Come into my castle (Takeshima)

After a few knocks, the door would open for Takeshima, and he could be seen standing in the doorway, holding his cup of coffee, looking slightly ragged as he had done nothing with his hair, though it still seemed to have some look of style. The bags from before had vanished from beneath his eyes, at least mostly. There were small wrinkles, although they looked mostly normal. He was wearing his normal black jeans, though his shoes were more of a pair one would wear to go jogging in, and his t-shirt was undeniably under armour, with the X logo on the left side of his chest.

The morning was strange. It was oddly humid out, and Takeshima didn’t want to wear everything he normally did. He didn’t even feel like suiting up in his schneider laid vest like normal. Instead one single one hung loosely from his hip, on a thin clip. The text he was sent somewhat drug him down, as he still felt terrible for rejecting the kindness that Naomi was offering him. Still, he had a bit of cologne and a nice scent of black dhalia about him from it. He had stopped by his favorite coffee place for a simple cup of black, before he headed over, moving quickly and simply flying on his hirenkyaku.

After the door was open, and Takeshima looked up to see her, he smiled, which was an odd thing for him. It was a bright, warm smile. “Naomi.” He said as he took a small step forward, wrapping his right arm around her, while his left hand held his coffee low to his side. After the quick hug which he thought would shock her a little, as well as his all around changed demeanor (he wouldn’t tell her about the extra mood balancer he had taken) which was quite different, especially with him touching her. Normally physical contact was inconceivable, but he was feeling different today. “It’s so very nice to see you.” He said pulling his body back. “How’ve you been?” He questioned as he rose his coffee and sipped it. He figured she deserved some kindness from him. Hopefully he was doing a good job.

When the hug wasn’t returned, Takeshima didn’t fret or anything. He was sure she wasn’t happy with him. The fact that she allowed him to touch her at all was a slight marvel, but he had stepped back and she had answered him, so he gave her a nod in return and gave another smile, this one much smaller than before, “Of course, I was sure you would.” He told her as he began to follow through the empty house and the odd, scooby-doo like hidden entrances. He heard the word she said and nodded, locking it away inside his memory. He knew plenty of the german language, and the word made sense immediately in his head. After they entered the elevator he touched the walls, and felt some resonance throughout it. It was such a peculiar thing. Just as he turned to ask Naomi what the material was the elevator stopped.

The feeling of the altering G-forces was a fun feeling, but after that he stared and listened to her explain that this was soul-synthesised silver. It seemed she had many more means than he had. It was quite impressive, he wondered just how much work had gone into this. Refinement most have taken forever in itself, much less the building. Keeping everything hidden from prying eyes. After a few seconds he just gave a few words, “It’s quite amazing.” He told her, keeping his words brief. It seemed she still wasn’t doing well with him. She was very monotone, and it seemed she was forcing distance between them. Which was fine, he wasn’t complaining. But it still sucked to know he had caused her some grief, and this was how she was dealing with it. He wasn’t here because she wanted him to be, only because he was a quincy who vowed to help her cause.

After the stop, and the small tour she had finally finished talking. Telling him he had a right, all the work put in here, everything. It seemed in the few moments of silence he was supposed to give his opinion on everything. “Geschichte wiederholt sich.” He told her, speaking in his german tongue just for fun, “History repeats itself..” There was a pause as he looked around, “Aus Schaden wird man klug. From damage, one becomes intelligent. That being said, I believe you’ve prepared for history to repeat itself, I believe you’ve mostly learned from the quincies past mistakes. You’ve prepared quite a place, except, Geklagtes Leid ist halbes Leid.” he said nodding, “A problem shared is a problem halved, yet we share this problem with too few. Our numbers are still low. I know it’s not just you and I any longer, but we are still without enough for a cause.” He told her “Unless you expect you and I to get much stronger and kill every single shinigami we find.” He said before exhaling softly, “If that’s the case, we should start training soon.

Takeshima nodded his head while listening to her, raising his head slightly with his small smile. “I try to be logical.” He said with a slight chuckle after she said he was right. After that he closed his eyes, “We shouldn’t have any issue with most the shinigami we run into.” He told her honestly, “I don’t think a lot could stand up to me or you. I believe only the captain’s could subdue me, but I’m sure you’re on their level.” He told her before letting out a soft sigh, “Sucks knowing your limitations.” He told her with another small smirk before she began to tell him something.

