Breathe [Saiko/Open]

Take a breath in, take a breath out.

That was the natural rhythm that inhaled new life into the body and exhaled all that was dead and gone.

With that thought in mind, one would find Saiko Mori sitting under the shade of a large oak tree under the fading summer sun on this fine morning. While her body was placed in the lotus position, the woman's eyes were closed as a faint shade of aqua spiritual energy bled around her body. Mixed in this spiritual pressure was demonic blood that flowed in her veins, yet the hybrid made it an effort to keep her sense of self serene, at ease, and comfortable to better get a grip on herself, her powers, and the influence it had on the world.

'The past is gone, this is the future. Let it go.'

That single thought was on Saiko's mind as visions of her enslavement to Shadow Fall played throughout her mind. All of those killed, all of those lives destroyed; they were visions of blood that gave way to oceanic waters that overlooked a shimmering sun in her meditative state. These horrors would not leave her soul any time soon, but the pain they produced could be eased. And as such, the 7th division would have a gentle pressure oozing through its depths.

Those with weaker wills would find themselves waking to a morning with less strain, heartache, and woe in their hearts as her desire was to be of assistance to this new world she found herself in that gave her a chance to start over. And, in this small way, perhaps this subtle action would make a difference in someone's day as she helps herself in the process. Since, in the end, her powers did thrive from devouring the grief in people's hearts; so why not use it for what she perceived to be as good and help the community she is part of?

So, Saiko's daunting spiritual reserves lingered in the air and felt like an infinite ocean as she proceeded forth with her meditations. Even in spite of the fact that she felt something was approaching....

”Just a dream.., Just a dream.”

Magnolia murmured to no-one as she shaded herself from the sunlight filtering in through the boughs of the cherry-blossom tree above. The resplendent fuschia rays of light broken up and incandescent as they filtered through the red-pink blossoms above. When she had been jolted awake, for a moment all she could see was blood, and the elders descending, then like the fog dissipating in the wake of the rays of the sun, she found herself staring up at the blossom petals above.

”Do you sense that Magpie?”Raijin said, his voice a grumbling avalanche of rich tenor notes within Magnolia’s mind. There was interest afoot in that lilting tone of his, which was rare. Very few things truly interested her over cautious companion, yet she knew right away what he spoke of. The volumes of spiritual pressure that saturated the air were.. behemoth. She hadn’t felt spiritual pressure of this magnitude, close to rivaling her own, since Ibiki. Yet it wasn’t the spiritual pressure that caught her interest, but rather the sense of.. Daresay it.. Peace?

The horrors of her dreams seemed so inconsequential, as if her pain had been taken away by an unseen hand, whisked away to some other land. It was this sense of solace that had Magnolia rising from her perch, her zanpakuto still attached firmly to her hip, while the white of her vice-captains haori caught the early morning light.

Moving through the still sleepy surroundings of the Gotei proper, Magnolia only came to a stop when she had found the source of the energy that had found her. A woman whose coal black hair was diametrically opposed to her snow-white complexion. The faintest hint of vibrant, rich purple glowed around her, and from the looks of things, Magnolia assumed this mystery woman was deep in meditation of some sort. Normally, Magnolia would have left her to her own devices, but the intrigue combined with a member of the gotei she hadn’t met yet drew her in enough that she wouldn’t just turn around and leave. Instead, Magnolia waited a few moments before knocking on the side of the entrance into this particular courtyard.

”I hope I’m not interrupting too much.” Magnolia’s tone was soft, comfortable. It carried easily across the space between them, and there was even a slight musical quality to her brassy voice. Still, despite the warmth, there was a withdrawn and no nonsense undertone to it.

Magnolia gave the woman time to respond as she took her time making her way over to where they sat. Enough time to collect their thoughts, and figure out how they wanted to approach her. After all, Magnolia was the one interrupting here, so she was fine with taking a passive role in deciding how this interaction played out.

"If anything, it's the other way around. Before you got here, I sensed a disturbance in your energy, but that seemed to resolve itself."

Now, Saiko was no mind-reader by any means, so she couldn't outright divulge the mysteries of the reflective thoughts and memories that swam in the head of Magnolia. In spite of that, for the level of sensory mastery she possessed, it wasn't necessarily out of the realm of possibility for her to detect emotional disturbances when you deal with matters of spiritual energy as they play a part in the make-up of this supernatural world they live in. Ergo, she'd hope whatever disturbance was going on in the heart of this person could be eased through her own power.

"It's hard not to notice a power similar to my own. We are but a few people capable of destroying this place, so I feel if we have all this power at our hands, we have to do something with it and I think using my power to ease the pains of others is a good thing to do."

