The Conscentious Objector

Numbed Awakening, Ruined City.
''All begins... with a single push.''

Heiya Shonin stood there... in the camp on the roof of an abandoning office complex. The ruins of this city was apparently where Melina was supposed to see her... she came her to get trained. But Hollows had been said to roam here... albeit. The feel of a lingering void of spiritual energy remained clear. Sighing softly, brushing the hair behind her hair. Gazing out to the night sky. "Hmm..."

Within the outskirts of the destroyed city, there was indeed a presence approaching.

Under the night sky, a lone figure could be seen approaching, her feet treading lightly on the wrecked concrete. One hand was by her side, and the other was resting calmly on her Zanpakuto. Her eyes were scanning the destroyed buildings, idly looking from one to another in an attempt to search out something. A rather mirthful smile was on her face as she maintained her steady walk, obviously knowing what she was going for. Even without her spiritual senses, she could navigate the ruins without fear of getting lost, for she had been through this place many times before in the past.

She was Melina Herselia, one of the Arrancar who had taken this very city to be her home.

Heiya positioned her glasses to where they laid more comfortably on her nose, sighing softly. She was here, in South America, Brazil to meet Melina... to get the training she needed to. Memories of Hiroshima... and of the tragic past she had went through when she obtained these nightmarish powers.

Tapping her foot, she looked around herself, keeping the fire well lit, opening a baggie of chocolate and marshmellows... slowly melting them together so she could have a nice enough snack, nomming on each of them continually replaced with the next one. She was starving...

SNEAK!

A bit of chocolate was snuck out of the back with an eye-defying speed.

Sitting back to back with Heiya was, Melina had the chocolate piece in hand and chewing on it steadily, and it was in a manner that could only be described as "comically cute". Her eyes were squinted shut in an upside-down "U" shape. "Wow, I didn't know this kind of food actually tasted this good!" She commented lightly, tossing a look over her shoulder at Heiya.

Heiya immediately flinched at the direct sight of the new, but familiar arrival, "Eeekkk!!!" nearly jumping out of her skin, cuddling her sleeping bag in her hand. Surprised by how she quickly appeared. "O-oooh... yeah... whew..." sighing in a relief, glad it was just Melina... "It's good, eh?" smiling happily, her own similiar expression forming.

Eating the smore contently, "I got lots... so feel free to dig in."

"Wheee~!"

Melina was more than happy to oblige to the statement. She shifted her position, jumping up just to sit down right beside Heiya. She reached in, grabbing a marshmallow and a chocolate piece before holding them in both hands. Smushing them together a little, she held those hands out in the fire. Of course, the Hierro would protect her hand from the intense heat that would've normally burned anyone else.

Heiya blinked, taking note of the way she so gingerly placed her hands into the fire with no consequence of pain. "How do you... do that?" blinking in confusion. Another Spiritual trick no doubt... maybe she could learn to have that sense of power.

Sighing softly, she looked to smearing lips of Melina, giggling at the choco-lips and marshmellow goo at the corner of her cheeks.

"Hierro!" Was Melina's immediate answer for the question. "It's something that comes natural to the likes of Arrancar. Not exactly the most invincible thing in the world, but it does keep us from being hurt too much." She pulled her hands from the fire, her sleeves a little singed from the move that she made. She held the merged "sweetball" in her hand, blowing on it from time to time in order for it to cool off faster.

Heiya let out an 'Oooooo' motion with her lips, soft and peach lips uttering the letters in sequence. "So... after we finish eating... what stuff are you going to teach me?" The human girl knew little of spirits, of pressure, of any form of speed amplification, or the like... the list would go on...

After taking a good bite, eating it, and then wiping her mouth, Melina rolled her eyes and scoffed a little. "Pffft. What do you think? Everything I can, silly!" She answered. "Well, everything a human like yourself can learn, in your case. Who knows.... maybe you'll pick up on the first initial tries and find your own way, huh?"

Heiya nodded in eager response. "Alrightie then! I'm ready to begin when you are!" finishing her own molten snack, licking her lips of the sweet chocolatey goodness. Humming a content tune as it went down her throat, she cooed. "So... where you want to start me?"

"Well...." Melina didn't seem to be in much of a hurry, her position rather relaxed and indicating she wasn't willing to get up so soon. "The first thing anyone can do in the likes of your situation is start off with the most fundamental thing of all.... harnessing your spiritual energy." She looked thoughtful for a moment, even as she continued to eat the molten sweetball that she had created. "You seemed to use that when you were kicking Trizzy's and that other guy's tail in, though......"

