Digging Two Graves

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.

"Lieutenant Hokkaido."

"What is it now Mori?"

"What is our objective for this mission?"

"You know exactly what it is, we are to eliminate all remaining spawn of the hollow Gaidoku and discard of the infected."

Mori faltered, then lowered his head and continued to follow the other shinigami in front of him.

"Not liking your promotion Mori?"

"O-of course I am sir, I am extremely honored to serve and protect the King."

"Then stop being a disgrace in my presence. We are the King's personal elite squad so don't tarnish my name by second guessing if you should kill some little girl today. Do you understand me?"

"Yes sir."

--

"Mori Keiji, 5th Seed of the King's squad. I challenge you for your position. "

"Galatea stop messing around. Even if you wanted to challenge me there would have to be 50 shinigami present as law states or it'd just be murder." Mori grimaced. He didn't appreciate her idea of humor this morning. He rather be in bed with her, just like two weeks ago. Sunday mornings were always slow.

"Well you're in luck, 51 shinigami are coming back from training in approximately five minutes."

"Galatea this isn't funny." He firmly grabbed her arm, "Why don't we just go back to my place and I'll cook you a nice breakfast, huh?" He smiled as he began to usher her along side him.

It had been 4 years since he finally allowed her into his life, despite the twisted regret he felt every time he looked at her. She just wouldn't leave his side. Relationships between students and ranked shinigami were forbidden, but she was older now and had advanced from his trainee to Seed 11. He couldn't contain his feelings any longer. He just hoped she would someday forgive him, if she ever remembered.

--

"Fugioka, Hamada take the right side. Mori, Dazai take the left. I'll take the center."

"Yes Lieutenant!"

"Keiji you better not get in my way." Dazai, the 7th Seed at the time, was already engaged in battle by the time Mori could start to move his feet. All he could see was the blood stained ground he would further discolor. His ears had been ringing for the past hour, but he never imagined the townspeople's screaming would be this deafening when he actually arrived.

The virus had been consuming the town for 3 hours now. It slowly devoured a person from the inside out while taking control of their muscular system. It kept the person's visual and pain receptors intact so that they could comprehend the fact they were ripping apart their loved ones while their own bodies were disintegrating. They became Gaidoku's horde of walking corpses, enduring tremendous physical and mental pain until they eventually died themselves. Gaidoku was considered a failed experiment that escaped from the King's Research and Development Station and now Mori was here to clean up their mess.

"HELP! Help save my mother!" A little girl lay begging at Mori's feet, her body drenched in blood so much her hair was even dripping red. "Stop my father from killing her! He doesn't mean it! Please help us!" What Mori assumed to be her younger brother was sprawled out next to her, his eyes beginning to bleed.

"Just save my sister…" He could hardly breathe anymore, Mori could sense he was about to turn any minute.

He heard heavy footsteps beside him and the slice of a blade. Dazai had just granted the little girl's wish and killed her mother as well. The parents' heads rolled into the dirt, no longer able to see the fate of the children they left behind.

"Keiji, what the hell are you doing!? Kill them both and then lets advance to the center." Dazai had taken care of the remaining spawn in their assigned area while Mori had just stood there in shock. Everything around him was slowing down, all he could fixate on was the overwhelming stench of the corpses piling up around him.

The boy had started screaming. His sister desperately tried to restrain his fervent thrashings in an attempt to comfort him, but his wailing didn't subside.

"Kill them already!" Dazai was getting impatient. "The boy's about to turn into one of them, kill him now!"

Mori's zanpakuto pierced the boy's heart before he realized what he was doing. It was his duty to obey.

"Kill the girl too!"

Her eyes were now focused on Mori, so vividly alive against her blood stained face. She was still clutching her deceased brother tight in her arms, terrified to let go. Her lips parted, gasping for air. Her chest rising and falling more rapidly than before. She was on the verge of dissolution, suddenly realizing this world would be no more. Her family would never again be filled with life, nor would their names ever be known. But those lucid brown eyes seemed to take hold of Mori. How could he murder this innocent girl?

So Dazai upheld Mori's duties once again. Her body was pierced just as quickly as it sank into the ground. She was gone.

"Mori, Dazai!" The lieutenant and the two other squad members had arrived at Mori's side. "Good work. After I call in to headquarters we'll be on our way."

"Yes sir." The four of them answered.

It was over before Mori had even really drawn his sword. The whole town was slaughtered within five minutes of arriving. He was sick to his stomach. This massacre took place all because the Research and Development Station lost control of one of their experiments. The experiments that were supposed to 'further enlighten us' in order to protect the King's well being. What did he sign up for? He should have just became a member of the 13 Court Guard Squads instead of this.

"The recovery unit is on their way, we're free to leave." The silence was deafening thereafter. Mori's ears started to ring from the void of sound instead of the abundance of it now. The only noise was the crunching of their sandals against the raw ground as they departed.

"AHHHHHH!" A shrill scream perforated the air.

"Who left one alive?!" The lieutenant became infuriated, displeased his subordinates couldn't finish the job in a cohesive manner.

"That's impossible I killed her myself!" Dazai seemed distraught for the first time in his life. He had failed his commanding officer. But somehow that little girl Mori couldn't kill had awakened.

Seconds later Mori felt his comrades had reached a new level of immorality. After examining her body they soon realized the girl had somehow healed the gap in her chest and deemed her worthy specimen for the head scientist back at the Station.

"I've never heard of anyone being able regenerate after they're dead." Fugioka smirked.

"I've never heard of anyone being able to regenerate their body at all and I don't even think she knows how to use her spiritual pressure. We should all get promoted for finding this one for Dr. Saigo." Hamada seemed to be in his glory. They all seemed to be. Except Mori.

"Tie her up! We'll drag her back."

--

"You know, you should have reported those nightmares I've been having lately." Galatea yanked her hand from his grasp. "It's funny actually. I woke up screaming his name some nights, yet you still don't remember the name of the little boy you murdered."

There was a long pause, but Mori didn't seem so taken aback. He was calm. It was as if he expected this to happen, as if he was waiting for it.

"So Ichiro was your brother's name then? ...You should know I didn't want to hurt you or your family back then." This comment seemed to anger her even more.

"You didn't mean to hurt us?" She scoffed at this remark. "Yet you stayed after all you saw, still working for these sadistic people? Maybe if you weren't still a sinner today I would have forgiven you." She paused and then began to laugh. "Oh, but how could I forget your own perverse nature goes far beyond that. Four years ago you took in the girl you left for dead and then told her you were in love with her." Her fists were clenched and her eyes beginning to water.

"You disgust me more than anything else in this world Keiji."

"I have been awaiting my befitting fate for a while now. I'd just like to think I made amends for what I did to you. I hoped to give you a better life."

"Made amends? What have you ever done for me besides seduce me into your bed?"

"I guess all of your memories haven't returned yet." Mori seemed ironically upset. "I was the one who fought to revoke your imprisonment after Dr. Saigo was murdered. I hoped after they erased your memories you would have a chance at living a normal life."

"So you demanded they erase my memory?" Her temper was beginning to rise again.

"No. It was only under that condition they would let you free." Mori's expression grew more stolid after every piece of information he divulged. He couldn't help but feel he was ruining this her life all over again. Those eyes once more beginning to weigh down on his soul. She was still so young.

"How long was I in there for!? What did they do to me!?" Her hands darted towards the collar of his shihakusho, firmly clasping onto it. She needed to know.

"20 years… You became their finest assassin as well as one of their most successful experiments. They merged you with Gaidoku."