True Sanctuary /-Sapphire/Open-/

[Xeon Hubaru]

Xeon had appeared in an instant with his flash step bringing him into the front of this fortress. It had almost seemed as if the wind carried him as he rushed urgently to this location, but being sure to keep his speed to the limited point where his newcomer could follow. He had lowered his head giving out a sigh of relief as he wanted to say to himself…

Some how…some way…we‘re okay.

He only thought that in his head. He lifted his head before Sapphire could arrive seeing it wasn’t a good sight for a follower to see a leader worry at any time. It would bring about questions and Xeon was a good heart. Always making sure that no one would be in disarray over his problems. It was a trait that was passed through family at the most. Don’t make your problems someone else’s. Though he had to admit, after seeing Xian, it was ironic that their problems became one another’s now that he knew the fate of the girl being an Arrancar that attacked other Shinigami.

He would have to deal with that problem later. Right now he felt a strange aura and reitsu within the Fortress. It was unlike the others within this, but it wasn’t an Arrancar’s. It stirred worry, but he didn’t sense any higher pressure that indicated burst amounts used for fighting or a violent stir. An experiment inside? It was unusual and made him curious. Though he didn’t bother with this. His concern was for his patient and seeing as his captain wasn’t around, it was his responsibility to act out of being the supervision to see if anyone was in need of remedies.

He’d have to thank his captain later for well equipping him with some supplies as well as the rest of the squad. During their sacrifice to complete the mission, they were so kind enough to leave him with their healing supplies. They wouldn’t need them seeing where they were going. Utter oblivion.

He couldn’t think about them right now, but he couldn’t ignore it. He put on a smile turning awaiting Sapphire’s presence which he expected at that split second standing in front of the Sanctuary that was the Fortress.

[Sapphire]

She got there just as he had put on his smile.

"Is this the Fortress?" She looked around, observing the towering mountain and its numerous caves before her. She felt different reiatsu coming from different places, but the reiatsu mostly consisted of the Shinigami. She stared at the new surroundings, and then looked back at Xeon...

She wasn't sure what she was going to do next. She felt like she wanted to go off somewhere alone and think, but at the same time, she wanted to know more about these Shinigami and how they got here... and why this place was any safer than any other place. She simply relaxed, knowing that all was calm at least for now, and focused on figuring out the different kinds of reiatsu she could feel all around...

[Xeon Hubaru]

"You should be safe here."

Xeon had looked upward towards the mountainous Structure that was the fortress. It was strange of a sight to call a home base, but for some reason this was a safe place for a base of operations for anyone that weren’t those foul creatures that lurked in paradise. If that was true, then why wasn’t that Arrancar, Xian, here? It troubled him as he had lowered his head before turning to the Shinigami.

"I‘d advise that you settle in and try to get someone to look at that wound. I‘ve just remembered…I…have something important to tend to."

His reminder of an assignment so soon as he announced it to the Shinigami. That’s because it was one that kept lives in his hands, and for some reason he had the urge to use this search for Soi Fon to also search for the fleeing Xian. If that wasn’t her face, then he was chasing a wild goose, but he knew this. He had no doubt in his mind that he had saw that face before, but still he hoped it was a mistake.

"Will you be okay if I leave on this urgent matter? I‘m sure you‘ll find someone familiar here." he had assured to the young girl.

[Sapphire]

"Alright."

She watched as he seemed troubled about something, and deep in her mind she knew at least one thing that it was related to...

"Yes, I will be fine... I only need to know where the rest of your Squad is, and then I can go to them."

Her face then turned solemn as she looked at Xeon and then turned back to look towards the forest, and as the wind started blowing gently, the trees once again swayed slowly and peacefully as if this was a perfect world...

"But... please, one more thing before you leave..."

She turned back around to face him, and looked him straight in the eyes.

"If you are going to follow Xian...

please heal her injuries."

