Ryuu & Tenshin
The sign of a smile was beginning to turn the corners of her lips upwards however it fell the moment Tenshin grabbed her. Without quite realizing it Ryuu brought her arms up slightly as if to push Tenshin away from her. She stopped halfway through though when he started to speak. Then he had the nerve to pat her on the head which earned him a glare. He had gotten uncomfortably close to her so she leaned back slightly to add some distance but mostly in a fruitless effort to avoid being pat on the head.
"What to help you lick your wounds? I hope that's not all I'm lucky for." A last attempt at teasing him where it would probably hurt. One could see it as her way of getting back at him for patting her in the head. Still holding onto her shoulders Tenshin teased her again by calling her Lieutenant. A mean smile suddenly appeared on her face that contradicted the tone of her voice.
"Aren't you just absolutely adorable Ten-Ten." She removed his arms in the same motion to pat his cheeks like a mother would her child. "Thinking to call me Lieutenant when you haven't even earned a Seat yet." Stepping away from him, Ryuu was about to enter her room when she looked back at him. "Oh and Ten-Ten. Pat my head again like some love sick puppy waiting for approval and I'll break your arms." Ryuu's word held the weight of truth in them. There was little doubt that she was joking about it.
Ryuu began to shed layers of the outfit until all she wore were her undergarments. As she was procuring a new set of clothes Ryuu found an assortment of bandages. She began to wonder if the trek to the infirmary was worth it if she had some stuff here. Finally changing into her usual uniform Ryuu went back to the door to check on Tenshin. "Hey I found some old bandages if you just want to change them out here. We can still go to the infirmary though." Brandishing a small bundle of the stuff, Ryuu pulled at her hair to let it loose. It felt wonderful to just have it fall down her back but she'll have to put it back up if she were to take another bath.
"Oh! I suggest you take a bath. You kinda smell." She said as she chuckled to herself.
Tenshin waited for his companion to return before replying, feeling it rude to talk while she changed. He was perturbed her words, cold was normal for Ryuu, but the entire mood had changed in a single moment. Festive jabs swapped for deep digs, and then she returned back in friendly spirits.
“Next time you try to threaten me I suggest, you pick a field you’re not outclassed in~” He whistled, referencing his Hakuda experience, he took the bandages and undid his on the spot. Fully exposing the bare flesh of his hands and forearms and unravelling the myriad of dirty cloth that wrapped his torso under his Yukata, he had to shrug it off to hang at his waist to do so. His lack of complaint was a testament to his toughness training and will, his hands from fingertip to elbow where red and raw and dripped blood slowly but steadily, shreds of skin remained here and there stained crimson. In the festivities, he’d entirely forgotten to hide the horizontal scar that spanned his midriff, a large shredded wound that was normally hidden beneath poultices or clothing surrounded by the fresher injuries from the hollow. It would be Ryuu’s first time seeing the old scar.
Tenshin smiled at the tease of a bath and nodded in the direction of the bath house “It should be mostly empty because of the festival, I’ll go clean up before I bandage up this mess.” He stated, turning towards the bath house to reveal a matching burn scar upon his back.
Ryuu snorted at his words. While he certainly outdid her in regards to hand-to-hand combat skills, she had the strength to carry them out. Besides she had been practicing hakuda but she was well aware that she wasn't close to Tenshins level. "Would you rather I just cut them off?" The redhead grinned at him. Seeing as Tenshin thought it best to just change his bloody old bandages now, it was Ryuu’s turn to lean against the wall and wait for him.
She had never really witnessed the full extent of her friends wounds. It was when he had shrugged off the top half of his yukata that Ryuu saw the large scar going across his midriff. From the way his other newer scars were laid out it looked like they centered around that one scar. Tilting her head slightly, Ryuu thought of her own scar. It was from a hollow attack that went from her left collarbone them between her breasts and ended around her ribcage. Just thinking out it made her touch it lightly with her finger tracing its path. The young woman had never seen that scar before but it looked pretty old. Was he hiding it
Her thoughts were broken off when Tenshin spoke up. A small smile spread across her face at the chance of taking a bath. "Alright I'll join you." Without a moment's hesitation Ryuu went back into her room to get a change of clothes befitting the bathhouse. Coming back out Tenshin was already walking away so Ryuu walked a little faster to catch up. As she got closer she saw a burn scar that matched the one in the front. Frowning Ryuu wondered where it came from. She didn't really bother asking since it was just an old scar and she had seen, as well as has, her fair share of them. Eventually she stood next to him. It was obvious from the slightly upturn of her lips that Ryuu was happy for a bath. It was probably the only other thing besides fighting that she got excited for.