“A new..” He questioned during her pause, which was dismissed when she said the word Blut. That was interesting, at least he thought so as he watched her. As he focused he could see the reiryoku running through her veins with his trained eyes. It was quite amazing, her veins pulsed with energy and he knew she was much stronger. “Blut..” He repeated after she said she hoped that he knew it. He looked down at his hands and then up to her, standing in the silence for a moment, peering into her eyes. He could see something deep in her eye and deep inside himself, he felt fear. It was a scary look. For a moment, Takeshima wondered if this was for prevention or revenge. Her words blended together as she spoke and he finally looked back down to his hands. “Vollstandig..” Takeshima whispered as he began to clench his fist. “You have to forgive me,” He spoke out loud now, “Blut does not come naturally to those who aren’t pure-blooded.” He told her as his eyes closed. “Of course you know that.” He began to focus, looking deep inside himself, “But it isn’t undoable.” Suddenly his reiatsu spiked as his skin flushed slightly from the increased blood flow. As his eyes opened he suddenly looked at peace.

“Let’s... Let’s begin.” He told her as he suddenly vanished. His hirenkyaku would carry him behind her quickly.

He prepared himself for her to swiftly spin and kick or punch at him and so he ducked low, to the point he was only about a two feet high, leaning back slightly with his black metallic looking bow in hand, with three arrows pulled back, and firing up.
If she had moved back, they would began to follow after her, had she stood or attacks, his attacks would hit her abdomen, or lower back and stagger her. If he staggered her at close range he would use his skillful body control to push his upper body forward, and then fire straight, to drive his right shoulder into her. Right after this he would take the bow with his right hand on the bottom, and left still in the middle and swing it for her face to knock her back and do a good deal of damage, much less than his actual arrows would.

Takeshima was slightly surprised when she jumped away and matched his arrows, but he focused closely. The surprise came from the fact that he had never honestly fought another quincy before. It was quite a curious thing honestly, someone who matched his ranged attacks move for move. As the next three arrows released he dug his feet into the ground, though his eyes could sense their first few inches, and he had figured out her entire trajectory, none hitting. It seemed she planned an indirect attack. “Alright!” He said as he charged, his plan clear inside his head, though as the arrows passed and hit the ground not too far behind him and exploded, he was slightly shaken, and moved to the side, laterally instead of straight at her, before he charged again and he saw the three other arrows flying at him he turned his right arm forward so as to slip between, though he was ready for them to curve in.

When the attack split he was slightly surprised, but didn’t stop, as suddenly his arm and the area around him was a shield, barrelling through the attack and letting the crystal greatshield take the attack while he sprinted towards her. His eyes staring through the crystal, glassy material that acted like a one way mirror, hiding his left hand. The bow he was holding had vanished while a small ball had appeared. He was ready to block any attack and about to unleash his own. He lifted his right arm a little, exposing his feet for a split second before he slammed the shield down, it smashing into fragments that scattered on the floor. He himself was flipping into the air with his bow drawn, firing four sets of two arrows that looked like they would miss, but began to curve in. They would come close, but hopefully she would notice they wouldn’t hit, but still focus on them as the crystal ball he held before rolled down near her feet, before it would detonate and knock her back, doing some damage and embedding crystals into her flesh.

”It seems you’re an oddity”

“I had to learn how to adapt.” He told her as he came down and landed on the ground. Suddenly she was throwing two ginto at him. That couldn’t be good. With two he had no idea what she was planning and so as they left her hand he was carried a few feet back on his hirenkyaku while he was speaking, and throwing a ginto from his pocket himself, “Tilt the goblet to the west,” and then once the ginto were almost all three parallel, though his slightly closer to him he shouted, ”Wolke!” which caused his ginto to explode into a cloud, which caught the ginto within it. Since the distance between them was just enough that the explosion would just barely affect them, more or less throwing heat both their way, he wondered if she would still use her attack.

If she didn’t he would begin to fire arrows at her, trying to attack, using his blut to power up his arrows to shoot through hers if she tried to match them, out to pierce her flesh.

If she did though, he would raise his left arm to shield his face while he sensed out, suddenly feeling the violent spike in energy from the barrage of arrows she fired at him. He quickly faced her and began to let loose his own barrage, matching each and every arrow, hitting the center one after it got a little too close, causing it to explode and push him back. It made his skin a little flustered but he mostly felt pressure pushing him back from it, not enough to truly damage him.

Takeshima watched closely as she moved to the wall and began going through her items. He nodded his head as she spoke, and began to relax a little bit. “Alright.” He said. He would continue to use his own tools, to which he had grown accustomed to. She had her toys, and he had his. After that she had her weapon and was moving to him. He could spot her a little easier, and he began to turn. There she was swinging as he was moving his hand out and was jumping. A block of crystal was held by a handle, in his hand, before it widened out, and went down to his foot. She hit it, and damned if she wasn’t strong. She sent Takeshima flying back through the air.

Takeshima flipped quickly, releasing the shield he had made out of crystal and as he came close to the wall he was suddenly cushioned by his hirenkyaku. The shield disintegrated as it fell to the ground. In Takeshima’s hand was something else now, a large shuriken made out of crystal that he launched at Naomi, a second or two after it was flying he had lifted his bow, and was firing shots in a straight line at her, at a slower speed than before.