My pain is real!

"How you use your powers..", she repeated to herself, clutching her fingers around the fabric of his jacket for warmth. "You know, Hao-san...i actually saw a arrancar release before....if i remember right, he was numbered the 15st or something. The eleventh division`s seated officers had been sent out, along with the vice captain and the captain, to take him down since he had begun to absorb souls in karakura town...i remember when he took down most of my comrades, screaming of joy like a madman...when he was about to attack me, taicho unleashed his bankai and managed to force the arrancar into releasing his sword. Even through he wasen`t an espada, it still felt like all air was pressed out of my lungs, and the dark reaitsu emitting from him make me shiver of fear...it didn`t last long through, taicho quickly cut him down..i guess seeing me hurt made him angry...he was like a father to me after all..". Kemiko closed her eyes together again, yet this times a few tears slided down her cheeks. "Ah...sorry, i must have gotten some snow in my eyes....", she said while wiping the few tears away from her soft cheeks, looking out at the city once again. "The arrancar reached to infect taicho with a poison, but due to taicho`s strong will, he managed to live 7 years before the poison literally had eaten up his soul..i guess it was at that point that i learned the dark side of the shinigami life...".

Kemiko huddled herself a little more together and lowered her head a bit so her face was hidden by her bangs that was flying around her, despite the wind having slowed down into a mild, still chilly, breeze. "When shinigami finish up the acadamy, you can see if they will ever obtain shikai or not...i have always been skilled with my zanpaktou`s, so it really didn`t come as a surprise to anyone when i obtained it in a mere age of 106...obtaining the shikai itself isen`t hard, you only have to know the name of your zanpaktou...its the mastering of it that becomes hard...if you manage to master it then you have to, together with your zanpaktou, find out if you are cable of obtaining bankai...the few who manages to obtain bankai is almost forced into a captain seat...we do have a lieutenant or two that has obtained bankai recently...but i don`t know if i will be able to...Senshi Byoga means it will be difficult since i am a double wielder..".

Kemiko opened her eyes a little bit and tugged onto his jacket, this time with both hands. "..The view up here is very beautiful, Hao-san...but if you look on those clouds, it will mean that the snow will get more heavy...you know any place nearby were we can stay dry?"

Hao listened to the words of his companion, taking in everything she had to say. Staying silent while she shared a sad story with him. He wanted to hear her out, and better understand the pains of her life. Tugging her a bit closer as the tale she told started getting sadder. She sure had been through a lot as well. Yet it didn't come as much of a surprise, judging by her past as a member of the eleventh situation and the way she was talking earlier. An aura of maturity, yet softness around of her. Some souls could remain childish even as hundreds of years passed, but she was different. Learning from the pains of the past. "You sure have been through a lot. Must have been tough", he silently comforted her, making no comments about the tears. She had opened up even more, showing him more of her frailer side to him. His fingers traced across her cheek once more, wiping off a single loose tear. Her story was a dramatic one, sure to have taught her a harsh lesson about life. At times like these it was the best to just stay there and keep the person company. Offering a source of comfort, if she was ever to need one.

The male sighed once, his gaze set somewhere towards the distance. That's what he always did while saying something thoughtful. "Sadly that's how many Arrancars are. They evolve towards a new direction while gaining further intelligence. But they still take pride in their honed instincts and brutal natures. Going on rampages without any attempts of controlling the rage. Destruction without a higher purpose. That's just meaningless", he spoke with a darker tone, before his expression turned less serious. His sights set upon the female once more. Now she had more to share about her Zanpakutou. Mastering and learning the secrets of the Zanpakutou. That's what it was mostly about. A quite unusual and unique bond between a soul and her weapon. Something that most if not all Shinigami had in common. The name of Bankai reminded him. Wasn't that the strongest form of a Shinigami's Zanpakutou? Reached only upon learning the full name of the weapon. It never ceased to amuse him how differently their Zanpakutous worked. "Hm... With a Resurreccion, it's much more about learning control. Sometimes the power and instincts are so overwhelming, the user loses his senses and ability of judgment. Meaning that those with a particularly tough release might end up running out of control easily", the male sighed to himself out loud. Noticing that the snow fall was getting a bit heavier by the moment.

"Guess you're right...", the male spoke with a sort of bothered tone, looking up to the sky. Thicker clouds were indeed gathering over them. The large tree wouldn't be able to shield them enough. And it wouldn't be nice to return home soaked from the molten snow. He took a short while to think about it, returning a warm look at her. "I actually know a couple of hideouts around town. They're not the prettiest or tidiest, but I suppose we can manage there for the night", he scratched his head a little, wondering if she'd like the place he had in mind. Shrugging a little, he knew that it wasn't such a big deal. "Then, shall we be on our way, Kemiko?" he asked with a tone that was actually a bit teaseful. Knowing she'd agree nonetheless. Hao stood up, of course carrying his companion on his arms, disappearing from the spot once more. The trip wouldn't take so long, since his shelter was located somewhere along the outskirts of Karakura. An abandoned place no one ever went to.

