Bleach | Advent Soul

[Blueorchid]

Before Taka knew it, everything was rushing past her as she collided painfully with a nearby rock face. She winced, hearing the crunch of her body impacting as she slid to the ground dazed. It took her a few moments before she heard a sharp noise and her zanpakuto landing beside her. For some reason, seeing the blade snapped her out of it and she looked up only to see the increasingly Hollow-like form of Michael Rhodes stalking towards her. Her mind began screaming for her to get up but her body wasn’t reacting as fast as she wanted to…and he was coming closer…and closer. Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion until finally she closed her eyes and hid her face, preparing for something much more painful.

That was of course, until she heard Kyoji standing in front of her. By the time their informal guide had been knocked back by a fully-formed left claw Taka had grabbed her zanpakuto. And by the time Kyoji had fired the binding spell, she was slowly starting to get up.

Of course nothing would have prepared her for what he had in mind.

“How…how is that going to work?� she wheezed as she stabbed Keikoku into the sand and forced herself upright. Her chest hurt, she imagined she had popped a rib or two when she’d connected with the stone, but her mind was clear enough to realize…they were going to be in trouble if he didn’t regain control of his powers soon. There was even a chance Rhodes wouldn’t change back at all…

So before she knew it, Taka found herself slowly approaching Rhodes, using her zanpakuto for balance just slightly. The pain was slowly leaving as she stood, watching him roar angrily at the new confinement…which she imagined he could also break if given the time. Watching out for the tail he carried Taka cleared her throat and started to talk.

“Rho…,� she paused. They were really past the last name basis now…whether they liked it or not. She also knew he hated the name Michael. So she gritted her teeth and began again, her voice a little shaky, enough so that Kyoji might have been able to tell this was a little awkward for her, though he wouldn’t know why.

“Mike…Its me…Its Taka. You have to come back here with us, to Hueco Mundo. Come on, I know you’re in there somewhere…�
_________________

Neela Gadepalli- Carpe Diem
-----------
EnkouKitsune04: before this series is over.... I wouldn't be suprised if every person in the class gained full AdH powers... >.>

EnkouKitsune04: Keigo: "UBER OTAKU DENIAL SKILLZ!!!"
EnkouKitsune04: Tatsuki: "HIYAAA!" *CRUNCH*
EnkouKitsune04: Mizuro: *Pick up Hot chicks!!!*
juuhachi43: XP
EnkouKitsune04: Chizuru: *CENSORED FOR THE GOOD OF JAPANESE TELEVISION*
juuhachi43: XD

[trislash]

The very ground beneath Rhodes' monstrous form began to crack and cave beneath him as his reiatsu once again began to rise uncontrollably, an aura of dark violet beginning to wisp and burn around him and then suddenly burst forth from him into the sky in a massive pillar around him, his eyes flashing bright gold beneath the aura as they glared at Taka... his entire form was writhing in the grasp of Kyoji's kidou spell, the latter himself being forced to maintain full concentration on keeping him restrained as the resistance continued to build against his efforts. A feral roar erupted from his throat as his tail lashed forward in anger, only to be stopped by another six shafts of light from Kyoji... the Vaizard's concentration was being taxed further now, his efforts barely stopping the tip of the tail from reaching Taka's head as he swore beneath his mask.

"Feisty son of a bitch... hold still already...."

---

((Immediate Music - "Blasphemy 2.0 (Choir)"))

The massive shaft of crimson and black energy lanced forth from the duplicate Rhodes' hand with a furious shout, tearing into the sky and dispersing the smoke around it in its wake before it slowly dissipated...

...and then there was silence.

The real Rhodes was nowhere in sight. Several minutes seemed to go by before the copy smirked, bending down and picking up the Asauchi from the ground before snapping it over his knee with a smirk.

"Keheh heh heh... see you, cowboy..."

The smirk on the double's face soon split apart into a full-blown maniac's grin as he let loose a loud and crazed laughter over the devastated landscape, savoring his taste of victory as he fell to his knees on the dirt and raised his fists and gaze to the sky...

