Blinded in the Sand

Sand. Miles and miles of sand everywhere. The wind blew a bit harder than usual, throwing the sand up. Sitting in the sand, meditating, was Atama Chitose. He had recently been to the Human World, and encountered a member of his family. A Vizard named, Parius Chitose.

Atama pulled his long, ragged, black scarf closer to his face. The sand was annoying, but he kind of didn't care. He would usually come out here alone, it was his favorite spot to remember his life beforehand. However, something felt off today. His blue eyes narrowed, and he slowly scanned around him. Nothing. Not a single thing for miles around him. Even then, Atama felt like he was being watched. Sighing to himself, he tried to go back to his meditation. The last thing he wanted was to be interrupted in the middle of his memories.

She cut a path through the sand, her telekenesis repelling the sand that was blown about by the heavy winds. She could sense the number 4 nearby, a man of questionable motives. Ezia's motives were questionable too. She didn't plan murder or betrayal, just to steal a sample of his reiatsu to examine in her lab. She'd been proccessing everyone's reiatsu, working her way up from the lowest ranking to the highest. The number 4 was next.

She knew very little about Atama, the higher the rank the more mysterious the arrancar it seemed. She doubted he'd even considered a second glance her way before, not many people knew of her strong connection to Arngrim. As far as most espada were concerned she was just another low ranking suedo arrancar with no ressurection and no name. A pawn meant to die distraction their enemies. She was much stronger than that. That used to be the case but she fixed the issue with the help of a friend.


Ezia approached Atama, examining him like he were a lab rat. Her purple/pink/silver hair, the color changed depending on the light and the angle you were looking at her from, covered one silver eye while the other look every where but into Atama's. A rapier hung at her wast as her long coat flapped in the wind. She waited for Atama to speak first, to guage his reaction to her appearance.

Looking at the new arrival, Atama simply stared at her. He had seen this one around, but not enough to gauge her purpose. However, time was waning. Sighing, he stood up, and brushed the sand off of him. His eyes strayed to her unusual hair, before going to her eyes. "What is it you want? If it's not anything serious, leave me be until a later time. I'm doing something a bit important at the moment."

He was already annoyed at being interrupted, but he was more frustrated that she had, somehow, snuck up on him. The sand being kicked inot his face didn't help anything, but he kept a cool, calm expression on his face. He still didn't trust whoever this was. He had seen enough to know about the Arrancars who envied his position, and many others position, as well. He kept standing there, though, a hand resting on his hip. Waiting for an answer....

Ezia smiled politely as he spoke. So sure of himself, so sure of his position of power. And clearly unaware of who she was or he might have been a little more polite. Not a problem though, he would be much easier to draw into a fight if he though someone weaker than he was looking down on him. She needed him to fight to take a sample of his reiatsu.

She was careful to make herself seem much weaker than Atama. As it was, he was somewhat stronger but it might not have been enough of a difference to draw him into a proper fight. Ezia put a hand on her rapier. "Hello, espada 4. I've been watching you for some time. Do you know why?"

She waited for him to speak, and continued wether he did or not. "I can see you for what you are. Old, and weak. Well i'm not happy with my current seating, so todays the day I replace you. Which means, yes, you have to die." She said, pretending to be a cocky, young and very foolish arrancar with a death wish. If she truely wanted to be number 4 though, she'd have found an easier method of dealing with Atama.

As it was, all she wanted was that reiatsu sample. Ezia drew her Rapier and took a fencers stance, standing with the blade forward, her body turned to side with one arm behind her, ready to strike at a moments notice. She masked her face with a cocky grin and prepared to attack.

"Not really. And it's not really important to me." Atama said to her first question. His eyes did narrow at the rest of her little speech. "I am old. That is true. And you seem so smug about yourself. However..." Atama smiled. "Do you honestly think I care about my rank?" He crossed his arms. "I'm in a good spot, yes. But, I'm only in the Espada for one reason. That being of my own designs. Not yours, and definently not Arngrims. I could, honestly, care less if I was even number 9. You younger ones are always to focused on ranks, after all. So, your reason for fighting me, or trying to get under my skin, won't work."

