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Post by Kochou Mari on Oct 7, 2008 20:29:50 GMT -5
She ran.
She ran so fast, she thought she might leave her legs behind. Her head throbbed. Her legs ached. Her heart felt like it might burst. Her lungs felt like they were on fire. But she kept going.
She couldn't stop.
Scaling rocky cliffs like they were nothing, Mari scrambled over sharp rocks (piercing the rough paw pads that were once the palms of her hands and soles of her feet), being scratched by the sparse mountain foliage that stood in her way, Mari kept going.
She couldn't stop.
Finally, she felt the control over her body disappear. Dragging herself onto a narrow ledge, Mari collapsed and lay there, gasping for breath like a fish on land. What she didn't realize was that the cave she lay before was one where many of the shinigami resided...
The shocked stares didn't reach Mari, for she was just too tired.
...Death would've been a better fate than this...
But she needed to do this. For her captain. For her captain.
For her Soi Fon. And for her love. |
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Post by Sato Koemi on Oct 8, 2008 9:53:53 GMT -5
"What are you all staring at?!" barked a rather irritated, very tired-sounding, aggitated shinigami woman, white braids fluttering in the wind as it blew, as well as the Captain's coat she wore.
Soi Fon walked forward, arms crossed, eyes shut. She looked tired as hell, as if she hadn't slept ever since Mari disappeared. She sighed and blinked suddenly ".. Mari?"
That familiar reiatsu, that feeling of warmth and light gentleness was significantly Mari's.
The Squad 2 Captain walked forward, eyes wide, almost in shock. She stared at the four-legged animal and took another step forward, glancing side to side, hoping to see her Mari, her precious light in life.
As she grew closer to the beast, the feeling of Mari's reiatsu grew in the pit of Soi Fon's stomach, and so did fear.
"M.. Mari..?" Soi Fon whispered as she stood directly before the wolf-like animal, staring in disbelief.
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Post by Kochou Mari on Oct 8, 2008 13:05:31 GMT -5
Another jolt of lightning surged through the beast's limbs, making the huge wolfbeast jerk and yelp in pain. She could see, through blurred vision, her captain standing over her. Forcing herself up onto her feet, Mari managed to take one step toward Soi Fon before collapsing again. It felt as if her whole body was on fire. A pathetic whine sounded in the back of the wolf's throat, as if she were saying "I'm so sorry, Soi-chan..."
...Did I say you could take a rest?
Another bolt of lightning cut through Mari, making her feel as if her body were being torn limb from limb.
Get up, girl. I command you.
Kurakouhi's voice echoed in Mari's head as, once more, she pushed herself up. Her body felt like lead, her legs like twigs. Her face twisted into a snarl, but her eyes showed so much sadness, so much sorrow, such longing for forgiveness...
But something behind that. It was an undying love. That small flame flickered beneath the veil of sadness, of pure, unaltered self-pity.
She may have pitied herself, but her true sorrow was that for her captain. She was such a fool...
And here she was, standing before her, no more than common filth. There she stood, a kaibutsu... |
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Post by Sato Koemi on Oct 8, 2008 21:37:33 GMT -5
Soi Fon's eyes widened as the feeling slowly sunk in. Something must've happened to Mari while she had gone out looking for her.
"Taichou! Step away!" some of the Stealth Force Members called out, fast approaching their captain.
An elegant arm was thrown out, and a soft, deadly calm sounded out of her lips "Stay back."
The woman looked down at the beast, her eyes mixed of anger, of sorrow, of concern, confusion and deeper beyond the veil of ice, love.
".. If you are Kochou Mari.. give me a sign knowing you are. If you are not Mari.. begone before my paitience wears thin.." Soi Fon said with that gentle, deadly calmness in her voice, dark blue eyes staring down at the beast.
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Post by Kochou Mari on Oct 10, 2008 9:55:45 GMT -5
The unpleasant cracking Mari's spine made as she forced herself forward, struggling against Kurakouhi's control, made her wince inwardly. She felt no pain, but...something wasn't right.
".. If you are Kochou Mari.. give me a sign knowing you are."
Mari whined yet again at the stinging words. She would've started crying if she were able to shed tears. Tossing her head slightly, Mari shifted a few locks of hair to reveal her trademark. The mark she had revealed to her beloved in the hot springs.
The butterfly-shaped scar.
Turning her gaze back to her taichou, Mari's eyes gave her captain a sad look. One that said 'There's my proof. If you still don't believe me, I'm not worthy of living anymore'.
Surely death would be a better fate than losing the trust of her taichou. Of her dear Soi-chan. |
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Post by Sato Koemi on Oct 17, 2008 8:56:32 GMT -5
Soi Fon's dark-blue eyes widened slightly at the sight of the butterfly-shaped scar and dropped to her knees, gathering Mari in her arms tightly "What.. did they do to you, my love..?"
