The Prologue
The world is in an eternal struggle for balance. In essence, there can never be one single thing, rather, a plethora of choices to be made in life. Without black, there is no white; without yin, there is no yang; without good, there is no bad; without the flickering light of the candle, there is no shadow.
There are others, however, that would like to believe otherwise. You were either pure, or an agent of evil; a harbinger of great disaster, if you lacked goodness in your heart. And if you lacked a heart altogether, you were hollow inside…cold and monstrous…alien and strange…
A society was born out of this train of thought. It was a society that had to mobilize its forces to not only protect itself, but to keep balance in the universe as well. Those souls who died made their way to the Soul Society, to live through their afterlife. However, not all souls made it to Soul Society, and were preyed on by denizens of the underworld, which constantly craved to fill their empty stomachs. But satisfaction would never come for them, and their lives would only be driven by their instinct, and limitless hunger.
Thus the Shinigami were created to not only slay these demons, but to protect those souls and guide them to Soul Society, until their return to the living world. By slaying those monsters, the Shinigami kept the much needed balance of theirs, and the living world.
But those of the living wanted to mobilize as well. Those spiritually aware formed a clan, naming themselves Quincys, to kill the Hollows in order to survive. They were not balancers like the Shinigami, however, and soon the hourglass came close to cracking , as those souls consumed by the monsters never came to Soul Society, thus were never reborn into the living world, thus leaving fewer and fewer spirits to feed on, that increased the attacks on the Quincys themselves.
They were nearly exterminated, the Quincys, for the sake of balancing the world, leaving only a few left in the living world, always to be monitored. But those who were sent to Soul Society would find discrimination for their destructive beliefs, and those Quincy formed a single clan in Sereitei, almost rivaling those noble families already established long ago.
But Hollows still roam, and kill, and rampage and the Shinigami must mobilize to slay them. They were merely seen as monsters to be destroyed by the sword…A Shinigami's sword…a Zanpakuto…
-- -- --
Dark clouds hovered in the sky, blanketing the land against the clear moonlight, allowing only the faintest illumination to pass through. They were in the forests of Soul Society, just outside the main districts where the souls themselves lived. A small contingent of nine darkly dressed Shinigami carefully made their way around under the leafy canopy at night, allowing the shadows to take on an eerie look. At the head of the group was a broad shouldered and raven haired man, who often took command of the squad when their sickly Captain couldn't join them. It was reported that a Hollow had appeared, and it had already killed a few Shinigami, making this more of a hunt rather than a simple slaying.
"Ichinose, take Suzumiya and Taraude to the north to cut off its escape…Kiyoske, take Jumide and Toshida and head west. If you see it head your way, don't engage it; contact us on the radio instead and break away from any combat."
The six darkly dressed men and women nodded at their orders, and speedily took off to their objective positions. For the thirteenth Shinigami squad, this was no mere drill; the Hollow posed a major threat to Soul Society, as all Shinigami outside the Sereitei had to be on their guard with their Zanpakuto unsheathed.
"What about us, Fukutaicho?" a young blonde girl asked eagerly. She and the bearded man next to her displayed their sharp blades with confidence, to show their readiness for the mission. The raven haired man couldn't help but smirk.
"Well, I was going to go check up on the training group to escort them back to Sereitei myself…Sentaro, Kiyone, if you two shut up long enough, I guess you'll be paired up with me."
"Th-thank you, Kaien-Fukutaicho!" the bearded man gasped out with a smile. The coil of rope wrapped around his forehead rose as his eyebrows arched upwards with glee. Not to be outdone by his gratitude, the blonde girl immediately slapped her white gloved hands to her sides, and bowed in reverence. Though, the devilish smirk she made to her peer was anything but. "Damn you, Kiyone!" Sentaro gasped out, and attempted to bow lower than she had.
She growled and responded in kind, this time sticking out her tongue at him. He bowed even lower, as they became more and more competitive in front of the raven haired Vice-Captain.
As the two Shinigami engaged in their reversed game of limbo, Kaien simply rolled his eyes and walked away from the ridiculous display. "Fu-fukutaicho!" Kiyone called out to him, "look what you did now, Sentaro!"
"Me!? It was your sucking up that did it!!"
"What? Fukutaicho! It was Sentaro's fault, right? Fukutaicho!?"
Their radios immediately crackled to life, as an indistinguishable voice shouted. The static interfered with any clear message being sent, until a scream cried out and the radio died once again. All three stood around looking dumbfounded by the event. "Kiyone…"
"Hai, Fukutaicho!" the blonde responded and clamored about her uniform in search for batteries.
"K-" the bearded man's radio crackled.
"Fukutaicho!" he called out, and held out his radio for all to see.
"….k-Kaien…." a female voice eerily whispered amongst the static, until his radio too, died as well.
