Beauty and the Beast

Cala sat passively outside Aina's home on a relatively overcast day, the deep grey of the stormclouds juxtaposed by the Arrancar's unusually pleased mood. Granted they were somewhat pensive about a certain subject and, despite their thoughts, were equally focused on it in the immediate moment. Long after their first night together now Cala, this one at the very least, had longed to return to Aina's home if not for more.... intimate moments together then to at least see her in a setting where they were very likely assuredly safe.

That being said it was not what lay beyond that troubled the Arrancar, threats and peril Aina had mentioned being in and surviving, and even those as of yet unseen. Their relatively recent business in Africa, their other self's encounters in America, all of it had them very worried for their most precious person. Really aside from perhaps a shared fondness with their other self for Ariadna Aina was, in all likelihood, their only precious person.

So it was that Cala had messaged her, planned out a day they would both be free, and had told Aina they wished to have something of a sparring date with her. Not really so formal as to be a true date, not really, but even though Cala was not powerful in and of themselves they wanted to try and prepare Aina as best they could for what lay beyond should they not be there. As an intrinsic part of sharing their body with their other half meant that they could not always be there to protect her, much as they may wish to do so.

There was also the lingering thought that one Saiko Mori, a precious person to their other half, had instilled in them. The thought of asking Aina if she would like to give them, this half, a distinct name. It was still far too soon to ask such a thing, the relationship was still fresh and malleable. Lines, boundaries and understanding was still blossoming so throwing in something so..... definitive right now seemed counter-productive. These are the internal conversations, or at least some of them, that they had had with their other half in preparing for today.

Their ruminations were interrupted, however, when Aina emerged from her home and Cala stood swiftly, an odd sort of relaxation washing over their features upon sensing her, and they felt an almost unspoken need to reach out to her. To touch or to hold her in some way but.... perhaps she would wish to get the sparring over with first, then relax into the more intimate moments? They did not know, they were more unused to this than she, and so they simply gave a small smile. Their head tilting gently as they murmured something simple but honest from the heart, so to speak.

"You look lovely."

Dressed in a black tank top, head-bow and white shorts, and tennis shorts, it's safe to say that Aina was prepared for whatever hard work their "date" would get into today. So, with a smile, the woman at the male's chin and played with it for a moment before humming happily.

"Of course I do. Even if I'm not super strong, I still take care of my body."

And that was true~! Aina ate clean and did gentle exercises, yoga, and all that fun stuff to keep her body feeling decent. Not to mention there was still a spiritual aspect around her that kept the woman glowing. Meditating in nature, fighting weak hollows and things of that nature, kept her going. Yet, she still could feel some unforeseen force that made things....intuitive? Until now, she hadn't been appropriately pushed to develop her powers or spar. So she was curious to see what Cala had in mind for her.

"Oh, my sweet Cala-lalala, what do you have planned today, dear?"

Snickering and teasing him, Aina grinned and looked up at him with her beaming purple eyes to see what the agenda was for their date.

Cala was not a big fan of pride, at least as a general rule, but on her it was nothing but wonderful. That was also something they were slowly getting used to. Many things about their perceptions of the world, of people, simply did not apply to Aina. While anyone else saying they were, of course, beautiful would earn a stoic look from them when it came to Aina they felt pleased at her acceptance of the fact. It made her spirit glow in a way that they equated to how many people talked about their loved one's smile beaming.

Though if Aina's pride was something they were getting used to the way in which she stroked and played with their face was..... not. Not that it was bad, quite the opposite, but her touch was warm and wonderful in every way. A fact that made them gently lean their cheek into her palm, sparring briefly forgotten about, kiss the center of her palm before their head tilted. They did not look at the ground, as their other half did, but even they could not resist a gentle flushing of their ashen cheeks as she teased them. It was.... immature, silly, loving and..... irresistible.

Of course the first order of business after that was to step close to her, turn their head down to those beautiful purple eyes, and wrap her in their arms before delivering a slow, firm, lengthy kiss to her lips. A low, simmering excitement burning beneath their skin before they, regretfully, pulled away from her. Only to plant a soft kiss between her eyes as they stepped back and took a slow, deep inhale of her scent and nodded.

"If I am sweet it is only for you my dear. As for our first order of training is to work on your quickness. Without any sort of technique with which to aid yourself it will be of the utmost importance for you to be aware of how to track and respond to those who do....."

With their own Sonido Cala would appear behind Aina and place a hand on her head with gentle affection.

"...like this."

Depending on whether Aina wished to turn around or not Cala would Sonido back in front of her if she did not wish to, or stay still if she turned to face them.

"Second, but equally as important, is for us to train on manifesting some sort of.... weapon or.... capability for you to defend yourself. Ideally I would like it if you could escape from, or never face, battle but I know that is not a realistic goal. As such.... though it will be hard for me to even feign attacking you.... I will do so knowing that it will help you prepare for when I am not around to protect you myself. Does that sound agreeable my precious Aina?"

