A Tempered Heart

think -> Shu's thinking

I was seeing a magnificent view of hundreds house building as far as I could see. Human world was truly impressive than the desert world I was in. I saw a lush green area far ahead. It provoked my interest to investigate it.

Arriving to the said place, I landed on a grass soil ground. So many trees variating from small to large and tall trees. I was strangely feeling peaceful at this kind of place. I sat down to enjoy this feeling further... until I heard a scream.

"KYAAA!" I woke up to an annoying loud scream. I stretched myself and ran searching for a female human who dared to disturb me. I came into a wide pathway through this place and saw a young female woman. Then, I saw 4 suspicious males surrounded her.

think -> Shu's thinking

"It's your fault for being alone." One human male said with a grin. The woman looked scared as they moved nearer and nearer. I felt disgusted by those 4 human males.

Sonido. I moved in blinding speed slitting their throat one by one. Fresh blood gushed out from each of them and they fell off to the ground. The woman looked shocked and began to run away. I wasted my precious reiatsu to kill these garbages. I soon regretted my action and forgot the woman who ran away.

"KYAAA!"
Arghh!! Again?! I felt very annoyed by shrill shriek of a female human. I ran to where the woman headed and found a large hollow (Fishbone D), the same kind as the one I fought in the desert. He grabbed the woman who looked so scared with one hand. He opened his large mouth to swallow her. That female human has a very bad luck.

think -> Shu's thinking

It's a quite of distance between me and the hollow. Luna Paso Cero. I gathered reiatsu on my back legs and jumped high. While I was flying, I position my legs tilted to top of me in the opposite direction of the hollow. Luna Paso Cero. I pushed hard by the force of it and dashed toward the hollow.

Noticing me, the hollow threw the female human out of the way and roared at me. Cero Sierra. I gathered my reiatsu on my leg and formed disk-like condensed reiatsu. The hollow tried to protect his head with his large arms, but I sliced through the arms and cut the fish-like mask in 2 pieces.

The hollow was stunned for a moment, then fell to the ground. He was slowy disappeared leaving no trace. I walked to the unconscious young female human. She has long brown hair and dressed in expensive dress. Her face was so smooth like a doll. I wondered why this stupid human went alone to this place. Although she looked so delicious, I strangely lost my appetite to devour her. I left her alone in this place. But, I stopped and casted her a pity look....

think -> Shu's thinking

I stayed beside the female human. I didn't know why I do this, I just felt like it. I stayed still patiently watching the sleeping human. Seeing a hollow and a human together was really a rare sigh.

The human suddenly moved her hand although she was still asleep. She touched my body. Feeling her palm on me, I shivered on her soft touch. She was stroking the fur skin till she touched my face. I saw her mouth moved to say something.

"Who are you?" She surprised me. She can see me? I quickly moved and hide myself behind the tree nearby. She got up in sitting position and looked around. Her eyes were still closed. Is she blind? Then, she stand up and fixed her dress. I heard a faint whisper from her mouth, "Thank you..." Then, she went leaving me.

think -> Shu's thinking

Sonido. I dash forward with blinding speed. Cero Sierra. Forming a saw-like reiatsu on my front legs and slicing both of the hollow arms leaving him armless. Then, I cut clean his neck. The lifeless bulky hollow fell off to the ground. I sucked his soul quickly before his body was disappeared.

My muscle began to ache and a sleepy feeling attacked me. I realized this was the sign I was almost ran out of reiatsu. Since I had low reiatsu regeneration, I required sleep to restore my reiatsu.

I sat on the soil ground and wondered how the female human I met was doing. She was blind, but could feel my presence through her other senses. I was in deep thought and unconsciously fell asleep...

think --> Shu's thinking

The sound of melodious chirping birds brought me out from my slumber. I yawned and stretched myself. My reiatsu was restored completely, then I planned to hunt other hollows today.

The sun was shining so bright dazzling my eyes. I suppose I prefer night time to day time. I got up and began walking to the pathway where many humans gathered. I hopped out of the bush and walked on road made of brick.

There were so many humans around, but I didn't feel like to devour them. It attracted too much attention if I devour one and I dislike having a vision of my victim's past. So I swiftly walked unseen through the pathway and wandered to nowhere....

think --> Shu's thinking

I walked through the masses of human. They were busy with themselves each other. There were so many kinds of human, variated from a child to an elderly and from a homeless person to a wealthy rich person. I found it to be an irony.