...and then the laughter stopped, the grin backsliding into a look of shock and rage as he rolled out of the way of a massive yari falling from the sky, its secondary blade slamming into and through the ground as dense mist began to gather around it, soon turning to fog. There was a winged figure standing on top of the three-bladed head of the yari as it stuck in the air, clad in smooth silver armor, arms folded across its chest and a faceless helm staring at the impostor Rhodes with a bright and burning nuclear blue light shining from the eyeslits. Razor-sharp claws tipped each finger of the gauntlets it wore, the rest of the armor rounded and smoot seemingly as if solely for defense. The armored figure's wings, though they seemed like ordinary grey feathers, shone in the light that radiated down on him from the gap in the clouds as if made of metal themselves, and patterns like a tiger's stripes shone in blue over the surface of the armor, their appearance like the ripples of clear water over the shining silver surface as the figure's reiatsu burned at its maximum potential.

"You...! IMPOSSIBLE!!"

The ground beneath the yari began to cave deeply with the pressure of the reiatsu the figure was putting out as he slowly stepped off the head of the yari, slowly floating down to land softly on the ground, his gaze unmoving as his right hand reached behind him and effortlessly wrenched the weapon from the ground, flipping the three-pronged head toward his enemy in an attack position as the fog began to crawl around their ankles, almost completely covering the ground and slowly beginning to rise up from it.

"How?! You shouldn't have been able to even THINK about that damn weapon, I blocked it off! You shouldn't even be HOLDING it right now, let alone that!!"

The pale duplicate increased his own reiatsu in response to the increasing weight of the armored figure's power, thunder cracking in the air around them as waves of crimson clashed with azure... yet he had to begin to work very hard to keep up with it now, his eyes widening in a nearly insane stare.

"YOU SHOULDN'T EVEN BE ALIVE!! I'M GONNA TEAR YOUR FUCKING GUTS OUT!!"

The impostor's grip on the two halves of the broken weapon in his hands tightened, the blood from them slowly covering it and reforming the perverted version of the odachi as he slammed them together in his fists and then tossed it, taking the handle in his hands and leveling it at his right side as he dashed forward toward the silver knight at full speed. The first strike lashed out at the armor's chest with a wild shriek, the haft of the yari interposing itself between blade and cuirass as the impostor shot a powerful right kick toward the helm... the metal rang with a loud, resounding note as the strike impacted, but the head did not so much as budge, the glow in the eyes and in the armor's markings intensifying all the more.

"I'M GONNA TEAR YOUR FUCKING LIMBS OFF AND CRAM 'EM DOWN YOUR GODDAMN THROAT!! I'LL POUND YOU UNTIL THERE'S NOTHING LEFT BUT A GREASY SHITPILE LEFT, I'M GONNA BURN YOUR BODY, PISS ON THE ASHES, AND TEAR THIS WHOLE GODDAMN PLACE APART AROUND YOU!!"

The sound of two voices speaking together as one responded to the verbal assault as the doppelganger leapt from the armored shoulder to make a strike from behind... but the feathers of the wings shifted swiftly, their edges shining as they all flattened together behind him and formed a veritable solid wall against the copy's wild strikes and slashes... the armor simply turned around, thrusting the yari through the center of the wall with authority and catching the duplicate across his ribs, throwing him back and sending him tumbling and sprawling across the dirt as the feathers dispersed and began to reform wings behind him.

"There's one thing you just REALLY don't get, isn't there? This place... is MY world... MY soul... if you think you can just come in here and attempt to desecrate or destroy it, I've got sour news for you Jack..."

The fog seemed to swirl around the form of the armored figure, obscuring him from sight until flashes of that nuclear blue glow began to appear and disappear around the infuriated clone, his shouts accompanying the reckless and misguided slashes at them as his frustration increased... and then turned to sheer unbridled rage as he let loose his own full potential, a plume of crimson darkening the fog around him as he roared... it was a bestial roar, that of an angry predator facing a challenger on its own territory... it was a Hollow's scream. The combined voice began to taunt him again, as if seemingly everywhere and nowhere at the same time...

"...in my world, I rule the roost!!"

---

The eyes under the nearly-formed white mask flashed wildly as the bonds of the two Rikujyoukorou spells began to falter and crack around Rhodes' thrashing form, and then a deep, twisted overtone erupted from his throat in a sadistic recreation of Rhodes' own voice...