"Blushing already? Someone is smitten."

Aina giggled and kissed Cala back after he wrapped his arms around her. If nothing else, she felt safe momentarily as her plum eyes lingered on him after the hollow let her go.

" And, of course, I know you are sweet for me, Cala. But don't let that hold you back from training me...."

Of course, Aina wasn't paying much attention, but her soul seemed to respond independently. When Cala went to tap her shoulder, a slight burst of plum energy responded, which made Aina blink and turn around as she pat her hand on top of Cala's and listened to what he had to say about manifesting some type of power to protect herself.

"...well, something keeps swirling up in me. I guess you could try to force it out, but I honestly thought of becoming a healer or something. But having a few offensive and defensive techniques could help me too."

Aina's gentle teasing and giggling only drew more affection from the emotionally-subdued Arrancar. The touch to her shoulder, following by her hand being placed upon it, turned the motion into a caress to the opposite side of her neck, then her shoulder, before they encircle Aina in a gentle hug from behind. A soft touch of the lips being placed right below her right ear as they murmured gently.

"Smitten...? Sweet...? If these describe us, my dear Aina, I can only imagine what you must be.~"

There was just the smallest, tiniest bit of playfulness in Cala's own voice as their fangs lightly caught at her neck, before he pulled away again and nodded resolutely.

"It is.... admittedly difficult to imagine harming you, even in practice, but the knowledge we need to replicate a substantial threat for you improve drives me to try. As for your energy....."

Cala trailed off briefly, their head tilting softly, and they considered for a moment. A small part of them admiring their Aina's selfless nature in wanting to heal others.

".... healing is admirable. But I am not afraid for the days I am there to protect you and for you to heal, I am afraid for the days it is only yourself against a cruel and unforgiving enemy. You may not wish to, my dear, but I would like you to have some means of protecting yourself. Or....."

Cala tilted their head, considering, before a soft hum left their lips.

"As we said during our first meeting, seemingly so long ago, you carry a distinct feeling to us, and though it is..... embarrassing to say it aloud you are very much the flame to our moth. If nothing else, if you truly do not wish to harm others, then another option could be for you to exert your energy in such a way we could sense it no matter where we are. Then, well, even being in another realm would not.... could not.... stop us from coming to you."

Though the idea made Cala less happy than Aina being able to defend herself it was something they would at least consider and, if Aina thought it possible, even want to add to her repertoire anyways.

Mmmmm. It was lovely to be held, told affectionate things, and teased. So, Aina wriggled her hips a bit and spoke up.

"Who? Me? Oh, you could say I'm head over heels~."

After a ginger laugh, Aina gently pat Cala's chest before narrowing her sight back on the male.

"But, I think it's hard to lay a finger against someone you love. So this training may be a bit of a pain in the ass for the both of us, hm?"

Nodding, Aina then continued.

"The world is what it is, Cala. We can't help that. But we can adapt to it and pray for the best. Otherwise, I think that would fuck up the time we have together as we never know when that time might be taken away. Am I wrong?"

Tilting her head to the side, Aina felt she had made a decent point. Yeah, the world was a cruel and unforgiving place, but it doesn't mean that every waking moment of existence was hell. There were reprieves and times of peace, and it's better to relish that than spend your life in a loop of entertaining future horrors. Prepare for the future, but don't forget to live in the moment.

At any rate, she figured she'd touch on the subject of their training.

"I figure I can learn some healing and defensive techniques since whatever energy that is lurking in me seems potent. I doubt we'll learn everything there is to know about offense, defense, and all the rest, but where do you think we should start?"

Turning over the leads to Cala, Aina looked up at him, and her plum gaze lingered as she waited for an answer.

Whether intentionally or not Aina's words would completely turn Cala's mind off, flood it with static, and turn it upside-down as she stated she was head over heels and.... in love? That statement left them frozen, even shocked them enough to their core that their other half awoke with them, lending their attention from within despite the two of them usually respecting the privacy of the romantic moments of the other, and their.... mouth went dry? Like the sand of Hueco Mundo Cala simply took in Aina's words through one ear and out the other.

Cala DID hear her, the words had reached their mind, but as far as perceiving and responding to them for the moment Cala.... could not. Their mind was like a star about to go Supernova, so caught up in it's own internal reactions that when it finally did erupt they.... became almost more like their other self. Possibilities and concerns flaring up one after the other as they tried to process the casual hint at Aina truly loving them. Said so casually. Could it mean it was merely a joke? Something she did not take seriously? Or was it, perhaps, something so obvious to her she said it without any doubt?

