Your Guardian Angel. [Solo Training - A Guardian's Gift]

The clock finally struck two a.m. It was finally closing time for the Blue Heaven Bar and Grill. Slowly, the patrons of the establishment stumbled their way out the main doors. They were mostly middle aged males, seeking to drown their sorrows in high class liquor. Other patrons included the party goers and young adults who were barely old enough to drink. There had been a couple bachelorette parties and a few birthday parties taking place throughout the night. Just your typical evening at Blue Heaven. Moka lightly sighed and countinued to watch the clock. She was anxious for the night to be over. She was behind on her sleep due to her hectic schedule. Between work, Quincy business, and other matters of her personal life, she had little time for sleep. It was slowly draining the life out of her. She needed at least one good night's sleep to restore her body. Moka's eyes continued to watch the clock, the time passing so slowly. Just fifteen more minutes until closing time now. She counted them down anxiously. Finally, after a seemingly endless quarter of an hour, two loud chimes rang over the hard pounding music and the chattering voices of the patrons. The clock finally struck two in the morning. Moka was pleased to finally announce that the bar was now closed. Several disappointed groans and saddened protests erupted among the masses as the patrons began to sluggishly make their way out of the bar.

After finally getting the last person out of the bar, Moka started the clean up process. Yoko and Mai were cleaning up tables while Moka worked on the bar. She began to lock down all of the excess liquor before cleaning up the bar counters. She picked up empty bottles and wiped up any spills that were left behind. After about half an hour, the main floor was spotless and ready for the next evening. Moka soon went to the back room to tally up the tills and seal the day's profits in the vault hidden within her office. It was a Friday night, so the money was good for a night's work. She sorted out the tips for Mai and Yoko, then called them back to pass them out. The two women giggled excitedly as they counted out their own personal profits before wandering back out into the main area of the bar. After about fifteen more minutes, she was finally ready to send Mai, Yoko, Tai, and everyone else home before locking up and heading home on her own. She first made one final walk through the bar, double checking that everything was clean and set up for the next day, and making sure all lights and unneeded electronics like the strobe lights and the jukebox were turned off. After that one final pass through, Moka made her way to the main door, locking up other doors, as well as her own office on the way. She walked out into the chilly, early morning air, a heavy yawn passing her lips. She shivered a bit, then softly sighed to herself. She should have thought ahead about her choice of clothing. She didn't expect the night to get so cold, so she didn't bother to wear a coat of any kind. She groaned and double checked the lock on the main door, then began walking down the empty streets of Central Karakura, heading towards her home for the night. That's when something caught her attention. Something out of place and unnerving was in the air. She paused and turned her attention towards the raven black sky. There were no stars to be seen in the sky above Karakura. The moon was nowhere to be found, leaving the town in utter darkness. The only light was coming from the dim street lamps. Something wasn't right and it made Moka shiver. Something was coming, or it was already present somewhere in Karakura. An ominous presence had invaded the city she was born to protect, and Moka was going to eliminate it. Sure, she was exhausted, but duty came before her own personal needs. If what she was sensing was a hollow, then she had to destroy it. It was her place as a Quincy. Using her hirenkyaku, she traversed the city, searching for what she was sensing within the vast, spiritual city.

