light coming out from the center of her palm. With this progress, she got up and went to the wall in front of her. Her fingers were clasped around the beam at the base. With a grunt, she swung at the wall.
It created a dent at the tip of her 'blade'.
Katsuko smiled with relief. Now, she had a better idea of how to use this Kido. It was etched into her soul. And these would be her replacements for her Zanpakuto. Twin light beams that she could use to defend or attack. It was perfect. This way, she wouldn't have to adapt to something new. She really didn't have time for that.
She released them and allowed them to fade away.
It was time to use a Hollow Mask.
If I could keep practicing in secret like this… I should be fine!
The image of her being depressed would be crafted as her mask to hide her unwavering desire to survive. She would allow her enemies to think she became docile and easy.
They could see her as a cornered rabbit in the woods...
But she would pounce and bite them back when they least expected it.
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…
…
Dark brown eyes were narrowed in focus when she kept practicing her Kido with her mask on. At some point, she completely forgot about paying attention to whether Grimmjow was returning to the room they shared. She couldn't let him see her doing this after all. If he caught her, he might tell Aizen… even though he didn't seem likely to. His loyalty to Aizen wasn't very… apparent.
Unlike the first time she used Kido, this wasn't so hard to maintain. It became easier to do much faster. The only thing that was slightly exhausting her was the Hollow mask. With a flick of her wrist, she removed her mask and wiped off the sweat from her forehead with her sleeve. It was happening again… the drawback of using her mask was drowsiness.
Can't that wait right now?
I don't have time to sleep and dream about things I don't understand.
"Okay." Katsuko breathed. "Just one more time if I can…"
Her hands lifted and then froze when she heard her door open. Damn. It was Grimmjow. He was back. She can't just run back to the couch! It would be too suspicious! Okay. Perhaps staying calm and touching the wall would help her pretend she was being a weirdo… or maybe she should just sit down quickly…!
She chose the latter and sat down on the floor.
However, before her ass touched the floor, she saw who was coming in.
No.
Get the hell away from me!
It was Loly.
Katsuko fell on her rear with surprise as Loly marched towards her. Menoly came in a flicked on the lights, suddenly lighting the room in the brightness that her eyes weren't used to yet. Her eyes squinted while she hurriedly pushed herself up on her feet. The clumsy movements had Loly snickering, finding her pathetic attempt to escape her quite enjoyable.
"Aww, is the little princess afraid?" Loly cackled before looking over her shoulder. "See? What did I tell you? Grimmjow's not here!"
Because of what happened this morning, Menoly had every right to be afraid of coming back to Grimmjow's room. She was able to convince Loly to not rush back in the room without making sure Grimmjow wasn't back. They could have tailed him, but Loly insisted that she wasn't going to stoop down to being a rat lurking around just to kill Katsuko. Instead, she went to get her leg some treatment. And during the treatment, she was itching to kill her. She already made her suffer, so all that was left was the finishing blow.
Loly looked back in front of her to see Katsuko standing and holding her hand up to her left eye. Seeing this made her smile evilly.
"Remember what I told you?" Loly pulled out her small Zanpakuto. "I'm going to kill you… and there won't be anything left of you!" She leaped and swung her sword at her which she evaded by stumbling away from the tip. But she wouldn't relent. She wouldn't stop until she put her down for good. There didn't exist a perfect world for her unless she was gone!
"Is dodging all you can do?! Oh right, because you don't have a Zanpakuto with you! You're just…!" Loly trailed off when she saw her spin around her heel to dodge. When she faced her again, she had a Hollow mask on her face, causing the Arrancar to pause with her sword. "What… what the hell?! A Hollow mask?!"
Katsuko didn't answer and focused her Kido into her right hand to repulse her hand away. Loly awkwardly stumbled back from the force, confounded about what was happening. She's using Kido…!
Her disequilibrium allowed Katsuko to create those light blades to knock away her sword from her hand, flinging it to the side. Loly's eyes widened and a gasp escaped her lips when Katsuko rammed her foot into her shin, forcing her to bow down bit. Menoly cried out her name. Katsuko stopped her Kido and grabbed the back of Loly's neck to slam her down on the floor on her front. When the other Arrancar tried to aid her friend, she stopped in her tracks when Katsuko looked at her with a piercing gold eye.
"Try it." Katsuko created that light blade from her wrist and pointed it at Loly's back.
"How dare you! Get your damn foot off me!" Loly tried pushing herself up, her body scrambling around. Katsuko stared down at her apathetically. Her movements almost reminded her of a centipede.
Looks like playing scared helped me find an opening.