"But...." He said, letting his arms fall to his sides. "If you truly want me to test you, then I will be happy to oblige." Almost instantly, Atama fired a Cero at the sand, kicking it up at Ezia, before turning, and moving away. He didn't have his blade with him, so he needed to grab it. Using Sonido, he got to where he usually stashes his blade when he meditates, a small cave poking out of the desert. Turning with it in hand, he drew his blade, ans awaited his opponent.

The cero threw sand up into her barrier and she smiled. He was a cunning one, but why run? She didn't want to give to much of her abilities away so she caughed loudly and acted like it affected her, before bursting through the sand cloud and giving chase.

If he was testing her, was it to a foot race? She followed him and eventually found him, sword in hand, waiting at the mouth of a cave. "Oh did you get scared for a moment there gramps?" She asked while pondering his actions.

Putting it aside as some odd characteristic to the man, she waited for his reply to her taunt. Taunts were interesting, used correctly she could make the more aggressive arrancar dance like fools. Would it work on him.. Ezia took stance again and decided to start things off.

Thrusting her rapier from a good bit a way she launched a bala at her foe. And another and another, as she thrust faster and faster to barrage him with little blue balls of energy. This was a good start, it might even look amaturish and violent like the young arrancar she was pretending to be.

Atama raised his eyebrow at the little jab. "Ouch. You hurt my feelings." He said, drawing his Yaminokōtei. However, his sense was telling him something was wrong. He didn't like how this Arrancar was almost too much like a normal one. Keeping his suspicions to himself, he blocked the Bala with his blade. "I'm not going to play around with you. I've got things I need to do." He started acting like the usual, arrogant Arrancar. He activated his Resurreccion.

"The beginning, becomes the end, Yaminokōtei" Atama's hair grew to waist-length with shoulder-length bangs framing the sides of his face, the left side hanging partially over his left eye. His gloves dissapeared, turning into bright red traditional armour — similar to that of samurai — worn over a simple black suit. The armour was constructed from numerous metal plates, formed into multiple protective guards along his body.

His blade glew a bit, then returned to it's usual shine. Atama brought it up, before summoning three black lances, each of Cero power, and threw them all at Ezia. While that happened, he turned around, and shot a Black Wave at the ceiling of the cave, opening it up for him to get out. Leaping up, he kept in the air, and awaited his opponent.

His reply made her smile internally. He was somewhat amusing. He didn't seem intent on playing around either, as he released his ressurection without much though after blocking her attacks. That made things easier, the best time to get a sample was in ressurection, with the arrancars energy at its strongest.

Ezia pulled the sampling tool from her belt and prepared to get what she needed. Atama attacked before she had much time and she was forced to retreat. The spears of darkness almost hit and would have but she dived under them at the last second. The explosions forced her forward.

She rolled to her feet and cursed under her breath. Atama was hoving above her after blowing the cave open with a powerful energy attack. She assesed the situation at hand, and decided she had no choice. She didn't like revealing her Ressurection to anyone, the less people knew of her, the better, but it had to be done.

Placing hand on the rapier she said the call out under her breath, concentrating more on the power she needed to gather rather than the words. The transformation twisted her body and left her feeling sick to the stomoch. She still wasn't used to it, and it wasn't a naturally developed release unlike atama's. It was the product of science and took its toll.

 

The side effects wore off quick enough. She was totally blind, but with a little concentration her telekenetic senses kicked in. (read percieve in abilities)
Fully prepared, she spoke without looking towards Atama, she knew where he was without needing to point her head at him. "Well, ready when you are. Hit me with your best shot"

The first sound he makes as the two arrancars 'sparred' was a slight chuckle. The sound came from a hill about 100 feet away from the fight. The maker of this sound was a figure wearing a full-body arrancar uniform, one that zipped up in the middle and had a huge, overhanging hood. His black boots dug into the sand that he had been standing on for the past couple of minutes. His black, skin-tight gloves dimly shining from the Hueco Mundo moonlight. He had is hood up and covered his face in black darkness, because of the hood's tip overhanging his head and almost perpindicular with the middle of his forehead.


