Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Chapter 2030: Claim

Though it probably wasn't the smartest decision he ever made, Vahn ended up entrusting Eureka to the care and oversight of Android 21. It wasn't that he didn't trust Urahara, but, shortly after his and Mikoto's stint in the Toaruverse, the man ended up creating a Mod Soul using the data obtained on Magic Gods.

Mod Souls, in the vast majority of Bleach Records, were artificial souls created to enable ordinary humans and even corpses to combat against Hollows. They were originally intended to be used as expendable pawns, but, due to several Mod Souls developing Egos of their own, the project was scrapped due to 'ethical concerns'. In reality, the governing body of Soul Society had been afraid that Mod Souls would be mass-produced and used to incite a rebellion, a constant threat for an organization that had stagnated to the point of cultural decay.

Simply put, Urahara had basically created his own version of a 'Template' in the form of a Mod Soul infused into a Gigai. His original reason for doing this had been pure scientific intrigue, but, perhaps as a result of the memories and experiences he had inherited from Vahn, the Mod Soul's personality ended up being female. He had also talked to constantly throughout the production process, so, by the time the Mod Soul, Yuna, gained awareness, she had already irreversibly imprinted on the Little Garden's residential mad scientist.

Though there hadn't been any major developments between them, everyone, including Urahara himself, was aware of how attached Yuna was to him. She was also extremely persistent, so, despite his efforts to wean her off him, it didn't take long for Yuna to strong-arm her way into a position as Urahara's Assistant. She had even gotten into a few arguments with his Zanpakuto Spirit, Benihime, so, at least for the time being, Urahara had enough troubles to deal with without having to oversee a hyper-intelligent loli...

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With Eureka no longer a concern, at least for the time being, Vahn decided it was time to bite the bullet and close one of the two major loose ends remaining. To this end, he teleported to the vast wasteland that once represented the heart of Imperial power, the 134th Floor.

Though some people had taken to calling it the 'Valley of the End', that had nothing to do with the reason behind Vahn's visit. No. His business was with a specific individual, who, after hearing about the battle between him and Jahad, ventured to the 134th Floor to see the devastation for herself.

Since he could now sense and locate virtually anyone and anything within the Tower, Vahn was able to manifest directly behind his target. This would have normally earned him an 'affectionate' punch, but, seemingly anticipating that he would appear, the lithe Half-Dragoness remained seated as she asked, "How long did the fight last? With devastation like this, I doubt it actually continued for three full days..."

After carefully considering where and how he should sit, Vahn succeeded in reducing some of the tensions in Ureko's body by plopping down behind her and wrapping his arms around her exposed abdomen. She had been secretly afraid that he might have changed his mind, and, knowing about the existence of Templates, she was lamenting the possibility that he might try and pawn her off to someone he had casually manifested out of thin air. This would have been a substantial blow to her pride, so, while he had actually considered it, Vahn ultimately decided against it after remembering his promise with her Data Self.

"Rather than three days, it would be more accurate to say the battle ended in three moves. The only reason it took so long for the Floor to open was because there was very little Shinsu left by the time Fenrir finished absorbing it. I needed to borrow Shinsu from the other Floors just to make this place habitable again."

While giggling in a surprisingly feminine manner, Ureko leaned into Vahn's chest, head tilted back as she adopted a radiant smile and mused, "As expected of the man I chose..."

Returning a smile of his own, Vahn resisted the temptation to simply nod his head in affirmation and instead lowered his lips to meet Ureko's. At the same time, the fabric of space and time began to distort around them until they were contained within their own isolated sub-dimension, a world all their own...

Though she sensed what was happening, Ureko's initial response was to hook her left hand around Vahn's head in order to prolong their kiss. She would never admit it but kissing had always been her weakness since it was the most intimate thing she had ever done prior to her bonding sessions with Yuri. She might dress up in relatively skimpy clothing, generally consisting of shorts and a bikini-like top, but, much like Nero, her primary reason for doing this was pride. She enjoyed showing off, and, to a lesser extent, she wanted to give people a sample of what they could obtain if they were strong enough to actually defeat her...

Hooking his hand around the interior of Ureko's elbow, Vahn had to use a bit of force to pry away her arm. When their lips separated, a thin line of saliva briefly connected them before being licked away by the hungry-looking woman nestled within his embrace. Her eyes glistened like a predator that had just stumbled upon its favorite prey, but, before she could say anything, Vahn beat her to the punch, his voice low and velvety smooth as he whispered, "I have come to claim you..."

Feeling her pulse beginning to rapidly accelerate, a challenging smile develop across Ureko's face as she attempted to retort, "Tough words coming from a guy-"

Without waiting for her to finish, Vahn sealed Ureko's lips a second time, this time using a bit of force and a fair amount of technique. She was severely lacking in practical experience, so, despite all her power, Ureko remained on the defensive the entire time. By the time they separated, Vahn had her leaning back, supported by his right arm and leg as he stroked her lower abdomen and traced his fingers along the band of her shorts.

