Lost In The Rain [Saiko/Cala]

There was a great sense of naivety radiating from Cala as they began to talk and explore the body of Saiko. It seemed as if he wasn't even really aware of what he was doing. In some way, Saiko felt weird for accusing him of that, even if she was being playful. An odd innocence to him made the woman tilt her head out of confusion before she spoke out to him when he mentioned her heart was beating fast.

"Any woman would feel this way getting this up close and personal with another male. You do understand that, right? I'm not upset, but I don't think you understand...sexuality?"

It was a weird subject to come across, so she just let out a soft sigh before each of her eyes started blinking. The grip Cala had on her thigh had tightened a great deal. While it wasn't near enough to hurt her, it concerned the hybrid since it looked like he was in pain. So, she started to call out to him.

"Cala....are you alright? You looked really out of it there, like you were in pain or something."

Even in this state, the male kept his gaze locked on her eyes, and Saiko couldn't help but feel confused. What was going on in this hollow's mind? Was he losing himself in her or something? Unfortunately, getting a read on things was hard as he muttered his words and began feasting even more. The fade around them seemed to be insulating the area and protecting the two as he continued to devour.

"Are..."?

Before she could speak, some mesmerizing singing came from Cala. All Saiko could do at that moment was looking with mild disbelief as the singing was lovely. But it seemed like his sense of self was distorted to the point where it felt as if there were two of him singing for a moment. So, Saiko's narrowed in after Cala collapsed, and his power went limp and shattered in on itself.

"Seriously, are you okay? The singing was beautiful, but what's happening with you, Cala?"

With concern on her face, she continued.

"And don't worry about apologizing to me. Just let me know what's going on with you. You seemed really out of it."

Cala would blink, very slowly, at Saiko as she mentioned singing and asked if they were okay. Cala would then look around, then up, and stare around them before looking VERY worried. Their cheeks flushing as they shook quietly and brought a hand up to bite their finger in worry.

"A-Ahh.... oh no.....w-was there.... another time... thing?"

Cala would wince, clutch their head, and close their eyes. Ducking their head down as their breathing deepened and their free hand was brought to their chest protectively. Their eyes would flutter, watering even, as if something had gotten into their eyes as they began to pant heavily. Their pupils narrowing as Cala scoot back from Saiko... nervously.

"I-I.... I remember.... I-I knelt in front of you and... a-and....."

Cala's lip would tremble, their eyes welling with tears, as they shook their head, causing sparkling tears to be flung about them. Before they paused, stared intently at Saiko, and staggered to their feet. Stumbling forward, off balance and emotional, Cala would hug Saiko mid-fall and squeeze their eyes shut. A loud sniffle leaving the Arrancar as they whispered softly.

"....I don't... remember b-but I... I-I feel..... you..... I-I felt...."

Cala would shake their head, tightening their hug just a tiny bit, their thin frame quaking softly with raw emotion. Their eyes, one of which that had remained the same solid blue as Saiko's, slowly faded back to it's usual lavender as they looked into Saiko's eyes. Close enough now for their breathe to softly tickle against Saiko's lips and neck, the faint scent of.... cherries? On their breathe. With eyes welling with tears Cala would look down, as if ashamed, and draw their arms to their chest, pressing their palms against it and would shrink their shoulders in timidly.

"...lots... of pain.... and loneliness....."

"Hey there, it's alright. You don't have to stress about anything."

Cala was growing more nervous as he seemed to be fluttering about in every which direction. The panting and scooting away from the woman indicated that much. And as his words started to stammer, the hollow couldn't help but begin to sniffle, cry, and let loose all those emotions that were growing from within himself.

Of course, before she could say anything, Cala tripped and fell into some form of a hug with the woman. In that instance, the meshing of their bodies began, which was an odd sensation for the woman. There was a scent of cherries around this one as he grew closer, and it caused a look of confusion, intrigue, and uncertainty across her face.

"You didn't hurt me. There is no need to cry. Just...relax."

Now holding Cala closely, Saiko let out a ginger sigh before her power activated. In that instance, the two of them were enveloped in the depths of a plum aura. Ripe with her essence, if Cala allowed it, he would begin to feel as if his stresses, worries, anxieties, and negativism were melting away. Of course, she couldn't just erase his memories or take them away forever, but the hybrid prowess still left in Saiko could feast off of the hollow.

