Qualms of the Passioned and Dispassioned

As Nami stepped out of the portal's exit, she, her eldest daughter, and husband took in their surroundings; a fairly large island seeming to combine as many geographies as possible. They stood at the top of a mountain overlooking it all. Beaches became grasslands which eventually turned into arid deserts which soon formed into more mountains that surrounded the main one they stood on. Water stretched all the way to the horizon. Behind them stood a 2-story house designed as something of a modern version of a traditional Japanese pagoda. The air was somewhat chilly but it wasn't unbearably so; a cool breeze would be the best way to describe it.

"Well.... don't we get a nice view?"

That was the first comment to come out of Nami's mouth. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Shiro step out of the portal, taking a brief look at the surroundings before stepping aside to allow Ryuzaki to step in as well.

"It looks kind of boring."

Mitsune was examining her surroundings, looking for something interesting she could do with her spare time while she was here. She saw nothing. There was no city, and no people, which would mean no hollows, which would mean no hunting. She didn't know if it was possible to travel back to the human world via garganta. Even if it was, she didn't know how to make one herself, so that option was probably out of the question...

Ryuzaki fully exited the portal as Mitsune finished speaking. With a shrug he explained, "There aren't any other people here, so if you want something to do other than explore, I'll give you a way out later if your parents don't mind." He said the last because he knew how protective Nori could be after seeing how little pain tolerance Mitsune possessed. It would be best not to rile him up by possibly giving her a way to run away.

"...."

Nami looked over with a skeptical raise of the eyebrow at the man clinging to her like a toy. His head was buried in her shoulder, avoiding all visual contact with the environment. She rolled his eyes. "Well, I suppose Hime ain't saying much to object, is he?" She remarked dryly. "I'll be in the house...." With that, she decided to bend over, scoop Nori up in her arms, and carry him bridal-style. A sigh escaped her lips. "Really making me feel like I have a dick right now, y'know?"

"Oh, shut up..." Nori groaned. He layed his head against his wife's arm. "This is unecessary, you know. I'm capable of walking, and don't need to be humiliated like this in front of our host." He glanced over to Ryuzaki. He knew that he wasn't the strongest man alive, or the manliest, but he still cared to keep up appearances for people before they actually got to know him.

"And yet, you insist on hugging the shit outta my arm and looking like a teddy bear....." Nami drawled. "Clearly, you're enjoying every bit of this, aren't cha?"

"N-No! Shut up!"

"You are such a girl. If I had one, I'd just stuff in you in a dress, put ribbons in your hair and take you out to the ballroom for some dancing."

"Fffft, I can't remember the last time I got you in a dress; if you lost your tits and shaved your head, you would be the spitting image of a pissed old man."

"Old? Says the guy with liverspots on his forehead."

"Said the girl about five-hundred years older than me."

By this time, they were already at the couch. Nami promptly sat herself down, allowing Nori to rest on her lap. She folded her hands behind her head, looking down onto him. "....five hundred years older, hm?" She remarked, raising an eyebrow and smirking. "And yet, I'm not the one worried about growing old.... and really...." She tilted her head to the side. "I really don't see why you bother to complain about that. After all, I can still fuck--" She emphasized this word with a taunting hiss. "--you senseless."

This turned Nori's face a bright red. "Yeah, well... Considering you're the only one I've ever had, it's not like I've got much to compare you to. Besides, you don't fuck me senseless, you just fuck me."

"Is that why you...."

And so the argument went inside the house. It was probably going to go on for a while, considering how stubborn the two were when it came to arguments such as this. Outside, Shiro could hear them faintly, but didn't care too much about the words. Instead, she simply walked over to the outside wall of the house, slid down into a sitting position, and placed her arms onto her knees. Then, she rested her head on her arms, completing a rather dejected position.

She had just remembered that she left her cello behind.

Ryuzaki noticed this and moved to squat down next to her. Calmly he asked, "You don't seem the type to mope for no reason at all; leave something behind?"

"...." Shiro didn't respond to him. Though so far what he was doing to them was helping them, he wasn't family, someone she could trust right off the bat. She turned her head away from him, hair shadowing her eyes.

