Qualms of the Passioned and Dispassioned

This article, Qualms of the Passioned and Dispassioned, is the co-property of both AchronesXII and Takeshi57.

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?"

"Close. There's another...."

"..... Walk around them?"

"....are you being stupid on purpose?" At this, Sasha put on a rather resentful scowl, her eyes narrowing into a slight glare of annoyance.

"Yes," She responded snidely, "I am. It's not my place to destroy obstacles that could possibly cause my parents to disown or kill me and leave me with nowhere to go."

"So let me get this straight..." Leaving one arm folded across her chest, Sasha extended her other hand in a pondering motion. "You don't like the fact that there's always interference, but you're not willing to take the steps necessary to eliminate that interference? Now that is something very, very sad, kid...." To emphasize her last sentence, she unfolded her arms across her chest and made a shrugging motion with her arms.

"Oh, shut the fuck up, you manipulative bitch. Just stop toying to me and tell me what the fuck you want already before I decide to leave." To emphasize her own speech, she rolled her eyes and folded her arms. Mitsune was sick of being outsmarted in a conversation she didn't especially want to have anymore.

A snicker escaped Sasha's lips. "Oh, me?" She gestured to herself. "I want a double cheeseburger with medium fries and a large drink. But that's not what this is about. This is about what you want, and how far you're willing to go to get it." She re-folded her arms across her chest and tilted her head to the side. Of course, Mitsune would not get what she was attempting to do on the first try. But there was always time for another chance. Either the child would understand what she had to do, or her family would ultimately make her.

Oh.... was she talking about the other three Haruo when she referred to family? What a humorous thought.

"Why can't you just spell out for me what you're trying to saaaaay...?" asked Mitsune exasperatedly, a frustrated sigh escaping her lips. She was trying to make Mitsune do something, but Mitsune didn't understand why she had to figure it out on her own, when Sasha could just tell her!

"Do you want to crush your sister?" Sasha asked simply.

"Yeah." Mitsune responded non-chalatantly.

"And are you willing to do whatever it takes..." Sasha paused for a moment, taking slow steps towards Mitsune again. "...to do it?"

"Yeah...?" Mitsune responded once more, though this time with hints of nervousness in her voice.

"Then it's time fo

r you to get up and start proving it...."

Once Sasha was in front of Mitsune again, she reached out a hand to place on Mitsune's head....

....and instantly, the effects were immediate.

There would be a tearing pain through Mitsune's head, spreading rapidly throughout her body. It would be a racking sensation to deal with.... and yet, at the same time, it would provide a sort of "motivator", inciting the anger and pumping the body with adrenaline. It would be torture, and yet at the same time, it would be nothing short of thrilling.

The girl's eyes widened; her pupils dialated; her jaw was clenched shut; nearly every vein in her body was throbbing, filled with the sort of sick pleasure she got from whatever it was. Instinctively, but only instinctively, her hands shot up to try and knock the woman's hand off her head, which was what her body identified as the source of the pain.

She didn't need to. Sasha had willingly taken off her hand, but the agonizing feeling continued to wrack the girl's body. "Don't worry. This'll only last as long as you're conscious...." She turned around and walked away, her footsteps growing more distant as she did so. "But once it's gone.... well.... let's just say you'll be seeing things the way I do."

Mitsune writhed on the ground in pain, vainly trying to figure out if her mother had meant for things to happen this way or not. When Mitsune wasn't back in time, her family would get worried, and they would most likely force the stranger to take her little gift away. Then she would be stuck there, in that world. She didn't want to be... Mitsune enjoyed her freedom!

But, as her eyes slowly began to close, as her body and mind reached their limit from the agony that was spreading like wildfire throughout her body, the young girl could do nothing but watch as her freedom slipped out of her grasp and was her's no more.

"Once I'm done with you, little Mi-chan...."

Her voice was the last thing to be heard as she sank into unconsciousness.

"....there'll be nothing to stand in your way."

---

Alma had left shortly after her and Ryuzaki's entrance into the room. As he felt her presence disappear, Ryuzaki pulled out the pendant wrapped around his neck. Some would say he was paranoid, but he had built special sensors into his pendants. His pendant, something of the main key, had a one-way link with every other pendant. This helped him keep track of who had his pendants and where they went in case they were stolen, but also allowed him to keep track of people who needed to be kept track of. Mitsune seemed a little too distant from her parents, and, lacking the full picture, Ryuzaki couldn't understand it. His observations told him her behavior seemed more like that of a child who was stuck with people who weren't entirely her actual family. What had happened?