Cala's lips would purse deeply in thought as Aina asked them where they would be starting, warmth flooding through their veins like flowing magma, as her demeanor and large, beautiful plum eyes were met with a steady exertion of Cala's energy. Causing the air to billow and bluster around them for a moment, their Pesquisa turning upon her like a magnifying glass and they let out a slow sigh for only a brief moment. Those thought settling to their usually more emotionally deadened self as they took in her demeanor and decided she had only hinted at it out of casual infatuation. Even so Cala was far beyond helping themselves as they stepped into her, chests pressing together, his hands cupping the small of her back as a MUCH more intense kiss was given to her. One that showed, wordlessly, exactly what their own concerns involving love were with her. Their emotions were more subdued, true, they did not usually erupt into sobbing or screaming shows of raw passion, but he could certainly level a steady, smoldering passion into her lips for a long moment. Long enough their lungs ached and fingers dug into her skin possessively.

Only once they had both reached the last gasps of air in their lings did he pull away, her taste lingering on his lips, before he murmured.

"That is how difficult it is for me to overcome my love to harm you, despite my intent in training you."

Almost growling in a slow breathe Cala would gather themselves and state firmly.

"I believe defense is best for now for the majority of your training, followed by healing whatever bits of my offensive manage to reach you..... as far as the state of the world...."

Cala would smile a soft smile, motioning with a hand to their current situation.

"I think the two of us, in tandem, working to unravel and adapt together as one.... is a very true expression of care. Does that sound true to you my Aina?"

Cala commanded the air with grace and power as far as Aina's perception of him was concerned. Deluded by goggles of affection, the woman's lips curled into a smile as a gust of wind came over them before the hollow went on to thrust himself upon her. Then, in one action, Aina was swooped into his chest, and soon the two were locked at the lip in the form of a deep, passionate kiss.

Surprised but happy, the woman giggled through the intense act of affection and returned it by giving way and kissing him in return. Then, with her cheek on his face, the woman closed her eyes, savored the moment, and tasted his essence for her own as she continued to overflow him with her heart's happiness. It was a wonderful moment of closeness for her, and she wanted it to last longer, but that's not what they were here to do.

After the two had spent enough time taking in each other's taste, Cala backed away and expressed his own sentiments. As that act of romance was his sign that it was rather challenging to overcome his fear of hurting her. So, after licking her lips, Aina nodded and spoke.

"Well, Mr, that's a lot of love. But don't worry, I trust you even more because of it. If things get bad enough, you know both my and your limits. So have faith in that."

With a giggle, she then slammed her hip into his playfully and continued.

"That's what being a couple is, my silly Calalala. You grow and learn together as one. So you speak of an ideal relationship, Cala~ I believe we both will grow into wonderful beings together. Don't you agree?"

By the time the two finally separated Aina was not the only one desiring more closeness, but she was also not the only one who put it aside for now in order to focus on the "training" part of their training date. Though they did rumble a low noise as Aina licked her own lips, their sightless gaze intent on her for a long moment, and her more heartfelt words did much to calm the desire they felt in that moment. Her talk of trust and faith in them made them give a single, curt nod, using Aina's words to help pull their psyche back to a more calm state as they inhale her scent heavily.

The bump to Cala's hip made them smile softly, the affectionate act making them almost chuckle, but Aina describing their description as "ideal" buoyed their spirit. A low, simmering happiness bubbling through their veins as they felt a tingling spread out from their Hollow hole that made them smile softly. They nodded, twice, and seemed rather expressive for their usually neutral self in that moment.

"Yes...... we desire to be one with you in every way we can. As much as we are one with our other self, and in other ways, much more.~"

As Aina's assertion of growing into wonderful beings together truly hit them Cala nodded, slowly, and readied Ceniza.

"Yes my precious Aina, I believe together we can be truly wonderful, you deserve it. But our growth, I feel, begins now. Together~"

With that Cala would take a steadying breathe, withdrawing their senses focusing on Aina so heavily, almost as if averting their eyes before taking a slow, testing swing at Aina at her arm. Aiming for somewhere that would HURT if she did not defend herself, but not do serious damage just to see how Aina responded.

Aina's power had a mind of its own at times, and once again, it reacted to Cala's strike by forming a shield around itself. It didn't take away all the impact of the blow, as it hurt Aina a bit since she was seen wincing in pain and a small bruise formed, but its damage was reduced by half, and this caused the woman to then act for herself and jump backward to gain distance.

"Sneak attacks, huh? Crafty Cala."

After wriggling her nose, Aina giggled and had a small sphere of plum energy form in her hand before shooting it off at the hollow without hesitation. If they were already training, there was no point in not trying off the bat. So, she would keep her distance since she still knew a few basic moves to keep herself safe enough.

"My power seems to have a mind of it's own when I'm in unexpected danger. Might have to explore that more."

Now with a motion of her hand, she signaled for him to come.

"But I guess if we are gonna get this thing started, I suppose you should go first, Cala~"