Ryuzaki sighed, trust would come, for now he would have to use other methods. Noticing her slightly callused left hand, Ryuzaki deftly grabbed it for a mere second before releasing. The grip was strong but gentle. His eyes flowed with power before fading and his expression lightened in understanding and he stood up and stepped back slightly. "Should have guessed you were a musician," he commented thoughtfully. Slowly as if from dust a cello exactly like Shiro's old one began to materialize in a standing position held up by Ryuzaki's right arm. In his left a slider stick appeared like her old one as well.

"...!!!"

Immediately, Shiro jerked her eyes towards it, the man now having her full attention. Slowly, she stood up, eying the cello with what seemed like shock. Though her expression was blank, her eyes were widened considerably. "....how did you know....?" She asked quietly, taking a few hesitant steps forward towards him.

Ryuzaki switched the hands he was hold the cello with and played the first bit of Return Game with skill about the same as Shiro's; it had been the same song Shiro had played for her family earlier in the day. Then he explained flatly, "I can see the pasts of things I touch, and absorb any skills that come with them."

At that moment, Shiro was almost tempted to smile. Although he had copied her own skill, she had never expected it to sound as good as the original. Her hands twitched, and for a moment, she was hesitant in her actions and what she would speak next. "I.... am capable of playing more than that simple piece.... can I.... show you?" She didn't move her hands any further, but they were positioned in a manner that indicated she wanted to take the cello and stick from his hands in order to show him.

Ryuzaki said nothing more and handed the instrument to her. He had seen the volumes of passion exhibited in her past. There was no sense denying the passion of the mainly dispassioned. Besides, he loved good music.

Grasping the instruments in their respective hands, Shiro immediately set to work.

Once she put the stick to the strings, it was as if everything had silenced itself just to listen. At first glance, it looked as if the hand operating the strings was at an awkward angle, fingers bent and moving at what appeared to be inhuman positions at a quick speed. However, in this unusual fashion, she was playing more than one note at a time. She had her eyes closed, eyebrows furrowed, and a concentrated frown on her face. Her tones were aggressive this time around, but placed in a manner that had it rightfully so and to the most beautiful effect.

She was playing half of the song Domination from Apocalyptica, her notes accurate and precise as she worked the cello, stopping once she reached the repeat of the intro.

Ryuzaki felt that it was best to leave a respectful silence and so he nodded his respect and admiration at the performance.

There was a slight whistling noise as a rock careened towards Shiro at high speeds. Mitsune had put nearly all of her strength into the throw, and it had produced a stone flying fast enough to punch through a car door. It wasn't aimed perfectly at the girl. It was aimed at the Cello; it's objective was to stop Shiro's playing, even though she had already done so.

Ryuzaki noticed the sound of the thrown rock and instinctively reached out and caught it out of the air. He sighed inwardly; the two would likely be death of each other if they kept this up. He flipped the projectile around in his hands before tossing it to the side. He said nothing as he waited to see how Shiro would react.

Had Ryuzaki not interfered, Shiro would've taken matters into her own hands, dropped the cello, and respond - by punching Mitsune in the face several times until she couldn't lift up a finger to flick a stone in her direction.

However, thanks to him, all was peaceful. She lifted her head up slowly to stare at Mitsune for a moment, eyes blank and half-lidded. She simply remained silent, keeping the stare onto Mitsune and waiting for her to react. What would she do? Disregard the fact that Ryuzaki was there and continue on as she always was, or allow his presence to interfere?

The young girl's eye twitched with annoyance. Who was this stranger to interfere with family matters? He knew nothing of their past, of their quarrel, and yet he had interrupted their affairs in such a non-chalant way. It agitated Mitsune to no end. However, she knew better than to pick fights with people much stronger than she was.

"So, do you live here, stranger?" She asked the man slowly, as if she had never thrown the rock at all.

Ryuzaki decided to put behind what had happened for the time being; prying wouldn't do him any good here and he hadn't gotten the whole story from just Shiro's hand. "When I'm not travelling, yeah."

"What do you do for fun? Place seems pretty dull to me." As if for emphasis, Mitsune plopped on the ground and propped her chin on her hand. "You don't mind us leeching off of you like this?"

"Music, video games, reading, exploring, and so on. And of course it's pretty dull right now; haven't finished it yet," Ryuzaki answered simply.

"... What do you mean, you haven't finished it yet...?"