When they arrived at the bathhouse the place was relatively empty aside from a few old, very old, members of the squad. Under normal circumstances Ryuu would have bathed elsewhere however the Eleventh didn't have a whole lot of females so the previous Lieutenants never bothered making a separate bath house. Instead they opted for giving allotted times for the women to bathe separately but since those times were long done Ryuu would have to bath with Tenshin. Which wasn't all that bad since it wasn't packed she didn't have to worry about being incredibly close to him. Now that they were inside Ryuu didn't take long to undress in the women's "changing" room. The room wasn't much. It was just a rectangular box that the women themselves had to construct so that they had privacy when changing. The thing was haphazardly made so there were a few boards that were loose as well as a couple openings to see through. Wrapping a towel around herself, Ryuu pulled up her hair into a messy bun and entered the bath. She was next to Tenshin but there was a good distance between the two.
"Baths are the absolute best." she said quietly to herself before she submerged herself to her nose. After a while she rose out of the water to drape her arms behind her so that they rested atop the edge of the bath. Unlike most women Ryuu had few qualms with sharing a bath so she didn't really care to hide herself in the same shy manner the other girls would sometimes do. Her hollow scar was visible as was the dragon tattoo. Sometimes Ryuu forgot she had that on her arm. She glanced over at Tenshin wondering how he was holding up.
Tenshin had to gently tip-toe himself into the water, allowing the warm liquid to prick at his sensitive flesh and slowly ease himself in. Most of his wounds were fine, it was his arms that were the worst of it, the wounds were too fresh and too raw, the water around him contained tiny tendrils of red here and there that soon became swallowed in the water. Tenshin laid back and relaxed at the edge near Ryuu, keeping a healthy distance to be respectful.
“Oh yeah, they’re great.” He said sarcastically, grinning wide as he gave her a red thumbs up, having overheard her quiet comment. Surprisingly, Tenshin had less issues with seeing his team-mate naked than in her previous outfit, this wasn’t the first time they’d had to bathe together and he wasn’t so perverted as to take advantage of her comfort. Ryuu may not have taken notice but the area near her was clear of the 11th’s members, Tenshin secretly had quite the glare, and a strong protective streak concerning Ryuu, from the shadows. Small things which he ensured, like a lack of perverts in the baths or intercepting challengers while she had more important issues.
He slipped down to his chin and washed away all the dirt and dried blood that had congealed on him and in his hair, the more he cleaned, the more burn and blade scars slowly appeared on him as the poultices washed away. He glanced over at his companion and nodded his head at her. “So if you don’t mind me asking, you never told me the story.” He said plainly, pointing at her scar.
Ryuu closed her eyes as she relaxed but peeked out of one when he asked a question. It was a simple enough question that she thought she had answered years ago. "Oh this?" She said as she instinctively traced its rough path. Looking at him now, Ryuu leaned forwards a bit as she began to talk. "It was from before I entered the Academy,when I was still living in the Rukongai. . .
The redhead was nothing more than a child really albeit a little tall. Ryuu had only been wondering around the edges of the Rukongai when her stomach began to growl. It was a common occurrence these days that she wasn't quite used to yet. Normally she could get a scrap of bread by acting as a messenger between people or helping out the local doctor with the sick. She didn't mind getting sick if it meant she got food. The young girl hadn't really noticed that amongst the many people in Rukongai she was one of the few who got hungry. It was during the colder seasons of the year and all she had was a tattered outfit and an old shawl. Walking around in search of a warm place to rest, Ryuu noticed an orange light far ahead of her. Curious as to what that orange light could mean she walked in its general direction cautiously.
When she had gotten closer she realized that the light was coming from the charred remains of what could have been a home. At this point she couldn't tell what it was really. All she knew was that there was a light and that light meant warmth and she was in need of warmth. In thinking this she approached the remains, solely focused on obtaining some of that warmth. Ryuu had a small smile of hope as she brought her hands up. Thankfully the cold made her arms and hands sluggish otherwise she would have undoubtedly lost a finger or two. Instead she felt a warmth blossom across her chest followed by a searing pain in the place where she had previously felt that warmth. At first she had welcomed it but then she cried out with the pain. Ryuu fell to her knees just an arm's length away from that burning light. Turning onto her back, she looked up at the gray sky. Her breath came out in white puffs and since she didn’t want to lose consciousness she made herself focus on those little white puffs even though they nearly matched the sky.