His mind raced. There was no way he couldn't recognize the voice calling out for him. Kaien immediately took off running. He ran to reach the training group, he ran to escort them back to the safety of Sereitei, but most of all he ran to save one of the instructors.
His wife, Miyako.
--
The fun and games were over now. Dodging tree branches and roots, the three Shinigami sped through the forest in search of their comrades. Their radios crackled, with no response whatsoever.
"Hello…hello?" Kiyone clicked the two way device again, "Ichinose-san…Kiyoske-san….anybody!?" She growled at the garbled answer back, as the radio squealed until finally turning it off. "Kaien-fukutaicho, what's going on?"
"Don't you get it?" Sentaro panted, "They've been attacked. For we know, they could all be-"
"-shut up and run, Sentaro…" Kaien called back. "If you have time to squabble, you shouldn't be the slowest one…" However distressing it was, the thought had passed through his mind. "Don't worry about it…" he turned to glance backwards, "…they're tough, and from the Thirteenth Squad too, remember?"
"Yeah, don't doubt Kaien-fukutaicho, Sentaro-baka!" A sudden grind of wood against soil caught her attention, and the two seated officers stopped behind their Vice Captain. "Ano?!" her breath shuddered at the sight. Her gloves clasped over her mouth, to keep from screaming.
Sentaro glanced toward the ground, away from the scene with clenched teeth. There was a battle fought here recently. No, it was more of a massacre. Several dead bodies laid about on the ground or rest against a trunk or two. For the longest time, no one dared to say a word, or uttered so much as a sound. Only the eerie wind and the fluttering of their uniforms broke the otherwise silent scene.
And then, there was a flicker of movement amongst the lifeless. Kiyone blinked and rubbed her eyes, thinking it was nothing, but a trembling arm shot out from a pile of bodies. "Look!" she pointed and called out, "Come on!" Kiyone and Sentaro rushed to his aid while Kaien meanwhile, dropped to his knees.
Hers was the first face he recognized, but for the longest time, Kaien thought it was someone else, or maybe just a trick of his mind. But now that he was closer, his reaction was hard to describe. There was something caught in his throat. Several thousand emotions flooded his system all at once, though one in particular left a greater sting than the rest. Was it anxiety? Sadness? Emptiness? Depression? Regret? Anger?
Nothing of the outside world could register in his mind right now. His jaws clenched tightly, his tongue pressed back against his uvula. His vision blurred and his breathing heavy. Arms trembled to the limp weight they carried; his hands tingled to the sensation of the cloth, soaked in dark life fluids. His heart lurched at the sight of her pale face, lifeless.
"It's Taraude! He's alive!" Sentaro called back to the raven haired Vice-Captain, but he paid no attention to the bearded man's voice.
"…these wounds…" Kaien said softly to himself. "…They're not Hollow attacks, at all…"
"What was that, Kaien-fukutaicho?" Kiyone grunted as she and Sentaro slowly carried the third Shinigami's arms on each of their shoulders. Kaien glanced downwards again, and carefully laid the body back to the ground.
"…these are Zanpakuto wounds…" his eyes darted back to the injured Shinigami who was now limping on his own. "What happened here, Taraude?"
"…I…I didn't mean to…" he stuttered softly in response, "…she was possessed, and I…"
"Tell me!!" Kaien quickly grabbed hold of the whimpering man's collar, and pulled him closely and aggressively. His other hand tightly grabbed his own hilt. "Sorry for what!?"
"…Kaien…" he held the collar tightly and slowly began to slide the blade of his Zanpakuto out from its scabbard
"…Shiba-fukutaicho, restrain yourself!!" A more assertive voice bellowed. Her slap caused Kaien's cheek to redden, but he refused to let go. From the corner of his eye, a smaller raven haired woman stood before him, dressed in the dark and sleeveless uniform of the Secret Forces. "…that means let go of your subordinate." She added. Behind her, two easily recognizable captains waited patiently for his response.
"Ukitake-taicho…" Kaien breathed out, and immediately lessened his grip to allow the Shinigami to drop to the ground. "…Miyako…" his voice cracked.
"…I know, Kaien…" the white haired man nodded softly. "We received orders from Central forty-six to come here immediately. There are several other squads combing the forest as I speak. Apparently the Hollow was more dangerous than we had thought…"
"Now calm down, and just explain yourself…" Wearing his pink and flowered haori, Shunsui knelt next to the panting Shinigami. "What happened?"
"The Hollow…it has abilities…" Taraude said breathlessly. After taking a deep breath, he swallowed the building saliva to hydrate his throat. "It killed Ichinose-senpai…Kiyoske-senpai…it destroyed their Zanpakutos…." He shuttered at the thought. "…and when Miyako-senpai tried to stop it, to buy the students time to escape…"
"…Miyako…" Kaien said softly. He brushed his trembling hand through her hair, in some attempt to wake her from a slumber. A feminine hand brushed against his, and the body under him moved just slightly.
