Reasonable, Uh, Zanpakuto (Elyss/Midori)

Her whole body is stopped in its tracks, pain shaking the brain in her skull as her head is wrought downwards by Midori's falling heel. Immediately, however, Elyss brought her body back up, her head cut open with blood rolling down her face. That small motion signaled for the chakram beside her to roll revolve her as if she were the Earth, and it, the moon. Its revolution brought its spinning edge towards Midori in such a way to try and force the woman backwards out of Elyss' immediate vicinity.

"If I'm weak, then I just have to get strong. If it won't listen, then what other choice do I have but to make it. We understand one another. We know what the other wants, but that's just it. I've always lived by brute forcing my way through life."

With a disgruntled scoff, Elyss' eyes focused on the other chakram that lied away from her, noticing itslack of movement after being deflected. With a heavy sigh, she turned her focus back to Midori and took a stance. Slowly, her left eye closed as blood continued to dirty her face, but she didn't seem to care to wipe it or even acknowledge it.

"We both have our ideals, and it's but a contest to see who's strong enough to enforce them."

“That’s what I hate about all of this! Life was simpler when all that mattered was being strong! Nobody’s supposed to suffer from my mistakes because there’s not supposed to be anyone!”

Her spike in anger, maybe a consequence from using her strength for extended periods of time, came forth as her thoughts rolled through time. Before her eyes, she witnessed the slow wave that crashed into the walls she had created for herself so long ago. People started to appear before her as those waves became stronger and stronger, cracking the surface of her self imposed cage until, one day, she was swept up and carried away. How did it end up like this? With her actually caring about people, individual people? She had lived her life chasing strength so she could protect the masses. She didn’t care if people liked her, if they thought she was a monster, if she was all alone on her mission. Now look at her.

“Tenmarin… She’s me, the old me. The me that only cared about what I was good for, the me that only cared if I could defeat my enemies, if I had the strength to topple any challenge before me. She’s the ideals I have personified, and if I can’t defeat myself, then what’s the point of all of this!?”

Her chakrams seemed to resonate with Elyss as the woman grew somewhat emotional. For some reason, Tenmarin did not move on its own, stirred by Elyss referring to it as a person and not an object. Both chakrams began to spin, Elyss’ thought of action taking control of their movements as the redhead charged forward. Her spinning wheels of death came to either side of her as she charged, trailing behind slightly as Elyss went to punch at Midori’s midsection which was then protected by the chakrams flying towards one another, crossing each other’s path as they each went to take Midori’s head off.

“In the end, my friends can’t help me conquer myself! Only I can do that, and if I can’t, I don’t deserve to live!”

“Everything I’ve done…”

Another moment to go down memory lane, huh? All in one second, Elyss found herself watching her life unfold before her like an old movie. From her birth to her death, to her rebirth to today, Elyss watched her mistakes and her successes come and go until she found herself back before Midori, on their battlefield.

What does it mean to give up her ideals?

After that flashback, Elyss couldn’t help but feel her effort in their dance dull. Is she able to defeat herself in such a way? What even are her ideals? A quick rundown is needed, but she’s not able to think in her current situation. Gritting her teeth, the redhead simply let out an anguished grunt before her foot stepped forward on the ground, pushing her backwards away from Midori. Quick steps made space between the two, Elyss recalling her Shikai as both chakrams returned back to their sealed state, their honed edges catching into the ground right in front of her.

“I believe that strength is required, whether it be your mind, body, or soul. Nothing is attainable without some form of power because how are you supposed to protect what you believe in? Fighting is a way to showcase yourself, to lay bare who you are. People are scared of fighting, but the crossing of blades, the throwing of fists, the arguments, the debates, the strained voices, the sweat, the blood, and the tears; those are how you understand people. People are their true selves when they are pushed to their limits, when they are forced to defend something they love, fight something they hate, but Tenmarin isn’t that. Tenmarin is but a tool given to me to do what I love: defending the innocent and my friends, defeating the ideals of my enemies. However, it seems she believes that there’s no room for understanding. It is win or lose, and she has no need for those who risk everything and still lose. She is a true weapon who only exists to bring me victory, even if it means she must do it herself. I hate her, but I love her all the same because she is exactly what I want. However…”