At first, Katsuko couldn't help but feel a degree of terror upon seeing Loly. But after seeing her come at her with a sword and dodging it a few times, she forced herself to steel and live up to her own words. She would not allow Loly to trample on her again. She was going to defend herself no matter what.
"I'm going to kill you!" Loly hissed.
She absolutely loathed being beneath her.
Katsuko grew a bit irritated with this girl. As requested, she removed her foot off her. But Loly was kicked and thrown on her back. She choked when Katsuko dropped her knee on her stomach without warning, knocking the air out of her. Menoly ran with her own Zanpakuto in hand, but she was quick to stop again when Katsuko held up her Kido blade and pointed it at Loly's eye.
This irritation she was suddenly feeling… she felt a bit like this before…
When Jun and Haru tried demanding the truth out of her.
The way they thought they could just get the truth out of her as if it was that easy.
What right did Loly have to treat her like this and think she was above her?
You annoy me so much.
Loly fidgeted under Katsuko's gaze while looking back and forth between the tip that was inches away from her eye and the golden eye looking down at her.
This is the person who took my eye…
This person…
This weak and small person…
Katsuko moved it closer.
What about this person could do that to me?
This pitiful person…
"Stop! Stop it!" Loly finally cracked and tried moving away from the blade. Again, Katsuko moved away from her. But this time, she slammed her foot on her neck with blade right at her head. She made another one and pointed it at Menoly who growled when Loly choked under the pressure of her foot. "S… Stop! I-I… I'll leave…!"
"No, you won't." Katsuko shook her head, disappointed. "People like you just bully and laugh until you're the ones on the floor begging for the other to stop. You'll just do it again." She added more pressure. There was a pause. "And for what?!" Katsuko suddenly screamed at her, no longer able to keep her cool as the memories from this morning rushed back. "You fuck up my eye just because you can't get some Aizen dick?! What," She stomped. "The." Another stomp. "Fuck." Another harsh stomp. "Is wrong with you?! I didn't do anything to you!"
You're the one who sought me out!
You're the one who decided I was shitting on your life when I was the one who got kidnapped!
Aizen doesn't care about you!
"You're not gonna answer?! You always had something to say!" Katsuko growled angrily while watching how Loly struggled to breathe. The sight had Katsuko come to a pause, reeling back any more words she wanted to say. What was she doing? The blade she pointed at Menoly lowered and disappeared. She stopped all of her Kido.
Alright, that's enough.
If she kept this up, she was going to kill her.
And she had no desire to kill anyone.
"I'm not a killer… I'm not a killer…" Katsuko mumbled to herself, removing her foot and stepping over Loly's body to pick up her fallen Zanpakuto. This was hers now. She could use a weapon after all. She removed her Hollow mask and turned her head to look at Menoly. She gave her a sullen look and motioned her head towards Loly who was struggling to sit up.
"I'm not a killer…" Katsuko continued to mumble to herself.
Maybe I'll try to find Grimmjow and just stay near him. He was enough to scare them off last time. He wouldn't protect me, but his presence was enough.
Was that foolish thinking?
"I'm not a killer…" Katsuko started turning away.
Loly coughed a few times. Menoly was at her side, helping her sit up while asking her some questions, trying to convince her to stop for now. But Loly wouldn't hear it. Her hand slapped away Menoly's that was on her shoulder. Her body was moving, fueled by pure rage. She wouldn't let her disrespect her like this! She didn't deserve to be in Aizen's presence. She didn't deserve mercy. She deserved to die.
"Fuck you!"
Loly rushed towards her with a Cero in her hand.
Surprised, Katsuko jolted and quickly turned around while swinging her right arm.
I'm not…
It took a few seconds for the scene to register in her brain. Katsuko and Menoly were frozen. One second Loly was screaming at Katsuko with a rageful Cero, and Katsuko turned and made a move to swat her away with her right hand.
The next second…
I'm not a…
A huge blood stain was splattered on the wall behind Menoly who was more or less covered in it.
Loly's legs fell to their knees.
And her upper body was gone.
Katsuko slowly looked at her right hand. Some of her fingers had crimson stains. But the whole of it glowed green-bluish light.
…
…
…
I'm not a killer.
【The Truth Of H-K III: Discord In Descent】
...
Goddamn.
So... Loly went bye.
AnYWaY, more stuff to come and the truth gets closer! I'm very excited to reach the major parts. (There's actually a vague hint in this chapter... but I won't tell you how to understand it)
Thanks for the hbd wishes! Also, I might or might not get the next chapter out by monday because my schedule for next week looks like hell...
Thank you for reading and I hope you have a nice day/night!