They ended up in a very old business district, filled with abandoned warehouses and old shops. Hao took a look around, trying to remember exactly where his cozy little spot was. Walking to a back alley that lead to the backdoor of an old salon. The male went in without hesitation, walking up a couple of stairs. There were rooms lined up along the hall. He opened the very first one, leading the two into a room. There was a single window they could use to take a look around town. Lights set on the roof, still working. A round table in the middle, four people could easily sit around of it. A large green sofa for people to sit on.

Shelves with lots of books and old objects lines to the opposite walls. A decent-sized TV right in the middle. Under the window there was an old bed, yet one that actually looked sort of homey. There was a mat on the floor, under the table, making it look even more lively. All in all, the room was very well taken care of. Though it was apparent no one had used it in a while. "What do you think?" the male asked, turning his head towards Kemiko once more. A small yawn escaping out of his lips. He had completely lost track of time, not to mention he'd been staying up for a couple of days straight now.

Emiko smiled a bit to herself as he said it must had been hard for her, he really knew how to keep things simple. "It wasen`t as hard for her as it was for the entire soul society. Sure he was mainly a brute who`s favorite thing was a good fight, but he was also a wise warrior that knew the aspects of war and death...you could say he was a battle hungry grandpa". a brief and almost soundless giggle came from her, the nickname for her former taicho amusing her a lot. Kemiko then felt Hao´s fingertips brush over her cheek again, removing the last remains of the few tears that had escaped her eyes. His action caused the red haired shinigami to look at his face yet again, this time not trying to avoid looking at the bone fragment under his eye. "..That tickles you know..", she mumbled with a little smile while hugging herself slightly tighter, feeling the chilly winds grow even stronger

She remained silent as he talked about the arrancar`s release, called resurrection. "I see...and those with the ability to control their powers best is, has or will become a member of the espada...even through we are alot more shinigami than their are arrancar`s, the arrancar`s way of ranking is much more gruesome than ours...weird isen`t it?". Kemiko noticed that he signed when he finished speaking, making her believe that he was either disappointed over things being like they were, or he was worried for the future of the arrancar`s. She reached up and lightly tapped him onto the cheek with two of her fingers in a attempt to snap him out of it, she didn`t really like seeing him like that. "Your way of killing boredom and gaining knowledge is to experience new things...for others, what we see as meaningless destructing, could be their way of killing boredom and gaining knowledge, don`t you think Hao-san?". She gave him yet anthoder brief smile and lowered her heard so the lower part of her face was hidden by the collar of her black coat.

Him agreeing with her suggestion about finding shelter for the night, didn`t come as a surprise to her..after all they had pretty much agreed on everything so far, the fact that her words had been common logic sense also made his response more predictable. "All i ask for is a roof over the head...i don`t care if its a castle or a cold cave...i just don`t wanna get buried in snow". As he stood up again she was slightly surprised that he didn`t put her down, she had expected that he would put her down after all this time he had been caring her around. With a light sigh she rested her cheek against his chest again, taking in the surroundings of the area he was entering. The first thought that struck her as she saw all the abandoned buildings, was that it would be a good hideout for bounts to hide in. Kemiko could`t help but to smirk amused to herself, of all things she could be thinking of in her situation, she still thought about her mission. Eventually Hao reached a room in an old inn that seemed to be well taken care of despite no one lived there, maybe Hao had been using this room as a home when he visited Karakura town? "..I think its fine...no, more than fine..just perfect". Kemiko stood up and took a moment to get her footing, being carried for so long had made her legs relax to much. She spend the next minute on looking the room through, mostly examining the window, bed and sofa.

Hao had listened to Kemiko's words carefully while carrying her. Having a small conversations with her while moving around. She was a sharp one, they could have a deeper conversation at an equal level with ease. What she said interested him, but didn't change his views much. There were always those who killed time and boredom with senseless destruction, true enough. Filling the emptiness of their existence with such a purpose. But mere destruction alone would create more emptiness, doubt and confusion. The destroyer himself would feel more fulfilled if something more was created from the ashes. Giving the circle of despair an actual purpose. Another idealistic thought. Reality was simpler cruder than that. Endless circles repeating along the same beats. But her views were sort of brightening. So he threw away his darker mood. "Yeah, everyone needs some ways of fulfilling themselves. Some might try to accomplish that through destruction", he closed his eyes, a small smile on his face before nodding in agreement.