Ryuzaki sighed; needing more information. Either way, there were more pressing issues. Mitsune's pendant was oozing one of the oddest auras Ryuzaki had ever been given from it. Blinking, he shook his head and opened a portal. He had no intent of getting in trouble with either parent.

He stepped in and then out, unsure what he would find on the other side. He had never intended the device to allow him to spy too deeply into other's issues; the emotional aura was a natural side-effect caused by the link of pendants; emotions flowing into it's power and emitting out the other end. Quickly he took in his surroundings.

It was quiet and serene.

There were no animals or hollows in the area, at least, not any longer, which would make it extremely easy for Ryuzaki to locate Mitsune's spiritual sigature, with or without the use of his pendant. The last beams of sunlight left in the day were coming in through the openings in the forest ceiling as he searched.

Ryuzaki noticed Mitsune and walked calmly towards her. He could distinctly hear slightly labored breathing emanating from her. Considering his options, he sighed and pocketed the pendant he had given her, which currently hung from her neck. He wasn't about to get himself, or Mitsune in trouble because of whatever it was that had attacked her. Still, curiousity got the better of him and he put a hand on her forehead; looking for answers. The events of minutes before surged through his mind.

Ryuzaki noticed the resembalance this figure had to Nami and put two and two together. ...Guess Mitsune is distant because this inner hollow raised her perhaps? Ryuzaki sighed; not knowing what Sasha had done to Mitsune to cause this.

Figuring that mystery out could wait; he needed to get Mitsune back. Picking her up and he hopped through the portal and reappeared about halfway down the mountain. Laying Mitsune down in a sleeping position, Ryuzaki disappeared back into the portal, which would presumably take him back to the basement of the house.

---

Nnnngh...

There was a slight rustling sound as the girl awoke from her slumber. He head was still throbbing. It seemed the sun had already set, and there were any number of noisy crickets chirping and night creatures roaming where she was currently situation. Each individual throb of her head only served to wake her more, and it only took a few moments before she was completely aware of her surroundings and fully awake. Unfortunately, it also meant that she would probably be up until the middle of the night, and that her sleep cycle would be disturbed. To fix it, she would most likely end up staying for longer than twenty-four hours, and then going to sleep at her normal bed time...

But she could fret about that later. Since it was only their first day at their new house, Mitsune could simply use the excuse that she'd been out exploring to explain her lateness. Immediately, she fished for the pendant that Ryuzaki had given her. For a moment, she wondered if she had misplaced it.

After about a minute of searching, she concluded that it was lost.

She was stranded without a way to get home to her family.

"God FUCKING dammit!"

Mitsune's scream made the birds in the area fly away in flocks. The screams could be heard all the way down the mountain, and as her reiatsu flared, even the hollows in the area began to flee.

She was angry.

But it was natural! Who the fuck took her pendant!? Now she had to walk all the way back home. It was such a pain; and she certainly didn't feel up to it, but she wasn't going to spend the night in the woods. It was dirty. Trudging along quite aimlessly, Mitsune continued up the mountain, looking for something to think about so she could occupy her mind during this solitary trek.

She chose her mother.

Mitsune was very happy she had pleased her mother. She was even more happy her mother had praised her like she did; and that she was even willing to help Mitsune get stronger than Shiro! She wasn't exactly sure what her mother had done before she left, but she was sure she'd find out soon enough. Not that it wasn't unlike her m

other to cause somebody unnecessary pain, but she certainly wouldn't do it to her own daughter, would she?

For a fleeting moment she wondered how she escaped Nami's prison, but that thought was whisked away once she concluded that Sasha was awesome enough to do anything she wanted. She was powerful, she was clever, and she loved Mitsune, and that was all that mattered.

As she approached the house, she compared Sasha's treatment of her to her "family's" treatment of her, and decided that if r

unning away with Sasha was an option, she'd do it in a heartbeat. She'd have some qualms about leaving her father, since, when she was a little child (or at least, before Shiro came around), he spoiled her. Sometimes she wondered how she'd be if Shiro had just simply never been born at all.

But once she was powerful enough, Mitsune could just get rid of Shiro! Mitsune would get rid of anybody who made Mitsune unhappy. And then Mitsune would figure out a way to kick the habit of referring to herself in the third person.

"Hey, kid!"

The first thing she was greeted with when she opened the door was Nami's voice. She was also greeted with a peck on the forehead. "Glad to see you still OK." She commented, folding her arms across her chest and giving a small smile. "Did you happen to see anything worth interest?"

"... Uhm... N-Not... Not really..." The girl was pretty taken aback. She smiled back, awkwardly, and waited for Nami to continue the conversation. "My head kind of hurts, though..." she drawled. She could still feel the warmth from where Nami had "pecked" her. It bothered her, if only a little.

