The Shepherd of Souls
Chapter One: Of Grave Robbers and Porcelain Dolls
Every being has spiritual pressure, but only few have an amount that can be harnessed to achieve great power. These people are known as Reapers or Soul Shepherds to be more exact. Invisible to society, the Reapers guard the fine balance of good and evil within the human world. They are guides for the departed spirits, taking them to the afterlife. But some Reapers are visible to the ordinary human eye. The ones who remain visible are ones who have yet to know of their extraordinary power…
It was a dark and cool summer sunset with a light breeze. The sun's last dying rays of light fell across an ancient graveyard. On this calm night however, there was a disturbance in the area around the graveyard. A kind of... spiritual… pressure exerting on those whose hearts remained beating.
Two men were digging furiously into a grave to find riches from years ago. Both were covered from head to toe in black clothing. The men cracked open the coffin with a crowbar and saw the skeletal remains of a small girl in a pale pink dress trimmed with lace. The girl's arms were embracing a porcelain doll, which wore a dress similar to the small girl. The men looked at each other with greedy grins on their faces.
"Do you think this is it, Garrett?" One of the two asked anxiously.
Garrett, the other man, nodded.
"Yes, I do believe this is the one, Zach. Let's get the doll out and smash it open." Garrett replied with a predatory gleam in his eyes.
Zach grabbed at the doll and tried to pry it out of the skeleton's arms. With a sickening crack, he managed to remove the doll. The wind seemed to wail, causing the men to glance around uneasily.
"Give me the doll!" Garrett demanded, snatching the doll from Zach and abruptly smashing it on the ground, shattering it. To their dismay, nothing was hidden within the doll. The two men remained there, looking at the smashed doll in disbelief.
"Boss said that the silver watch should be in this doll!" Zach groaned.
Garrett could only nod.
The breeze seemed to pick up, causing the willows surrounding the graveyard to sway, casting strange shadows in the dying light of the sunset.
"Well, we wait 'til night, then we rebury the dead girl in the coffin." Garrett said after a few minutes of silence.
"Alright. What a waste of effort, though, with the watch." Zach replied with a sigh. The two did not have to wait long for the sky to grow completely dark. The men hastily closed the coffin and shoved dirt over it. Patting the dirt unevenly, the two men had forgotten to put the remains of the doll back in the coffin.
The men turned to leave, and the wind rustling through the leaves blew violently, the sound resembling a shriek.
"My doll…give it baaaack!" The wind seemed to scream.
Zach jumped and shook, terrified.
"D-d-d-did you h-hear that?" He stuttered, looking at Garrett with wide eyes.
Garrett shook his head, even though he was unnerved.
"It was just the wind…" He responded, mostly to himself to convince himself that that fact was true.
"The doll… GIVE IT BACK!" The wind howled again, the sound coming from behind the men.
Shaking in pure fright, the men turned around and saw the earth covering the grave undulating.
"Run!" Garrett shouted, fleeing the area as fast as he could. Zack tried to follow, but an arm burst out of the ground, large, thick and scaly. It grabbed hold of Zach's legs and pulled, using Zach for support.
Zach's eyes rolled up into his head in terror as the head of the girl bust out of the ground, followed by the torso and legs soon after.
It wasn't a skeleton of a little girl anymore, it was a monster. The girl still wore the pink dress, but had dragonlike forearms and froglike rear legs. The girl's head was contorted, the skull more of a helmet than head for the beast that took claim of the girl's body. A thick reptilian tail swung forth from underneath the dress. The girl/beast now towered over Zach.
"My doll…where is my doll?" The girl/beast demanded, grasping Zach's throat and hoisting him up into the air.
Zach gurgled something incoherent, not noticing a figure running towards the girl/beast.
"Useless!" She shrieked her unearthly hand closing tighter on Zach's neck.
A young feminine voice answered the girl/beast's question.
"Hollow, your precious doll is by your grave, smashed to pieces by grave robbers, one of which is dangling from your hand now" The voice answered in a cold tone.
The Hollow turned to face the voice, dropping Zach to the ground. The voice belonged to a woman who looked to be about twenty years of age with long black hair and brilliant green eyes. The woman was dressed all in white, giving her a ghostly appearance.
"This body belongs to a girl named Eve, Reaper!" The Hollow hissed.
Zach coughed.
"H-hollow?" He asked while gasping for breath.
The woman looked at him.
"A Hollow is a spirit possessed and consumed by an overwhelmingly evil force. They exist only to devour the souls of the living." She said informatively. Zach noticed a scythe being held in the woman's right hand.
The Hollow hissed and rushed Zach unexpectedly, and his vision went completely black as he fell unconscious. The last thing he saw was the woman charging the Hollow, scythe raised…
Chapter Two: The Reaper in White
"Hey…hey, wake up!" Zach heard an annoyed voice say. He felt…funny in a way. He felt disjointed. He struggled to open his eyes, but couldn't because his eyelids were too heavy.
"I said…WAKE UP!" The voice said again, and Zach felt himself get slapped across the face. His eyes snapped open to see the woman dressed in white leaning over him, her black hair tickling his face.
The woman sat back as Zach sat up, looking around wildly. He was in a pure white room. He looked around and realized with an intuitive leap that he was in a morgue. He looked at the other corpses there in horror. The woman sighed in relief.
"For a second, I thought you would join the spirit world..." She said.
Zach blinked.
"Are you crazy, woman?" He asked, mind spinning from what he had witnessed just a few hour ago.
The woman shook her head as she stood up. She wore a white tank top that stopped above her stomach and wore a long white skirt. To top off the look, she wore a white beanie hat and, yet again, pure white boots. She looked inhuman, with her eyes the color of jade and long hair blacker than midnight.
"I'm not, but you might. I have a question, human. Why can you see me? Are you a medium? Psychic? Well, answer!" She said impatiently.
Zach glared at the woman. She was annoying, in his opinion.
"Why do I see you? You're standing in front of me! Whaddya think I was, blind?" Zach retorted, running a hand through his sandy blond hair. He felt something wet and brought his hand in front of his face. Something glistening and red was on his hand. He paled when he realized it was blood.
The woman looked at him, the corner of her mouth twitching into a half smile.
"My condolences. I have bad news for you, I am afraid. As of midnight, you were pronounced dead. Welcome to the fifth plane, strange human." She said, patting Zach on the shoulder.
Zach looked at the woman and stood up, taking a step towards her.
"Dead? Impossible! I cannot be dead, for I am standing here now!" He whispered, a desperate edge to his tone.
The woman merely shook her head as if she had heard that before.
"Look at the table you were on." She said her voice a little clipped.
Zach looked at the table and yelped as he saw himself on the table. His head was caved in and his body looked like it had been attacked by a grizzly. He could hardly recognize himself. No one could have survived those blows.
"How?" He asked in a quiet childlike voice.
Zach was angered by the pity in the woman's eyes.
"The Hollow attacked you…and I couldn't get there in time to save you. All I managed was to ward off the Hollow, but that won't bring you back to life. My apologies, human." She said.
Zach growled; his last strand of patience gone.
"My name is Zach Johnston, not human!" He said, wondering why he wasn't more disturbed by the fact that he was dead.
The woman laughed.
"I have yet another question. Have you ever seen people who were dressed all in white or black that others could not see?" She asked, turning serious.
Zach thought for a second, and then nodded.
"Yeah, ever since I was little. Is that weird? Great, I feel like I just admitted to seeing dead people." He replied with a shrug.
The woman's eyes narrowed.
"Then you did not belong in the third plane to begin with! You are not human, you are a Reaper!" She said flatly her eyes causing Zach to shiver involuntarily.
Zach looked at his clothes and realized that he was wearing a white suit and shoes with a black tie.
"What's the occasion, eh? And what's a 'Reaper' anyway?" he asked as more people, or rather souls, gathered around them.
The woman hefted her scythe with ease and looked Zach squarely in the eye.
"We are going to take these souls to the Society, where they will be recycled and born anew in the human world. We Reapers are shepherds of souls, gathering the souls of the departed and bringing them to the Society. We also protect Souls from being devoured by Hollows, which exist on the fourth plane and can travel between planes three and five. And you are a Reaper as well as me and you better well learn the ways of the Reaper, for there are only eleven other reapers other than us in existence. Got it?" She said poking Zach in the chest before turning and walking through a wall. Zach watched as the souls followed the woman wordlessly, each face a mask of grief.
Soon, the woman's head reappeared through the wall.
"You are not going to learn anything if you just stand there!" She said impatiently.
Zach shrugged.
"I'm not moving until I know your name." He said defiantly.
The woman groaned.
"Fine, my name's Arielle Forrester, but call me Ari. Now, c'mon before the souls get restless!" She said, grabbing Zach's arm and pulling him through the wall.