[Xeon Hubaru]

Xeon's eyes had shot a tangled look towards Sapphire's own eyes. They were telling the truth and admitting his intention. He was going to follow that Arrancar, and it was too late to say he wasn't. She was no fool, and he knew that. All he could do was turn away neither showing his confirmation of him saying a "yes" or a "no" to her.

"There is very few of my squad here. You'll most likely find a member in the northern most parts of the fortress healing the sick and injured."

He had strayed away from answering by simply giving directions to her. He had his back turned to her not to show his eyes as they were filled with much concern and over all, they couldn't match up with the calm of his voice. His head however lowered. A sign of hesitant worry that was about his aura from that moment he had heard her speak Xian's name, and of her injuries.

"If you wouldn't mind...could you keep this information about an Arrancar in this place between us?"

Xeon had requested in a sympathetic tone of voice for the first time.

"I know it's wrong to hide vital information, but I can feel that you could understand, I just want to protect my young sister."

He turned around looking over his shoulder with a smile brandished wiping away the worried look in a moment's notice.

"...I'd appreciate it, and I'm sure she will as well."

Xeon had quickly vanished in an instant. His steps taking to the winds as he ran in a dash in the direction of the forest. His presence by reitsu faded as quickly as it came the moment he had met with Sapphire in that forest. It was those ties under the natures that had him rushing into danger. He wasn't sure if what he saw was his sister anymore, but he wanted to take a shot at least to know if he was making a futile effort.

He knew he left a stranger to bare his secret, but if he knew this stranger's heart the way he knew people with such a kind face, then she'd surely understand.

[Sapphire]

Watching him turn away from her as his answer, she wanted to say more, but she decided to leave it to him and his decision...

She listened to his directions, and looked to the northern parts of the Fortress as she saw the paths in the mountains leading to different caves. She picked one of them and noted to go down that one first.

At the mention of Xeon's question, she had a normal, "of course" look on her face. When he said that she was his sister, however... her eyes widened.

"She's your... sister? ..."

She thought about that for a moment, applying it to the reactions that they had at the sight of each other, and how it all made sense now... she would have to think more about that later, though.

Although Xeon had already vanished, she turned around to where he had headed and talked in that direction, if not just to assure that this was her true answer...
"Of course, I'll keep this secret between us... I can make up something as an excuse about how I was injured. I will do that before I get to them. No one will hear about these events.... don't worry."

She looked up towards the path that she chose in her mind to go, and slowly walked towards it as she thought about how to explain her injury that was now only slightly bleeding a little less...

--------------------

As she walked up the path to the cave, she thought about many things. She walked slowly as to bide herself time to think about an excuse for her wound that was now bothering her more than she liked...

'Let's see... I can't say that it was a sharp tree branch, because this wound was made from a sword... I can't say it was a friendly spar that went wrong, because I cannot mention Xeon's name... I can't say that I was injured before I got to this place, because this wound is fresh... I can only say that I was very clumsy and tripped on a branch and fell on my sword earlier as I got here because I was using my sword to get through the forest bushes, and that I sensed the reiatsu here and came to get healed. I can describe it more when I have to talk about it...'

Now that she had decided what the excuse would be, she walked a little faster, although she did not move fast because she wished to take it easy a little, and she also wanted to think about something...

'Xian... was Xeon's sister? Then why did Xian--'

It struck her like a sharp fist to the face about what had happened.

She realized everything now, but it was too late.

Why Xian met her, talked to her, seemed like she was nice enough... and then turned around and attacked.

What the small hint of reiatsu was before Xian elevated her own.

Why she was so close to the Fortress, which is apparently the main base for the Shinigami that have appeared here.

It was all...

Xian.


She brought her to the edge of the forest, and started the spar in order to purposely attract attention- Shinigami attention- and to get her back to the Shinigami's base because she could not go near it herself because she was an Arrancar... but why?

Why would an Arrancar help a Shinigami?

She didn't know. All she knew was that...

She owed Xian heavily for how far she's gotten.

She regretted the now probably severe injury that she had inflicted on the one who was trying to help her... who was fighting with her to not only harden her, but also to attract attention...