Her hand touched the area where it hurt and when she brought it to her face her hand was covered in blood. This time with much more care, Ryuu tried to locate where it started and ended and just how deep it was. Wincing in pain, she could tell it was a long wound but thankfully it wasn’t fatally deep. She’d certainly die if she let herself bleed out though. The redhead then remembered her attacker. Looking around frantically, Ryuu couldn’t quite see anything amidst all the grey. “Who out there!? You bastard! Stop being a coward and show yourself!” Even at a young age she had quite the tongue. All of her anger up until that point had been poured into her words but yelling made her tired. Ryuu forced herself to sit up somewhat and dragged herself across the ground to lean against something solid. At least this way she would see where the attacker came from. With a harsh yet determined scowl Ryuu waited for her attacker but it would seem her efforts tired her out more than she had expected. As hard as she tried not to, Ryuu would eventually lose consciousness.
It stared down at the girl, the wound matched her hair, a deep kind of red that burned his eyes to look at for too long. The broken blade in it’s hand clanked as it blindly met the girls support, burrowing frustratingly beside her. She had entered it’s territory, she was here to steal and to hurt it. Yet it couldn’t finish her like it had the others, they were confused, unable to comprehend. “Why?” It croaked, its vocal cords not used to being exercised, the girl did not respond, her eyes were closed. They looked longingly at their flaming barricade of a home, they had just come out for some wood for the flames, to seal itself in once more to live and be safe in this hell. It looked down at the girl whom had struggled into its territory unwittingly for food or something else, and it felt pity.
Hunger was something they could understand.
They were not sure how to handle it, but they pulled her onto its shoulder and haphazardly dragged her into its domain. An ash filled and flaming square, and then it put her by its pile of food to awaken. They had learned things surviving all alone out here, and created a weak poultice to stop the wound from infecting and to stem the bleeding. They sat in front of her, contemplating, awaiting.
It had forgotten within its stash was a second blade.
Her eyes fluttered close and fluttered again when a clang resounded above her head. Ryuu could just barely feel the vibrations through the support. She wondered why her attack missed. Could it be that the first attack wasn't really meant for her? That was the last thought that came before she truly lost conscious however it was a brief blackout. Ryuu knew this because as she woke up again hands touched her body. They seemed unsure as if they weren't used to touching anothers skin but with that touch came a sort of soothing sensation. It was all along her chest and for a moment she thought maybe someone found her and was fixing her up. Then she was reminded of the fact that she lived in the Rukongai. If someone was helping her it meant they were either going to use her for something then again she knew not to expect anything from the residents. They're more likely to take her clothes than to save her life.
She knew it wasn't the former because she could feel a warmth. It was the same warmth she had tried to attain not too long ago. It was a nice warmth and without realizing it a miniscule smile appeared. Feeling as if she'd be okay, Ryuu cracked her one eye open. Just enough to see if there was a person besides her or not.
They were there, sitting cross-legged, blade in its lap, communicating in its own way. It looked like a soul should, a young boy, already scar-covered and with black hair that reached its waist matted with dried blood and dirt. Its eyes were closed, it was resting beside her and its stash amongst the warmth of the flames.
Her rescuer was just a kid like her but unlike her, he was covered in scars and his hair was much longer than she ever had it. Ryuu kept it at her shoulders since it would be too much of a hassle to care for it but this kid allowed it to reach his waist. Thinking that he was a good person, she began to sit up until she finally took notice of the sword in his lap. It had blood on the edge that was beginning to dry and she knew in an instant who he was to her. Suddenly a fear and possibly a pent up anger towards her circumstances surged through her body. The red head blindly groped for the blade she noticed was in his sash and swung it downwards, yelling as it connected with soft tissue. Little did she know that that would not be the last time she'd swing a blade.
The redhead scrambled backwards. She didn't feel an ounce of shame for having attacked him while he rested. She only felt anger. Ryuu was angry about her way of survival in this world and she was angry at this boy who not only attacked her for no reason but had even attempted to fix her. "You bastard!" She snarled at him. Red eyes glowered through thick bangs at the boy in front of her. She held up the sword in her hands awkwardly, feeling her chest become wet as the movement earlier caused it to bleed again. The young child could only glare at him through her dirty bangs, unsure of what to do now that she had wounded him.
The boy yelped in pain when the blade connected, rolling with the blow to reduce injury. He had been cut as badly as he had cut the girl, they were even. He held their hand to their bleeding stomach, and sat back down, grabbing the nearby poultice to treat his wounds. He buried the blade in the ground beside him and pushed the poultice along the floor towards her, he held out his arm and pointed a finger at her re-opened wound. “Fix.” He croaked quietly.
She was like him, hungry, tired, afraid. Only she did not have a castle of flame and an abandoned village to scavenge from. He could kill without remorse those who came to steal or harm him, but he could not kill this girl who was drawn by the warmth of his home. He couldn’t quite make out how she looked, his eyes were a foggy grey and ruined by the ash and smoke in the air, he was verging the path to blindness, but he saw a distinct red. He coughed painfully and pointed to his stash “I, sorry, eat.” He said lamely in an attempt to calm her.