Chapter Three: A Helpful Hand
Zach was surprised when he felt nothing as he passed through the wall. When he asked, Ari laughed and told him that the wall was in a different plane, so of course he wouldn't feel anything. They went through the streets of Chicago at a pace that would make any taxi driver scream in jealousy. They ran through traffic instead of around it.
After running for an hour, Zach still did not feel tired. He didn't even feel out of breath. The souls following them remained silent and grieving, probably over those that they had loved and left behind.
"Where is the Society?" He asked as Ari had paused where she was.
Ari glared at Zach. "Keep a sharp eye, there are Hollows about!" She replied. At the mention of Hollows, the souls began to wail. A person in the third plane, the human plane, heard a faint buzzing in his ears. When the 'walk' sign lit up, he began to cross the street and promptly got hit by a car. He perished instantly in a spray of his own blood.
Zach saw something else in the fifth plane, the plane of the souls. The man was not killed by a vehicle; he was gored by a rhinoceros like Hollow the size of an elephant. The Hollow turned to the souls, who were now hiding behind Zach, and roared, charging.
Ari growled and slashed at the Hollow.
"Summon your weapon, dammit!" She yelled at Zach, who stood there with wide eyes.
Zach, not knowing what to do, closed his eyes and tried to summon a weapon. In a second, he felt something heavy in his right hand and opened his eyes. A silver colt revolver glinted at him in his hand.
Duke… Zach immediately knew the name of his weapon. The Hollow bellowed in challenge and charged Zach.
Staying where he was, Zach cocked back the upper trigger and aimed at the Hollow. He pulled the lower trigger and fired a shot. Except it wasn't really a bullet, it was a beam of concentrated white energy.
The beam hit the Hollow between the eyes and it cried out and dissolved in a flash of fire. Ari looked at Zach, impressed.
"Nice shot. What's the name of your weapon? My scythe's called Thorn." She said, looking at Zach's revolver with interest.
Zach nodded. The scythe was indeed in resemblance to a thorn. The handle part of the scythe was hunter green and the blade was a dull red. Aptly named, Zach thought.
"The revolver's name is Duke" He said, looking at the silver revolver in wonder as it glinted at him in the light. Ari nodded and turned to the souls, who were now joined by a new arrival, the soul of the man who had been gored by the Hollow.
"There are more Hollows tracking us, so stay close and be alert." She ordered, the souls nodding to show their understanding. As soon as she said that, a pack of Hollows rushed at them from atop the Sears Tower. Zach cocked and fired Duke at the closest of the pack. It shrieked and burst into flames, destroyed.
More and more Hollows kept appearing the more Ari and Zach destroyed.
"They are being attracted by something, but what?" Zach growled, clubbing a Hollow on the back of its head as he cocked the revolver yet again.
Ari shook her head, slashing through multiple Hollows in a single swipe with her Thorn.
"Just keep fighting!" She replied.
Zach chuckled.
"What did you think I was doing, napping?" He said, firing point blank at a Hollow about to attack a soul. Suddenly, he sensed something above him, and looked above to see someone, dressed in all black, warp in above him. He had feathery black hair and blue eyes hidden by the glare of light hitting his silver framed glasses. He looked distinctly Japanese. He hovered, two batlike wings protruding from his back fluttering. A fireball appears in his left hand and Zach watched as the guy launched it at a group of Hollows, disintegrating them all in a single blast. The guy looked about eighteen, in Zach's eyes.
Ari seemed to brighten as she saw the guy.
"Rhimone!" She called out cheerfully, leaning against her scythe which was propped on the ground.
The teen glowered at Ari.
"I've told you before: call me Bito or at least Suzaku…" He complained, before catching sight of Zach. He landed on the ground gently, his wings folding out of sight, an arrogant smirk on his face.
Zach scowled at the teenager. He had just turned twenty-one, and deserved at least a small margin of respect. He had more years than this 'Rhimone' or whatever he wants to be called.
"Who are you, exactly, kid?" he demanded. He grew annoyed as the kid's grin widened.
"I am Bito Rhimone Suzaku, second oldest in the Reaper society. Who are you, cowboy-san?" He replied, in perfect uninflected English.
Zach drew himself up, a full foot taller than Suzaku.
"I am Zach Johnston, thank you very much!" He retorted.
Ari laughed.
"He's a newly fledged Reaper, Rhimone. We were heading over to the Society before we got ambushed. Thanks for coming." She said.
Suzaku blanched.
"My name's Bito or Suzaku! Don't use that name, Arielle-chan!" He complained, not realizing that he was being teased.
Zach saw a Hollow appear behind Suzaku and shoved the teenager to the side as he shot it out of existence.
Suzaku sighed and looked tired for a second before regaining his composure and arrogant smirk.
"How old are you exactly, Rhimone?" Zach asked.
Suzaku grinned superiorly.
"I am two thousand years old…HEY! I said don't call me that!" He replied angrily, gritting his teeth.
Zach blinked, taking in the information before bursting into laughter.
"You. Are. Old!"he gasped between laughs.
Suzaku looked very offended, and then sighed again.
"Oh, come now…I came all this way to bring you safely to the Society" He said.
Ari rolled her eyes.
"If we're going to go, then let's go before the souls begin to wander!" She said, disgruntled.
Suzaku nodded and held out his hands.
"Take my hand, both of you, and I'll teleport us to the Society. The souls will travel with us, so don't worry, cowboy-san." He said. Grumbling, Zach grudgingly took Suzaku's hand and immediately he was disoriented by a sudden change in scenery.
Ari and Suzaku looked at Zach and laughed at his expression.
"Welcome…to the Society" They said.
Chapter Four: Number Thirteen
"Bito-senpai!" A girl's voice called out joyously, and Zach turned to see a blur tackle Suzaku in a hug.
Zach saw Suzaku grin sheepishly at a girl about the twelve. But for all Zach knew, the girl could be thousands of years old. The girl looked as Japanese as Suzaku, and was wearing a black kimono. The girl had black hair, fair skin, and crystal blue eyes.
"Sorry for being late, Angela-chan… Arielle and the new kid slowed me down" He replied, jabbing a finger at Zach. The girl called Angela peered closely at Zach, looking him over. Zach resisted the urge to squirm under her focused stare. The girl whistled, impressed.
"That's some spiritual pressure! Welcome to the fold, newbie-kun!" She chirped cheerfully, clapping Zach on the back.
Zach grimaced. This Angela seemed too chipper for his taste. He glared at Ari as she laughed at his expression. Suzaku chuckled, his eyes dancing with mischief. He grabbed Zach's wrist and walked towards the Society, dragging Zach along.
"Time to meet the others, cowboy-san" He said with a grin.
Zach sighed.
"Rhimone…I told you before, my name is Zach, get that into that little brain of yours!" He retorted.
Suzaku lifted his other hand apologetically with a small smile.
"Sorry, but I like calling you that. When you prove yourself, I will call you by your name, cowboy-san" he replied with a shrug as he dragged Zach into a large building.
Zach growled insults at Suzaku until he let him go abruptly. Zach fell with a thud.
"We are here. Stand up, cowboy-san, and be recognized among our ranks." He said, his tone serious, yet he still had that arrogant smirk on his face. Zach wanted desperately to smack that smirk off his face, but didn't have the guts to, remembering how Suzaku wiped out the horde of Hollows earlier with a single blast.
Zach staggered to his feet noticing that he was being watched. Ari and Angela had caught up with Zach and Suzaku and stood behind Zach silently.
"Who is this young Shepherd?" A loud, booming voice demanded. Zach looked up to see that he was in what looked like to be an auditorium, and many people were gathered, looking down at Zach.
Ari stood beside Zach.
"This boy is no Shepherd, sir, but a Reaper that I had discovered. He was able to summon a weapon with a name, sir." Ari replied. Zach heard multiple gasps and murmurs sound through the building.
Zach stepped back involuntarily as an older man warped directly in front of him. He recognized him immediately.
"Boss? What are you doing here?" Zach exclaimed. This was the man who ordered him and Garrett to the cemetery to retrieve the watch!
The man laughed heartily.
"So it is you, young Zach. I knew there was something special about you. I masqueraded as your boss so I could keep a closer eye on you. The fact that you could see me was evidence enough that you were at least a Shepherd, but I had to test you" He replied, putting a hand on Zach's shoulder.
Zach narrowed his eyes. Test…?
"The cemetery..." Zach said flatly.
His former boss laughed again.
"How bright you are! Yes, I sent you and that other boy to the cemetery, thinking that both of you had that high spiritual pressure, because you two were inseparable. But it was just you…" He replied with a shrug.
Ari looked at the man.
"You mean… you wanted him to die? That's why you sent me to that cemetery, to find and bring him here?" She asked.
The man merely nodded.
Suzaku coughed.