After nearly an hour of traveling from place to place through the city, a vast spiritual pressure nearly brought Moka to her knees. She fought through it until it faded. Moka was still able to sense it. It was coming from Karakura Central Park. Moka frowned. She knew what that pressure was. It was a hollow, but was far greater than any normal hollow that she had encountered. Moka was in for a vicious fight. She could feel it, and she was ready. She used her hirenkyaku to get to Karakura park in a matter of seconds. The pressure she was sensing radiated strongly from the center of the park. Moka shuddered and glanced once more at the sky, it still being an inky black sheet of darkness. The entire park was pitch black with no starlight or moonlight to illuminate it. The lamps that usually lit the park at night had been turned off at ten in the evening. Moka exhaled slowly, then began to walk towards the center of the park. There, she saw it. A shadow. A sillouette in the dark. It appeared to have a human structure, but something was off about it. She took another step closer, only to hear a loud snap coming from beneath her right foot. She stepped on a twig, snapping it beneath her foot. She gasped and ducked behind a tree as the figure turned, it's crimson eyes burning through the darkness like two ruby spheres. Moka swallowed hard, her heart beating in her chest. This was no normal hollow. It's spiritual was beyond anything that she had ever felt before. She soon heard footsteps in the grass, they slowly getting louder as if they were getting closer. She placed her hand over mouth to silence her breathing. Her heart nearly leapt from her chest as a gruff, angry voice rang in her ears from on the other side of the tree. "I can smell you, girly....come out and reveal yourself before I force you to come out..." Moka's body stiffened, her eyes growing wide. She tried to move, but was petrified by fear. A growl echoed from the creature behind the tree before a cold, clammy hand seized her right arm. She let out a surprised cry as the figure flung her to the ground. She hit the grass, a few blades sticking to her legs as she tumbled slightly across the ground. She groaned slightly and sat up, rubbing her side. She looked up to find those blood red, glowing orbs staring down at her. Moka's crucifix began to glow a bright blue hue, reacting to the spiritual pressure of the figure that began to slowly walk closer. The light emitting from her cross illuminated the figure that now stood over her. Her eyes widened, her heart beating out of her chest. "A..Arrancar...."

A vicious smirk tugged at the corners of the figure's lips, it's eyes glowing a brighter crimson hue. Moka could now see the figure clearly. It appeared to be male, standing over six feet, then again he looked ten feet tall from Moka's perspective on the ground. His skin was an ashen grey, giving him a corpse like appearance. His jet black hair was waist length, blowing slightly in the wind as another icy breeze whispered through the park. He appeared slender with an athletic build showing through his tight fitting attire. He wore the normal arrancar attire consisting of a white vest-like top that covered his chest from his ribs up. The collar fit the shape of his neck, stopping a few inches below his jaw line. The vest only held one sleeve that covered his entire left arm. His right hand was covered in a white fingerless glove with black trim to match his top. His lower half was covered with a pair of white hakama pants. His feet were covered in black boots that resembled the opposite of a shinigami's footwear. A pair of ivory white horns projected from the temporal sides of his skull. The horns were about a foot in length and seemed rather rigid from what she could see. Moka shuffled backwards a bit, the male's eyes following her every move. "Where do you think you're going, girly..? I can sense your spiritual pressure....I know you're able to see me....but now that you have...I'm afraid that I cannot let you leave this place....not alive..." Moka's lips parted as if to speak, but all that escaped her lips was a frightened squeak. After a few moments of silence, she finally spoke. "W-Who are you, Arrancar..?" The male quirked a brow before his brow furrowed into an angry scowl. Before Moka could blink, an icy hand struck her left cheek. Moka let out a cry of pain and fell hard to the ground with a loud thud before rolling slightly. She winced, bringing a shaking right hand to her burning cheek, an angry red handprint forming. She looked up at the male with a look that mixed pain and anger. The arrancar took a step closer, his right hand gripping the handle of the sword that he had strapped to his left hip. "Listen, Girly....you are in no position to ask me questions....but if you must know who I am, then I see no harm in telling you since you won't live long enough to remember.... I am Arrancar number seventeen....Alessandro Marconi....and you, my dear, chose the wrong night for a walk in this little park..."

Moka's entire body was shaking, but she had to get herself together. She swiftly rose to her feet, putting distance between herself and the arrancar. "Don't underestimate me, hollow...I'm no normal human..." The arrancar arched a brow and stared at her. "Silence, girly..." was all he said before he sonidoed forward, his hand shooting out to grab her by her throat. His bony fingers curled around her neck before he hoisted her up with ease. She tried to scream, but couldn't get a single sound out. Her hands came up and gripped the male's arm, her seafoam green hues staring down into those hateful red eyes.