Now standing up on her own two feet at this point, the pale-skinned woman still exuded her own daunting reserves of power throughout the barracks. At this stage of her development, while there were traumas which reflected in her mind, Saiko hung to the belief that her atonement would come through the actions she took to make the lives of others better through her own conscious desire. So to that end is why her aqua gaze remained seated toward Magnolia's direction as someone who did indeed play a great role in the misery that was World War Four.

"Putting that aside, my name is Saiko Mori. I doubt we've properly met before, so it's probably in our best interest to get familiar with each other."

”So she was responsible for the sense of solace, interesting.” Raijin’s voice cut through the darkness of Magnolia’s inner world. His rich, deep cadence, a note of familiarity. It brought a sense of solace to Magnolia as she listened to the words that were said. A subdued blanket of darkness lingered in her gaze as she thought about those words. Of the nightmares, and a soft sigh escaped her lips. Still, that personal turmoil didn’t escape to her exterior. Only that glimmer in her eyes, and the small smile that curled upon the corners of her lips.

Magnolia crossed the threshold she had been lingering on, hand slipping back to her side as she crossed the space between them in a few, serene steps. The light clunking of her geta against the old, polished wood dissipated as they came into contact with the courtyard grass. Almost as if it was an errant thought, her thoughts were caught by the notion that lay in Saiko’s words. How she spoke of using her power for a gentler purpose, of using it to help mend and bring solace to others. It was a noble thing, and it spoke volumes of the caliber of person she was. Magnolia could feel the tenseness in her muscles slipping away, after all, even someone stained black in sin could be hiding true goodness within if they could wish so deeply for such a humble purpose.

Was she deserving of such a thing? She didn’t know, and that unsurety left her feeling hungry for absolution, even if she knew it remained out of reach, always out of reach. That thought however was quickly banished from her mind. When she was good and ready, she would face that question herself. For now though.

”That is noble of you. I can respect your resolve.” Magnolia’s words were laced with the steel that often filled her voice. There was a valiance there, but also an intensity. A more timid person might find it intimidating, or rude, but that was just how Magnolia was. She was a warrior, and had lived her life as such. She wouldn’t try to change that for anyone.

When Saiko introduced herself, it garnered the smile upon her face growing a little more. Common edicate meant slightly different things for her than most after all. A name was more than such, it was an Oath, and even a means of connecting. In giving Magnolia her name, she had started those first steps to forging a bond with the woman, whether she knew it or not.

”Well met Saiko. I am Magnolia, Vice-Captain of Realm Enforcement. “ Magnolia greeted her as such because it was her formal greeting. The one she extended to all members of the Gotei United in her capacity as Vice Captain. She’d pause before the smile upon her face gentled, and a small sparkle glimmered in her golden eyes.

”But please, call me Magnolia okay? Or if you can think of one, nicknames too are acceptable.” This was her informal greeting. The one that was extended outside of her capacity as Vice Captain of Squad One.

Once greetings had been given, and names were exchanged. Magnolia’s thoughts wandered back to Saiko’s statement on power. On just how strong they were in comparison to everything else. How unlike others, a careless action could mean calamity. Magnolia’s eyes dulled faintly as she nodded some.

”Yes, there are few that are as strong as us. Yet that power comes with it a heavy responsibility, one that sometimes feels downright crushing.” Magnolia spoke of the pressure of being a pillar for the Gotei. Not a spiritual pillar like their captain commander, but rather a pillar of strength. The kind of strength required in crisis, but not always in times of peace.

”Tell me, what does strength mean to you?” Magnolia asked softly to the fair-skinned maiden that stood beside her, Magnolia’s golden eyes contemplatively roving the gotei’s landscape as she thought more about what strength to her atleast, truly meant.

"Magnolia works just fine~"

Saiko seemed intent on not averting her gaze from the woman ahead of her. After all, when the pleasantries were exchanged, a question was posed out that the hybrid knew the answer to. Questioning what strength was in a world such as this was key to understanding your power. You don't get to be as potent of a being as these two were without comprehending that fundamental fact. Therefore, she would not avert from divulging her truth:

"Responsibility comes with power, but I feel that strength to me means being of service to others. It makes me feel happy that my negative powers can eat away at unwanted emotions, thoughts and feelings of those around me if I let this curse be a blessing. It sounds over the top, I guess, but it's true I feel. It's lonely hoarding power for yourself and yourself alone."

There was a nod of her head given as Saiko even recalled the first time she even betrayed the Soul Society. It wasn't for her own gains, but for the sake of her family and those she didn't want to see suffer. Even if she was forced into a corner, all she desired was the strength to be able to not make others suffer. She just wished she had the resolve to find another way. But alas, the past is the past.

"And if I may ask: what does power mean to you as well Magnolia? Was it worth it to stand as you are now...?"

was it worth it? I do not know. Magnolia thought to herself as she took the time to think about what Saiko was asking. She could just as easily respond to it on a surface level, but what was the point of that? This was a bonding moment to truly understand the ideals of another who could understand how lonely, and how hard it was to have the responsibility that came from their level of power.