"YOU PATHETIC FUCKERS BETTER START SLEEPING WITH ONE EYE OPEN!! AS SOON AS I GET OUT OF HERE I'M GOING TO FUCK YOU ALL UP IN WAYS YOUR WILDEST NIGHTMARES COULDN'T DREAM UP!!"

The eyes flashed even brighter and leveled on Taka, the bonds around him crunching and breaking as he leapt forward, his massive arms and claws extending toward her battered body as he roared....

"AND I'M GONNA DO YOU FIRST, MISSY!! YOU'LL BEG FOR HELL BEFORE I'M DONE WITH YOU, YOU HEAR ME?!"

Kyoji's concentration failed him at that moment, his mask cracking and slowly breaking away in large pieces, only the part covering his right eye remaining as the backlash from the broken kidou struck at him and sent him to the ground in pain with a scream, his hands clutching at his head as he dropped the naginata from his hands...
_________________


the cake is a lie
the cake is a lie
the cake is a lie
the cake is a lie

[Blueorchid]

Taka clenched her hands into fists and tried not to falter as the ground around her started to crumble and a massive pillar of reiatsu burst forth into violet miasma. She tried, but failed to prevent a slight tremble from escaping her stance as a deep fissure ran between her feet and the sheer heat from the energy released started to burn her skin. The Hollow’s eyes seemed to pierce through her body, envisioning any number of painful tortures as she tried to shut out the voice screaming inside her own head, almost begging for release. Somehow, by concentrating on Rhodes’ transformation Taka was able to prevent a second one of her own. But that wasn’t what scared her the most, the sudden release of power she knew he was capable of…with the mask still on meant to Taka that they were losing him…

No…

Her concentration faltered when the tip of the Hollow’s tail shot forward…and she didn’t even know if Rhodes had heard her words beneath the beastly exterior.
Looking back on the whole situation later, Taka would wonder why she didn’t choose that moment to turn and run. She could tell herself she was too scared to move by that point. Or that the sheer force coming from the Colossus had frozen her to the ground. Whatever it was she kept talking, trying to reach the man underneath the white mask.

“You don’t want to do this Mike…remember why you’re here. You can’t forget who you are…�

Lines from their previous conversations floated through her head, looking for something…anything that would jog his memory so she could see a flicker of recognition in those yellow irises. His real eyes reminded her of the Kamo River in Gion, of the kimono she wore the night she became a maiko, she wanted to see that deep blue again.

His response didn’t look good.

"YOU PATHETIC FUCKERS BETTER START SLEEPING WITH ONE EYE OPEN!! AS SOON AS I GET OUT OF HERE I'M GOING TO FUCK YOU ALL UP IN WAYS YOUR WILDEST NIGHTMARES COULDN'T DREAM UP!!" the Hollow roared.

He continued to struggle and somewhere in Taka’s mind her own Hollow was roaring for her to get out of the way, to let the monster inside her take over because this was her life on the line and he wasn’t playing around. That desire was strengthened when he suddenly broke free of the kidoh and flew forward to attack her. Strong arms grabbed her broken torso and squeezed painfully as she heard another rib that had merely cracked, pop underneath the pressure. She hadn’t had time to react, a short exhale of breath was all she got out before she was face to face with a creature bent on torturing her.

However, it seemed in that moment, when she should have been shrieking her head off and squirming for dear life, begging for mercy, trying anything to get free…she remained almost catonic. The way he grabbed her kept one arm pinned at her side and she could feel her muscles screaming from the pressure, but instead of running, she used her free hand and gently touched the side of the masked face, running her thumb across a dark mark of the white material.

She still kept talking.