Ryuzaki shrugged nonchalantly, "I created this world from scratch and add onto it whenever I have some spare power."

Mitsune shook her head. "That shouldn't even be fucking possible. Would there be a way out of here, without your permission? You could literally just rip open a giant portal here and imprison all the bad people in the universe without any worries of them escaping."

Ryuzaki again shrugged nonchalantly, "I did base the entrance on a key of my design, but any lock can be broken into with time." He pulled out the pendant he had used to open the portal and explained, "This pendant, which I can make at my leisure, opens the way; someone would eventually figure out how to reproduce it and every single person would escape and then every single world would be stuck fighting an army of convicts. Probably best not to make this place a prison, and I don't have the time or energy to make a seperate world for each guy."

"Well... just don't assume we're all your subjects just because we're living here." Mitsune was staring at the man with slight interesting. She was more interested in finding something to do, but at the moment the man was entertaining her.

Ryuzaki knew the look he was getting and so tossed her a pendant like the one around his neck and waved her away, "Just don't be gone long enough that your parents start worrying."

!

The girl immediately perked up. Smiling gleefully, she snatched the pendant out of the air, and gave a reassuring nod to Ryuzaki in exchange. "Don't worry, I'll be back soon enough. If my parents ask, tell them I went exploring in the forest over there~!"

And, just like that, Mitsune left, opening a portal and then closing it before anybody could do anything else.

"....she's always the naive one...."

As soon as Mitsune fell out of earshot, Shiro spoke up. "I suppose this just proves the people never change." She said in an apathetic, but cold tone. "Maybe if I'm lucky, she'll kill herself by accident...." However, she immediately shook her head. "No. That's just false hope. The only way noise gets turned off is if someone actually flips the switch."

Ryuzaki shrugged, dispassionately observing the situation, "She could use some control, but that takes time and training."

"And I doubt anyone has the patience to give such things...."

Ryuzaki chuckled slightly, "You never know."

"....I'll be inside." With nothing to say to Ryuzaki's remark, Shiro turned her back onto him for a moment. "And.... thank you for listening to me. Do you want your cello back?"

Ryuzaki waved his hand lazily as if to bade her away, "Your passion, your instrument."

That immediately made Shiro freeze in her tracks. She abruptly turned around to face him once more, but spoke no words. Instead, she gave a curtsy in appreciation for the gift that he had given onto her. With that, she turned back around and headed back into the house in order to put the instrument away.

Ryuzaki couldn't help but laugh a little once Shiro was gone at the highly old and formal gesture. Then he himself entered the house to see how Nori and Nami's arguement was going.

"....the facts, Hime. We both know that you just love to be my little--"

However, Nami immediately cut herself off at the door opening once more. She snapped her head to attention, only to relax her neck at the sight of Ryuzaki. "Oh...." She muttered, turning her gaze away from him in a disinterested manner. "It's just you...."

Ryuzaki gave a lazy wave and moved to the locked basement door. As he unlocked, entered, and closed the way behind him, another lock reappeared in place of the one he had removed.

"Wait a minute, what in the--"

However, Nami's surprised and slightly indignant charade was quelled by realization. "Oh, right...." She drawled, rolling her eyes. "This isn't our house. Hard to remember that when the owner just lets you in, right?"

"Yeah, I guess so. I don't think his entering and leaving should distract you from the argument you were desperately trying to win, though." Nori rebutted, sending a lop-sided stare Nami's way.

"You know what? In all honestly...." Nami propped her arms on the back of the couch, lifting one of her legs up. In that manner, she was bringing up and keeping Nori's head on her lap so that he wouldn't fall off. "These arguments...." Briefly, she stretched out her arms to the sky and let out a yawn. "...are just starting to booooore me. I mean sure, watching you desperately attempting to defend your nonexistent masculinity is amusing, but let's face it, I'm not getting much else out of it. Tell you what...."

Then, she pulled herself from under Nori in a manner that would have him lying on the couch. She stood up, cracking her neck and heading towards the door. "You just sit there and look pretty, honey, and I'll be right back."

"O-Okay..." Nori replied. He was staring at her nervously. This was the first time she had ever pulled herself out of a conversation like that... And now, he was going to get something? It made him very nervous...