She couldn't even imagine what Xian felt like right now, with her injury still bleeding... even worse than her own...

She didn't know what to think. She felt burdened by the fact that she knew that Xian was still suffering...


But suddenly, her own world went black. She collapsed onto the ground, not realizing just how much blood she has lost and ignored...

[Sato Koemi]

"H-Hey! There's another shinigami! They're injured!" one Stealth Force memeber called out, immediently running down the jagged slope to where the Squad 10 member was, along with another Stealth Force Member.

Taking one arm over her shoulder, her friend taking the other arm, the two Members jolted up the slope and back into safety of the Fortress, looking over to the member that their tacihou had left in command.

"Gobara-san! We have an injured shinigami!" the first cried out, gently laying Sapphire on a pile of blankets to help comfort the unconscious girl.

The one named Gobara turned and walked over to where Sapphire was at, pulling out some healing ointments and bandages, "Here. Attend to her, Ayane-chan.."

The woman frowned slightly, beginning Sapphire's treatment, pulling her mask down from her face, strands of her white hair falling around her angelic face, "Don't worry, friend. I'll take care of you."

Gobara turned away and rubbed his forehead angrily, sighing, "Taichou is going to be very upset.."

One of the other Stealth Force Members looked up curiously "How so?"

".. Mari's.. gone."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"That's.. a lot of reiatsu," Yumihika said, purple eyes wide, looking towards a mountainside, eyebrow raised slightly, "Somethign.. to check out. Might be Madarame-san.."

Turning his course of path, the fifth seat shot forward in flash steps, exerting as little reiatsu as possible so as to not be sensed by anything.. hopefully.

Shooting up past the rocky, jagged terrace that the mountainside slope offered as added protection for whoeversoever stayed here would be further protected.

Arriving upon a falt surface, Yumichika huffed slightly, looking around at the shinigami before him. Thank goodness it was shinigami.. who knows what else lives here in this ugly Paradise.

"It's Ayasegawa-san!"
"Who?"
"Y'know, the pretty boy from Squad 11! That must mean Kenpachi-taichou is here!"
"I don't think so. That man is a beast, he wouldn't send himself here. He'd make others do it for him."

The quick conversation that whizzed by made Yumichika both smile and a little sad. He was proud that they recognized them, but sad that they thought so bitterly of his captain.

Walking forward, a couple of the female Stealth Force members began to flirt and offer him food and water, to which he declined with a soft blush at the flirts.

Ayane, on the other hand, just rolled her eyes and went back to tending the wounded girl, speaking softly to her, as if Sapphire could hear her.

[Sapphire]

She could, although only slightly, hear the comforting voice of a woman she did not know before her awareness completely faded....

-----------

After being treated for her injuries, she slowly started to come to. She ached all over, and she hadn't felt this bad in a long time. The black Shinigami robes had covered the fact that she lost more blood than she could handle, since she had a small build, and also since Xian's blade had actually managed to pierce an important vein through her shoulder that leaked out a significant amount of blood. When she traveled with Xeon to the Fortress, she traveled much slower than she could have normally, in an attempt to prevent any more blood from leaking out. She also clutched the wound tightly while traveling in the same attempt... As she talked with him and he left, she started to feel a small bit lightheaded but fought the feeling off until the point where she could not fight it off any longer, managing to put her thoughts above her physical feelings until that moment. She didn't want to believe that her wound was that serious, and put will over pain in order to prevent any more worries or handicaps for others....

As she slightly woke up, she noticed immediately that she had already been treated, and thus, that she had blacked out. She ached quite a bit, and winced under this fact, but managed to attempt to speak...

"Wha.....t.....hap...pe......."

She winced even more as she could not speak anymore- her whole body ached from being drained of precious pints of blood.

[Sato Koemi]

((OOC: I'm changing Ayane into a Squad 4 member. Shh. I know I know. Bad me.. ^^''' Just a heads up at least. XD))

"Shh. Don't talk. Rest a little, please. You're safe with the Stealth Force Members watching you.. My name is Yukiko Ayane.." said Sapphire's apparent caretaker, as the long snow-whited haired woman hovered over her. Ayane smiled a little, her icy blue eyes watching Sapphire, a little glad that the other shinigami was at least alright.

