An Ill-Fitted Puzzle [Tsurugi/Saiko]

Sitting in the lotus position, a pale-skinned woman let the shimmering reflection of the moonlight's gentle glow engulf her body. All around this half-blooded shinigami were glistening sparkles of silver, plum, aqua, and blackened specks of energy. Each of these shades of color represented an aspect of her power, so just by stepping close to this long-haired maiden would the male shinigami then feel as if he were lost in an entire continent of woe, dread, and vicious demonic energy that would seek to rip him apart.

Yet -- none of these violent forces would touch a hair on his body. As at the center of this storm did the woman whose own power sought to gain control remain in control. With the soft exhale of breath, a pair of sparkling oceanic eyes opened and the atmosphere altered back to normal. It was a small glance into what was occurring in her soul, but despite having such monstrous power, the woman before Tsurugi decided to tame her demonic blood, mold herself into an asset and work on the mental training required to keep a handle on her powers to prevent them from modifying how she acted.

Still -- everything was totally quiet before this shinigami came back to reality, recognized the male was there, and held a ginger gaze toward him before her tender voice spoke out.

"Ah, I'm sorry you got sucked into that. Not many people venture out here, so I was meditating to control my powers."

After speaking, the woman gave a gentle wave toward Tsurugi before speaking further.

"My name is Saiko Mori, what's yours?"

"It's Saiko. And I don't mind if you stay."

Despite being more direct in her wording, there was a gingerness in her voice due to the fact that she herself knew how awkward it may be to slip into someone's own training session like that; especially with a complete stranger to boot. Nevertheless, from her own social gripes from the past, the woman assumed she could build a bridge from that.

"You are new to the division so perhaps it is best if people from the same squad get to know each other."

The Old Saiko would have definitely pulled herself more inward, but if she were to move forward with the future, she had to push herself even if it did feel unfamiliar and unknown to connect with others. So, in light of that, the half-breed closed her eyes and basked at the moment before asking a question out loud to the male.

"I know this is all weird, but why did you join here to begin with? You look like you've seen a few things, so I can only imagine what your life has been like."

From the mannerisms of his body, it was simple for her to tell that no one had truly engaged Tsurugi on this level before. This seemed important to the woman's heart because if others were part of a community, they needed to feel like they belonged to it as well. Saiko pondered if she was looking too heavily into things, but as her mind oozed over reflections of her time in Shadow Fall; she always felt so disposable there and she didn't want the same for her new start here. So, she'd try to act out those desires in whatever awkward manner she deemed fit.

"So that makes us a pair then."

There was a nod of the head given by the woman as she overhead his desires to escape an old life. Flashbacks of the hellscape of Earth during the 4th world war flowed in her mind. If Murasaki hadn't been the one who had arrived to give her that choice to escape that life of suffering, Saiko honestly wasn't sure where she'd be now. So to hear him say that made the woman connect that much more.

"Why did you want to get away from your old life? What was the choice that you were given and what do you feel will make you fulfilled in the Gotei that your old life couldn't?"

Perhaps Saiko would elaborate more on her circumstance if he was curious, but for the moment her eyes were focused solely on the male as he began to speak of his old life. One which was filled with mundane upbringings until his mother passed away. It brought familiar pangs of hurt as she recalled her own family being slaughtered by her foes and being left with a difficult decision to make in the wake of it. So, she never averted her gaze and spoke clearly.

"I'm sorry to hear that. My own family was slaughtered in the wake of earth's 3rd world war."

After pausing for a moment, the woman let everything he spoke settle in. She kept thinking hard on it before deciding to keep moving forward with the conversation to begin peering deeper into the male since they seemed rather similar in some aspects.

"If what you are telling me is right, you were tired of feeling small and wanted to make something of yourself in the Gotei? Apologies if my read is off, but without that anchor of your mother there was nothing left attaching you there and you wanted to seek greener pastures."

Foster mothers still were considered family to Saiko provided they gave a warm love which was befitting someone of paternal semblance. So judging from his tone perhaps there was a lack of that affection in his life. However, it could be a shallow guess as well and the mistress of glum was seeing whatever she wanted out of the circumstance. Her mind was weary of that fact, but it didn't last for long when he brought up the notion of what World War Three was like for her.

Saiko had nothing to say for a few moments, but the woman gazed up the visage of the shimmering moon as blackened thoughts of fire, death, corruption, and heartache bled into her memories like an ugly stain of her mental mindscape. Losing her comfortable life, that child-like innocence, those happy days; it definitely hurt her heart.

"Hell."

That was the only word that came to mind as she tried to think back on her process of her soul transforming from life to death. All of those researchers, people toying with her body, and even demons themselves altering her soul's essence -- it was a lot to take in. Yet, even in spite of these foul memories, the woman's breath eased into a serene sigh as she tried to let those feelings go. That was one or two lifetimes ago, wasn't it? That pain had to stop at some point.

"I'm doubtful I can explain everything in detail to someone I just met, but I know I suffered in my human life and even into my new life as a half-blooded shinigami."

The woman's eyes opened as a slight shade of plum fire left her right eye. Even if there was a sense of melancholy to be found within herself, it was worth accepting it and not fighting against it. The mental aspect of not running away from her own hurt was key to taming these powers. To sit with it and allow it to coexist as she moves forward was everything.

"The world I was born into was a dead one. By then the hype of the war had died down, but there were still many unsteady regions. My parents tried their best to give me a happy childhood, and it did for a time, but I excelled too quickly in my strength."

Visuals of her parents, friends, child self, The Demon Queen, and an essence known as Haniel Asthavon all bled into her mind. These people, these experiences, these places; they all made her what she was today for better or worse. So how could their essence not bleed in the woman's mind?

"Bad humans took notice of this, abducted me to create some hybrid weapon of destruction infused with demon blood and my parents killed them. By then, the damage was done. I was hardened, corrupted, and changed. I was unstable for a few years, but my body adjusted, I got cocky, went on and we all got killed..."

A buzzing noise entered her head as the woman gently tapped her hair to lower it as the process of moving from living to dead -- wasn't fun. The terror, uncertainty, pain, and trying to hold to her essence as a human as both the death gods and demonic blood dared to rip the youth in two. The woman honestly wanted to cruel up into a ball, so she would move things further along but she did not deter from her path.

"...but I still retained my memories even as my family forgot theirs. I took care of them, I became a tool for the Soul Society and then I betrayed everyone because Shadow Fall took it all away. They killed them when I tried so hard to protect them..."

For a slight moment, the woman choked up as she tried to recall everything at once. Her throat felt as if iron was being poured into it as it tightened. Swallowing this feeling was worse than being pierced straight in the heart. Yet, it didn't consume her. It was a lot to process, so she stayed quiet for a few seconds before moving on.

"...and it's because I had that Demon Queen's blood that she spared me and gave me a choice of dying or betraying my kind to save my family. I chose my family...and became a murderer and betrayer because she promised them eternal life."

Then, she stopped. Realized how much she said, and looked away from the male.

"I'm sorry, I may have spoken too much. I'm just in Squad Seven myself because Murasaki saved me from that hell, at least. If nothing else, the circumstances around me being a former agent of Shadow Fall was out of my control, but there is so much blood on my hands I just want to do what I can to repent...."