"Hmmm….Kaien…?" her voice cooed, to the disbelief of everyone around them.
"…there's no way…" he gasped, and knelt closer down next to her.
Taraude was terrified when the body began to move. "No….no!!" he shouted and frantically pushed back with his feet. "That's not her!!"
"…What…?" Kaien glanced again to the pale woman below him, her eyes now open and looking back with the warmth he remembered. Then her eyes darkened; her smile became cold. "…Miyak-"
"…What's wrong, Kaien?" She smirked. "…did I take your breath away?" Her nails dug deeply through his body, and had pierced straight through his back. He gasped for breath, his mind was in shock. A second slice through flesh sounded out, only it was her turn to gasp from pain.
Kaien's sword cut through her abdomen, and stuck out through her shoulder. "You're not…my wife…" he said before withdrawing his blade from her body. "You're not…Miyako!" Feeling his strength beginning to wane, he turned his Zanpakuto horizontally, and hesitantly released himself from her grasp. The woman cried out angrily in pain, as her body writhed over the loss of her arm.
"You bastard!" she screamed out, as a tendril snaked out from her wrist. It wrapped tightly around Kaien's sword, and the blade immediately disintegrated.
"Back away, Shiba-fukutaicho!" Soifon commanded, as she lunged after the possessed Shinigami. As a second tendril swung toward her however, she was forced to jump sideways, though this left the possessed Shinigami open to the four others at the ready.
"Kaien, get out of there!" Jushiro called out as well, immediately revealing his Zanpakuto. Shunsui released his as well, and prepared to attack as Soifon managed to distract the possessed Shinigami. Blood spluttered from the white haired man's mouth, and he dropped to a knee from his heavy coughing.
"Taicho!" Kiyone gasped, as she and Sentaro immediately grabbed onto the man's shoulders. Without hesitation, the bearded Captain continued his attack run, his blades bare. The possessed Shinigami woman looked even more hideous now, as her skin began to deteriorate and match the color of its tendrils. It screamed demonically as he approached closer, and attacked with its tendrils. Shunsui jumped to the right, making a point to remember its destructive ability.
"Now, Soifon!" He called out, as the lithe and small captain appeared behind the Hollow and stabbed it with her released Zanpakuto. A butterfly tattoo appeared where she stabbed, acting as a target for her to strike again. As she drove her hand toward the mark a second time however, a tendril zoomed behind her and struck flesh. She hesitated, as the raven haired Kaien groaned in pain.
"Do it…Soifon…taicho!" he grunted, as she jabbed her small needle Zanpakuto into the butterfly mark. Suzumebachi's special effect seemed to have worked, as the possessed Miyako's skin color began to turn to normal, and whatever life that controlled her seemed to leave as her body dropped to the ground.
"Are you alright, Ukitake-taicho?" she called back.
"I'm hungry…" a voice growled deeply behind her, "…you look tasty, girl!" a swift breeze passed her by as she turned to react, and came face to face with a demon eyed, green skinned Kaien. They were merely inches apart, and separated only by the sword that kept his toothy face at bay.
"You should watch your back more, Soifon-taicho…" Shunsui remarked as he pushed the snarling Kaien backwards.
"You almost had me, girl…" The Hollow snarled again, his tongue slathered about. "Lucky for me, this boy came into contact with my feeler!" Laughing hysterically, he revved himself to a speedy run, and bared inhumanly sharp talons from his fingers. "Before I devour him from the inside, I'll make sure to have him kill as many of you as he can!" A sharp scream shot into the sky, as a blade had managed to pierce him from behind. Kaien's skin turn pink once again, with streaks of red flowing down his arms and dark clothes.
Taraude panted heavily as he tightly gripped his Zanpakuto and pulled the blade out of his Vice Captain's body. "Kaien!" Ukitake gasped while aided by Kiyone and Sentaro. Collapsing to the ground, Kaien grinned with melancholy. The tears of those around him could not be distinguished, as the weight of the dark clouds above them could not be kept back any longer; it had suddenly begun to rain.
"You know...taicho…" he breathed out with difficulty, "…I'm not sorry…for not following…your orders this time…I just had to save Miyako…for her dignity…and all those Shinigami who lost their lives…tonight…"
"Stop it, Kaien…just conserve your breath…" the white haired man tried to wipe the blood stains from his face, "…the fourth squad will be here soon to treat you…"
"I had to hold on…until Taraude's lazy ass could get behind me…" he attempted to laugh, but only succeeded to cough up more blood.
"You don't mean…?"
"Yeah…" Kaien smiled weakly again, "…thanks, Taicho…for letting me fight…" he looked up to the sky, where these droplets of water fell from. From a break in the clouds, moonlight had managed to peek through, and illuminated Soul Society in the distance.
The sight was peaceful and calming, helping Kaien to close his heavy eyelids one last time.
Author's Notes:
Redux (equals) Remake
Bleach is the intellectual property of Tite Kubo