To the knowledge of no one but Arngrim right now, this was the new Espada Séptimo, a one Luxford Aldrich. He had just recently received this title just a couple days ago. He earned it by killing an arrancar named Jeff and then killing Connor Richardson when Connor mistook Luxford for being someone who had thought he was someone that he hated. Well, Lux could understand why because of his spiritual pressure that is both a gift and a curse, making people see him as the one male figure that impacted a person's life the most, whether it be positive or negative. In any case, he helped another arrancar ascend from being Séptimo to Sexto while he got his position of becoming Espada Séptimo.


He had been wandering the desert, searching for those that he could possibly make his own, make into his fraccion if he can. He has found several candidates, but each one of the six beings weren't worth becoming his fraccion, so he murdered them after deeming them so. Just as he was about to go back to Las Noches, he spots two arrancars talking and then quickly beginning to fight. His interest was piqued, so he decided to spy on them and possibly gain information on their fighting tactics.


So that explains why a white dressed man was standing on a hill, about 100 feet from where the arrancars who (unbeknownst to Lux) were Ezia and Atama. But why did he have his hood up? Well, that question can be answered so that he doesn't freak anyone out because they would recognize a face that he does not have.


One thing that Lux can clearly tell was out of the ordinary so far, was the woman's ressurecion. She didn't have an incantation of some sort. She just sort of transformed on the spot. That was one thing that made Luxford intent on seeing this entire thing through. However, he was out in the open sandy hills, where anyone around would be able to see his white-sillhoutte if they happen to look in his way.

Atama blinked. So, she has a Resurreccion as well? This should at least get entertaining. However, he let loose another wave of Darkness at Ezia, before moving to the ground, fast, and getting close enough. He then charged his blade, and plunged it into the ground. A circle appeared, 80 feet in diameter from where Atama had struck. If Ezia had dodged the Darkness Wave, she would then be set upon by spikes of darkness, a foot and a half tall.

Atama moved back into the sky, and watched for a bit. However, that feeling of getting wtched again overcame him. He looked around, and saw another Arrancar, just watching. Narrowing his eyes, Atama looked back at the show below him.

Ezia smiled as he obliged her request with yet another powerful wave of energy. She was tempted to test herself and try bounce it back but decided it was to dangerous. She dodged out of its path. Interesting attack, he seemed to favor dark energy and big waves of it.

Ezia spotted him plunged the blade into the ground. That couldn't be good. She jumped a tad bit to late and a spike tore through the flesh of her thigh and another stabbed into the meet of her calf on the same leg. Ezia muttered foul comments as her psychic vision flickered. she gained a bit of air and assessed the injuries. She would live, but would have to deal with a bit of a limp until her regeneration took care of the wounds which wouldn't be long.

In the distance she noticed the lone arrancar. She couldn't tell, but thought he might be the newly promoted Espada seven Arngrim told her about, judging by his height and build. She couldn't sense any power from him and he was to far away for her to be absolutely sure. If it was, she would have to arrange a little get together and get a sample of his reiatsu too. He didn't seem interested in getting involved so she put him out of her mind. For now.

Retaliation time.. Ezia Reached out with her mind and lifted up half a ton of sand. She brought it up swirling around her. Then bringing it around in a great stream she slammed it at Atama, squeezing the leading sand together so it would be much harder than Atama might expect. After The initial blow she split the sand into two groups and slammed it at Atama from two directions before releasing it and sending it scattering everywhere.

In that moment, with a massive plumb of sand in the air hiding her movements she rushed headlong at Atama as she pulled telekenetic energy into her right hand. Hopefully would take it expecting nothing but a weak punch, when infact there was a cero's worth of energy built up in her right hand. If she missed, she would retreat, but the energy would still be built up until she decided to release it.

Atama saw a huge wave of sand coming at him. So, she can move sand? Or, something else.... He pushed his blade into the ground, before summoning his Shield of Darkness. "It blocked the sand, but Atama felt the jarring impact. He winced, before concentrating on keeping the shield up. She came at him with a punch, but Atama held his ground. He felt the impact of that as well.

However, as she was close to him, Atama quickly dispersed his shield, and fired a quick Cero at Ezia. He moved forward, pulling his sword up at the same moment, and came in with a sequence of slashes, all aimed to hurt her, but not kill her. Then, Atama fell back, saying "Yami Furea." Three globes of energy appeared, and hurled themselves at Ezia. They were all the power of a Cero. He then awaited the next move of his opponent, meanwhile keeping an eye on the other Arrancar watching them. He didn't want this to become a two on one scenario.

