Continued From: 'A Dream’
Toshiro woke to the screams of Kita. He quickly sprang to his feet and searched for her. He saw her against the cave wall.
"Kita!"
He ran over to her and grabbed her by the shoulders. "Kita! KITA! What's wrong?! Are you ok?! Kita?!"
Kita slapped at and shoved Toshiro away, thinking that it was her master that had grabbed a hold of her in her dream.
"NO! LEAVE ME ALONE! LEAVE ME ALONE!"
Her eyes were wide open and glazed with fear as she pushed herself farther against the cave wall. Toshiro could tell she was still dreaming. He had to wake her up! He gently placed his cold hand on her forehead and whispered into her ear softly.
"Kita, you are dreaming. It's time to wake up. Come back to me. Come back to Toshiro."
A cold rush ran through her body when Toshiro placed his ice cold hand to her. She shivered under his touch. Then over her masters beckoning she could hear Toshiro calling her. Coming from out of her dream state, the cave started to come into focus. Next to her Toshiro as he whispered softly in her ear.
"Come back to, Toshiro."
Quickly she wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Toshiro!" She exclaimed softly still shook up from her dream.
He was slightly taken back by the sudden hug, but he hugged her back regardless.
"Are you all right?" His eyes were flooded with concern. "What happened?"
Still her arms around his neck she spoke in a shaken voice. "He was here. He was calling me. He wants me to come back to him. To Las Noches."
There were no tears, but she shook from fright.
Toshiro stared at the cave wall. He was pissed off that Aizen would try such a despicable move, "do you want to go back?"
Kita said nothing just shook her head. For the first time she was afraid of what might happen if she returned.
"I want to stay..." She paused pulling back from their embrace, her eyes catching Toshiro's. She quickly rethought her statement. "I don't want to return."
He looked closely trying to determine her resolve, "Ok, I will make sure you are safe. I will make sure you do not have to go back."
Kita cast her eyes from his, "It's not your place to protect me. You're not always going to be around. I have to learn to protect myself."
Kita felt sad at that statement, but she knew it was true. Toshiro was a soul reaper he had other obligations and she was far from being one of them.
"Then I will teach you how to protect yourself." Toshiro stood up, bringing Kita with him. He spun her around and pushed her against the wall pinning her arms behind her back.
"First we will learn how to break holds."
While from the deep recesses of his mind, Ulquiorra knew he had made contact with Kita. But. There was also the dangerous touch of the ice soul reaper, who would stop at nothing to rip her from his grasp. He felt so close to luring her back.
“Kita.”
“Kita.”
He would have her, whether it took an hour. A week. A year. Time was nothing to him. Once again, he stretched his consciousness to his wayward fraction.... Lifting with Toshiro Kita stood nodding her head. Then all of a sudden found herself pinned against the cave wall her arms pinned behind her. She then heard her master again, calling, beckoning for her return.
"Kita."
She heard him call to her.
She panicked and fought against Toshiro and the hold he had on her.
“Kita.”
She heard him again, calling, beckoning for her return. Something felt wrong as she fought against him. How did Ulquiorra's influence returned so quickly? Was his barrier weakening? Toshiro sent another icy chill though Kita to repel him, then ran to the mouth of the cave. He sliced open his hand and cast his blood across the barrier. Strengthening it.
"There that should repel any future invasions of the mind." He froze the wound on his hand and went back to check on Kita.
"Kita? Are you ok now?"
With her back to the cave wall, Kita slid down sitting on the ground. Her arms crossed over her chest as she looked up to Toshiro as he walked up to her.
"He won't stop. He won't stop until I am back at his side or..." Kita cast her eyes down. "Dead."
There! He had made a brief connection. Her mind was confused and wary, but open. But just like that it was gone. Gone without a trace.
"Does he think that will stop me?"
Ulquiorra curled a pale hand into a tight fist. He would merely try harder. He walked. He walked until his feet met a dark wall and even then, he walked more. Through doors. Through night. Through halls. And then he stopped. Here in the dark reaches of Hueco Mundo. He cast his mind away from other distractions and began the dark ritual of calling his fraction. Nothing would stop him now. Not when he was so close to getting her.
Kita's hands quickly raised to her head holding her hands to her ears tightly.
"No. Please." She shook her head. "Make it stop."
She looked up to find Toshiro, but saw him nowhere. Even though he was right in front of her. She saw nothing but the outstretched arm of her master.
"Master." She called out to him.
"You just need to close your mind to him, he keeps getting in because you allow it. Do not fear him. Repel him! I will do everything in my power to help you!" He grabbed several blankets and wrapped Kita up in them, "It may become very cold in here if I do, so brace yourself."
Kita pulled the blankets around her tightly, "I can't block him. He is part of me. I will never be able to block him out totally." She looked to Toshiro. "In time he will find us and there will be no stopping him in taking me back to Las Noches." Fear once more written on her face.
"Even if he is part of you, you can block him. You just have to try!" Toshiro released his reitsu and merged it with the walls of the cave, the barrier, and with Kita. The area quickly froze over, nothing was spared. If there was enough interference the connection would sever.
Ulquiorra stretched his phantom hand further into the mind of Kita and felt a coldness warp the features of her cloudy face. Why could he see her, but not make her hear him?
"Kita," He said in a monotone whisper. "Do not fight me..."
---What was wrong? Suddenly ice crystals began forming on the tips of his fingers. He pressed further into the realms of Toshiro's barrier. Snow. Rain. Wind. Fire. All trials he could face. But not separation and ignorance.
Kita shivered from the immense cold that now filled the cave. It glistened of a beautiful white, mixed with a blue hue. She was in awe of it beauty and the chill that rose from it. But it worked. Kita could no longer hear Ulquiorra calling out for her.
"I am going to need warmer clothes." She told Toshiro with a soft smile. "Your powers are beautiful, Toshiro."
Toshiro rummaged through a bag and pulled out a couple of extra shirts and a few jackets. He passed them all to her along with his shirt and haori.
"That should be enough. Change of plans, step one should be mental defense."
Kita nodded looking at Toshiro.
"Unfortunately I can not invade your mind, so we will have to wait until Ulquiorra tries again and 'Learn on the Job.' If I sense that you are struggling then I will intervene again."
Toshiro grabbed Kita by both wrists and held them firmly in front of her chest while he stood behind her.
"For now we will resume breaking a hold."
Kita looked behind her at Toshiro, "So now what?"
"You will need to open your hands out and push down. At the same time force your hips back. This will unbalance your opponent.," he instructed.
Kita did as he instructed her. She pushed her hands outward and down forcing her hips back into Toshiro. He was using a little more force than she expected for him just demonstrating to her, but she figure if it were truly the enemy they would be using much more then force with her.
"Now what?"
The two continued with the training until they were too tired to go on and called it day.
Continued To: Delirium
