Five years in coming, the big payout; Reunited [Closed]

It had been a long time since he had returned. In days past he was not welcome in the Soul Society, or at least he wouldn't have been if they had known he was a Vizard. His transformation, the marshal law, it was all a distant memory. Yet here he stood, in a land that he had not seen since shortly after Kanna's disappearance. He looked throughout Rukongai first after all, he couldn't bust into Seireitei, but if she was there he would have known. He had connections. Back then at least. Time always seemed to stand still in Rukongai. Nothing seemed to change. It was different, yes the layout had changed a bit. The Soul Society was apparently invaded in his absence. A piece of him regretted having failed to come to their aid while he was on his search, he had failed to find Kanna so maybe all it did was cause undo casualties. No. He shook his head to himself. He mustn't think like that. Kanna meant the world to him, and the Soul Society was clearly more than strong enough to protect itself. On his journeys, he helped many people who otherwise may have been helpless.

He stood before his old home, the old abandoned home he made his own. Destroyed. Moving aside some rubble, he found the hatch to the basement. An area or two had caved in, but the massive basement area was in-tact. He could more than repair everything if he so chose...no. He knew why he was here. Walking off to a far side he picked up a small cracked photo frame. Within it, framed nice and neat, as a picture of Kanna. He knew he needed to move on, but she would always be in his heart. He gently placed the photo within his trench coat, using a bit of kido to keep it there and shield it. Exiting his basement...it was time to move on.

Stepping back into the light, he did one last thing. He covered the hatch back up. He wasn't going to destroy what remained. Keep it hidden in case he needed it. He began to just walk. The forest nearby. He just needed some quiet. "Well lookie here, fresh meat." A group of clear thugs jumped out. It's clear after the damage was dealt, this area was still recovering, and brigands of course love areas that have been ravaged. Easier to maneuver. Snopy didn't have time for this bullshit though. He wasn't dressed like a Shinigami, and he didn't have his weapons visible, but that didn't mean he wasn't one. "Bakudo 9, Horin." Raising up his hands, from both hands an orange tendril shot out, wrapping around a different bandit each. "A shinigami!?" With a quick flick of his wrists he slammed the bandits he hit into a third one in the middle, the tendrils connecting and consequently wrapping all 3 up. "Bakudo 62, Hyapporanken." Generating a blue rod of energy, he chucked it. Splitting into at least 40 different rods, it took every single one of the bandits, including those previously entangled, and slammed them into a building, pinning them there.

There he left them. He didn't care if the spell casts created some kind of energy signal that someone could detect. If someone had a problem with it, well tough shit. From within some of the repaired or currently under repaired buildings, people started to poke their heads out. "Go do something more honest, or next time I'll do worse than stick you to a wall." The spells would dissipate on their own. Snopy had one destination in mind. The forests. Hopefully those weren't some kind of base for criminals in this area, but it wouldn't matter. He just wanted some time to think.

Snopy had noticed something shortly after he had pinned those bandits and began to leave. Probably the wind. His heart felt numb, but it occasionally tried playing tricks on him. Making him think he saw her. Making him think he sensed her. It had fooled him hundreds of times before...why would this time be any different. Clenching his chest for a moment, he took a deep breath before dropping it and moving on. He steadied his hold on reality. Took him a moment, but he was aware of what the reality was. Or at least, he thought he did. Maybe it wasn't healthy to have that picture of Kanna on him at all times, but it wasn't intentional. He was gonna work and get himself a new home, and there it would stay. Any minor inconvenience and pain it inflicted upon his heart would only be temporary anyway. And yet...

Again. He felt it again. He stopped for a moment and held his head. The feeling almost giving him a headache. All he could picture was it being a trick, a huge joke his mind was playing on him. He thought that finally accepting the loss would help it heal, but apparently it did no such thing. The more he walked towards the forest, his destination, the stronger it got. What the hell. It was moving, fluidly, towards him...and him towards it. He could pinpoint it even. It wasn't indirect and fluctuating like the mind of a wounded man. It was as if she was really there. Was he truly that far gone? Or was it something...different. He knew letting any hope take hold was a bad idea, but he couldn't help it. He picked up his pace. About 20 feet from the tree line...he saw it. He froze, he could not move as he stared. Was...was it...real? Was she real? His eyes widened. She looked...well about as bad as he could see her in his eyes. The sight was amazing, but she definitely looked like she had gone through the WORST. Covered in dirt, her clothing was ruined, and even her hair was just a collection of long mats down her back and on her head. "K...K...Ka" He kept trying, he kept trying to get her name out. He couldn't though...he was so choked up.

As she continued to move towards him, tears welled up in his eyes. This couldn't be real, there was no way this was real. Most men would have moved on by now. Either gotten over their lost one or moved on to a new one, yet that was impossible as Snopy searched. His search, only just ending, left him in awe of what he saw. Then she spoke his name. That voice, it was...it probably sounded a lot like his if he let his emotions through into his voice. It was tired. But it was Kanna's voice, even if it was exhausted it was like the sweetest music to his weary ears. As she leaned onto him, she spoke one last time. "I'm home." Finally he could finally get the words to move past his lips. "Kanna..." There was weariness, but behind it happiness. He immediately wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly, like he never wanted to let go. In between them, he could feel the picture he had just brought from his old home...no, that would never do. He undid the Kido keeping it bound and loosened the hug, letting it fall. He kept it protected though. It was more important that he do this. Tightening his hug once more, he could fully feel the softness of her body. "I thought I had lost you...five years, I looked everywhere...I had given up hope on finding you." This moment right here reminded him why he never gave up hope all those years. Kanna would never just roll over and die like that. This moment, this moment right here, was the first time he had been happy since November of 2412. Even if that was his own fault, he now didn't regret it for even a moment.

