Chapter 63: Brilliance of Celestial Bodies

[Neutral POV]

"NEE-SAN!"

*ZUUU~*

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Vaporous air grazed along Batsu's skin. Her eyes fluttered open to find billowing clouds wandering in disarray. A muffled breeze drifted past her ears. Bodies of cushy resistance limited her limbs' mobility.

She was floating in a misty fume. 

Disorientation drowned Batsu's mind as she tried to recall her last whereabouts. This subtle dissonance ate her poise. Anxiety throttled her heart rate. Her limbs thrashed about as she spun around, searching for something familiar. 

Batsu proceeded to scream as loud as she could.

"brrrraaaa~!"

*blup* *bloop*

But her gaping mouth was quickly flooded by misty fumes. In actuality, the fumes acted akin to liquid. 

Dread washed over Batsu. Immediately, her limbs cleaved through murky space, swimming upwards in search of the surface. For minutes on end, she raced through the liquefied air until she saw a refractive ray of light. Cramping legs propelled her toward the bending brightness. 

Finally…

*SPLASH*

"Huuu~! *cough* *Cough* *gasp*"

"It's been a while Batsu…"

A memorable womanly voice shook Batsu from her panic. Sat on the plane of the foggy lake was the golden hare. Iridescent fur shone with a milky gilded sheen. Floppy ears twitched as Batsu fully emerged from the clouds. Batsu's breathless posture reflected within the beady red eyes of the hare. 

While Batsu recovered from her exhaustion, the Hare remarked on the recent happenings.

"Must've been a refreshing swim…"

Lenses gleamed as Batsu considered strangling the trickster. She suppressed the frustration and stood up. Sweeping her eyes around, the caldera's scenery remained as she'd remembered it. Slopping white stone. A colossal dark cloud. Cloudy liquid at her feet. 

Batsu peered up at the intimidating thundercloud. An instinctive request quietly slipped from her lips. 

'Send me back…'

"And what good would that do? Furoufushi is already dead where she stands. You were careless again. Rushing in like-"

"SEND ME BACK!"

Fury radiated in Batsu's scorching eyes. Teeth borne in resentment and rage, she snarled at her Zanpakutō. 

"Fuck off with the games. Send me back…"

The Hare cocked its head to the side, selecting silence. Eyes clashed with intensity. The lake at their feet sloshed and rippled as they glared. Bloodthirst charged the humid air. 

Roaring thunder rumbled over the vast caldera. 

*Boom* *Kow*

An exploratory query was offered to Batsu.

"Do you know why you woke up in the lake?"

"I don't care."

"It would be prudent to be aware of your circumstances."

Batsu's dismissive retort was countered by the Hare. Its beady red eyes bored into Batsu, pressing the importance of what just occurred. 

"You're on the brink Batsu'unsai. One foot is dangling over the abyss. Still, you remain undecided. You charged forth with no plan in mind like a wild beast. You failed Kenji tonight; do you know that?"

"…"

Batsu gnawed into her bottom lip. Blood trickled down her chin into the cloudy pool. Her pained eyes hardened again. 

Batsu extended her arm, opening her palm to the Hare. An honest plea poured out of Batsu's heart.

"I will protect them. But I need you…"

"Fool…"

*sluuu~*

The Hare's body melted, melding with the lake. Batsu's outstretched arm drew back. A bitter expression stained her face. Her fingernails tore at the flesh of her palms, dirtying the lake with more blood.

"Your naivety is astonishing. Depending on others is truly madness. If you want something, you must grab it for yourself."

Captured in the lens, eyes ignited with a profound depth. Batsu lowered her gaze. Absent of reflections, the cloudy lake curled and surged. 

Batsu closed her eyes and inflated her lungs to the maximum capacity. 

"HAAT~!"

*SPLASH*

She dove into the lake and swam in pursuit of the Hare. Without rest, Batsu exerted her spellbound strength. A taste of determination fed her insatiable hunger. Motivations would only take her so far. Still, she'd make use of everything.

Kicking and clawing, Batsu cut through the never-ending fog. 

*Thoom* *suuu*

Vibrations thrummed in recurrence. Sonorous booms deafened Batsu's unyielding mind. Agitating, electric barbs pierced her skin as the murky clouds darkened. Pounding currents crashed against her struggling form.