Promptly grabbing the knob of the door, Nami pushed the door open and stepped inside, her eyes closed and her mouth humming a quiet tune. If the guy didn't lock the door behind him, then it was obvious he wouldn't mind sudden intrusion. Whatever he was working on in here wouldn't be much of a secret. Then again, she wasn't interested in running out and telling everyone what she had seen like it was front page news. She would just go take a look, and then walk back out as calmly as she came in.

She opened her eyes.

The basement could literally be another house beneath the one viewable from the mountain. The main room was set up like a dojo and was about as large as the whole perimeter of the above house. Three other doors which were closed were also seen in the background.

Ryuzaki was whirling his blades through the air in incredibly complex motions too fast to be seen against a woman around Ryuzaki's age in appearance. It seemed the end of the match as Ryuzaki disarmed his foe by hooking both his blades around the woman's single one and sent it whirling through the air and knocked her off balance; sending her sprawling to the floor. Neither was panting rather hard making it clear this had been more of just a regular occurance. Ryuzaki extended his hand and said nothing.

The woman, with a voice that managed to be both strong but gentle voice with a sarcastic edge to it, "Why do I bother fighting you again?" Still, she took his hand all the same.

Ryuzaki laughed as he pulled her up. With a shrug and an equally sarcastic tone to hers he teased, "Maybe you like getting knocked down?"

The woman would have responded but both knew they had company and so gave a playful elbow to Ryuzaki's arm instead as she walked to stand beside him. Ryuzaki likewise turned around and nonchalantly said to Nami, "Need something?"

For a moment, Nami could only stare at him in what was clear surprise. She glanced towards the other woman, uncertain if she was just a simple hallucination or whatnot. There had been instances like that when she had been with Ahatake, particularly in the case of him fighting his inner spirit and such. However, the woman beside him seemed pretty real to her. So she allowed herself to speak. "Didn't you say there was no one living here?" She questioned, cocking an eyebrow at the two as she folded her arms across her chest.

The woman quirked an eyebrow at Ryuzaki and put in, "Oh sure, forget about me why don't ya."

Ryuzaki explained to Nami then, "Never specifically said lives, I said here as in at the moment. I left out Alma; wasn't sure if she would be here or not. Otherwise though, no one else lives here."

"Oh, good, glad to know that at least this won't be the same shit that it was in Hueco Mundo!" Nami stated, cheer coming forth to her voice. "Well, if there's nothing else here, then I'd best be going and leaving you to do whatever it is you're doing with your girlfriend." She then turned onto her heel to walk back out. But she took only a few steps until she turned her head over her shoulder once more to look at Alma. "Oh. And it was nice meeting you, honey." She added, as an afterthought.

"Pleasure's mine," Alma murmured dryly, quiet enough that only Ryuzaki could hear her. After Nami's presence moved fully upstairs and the door to above closed, he allowed himself a chuckle. Alma then continued, "You always manage to be overly generous."

Ryuzaki shrugged with a slight grin across his face. "I have a powerful conscience... sometimes," he added, seeing Alma's eyebrows quirk, "and I knew I could help them, so I did."

Alma shook her head, "As unpredictable as ever."

Now it was Ryuzaki's turn to quirk his eyebrows, "Pfft, we both could have our pictures under the unpredictable definition in the dictionary."

Alma laughed, "Touche."

After a moment both returned their eyes to the swords in hand and on the ground. Ryuzaki then added, "You need to use a weapon in your offhand; you've honed your skills with a single blade, but my two blades to your one means it's a lot easier for me to attack and defend at the same time."

Alma shrugged, "You make it look so easy, but I've tried your style; it's almost impossible for me to move my arms freely of each other."

Ryuzaki charged on despite this arguement, "That just takes training; try using a dagger or shorter blade and see if that suites you better." Then he gestured towards one of the rooms.

Alma knew she wouldn't win this arguement; Ryuzaki knew what he was talking about after all. With a teasing sigh and overdramatic, "Fiiine." They walked together then into this chamber.

Nori stared expectantly at the door as his wife wandered in from whatever was downstairs. "Even though I don't approve of your snooping, what was he doing?" He asked non-chalantly. By his posture and expression, it was vaguely possible to make out that he wanted his wife to sit with him, or cuddle him, or something of the sort.

