Forest Of Devils [Saiko/Vanyel]

Location: Aokigahara, Japan

Slash, slash, slash.

The forward motion of a blade hitting flesh echoed in the Aokigahara forest as a horde of hollows started to attack a pale-skinned girl. As her oceanic eyes locked on her targets, no movement was wasted as she sprang with the utmost agility, power, and speed to reduce them to ashes and purify their souls so their next life could be better.

With a clap of thunder in the distance, the assault ceased as the woman looked up at the trees and towards the overcast skies beyond the branches which consumed this lush grassland. There were reports of an increased number of hollows roaring about these mountainsides, so since she was nearby and on active duty, Saiko had no issue making herself useful to help the Gotei dispatch the threats.

However, when Saiko stopped her attacks, the hybrid shinigami's blood gave her a shock to the senses. It was like a jolt of lightning surged in her body as she sniffed the air and felt someone with demonic blood nearby. It brought a sense of confusion, fear, and uncertainty into the woman's heart as she wasn't sure if this person was a friend or foe or why these hollows were flocking to this location. They tend to nest around negative energy, so there was a sense of terror in the purpose of this being a shadow of her past in some form or another.

Despite these anxieties, the woman shook her head, resolved herself, and tried to peer deeper into the woodlands to discover the source of this energy. As if that previous sense was anything to go by, the other demonic entity more than likely felt that same pulsation of feeling. Since the terrifying thing about it is that he had the scent of the Asthavon to her...

...and that wasn't a threat she believed the Gotei was ready to deal with at the moment. So, Saiko readied herself for whatever would come after speaking out:

"....is anyone else there? If so, why do you feel....familiar?"

Normally, Vanyel would avoid places like these. The Suicide Forest, in name alone, was enough to make a lot of people keep their distance, not to mention the amount of nooses and needles that seemed to appear faster than officials could clean them out. Thankfully, he wasn't down in the dumps enough to consider it, but, places of legend and myth like these often caught his attention.

Unfortunately, it wasn't the only thing that was drawing attention. From what he could only really guess was a byproduct of his demon blood, he had been harassed pretty frequently by Hollows lately. It was good exercise, but damn if it didn't get really annoying. He didn't know too much about Hollows, just that they were what could happen to humans after death, and that they were creatures centered in the negative human emotions.

Having already taken down a couple of Hollows that decided to swarm him, Vanyel took a few steps back as another approached. He readjusted his grip on his jian, Kuro Komo, and slipped forward to cut through the creature with efficiency. As he was sheathing his weapon and sending it back to his Chasm Point, he could sense demon energy and smell someone of demon blood. But, it wasn't just that -- there was something else there that felt eerily familiar. Raising an eyebrow, Vanyel's eyes shined an even brighter blue as he looked around to pinpoint the source.

Surprisingly, they weren't too far away. He couldn't make out the shape all that well, only the energy source, so, he started moving toward them. Just as he was a couple feet away, they called out. It was a woman's voice. As he came into view, Vanyel's expression turned puzzled for a moment, before it hit him. That's why it felt familiar -- it had been a while, but he still could remember who she was. Moving a bit closer so that he didn't have to yell, Vanyel's eyes dimmed back to the usual ocean blue as he spoke.

"Huh. Been a while. You're Saiko, right? Archduchess of Shadow Fall's...Sixth Circle, wasn't it? Or, I guess, former at this point, since Shadow Fall is long gone."

Location: Aokigahara, Japan

...huh?

It had been some time since someone outside of the Gotei had recognized who she was. So, a brief look of disbelief flowed over her face of Saiko as she took a few seconds to process what she had heard before quickly getting a grip back on things. Finally, she would affirm her prior affiliation with a simple nod of the head.

"Unfortunately, yes, you are right. It wasn't by my choice, however."

A mixture of regret, shame, and embarrassment waved over her voice as her eyes turned into one of sadness. However, that look had been replaced with uncertainty when she tried to understand better who this person was since she wasn't familiar with him. So, she'd ask:

"This may be out of place to ask, and you can reject this question or walk away, but.... did an Asthavon turn you?"

After taking a small gulp, the woman's oceanic eyes kept locked on the sight of Vanyel to make sure nothing funny was going to take place. But it felt like their blood was almost the same, despite herself being only a half-breed. They had to be connected somehow, and she just wanted to get to the bottom of things.

While he didn't know the girl on a personal level, it was hard for someone to be in the position that she had held without others noticing. But, unlike him, it didn't seem like any of it was her choice. Regret was something that they both shared, it seemed. He leaned against one of the trees nearby, keeping his gaze fixed to her as he watched her expressions shift, before speaking again, causing him to raise an eyebrow.

