faith in the heart of the tarnished [Hayden/Saisei]

Hayden assuming control of his nation was a strange process, but it was done. An statement was issued to the press, he made a brief speech, explained that he was host to a monster and his deathless state was an unexpected surprise. Questions had arisen and he answered them as best he could, promising that he would do his utmost to fulfill his oath of office. It left an uneasy peace and silence among the nation to know he was alive but not perhaps as well as believed.

It would blow over eventually. Something would come along, some issue or problem with the world which would require him. In those moments he’d become one of the most important people in the world, required to shoulder it’s weight on his cracked shoulders.

Callous fingers gripped the heavy bar weight bar. Weighs which where designed with material that made them incalculably heavy, that any other person would have their bones snap if they tried to lift it. But for Hayden it was only a minor struggle, impressing considering his level of raw strength. He was currently within a special facility designed by the nation to allow the highest level combatants to spar, train, and hone their powers without massive destruction.

He had dedicated a large portion of his time to this place, enough to gain the public attention. While there was no rules on approaching him, he seemed to constantly have people approaching him. People that had questions, that merely wanted to pay respect, or something else. He took the time to speak with each one between his work outs, breaking all protocol and discipline which he strictly stuck to before his imprisonment.

His people, and this world, needed reassurance he was still here. Truly and utterly.

He was a shell of the man he used to be. The broad shoulders that once seemed impenetrable, the sharp irises which seemed ready to challenge anyone, and a body seemingly carved from marble had been replaced. He looked thinner. His frame was smaller despite the muscles which adorned his body, seemingly attached to a skeletal body. It was unnerving. But despite that his eyes seemed to still hold that muted fire to them, ever present and ready for whatever path laid ahead of him.

When the voice of Saisei hit Hayden’s ears it caused some pause in him. Most people didn’t speak too kindly of fate, of destiny, and Hayden was one of them. But something aligned in this moment, a familiar presence he couldn’t quite explain that caused him to place the weight back on the bench. He sat up slowly, an elbow resting on a scarred knee as he brought his gaze to Saisei.

“They want answers. The least I can do is speak with them. Regardless of my own limitations.”

That was the core of who he was in spite of everything. When his people, or anyone, needed him he would be there. A man utterly committed to a cause, pushing himself to achieve it at the cost of his body. Even now looking weaker than he had ever been, he was still a pillar of the world. His eyes seemed to take the form of Saisei for a moment as if appraising him more than he had done anyone else.

“You came for a reason. You have my attention.” Straight to the point cutting through the miasma which might surround it. The room seemed to grow silent. Some might see it as hostility with the amount of pressure surrounding the two. But in truth it was just an avoidable reality that two men with no history seemed to be inexplicably drawn to converse.

Who was this man?

‘Azure Iramasha.’

A name that Desmond Hayden thought about often in regards to many things, most notably how he failed him. Beyond anything else, beyond the bloodshed they had spilled together, he was his brothers-in-arms so long ago. In his most solemn and quiet moments the cold fact he had never solved the death of his oldest… rival? Mentor? Ally? It stung him like no other, it created a void in his heart that he rarely spoke on. His greatest failure.

And to hear this young man before him, who reminded him so keenly of that failure, claim to be the man who died so long ago did something to him. Like a gear turned in his head that sparked a wellspring of forgotten energy and power, his words failing him. The intensity that boiled to the surface on his dumbstruck face was soon replaced, sucking in a deep breath. Emerald irises gazing at the young man as white noised filled his head, like a rising pressure that was soon to explode.

“Everyone, get back.”

The words cut through the air like hot steel through butter, signaling that Hayden was done talking with most everyone. That whatever was going to happen was going to be violent and dangerous. This man who claimed to be the Azure Iramasha would need to back those claims up with words that far exceeded anything that could be done with words. Instead Hayden slowly brought his hands upward, his right hand slowly cracking each finger on his left hand as he spoke.

“Azure Iramasha.” He rolled the name around in his mouth for a moment as he slowly worked on his fingers, the slow cracking noise filling the room. “He died on the moon, years ago. My greatest failure wasn’t his death. It was not getting the justice he deserved.” He’d comment slowly as he began to walk sideways, closer towards the center of the room far away from anyone. Assuming Saisei followed in parallel his eyes never left him, focused pupils peering into his soul.

“Because in our profession, in our lives, death is an inevitability. I know that well, even if I have staved mine off. So to hear someone walk into my domain, and claim to be my long dead ally, is something that must be proven. If you are Azure Iramasha you should know, I’m not the most eloquent of men.”