Nami snickered, walking over to the couch and sitting herself down on it. "Nothing important...." She answered casually, lifting one leg over the other to cross them. She placed her arms on the back of the couch, leaning her head back a little as she looked over at her husband.

A slightly annoyed expression appeared on Nori's face. His wife knew him better than anybody, so she probably knew what he wanted. He didn't like being denied. If she didn't want his physical company at the moment, he'd hold off, but he wouldn't be happy about it. "I see. I wonder what the kids are doing now."

And she did.

After pondering him for a moment, she rolled her eyes and lowered her arms again. She reached over to give him an embrace around the shoulders, only to pull him into a position where his back was laying against her chest and his body was between her legs. She kept his arms wrapped around the shoulders, resting her chin on the top of his head. "You know what? I take back what I said about you looking like a teddy bear." She said dryly. "Right now, you are just a big old fuckin' teddy bear."

"But you love me, so it's okay." Nori replied smugly. "You should be happy that you have somebody who will always want you until your boobs start to sag and you get a million wrinkles. Some people would see your horrible personality and just leave you on the spot. But not I, love~."

THUD.

Following that statement, Nami decided to respond in her own style - by shoving Nori onto the floor. With a good heft, she promptly tossed him off of her. "....oops. Guess I had a bit of a spasm...." She remarked innocently, following it up with a bit of whistling to emphasize.

Standing back up, Nori tried to move himself into the same position she had him in before. "It's okay, I deserved that one..." He relented, hoping it would appease her enough to let him get comfortable again.

"Hmph...."

Nami simply folded her hands behind her head and allowed him to sit between her legs once again. She tilted her head back, thoughts flashing to the children. Mitsune was out, browsing whatever region she wanted. Shiro, however, had went inside and resigned herself to.... wherever her room was. Just how were they coping with everything? From the way it seemed, there was virtually no problems. But, of course, they both could hide stuff when they wanted to....

Content once again, Nori rested his head on the spot of her chest just below Nami's neck, and closed his eyes.

Say Hello to Mother
"SKREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!"

And there is stood.

The hollow towered over Mitsune, both it's girth and it's height much greater than it's own. It stood on it's hind legs as it roared, but it's attempt at intimidation, it went back on all fours, shaking the very ground the girl was standing on with a thud as it did so. It's mask covered nearly it's entire head, and was somewhat plain except for a little maroon around the eyes. It's teeth were jagged. It's fingers, clawed. She was able to note several holes on it's back, which she figured would house some kind of tentacle.

But, now it was Mitsune's turn at intimidation.

She drew her blade, and let the sun catch it as she unsheathed it, letting out a somewhat cool flash before she pulled it into position in front of her. Her reiatsu flared, blowing away small bits of rock, dust, and dirt before collecting in a magenta aura around her. It crackled, and the hollow backed off, though only slightly as she increased the pressure on the area. Grass became matted down against the ground, and birds in the surrounding area flocked away in fear. It was only her, and the hollow, and nobody else.

She leaped, her sword lagging in the air behind her, her body in a pose hinting that she would be attempted a straight slice through the hollow's mask. The hollow charged in as well, though it did not need to leave the ground, opening it's massive maw and getting ready to swallow the small, foolish girl whole.

SLICE.

"I came, I saw, I conquered..." Mitsune sighed, as the remainder of the hollow behind her disintegrated as it was cleansed.

"Killing small fry shouldn't count as conquering, sweetie."

A rather cold, yet seductive voice came to her ears.

There seemed to be no source. It sounded as if the words had been spoken right in her ear, but of course there was no one there. If she looked around, there was no one in-sight. Yet, there was no denying the presence that was there, a power that seemed to come from every side of the area around her. However, it was no stranger to her; she would recognize it from all of the years before, back to when she had been nothing but a child.

She seemed a bit startled at first, but as realization crept over her she smiled sweetly. "Maybe it shouldn't, but it does." She replied coolly. Even though she knew she wouldn't be finding anybody, even if she did search, Mitsune gave a quick look around, anyway.

However, her expectations were defied.

Sitting comfortably underneath a tree was none other than the source of the voice itself. She wore a red tank top with a yellow snake emblem crossing the stomach, and black pants decking her legs. Her skin was a pale white, and her long, black hair shadowed part of her face. She sported fingerless gloves on her hands as well as sandals on her feet. Through the haze of hair, yellow eyes could be seen peering back at Mitsune in a rather relaxed manner. One corner of her mouth was curled upward in her own smile.