"Hmm...." Nami thought about it for a moment, eyes tilting up to the side. Then, looked down back at Mitsune. "Want me to get you any thing for it?" She asked, keeping a rather casual and Nami-ish tone within her words. "Or are you gonna head up to your room and rest a bit?"

"I'm not really that tired, but I'll be fine on my own. What're you up to? Where's Dad?" Mitsune replied, coolly.

Nami jerked a finger behind her. "See for yourself."

Nori had fallen asleep on the couch. By his posture, and the ever-present grumbling in his sleep, it was apparent he wasn't enjoy not having a certain someone to lean on or to be near him as he slept. Instead, he was making due with the couch cushion, which wasn't nearly as comfortable....

"Fucking figures..." Mitsune muttered, shaking her head. She nodded in his direction. "Looks like he wants his pillow."

Nami rolled her eyes, placing her hands onto her hip. "He always wants his pillow. A few minutes won't kill the motherfucker, I'm talking to my daughter right now." Then, she let out a heavy and somewhat irritant sigh, looking back down at the shorter female. "I really hope that if you get hitched, you won't get someone who's gotta cling to you every second of the day."

While Mitsune figured that that statement was meant to earn her mother some brownie points, it actually had the opposite effect. "Well, if the guy I got hitched to had a childhood so abusive that he killed the rest of his family then committed suicide, then came right out of that into enslavement by the Lord of Hell as he watched all of his newly-found friends beaten and forced to do things against their will, and then, after finally defeating him, being forced into over nine months of slavery by your inner hollow, being addicted to a drug and then having to kick that addiction, before I was finally born and you were able to wrestle back control from your inner hollow, and I was the only anchor he had that prevented him from just ending it all and committing suicide again like he obviously wants to, I would be absolutely THRILLED if he began clinging to me."

"Get the fuck out of my face with that that shit." Mitsune was making it very clear that she was attempting to guilt her mother for saying what she said. She allowed herself to turn away from her daughter, her gait a rather irritant one. "I was trying to be nice and see if you got yourself into more trouble or not. But since you sound like you'd rather turn this into a guilt trip, I see I don't need to do that much." A scowl was on her face, and her eyes were furrowed.

"What-the-fuck-ever, the fact that you have to go out of your way to be nice to me is retarded. Yes, Mitsune is always in trouble, Mitsune is the worst, uuuuu~!" Only towards the end, Mitsune began adopted a rather childish tone. "Forgot I'm not the perfect daughter, sorry."

That made Nami stop in her tracks, turning back around in what looked like an incredulous look directed towards her daughter. "And what in the hell makes you think I give a shit about you not being perfect?" She fired right back readily. She had this problem with Ahatake, as well, and he just wouldn't change. That had made Taiki carry the long-term grudge towards his father, after all. "As a matter of fact, I don't have to be nice to you. Matter of fact, I can just be a bitch and ignore your existence for the rest of my life. But that's just completely fucked up, isn't it? Perfect or not, you're still my daughter. Nothing is gonna change that."

"... I'm sorry, Mommy..." Mitsune whispered. There were hints of sadness in her voice. Nami wasn't her real mother... So Mitsune would have to deal with her until she left. If the woman somehow earned her affections, Mits

une congratulated her on accomplishing an impossible task.

"...." Why, oh why, did the guilt trips have to work on Nami?

She let out a heavy sigh, but she turned her gait steadily back towards Mitsune, until she was back within reach. Then, she lowered herself a little and embraced the girl tightly, head resting over her shoulder. "Listen.... I'm sorry if it seems like we haven't been there for you all the time. But we've always tried to do what's best for you. And...." A smirk came across her face. "Yeah, at times, you can be a pain in both of our asses... but that doesn't matter. I'm always gonna make sure that you're happy, no matter what decision to make." Lifting herself a little, she planted a kiss on Mitsune's forehead again before standing back up and walking away, back towards the spot where she had been sitting on the couch.

The girl smiled mirthfully. Her mother had just earned some Mitsune points. "I love you." She said quietly, before leaving the living room and heading up the stairs. She'd pick a room and sleep in it, she supposed. She didn't know if she could call it her room just yet... But, oh well.

As Mitsune reached the top of the stairs, she found Ryuzaki leaning against a wall, tossing the very pendant he had fished off her unconscious form earlier up and down in his right hand. He said nothing, completely at ease and awaiting any response from Mitsune.

"... Oh, I get it..." She snatched it out of mid-air, and kept walking, with her little comment possibly being the only thing that showed she had acknowleged the man's existance. It was immediately put on, and she smiled to herself as she felt it's weight pulling on her neck.