And now they were already standing in the medium sized room, enough for the two of them to share for now. The room was nostalgic for Hao, though he didn't have any other attachments to it. A place he frequently used as a hideout while lurking around in Karakura. It was obvious that he wandered around the earth every now and then despite having a high position amongst the Arrancars. The look on his face was mostly neutral, not a smile nor a frown. But coming from someone like him, you could say it was sort of comforting. "I'm glad you like it. The shelves are full of stuff I have collected during my time here in the human world", he added with his usual tone of deepness and confidence, mixed with a sense of ever-present aloofness. Everything apart from the shelves and the TV were a part of the things he had decided to bring there. Various books, pictures, and other interesting objects. The collection was old, as evidenced by books that looked more than a hundred years old. But that was besides the point.

It seemed like Kemiko wanted some more light to the room. True enough, the place was a little gloomy like that. The male thought about something for a short while, having held his right hand up at his chin. Nodding to himself once. "I'm going to show you something special", he almost whispered with a peaceful tone, closing his eyes in order to focus. The tension in the room seemed to increase, if only a little. Yet it wasn't the bad kind of tension. Rather, an anticipation for something special to happen. A light began building up in Hao's hands, little by little. Soon tiny particles of blue began spreading around the room. Faint, yet so very beautiful lights spreading across all around of them. Soon mixed in with a lesser amount of yellow lights he also gathered. They were some kind of special particles, ones created by the Arrancar. They didn't feel like anything, nor did they have any purpose other than to look pretty. He let the particles beautifully flutter around for a while, before making thm disappear. Taking a calm look towards his companion afterwards. "I don't do that very often. It's very difficult to create particles like these on the primordial level. Guess you're one of the very first to ever have seen me doing that", he spoke with a gentle yet nonchalant tone. That was the true nature of his innate ability. The power to create different special particles. Most often manifesting in the form of the energy he used earlier that day.

The male then reached down towards the bottom of the shelves, opening one of the lower doors. Reaching up for a couple of candles he placed down on the table. Flickering his fingers around them, setting the little things on fire. Illuminating the room in a beautiful glow. Hao looked at the sight for a short while, before standing up straight once more. Letting himself yawn once before sitting down on the bed. Arms crossed behind his neck, now laying against the wall. "Feel free to stay at home", he said with a tone that sounded a bit tired, before closing his eyes. The male was only resting his eyes for a short while. His face actually looking sort of innocent for that short while he was resting there. Almost like a lonesome child. Though he was already fully adult of course. He was still fully awake, hearing anything the female had to say.

Kemiko`s eyes feel onto the books as Hao explained he had been collecting the stuff in the room during his time in the human world, and if you looked at the amount of things, it meant he had spend quite some time in the human world in his long life. Kemiko found herself biting her lip again, it was a bit weird to think over that Hao was over 400 years older than herself..yet in appearance he only looked two, maybe three years older. She reached over and picked one of the thicker books off the shelve, her hand firmly dusting the worst dust off that had gathered onto its cover over the years. "..Women through the ages, volume four...", she said, reading the title of the book out loud to herself. "Quite intresting....i never imagned such a book to be in this kind of place...no offence of cause", she said with a little smile, reassuring him that it wasen`t meant as an insult to the room.

The sight of the glowing light caused the shinigami to almost freeze over their beauty, the light being reflected in her yellow eyes. She was brought out of her little trance whe nHao began to speak again, exsplainning that it was hard to create such spirit particles in the living world due to the low amount of spirit particles in the air, and that she was one of the few to have ever seen it. Kemiko folded her hands togeder and let one of the lights land onto the hand, observing it with curios eyes before letting it float around in the room again. "...Its beautiful, Hao....amazingly beautiful..". Kemiko observed as Hao placed a few candles onto the table, lighting them with his own reaitsu. Kemiko`s eyes wandered onto the light`s, her zanpaktou was fire based so the warmth of flames had always made her feel more home.

She then turned her head towards Hao, noticing he was sitting on the bed with his back against the wall, his eyes being closed. She walked over and carresed his cheek for a moment, finding his sleeping face quite innocent, yet still handsome in its own way. She sat down onto the bed herself, hugging her knees close to her body and observed the sleeping espada in silence. Eventually she fell into a light slumber herself and fell down onto the bed, her being laying sprawled over the side of the bed.

Before going to sleep, Hao had of course taken a closer look at his books and other personal belongings. Interesting things and pieces he had gathered while in the human world. Also having a short conversation with Kemiko in the meanwhile. It seemed like she was interested in his collection as well. He actually didn't care that much about the contents of the shelf, finding treasures just happened to be a passing hobby of his. Some of the objects found by a lucky coincidence, others through unlucky mishaps. The female spoke, apparently amused by one of his books. He had walked closer to her, taking a look at the title of the book. "Hunh. That old piece of literature", he had spoken out with a thoughtful tone, most likely trying to remember something. The male had read every single book inside of the room once. Faintly remembering something about the book. Sighing upon remembering how it was. Oh yes. Wasn't that the series of books aimed towards old men? Full of boring illustrations. I don't quite get why someone would want to read it, memories of one very boring night when he was reading books he got from one of his older contacts.