Atama blocked her attacks with a shield of dark energy and dispersed it quickly to counter with a cero. Ezia smiled and opened her mouth, sucking in the cero, before shooting back a cero dople for Atama. Hit or miss Atama kept up his anslaught, coming in close to slash with his sword. She dodged as many as possible, but one swing bit into her shoulder as she ducked the blade.

As it came in again, Ezia grabbed the sword with both hands, and unharmed, she swung and launched Atama towards the ground. In the same instant she reached down to and grabbed the sand below him with her mind, hardening it into a slab of rock. This threw up a small cloud of sand and she missed him hitting or recovering from her throw. She puffed air, feeling tired from the mental exertion.

Again Atama resumed his attack, with three powerful balls of energy. Ezia mustered up the energy to preform a Kenetic bounce, and ricochet one of the attacks back at Atama. she dodged the second, and ended up in the path of the third. She put her arms out to protect herself and got blown upwards from the explosing, receiving a few cuts and burns along her arms.

She stopped herself and stared down at Atama. He was a powerful Arrancar, and one she found herself respecting. Still, she needed that sample, so she'd hold off giving up the fight until she had what she wanted. To make that sooner rather than later, she pulled out the sampling tool and hit it from view in one hand. She desended on Atama in a quick charge and punched at him half heartedly, before putting all her effort into stabbing the sampling device into his arm.

It was only small and wouldn't hurt him much, it was sharp enough to peirce hierro however. If she succeded he might not even notice it.

Atama was thrown, but he recovered quick enough. He also dodged one of his Flares that were thrown back at him. He saw that one of them hit Ezia. However, he wasn't expecting her to come at him like she did. He felt something enter his skin. He moved back, before examining his arm. No really seeing a reason for his arm to hurt like that, Atama turned his gaze back to Ezia. "I'm sick of fighting already."

He plunged his blade into the ground, before pointing at Ezia. "I guess I'll have to end this quickly." His hand opened, and Atama simply said, "Ryū Hakei." A huge blast of energy was released from his hand, and headed straight for Ezia. What will you do now? Atama thought, as he felt his strength ebb away with the blast. He would be finished with this blast. But, hopefully, so would Ezia.

A white cero with a black core intercepts Atama's energy blast, dissipating most of the attack, as Luxford Aldrich was now 5 feet in front of Ezia. What was left of the attack, which now had a fraction the strength of what the original attack had, hit Luxford. The tall, full-body cloaked arrancar felt a good deal of damage from this attack since he was not in resureccion and Atama was, but if it wasn't for his cero Luxford would have taken a lot more damage. This contact with the attack gave very small burn marks on Luxford's body and he was pushed back a good foot and a half, but what was truly noticeable was that the force of the blast blown the hood off of his head, revealing his face to all.

Both Ezia and Atama saw the same person's face on Luxford at a single time, which is a first in Luxford's time. They both see Green eyes with a ring of yellow on the inner side around the pupil, with a dark ring on the edge of the iris. Black hair that braided into his cloak and was spiked on the head hair. He had a beard which also was braided and flowed into his cloak. A mask fragment that starts at the bridge of his nose, going up and around the eyes to the end of the eyebrow, ending with a small sharp spike that twists and points backward. Finally, his skin was so gray that he could have been mistaken for being dead. What Ezia and Atama saw was Arngrim Wolfcloak's face, but with black hair, because he had the most impact on Ezia's life and Arngrim is the only male figure in Atama's life that the biggest small impact on his life. However, Luxford had no idea about any of this so until someone said something he would not know what he looked like.
{This assumption of biggest male impacts was made because I've talked with Parius and I read Ezia's backstory, which seemed to have an orbitation around Arngrim}

Luxford then commands in a superior voice that sounded exactly like Arngrim's, "Cease this useless fighting. Fighting with one another won't help any of us." The Wolfcloak-look-a-like does a 180 degree spin and is now facing Ezia. He says in a stern, yet hushed voice that Atama wouldn't be able to hear him at, "I don't know what your game is with you putting something inside of him, but I will keep a close eye on you."