Every time he heard her voice, he felt even better. Every moment he felt her touch, every single last moment, it helped him realize. She's real. "You...you're real right?" He said, voice shaking a little, asking this out loud actually frightened him. If this was a dream, this would surely be the moment it jolted him awake. The moment he questioned the reality, it'd fade away. He'd wake up, and be alone again. "This isn't a dream...I'm not going to wake up and you'll be gone...right?" Still, this was reality. Whatever her reaction, he wasn't waking up. He was already awake, nothing could shake him out of this. This was his girlfriend, she was here. She looked up at him. "You've gotten stronger." She said as she went to touch his face, but she went to pull away. She was filthy. Yes, whatever she had been through had left her covered in dirt. He didn't care though, she grabbed her hand and moved it to his face.

"Stronger...cause I was looking for you. Sorry...I just...I need this." Her hand, though dirty, was still soft. Not as soft as usual, since whatever she had gone through left little room for that. It'd be fine once he got her fed, clean, and healthy. Soon though she slid her hand back behind him, tightening her own grip once more. "You have nothing to apologize for. I don't know what happened, but you aren't the one that needs to apologize." He looked her in the eyes once he could. Those beautiful blue-gray eyes. "I'm sorry...you clearly went through something awful, I should have been able to find you. I...I should have..." Now he was filled with regret, knowing that in his failure, she had clearly gone through hell. "If...if I had found you...maybe..."

She spoke, and was confirmed. She was real. The voice that she used was one only he had ever heard, one that honestly he had only heard towards the end of their time together. As he embraced whatever touch he could get from his weary girlfriend, she tightened her grip. The warmth was such a welcome feeling. Still, after he lamented, she snapped back to a more serious tone, though not angry or cold. Even her facial expression returned to what he was used to. Sure, he loved the affection Kanna had learned to give him...but seeing her normal too made him happy. Made it feel all the more real. Then she said something strange. "Horrible? What...do you..." She continued on...she was in literal hell. "HELL?! Like Hell hell?" He didn't have time to continue questioning as suddenly she seemed to fade. Whispering his name, she fell into him, unconscious. He caught her. He held her with one hand as he picked the photo frame, tucking it back into his trench coat. Finally he flipped her up into the air, settling her in his arms, princess style. "They won't take you from me again." As Snopy turned he looked up. A small crowd had formed. Many curious, some worried, and one or two with a goofy "oooohhhh they like each other" grin on their face. With a half cocked smile he chuckled, before opening up a portal back to Earth.

Karakura. Specifically, the place he had been staying while he searched for Shadin, a small apartment. Within the safety of the dome, nothing too dangerous was getting in without risking the Beast of Karakura's wrath. Shadin was over the top, but hell did it make it feel like Snopy had a safe place to bring his love. It was small apartment, but it's small size meant that the money he had saved up on his travels would last him YEARS of rent. It was only meant to be temporary. He had intended to carve his new life out down here, but now of course it depended on Kanna's input as well. He brought her into his bedroom, he had a spare set of sheets so he just laid her on his bed. While her body had felt warm, she was clearly not in good health, so he tucked her in nice and tight. The apartment consisted of a cozy, bedroom, not quite a master bedroom, a small living area, a kitchen, and a bathroom with a combination bath and shower. Going into the other room, he grabbed some water and filled a glass with it. Setting it next to Kanna so she'd have something to drink, he pulled up a chair and just sat by her. He wasn't leaving her side. She was not well, and he was going to nurse her back to health.

For hours she stayed asleep. For those same hours Snopy stayed by her side. Nothing was getting to her while he was here. Not to mention, he had to be there when she woke up. She had to ALSO know it wasn't a dream to be back and safe. He had looked at her body. She needed food and a shower first off. It is dangerous to be so bruised up without food or being clean. Could end up getting infected. He wasn't a healer sadly, but hopefully none of the bruises were too bad. Finally though, she woke up. Looking to him, she smiled a sweet smile only he got to see. "After being without you so long? You look beautiful to me, but yeah, you...kinda look like you need some TLC." He ran his fingers through her hair, although he took half a second before his finger got snagged in a knot. "I'll...run down to the store, it's like literally 2 buildings down, and get some detangling conditioner. What would you like to eat? You need something in that stomach. What would you like me to make ya? I can pick it up if I don't have it." He heard a crack. "You'll get used to it soon enough. This is your bed now." He pointed to the water, saying "For you" before trying to leave for a moment. Still, he didn't get far.

L...love? He slowly turned back to her wide eyed. What? Did she just call him...love? She has never once called him love. More importantly...she has never once said she loved him. Back then, maybe she didn't. Not like she didn't care for him, but she probably didn't feel that strongly. But... "Uhm...l-love?!" He said shocked. But not a scared shocked, more of a "Oh my god does she love me?!" He was frozen for a second, but then he smiled. "Well..., well love..." Once he got the sentence formed in his head he said it was happiness and confidence. "It's an apartment in Karakura City. My apartment. Some things have...changed. My old house is a pile of rubble with a basement hatch. Shit must have gone down by it when I was away." He looked down. "I've been sort of planning to move down here, back to Karakura, anyway. Sorta...rebuild my life on Earth, haven't had one for 5 years."