He wasn't surprised by the question. There were probably countless people who wondered if his convertor was an Asthavon or not, but she was currently the first to have asked him unprompted. But, even with his lack of surprise at the question, his expression briefly shifted before he answered, looking tired, upset, and regretful all the same. Even with how long it had been, the wound still stung as if it were fresh.

"Yep. Mana's daughter, Calypso. Dunno if you know or even heard o' her, but, with how similar your blood is, I'm guessin' you got changed by the head honcho? Or, somethin' to that extent?"

Location: Aokigahara, Japan

Calypso. Now that was a being she did know from the link Saiko had from the Asthavons. That poor thing had been through so much brutality in her life that it honestly disgusted Saiko with how everything turned out. Now that more of her memories were being jolted awake, the bond she yielded with Mana struck the hybrid with pain. That woman was nothing but deplorable trash, better dead than alive, but that grief of a mother was something else.

"I'm...sorry."

The voice of Saiko seemed distant for a moment as if it weren't even her own words. And the memories between herself and Mana were almost hard to discern. Fortunately, the hybrid got a grip and shook her head out of disgust. Nevertheless, their bond was still there, and she could feel all that maddening sorrow.

"The bitch sends her condolences."

After spitting on the ground, Saiko could feel the demonic blood, feeling pity toward Vanyel. Whatever the hell happened between them all was definitely terrible. But, on the other hand, it was rare that any sensation came from Mana after Demon World had gone quiet, so the feeling was sincere, at least.

Usually, Saiko wasn't this rough, but between the Asthavon blood, Mana's brief feelings entering her, and dealing with the hollows; she sure in the hell wasn't feeling timid with her words.

"And yeah, she turned me against my own will. Leveraged my dead family to serve Shadow Fall, betray the Gotei and I committed so many heinous war crimes for those scum."

There was a low growl from Saiko before she gripped her eye, which had started to become engulfed in a blue flame. Then, after relaxing her body, the demonic blood eased, and she spoke again.

"In short, it seems we both got fucked over by Asthavons. I'm trying to unfuck my life; how about you?"

Vanyel's gaze softened as he heard Mana's voice, albeit briefly. She was probably in even more pain than he was. For all the love he had for her -- the love and grief of a mother to their child was unparalleled. He turned to look at the forest floor as his mind began to drift. But, Saiko's words brought him back to reality, his eyes narrowing. They really had both been fucked over by Asthavons. While he was thankfully Calypso hadn't made him do anything like that, he felt bad for the girl. She never asked for it, and got stuck being turned into a criminal of the worst proportions.

"Sorry you had to go through that. Not too dissimilar from me. I was basically leverage for Algos to fuck with Calypso's head. If I had stayed in Demon World, she probably would have kidnapped and tortured me, just to mess with her."

It was a mess of a situation. Calypso pulling her damn disappearing act all the time, Algos being a looming threat and constant presence in his nightmares, and there he was, stuck in the middle of it all, trying to keep the one he loved safe from a world and its people that never cared about him in the first place. As the girl gripped her now suddenly flaming eye, Vanyel flicked his wrist. In an instant, a set of throwing knives manifested between his fingers, ready to throw. It was mostly just a precaution, in case things got dicey -- you could never tell when dealing with demons.

His fingers tensed, then relaxed as the surge of demonic blood receded. dismissing the knives with another brief motion.

"Gettin' somethin' back that I shouldn't have thrown away. I'm tryin' to turn back into a human again."

Location: Aokigahara, Japan

"Life is terrible sometimes, but you must move on and not let it consume you. If it does, we will be no better than the devils that did this to us."

Now speaking in a calm, at ease voice, Saiko's mind started meditating to lower those negative feelings as the woman's breathing began to ease and slow. If nothing else, the hybrid was unwilling to let go of her progress as a person for the past pains. It haunted her; it ate at her, but to be better, she had to fight against it even if her demonic powers wanted to dwell in her woe and pity.

"Algos can rot in hell. She dragged me into so many wars that gave me some sense of PTSD. So I can't imagine the horrors she caused you. I'll be praying for your own healing from that."

Speaking in a sincere and direct tone, Saiko meant every word of that as she knew how fucked up of a person Algos was, given what she did to her own kind. In some ways, she almost considered The Princess worse than the Queen herself. At least to the hybrid, there was some reason that The Demon Queen did her actions and had some general purpose. Algos? She was just a spoiled brat drunk on power and turned into a loaded gun when she didn't get her way. That was dangerous, and she couldn't imagine living her life on a rope like that for Vanyel and Calypso.

Nevertheless, she got out of her head when she noticed Vanyel gripping for something. And given her own violent reaction earlier? It was to be expected. So, she further calmed her aura and had a white mist flow around the area to cleanse the atmosphere of negativity for the time being.