“Mike…� Taka wheezed, air becoming short now as the irises of her own eyes slowly started turning gold, flickering on and off. She was going to black out if he kept holding her like this for much longer. “I know you’re in there. This monster doesn’t control you…and I wish you would see that. I want the real you to come back…because…� she coughed hard at that moment, blood spattering on a giant claw that gripped her tightly. “…Because…I kind of…like you. And…I don’t want you to go out like this…not when there…are a few things…between you and me I want…tto…fi..figure…out.�

Her vision was growing dim as the grip stayed iron tight and the hand at the side of his face trembled slightly. She slumped forward as she glanced over her shoulder trying to find Kyoji. She heard him cry out before Rhodes had grabbed her and she hoped that if the vaizard wasn’t too badly injured, he could run and get out of this. She had done all she could do.
_________________

Neela Gadepalli- Carpe Diem
-----------
EnkouKitsune04: before this series is over.... I wouldn't be suprised if every person in the class gained full AdH powers... >.>

EnkouKitsune04: Keigo: "UBER OTAKU DENIAL SKILLZ!!!"
EnkouKitsune04: Tatsuki: "HIYAAA!" *CRUNCH*
EnkouKitsune04: Mizuro: *Pick up Hot chicks!!!*
juuhachi43: XP
EnkouKitsune04: Chizuru: *CENSORED FOR THE GOOD OF JAPANESE TELEVISION*
juuhachi43: XD

[trislash]

Rhodes felt something in his mind flicker as he continued to surround the impostor in his realm with dense, almost chokingly thick fog, all the while still maintaining his shyunpo trick as the copy of him raged wildly in the center of the cloud... and if what he felt was going on was the truth, it made him angry.

VERY angry.

"I don't know where you get off... but you just fucked up beyond mercy."

Bright red eyes flashed from in the middle of the blanket of fog, but only for a moment before the silver-armored Rhodes suddenly reappeared to his side, hacking forth at the duplicate's ribs with the head of the yari he carried... the clone's arm flipped backward with incredible reflexes, sparks flying from each blade as they ground against each other, neither of them letting up until the fake crouched low to the ground and shot a sweep kick at Rhodes' ankles. Rhodes was knocked to the ground as the point of his doppelganger's sword tore over the ground and upward toward his own ribs... the screech and scrape of metal against metal was clearly heard as the edge of the corrupted sword tore into the cuirass, biting into Rhodes' side before the blade quickly slid out and sailed down toward his head... the Shinigami flung both feet upward into the double's chest and used the haft of his yari to gain leverage and throw him over and behind himself. The psychotic twin yowled and roared in blind anger, the edge and point of the dark weapon hacking and tearing repeatedly at the argent armor as he rushed at Rhodes madly... strike after strike rebounded and slashed at armor, flesh and weapon with increasing intensity before Rhodes had had enough, blocking and pushing upward at the attacking blade before cracking his head against the copy's in a ferocious armored headbutt. Both were breathing heavily as the attacker slowly got up, and then the two rushed each other, weapons flying between them and clashing over and over again, their rings resounding across the barren and charred plains until the both of them leapt back once more, flinging Zangekis against each other one more time before bullrushing each other with one more powerful strike...

The two combatants stood several paces away from each other, both having followed through on their final efforts as they breathed hard and heavy... and then the white-clad impostor fell to a knee, bracing himself on his weapon as he collapsed over. Once more did the crazed visage turn toward the Shinigami as he struggled to lift himself up off the ground, the nuclear-blue glow of the eyes hidden beneath the helmet burning like an inferno as he chuckled and laughed maniacally again... and his intense gaze fixed upon the helmet.

"You... don't think... I'm letting you just leave... do you?!"

The point of the yari leveled with the double's head as if to throw it, just as everything in Rhodes' mind went black...

---

The grip around Taka's body seemed to slowly close tighter and tighter around her like a vice... and then suddenly it stopped. The eyes beneath the mask seemed to flicker for a few moments as Taka's hand slowly moved to touch the side of the mask, and then the intense pressure that had been crushing her body in its grip slowly slackened, dropping her to the ground as the hulking and monstrous form slowly stumbled backwards next to her and finally collapsed over, the form of the monster slowly crumbling as a battered and bloody Rhodes was revealed beneath the cracked hull... his eyes were wide open, an expression of fear on his face that had never been seen in Soul Society since the time of the Hollow War.

It was a few minutes before Kyoji was able to recover from the backlash of his broken kidou, and he growled as one hand rubbed at the side of his head... but as soon as he was able to move again he resealed and sheathed his sword and slowly walked over toward the scene, shaking his head as he knocked away some of the crumbling shell from over Rhodes and began putting his reiatsu into a lowlevel healing kidou.