Saiko didn't like seeing anyone in a significant amount of pain, so it was befitting that as his lips grew close, the words of him feeling the half-blood's sorrows were amusing. A soft chuckle exited the mouth of Saiko before she thought of the words to say. Then, still holding him, she'd stroke his hair and calmly sigh before smiling.

"I've had a hard life, but as I've said, I'm working to be better and find people to fill in the holes that past left in myself and my heart. It won't be easy, but I don't have to walk it alone."

Closing her eyes at this point, she'd continue.

"Is that why you were freaking out?: Because you sensed my heart's pain?"

Cala continued to quake and sniffle with emotion, having been wholly unprepared for the overwhelming deluge of sorrow and sadness that Saiko contained. Whatever had just happened, whatever had sparked their deep gaze into Saiko's heart, Cala had initiated it without being prepared for what it spelled for them. Tears still softly flowed down Cala's porcelain cheeks for a moment, the raw emotions flooding forth uncontrolled and unimpeded before Saiko tentatively reached out to begin feeding on that sorrow. Cala, feeling this, would flinch noticeably and shake their head, their spirit drifting further away as they stared up at her with widened eyes.

"W-Wait no p-please I don't... I-I don't want to change... d-don't make me change please...."

Genuine, absolute terror pervaded Cala's spirit and features in that moment, enough to quell their tears, enough to shake them from the deluge of emotions that had washed over them from the powerful being before them. Enough that, in the next moment, when her hand and fingers stroked through their hair Cala felt strangely relaxed. At the very least so much so that they didn't seem to mind the closeness, the warmth, that spread between them as Saiko explained a bit of herself, her eyes closing, before shake asked a question that the only answer Cala could provide to was a slow, earnest nod. With body like a gentle fire, and heart beating like a fluctuating miniature star, Cala would sheepishly adjust themselves to sit more comfortably besides Saiko.

Though remaining close Cala stared up at Saiko in a sort of horrified wonder, an uncertain hum leaving Cala before their right hand would slide down Saiko's neck to rest in the center of her chest, feeling her heartbeat, and at least traditionally, where the soul and spirit was represented to reside.

"Y-Yes...... I.... I umm... I've only felt three things like you ever before and only two of them were people. Th-The other.... was a...a whole city.... and one of those people was the one who caused the city to feel that way....."

Cala's free hand came to their face and.... gripped, as if in pain, their eyes clenching shut for a brief moment before they let out a shaky, tiny breathe. Something between a gasp and pant as they dropped their gaze and drew their hand away from her, their eyes slipping shut, and they gently tilted their head into the stroking of their hair. Slowly, over the next few moments, their breathing stabilized and they gave a nod. A nod that was in stark, odd contrast to their demeanor before in it's firmness, it's surety, and they would raise their gaze back to Saiko's eyes with a look of.... stubbornness? Not quite. Shaky determination, more like, as they fidgeted just a tiny bit in place and stated.

"You.... You are familiar... t-to both of us and..... you feel.... I-I mean you look.... ahh...."

Slowly crumbling that determination did not last very long as Cala's cheeks heated with a sudden blush, and they pouted, before swallowing thickly and nodding. Only to stammer in a tiny, jumbled, shy mess of a final word.

"....p-pretty."

Saiko was initially taken aback by his reaction as her powers started to activate. So, she would begin to dial them down, so they weren't as sudden, and he could process them more. The woman was trying to calm him, not work him into a panic attack or something.

"You will be okay. Just calm down, Cala."

Saiko reassured him that everything would be okay and held him as she patted his head. After a while, he became more relaxed, and there was a sense of relief there as the woman gave an audible, soft sigh. Soon after that, the hollow closed its eyes and gently got closer to the hybrid, and she could tell that her influence was having some effect on him.

"See? It's not that bad."

Although, after those words, Cala started to hum some odd tune again. And that's when he began to state that other beings made him feel that way. Pondering what other demons he could be referring to, Saiko tilted her head and asked a question.

"And just what were those beings like?"

