Such A Sorry State [Kita, Amaranta]

Where was she.. To her mind it could only be best described as a cave or den; she was far too exhausted when Klein had taken her here to ask what he would call it. Sleep took her much like death, her waking feeling as if she had roused from the grave, a sore body and heavy eyes, a mind drifting in and out of sleep as she tried to rouse herself. Thoughts came by her, of what she was about to do, of that cacophony of feeling she could not understand, to the feeling of his embrace...

Even if it wasn't fully thought out, that proper awakening was to a sense of calm, a quiet taking her as she had emerged to the surface. That Arrancar was here, she could sense her nearby - she was about, she could sense it even in her tiring hours. With that, she followed her senses, until she witnessed that familiar dark hair.

"Hello," Her deep, dried voice spoke, a brief hack and cough following the sudden use and force of her voice on her tired chords, clearing her throat to continue, "So it is you. Why are you in such a place, are you here to do battle with the beasts here?"

"Of course. Why else would I be here?"

A familiar scent graced her nostrils. A pair of eyes, supernaturally blue, shined like a blazing star. Where was the worthwhile entertainment? There was likely a clash promising brilliance, a battle worthy of seeking her teeth into. Somewhere in the distance, she could sense a symphony of grand spiritual pressures radiating all around the wartorn plains of this fallen nation.

A single battle wouldn't even be enough to sate her lust for conflict. Soul reapers? Hollows? To deny herself of this divine feast was nothing short of damnable, but her spiritual energy reserves weren't quite at the ideal capacity for the battles ahead. What a shame. Perhaps, all was not lost.

This worn voice. This familiar spiritual pressure...

Vanishing in the blink of an eye, appearing a few meters before her within the den. Cocking her head to the side with a grin, she silently appraised the woman's appearance. Crimson hair, crimson eyes, a beastly stature, a familiar reiatsu. Genuinely, without any of that harshness her brash tone usually conveyed, she posed but a single question.

"Do I know you? Your spiritual pressure is familiar, and so is that scent... but your appearance doesn't ring a single bell."

She could sense that air of unfamiliarity from the other woman, her stance tensed in case she decided to attack rather than discuss. Though Kita herself ached to spill blood, she wasn't too keen on fulfilling that instinct right away - she was interested in a far more mutual exchange than a surprise one. Sparks of surprise licked off Kita's hairs as the other woman suddenly got closer... But she merely asked her a question. Ah, so there was some level of recognition.

"Yes. You calmed my wild state many nights ago, I... Am realizing my appearance may not be similar enough to hail recognition, with the further breaking of my mask in addition. I cursed that snake who defeated and put a blight upon me, my flesh."

Presenting an arm, the faint glimmer of those green scale-like patterns was obvious on her forearms, "I am uncertain if I ever spoke my name; Kita."

"Kita, eh? You talk funnier than I remember. Then again, who am I kidding? We barely talked."

Amaranta grinned in humorous recognition of the woman, the green scale-like patterns a telltale sign of her identity. It was far more prevalent in her skin the last time they met. For a moment, the leonine woman idly wondered if she had learned to suppress whatever curse it was that had been laid upon her.

Though their duel was more akin to a contest of savagery, she hadn't forgotten the woman in the slightest. Indeed, even her presence was stronger than before. The spiritual energy was spicier than she remembered. Running a hand through the crimson woman's hair, Amaranta's sapphire gaze appraised the den they were currently occupying with their presence. How did she end up here, anyway?

"I remember ya. We fought like a pair of rabid fuckin' animals. What brings you here? Looking to sate your bloodlust like me, fellow predator?"

"More traded blows and flashed teeth than words, indeed." A somewhat mournful look was given in reflection of that night, as if she felt some sense of shame in her actions, that they met under such conditions. Though she remembered the familiar thrill in her blood toward spilling others, she felt frustration it was only achieved in such a grossly vulnerable circumstance.

Flinching with the other Arrancar's approaching hand, pupils slit into fine chiseled points until relaxing, the brief sparks licking off the hairs Amaranta sought to touch quickly extinguishing. It was a movement of... Admiration? Interest? Her present self was a mess, hardly anything to be looked upon fondly... Yet it seemed others saw something she was hopelessly blind to.

"I came here to die." She didn't mince or dodge the truth, that was the fact she was uninterested in hiding, "It was a mistake. I had done something quite awful to my Klein in doing so. Now... I am uncertain of what I am to do."

Her foot dug at the dirt, gaze lowered, "I am not strong. But I am worth living. But I am uncertain of what to do with that life. I do not wish to be a beast, but I crave blood. It tears at my thoughts and crushes my spirit into a bloodied pool."

"Your Klein, eh? Interesting. Guess he has a thing for felines, huh?"