With the blonde-beauty staring up at him with glistening red eyes, panting gasps emanating from her throat, Vahn adopted a stern yet affectionate tone as he said, "I didn't come here to fight. You have belonged to me from the moment you bore my crest and decided to make me your target. I came here today, not to determine which of us is superior, but to claim what is mine."

Since he knew Ureko's innermost concern was that he was just going with the flow and didn't really care about her, Vahn decided that the simplest solution was to shatter her expectations completely by claiming her as he saw fit. This had absolutely nothing to do with instinct, tradition, or any other complicated matters. She was an amazing woman with an interesting character and an appearance that not even the greatest artists in the Record would be able to capture. He wanted her at his side so that is why he came here today. Not to conquer, but to collect...

After several seconds of catching her breath, Ureko adopted an inordinately serious expression of her own, swallowing her saliva before saying, "That isn't how this works...you have to prove you're stronger than me. You can't just skip to the end..."

Adopting an amused yet slightly mischievous smile, Vahn circled his fingers around Ureko's navel as he mused, "It seems that kiss really did a number on you. You're telling me you still haven't noticed? This isn't just any sub-dimensional space. No. It is something far more complex than that..."

With an expression of profound confusion on her face, Ureko attempted to sense what Vahn was talking about only to discover that she couldn't. This caused her eyes to immediately widen, not because her senses were being blocked by some oppressive force, but because she couldn't use them at all.

While tracing his fingers up the line of her body, stopping just beneath the band of her bikini-like top, Vahn explained, "In this place, titles such as the Sage Dragon Emperor and the daughter of the Divine Dragon Emperor simply don't exist. We're just a man and a woman, two people coexisting in a world beyond the concepts of space and time..."

Fortunately, while his words weren't exactly a lie, Vahn could still access the system functions of The Path while he and Ureko were trapped. This allowed him to store her top in his Inventory, and, more importantly, it was really the only way they could escape once everything had been settled. Even his powers were completely sealed at the moment, and, were it not for the fact he had left a substantial number of 'anchors' back in reality, freeing themselves from the sealed dimension would take tens, if not hundreds, of years.

Feeling panic for the first time in thousands of years, Ureko was about to demand that Vahn return them to the real world when the latter, once again, sealed her lips. This time, however, she began to strike his shoulder and side in protest, but, as his words had implied, her strikes possessed none of the might she had cultivated over the last thirty-thousand-years. Instead, she felt an aching pain in her wrist and a burning sensation emanating from her knuckles. Vahn's persistent kissing was also depriving her of oxygen, so, before even a minute had passed, Ureko was shocked to discover that she was already completely exhausted.

With Ureko's protests turning into powerless smacks, Vahn pulled away in order to catch his own breath, an apologetically wry developing across smile his face as he gazed into her passion-filled yet horrified eyes. She looked like she was on the verge of tears, but, perhaps as a sequelae of her draconic instincts, her face had turned a deep shade of crimson as her body gradually heated within his embrace.

In a bid to both calm her down and display his affection, Vahn gingerly brushed aside a few strands of hair clinging to Ureko's face as he softly asserted, "Your raw power isn't what made you such an amazing woman, Ureko. It was your character, your unyielding spirit, and the kindness that allowed you to help others even when you, yourself, had lost everything. This place might have robbed us of our power but it hasn't changed who we are..."

Noticing the fear and uncertainty contained within Ureko's eyes even as he was reaching the end of his statement, Vahn's expression became progressively more guilty until he punctuated his guiding words by saying, "If you ask it of me, I will take you away from this place in an instant. I just wanted us to be closer without all the restrictions of race and circumstance...sorry...I..."

Seeing the guilt contained in Vahn's eyes as he looked away from her for the first time, a conflicted look instantanly marred Ureko's counteance. A part of her wanted nothing more than to leave this god-forsaken place, but, hearing him both apologize and offer to release her, a much larger part of her felt genuinely offended. He had also just talked up the traits that made her a so-called 'amazing woman', so, if she were to demand he take her back, she would effectively be admitting defeat and running away...

Adopting an accusatory glare, Ureko muttered, "I don't know if you're doing this intentionally or if you're just an idiot, but, if you make a second offer like that, I'll spare no effort to kill you once we get out of here. You're the one who decided on this course of action so you dam well better follow it through to the end. Don't tell me you got cold feet just because I got a little spooked? And here I thought you came to claim me...pathetic..."

Turning to meet Ureko's gaze, Vahn found himself at a loss for words when the former pulled his face close, hands gripping his head as she forcibly seized his lips. If not for the awkward angle he had forced her into, she might have actually pushed him down and seized the initiative for herself. This was her way of telling him, "If you aren't going to do it, I will", so, after quickly recovering from his stupor, Vahn did his best to regain the initiative against the suddenly assertive half-dragoness...

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(A/N: I wasn't feeling well today so I ended up going back to sleep shortly after waking up. Sorry for the delay.)

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