"Dammit... you're lucky to have survived... you both are in horrible shape..."

The Vaizard continued to mumble similar epithets for a while before he moved over toward Taka as she lay there, attempting to assess the damage that had been done.

"Christ... this is just awful. Where the hell is that Guild rep, and why hasn't he come back with those medical supplies yet?!"
_________________


the cake is a lie
the cake is a lie
the cake is a lie
the cake is a lie

[Blueorchid]

The pain was agonizing as Taka felt the Hollow’s iron grip close around her body even further, popping a third and fourth rib as a cold numb feeling started to take over her mind. Gritting her teeth, she forced back her cries of pain so the monster wouldn’t get any perverted pleasure from watching her struggle. In the midst of her clouded thoughts, she knew his hands could puncture something internally if there were too many broken bones floating around inside her and he kept up the pressure. And that would kill her…if she started to bleed and there wasn’t anyone around with healing arts, she’d be gone before they could do anything to stop the injuries.

But even with her mind and body slowly beginning to shut down and retreat to a safer place, she still kept her hand on his mask, as if the connection somehow helped her reach him underneath. The touch was light as a feather now, she could barely keep her arm up, but she was aware enough to feel the mask slowly cracking as she threw her energy into lifting her head to see the former captain’s eyes finally flicker blue once more.

“Ah, so there you are...,� she said softly with a frail smile.

Her voice was barely audible, but filled with relief and happiness, she sounded as if she recognized an old friend. Darkness clouded her mind as she went limp at his feet, barely registering the sound of Rhodes falling back beside her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~

Her inner world was once again coming apart at the seams, but Taka did not fall through the storm clouded air, wind and lightning. Instead she seemed to float above it all as a fine mist started to take shape over the craggy rocks and ocean. So this is what dying feels like. Its been a while Taka thought to herself, vaguely calm. She wasn’t entirely sure if she would die or not but she remembered the scene several months before when Hedoro Dokuja had skewered her body in three places. Then of course there was also the first time she died and had been sent to Rukongai. And the fact that she was so…tired...

Not again onna…get up spat a voice behind her

Taka whirled around in surprise to see a mirror image of herself, complete with inverted colors and livid…furious eyes. A dark aura was growing around the second figure as she snarled and came inches away from the real Taka’s face, hissing.

You… almost died… she seethed. “I’m alive?...but…wha…� Taka started before the second ‘Taka’ smacked the side of her face so fast and hard enough she didn’t even notice the red handprint slowly forming as she was knocked to the ground, she just wasn’t strong enough to avoid it at the moment. Shocked and angered, Taka stared up at the presence, knowing full well what it was and growled as she slowly stood. The figure didn’t make any more movements then, instead she just spoke…

If he had popped any more of your ribs you would have punctured a lung you fool…You refused to let me out to protect us…no instead you had to let your stupid feelings for a worthless maggot of a man get in the way. He’s already creeped out by that kiss you gave him, don’t expect to change who you are…you’re still just a dolled up whore begging for attention...

Taking a shaky stance, Taka stumbled forward a bit and rubbed the side of her face as she snapped right back. “Say whatever you want now you witch…because when I get strong enough I’m going to do everything in my power to cram you into the smallest corner in my mind where you’ll never get out…�

Once more her Hollow started forward and Taka braced herself for another attack. But this time, instead of attacking her, the false Taka threw back her head and laughed. The sound rang throughout her ears, sounding very much like the insult she had thrown at her as ‘Taka’s’ voice became soft and laced with hatred.

We’ll see who traps who in this body…now don’t forget to rest up nice and long for when I take over and destroy the pathetic resistance you put up against me she grinned. And then she changed…throwing her arms up, jade wings took their place as the true form of Taka’s Hollow emerged and screeched into the misty skies. With several flaps, the beast was on her and opened a beak full of razor sharp teeth as it aimed to ram straight into her battered body.