An upturned eyebrow marked an expression of interest at those peculiar words. What connection did these two share? There was rarely considerable interest in exploring Klein's personal affairs. He never revealed anything to her, and she never bothered to explore anything about him. Humorous, is it, then, that yet another revelation has been brought to her doorstep by another woman.

First, it was his connection with that serpentine woman, Safira. Now, it was Kita, revealing her pathetic intentions on how she intended to die, and how aimless she felt about her current direction in life.

Amusement was painted over by disappointment at what graced her ears. Occupying a seat a few meters apart from Kita, the bronze woman observed her with that penetrating pair of sapphires.

"What the hell do you want, then? Bloodshed or sitting around until you find something to validate your existence? Sheesh... Klein told me the other day that he didn't like hangers-on, that he wanted people that could handle themselves. What do I see here? A wounded animal in a land full of ferocious beasts? Or did he take pity on you? I guess if they look hot enough, he'll make an exception, but still..."

There were several questions. Each more infuriating than the last. Where was the ferocity she felt back on that island?

"He did not."

A vicious look filled Kita's previously dulled eyes at the mere assumption. No, Klein knew she was capable, even if she herself did not realize that. If she was truly pitiable, he would have left her to rot, and he surely ought to do such. This could not be the end of her, no, it had to be the beginning should she be worthy of him.

"If I am weak, then I am to become strong. That snake did nothing more than make me realize how low I truly rested.."

She felt her lungs burn and tense with a sense of anticipation, claws flexing, "If I am to be capable of protecting him, then I must become stronger, I cannot become complacent once more. That stillness almost wrote my end."

Standing up properly and walking a pace from Amaranta on the field, she'd glare at her opponent, "Fight me."

"There it is. Now you're speaking a language I'm familiar with."

Amaranta rose from her position on the ground, an air of bloodlust emanating from her frame as she strode toward the field. Whatever her connection was to Klein, Kita's passion rose as suddenly as a blooming flower the moment she spoke ill of her presence in his life, her animated ferocity far more desirable in comparison to the miserable form that graced her eyes moments ago. Claymore in hand, the leonine woman reached the center of what was soon to be another upturned battlefield within the plains of Africa.

"Give it your best shot, then, Kita. Complacency or not, I'm not here to help you get strong for his sake. What I desire is strength for your sake alone. Show me what that amounts to. If you fall short of even that? I promise that you will meet the end you desired not long ago."

Offering the first strike, the bronze leonine woman beckoned her forward. Eager to see what her talents as a fighter amounted to. The last time she was little more than a rabid beast without any sense of control. Now, she seemed more mindful, more aware. Ah, she sincerely hoped this outward appearance went beyond physical looks. Otherwise, she would be severely disappointed.

With that jagged crimson blade produced from it's rest between her shoulders, even without having relieved a full rest she wanted to drink blood, the look in her eyes said as much. Staring upon Amaranta as she declared her true intent in this, that she had no interest in Kita's desire to strengthen herself for her partner's sake, at some level she could understand that - it was such a weak and feeble thing to desire, but he was all she had left. She could not bare the paining loneliness, that was something she would have weakness for as long as she lived, whether she wished for it or not.

It still sickened her to accept any weakness within herself.

Her opponent made the charitable, yet foolish decision in allowing her the first move. A blitz of speed from a Sonido would occur, the monstrous strength of the feline arrancar coming upon Amaranta's forearm, and if able to grasp it, would yank her downward as her sparking sword would come down to orchestrate a powerful, localized explosion from it's blade.

Kita appeared before her in a single flash of movement. Such was the boon of speed granted by Sonido. To sate her wild curiosity, she allowed the monstrous feline to land her first attack without any form of resistance. Curiosity prompted her to approach the battle with observation first. There was no need to devour the meal in one whole bite.

After all, Amaranta wanted to see what her fellow predator's will amounted to in the grand scheme. The localized explosion encompassed her whole body, but the bronze lion would allow her no more purchase as she brought her strength to bear to swing the woman off of her arm during the display of fireworks.

When the smoke cleared, trails of blood lined her forehead in a grisly stream. Marked with severe burns, a bestial grin tore across her lips as she licked at the blood at her mouth. It was an impressive blow, to be sure, but far from enough to rattle someone with her degree of bloodlust.

"Hahaha! Whoa... if I were any weaker, that might have killed me just now..."

Displaying her prowess in Sonido, she bolted forward like a monstrous cyclone of violence, ferociously swinging her blade forward to create a streak of flame that sought to hit her head-on. The friction created from the arc of her swing enhanced the immensity of her flame as she pursued the woman relentlessly. If she evaded her initial strike, she would simply warp behind her to attack from another direction, aiming to set a wild and frantic pace in this murderous dance.

"Show me more of that! Let your bloodlust roam freely! If you call yourself a beast, show me! If you crave blood, spill blood!"