Ryuzaki called after her, "Don't expect it back if it happens again."

In response, a door slammed shut.

Ryuzaki didn't feel like prying today, so with a shrug, he walked back downstairs towards the basement entrance.

Awakening

"Nnnnnngh...."

His wife's bicep was soft. A little too soft, but Nori didn't mind. As his brought his head away from it, a thin trail of drool connected them. He stared at it for a moment before deciding that his wife could deal with it whenever she woke up.

He stood, stretched a little, then wiped the little crusty sleep boogers out of his eyes.

Nori wanted milk.

And his quest for it drove him to the kitchen.

Someone had already beaten him there.

Pouring milk in a glass was none other than Shiro herself, standing over the table with the gallon tilted over in her hands. She didn't seem to acknowledge her father at first as she steadily filled the glass almost to the brim. Then, she stopped and set the jug on the table in order for her father to access.

"... Well, good morning..." Nori greeted his daughter slowly. It seemed like he barely acknowledged her existence, as he grabbed the jug from her. He didn't bother pouring it into a glass, he simply lifted the entire thing up over his head and drank the substance in long, drawn out gulps. When he was finished, there was only about another glassfull left.

"Burp."

That was when Shiro turned to acknowledge him, eyes looking over him for a moment. "Good morning, Dad..." She stated, folding her hands behind her back as she looked at him. She allowed herself to walk over to him, bare feet gently tapping the ground as she walked.

He regarded her warmly, though with an are of fatigue. "How are you...?" As he asked, he quickly tilted up the last of the milk, determined to finish it all. Once he did, he practically slammed it back down on the counter, then leaned on it for support.

"I'm fine...." As she spoke, Shiro allowed her arms to reach out and wrap themselves around her father in an affectionate embrace. "But you don't seem to have gotten much sleep..." She commented softly.

If he didn't feel like it would only serve to mock his daughter's affection, Nori would have let out an awwwwwwwwww!. But instead, he wrapped his own arms around her gently, and smiled brightly. "Oh, I'll be fine. I'm just not very comfortable sleeping in other people's houses, that's all. Anything you'd like to do today?"

Shiro paused for a moment, allowing herself to pry away with her father's content. "I'm going to go down to the basement. The stranger doesn't seem to leave it locked, even while we're around...."

Her father allowed her to move off of him with very little struggle. "Well, I don't know how he'll feel about us snooping through his house, but if he doesn't leave it locked I see no reason to disallow it. Do you want anything for breakfast? I could try my best at cooking."

"We don't know what he has in here for food...."

"Well, he's got milk! And I didn't see any cows around here. I could ask him to let us leave and I'll take you to a diner, if you want."

"....you don't have to do that...." Shiro wasn't eager on just going around into a public place. When she was near people, she had this certain....distaste around them. They emitted a certain aura around them that seemed vulgar at best. Maybe it was the simple fact that they were humans? Either way, she didn't like being around them, and the choice of being surrounded by them was a decision she was not reay to make....

"......"

After observing his daughter for a moment, Nori squatted to her level, and looked her in the eye. "Some advice from your wise and aging Daddy. If you don't want to do something, say you don't want to go. If you say something like 'you don't have to do that', people are just going to assume you're being polite and do it anyway."

"I'd rather be polite than rude..." Shiro allowed herself to turn away just to grasp the cylinder-shaped figure of the milk-contained glass. "And I'd rather be me than my sister."

It looked as if Nori's attempt at giving his daughter wise words to live by had failed. He hung his head in shame before continuing. "I never mentioned your sister? I guess I wouldn't take offense if you said no, but some other people would..."

"And that would be considered rude." Shiro paused for a moment, lifting the glass to her lips and taking a drink. After lowering it, she returned her gaze back towards her father. "Mitsune is already that 24/7. That's what I meant by what I said."

"I... understand..." Nori failed to find the words that could defend his eldest daughter. Well... He found them. Just because she's rude doesn't make her a bad person, Shiro. Rude isn't the absolute worst thing somebody could be. I'd rather have her be rude than a serial killer or a rapist. They were certainly there. But... Nori wanted his daughter's approval. If he defended the other daughter in front of her, would she give it to him? Or would she simply start giving him the cold shoulder..?

"You don't have to hide your opinion just because of me...." If Nori wanted to defend Mitsune, then she could understand. It wasn't as if she was constantly dependent on them. After all, they would die out, anyway....