Instead, it dissolved into red dust and flew right through her as the pain she was experiencing… tripled. Clutching her head, Taka screamed as she curled up into a small ball…and the skies parted. Before she knew it she was falling…faster than she realized as she waiting for her final impact to be the key to her death or escape from this torture. As she plunged into the murky water, a cool feeling enveloped her and after that she knew no more…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On the outside, Taka managed to roll onto her side as she coughed painfully and moaned, her blank eyes that had stayed open, staring back at Rhodes with a dead gaze closed as she frowned, seeming in the grip of a nightmare, if you didn’t count that the rest of her body was pretty broken. But she was alive, and for now any immediate danger of her death was gone as her hand fell from her side just inches away from the former captain, as if reaching out to him to help her in turn now…
_________________

Neela Gadepalli- Carpe Diem
-----------
EnkouKitsune04: before this series is over.... I wouldn't be suprised if every person in the class gained full AdH powers... >.>

EnkouKitsune04: Keigo: "UBER OTAKU DENIAL SKILLZ!!!"
EnkouKitsune04: Tatsuki: "HIYAAA!" *CRUNCH*
EnkouKitsune04: Mizuro: *Pick up Hot chicks!!!*
juuhachi43: XP
EnkouKitsune04: Chizuru: *CENSORED FOR THE GOOD OF JAPANESE TELEVISION*
juuhachi43: XD

[trislash]

"Yare yare... these two are in awfully bad shape compared to your other trainees, Kyoji-san."

The voice that spoke came from someone new, though only Rhodes would have recognized it well enough had he not been in the condition he was in. It was none other than Yukio Koibara, clad in a blue shirt and silver vest and pants, his Guildmaster's coat hanging from his shoulders. Hanging from his right hand was a rather large box with markings clearly designating it as a medical kit of sorts. Seeing that he had no time to waste, Koibara quickly laid the kit down near the two Shinigami's heads and opened it up, as Kyoji continued to determine Taka's condition.

"Damn... he messed her up good, boss... broken ribs, at least three... I'm surprised he hadn't crushed her with the way he was manhandling her... I've never even SEEN anyone go that crazy, it was as if he'd snapped completely!"

Yukio maintained his cool as he determined Rhodes' condition. He seemed badly beaten, and in shock for the most part for some reason, but otherwise was no worse for the wear.

"At least you managed to get him back. Our friend here is quite the force to be reckoned with here, it'd make for a heavy loss if that kind of power ended up on the wrong side. Did you do anything for him?"

Kyoji nodded as Yukio closed Rhodes' eyes... if anything, he had fallen unconscious before he had hit the ground.

"I used some Kidou to try and at least heal him, he was in worse shape when he had fallen over. I haven't seen anything like that, either... when it happened to me, it had stayed in my mind, but this... he looks like he had one hell of a battle. Take that mask there boss, he'll need it later."

Reaching over, Yukio took the feline-faced mask and set it on the other side of the box, the rest of the crumbling Hollow shell falling apart around Rhodes as he moved it. Meanwhile, Kyoji had been utilizing his own energy in some healing Kidou for Taka, doing what he could with her more minor injuries.

"It seems rather fitting..."

Kyoji raised an eyebrow as he reached for a device in the medkit, seemingly some sort of advanced x-ray device, and examined Taka's broken ribs a bit better with it.

"Eh?"

"The marks... this mask looks like a tiger. Having fought him once... I'd say it fits, or at the least he's a monster in his own regard without the mask."

Kyoji shrugged, doing what he could with healing kidou before sighing.

"That's the best I can do for her now... she's gonna need some better medical expertise to get the rest of that handled well enough. Any ideas, boss?"

Yukio nodded, slowly rising and briefly knocking the sand from his clothes.

"Our facilities should serve them for the time being; if we sent them back to Soul Society like this we'd have more trouble on our hands, not to mention they'd find out our friends' little secret before it was necessary. They're in enough disarray as it is, so we'll handle them until they're finished... and it will probably be a good idea to continue their training through our facilities as well, until we can determine that they're both stable. I'll call for our medical squad to meet here and get these two moved."

"Right then..."

Kyoji shook his head as the Guildmaster whipped out a cellphone from his vest pocket and began calling for assistance... what had gone on in Rhodes' head he couldn't imagine, but he knew that when they both came to there would be quite the explanation to give as to what had happened....
_________________


the cake is a lie
the cake is a lie
the cake is a lie
the cake is a lie