Heiya stayed seated, listening intently. "Well... that was under pressure... I didn't do it intentionally..." Letting out a huff, rubbing her eyes as some ash blew towards her, coughing slightly. Sighing as her eyes were cleared of the annoying cinders. "It only really showed itself when I was in a state of panic... or fear... otherwise, it just wouldn't work..." "I've tried plenty of times since last I've seen you..."

Poking a piece of wood back into the fire with the tip of her foot, she sat her chin on her knees, gazing inward to the flames. "I'm almost afraid to sleep due to nightmares... don't want to make another... 'mess'..."

"What kind of nightmares...." Melina asked curiously.

Heiya sighed softly, "Oh... nightmares of those 'demons'... Hollows or whatever. And of your leader, Senkaku. Memories all muddied into those dream 'visions'... it makes my head hurt." Sighing softly, "I usually wake up in a sweat, and the area is thick with that spiritual pressure... so I tend to sleep very little... it takes a toll on me..." She was well rested now, but the look in her eyes showed how badly she wanted a good night's rest.

If it wasn't for the situation, Melina's eating of her sweetball and finishing it within that short time would've been comical.

Her hands free, she wiped them on the ground and shifted her body towards Heiya completely, wiping her mouth as she did so. She propped her hands behind her. "Sis...." She started, letting out a heavy sigh. "It's really a sad thing to see someone like you to get caught up in this. What Hollows do.... what Sen-chan did..... what I do....it's what I'd like to call the "dance of death". We kill and expect to get killed. Fighting is what we know, destruction is our gift, and we've grown to accept that. The ones who are too weak to play our game are killed, leaving the one more capable to continue playing."

She stretched her legs out in front of her, one leg crossing over the other. "You're scared because you're aware that the ones who fight you want to take your life. Your power prevents that, to keep you from dying at their hands. You have to become aware of your own strength and abilities, accept them, and in time, learn to make your very hunters fear you. Before they kill you.... you must learn to kill them. Do you understand?"

Heiya listened intently to all that was being said, crossing her legs to get comfortable in the indian sitting position. "Well... it sounds like a very different world... where you Hollows... come from..." sighing softly, rolling her shoulder. It was sick... almost sadistic. No... it IS sadistic. "It sounds barbaric... humans used to act that way in the past... but now we've tried to move past it." But only by a little; humanity was just as barbaric as before... only with shinier new weapons, and more subtle methods.

"I..." biting her lip, thinking it over. This was the beginning of a terrible threshold. "... understand. I'll do my best to learn..." she had to. She had to live a new life. And this woman would teach her to become more like a Hollow. To protect herself from the beasts that would hold no remorse.

"I'll do it."

Once again, Melina's lips curled upward into a pleased smile. "Great!" She slowly allowed herself to stand up. "Now that I know that, I think we can start off with learning how to control of those emotions before we do anything else. The Shinigami tend to try and allow themselves to be distant with their feelings when in battle. But Hollows? They use their very feelings as a way to keep themselves fighting. Considering you're human, it might be a bit of a problem to work with, but in time, you'll get used to it. Now.... what do you already know about actual combat?"

Heiya thought about it momentarily, taking in what she had said. Exhaling as she stood up from her seat. She bit her lip, placing one arm behind her, rubbing her forearm shyly about the the prospect of combat. "Well..." chuckling to herself awakardly. "Nothing besides what I did that day..."

"Sad, right?" shifting uncomfortabley at the thought.

"Not really...." Melina answered readily, flexing her hands a little out in front of her. She began to take light steps towards Heiya. "But considering that, I think I know how to start off with you. You see, the fighting style of Hollows is instinctual and aren't bound to a strict fighting style, more dependant on the personality of the user. It's much easier to get used to. We're going to begin with a little hand-to-hand. I'm going to start slow, then once you get used to it, I'll raise your difficulty level bit by bit. Ready?"

Heiya nodded lightly, sighing softly. "Alright then... I'll get ready..." getting into the best stance she could muster, one she had memorized and remembered from that day in Hiroshima with all the Arrancar. Fists up, she was ready. "I'm ready." Fully.

Melina did not hesitate to move.

She began with continuous strikes, swinging her fist in light, but moderately quick blows. She made sure to hold back her strength in order to avoid breaking any bones with a single hit, as she wasn't sure how much a human could take from someone like her. Despite the lightness of her swings, she kept the distance between them constant as to provide a sort of relentless pressure on her target.