Elyss stopped with her speech, finding herself looking down at the ground, fists clenched. Despite how Tenmarin is her soul’s reflection, it all felt wrong. Everytime she talked with Tenmarin, something was always amiss, as if there was a disconnection between the two. There were times when Tenmarin only saw nothing but futility, times where her Zanpakuto had dissuaded her from action, times where Tenmarin took over for whatever reason. That is what scares Elyss. Losing herself to her own pursuit to do her duties, to become a monster, a weapon that no longer feels. Maybe in the past she would have been fine with that, but now, with so many friends by her side, so many people that believe in her, make her laugh, cry, smile, frown…

Elyss no longer wants to be but a woman who dedicates herself to nothing but her ideals.

“Tenmarin… One last time. Wear me. Let us be one. I am my sword, and my sword is I, our hearts intertwined for a single cause.”

Despite their differences, not even Tenmarin seemed to want to deny Elyss her chance of truly understanding herself. For but a moment, Midori would see the spirit of Elyss’ Zanpakuto materialize behind the redhead; the similar visage shared between the two soon merging into one as Tenmarin grew hazy before dispersing into wisps of energy that bore into Elyss’ body. There is no change immediately, but one would start to sense the shift of energy inside of Elyss as the redhead’s heart seemed to beat twice, barely a second interval between the irregular heartbeats.

“Let’s go, Midori. We have a time limit, and I’m going to learn everything before my body gives out.”

Red lines began to grow on Elyss’ body, the woman’s veins becoming prevalent with flowing Reiryoku. Taking a stance, Elyss focused her mind and body on her opponent, ready for their bout to grow into a dissonant dance, a tale for just the two of them.

Elyss' arm pulsed; her veins enraged with glowing red fire. Faster than she's ever moved before, she ripped her Zanpakuto from the ground, rising it to deflect Midori's attack. Her arm didn't budge as the two women crossed blades. In fact, Elyss seemed to be pushing back against the other woman, the heat from her body translating to her Zanpakuto as the two blades hissed from the creating steam that water and fire created.

"Our Zanpakuto are a window to our souls, yeah? Maybe he was just teaching you a lesson you wouldn't have understood without him. Maybe there's something about yourself, about him, that you couldn't see, and now it's so blatant to you, the only response available is to hate it."

The power in her right arm lessoned, the red of her veins reduced in ferocity, as her other arm began to glow in a similar manner. Broadcasted, Elyss ripped her other Zanpakuto from the ground, rising it towards Midori's side as her other katana kept the woman's ability to counter without a clone impossible.

“Hates a strong word,” Elyss retorted, but she had no argument to give. Midori is in the right to hate a part of herself that she wants to change, but that simply makes things unfair. Her Zanpakuto didn’t ask to be born the way it was. It didn’t have a choice in the matter because there’s a system to this that can’t be changed. That just begs the question; are Zanpakuto capable of change? They have to be, right? There has to be some example out there. However, it isn’t Elyss’ job to try and reach that deep for a possible alternate route. It’s not in her nature to turn her back on something like this, and she knows Tenmarin won’t either. That’s just something she admires about herself, about Tenmarin. It’s just another thing to hate as well.

Elyss isn’t a bad fighter. Despite the situation, she doesn’t feel all too pressured. She can see multiple escape angles, ways to counter, and possible deaths. Knowing such, she took a gamble. Her body contorted, strength put into her legs as they began to glow under her outfit. One step led into another before Elyss brought herself downwards, her Zanpakuto slipping from Midori’s as Elyss dove towards the woman’s legs. It was just enough to make the enhanced blade behind her miss, its razor sharp edge slicing through her uniform like butter. That’s fine, with one committed to their attack, Elyss tucked into herself, her midsection tightening but also becoming relaxed immediately after.

She spun herself, her whole body like a tornado as she extended her arms outward. A complicated maneuver, she brought herself up from her crouched position, hoping to have left a power gap between herself and Midori which would catch the woman off guard with how that pressure from earlier had easily folded. Thinking of how feints work, it was all about applying pressure to one side of an object while someone applied pressure from the other side. With her giving up her side, the other person simply pushed forward without contention. Unfortunately, Midori would find Elyss’ Zanpakuto coming for her in a vicious manner, looking to tear and rip through all three women in one giant 360 degree spin.