"Very well thought out, Geoff-senpai" He muttered, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, the glare of the light blocking his eyes from view.
Zach sighed.
"What's past is past, and there's no way going back. My name is Zach Johnston" He said, giving a pointed glare at Suzaku.
The old man Geoff nodded and turned towards the others in the stands.
"Well? Come out and meet our newest comrade, Zach, number thirteen!" He ordered in a cheerful voice.
Eight people warped down to meet Zach, expressions ranging from cheerful to curious to indifferent. Geoff seemed to remember something and turned towards Zach again.
"Oh, the name's Geoff Drake, number one. I am the leader of the society and use the broadsword named Fidchell." He said, warping out of sight before Zach could respond.
A tall man with short blond hair and a well maintained goatee approached Zach first, hand extended in greeting. He wore a black suit, the coat having tails. He smiled cheerfully, green eyes filled with warmth.
"Welcome to the society, lad. My name is Leonard Azoth, number two. My weapon is a bow named Hades." He said; his accent a combination of British and Irish.
Zach took the offered hand and smiled back.
"The name's Zach, and my weapon is a revolver named Duke" He replied.
Zach heard a laugh behind him. A man dressed similarly like Leonard except dressed in white, walked up to him.
"Don't ever play him in a game of poker, mate. You'll lose all yer money and more. My name is Seth Richard, number three who uses the spear named Maine" He said in an Australian accent. His light blue eyes narrowed at Leonard accusingly. Leonard had an expression of pure innocence on his face and the two fellows began to argue.
"Well, I'll keep that in mind" Zach replied with grin.
A female voice cut through a growing banter between Leonard and Seth.
"Don't hog ze kid to yourselves!" A woman said, with a thick Russian accent. She then looked at Zach. She had long wavy red hair and green eyes. She wore a black tank top covered by a black fur lined vest and wore black jeans and black military boots.
"My name is Elena Nabkov. I am number four and wield the scimitar known as Kusctov." Elena said, looking unsure if she should smile or scowl.
Zach nodded and smiled. Another man tapped him on the shoulder. He was about Zach's height and had a similar build. He had curly dark brown hair and equally dark brown eyes. He wore a black tuxedo and top hat. He smiled warmly at Zach.
"Ah, bon! A new face! C'est trés bon! Ah, pardon my French. My name is Raphael Francois, number cinq…I mean five. My weapon is my dear rapier, La Vie." Raphael said excitedly, Zach barely able to understand him at the swiftness of his words.
Zach replied cheerfully, and got tapped on the shoulder again, turning to face Arielle, the corner of her mouth twitching.
"We have to introduce ourselves in order. You already know me, but my name is Arielle Forrester, number six, armed with the scythe called Thorn." She said with a sigh.
Zach nodded.
"Nice to meet you, Ari" He replied, trying to keep a straight face. He heard someone mumble behind him and turned to face a man who looked distinctly Chinese. He wore a white men's kimono and had steel gray hair, even though he looked like he was in his late twenties. The man eyed him with blue-gray eyes.
"I am number seven, Ryo Xian. My weapon is Charfire, a whip." He said formally with a bow before walking off.
A woman who looked like a black garbed pirate sauntered up to Zach. She had an eye patch covering her left eye. Her spiraled raven black hair curled around her face. Her amber eye looked at Zack critically.
"Hmph! Not sure you'll last long kid, but here's hoping… The name's Jeanne Pettigrew, number eight. My pike's called Sparrow, got it memorized?" She said brusquely.
Zach nodded.
"Umm….yeah, I got it" He replied and Jeanne nodded and walked off.
A man sighed next to Zach. The man was dressed in black, and his garb reminded Zach of a biker, spiked jacket and all. His head was shaved and his eyes were covered by Aviator sunglasses
"Don't worry about her; she's not always this temperamental. I'm Lloyd York, number nine." He said with a slight smile.
Zach tilted his head to the side.
"Your weapon?" He asked. All of the others had told him of their weapons except for this guy…
Lloyd laughed.
"My fists are my weapon, kid. I use them quite effectively, too!" He said, lightly punching Zach in the shoulder before following Jeanne.
Zach got hugged from behind and turned to see Angela smiling at him. She let go and grinned at him widely.
"Hiya, cowboy-san! I'm Angela Hatori and I'm number ten! My weapon is a katana! It's called Petalchaser!" She said, looking bubbly.
Zach grimaced. She was almost too cheerful.
"It's Zach" He replied. He felt that the next time he saw Suzaku; he'd punch him in the face.
Suzaku appeared after Angela.
"Hey, cowboy-san… My name's Bito Rhimone Suzaku, number eleven. I manipulate fire as my weapon." He said with a smirk that faded as he ducked a punch thrown by Zach.
Zach felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at a giant of a man, about seven feet tall wearing a black hoodie and jeans. The man shook his head at Zach.
"He gets on everyone's nerves, but don't go throwing punches, kid. My name's Jack Leopold and my weapon's the mace named Retribution. I am number twelve. Nice to meet you, kid. We Chicagoins gotta stick together…" He said with a grin.
Zach nodded. Apparently Suzaku being annoying wasn't anything new. Suddenly he felt tired. Very tired. He yawned and staggered, leaning against a wall for support.
Leonard looked at him and walked over.
"Tired, lad? Well, you've had an eventful first day as a Reaper… Oi! Don't pass out on me, lad!" He said, grabbing Zach by the shoulders and shaking him lightly.
"G'night" Zach mumbled, sleepily.
Zach yawned. Now that he realized he was tired, he couldn't stop his eyelids from drooping. Soon, he fell fast asleep, being carried somewhere by a complaining Leonard.
In a few hours, Zach woke up to find himself in a bed. He sat up quickly and looked around. He saw light streaming though the only window in the room. He got up and walked to the window
"You know, you are pretty heavy…" Leonard's voice said from behind Zach. Zach jumped, startled. He spun around to see Leonard sitting in a chair, next to the bed Zach had slept in, fanning himself with a deck of cards.
"Huh? Where am I?" Zach asked.
Leonard chuckled.
"My room or rather, our room. I drew the short straw and now have to share the room with you. There were only twelve rooms in the building, and Arielle wouldn't allow you to sleep on the roof, much to Suzaku's dismay." He said, standing up and wincing as his back cracked.
Zach laughed.
"So you slept in the chair?" He asked.
Leonard shook his head and pointed to another bed across the room with a derisive snort.
"Of course not, lad! I was just sitting here, thinking of how to wake you up without you clobbering me. Seth came in earlier to wake you up, and you gave him a good sock to his left eye! You have a good right hook!" He said
Zach chuckled.
"Heh, Thanks! So what's the deal for today?" He replied.
Leonard put his cards down and looked at Zach.
"Today… you begin your training" He replied with a mischievous grin.
Zach sighed.
"Who's doing the training?" He asked his roommate.
Leonard grinned wider.
"Well…Suzaku is" He replied.
Zach rolled his eyes.
"Great…" Zach grumbled.
Chapter Five: Playing With Fire
Leonard showed Zach the different areas of the Society, from the kitchen to the sleeping quarters. As Leonard was walking down to the training hall, he took off his jacket and tied it around his waist.
"Suzaku won't be here for about an hour or so, so I will test your skills until he arrives. Is that alright, lad?" He said, looking at Zach with a hopeful expression.
Zach couldn't help but laugh. Leonard reminded Zach so much of his father, who had passed away when he was young.
"No problem, Leonard." He replied with a grin as he also took off his jacket. He laid it on the ground near the entrance to the training hall.
As the two walked in, Zach looked around. The training hall was huge, reminding Zach of the ancient Coliseum of the Roman age.
"Impressive, eh? This place has some special aura that protects us from injuring each other. Other than a few bruises, that is." Leonard chuckled as he summoned his bow, Hades. The bow was as long as Leonard was tall. The bow looked like it was made out of black steel. The bow had a taut red string, giving the bow a hellish appearance worthy of the name Hades.
Zach nodded, indeed he was impressed.
"Very." Zach replied as he summoned his silver colt revolver, Duke. The weight of Duke felt familiar in his hand, as if he had been using it for years.
Leonard nodded.
"Now…come at me!" He said, getting into a fighting stance. Zach did the same.
Zach hesitantly cocked the trigger and fired at Leonard, who easily dodged out of the way.
"I said this place won't allow serious injury, so go full out!" Leonard called, sounding amused.
Zach nodded and barely had enough time to jump out of the way as Leonard shot an arrow made out of black energy at him.
Zach and Leonard traded blows for ten minutes, dodging and counterattacking without landing a blow on each other.
"Close one, pretty dangerous!" Zach called back, firing a shot that hit Leonard point blank in the chest. Leonard stumbled back a few steps and touched the spot where he got hit gingerly.
"Oww" Leonard complained with a comical expression on his face.
Zach blanched.