Her flesh was singed at the constant harassment. Her lungs and muscles felt inflamed to an indescribable degree. 

Nevertheless, her hands fearlessly persisted, shredding through the darkening clouds. 

From cloudy white to murky grey. From murky grey to dense darkness. The air had thickened, squeezing Batsu's body without mercy. As the pressure increased, sudden sparks of light struck Batsu. Jolts of paralyzing energy ripped into her strained muscles. 

Over and over. Time seemingly vanished. Only the sensations of abuse and torment remained.

Over and over...

Until her lungs ran empty. Stroke after stroke, Batsu's eyesight began to fade. The perpetual darkness and flecks of darting light lulled her senses. Submerged thunderclaps shuddered outside Batsu's slipping consciousness. 

Her limbs dragged on, fighting off the overwhelming desire to let go.

Two bewitching rubies blazed in the oppressive darkness. They soon sunk back, certain of the outcome.

*SPLASH*

"KAAH~ HAAH~ *Cough* *Cough* *gasp* *Gasp*"

"Good enough."

Batsu tiredly searched for the trickster. Although she was unable to find the spirit, the news of success was wholly understood.

The hidden hare's amused intonation morphed into a grave tone. 

"They say seeing is believing. Who determines what we believe? What do we truly see? That is for us to decide. Still, as long as we believe, we will reach out and touch it…"

Batsu flopped down on the smoky black bed of fog. Her chest heaved up and down as she stared up at the sky. A pale full Moon filled her view. A single caldera lay in its core, comprising half of the moon's terrain. 

Thunder bellowed at Batsu's back. 

*BOOM* *KOW*

She turned her head to find the Hare sitting beside her. It hopped closer to Batsu's resting head. 

The Hare bequeathed its truth. 

"Recite the pledge. 'Our brilliance betrays none'."

*BOOM* *KOW*

*RUMBLE* *RUMBLE*

'Our brilliance betrays none…'

*ZUUU~*

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

*ZUUU~*

"UGETSU!" [雨月 / Rain Moon (Rain-veiled Moon)]

*BWOOSH* *ZHOOO~*

An explosion of Reiatsu blasted Yachiru and the two puppets toward the gate. Batsu's focus rested solely on Furoufushi who was turning her head. The two shadows readied their attack. 

An intuitive affinity coiled up Batsu's hands as she flourished her materializing polearm. With no time to spare, she unleashed her Shikai's ability. 

"Toutotsukage!" [曈肭影 / Twilight New Moon Shadow]

*Swoosh* *Swoosh*

Batsu aimed at two shadows from over twenty meters away and hacked at the air. Her supposedly 'futile' behavior resulted in an extraordinary sight. 

*Shuk* *Shuk* 

*thud* *thud*

Furoufushi turned her head. Looming over her were two headless, armless corpses. They belatedly slumped onto the street, as if their taut strings had been cut. 

A shiver coursed down her spine as she internally admitted her brush with death. Flowing blood slicked her straw sandals, streaming along the pavement's creases. Her reflection in the bright red pool was stained with a pallid complexion. 

Furoufushi's vacant mind was drawn back to reality, forcibly spun around from her daze. Ripped from her macabre mirror, Furoufushi was startled to see Batsu's worried face. Scrunched eyebrows and frowning lips hinted at how grim the outcome could have been. 

Not needing any words, Batsu drew her disturbed sister into her arms. Furoufushi barely captured a deflated whisper. 

'I'm sorry…'

Arms clung onto Batsu. Hands slowly stroked the foolish girl's trembling back. 

Of course, Batsu could detect Furoufushi's growing smirk. 

Devious words condemned Batsu's bright future. 

'I'm telling Tenchō, you little shit…'

A warm hug was the final word on the matter. Parting from their embrace, Furoufushi immediately noted Batsu's new weapon. Her eyebrows lifted in amazement, flowing into her enamored inspection. 

"Neat spear… it's a spear, right?"

Ugetsu's Shikai form surpassed Batsu's height of 164 cm, extending to 180 cm in total. The original Shirasaya Tachi had manifested as a conspicuous Naginata. At the full moon's invitation, a shimmering, silver double-edged blade stood at attention. A golden, grainy wood shaft supported the perilous instrument of combat. Attached at the butt of the shaft was a braid of generous golden tassels. 

Batsu whirled the polearm with spontaneous finesse. Genuinely impressed, Furoufushi asked about the remarkable Zanpakutō.