"And that's a shame.... because I would've thought that you would be doing that to something that's actually worth fighting against....if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were getting a bit soft, kid."

Such was the being known as Sasha, the former ghost of her mother.

Mitsune turned to face Sasha completely, her blade still unsheathed. Her posture and expression made it hard to deduce rather this was just because of forgetfulness or if she was keeping it out purposely. "That sounds like a challenge to me." Mitsune stated, in a kind of tone that hinted at a warning.

"Oh, does it now?" Sasha leaned forward completely, her arms resting onto her knees. "So what are you going to do about it, little Mi-chan?" There was only a hint of taunting within her words, but it was enough to be registered to the girl.

"Attack."

And with a bright red flash that radiated heat out into the area, Mitsune was gone. But not for long. A similar flash could be seen on the opposite side of the tree from where Sasha was sitting, but Mitsune hoped that the girth of the tree would provide her at least some blockage, or at least enough for her to launch her next attack. Her blade in hand, she swung carelessly towards the tree, cleaving it in half, and possibly her guest as well.

It was if Sasha had fast forwarded herself.

The woman was taking her time in getting up, even as Mitsune performed the actions in order to perform the assault on her. However, once the blade made its way through the tree, she was already standing up and brushing herself off. Of course, the tree had not escaped. With a moan, it fell towards her person, yet she seemed to pay no heed to the danger of being crushed. However, once it ranged within her head....

SLASH!

With a swipe of her hand, she bifurcated the tree, the pieces collapsing with a loud THUD beside her. The ground in the area shook from the collision, but it didn't push Sasha off of her balance. She had yet to face her opponent, waiting patiently for the next move.

And, of course, the destruction of that part of the tree gave away her current position. With almost shunpo-like speed, Mitsune ran along the tree's length, and once she was in within range, sent a lunge Sasha's way. She would undoubtably block it, but then Mitsune had something else planned...

Sasha didn't even allow herself to turn.

The blade hit its mark.

SWIPE!

However, the attack did not have the desired effect.

As it came into contact with its target, the metal phased straight through Sasha as if she was nothing more than a mere hologram. There was no blood, no cutting of the flesh. When it was all over, Sasha was still standing there as casually as she had been, only sparing a glance towards her shoulder at Mitsune. Then, she promptly folded her arms behind her back and turned her body around to face the girl, the sly smile all too clear on her face.

It took a moment for what had just happened to register to Mitsune, but when it did, a scowl appeared on her face.

"Dick."

And so Mitsune decided to stop attempting to harm her mother. She would never succeed. She wouldn't even be able to harm her father -- who was undoubtably one of the weaker family members -- if she wanted to. With her blade sheathed, she sat on the ground, propped her chin up with her hand, and began wondering how Sasha could have cut through the tree if she was just an illusion. Or, maybe that was an illusion too...

"Oh, quitting already....?" Sasha tilted her head to the side, bending one of her legs slightly behind her and resting it on its tiptoes. "I was just getting warmed up and everything, kid." She had a feeling what Mitsune's thoughts were, and that only served to increase her entertainment.

"I'm not quitting! You're just a fucking cheater!" Mitsune yelled back, straightening her posture as she sat with indignation. "The fuck do you want, anyway? Haven't heard from you for a while. What horrible revenge do you want on the rest of my family now?"

Resting her foot back onto the ground, Sasha looked over Mitsune for a moment. A set of chuckles escaped her, despite her concealed mouth. "Is that what you think I'm here for?" She asked, unable to contain the humor within her words. "I guess it's all natural, considering the Hell I've been putting your folks through." She began to pace, her walk slow and deliberate. "But rest assured, I'm not after anything anymore. I got what I wanted through someone else willing to be a mindless pawn for it... and I have to tell you, the reward...."

She stopped for a moment, her eyes drifting in order to look at herself just for the heck of it. She turned her body in the bit of showing off.

"....is looking pretty good...."

"... Are you fishing for compliments? Go find my father. Why are you confronting me, then? Just happened to drop by?" asked Mitsune incrediously. She knew her mother had reasons for doing things, though it was out of Mitsune's grasp to understand her plots.