"You all righ-" He began to ask, and then got hit on the right foot by one of Leonard's arrows. He hopped about on his left foot, clutching his right. He felt like something heavy was dropped on his foot. He got hit by another arrow and fell over in a tumble.
Leonard laughed heartily.
"Lad, you need to learn to never let your guard down. That's rule number one, by the way, in combat." He said, walking over to Zach's position.
Zach grinned from his defenseless position on his back.
"I should say the same to you!" He replied, kicking out with his foot, hooking it around Leonard's ankle and yanking upward.
Leonard fell with a thud and landed flat on his back. He was quiet for a second, probably stunned at his mistake, then burst out laughing. His bow disappeared from his hands.
"Well done, lad, well done!" Leonard said between laughs.
Zach felt Duke disappear from his hand.
"Thanks! Well, what now? Wait until Rhimone shows up?" He asked.
Leonard sat up.
"Aye… Wait we do, lad. Suzaku is always on time, unless something is wrong. He should be here shortly." Leonard replied.
Zach nodded.
"So what shall we do as we wait, twiddle our thumbs?" He asked, sitting up as well.
Leonard shook his head and fished in his pocket with a grin. He pulled out a deck of cards.
"Nay, that would be boring! Why not play a little poker? You know how to play it, right lad?" He replied, shuffling the deck expertly.
Zach nodded, and then remembered Seth Richard's words telling him that he'd lose all of his money and more.
"Sure, but I don't have cash on me" He replied, a bit sour.
Leonard chuckled.
"No need for cash; this won't be a serious game, just one to pass time, lad" He said with a sigh. "Seth's been ruining my reputation, hasn't he…?" He added under his breath.
Zach laughed at Leonard's guilty expression. The two began to play cards. Zach was looking at his hand when he felt a presence appear behind him.
"Hmm…aces and eights! Not bad for cowboy-kun!" Angela's voice chirped.
Zach rolled his eyes.
"Way to give me away, Angela. And I was winning, too!" He complained.
Leonard scoffed.
"You were most certainly NOT!" he said indignantly.
Angela giggled and looked at Leonard.
"Bito-senpai is in a real pinch and needs help. Can you go, Leonard-kun? You too, Zack-kun?" She said, looking at them with wide, pleading eyes. For once, her tone was serious.
Zach blinked. Angela had called him by his actual name! He nodded to show that he would go. Things must be serious if Angela called him by his real name…
"I'll go!" Zach and Leonard said at the same time, jumping to their feet simultaneously.
Angela smiled happily.
"Follow me, then!" She said, running out of the training hall.
Zach followed, grabbing his jacket on the way out. Leonard kept pace with Zach, a troubled look on his face.
"Suzaku usually holds his own exceptionally well. Something must have gone very wrong for him to send for help…" He said, his light cheerful voice gone, replaced with seriousness.
Zach looked at Leonard.
"His own? Don't Reapers usually go alone?" He asked.
Leonard shook his head.
"Almost never. We usually go in pairs, or with a Shepherd, a kind of amateur Reaper. Suzaku being the exception, we are sent out in rotation, paired with someone else each time. Looks like you're paired with me for this outing, lad" He replied with a small grin.
Angela stopped where she was, and turned to them.
"Through the plane portal; here is where Bito-senpai went. Be careful!" She said, nearly hopping about in anxiety.
Leonard nodded.
"Arise from the Underworld and free your chains! Hades!" He said, summoning his bow again.
Zach heard words in his head and nodded.
"Give up the fight? That'll be the day! C'mon out, Duke!" He said, summoning his silver colt revolver. He twirled the revolver in his hand and grinned.
And Leonard and Zach entered the third plane.
"Why don't you die already?" Suzaku growled at his pursuers.
Suzaku launched another fireball at a group of Hollows bearing down on him. As they were destroyed, he paused for a second to catch his breath. He wiped the back of his hand across his brow. Even though he could control fire, it was blistering out in the Grand Canyon. A Hollow appeared above him, snarling. Suzaku smiled and then incinerated the Hollow.
"They just keep coming…" He muttered as he was forced to jump off the ledge that he was resting on, getting chased by a horde of Hollows. Guessing where he was flying, he pulled off his shirt and threw it at the Hollows behind him. He felt a little better, at least for now.
Suddenly, he felt something land on his back and immediately spun around. The small Hollow that landed on him fell down into the waters of the river that had carved out the canyon. Suzaku felt wetness on his back, and soon felt pain. The Hollow had clawed at his back before it had fallen.
He felt himself slowing down, and realized that he could not keep up his pace for much longer. He flew upwards and landed where the tourists could view the canyon. He was glad that there was no one there at this time. He gasped for air, his skin shining with a thin layer of sweat. His back tingled as his blood ran down.
The horde of Hollows spotted him and swooped down, screeching in unison. He threw up his arms in a feeble attempt at defending himself…
"Get away from Rhimone, you damn Hollows!" He heard a familiar voice shout angrily. He saw a beam of light flash past him and take down a few Hollows.
Cowboy…? Suzaku wondered, surprised.
Suzaku heard another unmistakable voice.
"That's it, lad, take them out!" Leonard's voice said. Suzaku saw a volley of arrows strike the remaining Hollows.
Leonard as well? Angela must have been worried to send both of them… Suzaku thought with a grimace. He only asked for a little backup, not two Reapers! Albeit, one of them was a total rookie, Suzaku considered.
Suzaku turned to face the ones who helped him out, smiling tiredly.
"Thanks for coming, Leonard-san. As for you, Zach-san, I am postponing your training until tomorrow." He said with a sigh.
Suzaku grinned at the surprise that registered on Zach's face. Now that he had caught his breath, Suzaku felt much better.
Leonard nodded.
"You look terrible, Suzaku" He said flatly.
Suzaku nodded. He felt terrible. He walked over to Leonard and Zach. "Let's go back…" Suzaku said wearily.
He saw Zack stiffen.
"Umm…I think something is happening…" Zach said, his stormy grey eyes widening as he saw something in the sky. Suzaku and Leonard followed Zach's eyes and they froze. A planar rift was open, a huge clawed hand reaching into the third plane.
"What in the world is that?" Suzaku gasped, shocked at the size of the clawed hand.
A sphere of pulsing energy began to form in the clawed hand, a dark throbbing red.
"What…?" Leonard breathed; his eyes wide with fear.
Suzaku was frozen to the spot. He trembled violently. The spiritual pressure was so immense, he felt like he was going to be crushed.
With Suzaku and Leonard immobilized, things seemed futile, in Suzaku's point of view.
The hand released the sphere of energy at them, and Suzaku's last vision was that of Zach throwing himself in front of him and Leonard, arms open wide to absorb the killing blow…
Suzaku's vision went black as he heard Zach screaming in agony.
Chapter Six: Shaken
Leonard woke up feeling like he had been run over by a truck. He groaned and tried to sit up, but was gently pushed back down. He blinked and his fuzzy vision clarified. Arielle looked at him with a concerned expression on her face.
"You need to rest, Leonard, you've been hurt badly." She said.
Leonard silently remembered what happened before he was knocked out…
"Wraaaaagh!" Zach screamed, shielding Suzaku and Leonard from the sphere of pulsing energy.
Leonard saw Suzaku crumple to the ground, unconscious from a combination of the spiritual pressure the clawed had had pressuring him and weariness from his fighting earlier. Leonard saw Zach stumble forward and caught his shoulder before he fell.
Leonard saw that there was no expression in Zach's eyes, as if the blast had injured his very soul.
"Bravely done, lad…" Leonard said, setting him gently on the ground.
Leonard looked at the clawed hand and clenched his fists angrily, then dug a hand in his left coat pocket, taking out a whistle. He put the whistle in his mouth and blew. He knew that the whistle would carry across the planes, alerting the other Reapers that someone had fallen in battle. Hopefully, help would arrive.
Until then, Leonard would have to hold his own against the clawed hand.
"Bring it on, whatever the bloody hell you are!" Leonard shouted at the hand, dropping the whistle and summoning Hades. The bow seemed to glow, as if echoing Leonard's anger.
The hand reached for Zack's body, its shadow covering half the canyon.
"Oh, no you don't!" Leonard growled, launching a volley of arrows at the hand. The arrows did not even leave a scratch on the beast.
The hand paused, a hair's breadth from Zach. It finally seemed to notice Leonard. The hand formed a fist and swung at Leonard, who dodged out of the way and launched another volley of arrows at the hand.
Looking at the planar rift the hand was reaching through, Leonard could now see a shoulder. He paled. If the hand was the size of a whale, then just how big was this creature?
While pondering this, the hand slapped Leonard and he crashed into the canyon wall, sliding to the ground with a groan of pain. What he last saw was his fellow Reapers coming to his aid…
Leonard came back to his senses, shaking his head. Arielle should be more concerned for Zach or Suzaku. Compared to them, Leonard's injuries were insignificant. Leonard tried to sit up on his bed again, ignoring Arielle's protests. He hid the pain he felt as he placed his feet on the floor. He was in his own room, which relieved him somewhat. If he were hurt worse, he would be in the infirmary.
He looked at Arielle.
"Unless you want to see my exquisite figure, you should probably leave." Leonard said, his eyes glinting mischievously.
Arielle squeaked and left the room hurriedly, a blush on her face.
Leonard chuckled to himself, and then winced at the pain that lanced up his back.
"Now for the real test…" He murmured to himself, pulling his shirt up over his head.
He saw himself in a mirror and winced. Half of his stomach region was covered in dark purple bruises. He turned so he could see his back in the mirror. The bruises that covered his stomach region extended to cover most of his back. Along with the bruises on his back, there were also gouges on his back. From rocks, Leonard suspected.
"Ouch…" He muttered as he stood up and walked to his closet, unbuckling his belt and unbuttoning his pants. Opening the closet, Leonard chose a pair of black cargo shorts and a lightweight white tee shirt.
He quickly changed into the new clothes. He didn't want anyone else bursting into his room and seeing his injuries. He hated to make people fuss over him. He painfully tore off his socks and put on a pair of black sandals.
He looked at the clothes that he had changed out of. They were damaged beyond repair, to Leonard's dismay. He threw his destroyed clothes into a wastebasket and closed the closet door. He walked over to the door the door that opened out to the hallway and opened it and began to head over to the infirmary. He thought he would check on Zach and Suzaku, to see how they were.
Halfway to the infirmary, pains lanced up his back, causing him to double over, planting one of his hands on the wall for support. The muscles in his back began to spasm, adding to his agony.
Gasping, Leonard waited for the spasms to subside. When they finally did, he stood up tall, ignoring the pain in his back. He masked the pain that was showing on his face by forcing a cheerful expression on it.
Finally getting to the infirmary, Leonard knocked on the door before heading inside. A Shepherd girl looked at him and stood up with a gasp of surprise.
"Mr. Leonard, Sir! Do you have injuries that need tending? You look awfully pale…" She asked with a frown of concern.
Leonard shook his head. He looked at the two occupied beds there. Suzaku was sitting up, looking drained of all energy as he sipped a mug of tea.
"How are you, Suzaku?" Leonard asked.
Suzaku grimaced.
"Tired and sore as hell, but I'll be fine as long as I take my meds, Helen says. But the meds in the tea are terrible…" He replied, coughing to prove his point.
Leonard grinned as the Shepherd named Helen scolded Suzaku.
"You're such a little kid" Leonard teased and ducked as Suzaku threw a pillow at him. He tossed it back with a chuckle.
Helen frowned.
"Hush! Zach is asleep, and just fell asleep at that! It took him forever to take the sleeping medicine! Now hush up!" Helen said in a low voice, obviously annoyed.
Leonard looked at Zach's sleeping form. He looked like he was having a nightmare, his hands clenching the white sheets tightly. His knuckles were white.
"Has he always been like that?" Leonard asked quietly.
Helen nodded, her light brown hair covering her dark brown eyes.
"I'm afraid so…When awake he trembles so violently. When asleep, it is as if he's trapped within a nightmare…" She replied, worried.
Suzaku nodded.
"He's definitely not himself. The blast he shielded us from shook him up pretty bad…" He added.
Leonard shook his head. If he was this shaken up, then it would take at least a few days to regain his senses. That was considering how quickly Reapers healed.
"The poor lad has it rough then…I'm sure he'll be fine. The only cure for this is time…" He said, and then turned around to find a chair. He heard Helen gasp behind him.
"Leonard, you're bleeding!" She said.
Leonard shook his head.
"I'm fine, just a few scratches. Don't fret lass" He said, turning around with a strained smile.
Helen did not buy the smile. Suzaku frowned.
"Leonard, you're bleeding like a gut pig, and don't try to say that you're fine. You are obviously in a lot of pain!" Helen said, dragging a protesting Leonard to an empty bed and forcing him to sit.
Leonard grunted in pain as Helen lifted up his shirt, tearing half-formed scabs from the gouges on his skin along his spine. Leonard turned his head and saw blood oozing out of the gashes. He sighed. He must really look a sight, Leonard thought.
"If you wanted to see me shirtless, you could've just asked…" He complained as Helen cut off the shirt with a pair of shears.
Suzaku chuckled.
"Looks like you are going to be stuck with us for a while" He said with a grin.
Leonard rolled his eyes at Suzaku and yelped as Helen probed his bruises.
"Oh, you big baby…" Helen sighed, exasperated.
Leonard's face became one of pure innocence.
"But I'm just a frail old man!" He protested, looking at Helen with wide green eyes. He had stopped aging at twenty seven, when he had turned into a Reaper. Now he was three hundred years old and still looked twenty seven.
Helen chuckled.
"All the more reason for you to stay here and heal, then." She said, cleaning out his wounds with hydrogen peroxide.
A few minutes later, Leonard flopped back on the bed with a sigh. He reluctantly let Helen convince him to allow himself be bandaged.
"How along am I supposed to stay here?" Leonard said, already bored and restless.
Helen glared at him.
"As long as it takes" She replied in a crisp tone, Leonard scowling as Suzaku laughed.
Leonard heard a shocked gasp and sat up to see Zach doing the same, looking around wildly with wide gray eyes. Leonard almost laughed at the completely startled expression on the lad's face, but something else concerned him…
Leonard looked at Helen.
"What medicine did you give him?" He asked.
Helen looked at Zach, shocked.
"Something that should knock him out for at least a full day…" She replied.
Zach began to tremble violently.
"W-why is i-it so c-cold?" He asked, his voice wavering uncertainly.
Leonard, shirtless, felt fine. Comfortable, even. He threw a blanket at Zach.
"Here you go, lad" He said kindly, glad to see that the kid was able to speak.
Zach caught the blanket with shaking hands and draped it over his shoulders, drawing it around him close. His trembling seemed to ease a little.
Suzaku tilted his head to the side, quietly observing until Helen thrust a cup of tea into his hands.
Suzaku shook his head rebelliously, his face seeming to be tinged in green.
"I am sick and tired of this tea! Why can't I have water like everyone else?" Suzaku said bitterly, his anger boiling the already hot tea.
Leonard chuckled. Even though Suzaku was two thousand years old, he still acted like an eighteen year old.
Zach sighed.
"I'm glad to see that both of you are all right…" He said weakly with a frail hint of a smile.
Suzaku grinned at Zach.
"It seems that your training session shall be postponed yet again, cowboy…" He said.
Zach tried to scowl and failed, throwing a pillow at Suzaku, causing him to spill the tea in his lap.
Helen growled.
"The next few days are gonna be the end of me…" She sighed as Suzaku cursed at Zach, who was now grinning wearily.
Chapter Seven: Wrath
Angela looked at her partner for the day, Ryo Xian. She didn't know much about him other than that he was a very formal, quiet man who looked like he was about twenty seven.
"Ryo-senpai, what is the main difference between Reapers and Shepherds?" She asked, the question had been nagging at her for a while.
Ryo looked at her with his blue-grey eyes.
"The difference is simple. When Reapers are born, they have no choice but to be Reapers. In the human plane, those with great integrity and nobility may become Reapers when they die. Shepherds, however, are souls who decide not to move on, but to protect other souls from being devoured by Hollows. However, while we can continue to exist indefinitely, Shepherds can only survive for about five hundred years before fading from existence. Does that answer your question, Miss Hatori?" He replied
Angela nodded. So Shepherds were souls who give up the right to be reborn in order to protect other souls who would move on. So they were basically martyrs.
"Thank you, Ryo-senpai! So, where are we headed today?" She said, tilting her head to the side.
Ryo seemed to pale.
"Today we are on recon. We are to go to the fourth plane along with Miss Pettigrew and Mr. Leopold" He replied.
Angela gasped. The fourth plane? But that was where…
"Hollows! What are we going to look for?" She asked
Jack and Jeanne appeared by Ryo. Jack smiled at Angela reassuringly.
"We won't be there long. We are going to look for the thing that attacked Suzaku, Leonard, and the new kid." He said.
Angela craned her head up to look at him. She was four feet tall, and Jack was seven feet tall. Angela suddenly felt very small.
"When are we to depart?" She asked.
Jeanne scowled.
"As soon as we are ready, Angela. Let's get this over with quickly. I do not like dwelling in that infernal place for longer than I have to" She said.
Angela nodded.
"Okey-dokey, let's go!" She said, forcing cheerfulness into her voice.
And so the group left four the fourth plane, the home of the Hollows.
"I assure you, I am perfectly fine! Now lemme go!" Leonard complained as Helen wouldn't let him leave the infirmary. He wanted to go with the recon team headed to the fourth plane. He did feel better, though. He was trapped in the infirmary for a bloody week!
Helen shook her head.
"I will not allow you to leave, because I know you'll go to the fourth plane. You are not in the condition to do that!" She said firmly
Suzaku growled.
"I should be able to leave, I am perfectly well, no thanks to your medicine. I swear the meds will make me sick if I have to take them again…" He muttered.
Helen wheeled to face Suzaku.
"Don't give me that! I know you've been dumping the medicine in that poor potted plant when my back is turned!" She said angrily.
Suzaku blinked, surprised.
"How did you know?" He asked, his eyes wide.
Helen chuckled.
"The plant's a fake, Suzaku" She said.
Suzaku blanched.
"Oh." He said flatly.
Zach, having just awoken, sat up looking around.
"'morning, everybody…Helen, can I leave yet" he said, rubbing his eyes with his fists.
Leonard laughed.
"Morning? It's mid afternoon!" He said, laughing at Zach's shocked expression.
Helen sighed and glared at the three stooges.
"None of you are going to be leaving for at least another week, so deal with it and shut up!" She snapped.
"Aww…" Leonard complained.
Angela arrived with the others in the fourth plane. In the human plane, they would call this hell, and the fifth plane heaven. She looked around with wide eyes. The plane was a writhing mass of black flames covering a dry dusty plain that went on endlessly in each direction. There were dead blackened trees that twisted upward towards the blood red sky. The plane reeked of sulfur and decaying flesh.
Ryo looked at Angela, his eyes showing the fact that he was nervous.
"We are to split up in four directions to search for our objective. Be careful, all right?" He said.
"Okay…" Angela replied, now even more nervous than before.
Jeanne looked at the group.
"I shall head up north, Ryo to the east, Angela to the west, and Jack to the South." She said, clearly the leader of the operation.
Jack grinned.
"Let Operation Hell-Finder begin!" He said, and then took off running towards to the south.
Ryo nodded.
"I now depart. Return here when the information has been gathered." He said as he took off towards the east.
Jeanne chuckled.
"Good. Take care, Angela. Hollows here like to use illusion to fool the weak. Be strong, and you shall persevere." She said before charging up to the north.
Angela started to run towards the west. This place was terrifying, in her opinion. She had to fight the constant urge to gag on the sulfurous scent and smell of rotting flesh.
Soon, Angela heard crying and stopped and looked around, and then saw a little girl wearing a pale pink dress trimmed in lace. The girl's face was covered by her hands and matted blond hair. The girl was sitting at the base of a twisted black tree.
Angela kneeled by the girl, thinking that she was a lost soul.
"What is the matter, little one?" She asked.
The girl's sobs got louder and held out her hands to show Angela the broken remains of a porcelain doll. The girl's matted hair still hid her face from Angela's view.
"Oh, your doll is broken? I'm not sure that I can fix it. Sorry…" She said sadly.
The girl's sobs soon turned to wicked laughter. Angela scrambled back as the girl's maniacal laughter grew in volume. The doll turned to dust and blew away in a gust of wind that sounded like a shriek.
"Fool!" The girl laughed her voice black with hatred.
The girl began to scream as her body was torn apart and flesh burned off her body. A black substance remained within the skeleton and now spread; taking the form of a reptilian beast that wore the girl's skull as a helmet. Black drool dripped from the creature's jaws. The drool sizzled as it hit the ground.
Angela glared at the Hollow. She couldn't believe that she could fall for that! She bitterly remembered Jeanne's words telling her that Hollows here wielded illusion.
"The cherries have blossomed and the petals begin to fall! Bloom, Petalchaser!" She said, summoning her katana. The blade was a silvery purple with a pink silk wrapped hilt.
The Hollow gave its equivalent of a grin at Angela.
"You think you can stand a chance against me…? You think you can defeat me, Wrath?"
Angela paled. From the appearance of the Hollow, it fit the exact description of the one that had killed Zach when he was human! This was an ancient Hollow, indeed! One of the seven sins itself… one of the elite Hollows!
"As a Reaper, it is my duty to eliminate you. Prepare to fall, Hollow!" She said, charging the Hollow.
The Hollow named Wrath laughed viciously.
"No…YOU prepare to fall, Reaper! Prepare to be swallowed by the darkness!" It hissed back, rushing Angela.
Wrath raised a clawed hand to strike down Angela, but the Reaper darted out of the way. Angered, Wrath slashed again and again at the fleet footed Reaper. Again and again, the Hollow missed. Wrath screeched angrily and stopped where she stood, a sphere of red pulsing energy formed in her gaping wide jaws.
Angela saw the sphere of energy forming and her eyes widened. As fast as she could, she turned and ran as fast as her feet could take her. She heard a roar and flinched as a burst of concentrated energy rushed past her head. She stifled a yelp and continued to run as swiftly as possible.
"You won't escape, Reaper!" Wrath screamed at her.
Angela ignored the Hollow and continued to run. She prided herself on her speed. As long as she lived, no one, Hollow or Reaper has been able to catch her. She heard the Hollow following her and picked up her pace.
"After I'm finished with you, I will go after your comrades, Reaper!" Wrath hissed.
Angela felt her anger flare, but continued to not respond to the Hollow's taunts. She knew that the Hollow wanted her to turn and fight, so she would give the Hollow exactly the opposite. She felt her whistle that was on a chain around her neck and thought about sounding the alarm, but reconsidered as she ran. As long as she did not stop, she would probably be safe. Probably… She thought to herself. She wouldn't be able to survive one of the energy blasts if she got hit.
Wrath shrieked in frustration.
"Fine! I'll let you live, so you can see your comrades die!" The Hollow shrieked.
Angela felt her heart skip a beat. She skidded to a halt and turned to face Wrath. She glared at the Hollow. The Hollow wanted a fight, so then a fight it will get. She knew that she was at a great disadvantage, but one thing that she wouldn't allow was the Hollow to hunt her friends.
She charged Wrath with blinding speed and flew past the Hollow. A second later, a cut opened on its hide. The Hollow shrieked and charged Angela, jaws open wide, an energy blast readying itself. Angela danced out of the way as the blast fired over her head. She felt the rush of air as it passed her. She paled as she realized that the blast was a trick and got clipped by a clawed hand as Angela jumped to the side.
Hollow and Reaper clashed for what seemed to be forever. Angela got thrown back and landed on her back. The Hollow landed on top of her, biting at her with its drooling maw.
She felt her katana grow hot in her hand and looked to see it bathed in a soft pink light. Her eyes widened. Petalchaser was responding to her emotion. Reaper and weapon were in harmony! She could release her true power now! She warped out of the Hollow's jaws.
Smiling at the Hollow, she pointed Petalchaser at Wrath.
"The time has come to slay the final bloom! Dance of the Thousand Petals!" She said, seeming to vanish into a thousand petals.
Wrath looked around wildly as the petals hovered around the Hollow. It saw a movement and felt a cut open on its arm. It turned around to face the enemy, but saw nothing. Another movement, another cut. And then, a flurry of hundreds of slashes opened up gaping wounds on the Hollow. Black liquid oozed out of Wrath's cuts. Each cut was shallow, but there were hundreds of cuts opened on its body.
The assault continued and Wrath screamed in agony. And then the world went black for a final time for the Hollow.
Angela reappeared in a flurry of petals near the Hollow with her back facing it, looking over her shoulder. The screams of the Hollow abruptly stopped and Angela watched as the monster's hide fell off as it was filleted. The Hollow then turned into black ooze and was absorbed into the ground.
She regained her normal stance and looked at her katana in wonder. She never knew she had such power within herself.
Suddenly, she heard a low rumbling growl that sounded like thunder echoing in a cavern. She looked up, and her eyes widened in despair combined with surprise.
What she thought was a mountain was not in actuality. It was a enormous Hollow, a half a mile tall at least. The Hollow had three heads, each covered by blank masks, pure white and expressionless. There weren't even any eye-holes to see though. The Hollow had two arms, each ending in a vicious clawed hand. While the upper torso of the Hollow was well built and strong, the lower half was not as much. The legs were small and were folded as a frog's would. Its large tail seemed to be balancing the Hollow. It was at least as long as the Hollow was tall.
Angela had found what her group was looking for. Stifling a scream, she pulled the whistle to her mouth and blew as hard as she could.
In a parallel world, at a different Soul Society, someone had heard the whistle. A young girl, dressed in black who had short pink hair, tugged on an older man's sleeve. The man, who had an eye patch covering his right eye and bells at the ends of his spiky hairdo, looked at the girl and nodded. The two warped to where they sensed the surge of spiritual pressure.
They would soon find more than they bargained for…
A fight to the death.
Chapter Eight: A Crossing of Twin Paths
Jeanne Pettigrew heard the whistle sound, and quickly changed direction and began to charge westward. She sensed an immense burst of spiritual pressure, and thought the worst; that Angela had fallen in battle. Muttering angrily to herself, she shoved feelings of remorse out of her head. She had to focus on the mission at hand. She felt a breeze stir up and whipped around to see a little girl with pink hair looking around with wide eyes. The girl looked at Jeanne in surprise. Jeanne stopped in her tracks
"Uhhhh….where am I? Oh no! Where's Kenny?" The little girl exclaimed, looking more than a little confused.
Jeanne's one eye was wide with shock. How could she allow herself to be surprised like that? She mentally berated herself and summoned her pike, Sparrow. She pointed it at the girl. Hollows had no right to interrupt her thoughts like that. Jeanne glared at the girl.
"My name is Jeanne Pettigrew. Now, Hollow, you die!" She said, charging the girl.
Metal clashed upon metal and Jeanne's amber eye widened as she saw a man a full two and a half feet taller than her block her attack.
"You must be pretty stupid, to think that Yachiru's a Hollow. Jeanne, or whoever you claim to be, I am Kenpachi Zaraki, and I am here to fight you to the death!" He said with a wide grin on his face.
"I refuse to accept the medicine if you do not allow me to at least go out for a walk!" Leonard complained irritably.
"No means no!" Helen countered angrily. While the two were arguing, Suzaku grabbed Zach by the arm and they both fled the infirmary.
As the two fled, Leonard grinned triumphantly. His diversion tactics worked. For now, at least.
Zach sighed as he and Suzaku stopped running, ending up in the Training Hall.
"Freedom!" Suzaku cheered jubilantly. Zach just grinned and shook his head. He still felt weak from absorbing the attack from the hand/Hollow/thing.
"So…what now?" Zach asked after rolling an eye at the energetic two thousand year old.
Suzaku turned to reply, but his eyes widened suddenly. His expression turned serious. Zach stared in confusion. Was this a mood swing, or was Suzaku just senile?
"Zach…get out of here now." He said; his voice dangerously quiet.
Zach just stared.
"What? Why?" He demanded.
Suzaku looked angry.
"I said get the hell out of here! That is an order, not a favor to be asked!" He shouted. Zach complied for once and took off running.
Standing in the shadows was an intruder. A Ryoka.
"A fight to the death, you say? I say…you're in the way, so move!" Jeanne replied with a growl, slashing at Kenpachi with her spear. This strange man also had an eyepatch, and had bells at the end of his spiky hairdo. Jeanne needed to get to Angela as swiftly as possible, and this Kenpachi person was not making it any easier.
Jeanne underestimated the speed of her opponent and ended up getting knocked back. She fell on her back, and rolled to the side as the man's weapon dug into the ground where her head had been.
"You're pretty quick, lady. Faster than a human, I reckon. So…What are you?" Kenpachi said, pinning Jeanne to the ground with a foot.
Jeanne blinked. What an odd question to ask!
"I am a …Reaper!" Jeanne replied, throwing up her arm to block Kenpachi's blade just in time. The blade dug into her arm, but Jeanne did not so much as bat an eye. She had one last trick up her sleeve, one that would put an end to this distraction.
As she prepared to reveal her true power, Kenpachi let her up, surprisingly. He took a step back, looking at her with confusion.
"Why have I not seen you in the Soul Society?" He asked.
Jeanne glared. This person must be eliminated, for they knew of the society!
"You know too much, so I must eliminate you. You know of the Society, which is a serious offence for a Ryoka." She said, slowly raising a hand to her eyepatch.
Suddenly, a whip wrapped itself around her arm and yanked it back.
"What the hell, Ryo?" She shouted angrily. "Lemme at him!"
Ryo appeared next to Jeanne and shook his head.
"Reapers are not meant for meaningless battle. We are to find Angela, nothing more. There is a Ryoka at the Society, so that will come first before this…distraction." Ryo replied, his voice not betraying any emotion.
Yachiru, the pink haired girl, spoke up.
"Ryoka? Kenny, we must go back! It might be your friend!" She exclaimed.
Kenpachi grinned in response.
"Alright, then. So…You, Reaper! Take us to your Soul Society!" He said.
Ryo shook his head.
"Not until we recover the rest of our team. Come with us for the time being." He replied in his always even tempered manner.
Yachiru pouted. "Awwwwwww…." She whined.
Suzaku's eyes widened.
"Joshua?" He exclaimed, staring at the Reaper who had been killed twenty one years ago.
Joshua looked at him with eyes greyer than his son's. His pale wavy blond hair rested at his shoulders. He was dressed all in white and had a circular hole in the middle of his chest. He looked about the same age of his son, which was not a surprise, considering the Reaper's longevity. But one thing was clear. Joshua had been turned into an Espada.
Joshua's expression turned serious as he eyed Suzaku, making him shiver.
"Yes, I am Joshua Johnston. How nice of you to remember me…Suzaku
Bito" He said, his voice void of all emotion.
Suzaku was frozen to the spot as he looked at Zach's father.
"Why…Why are you here?" Suzaku demanded, his voice trembling in shock.
Joshua chuckled and held his arms out to the side.
"Am I not allowed to greet old friends?" He asked.
Suzaku was able to move again. A ball of fire appeared in his hands. He threw it at the Espada, who stepped out of the way casually.
"Friend or not, you are a Hollow, and you are not allowed to be within the Society!" Suzaku shouted.
Joshua sighed.
"That is really too bad, friend. I guess I am going to have to defend myself. Awaken, Getsu Fuhma!" He said, summoning his wakazishi.
Side Chapter: The Members of the Society of Thirteen
Geoff Drake-the Leader (first squad)
Geoff Drake is the leader of the Society of Thirteen, and is three thousand years old. He appears to be the age of forty six. He wears black and wields a broadsword with the name of Fidchell. He has broad shoulders and a well muscled body. He has a somewhat squared jaw. He has short brown hair peppered with grey and white. He has yellow-gold eyes. He has a no-nonsense personality and has no tolerance for insubordination. In fact, when two former Reapers, Anne and Joshua, ran off and got married in the Human plane, Geoff tracked them down and eliminated them, but was surprised to see that they had a child: Zach. Geoff watched over Zach until he was sure that the boy would be a Reaper, and thus masqueraded as Zach's boss and lured him to the Graveyard. His bankai transforms his weapon into hammer, which can cause the very ground to split. "The very Earth trembles at my power! Roar of the ancient past!"
Leonard Azoth-the Gambler (second squad)
Leonard Azoth is the second youngest member of the Society of Thirteen at three hundred years old. He appears to be twenty seven years of age. He wears black and has the power to use the bow named Hades. He is tall and slender. He has blond hair and green eyes. He also sports a well maintained goatee. He has a carefree personality and is an expert at gambling, earning him a reputation of taking money from his comrades. He can be somewhat childish at times and hates to be fussed over. He was close friends to Joshua, for they joined the Society of Thirteen at the same time. He helped Joshua and Anne escape when he found out that Anne had become pregnant. Confronted by Geoff, Leonard refused to answer his questioning, feigning surprise and confusion. He had been able to fool Geoff. He is still grieved about Joshua and Anne's death, but held the emotions inside. He was very surprised indeed when Zach joined the Thirteen. His bankai transforms his bow into a cannon that fires a blast not unlike Cero Doble. "The Heavens flee before me! Cast it into the Abyss like a falling star!"
Seth Richard- the Healer (third squad)
Seth Richard is one thousand and fifty years old, appearing to be thirty one. He wears white and uses a spear named Maine when called upon to fight. He has the same build as Leonard. He has shoulder length red hair and has icy blue eyes. He is the healer of the Thirteen, often tending to the wounds of his comrades. Either he or his Shepherd named Helen. He has a calm demeanor and is good friends with Leonard and Raphael. He often frowns upon Leonard's gambling, but cannot resist a challenge by his friend. He knows little about the events leading to the deaths of Anne and Joshua, and considers them traitors. His bankai causes him to become enveloped within a fierce whirlwind, increasing his speed by sevenfold. "Your life is but a falling thread. Allow me to hasten its fall!"
Elena Nabkov-the Mediator (fourth squad)
Elena Nabkov is one thousand, two hundred and fifty four years old, retaining the appearance of a twenty five year old. She has a small yet lithe frame. She has long wavy red hair and forest green eyes. She is able to summon a scimitar by the name of Kusctov when in battle. She is able to stop arguments between Leonard and Seth, and is often called upon to do so. She has personality that can only be compared to a loyal husky. She is incredibly loyal to the Society, but has an air about her that commands respect. She does not know what to think of Zach, but sees resemblance between him and Joshua and Anna. Her bankai freezes the air around her, creating sharp shards of ice that fly at the enemy. "Your trial by fire has ended. Now begins your death by ice!"
Raphael Francois-the Conspirator (fifth squad)
Raphael Francois is one thousand years old, yet looks as if he were twenty three. He is the same height as Elena, but a little broader in the shoulders. He has dark brown curly hair and equally brown eyes. The weapon he wields is named La Vie and it is a rapier. His personality seems to be open, honest, and cheerful, but conspires to take over the Society. He is cruel and calculating. He was the one who made Geoff think he had to kill Joshua and Anne. The two were merely in his way of gaining influence over the Society. He has Seth and Lloyd on his side. He sees Zach as a potential threat and plans on causing an 'accident'. But his plans are put to rest temporarily as he sees that Zach has made fast friends of Leonard, Arielle, and Suzaku. His bankai turns his rapier into a cloud of powder that, upon inhalation, tears up the opponent's lungs. "Now, now…look at what you have done to my blade! It must be tearing you to pieces, non?"
Arielle Forrester-the Guardian (sixth squad)
Arielle Forrester is one of the youngest Reapers at the age of four hundred. Still, she looks like she has barely reached twenty. She is medium in height, and has long raven black hair and unearthly green eyes. Her skin is pale, giving her an overall otherworldly appearance. She carries her weapon with her always, a scythe by the name of Thorn. She believes that is her duty to protect souls and is the hardest working of the Reapers, gaining unwanted respect and admiration by many of her comrades. She is often quiet, but tends to hover around people when she is anxious. She is the one who helps Zach when he first reaches the fifth plane. She does not trust Raphael in the least, and keeps her distance from him whenever possible. She feels a kinship with Zach, and wishes to be the one to show him the ropes. She is the one who pressured him into summoning his weapon when the need arose. She is on good relations with Suzaku and Angela, and trusts Leonard. Her bankai gives her the ability to drain the spiritual pressure from her foe to heal herself. "It is impressive that you still live… But now the time is over for me to hold back!"
Ryo Xian- the Quiet (seventh squad)
Ryo Xian is nearly two thousand years old, but appears to be as young as twenty seven. He is one of the taller Reapers, and has platinum silver hair that is tied back in a loose pony tail. He has equally grey eyes and can summon Charfire, a whip, at will. He wears white, which is as pure as his soul. Unsullied by greed or envy, his will is stronger than iron. He is very quiet and is formal around his comrades. Because of his quiet aptitude, many of his comrades confide their secrets to him. He does not divulge them, which gains him respect. Yet, for all the respect he has, few would consider him as their friend. They are Angela, who sees him as a father figure, and Suzaku, who considers him a brother. He does not particularly like Raphael or Lloyd. He does not anger easily, but when he does, his temper flashes like the crack of a whip. His bankai envelops his whip in a black flame that is cold, rather than hot. "Resistance is futile. I must purge you from the world in order to bring peace!"
Jeanne Pettigrew-the Pirate (eighth squad)
Jeanne Pettigrew is fifteen hundred years old, appearing to be in her early twenties. She is only a little taller than Angela, with spiraled black hair and amber eyes, an eye patch covering her left eye. She is one of the strongest Reapers, wielding the pike called Sparrow. Her personality is distant and temperamental. She is also very fickle at times. She lost her left eye confronting Raphael. She was clever enough to figure out that he was the true one behind Joshua and Anne's deaths. She is one who holds grudges for long stretches of time. She does not trust anyone but herself. She knows that Zach is Joshua's and Anne's son, but keeps her mouth shut. She decides when she first sees him that she will keep a close eye on Raphael and foil any plans she sees that could hurt Zach. Her bankai is only activated when she removes her eye patch. She can aim her pike at the enemy, and then fire a beam of highly concentrated energy that can cut through anything. "Well, isn't this amusing - you forcing me to use my true power!"
Lloyd York-the Biker (ninth squad)
Lloyd York is two years over one thousand, looking about thirty. He is medium height and has a sturdy build. He is bald, and has light brown eyes. He wears black and wears a pair of Aviator sunglasses. He has no weapon to summon, instead relying on his fists to get the job done. He is completely loyal to Raphael, and helps him plot the overthrowing of the Society. He has been ordered to keep an eye one Jeanne, who Raphael thinks is too smart for her own good. Lloyd's personality is rather shallow. He basically only pretends to be a nice guy to gain status, and then uses the status that he has to torment the ones he was nice to begin with. He hated Zach's parents, and equally despises Zach. He has no known bankai.
Angela Hatori- the Optimistic (tenth squad)
Angela Hatori is sixteen hundred years of age, but looks barely twelve. She is the shortest member of the Society, and has a delicate frame, wearing black. She has chin length black hair and dark blue eyes and wields a katana by the name of Petalchaser. She bubbles with ebullience, always ready to smile and laugh. Yet for all of her childishness, she can be quite level headed and serious. She thinks that Raphael is a scary individual and thinks that Lloyd and Seth are creeps. She follows Ryo and Suzaku like a puppy. She considers Ryo a father figure and Suzaku, a brother. She is the fastest of the Society, and cannot be caught by Hollow or Reaper. She now considers Zach as a potential cousin. She has a tendency to have bursts of spiritual and becomes very hyper when this happens. This happens because she cannot fully control her power. She just recently discovered her bankai. She disappears in a burst of a thousand petals and slashes at her enemy, while invisible, with a multitude of shallow cuts. When she reappears, the damage she inflicts reveals itself. She cuts the flesh from the bone of her enemies with a thousand cuts. "The time has come to slay the final bloom! Dance of the Thousand Petals!"
Bito 'Rhimone' Suzaku- the Pyro (squad eleven)
Suzaku is among the oldest of the members of the Society, at the age of two thousand. Still, he looks like he is eighteen. He as a slight build and has feathery black hair and navy blue eyes framed by delicate silver glasses. He also has two small batlike wings on his back, a complete mystery to the Society. With the wings he can hover and fly short distances. He wears black and has control over the element of fire. He acts like an ordinary teenager, and has a bit of a superiority complex. To the others of the Society, he can be quite annoying. The only ones who dot not mind as much are Ryo, Angela, and Arielle. He hates being called by his middle name, and that is often used to tease him. He is the only member of the Society who goes on missions alone, because of his skill. He considers himself Zach's mentor, and intends on helping Zach reach his full potential. He likes to taunt Zach, and laughs at his victim's reactions. He hates medicine and tea in particular. He has a very strong bankai, having the ability to create a serpent made out of flame to attack his foes. "I will scorch you to ashes! Flaming serpent of the solar flare!"
Jack Leopold-the Serious (squad twelve)
Jack Leopold is fifteen hundred years old, appearing to be thirty six. He is the tallest of the members of the Society of Thirteen, standing over seven feet tall. He has a muscular build, but not too bulky. He has dark brown eyes and short blond hair. He wears black and wields a colossal mace known as Retribution. He is a very serious individual, and does not speak unless spoken to. He can be either kind or cruel, and has no in between for the two attitudes. He feels a kinship with Zach, for they are both from the same hometown. He knows about the conspiracy going on, but has decided to let things take their course. He is decidedly neutral in such matters. His bankai charges his mace with electrical energy, frying any enemy that should be unfortunate enough to come into contact with the weapon. "Hmph, you are just a pathetic roach. I shall now strike you into nothingness!"
Zach Johnston-the Gunslinger (squad thirteen)
Zach is the newest member of the Society, only twenty one years old. He is tall and has sandy blond hair and stormy grey eyes. He wears white, and is capable of summoning the revolver known as Duke. Even when he was living in the third plane, he was still able to see Reapers. This is because his parents were both Reapers from the Society. His parents died when he was young. When he was twenty one, he took a job in an office building with his childhood friend, Garrett. His boss came to him one day and told him and Garrett to dig up a watch in the graveyard nearby. Zach and Garrett went, but found no watch. Instead, they were attacked by a Hollow. Garrett abandoned Zach and fled as the Hollow attacked Zach. That was how Zach died in the third plane. He was discovered by a young Reaper named Arielle, and then met Suzaku. He was teleported to the Society, where he was recognized as a newly fledged Reaper. His bankai is unknown for now.
Gotei 13-Society of Thirteen
Partners
Yamamoto-Geoff Drake
Gin Ichimaru-Seth Richard
Kenpachi Zaraki- Jeanne Pettigrew
Kaname Tosen- Lloyd York
Sajin Komamura- Jack Leopold
Toshiro Hitsugaya- Elena Nabkov
Mayuri Kurotsuchi- Ryo Xian
Shunsui Kyoraku- Leonard Azoth
Jushiro Ukitake- Arielle Forrester
Byakuya Kuchiki- Bito Suzaku
Aizen- Raphael Francois
Soi Fon- Zach Johnston
Yachiru-Angela Hatori
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