"I have tended to your wounds and gave you some of my blood.. You should be fine in no time.." she said softly, raising Sapphire's head and placing a new pillow underneath it. She paused and stared at the girl a moment, "Where do you hurt?"

Ayane's accent was rather peculiar, but very exotic. It fit the petite, white-haired girl somehow.

Meanwhile, Yumichika had begun to explore, asking some of the Stealth Force Members if they had seen Ikkaku, to which they replied 'no', and his face fell even more.

Turning around and heading for the exit in which he came trhough, the fifth seat paused and looked towards where Ayane and Sapphire were, watching them, but being silent.

[Sapphire]

Despite wanting to talk more, she decided to take it easy for once and relax, as she watched Ayane and listened closely to her unique voice.

"It..... my shoulder...aches...a little." She was beginning to feel slightly better, probably thanks to the blood transfusion and the mending of her previously open wound.

"Thank you for... treating me."

She looked around at her surroundings for the first time since she awoke, and she observed her location... she knew that she was in a cave, at least. She observed the softly glowing kidou ball at the top of the cave, giving off a dim, soothing light for the inhabitants to this cave so that they could see inside this cave sufficiently. She could also see many other Shinigami around, and heard the soft and almost lulling murmur of both idle and serious talk floating about. She also spotted some who had caught eye of her and Ayane. She then simply turned her deep brown eyes back to Ayane.

Inside, she felt very different since coming here. She normally preferred to be alone... in the peaceful and comforting sound of silence, and being able to think to herself. However, she seemed to be relieved that more Shinigami were actually there, stuck in this Paradise with her. She felt a conflict of emotions... both gratefulness for her treatment and wondering what Ayane was like, wanting to see and meet the other Shinigami who also suffered the same fate as she did, and wanting to be alone and at peace at the same time. She didn't know exactly which feeling to lean on at the moment, so she decided to wait until she felt better and was fully healed to decide upon this. She was where she was for the moment, and she was both grateful and becoming more comfortable by the minute.

[Sato Koemi]

Ayane blinked, and rubbed her hands together fast, creating a warm friction between her palms as they started to glow a soft, pale, warming light-blue light. She held her hands over Sapphire's shoulder where she said it ached and let her reiatsu do the rest of the work.

"You may taste some peppermint as I do this.." she said softly, and indeed, as if on cue, the part in Sapphire's acheing shoulder began to have a soft buzz of warmth and a tingling sensation, "And it is no problem. I'm a Squad Four member, so it is our duty to serve, protect and heal."

"What is your name, friend?" she asked softly in her cooing, gentle tone of her exotic voice, giving a friendly smile. Her voice alone seemed like people would just love talking to her.. or hearing her talk.. maybe both. The shinigami's angelic face was soft and caring, as if she were this patient, and tender to every ill or injured person.

Leaning into a wall on the other side of the entrace, Yumichika glanced to Sapphire, then to Ayane, then back out and scanned the land carefully, in deep thought, as if something was plaguing him or his mind.

[Sapphire]

As Ayane hovered her reiatsu-filled hands over the painful area, she could feel the pleasant tingling that dispersed the pain and felt amazingly warm and comfortable. She closed her eyes and relaxed, letting the feeling warm her shoulder and the rest of her arm...

"My name is Sapphire."

She noticed both Ayane's beautiful voice and calm appearance, and felt comfortable being in her presence. 'She is surely a great healer... she makes others feel calm, and she heals very well. I'm glad someone like her is tending to me...' She smiled a bit in response to Ayane's smile, as her mind began to wander about Xeon and Xian...

She saw out of the corner of her eyes that a Shinigami was also looking out of the cave as if in a deep thought. She wondered if he could have.... possibly....

'No... my mind's getting out of track... I'm making false connections...'

She then closed her eyes again and relaxed as she was being healed.