Chapter Two: Parasitic

"Every man has inside himself a parasitic being who is acting not at all to his advantage."

-William S. Burroughs

Kagome's desire to help Ishida had never been high to begin with and once he was trying to kidnap her she only hesitated a moment before leaving him to his fate with the monster and running. She was afraid if she didn't hurry out of here that she would be next. She didn't even look back as she dashed out the lab and through the halls trying to get back to the cave in…she could hopefully find a way to climb free of this place…what if there were more of those monsters here?

She could still light filtering in from the cave in, rocks still tumbling in from the edges from the blows to the city streets above by the powerful combatants wreaking destruction from their battles. It was dangerous since it was still caving in but somehow more welcoming than what she'd left behind her. She was starting to reach up to find a way out when a hand wrapped around her arm and pulled her down, Kagome screamed as she slid along the ground, staring in shock at the transformation to the monster.

As opposed to the mummified corpse of before, there was a man in the same tattered clothing before her, mismatched red and grey eyes manic with hunger as he stalked toward where he'd tossed her. He was still gaunt, but this was the monster that was only a mummy moments ago…she grabbed his hands when he reached for her, struggling with him.

"Stop it! Don't!" She protested, but it was of little avail, he had exceptional strength and it only took a few moments before he had her arms pinned down. Even calling on her energy wasn't helping, his hands were burning but he wasn't letting her go. His fangs paused just after pricking her flesh with her next statement. "I'm pregnant…please…"

The word pregnant had been the one to cause him to freeze. She hadn't said it aloud since she learned it from Sestran but now seemed as good a time as any to try and get the monster to stop. The creature instead set his ear on her neck, listening a long moment before he rolled them both to their feet and he set her down. Like most of the men in her life he was taller than her but so much so that he might as well be a giant, they had over a foot of difference between them. He still had wires sticking from his skin in several places and the burns that had appeared on his hands from her magic were visibly healing.

"My apologies…" He stated in a polite tone she didn't expect, his voice was raspy and light…difficult to make out above the white noise of the battle above them. "It's been sometime since I've eaten…I let my appetite get the best of me."

…

He was dusting off her shoulders and ticking debris from her hair and all Kagome could do was stare, this day kept getting more confusing. What was this thing?

"Um, hi…?" She finally managed.

"Yes…manners." He cleared his throat but it was still weak, probably from having been down here so long…just how long had he been here? "I apologize, call me…Nyhil."

"You…are a vampire?" Kagome ventured the question. Byakuya had mentioned something to her once about spiritual vampires with a silly name she couldn't recall.

"No, no not exactly…well possibly I suppose…it would depend on the exact definition of the term," He answered, glancing around as if taking the room in for the first time. He started to take all the iv's and other wires out of his flesh and even when he started to bleed it didn't last long…he seemed to very swiftly regenerate. "I'm not entirely sure what I am to be honest…what's happening here?"

"Ishida…did you kill him?" Kagome was nervous but she had to admit that as much as she was frustrated with the boy's involvement she didn't want him dead.

"Ishida?" The man considered her a moment calculating before realization entered his gaze. "Oh, no…I don't think so. He'll need some medical care…but it seems there are more pressing issues…what is happening above us?"

"Well ah…" Kagome blinked, not sure how she could explain to this strange creature. "The courts are at war with the Quincy and it's pretty bad, they are breaking up the city a lot in their combats. That's how I fell down here…and uh, found you."

"I haven't seen you about the squadrons…" He observed…then shook his head. "No matter, the more pressing matter is the battle…if we are under attack I'll need to help. Where is my zanpakuto?"

Kagome had been hoping in her description that he would be an ally but the last thing she was expecting was for him to say that he was a soul reaper…

Elsewhere…

The battles were decimating the cities infrastructure more than the ruler would like and Sestran was pacing as he glanced to the orb that offered him the rule of his currently struggling city. Still, it would be unwise to unlock heaven while this threat existed…the Quincy ruler hadn't returned and he had to gamble that his own army would be able to defend against this ambush. As it was he was concerned this wouldn't be the best the Quincy would throw at them.

It didn't help that Byakuya was resisting the new power he'd attained…though the noble's refusal to use vizard abilities shouldn't surprise Sestran. Pride was quite obviously Byakuya's sin of choice after all. Still, his battle was going better than many of the others. His troops weren't winning, they were barely holding their own. He was considering if he would be forced to get involved or not…there was a difference between a threat to heaven and a threat to everything that had been built by his ancestors. If the court fell, so too would his ability to ever again leave heaven…the doors had to be opened from this side after all…

He tapped the side of his hip with his hand, the twitch outside of his usual demeanor a physical show of just how desperately he wanted to get involved. Then an unfamiliar energy source was approaching the battle, the orb swirled and focused in on the battles near Hitsugaya and Byakuya. There was a man in rags approaching the battle that he didn't know, was he one of the Quincy then? Kagome wasn't far away, Sestran noticed her hiding in one of the buildings doorways and he nearly turned to leave. Then the new person on the field drew a wakazashi, shorter than the usual shape but clearly a Zanpakuto. How was there a soul reaper he didn't recognize? What was going on?

The tall man set the blade against his opposite palm and then muttered something as he shoved the length of the weapon into his hand. As opposed to the splurge of blood expected from such an action instead his flesh rippled and as his hands pulled back they were covered in long claws. The metal seemed to grow straight from the man's skin with veins of the silver color wrapping upward around his upper arms in vein like patterns. The claw like weapons themselves were serrated and segmented in several joints. The man ran swiftly toward one of the quincy, flash stepping with enough speed that he managed to surprise them. They were as unfamiliar with his identity then?