He stopped within the center of the room, his body canted slightly as he stood at his full height. A tension felt in the air as every mortal and immortal in the room bore witness to this momentous occasion. Some might often forget that before Hayden was a king, before he was a vizard, shinigami, or whatever; he was a soldier. A fighter. And his scarred, weakened, body spoke volumes to the trials it had endured.

“So prove your claim, or die trying.”

Whatever distance between them seemed to become non-existent as Hayden took a step forward, the world itself lagging behind his movements. When it came to the realms of physicality, he was peer to none. Even with the loss of his Zanpakatou, his body was a weapon in itself. Far stronger than any man-made weapon, that moved at speeds simply incomprehensible to the human mind. As he approached Saisei like a jet, lagging a second behind him was a massive compression and explosion of wind and sound. This room thankfully has been designed to shield those within and outside it from the catastrophic effects.

While not his peak ability, this was the warm up. A test to see where Saisei was at, and also to see where Hayden was at. His hand extended, seeking to latch onto the face of the young man, intending to force him into the ground. His death grip easily able to crush steel or any head which didn’t have the resistance to deal with, his fingers digging into the skull would certainly cause some level of physical pain that he had no doubt AZURE IRAMASHA would be able to ignore.

His hand would attempt to shoot downward if latched onto his head, intending to smash his face into the ground. A brutal tactic which easily had the power behind it to collapse concrete or whatever man-made metals existed. The room’s protective field and super-natural enhancements buckled slightly but not to any worrying degree, as Hayden would attempt to use that half-second to drag Saisei on the ground face first before shot-putting him across the room.

“AAAARGH!”

His mouth opened in a full throated roar, veins pulsing on his neck as his fingers curled into claws. His arms pulled back as he unleashed the cry of a fighter, warrior, into the field. The effects of his Hollow are still ever present, as the innate rage and negative emotions he felt seemed to manifest in a thick pulsating red and blue reiatsu.

Excitement filled his body.

When Azure, no Saisei, inevitably launched his counter assault Hayden’s fists were raised in something typical of a boxer. A sharp focus to his mind as people witnessed a fighter who was optly in his element, even with no Zanpakatou to call his own he was still beyond one of the most formidable fighters. But the first blow that Saisei launched aimed for his midsection would find it’s path uninterrupted as it struck iron. The reason for this was known in the same split second, as a callous fist would match him striking him in the chin.

For every punch that was sent his way, another one was returned in kind. As if the idea of defense was a foreign concept entirely, instead overwhelming offense was what cemented Hayden was one of the foremost monsters. In a different time, years ago, his body could handle such a style. And perhaps now he still held that spark, but the years of damage built up on his body mixed with the loss of his regenerative powers made themselves known.

For when the barrage of blows ended on both of their parts, Hayden took a single step backwards. Unheard of in the crucible, the king was never one to show weakness. But this singular action spoke volumes to the accumulated damage he sustained, as the coopery taste of blood was known. A single droplet of blood sliding from the corner of his mouth as a thumb came to wipe it.

“I don’t think I will.”

The man chimed as he rolled his shoulders backwards, lowering his guard. Instead of the formidable stance of a boxer, he shifted his stance with his center of gravity going low. His arms opened up slightly as his poster changed. His stance is more akin to a brawler, to a man who would throw all his weight behind his punches. His lips pulling back into a toothy grin, his eyes burning with focused determination.

Saisei was right. Hayden did not have the determination not to die. His heart and will was focused on a singular entity. So vivid within his mind, shining so brightly, it was the lighthouse that guided his actions: Triumph.

He moved towards Saisei with the insane speed that he had earned, this fight evolving into a contest of bloods as expected. His arm extended outwards in a wild overhand swing, easily enough force behind it to crack a city. Even the windforce generated by such movement led out a soaring boom throughout the battlefield, as a cry left his mouth. The next blow that would follow would be him pivoting on his foot, his knee cocking upwards as he twisted his body sending a forward kick aimed to blast him backwards. Hayden of course bringing his knee back down as he extended his arms out, walking to him as he spoke.

“Azure Iramasha taught me many things, he was the only metric I measured myself by. If even an ounce of him, a shred of his soul is in you, then I will know. In Vastime we believe, the measure of a person, is revealed when they struggle in conflict.” He’d cast his glance to the sidelines, to the raptured glances of civilians and warriors alike. An audience for the greatest show in the world.

“To wager everything! To place one's name, honor, and legacy on the line and to win, or lose with sufficient grace, there is no greater glory. Saisei Sato. Show my people who you are!”