Due to his photographic memory and detail picking eyesight, he was actually able to register the fact that Ezia did put something inside of Atama, yet what she put in him was unknown to Lux.

Anyways, Lux walks away from Ezia, and says as he walks until he was in the center between the two arrancar, "I am sick of allies killing and fighting each other when we can kill humans or shinigami or even the damn vizards..."


Luxford purposely didn't introduce himself yet, because he always loved the shock value of someone else recognizing him as someone they knew... He'll introduce himself afterwards

(Yup your right about her past.)

Atama unleased a blast of energy from his hand that bore down on her like a wave. Not surprised by the style of attack, only the speed and ferocity, She prepared to throw up her Telekenetic Shield to block the attack when the mysterious arrancar attacked and threw himself in the way. Ezia was confused by this action, it wasn't like an arrancar to sacrifice themself for another. Although he survived. His hood was knocked down however.

She understood that this man, who was indeed the new espada seven, was using some trick to imitate Arngrims face, but it was still slightly disconcerting. Doubtless Arngrim would be furious if he caught someone parading around with his face, so it was something he must have hidden from arngrim in their meeting. Ezia stuck to her adopted persona when he spoke, which was to be afraid of Arngrim. Even though it wasn't him.

"I'm sorry!" She pleaded, "We were training sir i didn't mean to offend." She said loudly, bowing down. When luxford turned to talk to her she wispered a reply.
"I didn't put anything in him, i was just taking a sample." She held up the device to show him.

"I dont know what your doing but if Arngrim sees you wearing his face he will kill you. I wont tell him, that might annoy him even more, but if your trying to undermine his athority or destroy his good name I might have to kill you myself." She wispered. It was obvious there were differences, the hair, the body size, but it could still cause her master a great deal of trouble.

Atama grabbed his arm, as blood started running down it. He was returned to his base form, and his katana had dropped out of his hand. He fell to his knee, and glared at the other Arrancar, who seemingly looked exactly like Arngrim, only with black hair. He felt angry, for the first time, in a long time. He heard the other Arrancar snivel to this new arrival. He did hear the part about taking a sample from him, and it only registered faintly. He would worry about that later.

"I do not CARE who you pretend to be. Who are you, and why did you get involved in my fight?!" Atama almost roared at the man. A sudden tensing in his arm made him wince in pain, but only faintly. "Your lucky I am in no position to do anything to you." He snarled. This new Arrancar had touched on a nerve of Atama's, without Atama realizing it. He hated being interrupted in the middle of a good battle, which is what this one was shaping up to be. "Tell me who you are. Now."

Luxford inwardly smirked to the fact that Ezia told him what he looked like... But wasslightly disappointed that she gave up the information about the sample.

He then listens to her threaten him about having Arngrim's face. Anyways, before he replied, he waited and listened to Atama's questions about his interference and identity. Once all the chatter subsided, Luxford says, "My name. Is Luxford Aldrich, Espada Septimo, aspectof nobody... The latter, well, to be blunt, hints to something about me... I am not a single person, yet I am anybody. But it is quite intriguing that you see me as Arngrim..."

He turns his attention to Atama and says with a smile, "Oh, I apologize, yet that was me lying. I do not care about some petty squabble over nothing. And I do not care that I interrupted, becuase I believe this fight was nothing but waste. Grow up and learn to control that hollow rage. That is what sets us apart from holows and most arrancar: we control ourselves... Well, thats what I think..."

The lookalike pulls the hood over his face once more, covering his face again. He then makes a remark to himself... Something about being intrigued by someone...

Ezia listened to his reply. If that was the case then it was possible she was seeing what she wanted to see, or something along those lines. She would need to study Luxford a little more before she fully understood what was happening. "I dont know what it is your doing, but I wonder would you be willing to come to my lab so i can run a few tests?" She said.

She turned to Atama after Luxford spoke to him. Speaking in her normal way atama would probably notice the change in personality. "I wouldn't accuse Atama of acting like an animal, I goaded him into fighting me. I am sorry I mislead you, but I needed a sample of your reiatsu for something i'm working on. You should be honored you were chosen."

"Perhaps you would also come back to my lab, and I will restore some of your lost power. Or you can just rest, your choice." Ezia said. She waited for both men to reply.