Heiya kept going, deflecting the blows as best as she could, ducking and moving to the side, but staying rooted in her stance. Thrusting punches and kicks, focusing more so on swift and light jabs... taking instinct in being careful, locating her attacks to Melina's joints... her fighting style was slowly forming. "Heeya!" a strong fist thrown to Melina's chest.

Of course, it wasn't strong enough.

Melina's hand caught the blow, pulling her in. Then, she thrust her head forward, catching Heiya's forehead in a stunning head-butt before forcing her back, continuing to unleash her quick blows. To keep her on her toes, Melina added some power within her own strikes and even brought kicks into the mix. Her eyes seemed to be concentrated, but she still seemed to hold that mirthful smile even as she attacked relentlessly.

With the pain that followed; some fear flickered inward. And pressure began to be felt. But only a twinge... seen as her hands were being influenced by the energy rise, attacking faster, her body heating up due to her natural generation of it.

Focusing entirely on making impacts with Melina, hitting her shoulder twice in a row, her spiritual tattoo's were slowly lighting, but dim, barely visible to the unaided eye. Heiya would be unable to see them, but Melina would be fully aware of the feint green and purple glows.

"I'm drawing her power out....."

Accordingly, she continued to push at Heiya and allowed herself to comment. "Do you feel that?" She questioned her, a slightly happy tone in her voice. "It's your power, and it's trying to come out!" Her movements became more and more aggressive, and at a moderately fast rate due to the power exuded, Melina was releasing her own base restraints.

Didn't quite understand it, but she could see that Melina was working harder in her effort to hit her. And she herself did so. And with each hit Melina hit on her form, and that induced the pain. The pain was a conduit to her fear, and efforts doubled, her breath going faster.

Despite her panic rising, so was her spiritual energy, and her tattoo's beginning to glow brighter. Her flesh was becoming hot, her blood filling with the nuclear and spiritual energy.

That was when it stopped.

Melina's last attack stopped inches from Heiya's face, her knuckles within the vision of her target. Then, she allowed herself to leap back to a fighter's distance, arms hanging at her sides. "Every time I struck you...." She commented, her hair overshadowing her eyes. "You seem to still feel fear.... you can't play if you're too busy worrying about yourself all the time!" She started to idly pace around Heiya, giving her a moment to cool off. "Not to mention.... I can practically smell your flesh burning. You're letting your fear cloud your sense of your own power, even when it's becoming so obvious to the point of actually damaging your body. What's more important to you.... surviving.....?"

She stopped when she walked to where Heiya's back would have been facing, turning around to face her.

"Or beating your enemy?"

Heiya stopped her motions, breath hot, flesh seething. She could feel the pain, doing her best to calm herself to let the emotion of panic and worry subside. Soon the burning stopped. Inhaling and exhaling, it took a moment to conjure her neccesary control.

"S-surviving..." catching her stutter. "Surviving.." correcting it, showing more directness in stating what she needed to do. "I'm sorry about my control... I didn't even notice my flesh was so hot..." the tattoo's died down as her fear diminished back down to nothing.

"NO!!!"

Within an instant, Melina was right in her face, her single eye narrowed with stern anger in Heiya's own. Her stare was piercing, and her voice was sharp. "Do you really think we got where we were by surviving?!" She demanded. "By clinging on to that stupid thing you call "self-preservation"?! That's what causes your fear; your desire to survive!! Would you continue to "survive" even as your enemies tear apart your world piece by piece, "survive" as they continue to hunt you down without consequence?! If you can tell me that you can, you're saying that you'd be more comfortable down on your knees, a coward who can't amount to anything other than to "survive" as you die a pitiful, miserable death."

She jerked her face back, letting her anger in her expression show as she folded her arms across her chest.

Heiya looked to her, shaking slightly, so confused by the entire shift of views. The look in Melina's eye showed just how serious she was. But she was right, life had to change, she needed to change or she would die. Gulping, she bit her lip, "No!"

"I won't be afraid of everything anymore! I'm tired of always being pushed around and shoved into the corner!" That was her life's song, the way she was treated... like an outcast, like a worthless piece of shit. "I won't take that anymore!" She was giving what Melina wanted; and it was honest truth.

Her tattoo's flared.

This brought the smile back to Melina's face, pleased and in anticipation. She clenched her fists, tensing her body. Her visible eye narrowed back into concentration. "That-a-girl...." She whispered. "Now let's see you prove that to me. Grasp that power within you and use it.... not to survive....." She placed one foot behind her in a lunging stance. Then, she used a burst of energy to throw herself at Heiya once again, holding nothing back this time.

"But to beat me!!!!"