A New Purpose? [CalaxKizuna]

Crushing sorrow suffused Cala down to their Nucleus as they dug Ceniza out of the corpse of a small, withered Hollow. A scant few others were scattered around the Arrancar's general area, tiny scavengers who had poked up into the surface of Hueco Mundo from the Forest of Menos hoping to drink in or feast upon the Reiatsu of a more powerful being slain above, only to meet death themselves. Sorrow was their only reward for slaying these vermin before quickly turning to a cold, hollow disappointment. An almost primal, unwanted expectation of some increase of power, some advancement, being smothered by these negative emotions only made the sensations worse and Cala's head tilted ever so slightly in wonderment at their own state,

Cala was, for now, elected to fight in their Base Form, instead of traveling in their Sealed Form. The jagged remnants of their mask blinding them while heightening their Pesquisa such that when a slightly larger Hollow burst from the sand, evidently having been pursuing the tiny ones up toward Hueco Mundo's surface, Cala was already airborne. Their mouth open and Ceniza sheathed on their hip as a coiling mass of Spiritual Energy formed in their open maw with a white core and deep, obsidian outlining,

The singular Cero ripped down into the offending Hollow, bursting through it's head and drilling briefly into the sands below it before Cala drew Ceniza, landed on the already-dying Hollow, and drove their blade down into it's body with cold, ruthless efficiency. Lingering Spiritual Energy flowing from between their teeth as their head drooped the tiniest bit lower as, once again, the slain Hollow's death yielded... nothing. Frustration plucked at the numb edges of Cala's mind, Fade flowing from within their darkened clothing to begin to drain the Hollow's body of Reiatsu in a macabre burial of black ash. From there Cala would slump as the Hollow was dissolved away, now sitting with their mask-shrouded face, leaning against their blade, and staring off into the far distance. Sitting upon a small pile of obsidian-colored ash, with no goal in mind, no direction, and a quickly-deepening sense of malaise.

Their thoughts were sluggish now, halting, as they let out a slow sigh and thought back on what they had seen happen before in Hueco Mundo. The meeting between Reina and those other beings who had been so strong. It was a bitterness, a morose acceptance, that Cala thought that at this very moment they just might have preferred of that swearing, cussing, idiotic man than the crippling apathy they felt now.

Cala's Pesquisa sensed the approaching entity, of all things, surfing closer. From somewhere deep inside their more primal instincts told them to run, to hide, to survive the passing of a being greater than themselves..... but these feelings were altogether quashed by the haze that suffused their very being. It even took Cala a moment or two to register, ponder, and respond to Kizuna's words. Their mask tilted and, not being able to see, looked up only vaguely in the direction of her face. Cala could have looked right at her but through a mixture of fear of provoking the strange being and not simply feeling up to the task they simply stared across the sands of Hueco Mundo some more. A quiet, uneasy silence hanging in the air before Cala's pale, grey lips pursed briefly. Compared to their Sealed Form their true voice was much more quiet, restrained and many would say dull. Little more than a choked rasp with surprisingly clarity.

"You are... right."

Despite this admission Cala did not move, and didn't say anything else for a long moment before he turned his mask more fully toward Kizuna's face. The empty blackness of their mask's eyeholes blankly meeting her gaze as Cala considered them for a bit, the small Arrancar's Pesquisa gently prodding, poking and exploring Kizuna's energy in slow, passive manner, no real attempts to hide the sensing being done. A tiny, twitching ghost of a smile twitched the corner of Cala's lips as they felt out a bit more of Kizuna, at least as much as the more powerful being allowed them to. A soft, contemplative hum almost purring from Cala before they stated in a gentle, if only very slightly warm tone.

"You.... remind me of someone. Fierce.... and beautiful."

Cala turned their attention back to Hueco Mundo, exhaling softly out of their nose and now leaning more heavily on Ceniza as if it were a walking stick, despite their currently seated posture. Were Ceniza not Cala's own weapon, it would have sliced deeply into their hands from how they grasped it. Cala's expression quickly turned into something resembling a pout below their mask, the Fade around them coiling and beginning to shift like a nest of serpents. Cala would lift a hand, a tendril of the obsidian-colored ash wrapping up their thin, weak arm before pooling in their palm, slipping through their fingers, and falling to the pile below Cala, only to repeat the journey over again. Their voice just a bit more lively with some indescribable emotion as they asked.

"Do you truly wish to devour me Stranger-sama? I do not think I would be a meal worth your time.... or are you after a servant instead? It's not unheard of for our kind to dominate others, and it would not be a new experience for me...."

Provided they even had the chance to do so Cala would stand, turn to face the unknown Arrancar, and coil their Fade around themselves in a twisting shield of thorn-like ash, their grip ever so subtly tightening around their blade. Their voice a low, almost factual, murmur.

".... Or maybe you can provide answers. I am... lost."

The tension from Cala's body would flow out of them like a dam and, slowly, they would revert to their Sealed Form. Color and life enough to make them all but seem a Shinigami flooding back into their being as their lavender eyes beaded with tears. Their blade having turned from it's almost European-style Longsword into a more traditional Nodachi that Cala would sheathe, and wipe at their eyes with a sleeve. Their mask would also shrink, crawl up their head, before stopping as a small, cute hairpin in their raven black hair. Of all things, Cala would sniffle, and look down at the ground, before sighing.

"I just don't know what to do. I don't seem to get any stronger and the only one I knew is gone now, I can't find her and......"

Cala pursed their lips, then bit them, before straightening their shoulders and raising their lavender eyes up to look at Kizuna.

".... I want to TRY at least.... she protected me even as an Arrancar and I lost her.... I never got any stronger and.... I want to try...."