He shook his head. "Forget I said anything." In a slightly exasperated matter, Nori gave a half-hearted laugh. "I... don't know what to say. You're growing up. This conversation is awkward. Uh... Have... Fun in the basement? You can ask your mother what she saw in there if you don't like surprises. I guess I'll go now." After a painfully long awkward pause, Nori turned to walk away from his daughter. She had grown up too fast! Much too fast! It wasn't fair for her to be as smart as, or even smarter than Nori already! Maybe he had just gotten stupid? But then...

Something horrible dawned on Nori.

This was the first time he had ever felt like his daughter was a completely different person than she used to be.

Which also meant that she was growing up, which meant that he wouldn't be her "father" for much longer.

As he continued to walk away, his expression grew grim. Suddenly, the man felt like sleeping once more.

Shiro only watched him go with unreadable eyes, until he left the kitchen. Then, she tilted the glass to her lips and emptied its contents before setting the glass down. She allowed herself to walk out of the doorway to her own path, her footsteps light and next to soundless as she did so.

She rounded the corner at the same time as her sister.

Mitsune had just observed her father leaving the kitchen. She immediately noticed the dark look on his face... It was unbecoming on him, and it looked totally out-of-place. The last time she could remember him looking like that was when her father had his second experience with Bael...

She brushed it off once Shiro was facing her.

Despite being sleep-deprived, and Shiro's nigh-undetectable movement, Mitsune was still able to stop on a dime in front of her sister whilst giving her a "what the hell are you still doing in my way" look. The expression on her face could be described as nothing less of a frown of extreme distaste.

Because Mitsune stopped right in front of her, Shiro had to allow herself to stop as well. She lowered her head, face lowered but her eyes never leaving Mitsune's. This gave for a rather intimidating appearance, despite the lack of changing faces. She remained silent, not saying a word. If Mitsune wanted to stop her, then apparently she wanted something. All she had to do was say it...

Mitsune raised an eyebrow. It was adorable, her younger sister trying to be all intimidating to someone who knew her so well. "Excuse me." She muttered half-politely. The other hint of emotion in her voice was undiscernable.

Without word, Shiro moved aside for the other girl and walked past her.

"Fucking bitch, doesn't know how to move out of my goddamned way on her own..."

Slowly, Shiro continued to make her way to the door, through the doorway, and then down the stairs. The basement itself upon entry was somewhat dark, dim lights guiding her as she took each step down. Her eyes looked around, searching for any sign of activity. But she found none; she was the only source of living activity within the area. It made her relax a little, as she did not wish for something to jump out and grab her without warning. That was what the area felt like around her....

She made it to the final step.

The lights snapped on upon entry, and she found herself to be in what was a dojo-like area. At the center, there was a training mannequin, standing as if it had been waiting for her the whole time. She walked over to it, studying it for a moment. It was apparent that the stranger had done most of his combat work down here. This seemed like such a novice way to hone his skills, and it was more than likely he didn't use it anymore. Therefore, he probably wouldn't mind if she herself used this to her own advantage. She took one more look around, sighting out a rack having plenty of swords to use.

A ghost of a smile came across her face, and she walked over towards one to begin.

Grabbing one, she walked over to the mannequin and settled into a stance similar to that of a kendo posture. Lifting the blade over her head with both hands, she began a series of moderately fast, but stable and fluid swings. She kept her distance so that only the tip of the blade would scrape the mannequin and lessen damage. She stood in the same spot, but she occasionally shifted the position of her feet in order to suit the kind of swing she was initiated. In this time, her eyes were concentrated on the mannequin - the practice of keeping eyes on the enemy at all times.

"Fluid swings," murmured a voice directly next to Shiro.

Immediately, the blade stopped right then and there.

She lowered her blade, the tip almost pointing at the ground. It was still clutched in both hands in order to resume the attack on the mannequin quicker. She turned her head towards the source of the voice instinctively.

Ryuzaki stood there beside her, wearing black pants and a white long-sleeve shirt. His calm and analytical expression did not betray his inner amusement, and neither did his voice as he added, "Not that I'm surprised, you were the one that would have won if that hollow hadn't stepped in."

"And I would've killed her...." Shiro thought, her own emotions overshadowed by her dim face.

But it was too late to worry about if's now. The opportunity to end Mitsune's life had died and vanished. There would be another time, however. She only kept her stare on Ryuzaki for a moment before she turned back to the mannequin in order to start up her swings again.

Ryuzaki looked at the girl for a moment before saying, "The mannequin absorbs reishi from the atmosphere and regenerates itself. By all means take some real swings at the thing."

Shiro took a few steps closer, just enough so that damage would be maximized.

Then, she initiated.