The arrancar smirked and, with a simple flick of his wrist, he flung her into the trunk of a large oak tree. She hit the wooden stalk hard, droplets of blood escaping her mouth as she hit the ground. The arrancar suddenly sonidoed towards her again, burying his right foot into her gut, causing more blood to spew from her mouth and onto his hakama as he struck her with a powerful kick. She was sent flying into another tree. She smashed into it, only to find the arrancar male pinning her right shoulder to the trunk with his sword. Moka let out a loud cry of agony as the cold steel buried itself through the muscle and tissue, skewering her to the tree. She winced slightly and looked up at him before collecting reishi in her right hand. She formed a single spirit arrow and moved quickly, plunging the fiery arrow into the right eye of the arrancar. He shrieked in pain, now blind in his right eye from the heat of her arrow. "You stupid human bitch! I'll slaughter you!" He snarled and launched at her, burying his fist in her stomach before sending an uppercut to her jaw. She stood there and took the beating, blood now pouring from her mouth and nose. After a few moments of suffering the severe beating, she fell unconscious. She was bloody and bruised, nearing the brink of death.

The arrancar's one good eye burned with hatred for her. Several moments now passed as the arrancar stood in waiting. He wanted Moka awake when he delivered the final blow. While he waited, he knelt down at Moka's side. He huffed and pushed Moka onto her back, examining her closely. His eyes scanned every inch of her bruised and bloody body, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Pity you have to die tonight, Girly...I hate having to ruin such a lovely face...but you humans...You shouldn't be allowed to live..." The arrancar brushed his icy fingertips across Moka's blood stained ivory flesh, then brought his fingertips to his pale blue lips. His tongue darted out, the soft, wet muscle gliding along his fingertips as he lapped up the blood. He smirked and rose to his feet. Such sweet blood....a pleasant dessert...and true virgin blood at that....Such a pity...You'll get no chance of breeding in this world, Girly.... He grinned and kicked Moka in the ribs, shattering two of them. Luckily the shattered bone fragments didn't penetrate her ribs. She laid unconscious for several hours while the Arrancar Male simply waited and waited for her to awaken.

Moka soon began to regain consciousness, her right hand now starting to collect reishi again. In her hand, she began to form her bow, it forming rather quickly in her time of desperation. The arrancar watched in amazement. "A Quincy, eh..? I thought you hollow hunters were extinct...No matter...in a matter of minutes, you will be..." He let out a haunting laugh that sent chills down her spine while he pulled his blade from her shoulder. She cried out in pain and slumped to the ground. She raised her bow and drew back the string. "I...I will not die here tonight...." She formed a single arrow to arm her bow, then fired. The arrow whizzed through the air and tore through the arrancar's shoulder. He winced in pain, then smirked as the wound started to heal. The creature laughed before focusing his malevolent gaze back on the battered female. Moka grimaced and collected more reishi in her hand, this time forming three arrows in her hand. She armed all three and fired. The arrancar raised his blade and slashed through the arrows as if they were nothing. It became clear that Moka's power was weakening greatly. The arrancar took another step closer. Moka only had about one last shot in her. She exhaled slowly and started to collect reishi in her hand once again, forming only a single spirit arrow. She took that one arrow and whispered to it softly. "Strike true, my beloved..." She then armed her bow with that one arrow and took aim. The arrancar stared down at her, his evil red eyes mocking her with every glare. "You can't hurt me with those little darts, girly! Go ahead! Shoot me! You won't win this fight! SHOOT ME!!" Moka closed her eyes, ignoring the male's taunts as she fired the single shot. Manipulating the reishi in the air, she turned that one arrow into a barrage of a thousand shots. The arrows crashed into the arrancar, all one thousand of them ripping through the body of the male. He cried out in shock, not expecting such an attack. He was too close to her to form a counter to her barrage. The arrows exploded on contact, blowing the male to bits. His blade crashed to the ground before evaporating into spirit particles, disappearing with what was left of the exterminated arrancar's body. After that attack, Moka's bow disappeared. Her body hit the ground, barely clinging to life. That's when it happened. A true miracle...