Arriving at a fairly large area where there was a fountain in the middle of it. Benches were sorted neatly on the all sides of this place. I looked around and saw a familiar human sat on a bench. I moved toward her to get a better view... She is the one I saved yesterday. She sat calmly looking straight. She brought a fairly large dog which I assumed it's her guide dog.

My curiosity got the better of me, so I sat on beside her and watched her with my full attention. She has long eyelashes and calm expression. It's like she was enjoying serene feeling of this place. After a few minutes, she turned her face to me and said, "Hello."

think --> Shu's thinking

"Hello." This young female human greeted me. Just as I expected, she can sense me. "Are you alone?" She asked me further, but I couldn't answer although I formed words in my head. I can't speak..

After a few moments of silence, she tilted my head hearing no answer for me. Then, she smiled and said, "Can I touch you?" She brought her feminine hand nearer to me. I didn't answer. "I'll take that as yes." I felt a warm touch of a human hand stroking me. It's a rather pleasant feeling.

People passed by and ignored us. I felt some of them casted a glance to this female human, most of them are male humans. Well, she does posses an above average human physical beauty. Suddenly she said, "Can you hear my story?"

think --> Shu's thinking

She pulled back her hand back to be rested on her lap. "Once upon a time, there was a young girl born in a royal family." I listened to her carefully. "To success her family, her parent forced a great responsibility to her. She was to be trained from a child to a proper lady." That means the child should forget all happy childhood experiences. I gritted my teeth.

"Carrying a great burden, she didn't falter and kept going to prove her worthy to her parent . Finally, she exceeded all expectations." I felt proud... I didn't know why. "Then, she died... protecting her parent she hated so much." She became sad after telling me this... So, all of the child's efforts were gone wasted? I felt angered by that.

She smiled again, "Every time I saw her, she tried to do her best for the family, tried to prove her worth to her parent. But, I knew inside of her outer appearance, she screamed... she screamed because her happiness was stolen... she screamed because her childhood experience was switched to a harsh and merciless training." She let out a tear falling of her closed eyes.

think --> Shu's thinking

If I were that child, I would feel a great deal of loneliness. She smiled again after showed me so much sadness. I couldn't but think how she can smile after all of that, especially yesterday. Human usually freaked out by now, but she was sitting here. The very place she was almost killed.

"Then, the child's parent adopted a child from orphanage..." What?! How dare they- "They tried to forget the overwhelming guilt and sadness over the death of their only daugther." But, still- "That child was me." .... I got silenced... Still.. I was angry...

"I know you're angry right now." Wow... can she read my mind? "Since the first time we met, I have my suspicion.. that you were their daughter..." She caught me off guard. Impossible, I was a human? Liar! I was fed up with her and jumped off the bench and ran fast. She tried to call me, but I wouldn't be tricked anymore.

think --> Shu's thinking

The sun had set and the moon slowly replaced the sun. I was still shaken by the words of a female human. I shook my head trying to forget everything about her. I got up and began looking for prey.

This place called park was quite packed with bulky hollows. A hollow! I found two fish-like masked hollows wandering aimlessly. Luna Paso Cero. I jumped high to close the distance real fast. Cero Taladradora. I gathered my reiatsu on my feet forming a sword shaped condensed cero. I spin my body into an enormous cero drill. The hollow couldn't do anything and got teared to pieces.

Landed on a grass ground, I turned to the other hollow. Sonido. I charged him with blinding speed. Cero Sierra. Forming a pair of condensed cero buzzing like a grinding saw, I chopped his head off the body. Two hollows fell prey to me in seconds. I realized I could handle them easier than before.

think --> Shu's thinking

Banging my head against the ground, I cursed myself. I'm dumb!! Listening to a nonsense from a human is so stupid. The hollow roared in rage. Shut up! I unconsciously used Cero Sierra to a poor unlucky hollow who provoked me while I was in bad mood. The hollow was sliced clean by half.

I was a human?!! A joke! I kept running and running till my stamina was drained to nothing. I fell flat on the soft ground. Impossible... It can't be... I closed my eyes and tried to surpress my emotion.

I felt nostalgic after listening to the female human's story. I still insisted there is no way for a hollow to have a human form in the past. But... I couldn't prove that... The reiatsu exhaustion took over my body. Then, I finally fell aslepp...