"Is it a crime to check up on how my daughter's doing?" Sasha asked dryly, stopping herself and walking towards Mitsune once more. "Especially after the little... congregation... that showed up at your old home.... I just couldn't get out of my head that you would've gotten yourself killed...." Despite the words that seemed to be concerning, her dry and mocking tone stated otherwise.

The girl tensed as her mother approached, but showed no other signs of fear. She stayed where she was. "You're not exactly a doting Mother." her daughter said pointedly.

Sasha stepped in front of her, squatting down to her level. Her arms rested on the tips of her thighs, her hands hanging idly. She tilted her head sightly to the side as she looked over the elder daughter. "And you should be thanking me for that...." She answered. "If you were raised in a babying manner, then you would be just like a marshmallow. Soft and squishy."

She raised her index finger and poked Mitsune roughly in the center of her forehead.

Mitsune acted like she hadn't noticed, though the annoyance was clearly expressed on her faced. "Maybe, but you could have still raised me. Do you have any idea how awkward it is for me to grow up, feeling like my actual mother was being held prisoner by a goody-goody look alike? No, of course you don't, you were born old..."

Sasha closed her eyes for a moment and turned away, sighing. "Would've been out much sooner if that bitch hadn't fought against me so much...." She said, the tint of resentfulness clear in her voice. However, it was quick to fade away. "Regardless...." She turned her head back towards Mitsune, one corner of her mouth curling in a smirk once again. "Even with indirect help.... I believe that after all of these years, you turned out very nicely. There's still room for improvement, but it's nothing that can't be fixed."

The emphasis on the word "you" drew in Mitsune's attention. She was sure if this was intended, but now she wanted to hear what her mother thought of Shiro... But, she didn't want to just come forward and ask it, because then Sasha would know about her complex. It just wasn't something Mitsune wanted known, though anybody who had seen her and Shiro in the same room while Shiro was doing something impressive could easily guess it. She was at a loss for words, searching for some way to offhandedly direct the conversation towards her sister...

"Shiro, however...." Sasha's tone grew somewhat distasteful. "Well.... it just turned out that she couldn't meet my expectations." She allowed herself to stand back up, dusting herself off. "She had potential, but she just had to waste it clinging to her parents. As far as I'm concerned, she's nothing but a failure compared to you..."

As her head perked up, the corners of Mitsune's mouth twitched, and she was finding it very, very hard not to smile. She wouldn't even respond for a minutes or so, when she was sure the excitement had left her voice. "... Well, what do you want with me?"

"Tell me, kid...."

Turning her back on the girl, Sasha looked over her shoulder. "Have you been ensuring that your younger sister knows who's boss?" She questioned, cocking an eyebrow.

"I... I've been trying..." Mitsune responded feebly, lowering her gaze.

That sent Sasha into silence.

Elegantly, she folded her arms behind her back and pivoted to the side in a calm fashion. She looked off to the side for a moment, pondering. "And succeeding....?" She continued to pressure the girl, keeping a rather apathetic tone in her voice.

Obviously not, or I would have responded with a "yes".

"No..." Mitsune replied half-heartedly, looking at her mother with slight anticipation.

But Sasha knew.

Afte

r all, she had been watching over the sisters ever since the very beginning of their birth, every step of their life. Mitsune could've hidden her secrets like a natural, but she would always know what the girl was attempting to hide. She was simply toying with the girl, as she always did with people. They always were so manipulative and gullible, no matter who it was. Shiro had proved that to an extent, even if she had turned out to be a failure.

But still, she continued to play around.

"I think you just tried to lead me on, kid...." She said, her tone not showing any change. But the words were clearly disapproving. "Trying can cut both ways; in your favor, or out of it. I was just about ready to think you had learned something all of these years." She paced around a little. "Not exactly pleasing to know that your sister has enough strength to pound your head in, is it?"

"It's not that I can't!" Mitsune insisted, standing once again. Her hands balled themselves into fists in anger. "It's just that everytime I want to, somebody interferes! Dad, or the fucking crab, or a Hollow..." She couldn't meet her mothers gaze this time. Mitsune could only hope her mother didn't know about how Shiro had almost killed her.

"And what do you do to an obstacle once they get in your way...." Sasha asked casually, slowly turning around to face Mitsune once more.

"... Climb over them?"