But that was already all in the past. The male was now resting his head against the wall, sitting on the corner of his bed. The moon shining directly behind of his window, illuminating the dark room even more with its white glow. His right knee was slightly lifted, the male resting his arm over it. His eyes currently closed, yet his consciousness still there. He was listening to the flickering of the faint flames of the candles, and the breathing of the female who rested on his bed as well. Noticing she was getting more peaceful by the moment. His eyes now opening slowly, carefully gazing at her face. How peaceful she looked at that time. The luminescence of the moon bringing out the beauty of her features even more. He left out a voice that sounded quite much like a short, amused laughter. So very silent only he could hear it. Standing up carefully, as to not wake her up. Pulling the blanket of the bed closer towards him, since it was still rather loose. Managing to take it out with disturbing her sleep. Laying it over her sleeping form with care.

"Good night", he whispered, running his right hand softly through her long ponytail once. The male removed his coat and opened his shirt a little. Before sitting against the same corner once more. The spot was somewhat comfortable, despite his unusual position. He took one more look at his surroundings before closing his eyes. Allowing himself to fall into a light slumber as well. Bit by bit falling deeper into the lands of the dreams. Descending through the corridors of his mind into a deep dark abyss. Floating around in a faint sense of nothingness, yet feeling it all still around of him. Passing through the landscapes of his mind, before passing away into a new world. The male allowed himself to relax for once and fall asleep properly. Closing himself in his own dreams. He couldn't see anything just yet. The night began to pass, as the two now slept peacefully.

If anyone from the espada or the gotei 13 saw the two now, they would instantly belive that their member was a traitor and would without doubt be sentenced to death. If a spiritual aware human saw them, who had no idea of what the shinigami or the arrancar`s were, he would probably think that they were a happy couple with no worries, that was taking a peaceful nap under the colored lights that was floating around in the room. The two of them sleeping in the same bed, well Kemiko laying on the very edge of the side, and Hao sleeping in the opposent corner with his back against the wall. The lights were floating lazely around them, lighting up the female shinigami`s blood red hair and Hao`s mask fragment located just under one of his eyes. An hour or two passed with nothing but their relaxed breathing. The silence was broken when the shinigami began to move slightly, streacthing her tired body while letting out a small yawn, that was muffled by her sleeve.

It took her eyes a few moments to adujst to the light, and when they finaly had adated fine, she was about to scream. Were am i!? This isen`t my room in the hotel!?....". With a single glance to the left, she quickly remebered how she had ended up there. With a light sigh she reached over and let her fingers run throug Hao`s slightly spiked hair, doing it slowy so it would`t awake the sleeping espada. She looked down at his slightly exspoded chest, finding herself wondering on what his rank really was...his reaitsu was strong even when he wasen`t in his realsed form, so he was probably over the rank of nine...but the question was how much higher he was...if he turned out to be the primera espada, it would`t surprise her...but then again, she didn`t know how strong the reaitsu of espada`s felt like, so there was no way for her to tell what his rank was unless she asked..which she would never do since it maybe would be taken as a to direct thing.

Silently, she stood up and opened up her coat fully, taking off her gray sweat shirt, leaving her in blue jeans, black sneakers and a black tanktop. Without the coat and sweat shirt, her full figure and chest was way more easy to see, the jeans hugging her waist that allowed movement. She sat back down onto the bed, grabbing one of the books on the shevles. She oppened up on a random page and began to skim accros it, finding the content about the old china rather intresting. She took a last glance at Hao, smiled a little and then began to read again, remaining silent since she didn`t want to awake him without reason, he deserved some sleep....

Hao had already fallen to a soft sleep. He was the kind of a person who would be easily alerted by just about anything, though he never showed it to anyone. Meaning that his sleep was most usually pretty light, at least while he was napping or just fell asleep. But his breath was already pretty relaxed, meaning that he was most likely in a decent slumber. The light of the moon faintly illuminating his pale skin with a silverish hue. The voice of his breathing was very silent and relaxed, just like he usually was. That was the kind of disposition he had, unless he was trying to purposefully act out in a wilder manner. His head held upright against the corner. Only barely hearing what was happening within the room. His sleep wasn't still deep enough for proper dreaming. But his consciousness was constantly slipping further and further away. It wouldn't take much longer for him to completely fall asleep. Perhaps dreaming a couple of nice dreams, or maybe even a nightmare. It was all uncertain for now. It was apparent that he was already pretty sleepy, for he didn't hear it at all when Kemiko got up. An hour or two had already passed after all.