So, Magnolia took the time, her eyes looking distant and troubled as she walked past Saiko, her hands reaching to brace against that old oak Saiko had found shade under, leaning against it as her expression was hidden under the veil of thick gold hair that cascaded down around her face. Eventually, in a slow voice, husky and soft she began to speak.

“ I would’ve much rather lived a peaceful, normal life. To never have had to undertake this burden. “ Magnolia began, shaking her head faintly as she chuckled softly.

”if you asked me not even a decade ago that question I’d have answered that my power was for revenge. Far from noble were my intentions, even if I tried to justify them to myself. Now.. however. “ Her words were filled with the acrid bite of self loathing, revulsion, but also acceptance. As if she understood despite the wretchedness of that truth, that she owned that choice, and lived with it all the same. When she said the word now though, her tone shifted, it was more cold, more thoughtful with the barest hint of warmth.

“ I use it to uphold the ideals I value. I use it to uphold what this organization stands for, and I use it to protect what I cherish most. I will eliminate anything that threatens those things. Perhaps.. “ Magnolias words were soft enough that they would only carry the small distance between them. Still, there was only coldness and conviction in her voice, as well as a kind of acceptance that this was her basest, purest self. Still, she was once more contemplative as she pushed her arms away from the tree, straightening up.

” That makes me horrid, selfish, and a monster in the eyes of this society. I am okay with being those things, because it is through that resolve that I can save more lives than I will inevitably destroy. “ Magnolia’s words were still hoarse and husky, but as her head tipped back, and she turned to sit against the gnarled trunk, her eyes were vulnerable. They were tired, and perhaps as lonely as she felt. For this was a different kind of loneliness than the one Shuten filled. Since she too in a way was something she had to protect.

Maybe it was because of the way that Saiko’s aura interacted with the world, in its capacity to ebb the pain of disparity and misgiving that had first allowed this connection to begin. Maybe still it was the fact that they were not as close as she and Shuten that she could voice these truest, perhaps darker realities. That she was more unafraid to lose this fledgling connection than the one that had in part driven her to stay in this world, when the way home disappeared for ever. Even more then that though, she felt maybe Saiko understood the true anguish that power held, that she could understand where she was coming from.

Magnolias gaze was searching as she beheld Saiko’s face, her lips parting as she as in a weary tone husky and dry, like the last leaves of autumn— frigid, arid, and lonely— asked.
“ Do you regret it? The price of that power you bare? “

Saiko listened and she didn't necessarily feel Magnolia was a monster, although she certainly understood well how the nature of the heart could view one's self as a vile beast. It is something she herself struggled with when reflections of the past sins of her former life replayed in her mind. Most who are drawn to power, dragged to war, and forced to battle long for simpler times as seeing the horrors that the human spirit can inflict on another is quite traumatic to process and cope with if you aren't totally heartless. To see that sense of remorse, regret and contemplation in the fellow fighter were enough for Saiko to make her own judgments on the actions she committed as she understands the cost of having blood on one's hands.

"A true monster wouldn't remorse over their actions. They would move on and act as if it didn't happen. Life is very twisted, and it makes people do things they'd never see themselves doing, but if you are fighting to protect others, to uphold what you feel is right and aren't fighting for the sake of destruction, enslavement, and sin; perhaps whatever god that exists will see mercy on our souls if we die again and are reincarnated into whatever form we take on next by at least trying to make this world better."

There were many words to process, but they were sentiments of the heart and Saiko just didn't care to hold back her tongue at this point. This is why she was able to still keep her gaze even when asked if she had regrets over the price of power that her own body possessed. Thinking back on all the destruction, carnage, blood, sin and sorrow which oozed down her soul -- yes -- yes there was regrets. However, if this world was spiritual, the belief that a merciful god could see the intent behind even her most heinous actions could see there was still a young girl that just wanted to do what was right for her family under a twisted circumstance. To try and use what corrupted powers she had left to cure the world is all Saiko desired to do and she'd prove that force of karmic good that her life and the lives she took wasn't a waste.

"No. I don't regret it. I have remorse for those who I have killed, but I can't regret where I am now. There is a god, a force or some being that exist that wants me to live and I owe to those I've killed to make something of this life and not have them been killed for nothing. Their life force still lives in me and I have to use what I was cursed with to turn this demonic blood into a blessing. That is all I can do now, Magnloia."

As those words were spoken with the utmost of sincerity and heart, the woman's right hand was placed on the shoulder of Magnolia and continued.

"Am I wrong in that? If you can't find fault in that, then start the slow process of trying to forgive yourself as well. You and I deserve it."