"How'd you hit them?"

*thump*

Batsu slammed Ugetsu on the street. A proud, albeit irritating grin shone on her face as she boasted about her abilities. 

"If I can see it, I can hit it."

"Ahh~! Just what I'd expect from our little angel!"

"What'd you say? Wanna have a go the-"

*bruuum* *shake* *quake*

Tremors of an acute magnitude disrupted their lighthearted recuperation. Having finished off the last two puppets, Yachiru strode up to the two women. The three hushed as they turned their attention toward the disaster's epicenter. 

Far beyond the street's disappearing horizon, it came... 

*bwuuu~* *bwooo~*

Torrents of ghastly, tainted pressure alarmed the three women. Disgust and indications of apprehension marked the eldest's appearance. Adjusting her glasses, Batsu concealed the undercurrent of anxiety and deep-seated fear. Yachiru's nose slightly crinkled in obvious aversion. 

Without looking, Furoufushi posed her reservations.

"He's over there?"

'…I think so…'

Batsu's tentative answer left Furoufushi with a sour scowl. Fatigue and weakness plagued her willingness to assist Kenji. Not to mention she only recently accomplished feats required of a Lieutenant. The defiled Reiatsu would crush her even at her best. 

All they could do was wait…

Nearly a couple of minutes elapsed till another turbulent tremor surged. 

*Brrrm*

A lagging boom shortly reached their ears, delayed by the tens of kilometers between their position and the conflict. 

*boom~*

Not a minute later, a soul-shivering omen glided past their vigilant standstill. 

*shuuu~*

Chills caused their wispy hairs to rise. Goosebumps emerged as they forgot to breathe. 

Yachiru's head crooked up as she spotted an abnormality in the night's vast extent. Her soft voice spread the intriguing discovery. 

'A shooting star…'

**FLUTTERING** **SQUAWK** **SQUAWK**

Thousands of birds shrouded the sky, obscuring their vision. When nature's prophecy dwindled, the star's glow intensified. Another tide of repugnant Reiatsu pummeled the girls' shaking silhouettes.

*Bwuuu~*

Still, their eyes latched onto the beautiful celestial body.

As the newborn star approached the end of its life, a blaring screech shattered the stillness. 

*SHEEENUU~*

The three women plugged their ears and raptly witnessed the star's death. They waited in anticipation as it descended past their eyesight, over the horizon, tens of kilometers away. 

A flash of blinding sunlight engulfed their vision. 

Reminiscent of a volcanic eruption, a violent explosion thundered. 

*BOOM~*

*WHOOSH* *Fwoo*

*RUMBLE* *SHAKE* *SHAKE*

Detonating shockwaves and tremors crashed into their braced bodies, blasting them into a labored backpedal. Waves of dust swarmed the streets as a sprinkling tsunami. 

When nature settled in the aftermath, the three women stared up in awe.

*Fwoosh*

A radiant miniature mushroom cloud ballooned over Seireitei. 

It's billowing clouds curled into itself, voraciously devouring the air. 

Traces of lightning and combustion blazed inside the clouded column of destruction. 

The three unknowingly gawked at the devastating spectacle for an unknown amount of time. At some point, a striking voice questioned their current state.

"Ready to go home?"

The three rapidly rotated on their feet. Unable to speak, confusion recoiled inside the women's mouths. They watched as Kenji mysteriously appeared and continued walking to the northern gate.

From their view, his appearance was almost flawless, except for the peeling, bloody cut on his cheek. A number of emotions coated their dusty faces.

Furoufushi's eye and mouth stayed agape, sharing her incomprehension. Relief oozed from Batsu's sighing exterior. Yachiru's blue eyes bored into Kenji's back; a spark of fanaticism glimmered in passing.

As well as something else…

But it left as quickly as it came.

Kenji's body shivered in the Autumn chill. He looked around wondering where the breeze had come from. Looking back, he found their static stupefied condition and frowned. 

His hurtful complaint earned some glares. 

"Baths when we get back! You guys look like dusted mochi!"

[A/N: I have Mid-terms tomorrow and the day after. I may post late. Chapters are stockpiled, I just have Thesis work and actual tests taking up my time lately. Know that the coming few chapters will return to Slice of Life. So, kick back and relax.

From your boy,

AKD_Khmer]