Hayden’s voice was not simply a yell, he did not merely speak. It was the projection of hundred of years of ambition, strength, conflict, and a thousand other emotions made manifest. The passionate man that he was so long ago when Azure Iramasha met him. This was a return to form, perhaps wiser and stronger, but still the same man who felt so deeply. So as the roar left his mouth, and veins pulsed on his neck, at some point, a grin formed.

A grin so genuine and true, that one might mistake it for true happiness.

This was what he wanted, this absolute showing of who this man truly was. To rip back the facade that the world had constructed around him, and to see clearly and utterly the man that Saisei Sato was. Anyone who held the name, or walked with the soul, of Azure Iramasha was a titan in their own right. They just needed it brought out, just needed it grasp with callous hands and exposed to the air. And now that it was being put on display, as he rushed towards Desmond Hayden he grinned with an open mouth.

A roar of laughter escaped his lips as Saisei sent the first fist straight towards his chest, instead of counter-attacking the man tapped into the bottomless well of strength. He could feel his body protesting against this, each movement causing some level of damage to himself that was far less than what Saisei could inflict. Saisei’s hand would strike Hayden’s own as own closed fist, an erupting pressure causing a flicker in the energy system of the dome.

This small flicker was a sign of things to come, as violent and cataclysmic pressure was released by these men clashing. The next fight of Saisei’s would find the other hand of Hayden ounce again countering it, knuckles striking knuckles, as technicians broke a sweat stabilizing the barrier. Excess power being drawn from non-essential services to bolster the defenses, the crowd in awe at such a display.

Finally the double strike towards his chin would be met by Desmond leaning backwards, an explosion of wind erupting forth. However, a spray of blood would be seen as Saisei’s hands scraped his nose causing nosebleeds for the king. It was finally his turn to retaliate. Hayden could feel his hands throbbing in pain as he leaned to his left, taking a step forward quickly with far less explosive speed then might be expected. This wasn’t due to a loss of power, but simply because it was unexpected. Sometimes mixing things up was better than all out assault, and those hard won lessons where showing.

His hand would attempt to grasp the right arm of Saisei, jerking him towards Hayden as his other closed fist would shoot forward, this time with lightning speed. If not stopped or blocked it would be aimed directly at the nose of Saisei, with enough force to easily send him straight to the ground if Hayden wasn’t holding his arm. Which he would follow up with by opening his striking hand, before cocking his elbow and sending a backhand slap to Saisei face more to disorientate him than harm him.

Using that moment he would attempt to shove him backwards with that same hand, as he released him, with a palm strike to the solar plexus. Oddly familiar from the time that Azure Iramasha completely shattered his ribcage.

“Fuck that. If I existed in that world, I’d make it all matter. If something was in my way, I’d smash right through it. No one deserves the shit hand they’re dealt, but you play it! Everyone who came before us, we’re blessed to breathe the air they do! We make the best out of it, because that’s what humanity is. It’s not the fucking DNA that makes you, or the soul you got, it’s an idea. It’s something worth dying for, something worth living!”

Hayden would bring his hand up to swipe the bloodied nose he has, holding it upwards for the world to see. Not just for Saisei, but his nation and the world to see. That he was still a man who bled, that he struggled. That he was not the immovable, unbreakable, man that some thought he was. As if in a heat of passion he’d take a second to keep speaking, knowing that while this was a fight- it was something more too.

“You ain’t special because you got a dead man’s name attached to your actions. You ain’t nothin’ cause you got the legacy of a man I admired. You’re something special because you choose to make something of yourself, like anyone. Azure Iramasha had his story, he lived his life. He died a fucking martyr, he was more human than most men.”

It was therapeutic in a way to see himself in Saisei Soto, in a strange way. A part of him compared himself to his long deceased ally, but that was a losing game. To compare legacies with someone else, when Hayden had become his own man, was something that was insane. And to see Saisei distraught and moving past the weight of Azure’s name, well it hit close to home.

Azure Iramasha didn’t pick this man, or become him, because he was to be Azure 2.0. He did so, in Hayden’s eyes, because this guy was going to become someone big. Someone who mattered by their own merit.

“We do this thing, that we do, not because it’s… it’s… the smart thing to do. We do it because we have to. Because something in us, a million forgotten lives, calls us to. The world sees you. I see you, Saisei Sato.

He begins to walk towards Saisei, moving his finger as if pointing at him while shaking his arm slightly.

“You’re not Azure. But you got his heart. What you do with that, I’ll be watching.”