The monster within him was not satisfied with this, it wanted to fight, it wanted to hunt. He calmed it with a thought Eternal, an eternal fight, a rival for him to battle over and over again. This would satisfy. He did not have the social skills or intelligence to understand how she would react, or that she may not want to eat, live and fight with him. Survival and Fighting were all that mattered to the young boy and the monster, the fact he had injured her was irrelevant in his mind if they could both have that.
Again Ryuu glared at him but this time she bared her teeth as if she were maybe an animal. The dirty redhead felt a bit of pride in being able to make him bleed although she was a bit disappointed in the fact that his poultice was within easy reach. What he did next confused her some as she didn’t understand why he did it. The wild boy pushed the poultice in her directions, telling her to “fix” it in his raspy voice. She could tell that he didn’t speak if at all by how husky his voice had become. Watching him, Ryuu suddenly snatched the bowl to reapply the poultice when he wasn’t quite looking at her. For all she knew he was only doing this just so he could catch her off guard. Regardless of his intentions Ryuu began to apply the poultice across her chest, making sure to turn her body away so he couldn’t see her bare chested.
Once done she pushed the bowl back towards him. Ryuu pulled her knees up to her chest although that proved painful so she brought them back down to the ground. A heavy set frown appeared on her lips and she looked at the ground in front of her. “Thank you.” The words more really nothing more than quiet mutterings to herself but considering how quiet it was she wouldn’t be surprised if he heard her. From there things got foggy, memories fading into the ash and ember.
“I don't remember much of what happened afterwards.” Ryuu shrugged her shoulders absentmindedly tracing the scar. It was one of her more memorable memories and she knew that not long after that encounter the Shosuke family had taken her under their wing. Now that she was much older Ryuu wasn't entirely sure if being with them had done her any good. All it did was make her have a strong dislike for most nobles. "I wonder if that kid is dead somewhere. I wouldn't be surprised but he certainly seemed tenacious so maybe not." She chuckled to herself just thinking about a grown version, the kid simply got bigger, still hiding out in those ruins of a home. She lowered herself under the water again, glancing at Tenshin in hopes of gauging his reactions after hearing her story.
Tenshin whistled in response to her story, grinning wide and scratching at his chest absentmindedly. “So our Ryuu got ambushed by a fellow street-rat...it’s surprising how many of us got our hands on a Zanpakuto in the end.” He mused thoughtfully, leaning partway out of the bath with his hands behind his head. “That kid could still be around, might have even snuck into the Gotei 13, I ended up here didn’t I?” He thought aloud in response to Ryuu’s musings. The shinigami looked down at his scar-covered body in deep thought. “Maybe he’s the one who gave me this scar, hm? Just thought I’d mention it while we’re in a sharing mood, but I have no memories before the Academy. I kinda just woke up half-dead in the 4th, apparently I caused a mess in the Rukon. ” He whistled, looking at Ryuu with a smile. “Maybe I had a scrap with that kid, could even be I had a scrap with you~” He teased, stretching in the bath.
Her head tilted slightly to the left as she started to chew her lip. It was one of the many telltale signs that she was thinking about something. In this case she really did consider the possibility that Tenshin may have had a fight with the boy of her past. Then Tenshins words prior came back to mind and it finally registered what he meant. "You really don't?" A frown began to show as she thought of this. It was certainly strange for someone to not have any memories. A soul generally didn't remember much from their time amongst the living and were never aware of their past lives after having been reincarnated. "Well it's certainly possible isn't it?" She commented on his last words. Ryuu herself stretched and let out a yawn. "I think it's about time we start heading out. Before all those bumbling drunks from the festival decide to come in." Her voice had an edge to it and it was obvious she was irritated by the very thought of it. Red eyes glanced about quickly, seeing that no one was in view yet Ryuu got out and headed towards the changing room.
Tenshin awkwardly scratched at his head, thinking for a moment to himself about what Ryuu was chewing her lip over. Then she stood to leave, and he yawned and shamelessly got out of the bath too, picking up his towel to hold barely in front of himself. “No memories at all~” He whistled in response to her question, following her insofar as near the changing rooms before suddenly stopping “I might as well to the infirmary from here, can you just throw my gear at my room?” He asked, quietly clicking his fingers behind his back.
Ryuu peeked around the door of the changing room and scowled at him. "Yeah I'll do that but I'm not your maid." She shook her head and finished getting dressed. Taking up his things, Ryuu walked with him out until they went their separate ways.