The captain held Mari tightly, tears, almost angry tears, welling up in her eyes, already plotting revenger to murder and maim whoever made Mari the way she was currently. Anger boiled up in her heart, a warm, yet icy and dreadful feeling that started slowly consuming her whole being. She wasn't showing it on the surface, because her love and fear for Mari was forcing that terrible anger down in an weird balance of things.
"Mari.. who.. did this to you..?" Soi Fon said softly, a mixture of relieved, sad, and angry.
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Post by Kochou Mari on Oct 17, 2008 9:09:54 GMT -5
Mari wanted to speak.
She wanted to scream out that it was the feline woman with the tiger at her side.
She wanted to say her name. Kurakouhi.
But she couldn't. She was a beast, and beasts couldn't speak. The only sound she could make in her captain's warm embrace was a slight whine, the only sign of a reply being a slight shiver. She wanted to cry, but she couldn't. She wanted to return her Soi-chan's loving embrace, but she couldn't. She was stuck in this form. She couldn't do anything but feel small and insignificant.
But, then again, she always felt like that...when she didn't feel dominant and in charge, of course... But she wouldn't be able to feel that sensation of being in control until she was out of this hellhole.
And for all she knew, she may be stuck in that form forever... |
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Post by Sato Koemi on Oct 17, 2008 9:23:12 GMT -5
Upon hearing the soft whine, Soi Fon slowly released her and looked down upon her, then over her shoulder, yelling at one of the random, many subordinates to come closer as she hoisted Mari onto her back.
"Yes, taichou?" said the man she called forth, standing straight and tall.
"I'm leaving her in your care. I'll tend to her wounds and when she has fallen asleep, I will leave to find whoever made her this way. Should anything happen to her while I am not present.. you will die. Anything arises while I am gone, send someone after me to tell me the situation. Got it?" she commanded authoratively.
The man nodded firmly, not even daring to question the captain as he watched Soi Fon walk into the safety of the fortress and lay her down gently. Soi Fon sat down beside Mari and reached into a small satchel that Unohana had given her (which normally would be a two year supply of medicine) and began to tend to her transformed, beloved's wounds, a sad, relieved look in her eyes, even though her face was icy and firm.
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Post by Kochou Mari on Oct 20, 2008 11:20:08 GMT -5
You will not sleep.
Mari's eyes narrowed and she struggled against Kurakouhi's control, which felt to her as if she were covered by a blanket. She felt like she was in total darkness, and was being smothered by it. She shook weakly, like a tiny puppy brought into a warm house and out of the bitter winter air. She felt so helpless... She didn't want to say it, but she was helpless now. More helpless than when she found herself facing off against hordes of Hollows as a new member of Squad 2. More helpless than when she watched her best friends die right before her own eyes.
How could she protect Soi Fon if she was the one always having to be protected?
Weakly, Mari allowed her eyes to close. She was not asleep, however. She wouldn't be allowed to sleep.
The Queen demanded it. |
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Post by Sato Koemi on Oct 21, 2008 9:57:46 GMT -5
Soi Fon continued to tend to Mari's wounds, using some salves and some flowers from the Squad Four bag she had been given. Just inhaling some of the scent of salves she pulled out made her feel a little healed on the outside, and a little sleepy. Strong medication.
Shaking her head, the captain finally stopped once all the wounds were bandaged and stood, stroking Mari's hair lightly "Stay safe, little butterfly."
Turning, the captain of Squad 2 narrowed her eyes viciously outwards "I.. will kill whoever did this to you, Mari.."
She took a step forward.. and disappeared beyond the safe barriers of the Fortress.
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Post by Kochou Mari on Oct 21, 2008 10:09:16 GMT -5
She felt pain for the first time in a while.
It came as a dull throbbing, then the pain began to spread, making her feel like she had needles prickling all down her body. It hurt...
But what hurt even more was the thought of her Soi-chan possibly being killed by that witch. The thought of that sent shivers down her spine. But she couldn't do anything... If she attempted to defend her, there was that chance that she would actually end up falling under Kurakouhi's spell once more, and possibly killing her own Soi-chan.
And she would never forgive herself for doing such a thing. |
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Post by Sato Koemi on Oct 21, 2008 11:23:01 GMT -5
The one that Soi Fon had left in charge glanced over to the beast and tilted his head "This.. is Koucho Mari..? .. Hmpf. I don't believe so.. but I cannot ignore taichou's direct orders.."
He simply sat himself beside Mari and shut his eyes, as if he were meditating, or thinking.
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