Not Like the Last [Amaranta/Hana]

The silver city glowing under the setting sun as city lights illuminated sky scrapers and the highways that weaved through them. Austin Texas was beautiful, but… that tranquility ripped away when Hana’s reikaku caught sense of something familiar. Her heart raced, her stomach sank. She hoped to never sense that woman’s, that Arrancar’s, energy ever again. With such a large world, you would think repeated encounters were impossible, but the probability struck here. Hana wondered if Amaranta was coming here because of her; Hana wasn’t perfect at hiding herself, especially while standing outside without a gigai to help her.

The young shinigami stood up, her zanpakuto swiftly unsheathed as she waited. Amaranta was more powerful than her by miles, so running felt foolish. Besides, Hana could recall Amaranta's last attitude, the message that was so brutally sent. She liked fighting power, and Hana wasn't worth the trouble... Was she now?

"I need to know," Hana thought, tightly gripping her sword and waiting...

"Now, what do we have here?"

The bronze woman walking along the air was no stranger to this land. Recollection filled her mind with images of her battle with Tento. The battle left an impression on her enough to travel here again, but she didn't expect to dance across a familiar spiritual pressure. A small woman with an overeager desire to prove herself, someone she could have easily killed but spared to see where her evolutionary scale eventually lead her. A seamless burst of sonido carried her her toward the woman in a single stride of movement. Standing a pace away from the woman, a bestial grin tore across the leonine's woman's features as she waved in her direction.

"Long time no see, brat. Did you take anything I said from before to heart? Or are you still as foolish as I remember?"

The reiatsu Amaranta gave off with that use of sonido caused Hana to hold her breath. Her voice made Hana’s skin crawl. She looked up to the female Arrancar. Yep, there she was. It was that same aggressive, belittling woman that beat her so badly last time. Hana tensed, taking a stance with her zanpakuto and waiting. She would not rush into anything today. She didn’t want to fight, but she would.

"I would prefer not being called a brat, but I guarantee I have no interest in rushing in mindlessly like last time," Hana said, her grip so tight on her zanpakuto that the sword shook. She swallowed nervously, eyes focused. "Why are you here?"

"What was your name? Hana? Guess you're not as much of a overzealous brat as you were the last time. I like it."

Amaranta regarded her with an amused glint in her eye, her supernatural gaze bearing down on her like a predator sizing up their prey. Moving around Hana with poised steps, curiosity compelled her to pose a question. There were many questions she wanted to ask, her soul afire with inquiry. How far had she progressed since the last time they met?

"I'm here because you're here. Remember what we talked about the last time, Hana? Did ya' take any of that to heart? Pick up on any techniques? What did you pick up on since the last time we met? Outside of acting bratty about your defeat, that is."

Well, the rumors about Arrancar were proving true, unlike the last time Hana ran into this woman. Last time, the break Amaranta had given her was a shock. If Amaranta’s words were true, she preferred less idiotic behavior from her opponents. Hana wasn’t a “meal,” but potential entertainment that wasn’t living up to her standards. Still, Hana preferred not being called a brat… She wasn’t a brat.

Hana stepped back, feeling intimidated by Amaranta’s gaze. As she reached out with her reikaku, trying to reassess exactly how powerful this Arrancar was, Hana quickly remembered how outclassed she actually was. She must be careful.

"I believe I have increased my strength since our last meeting, if that is what you are referring too." Hana said, feeling a bit of relief. She expected an instant attack, but she realized that would go against anything Amaranta said last time... "Did you really come all the way here just to test me? I find that a tad hard to believe."

"What else would I be coming here for? You're the only Shinigami here at the moment. Everyone else is a measly human. Besides, we have history together."

Amaranta chorted heartily as she maintained a casual stride, assuming a position over the small woman as she continued to observer her. There was certainly a more reserved air about her that stood in stark contrast to the brash display of immaturity she felt at her defeat. Part of her wondered if her advice had even lit a flame under her, but that was precisely why she was questioning the woman as she was now.

"To answer your question, yeah. I came here to sate my curiosity. I don't intend on attacking you unless you want to fight me. I told you I wanted you to grow stronger, smarter, develop some conviction. It seems you've grown quite well in some of those aspects. I'm proud," she mused with a grin, patting the woman's head with a bestial grin playing across her leonine features.

The closer Amaranta got, the more steps back Hana took. However, when Amaranta kept getting closer, she realized backing up was a waste of time, so she finally stood her ground after the third time. As Amaranta answered her question, her hand relaxed on her zanpakuto. At least the woman wasn’t here to fight… unless Hana wanted to… It was her choice? This wasn’t like any Arrancar she read about.

“Proud?” Hana repeated questioningly. She wasn’t sure how to feel. There was a bit of pride herself, but also confusion. Even her own mother was never proud of her, but this Arrancar was? Hana did not know how to take that. As her head was pat, a single and sudden unwilling tear slid down her cheek. Hana’s hand quickly came up to wipe it away. “Uh, thank you… I think. I have been training… a lot.”

’What is so wrong with me that my mother hates me more than this Arrancar does… What did I do… This is not right… They are supposed to be evil, so why...’

A confused expression momentarily crossed her bestial features, supernatural sapphires noting the tear that dribbled down her cheek. What elicited that reaction? She wondered. She might have guessed fear, were it not for her composed stance and the fact she hadn't moved from her current position. Did she feel some sense of honor? Sentimentality? Pride? Curiosity quietly teased her mind as her hand continued to pat against the woman's head. Curious creatures, these soul reapers. Then again, the woman likely thought the same about her.

"What's the tear for? Am I so much of an enemy ya can't take genuine praise, Hana? I can't blame ya, what with all the stuff happenin' in Africa and what they likely teach you young soul reapers about. Still, if this is what training has done for you so far, I'm that much more excited to see where you go next."

Hana put her sword away. She was a gentle person, and so Amaranta’s question was met with a light shake of her head. She held her hands together and over her chest, eyes directed at the floor. “No, no… Nothing like that, at least not in this moment,” she said. There was a part of her that wanted to spill her sadness and explain herself, but doing so would be more foolish than that single tear.

Hana took a breath and hardened herself. She looked up at Amaranta and raised a curious eyebrow. “If I may ask, why are you interested in my progression?”

'Good question..."

Amaranta would grin in response to that question. There was no complicated proccess beyond wishing to see her evolve into a great warrior, one she could potentially clash against in the future. Turning her head toward the skies, she'd hum fondly as though daydreaming, but her attention was very much still focused on Hana.

"As a Shinigami, it's your duty to eventually defeat me, right? I want you at your absolute best. Even now, it would take nothing for me to defeat you, but you're making progress, and that excites me. Probably a foolish notion to you, but I revel in facing any opponent of mine once they've reached their full potential. Anything less just makes me feel awkward."