While curiosity was in her voice, her face soon turned into a brief look of concern as Cala started to grip their head in pain. She wondered if he remembered something awful or was in physical discomfort, but it seemed to resolve as the hollow's breathing eased, and he seemed intent on staring into her eyes. And it is at that moment...he called her pretty.

Blink, blink.

"...that was unexpected, but thank you. You are pretty cute yourself."

Saiko, expecting the worse, just let out a playful laugh before she looked around them and noticed that the rain had stopped. Although she was losing herself in the moment, the audible sounds of her stomach grumbling broke the silence, and she looked back down at Cala before asking a question.

"Hey, do you want to walk and talk and come with me to grab a bite to eat? I think we've sat here long enough."

Cala could only let out a small whimpering noise as Saiko's own abilities caused their other self to stir inside them. Reaching out gently Cala would take Saiko's hand and, dropping their gaze from her eyes, would beg softly.

"P-Please Saiko.... I-I know I am sad but.... these emotions are mine.....s-so.... I don't wanna change. I want to be this self....."

As Saiko asked them about the other beings Cala swallowed softly, trying to stop the renewed pain their head as their other self quizzically moved closer to the surface of consciousness. Cala winced, hard, and ducked their head as their hands clasped their head. A ragged cough leaving them as they shook their head and made a sound that was genuinely pained. Another cough leaving them would see Fade drip from their mouth onto the bench and Cala would begin to quake like a small, scared animal, raising their eyes back to Saiko's.

Now.... Now Fade ran from Cala's eyes like tears and their body quaked as if they were in the depths of a blizzard, yet no goosebumps showed on the surface of their skin. The usual bright, wondrous lavender of Cala's eyes was... dulled.... conflicted into an odd amber color and they seemed genuinely scared of Saiko for a brief moment before attempting to answer as best they could. Though now their voice was... strained.... and dull.... as if emotion struggled to inflect on their tone at all.

"O-One.... One was..... a beautiful girl.... w-we like her. She is... is purple like you....."

Cala's tone would shift as their hands fell from their head to their lap, their demeanor suddenly going stock-straight and very... distant. As if they were commenting on passing thoughts instead of a topic of focus. Even somewhat disinterested, despite the struggle to get the words out, as if they were almost choking on them.

".... we.... w-we... I.... I think you're... more.... b-beautiful though.... The second was..... determined... full of Loss.... we did not see them directly but they were.... like you... powerful...."

Standing slowly Cala's eyes would slowly, ever so slowly, begin to color-shift towards their usual Lavender, and their fingers would twitch softly before they offered Saiko a hand. Their free arm wiping the Fade from their face as they gave a shaky smile.

"W-We'd love to eat with you... I-I'm hungry now a-all of a sudden.... thank you."

Saiko couldn't help but comply with the requests of the male. To see him so upset and hurt made the woman instantly drop her powers and influence on him to allow all of his former self to return. At times the abilities of the hybrid could help those consumed by endless despair come to a clear state of mind, but it was apparent this wasn't one of those cases.

"It's done. I'm sorry."

Terror, sadness, and confusion were on Saiko's face as she tried to wipe away the endless tears from Cala's eyes. This wasn't what she wanted, and the woman was frightened at the moment if she had hurt the poor guy. While biting down on her lip, Saiko tried to infuse some energy into him. Sure, she couldn't heal, but hollows had some regenerative factor, right? Maybe amping him up with her energy could compensate as he looked worse for wear.

With a deadened and dull look in the male's eyes, the woman looked in disbelief and just listened. She wasn't sure what to make of any of this so far, but her appearance reminded him of a beautiful woman similar to Siako and full of loss.

"I....don't understand."

After staring at him in disbelief, she put her hand on his forehead.

"We can get something to eat still, but are you SURE you are in any condition? That scared the shit out of me, for lack of a better word. Not because you hurt me, but I thought I had caused harm to you."

Feeling Saiko aid them in wiping their face and the soft touch of her hand upon their forehead would have made Cala blush if it were better circumstances. Instead they simply closed their eyes and accepted the affectionate gestures, coughing softly again, before they inhaled shakily and swallowed down the next one. Their chest hitched a couple times, their hands clenching briefly as they fought down the sensation, before they nodded quickly. Trying, even still, to answer her.