The effects were immediate. In her attacks on the mannequin, gashes were formed across the torso. Her strength was not enough to cut through the mannequin completely, but it was clearly enough to cause critical damage had it been a living opponent. The only thing she was cutting through completely was the arms, which were sliced off only to be regenerated again and again.

Ryuzaki considered, Her form is good but she is using the same amount of force she would use in actual combat and she isn't fully going through... He spoke thereafter as calm as ever, "Your form is developing well, but you should be able to cut clear through this dummy every time; it's yield is based on the level of reishi it is set to absorb. Right now you're fighting at the weakest setting, which I suppose would be around the average ordinary hollow."

Once again, Shiro lowered her stance and stepped away from the mannequin, the sword blade touching the floor. She continued to remain silent under his observing comments, not bothering to turn towards him. However, it was clear that she was still listening to him.

Ryuzaki continued, "You have more than enough spiritual power to get the job done, you're just not harnessing it efficiently."

The evaluation was made, and thus, there was no more reason to practice. Shiro swung her arm, tossing the blade in a haphazard manner in order for Ryuzaki to catch. Obviously, being careless would not kill him, so she didn't have to worry about his safety.

Ryuzaki caught it by the handle in a reverse grip. Flipping the grip as he spoke he explained, "Many Shinigami only know how to do such a thing instinctively, when under the stress of battle. But even then it is often sloppy and harder for them to maintain, and when they do get it right often they have to stop a moment to focus themselves before going for the decisive blow." With a single step forward and a single slash, Ryuzaki bissected the dummy's torso, as well as dismembering both arms. Ryuzaki continued as he did this, "You have to effortlessly be able to enter a state of non-action."

Shiro placed a hand on her hip, her expression rather neutral.

Ryuzaki considered the girl before adding, "But first you need to learn the action of course. Want to learn?"

She gave a slowly nod in response.

Ryuzaki looked at the blade her was currently holding before flipping it in a matter that would let him catch the blade and have the handle pointing away from him, which he then held out to Shiro. Then he questioned, "Do you want to use your own blade or this one?"

The response was a slight indication of the blade on her waist. She lifted a finger to point at it, before returning it back to its former position.

Ryuzaki returned the blade to it's former resting place as one of his own blades materialized along with a sheathe at his side. As he walked back toward Shiro he questioned, in an attempt to see where they could begin, "Can you release your spiritual power?" In demonstration an aura of spiritual power appeared around him for a moment before fading away.

Folding her hands behind her back, Shiro lowered her head and shook it before raising it back up to look into his eyes once more.

Ryuzaki rested his hand on the pommel of his sheathed blade as he said, "It's probably the most basic form of spiritual control, and how most spiritual beings often proceed in combat. They release it and let it flow all over the place. It does make them more powerful, but it wastes energy unless you're fighting someone weak enough to tremble by the pressure," he looked at the practice dummy for second as he added, "or if you're trying to use psychological warefare."

His gaze returned to Shiro, "I've seen you use a variation of Shunpo; Kogeru is what it's called correct?" The question was obviously rhetorical as he went on, "Let's start from there; you have to use spiritual power to use Kogeru, so grab hold of the energy within you as if you were to use Kogeru, and instead of directing it at your feet, direct it throughout your entire body."

All Shiro did was close her eyes.... and focus.

She started off with the standard for Kogeru, focusing energy at her feet. Then, she allowed that energy to rise, flowing like a river through the rest of her body. However, the energy only managed to reach at a peak of 50% percent before it slowed to a crawl. She squinted her eyes a little, body shaking momentarily as she attempted to harness the amount of energy needed for safe exertion.

Ryuzaki considered her actions, "Don't try and control it, that's for another time, just let it out; trust your body to not kill you." What he said was true; unless she forcibly released all her power at once it was a perfectly safe, if tiring, exercise.

She stopped immediately.

Then, she reversed her direction.

The spiritual pressure exerted itself from her body, and a considerable wind was billowing all around her. Her hair began to whip around steadily, under the influence of the energy released from her person. As it whipped around, the full nature of her eyes could be seen. They were widened, seemingly frozen in their posture. Her pupils, dead as still water, were staring at nothing in particular, not even the one who was giving her these instructions.

Ryuzaki considered the girl's spiritual color for a moment, Red huh... but to what end? At the same time however, he gestured towards the dummy, "Alright then, keep that going, take a swing and see what happens; it's a tiring drill if you aren't used to it and don't have adrenaline running but you should see the results before you stop."

Upon his command, her arms lifted upwards again, one hand being taken off the blade as they focused only to rejoin the hilt at the top of her rise. She kept herself focused on After waiting for only a second, she swung the blade down...

SLASH!