Sestran canted his head, still tempted to return but hoping the extra unexpected combatant would drive them back enough that he wouldn't be forced to.

The front line…

Byakuya was just as surprised by the new presence on the field as he was that Kagome was out here…he wanted to tell her to go away but as far as he could tell the enemies hadn't targeted her yet so he was hesitant to bring attention to her. Instead he dodged back as several more lines of fire shot through the rooftop where he'd been standing seconds before. He shot a ray of light back at the enemy and as usual they came to another standstill. Byakuya frowned but he was growing wary…

"Let me finish this, I'll safeguard her…what can you do?"

As Byakuya fought his inner demons Hitsugaya wasn't about to refuse the help of the new soul reaper, surprising as it was. He was able to give himself a moment to breath as the new hand to hand person took over. "Thanks…"

If Nyhil heard the appreciation he didn't remark on it, he was diving at his foe with a forceful vigor of someone fresh to the field of battle. He traded several blows with the enemy and took his own wounds but managed to get in a few of his own.

"Unexpected…" The black haired man remarked. "Did you hear anything about this one Bazz-B?"

"Does it matter? Just kill him like the rest." Bazz called back, though he was still focused on his own assignment of knocking the captain over the edge. Though so far he hadn't really gotten far and was losing patience. "Burner finger 4."

The fire curled toward Byakuya and knocked him back and down, burns along his flesh despite having gotten out of the path of some of the attack. Meanwhile Hitsugaya was forced back by his own ice…the Sternritter that had stolen his bankai using it against them. Nyhil was also forced to jump back but he dove directly back at the battle…pausing on the ground only a moment before throwing himself at the enemy. His claws bounced free and sparked against skin that was iron during this assault.

"Lucky for Hitsugaya that you jumped in but you won't get more hits in now that I know your style." Cang Du remarked, smirking at the opponent. Though Nyhil leapt back at another burst from the sigil holding the bankai. He was considering the feel of the reiatsu and glanced toward Hitsugaya questioningly.

"They can steal Bankai." Hitsugaya stated, unsure what the new at least for the time, ally was looking for.

"That's new." Nyhil answered, dodging again when Cang leapt at him shooting the ends of his claws in return, they bounced off of Cang's skin. "Hmm, his ability is troublesome as well. Ah well, it won't matter…are you going to manage here? I would like to help other battles if I can."

"I think we'll be all right…but you…who are you?" Hitsugaya stepped in and met blades with the Quincy when Nyhil didn't move to defend himself from an attack…but the strength in the attacker's arms was less than before.

"Nyhil…and I would assume much has changed since I was taken…" He remarked, leaping away from their battle and forcing Hitsugaya to glance at his opponent in confusion when the Quincy suddenly froze up and fell to his knees as though he was having a muscle spasm. "What?"

"Bastard." The Quincy let out a self-depreciating bark of laughter. "It seems I took you all too lightly…"

"Stop playing around Cang." Bazz called from the rooftops, throwing more fire at the downed Byakuya, he'd prefer to just finish it instead of forcing the Captain to snap.

"He got to me before I put up my shield. There is something in his claws, a poison or perha…" Cang was interrupted as his jaw locked, he was swiftly losing control of his joints…he was hard pressed to run away when Hitsugaya sent a line of frost at him. He had to leave Bazz to his own…Cang barely retreated to a back line when he fell on his face, unable to move. None too soon since he felt the explosion of energy from Byakuya's release of his vizard form a moment after he'd disappeared…he likely wouldn't have survived had he remained there.

Bazz-B meanwhile was thrown from the rooftop with a backhand before the burst of reiatsu had actually reached him. The backhand had shattered his jaw and tossed several teeth from his mouth. He barely caught himself as the ground came up on him but he wasn't given time to respond before the sword cut across his chest and he only barely raised a hand to block Senbonzakura before it would have gone into his chest instead. Where the hell was Haschwalth?

Of course, no sooner than he considered his childhood friend than the second in command appeared and blocked the next sword strike. He glanced to Bazz-B and his disheveled state, watching as Bazz spit out a few teeth. Other Quincy began to appear as well, taking on the new Shinigami and Hitsugaya so Haschwalth was left defending against the raging Byakuya. He asked Bazz a question nonetheless. "Will you be able to follow through with the plan?"

"Easier said than done but I'll manage…Cang was already taken out. Not sure where he ran to…no one expected claws megee over there." Bazz answered, frowning at how easily Haschwalth had blocked the creature that had just cut him down. Was there this much difference between them? No…he'd already been fighting for some time…he was just getting a little worn. "I'll do what I have to."

"Then get to it." Haschwalth disappeared and Bazz released a burst of fire on the masked vizard facing him…but winced when it was deflected slightly, the monster ignoring burns along it's arm as it dove for him. This was going to be a challenging battle…but then Byakuya vanished…he'd caught onto their ploy. He was too late however, Haschwalth was already pulling Kagome through a gate, the girl only registering the change with enough time to widen her eyes. It'd been a while since she'd been successfully kidnapped…and she wasn't expecting the monsterous expression and the change to Byakuya's face with the mask as he dashed to try and get her…their fingers barely missing each other. Apparently they each hadn't been completely honest with one another…she wanted to say a lot of things, to ask dozens of questions, but the last face she got wasn't really that of her lover…just some strange thing that looked a lot like him…

End Chapter

Still getting back into the scheme of things. New ally of sorts. Gotta start restocking the soul reapers that have died. Also…I have always wanted to see a Byakuya Haschwalth fight…so that may or may not be coming up here in this story XD. I haven't kidnapped Kagome much in this storyline so I figured I should finally get around to it. Besides it is a reason for her to interact with the Quincy.

-Aura

To my reviewers: