Chapter 2 - The Regrets of a Shattered Past
The moon was low and ominous, as it had always been. Zommari had been walking for miles, and save for the unconscious Arrancar on his shoulder, he was alone. The moon would offer no solace in this cold, dark world. The wave of anxiety that was creeping through his veins was hard to ignore. He thought at any moment that he might break.
Who is this Aizen character? he thought to himself. Was there really someone who had been watching him this whole time?
The sound of the gates being drawn open broke Zommari's moment of introspection. He shot his gaze away from the ground and it met what seemed to be a hooded figure. The figure was about his height but was floating two inches above the ground. It landed softly, about ten feet away from Zommari and drew back its hood. This action revealed an extremely frail looking old man. His hair, withered and grey, was just about all gone. His eyes seemed to be reflecting a past that was too far gone, and one that had best been forgotten. His hands trembled as he pulled his hood the rest of the way down. He then smiled, revealing a number 13 written on his two front teeth. Each number written on either tooth.
'I don't take it you came here for the cookies did you?' the man asked.
'Who are you?' Zommari asked.
'Me?' the man proceeded to chuckle. 'I'm everything you fear my boy, I am agony and I am despair. I am lonliness incarnate. I am death boy, and no one passes this gate without feeling the wrath of a thousand years of suffering'
'Enough of this.'
Zommari proceeded to use his Gemelos Sonido to close in on the man. However he was nowhere to be found. Zommari turned around to see the man standing with one hand in the pocket of his torn black jeans. His sword, now seen by Zommari for the first time was shiny and black and resting over his shoulder, the hilt topped off on the end by a skull. He was whistling a tune.
'The cookies were a better choice boy.' The man was gone, no flashy exit or smoke, just gone. It was like he was instantly deleted from existence. Before Zommari knew it the man had his hand wrapped around his forehead. And quickly but at the same time slowly, Zommari fell asleep.
In this sleep he found nothing but sorrow. Everything that ever hurt him either emotionaly or physically was running through this nightmare at once. But suddenly, for a brief instant, he saw his wife and daughter, playing in a field.
'A memory for sure, from before you became, well, this animal that you are now...' The man's voice echoed throughout the darkness.
'What are you doing to me you coward? Face me like a man!' This memory, although brief, lasted a lifetime. A bittersweet feeling for sure for Zommari. It changed in a instant. The image of his wife and daughter became blurry and before he knew it all he could hear were their cries of agony. They were crying for him.
'How does that make you feel monster? Broken? Shattered into a million pieces? The man asked.
'You can't break me old man. Sorrow has eluded me. Pain is but a part of me now. My past is behind me. And with it I bury my regrets. The skies will not weep for me today, Death.'