Not only was the dummy torn into two pieces, the head had been completely obliterated. The width of the damage done was enough to nearly cover what had been the torso, leaving the arms and sides intact. Of course, its properties allowed it to regenerate immediately, but the fact still remained: with her spiritual energy exerted, Shiro was capable of being much more lethal than she would've at her normal state.

As expected... now I just have to hope she doesn't kill Mitsune with it... thought Ryuzaki as he watched. He said nothing though; wanting to keep an eye on Shiro's current condition and not distract her.

Once again, Shiro continued the attack, her swings amplified by the spiritual energy that she was exerting. Again and again, the mannequin suffered terrifying damage, the body being split and bifurcated again and again. Shiro's eyes remained in that eerie, unreadable position as she attacked the mannequin, putting her full force in her strikes.

Ryuzaki's analytical eyes were unreadable, She's gonna burn herself out.

His analysis was right.

Upon one more ferocious swing, Shiro's blade dropped, the tip touching the floor. Her arms hung limp, and her hands, although still clenching the hilt of the blade tightly, held the weapon loosely. Sweat was showing down the visible parts of her skin, and her body was once again shaking. Her head was lowered, but her breathing was hitched as to show how much the constant exertion had taken on her person.

"I said one strike," murmured Ryuzaki lightly, as he stepped forward. He placed a hand on the dummy to turn off it's ability to absorb reishi. Stepping back a half step and drawing his blade, his own spiritual aura returned and he slashed vertically downward. The blow caused the same result as Shiro's first strike; with the head obliterating and the body being torn in two. This time the pieces fell to the floor and he stared at them for a moment before turning to Shiro, "Haven't passed out yet? That's a good sign." He sheathed his blade and continued, "Have you eaten anything today?"

The girl shook her head, not bothering to raise her head up. She jerked her blade up, sheathing it back within its own holster before taking in a deep breath and holding it. It was supposed to help her regain breath faster: holding it would allow time for her lungs to absorb the oxygen, decreasing the time needed.

Ryuzaki walked to one of the doors and opened it, which led into a small kitchen. As he wandered in, he looked at Shiro for a moment and said, "Don't hold your breath; slow inhale, slow exhale works better in my experience." He returned shortly after with a folding table which he placed inside the dojo, then went in and retrieved two chairs. On his 3rd return, he brought out milk and bowls, and on his 4th he brought glasses and cereal.

At that very moment, Shiro exhaled her breath, now finding the intake and outtake of air much easier to deal within. She turned her head to look over at him in a rather quizzical manner. However, after waiting for a hesitating moment, she brought her feet up and walked over towards the table. The gesture of "hospitality" seemed....too.... what was the word for it....? Convenient? She didn't allow herself to sit, hands folded behind her back and her eyes looking over Ryuzaki.

Ryuzaki sat down himself and looked at her. "Looking for an ulterior motive?" he asked as he poured himself some milk and cereal.

Shiro regarded him for a few moments, eyes looking at him intensely for a moment. As it was, the man could hide anything from her and she wouldn't be able to know it. But, what would he have to gain by tricking her in such a manner? Her mind could not see anything like that. Deciding to relent, she moved over to the other seat and slid quietly into it, crossing her legs and placing her hands on the sides of her chair. Despite the rather depressing personality she gave off, she looked somewhat innocent, nothing more than a simple, obedient, and quiet little girl. It would be next to impossible to tell the difference.

Cynical... thought Ryuzaki as he passed her the milk and cereal. Still, he had no intention of revealing how much of a read he had of her just yet. People had a way of knowing when you were looking at them; it was something anyone who had any intention of being sneaky had to learn. The trick was to not have ones eyes focus on them, but on something else and watch them using only peripheral vision. And it was this technique Ryuzaki used to analyze Shiro now.

After taking the box and milk from him, Shiro kept an eye for him for a moment more before allowing herself to speak for the first time. "There really is no need for this...." She said quietly, a somewhat monotone in her words. "I don't need to eat like the humans do."

Ryuzaki shrugged, "Don't have cereal then, have some milk." He pushed one of the glasses her way, even though he really didn't care if she drank straight from the container or not. He placed his spoon in the now empty bowl and looked up thoughtfully, "That's right though, your father was a Hell-Hunter. So some of those traits did pass on."

Shiro, of course, would not ruin her lady-like dignity by resorting to drinking straight from the container like an animal. She handled the carton, steadying one of the glasses near her as she poured the white liquid into it. "...you talk as if you know everything about us.... despite only having met us." She noted, not bothering to meet Ryuzaki's gaze anymore.

Ryuzaki laughed lightly, "I don't think he remembers, but I ran into your father back when he was still a hell-hunter."

"What of my mother....?"