With her curiosity peaked, she then spoke of notions of wanting to regain his humanity.

"How do you intend to regain it? I've accepted being a hybrid for now. There is no telling what effect it will have on my body as I've been one for so many years and amassed so much power with it that the shock to my soul and body would probably kill me. I'd suggest you hurry up, as it doesn't feel like you've been a demon for too long. There may be a chance for you to escape, maybe."

Vanyel remained silent at first, folding his arms across his chest as he let more of his weight press against the tree. His expression softened, sighing softly as she spoke about Algos. Even in the depths of his own hatred for the woman for what she had done to both of them, there was something that kept him from saying things like that.

He'd call her a psychotic bitch, a brat, a cunt, as well as any other obscenity he could think of, yet, he stopped at that. He didn't even know what it was that he felt. Anger? Yeah, no shit. Fear? How couldn't he? The woman was basically a god compared to him. But, he still never said anything like that...he couldn't. He didn't know why. He didn't forgive her, nothing close to it.

Maybe it was pity. Maybe, deep down, he was still afraid of her. He sighed, fighting the urge to reach into his jacket for a cigarette. Even now, how he felt about the whole thing was so damn confusing.

"Sounds like I got off easy compared to you. She beat the shit out of me, but most of the things that happened were all second-hand. Calypso...we were together. She beat and raped Calypso, drugged her and tried to make her watch as the bitch tried to kill her friend. Dunno about PTSD, but, she still appears plenty in my nightmares."

The thought of it caused his body to tremble, the amount of times he'd see her standing there with that unmoving, mask-like face that bore into his soul. On instinct, Vanyel pulled out a cigarette, lighting it and taking a long drag from it, shuddering as a wave of relation slowly washed over him. He turned to face Saiko again, his head having unconsciously moved away while he was briefly lost in thought, unaware of the mist that had helped to relax him.

"I'm, uh...workin' on that. Might have found a source to do it, but, it shouldn't be too difficult. It's only been about...a year, almost two. I don't want to be stuck like this anymore. I feel like I'm in someone else's body, and I hate it."

"Let's walk and talk and perhaps get off this mountain."

Wanting a shift in setting, Saiko looked around for a moment because she was uncertain if there would be more hollows that would follow them. So, getting down the mountain may be in their best interest and heading toward the nearest city. Given the collective power between the two, however, the woman was fine with taking the scenic route since this was off-time for her.

"I don't think you got off easy. They hurt so many people, so I'm not alone in that. I never thought she was that spoiled rotten that she'd harm those close to her. That's just....sickening."

As far as Saiko was concerned, he was a victim of abuse and was trying to rationalize it in some way due to his closeness to that family. That wasn't a knock on him, as she had gone through similar rationalizations before breaking free of her cage. While the woman could understand what drove them to actions, that did not mean she forgave them or would ever soften her blows against those monsters. Still, that was something she'd keep to herself.

"What do you think you will do once you become human? How can you move past all this?"

That was a sincere question. With so much blood, destruction, loss, and death, how DID Vanyel intend to live his human life if this method even worked for him? Saiko lived for redemption, so to see another try to regain their humanity was of great interest to her. For this reason, her pensive stare never let his until that sentiment was responded to.

When she suggested them get off the mountain, it had made Vanyel realize just how high up he had gone when dealing with those Hollows. Nodding, Vanyel slipped his hands into his pockets and beginning the trek down the side of the mountain. He heard her oppose his thoughts that he got off easy, and he couldn't disagree more. He hardly was the one who got the brunt of it all, he wasn't even worth anything in Algos' eyes. All she cared about was Calypso. He was just a means to an end for her. They weren't close. She was just willing to use him to get back at her, to get her way.

"Me 'n Algos aren't close. She doesn't give a shit about me at all, really. I'm just someone she thinks she can use to fuck with Caly."

He might have been a victim, but he didn't believe his own torment to be anything worthwhile compared to what his partner had gone through. If it meant that she would have gone through less pain and suffering, though, he would have taken her place without hesitation. But, Saiko pulled him from his thoughts by asking a peculiar question: what was he going to do once he had done it?

"Mm...well, I guess try and live life like I did before. I'll probably have to build my strength back up again, but, I know someone who'd be more than happy to help with that. Look after Ari, keep in touch with people, maybe get some work at an auto shop or somethin'. Ain't really a lot else for me to do. My girlfriend is dead, the kid she was carryin' is too, and...I don't have a lot left. Everythin' that happened in the last few years has kinda...collapsed and disappeared."

He paused for a moment, his voice lowering.

"Caly 'n I were gonna have a kid...and I was actually lookin' forward to bein' a father..."