"Y-Yes.... uhmm... you didn't kn-know...."

Cala trembled as Saiko gave them her energy, the Fade that had fallen from their features wriggling to life and crawling along Cala's form would drink it in eagerly and Cala would noticeably relax at this. As if they had just began to be given a shoulder massage for a short moment, and then they blinked their eyes and looked up at Saiko's hand bashfully.

"U-Umm.... I-I do wanna explain.... just... n-not here... please? Ahh... somewhere.... s-somewhere quiet?"

The offer was soft, tentative and hopeful. Not to mention that Cala awkwardly dropped their hand and clasped them together in front of themselves, not sure what else to do with them since their awkward attempt at offering their hand had been rejected. Their eye flitting down to Saiko's own Cala would bite their lip before murmuring quietly.

"A-And.... And thank you..... for listening....."

Relief.

That is the only word to describe Saiko's being as she saw the sight of Cala beginning to ease. She didn't cause any long-lasting damage that the hybrid was aware of. So, a gentle smile oozed over her face as she lacked the desire to cause harm to the small hollow. And, at this point, Saiko couldn't even care if he was feeding so long as he was alive.

Though, honestly? She was still shaking a bit as this debacle brought up many unwanted memories. Despite the fact that she remained positive, imagery of the innocents she hurt while enslaved to Shadow Fall played in her mind. Seeming a bit distant for a moment, the eye of Saiko briefly turned plum as all she could see was the hollow covered in blood, scars, and his organs hanging out. Panic started to flow in her body, yet she knew this was only her mind playing tricks on her.

So, with a deep breath in and one out, Saiko calmed herself as her shaking eased, and she closed her eyes to attach back to reality and focused on Cala's voice. He was alive and not hurt, and they would go for a quiet walk.

"Let's walk. Nobody is around."

As Saiko's Voice sounded calm and collected, one wouldn't assume she just had her own internal struggle as the woman knew she had to be strong. So, she held Cala's hand and motioned for him to start walking so they could make their way closer to some type of food venue.

"And you are welcome. It's been a very...interesting evening."

Chuckling a bit, the woman put on a soft smile as her own nerves nagged at her. It would be easy to give in to them, but the more thought you gave it, the more potent those feelings began. So, she resisted and just wanted to give Cala a good time to distract herself.

Cala's attention, as their mind seemed to finish it's episode of tumult, was wholly focused on Saiko. Cala was already somewhat gifted at sensory techniques for how powerful they were, at least when it came to sensing the Loss of others, and while that was not what they felt from Saiko now..... they simply put two and two together as Saiko took their hand and they began to walk. Cala's hand was very soft, luxuriously soft even, and gripped Saiko's own back with tenderness unlike any other being was capable, tenderness to match the next words out of their mouth.

"A-And I am sorry... f-for making you worry...."

Cala sheepishly dropped their gaze, shrugged their shoulders gently, and inhaled sharply before adding in a sweet tone to match the blush slowly forming on their porcelain cheeks.

"Y-You... You probably already worry about... w-well... everyone already... with what I felt from your powers. You're... a-a lot like us....your heart is... i-is sweet and... we are sorry for making you worry."

Cala's manner of speaking was a bit... odd. Distracted sounding in a way that was almost as if they were having to visualize the words before actually saying them but, once they were said, they did look back up at Saiko with earnesty and smile a gentle smile. Only for it to fall away a moment later as Cala glanced around, making sure they were alone, before pausing under a rather cooperative street light in the otherwise gloomy British weather. Still keeping one of Saiko's hands held, with light cascading down gently from overhead, Cala would brush their raven hair back gently. Tucking it behind an ear before fidgeting on their feet and starting their promised explanation.

"Umm... s-so.... you can probably tell we... ahh..... eh.... well like that... W-.... I... I say 'we' a lot and it's o-on purpose. I know other Hollows, other Arrancar, can change their form and become more powerful and I'm not r-really any different in THAT way b-but.... but I change.... W-WHEN I change... I ahh.. w-we umm.... aren't... THIS self. We're not ME.... if that makes sense?"

Cala looked at Saiko in an almost scared fashion, as if they were concerned their explanation would drive her off with how.... strange they were. Their hand instinctively tightening it's grip on her own in worry.