Cala pursed their lips, staring down at Kizuna pensively, only for her to.... ruffle their hair? This surprised Cala enough that they simply accepted the oddly affectionate action and it wasn't like they could do anything about it, especially in their Sealed Form. Cala's heart.... or rather where Cala's heart would have been inside their kimono, had the sensation of their heart dropping at Kizuna's next words. The disappointment and exasperation evident in Cala's lavender eyes at their answer. Cala had already known this, had gorged on what Hollows they could find and defeat, and so they needed despite the look of despair on their feature. Their admittedly pretty complexion twisting into something like attempting to steal oneself for yet another failed attempt to climb a mountain they had tried, and failed, to climb a thousand times already.

It was Kizuna's question of Cala's name that made the taller Aranccar blink, genuinely surprised for a moment, before their posture relaxed. Their shoulders would droop, their eyes widen, and their upper teeth would dig furtively into their bottom lip as they nodded vaguely in Kizuna's direction.

"It.... It's Cala...."

Cala didn't venture to ask for Kizuna's name, both because they didn't exactly NEED to know and also because they was already fairly sure Kizuna would tell them if her initial personality was any indication. Though, truthfully, Cala had something on their mind that also made them rather distracted and, deciding to venture questioning this stranger, would ask.

"Ummm.... maybe you might know... who I am talking about? She is an Arrancar as well, and umm.... like a spider. Strong...."

Cala's features twist in concentration as they stare at Kizuna for a long moment, their lavender eyes roaming almost methodically over the form of their fellow Arrancar before they shrug sheepishly.

"..... maybe as strong as you. Ah...."

Cala trailed off, trying to remember the beings that had been at that meeting so long ago. Their lavender eyes arcing upward in thought as they crossed their arms across their thin chest, each hand gripping the opposite arm in a pensive, shy motion.

"..... or maybe some other beings who were there? They might know where she is..... there was a large, dark.... thing. Well... ermm... I guess he was like a man. Very powerful, very loud, umm.... a little rude....."

Cala shrugged softly, not being the best at descriptions.

"...... and he was with another man. Even louder, very very rude and all-around unpleasant. Then an Arrancar like us arrived. With teal hair and a red mark across her nose, very pretty but also very sad seeming....Oh!"

Cala seemed surprised by their own train of thought as they remembered something.

"There was also a uhmm.... pink fireball..... I think is the best way to describe her and umm.... u-ummm...."

Cala's face turned red as they looked away, squirming in place.

"..... a very beautiful man. Err.... Arrancar. He was.... he w-was ahh...."

It would not be inaccurate to say Cala seemed smitten, nor that Kizuna was right about them overthinking things.....

Cala nodded, torn between being thankful Kizuna had actually known one of the individuals and disappointed it was one of the three they were less than truly interested in. Brief confusion flitted across Cala's features at the mention of them by some sort of title, but they said nothing. Kizuna's..... distant knowledge of the individual was met with a slow, somber nod and at Kizuna's jab about the beautiful man Cala pouted softly, blushed fiercely, and ducked their head so that their loose hair fell like a half-curtain across their dusky features.

Taking a second to gather themselves once more Cala only hugged themselves tighter and sighed softly, their eyes closing, before they raised their head again and swallowed a thick clot of emotion. A roiling mixture of feelings too complicated for them to deal with right now, possibly for the foreseeable future, before Cala nodded at Kizuna once again and ventured a soft, though rather sincere murmur.

"Thank you...."

Cala would slowly draw Ceniza again, staring at the blade for a long, quiet moment, before looking at Kizuna and giving a slightly more firm nod, though it was evident their resolve was still far from a sterling bastion of mental fortitude. Nonetheless Cala softly dipped the tip of the ancient looking sword into the ash below their feet, which sluggishly crawled up the weathered blade before vanishing back into Cala's kimono. Only once nothing was left beneath them but the endless stark white sands of Hueco-Mundo did Cala set their jaw and nod a single, gently-determined nod at Kizuna.

"About.... About getting stronger... I'm ready. I don't know what I can do or how I can train a-and.... you could kill me.... if you wanted."

Cala paused briefly, their jaw loosening and throat beginning work again from it's earlier effort in swallowing down a bit of trauma. The well of emotion settling into something more than where they had been, though still with a heavy pall hanging over their Spiritual Energy. Even so Cala did venture a softly worded compliment to Kizuna. One that could have been more or less sincere than the one they gave before.

"I don't know why you want to help me but, I think, even Reina wanted to help me so... you remind me of her.... and I'll do what I can do to be worthy of it. I'm ready to train.... somehow."

"

Cala felt a sort of simple dull, grey acceptance at the fact they could be killed at any moment. While normally their more primal side was vicious about avoiding death and feeding when it was an inescapable thing Cala felt.....an odd sense of peace. Kizuna's mindset was a bit foreign to Cala, who tilted their head quizzically, and blinked like a child trying to understand math for the first time. They had never really cared about the progress of others. Really Cala's entire worry about the strength of another Arrancar or spiritual being was in comparison to their own strength but.... well.... given Kizuna's attitude and stated mindset Cala could guess they were much more keenly scouting out other beings by comparison.

Cala softly shook their head as she introduced herself and, thinking to themselves, idly mused something out loud.

"I dont know I-if it would count as change but the umm.... people I asked about had a meeting when i met them. They were trying to decide on what to do with Hueco Mundo. Whether to give it a Queen and King or not, or try something else....."

Cala shrugged obliviously.

".... I wasnt really involved, I just listened."

Cala would slowly sheathe Ceniza and look around slowly, fidgeting a little, before stammering a little.

"Ahhh umm... would Senpai be too formal? I-I mean if you're going to help me train I appreciate it and just... get-well I mean there's not much I can DO to show it....."

Cala did have to admit feeling just a twinge guilty, occupying so much of Kizuna's time and attention.