Moka's cross began to glow a bright cerulean blue color, enveloping Moka's battered body in it's warm glow. Moka had fallen unconscious again, this time from bloodless. The light soon took the form of an angel. The angel showed no traits from either gender. It was neither male, nor female. It had bright, golden yellow hair that shone like the sun. Its skin was a translucent peach hue that looked utterly flawless. It was dressed in a flowing white gown that billowed around its body as if it was submerged in water. Six bright blue feathered wings protruded from its back. It stood over Moka. A saddened look on its face. The angel's gentle blue hues stared down at Moka's battered body. This angel was a manifestation from Moka's inner spirit. Moka's bow. The heart of the guardian angel. The angel hummed a peaceful tune as its body took on a second form, that of a massive blue bird. The bird hovered over Moka, forming a sphere of her own energy around her. The moment she was enveloped, her wounds began a process of healing. Her bruises faded until they were completely nonexistent, her open wounds quickly closing and the bleeding now stopping. Her body was restored to its normal in over an hour's time. She had sustained a great deal of damage from the assault. Over time, the light that had enveloped her had slowly faded, her cross' glow soon fading as well. Moka's eyes fluttered open, she now trying to sit up. She inspected her body to find her wounds completely healed. She smiled, knowing exactly what happened. Her Grandfather had explained this once before. In a time of dire need, her angel would appear and save her. Her angel was her own inner power that manifested like a Zanpakuto's spirit, but instead it was a "bow spirit." Moka lightly sighed and leaned against the tree trunk, her body feeling weak after using so much energy for her special ability. "A Guardian's Gift, indeed..." She whispered her words softly and turned her gaze to the sky. The stars had returned to the now navy blue heavens. Moka realized that it must be getting close to dawn. She simply sat against the tree trunk, unable to move. She couldn't have been happier though because she'd finally get the chance to watch the sun rise. She was normally asleep by this time of day. Moka softly sighed and gazed at the sky as the sun's golden light painted the dawn sky with a gorgeous orange hue mixed with shades of pink and shades of lavender. She gazed longingly at the sky as her strength slowly returned. She struggled to her feet, bracing herself a bit before she stumbled out of the park and headed home for some well deserved rest.

After a long, half hour walk, Moka had finally arrived at her door. She had regained most of her strength now, at least enough to keep her going long enough to get inside. She slammed the door behind her and stumbled over to the sofa. She inhaled deeply through her nose, then exhaled slowly out her mouth. She reached over to her coffee table and flicked on the lamp, now thinking back to what had happened not too long ago. She started to wonder why she was never able to trigger her Guardian's Gift ability until just now. Then it hit her. She realized that she had never been wounded like she was a while back. She put the pieces of the puzzle together, soon coming to the conclusion that she must only be able to use her healing ability when she's mortally wounded. She lightly sighed and laid down on the sofa, wriggling out of her blood encrusted clothes before throwing them onto the floor and pulling a thick throw blanket over her body. She then sat back up, her body now feeling restless. She sighed and rose to her feet, stumbling lazily to the bathroom. She needed a hot shower to calm her restless nerves. She started the water, leaving it as hot as she could tolerate. Steam quickly filled the small bathroom, the mirror now fogged. She shed the remainder of her clothes and stepped into the hot torrent of soothing water. She groaned and leaned against the shower wall as the water cascaded down her tired frame. She just stood there for about half an hour, letting the hot water relax her tired muscles and achy joints. After another fifteen minutes passed by, she turned off the water and flung the shower curtain open. She stepped out of the shower and yanked a towel off of the towel rack. She dried herself off, and opened the bathroom door after draping the towel over her head. She had no reason to dress herself, nor did she have the energy to. She simply stumbled to her room, flinging the towel to the floor before crawling into her bed. She laid down, pulling the plush comforter over her body. A bed had never felt so good. She let out another soft sigh and closed her eyes, drifting off almost instantly and getting the well deserved sleep she so desperately needed, not planning to wake up until well into the afternoon.


[Done! 3500/3500 words~]

Well done ^^ this will be locked and moved to the archieves to avoid clutter and the ability added to your profile.