Ryuzaki shook his head, "I'd heard of her beforehand, and I had been aware that she and Nori had been married, but no I'd never met her in person." He looked at his blade that was currently leaning against the table as he continued, "I wouldn't say I know everything about you and your family, but I know at least enough to make certain observations."

Shiro set the carton down, holding the glass with one hand. "And yet those observations are allowing you to ascend deeper and deeper, finding more as you continue to bury yourself." She said, eyes once again falling on him.

Ryuzaki shrugged then he returned his gaze to Shiro and said, "Fair enough."

"Fair enough...."

It was a rather vague and hard-to-understand response. Either he was toying with her, or he was indifferent to her words. However, one thing was made clear: she did not trust this man. With an intelligence such as his, he could very well easily use the family's situation at hand to his advantage. The repeat of what happened during their trip in Hell could commence. For now, the talk was stable.... but faith within this person was completely out of the question unless he managed to prove himself otherwise.

Ryuzaki decided to dig a little, "Speaking of which, would you mind explaining your skepticism? Not your logic behind the skepticism; I understand that, but what created the logic? I'm assuming it comes from experience."

Taking a sip of the milk, Shiro set down the glass and placed her elbows on the table, folding her fingers together and keeping her hands level with her face. Only her eyes were exposed. "Most of what I have learned comes from experiences." She answered matter-of-factly, still keeping her dry and emotionless tone in check.

"Then I assume you were offered shelter somewhere before and it turned out the patron was using you and your family to their advantage?" asked Ryuzaki. Ah the cynic, what was it that caused you to become as such? Idealism and cynicism develop based on experience.

Shiro looked off to the side for a moment, before speaking again. "It wasn't the patron.... it was her friend." She answered readily.

Ryuzaki considered, "And who was the patron?" He said it in a way that made it sound like he was just curious and not like he was digging for information to go with what he had.

This prompted Shiro to turn her gaze back to him, her eyes closing. "I'm sorry....but I'm not at point to tell you."

Ryuzaki decided the subject could be dealt with later; there was time and Shiro had given him more than she thought. Tactfully, he murmured, "That's fine, didn't mean to pry." Then he pointed over at the dummy that still lay in pieces on the floor, "So, what are you thoughts on the technique?"

"That...?" As she looked over at the destroyed mannequin, she took another drink out of her glass. "...is just another way to enhance your attack power. There's nothing special about it."

Ryuzaki nodded, "Weaknesses?"

"Its offensive power taxes up energy with continuous use and can drain the user quickly." Obviously, Ryuzaki already knew this. He was only tying to figure out if she understood, as well....

Ryuzaki nodded again, "That's why generally those with the highest spiritual capacity are considered the most powerful, because they can use this basic technique without strain." He looked over at the carnage as he continued, "But it's a double-edged sword, because they'll never be able to really control their power any further than that."

"Who would fall under such a category?"

Ryuzaki turned to look at her again; considering, "Some of the Gotei 13 captains I would say, and anyone who is stronger than them. Nori is an example I suppose. Of course, the restrictions become more limiting the older you get considering your capicity grows with time and as you train."

"And....if someone could control that energy properly...." Shiro deduced softly. ".....would they be even stronger than that?"

Ryuzaki smiled, "Of course."

It was a ghost of a smile that had briefly flashed across Ryuzaki's face. But if Shiro had paid any mind to it, she wasn't expressing it. Instead, she was focusing her words on what the man had just said. The thought of ascending beyond even the strongest Shinigami was a satisfying revelation and an appeasing reward at the end of the tunnel. If she learned what she could from Ryuzaki... then maybe she could use those stepping stones to climb the rest of the way up herself.

It would be satisfying to use that power to crush Mitsune.

"Something on your mind?" questioned Ryuzaki. He had a feeling what but he didn't want to say anything.

"No. Nothing in particular...."

Ryuzaki again didn't press it, but instead stood and headed off towards one of the other rooms. "I think we're done for now; take the milk with you if you want. I've got some work to do."

Without another word, Shiro allowed herself to grab the glass and slide back out of the chair, walking off back into the upstairs. However, she passed one final look towards Ryuzaki before climbing up the stairs, retreating back up to the surface and leaving him to his thoughts.

Ryuzaki sighed as he felt Shiro fully leave. The girl was going to be a handful, and there was the risk Mitsune might get killed, but he truly was curious about this web surrounding the family, and if it perhaps did tie into the bigger issue of the hollow outbreak as well. Silently he went into his room and locked the door behind him; looking for some time to himself. He trusted the Haruo's not to burn down the house while he was 'out'... or at the very least it mattered little if they did.