Chapter Nine: Tragedy

(Alright, this chapter is dedicated to my friends; among them are members of the Bleached Chaos forum and the members of the Legendary Search forum. There are many others, but I shall give them their shout outs in further chapters. I still do not own BLEACH, but I do own my very own corner to cry in :P)

Jeanne's group, including Kenpachi and Yachiru, appeared back in the Society. As they stood in the hallway, Jeanne looked around, sensing abnormal spiritual pressures.

"Something's up. Let us proceed cautiously, comrades" She said, her voice tense.

Angela, who was standing next to Yachiru, looked at Jeanne and nodded, and then gasped, surprise being replaced with horror as her eyes settled upon a familiar figure on the ground, the walls covered in blood. "Leonard! No! Leonard!" Angela cried out, rushing to her friend's side. His breathing was labored, and his eyes were closed, obviously in great pain.

Having sensed his allies' arrival, Leonard struggled to open his eyes and looked at Angela, straining a weak smile. When he spoke, his words rasped as if his windpipe was lined in sandpaper. "I…thought…you would never come…" He rasped painfully. He began to cough, coughing up blood.

Ryo looked stricken. What…or who could possibly do this? "What happened? Who did this?" he demanded, his eyes flashing angrily, his temper beginning to swell like a strengthening storm.

Leonard did not meet Ryo's eyes. "I'll save that…for later…right now, Suzaku…" He started to say, but began to cough so violently that his face appeared to flush.

Jeanne knelt by Leonard's side, her expression alarmed. "What about Suzaku? Leonard!" She said, but gasped as Leonard faded to unconsciousness.

Jack gently picked Leonard up in his arms and turned to face the group. "I will bring him to Seth… perhaps he still can be saved…" He muttered, and then charged off down the hallway at full speed.

Kenpachi looked bored, one would say. "Those injuries…Kurosaki wouldn't inflict those types of wounds… But whoever did must be strong! I can't wait to fight this Ryoka!" He said, his voice beginning bored, and escalating to excitement.

Yachiru jumped on Kenpachi's back and laughed. "Kya! I think he went…that way!" She said, pointing in one direction wildly. Kenpachi nodded and charged off in that direction.

Angela paled and then turned livid. "No you don't! The one who hurt Leonard is MINE!" She snarled, chasing off after the strange duo.

Jeanne looked at Ryo. "Let us track down Suzaku. I sense his spiritual pressure…but it is extremely weak. Weaker than Leonard's…" She said gravely. Ryo nodded and summoned his whip at the same time Jeanne summoned her pike. "Yes" He said, and then let his rage show. "Let us go now!"

And the two headed off towards Suzaku's location.

"Mendocera! I told you this wasn't the way! Thanks to you, we have lost all but our sense of direction in this place!" Durante fumed, sitting down stubbornly in a chair as Mendocera glanced around with a look of wonder on his face.

"So many books! Durante, do not be mad, for we have stumbled across a great treasure!" Mendocera replied, scanning the floor to ceiling bookshelves that lined the walls in the room.

Durante nodded, noting his companion's amazement. "Yeah, but still…I'm hungry, and we haven't come across any delectable souls yet!" He replied, his voice beginning to hint at a whine. Mendocera chuckled as he flipped through one of the books. Seconds later, he shut the book with a loud clap. He frowned as he recognized the spiritual pressure. "What is HE doing here?" He growled, backing away from the doorway, suppressing his spiritual pressure more than he was used to.

Durante did the same as he recognized the spiritual pressure. "Kenpachi Zaraki…" He whispered as the spiritual pressure of the eleventh captain passed by with a gust of wind. One moment later, a furious young girl chased after them, who also had a relatively strong spiritual pressure.

Mendocera waited a moment before stepping out into the hallway. Durante followed, looking around cautiously. "It seems the hall is clear for the moment. One last sweep through and we shall report back to Aisen." Mendocera said, returning to his calm demeanor. Durante nodded and then he saw something out of the corner of his eye. "Another Arrancar is present… one as strong as an Espada, I reckon…" He said.

Mendocera and Durante turned to look in on an intense battle that was nearing its close.

Arielle slammed Joshua into the wall, her face an expressionless mask, while the Arrancar's was one of surprise. "Joshua…what happened to you…?" Arielle asked, her voice straining to keep its even tone.

Joshua just stared at her. "Ari…" He mumbled. Arielle growled and threw him to the ground, and kept the blade of Thorn at Joshua's neck. "Joshua, why did you turn into this monster? The monster you swore to protect souls against! What have you to say?" She demanded, giving up keeping the even tone, her voice sounding as if it was on the verge of tears.

Joshua's eyes hardened as he glared at Ari as she lifted her scythe to inflict the final blow. "Why? WHY? Why should I protect the ones who killed my wife?" He roared, rolling to the side as Ari's scythe came down where he had just been. He slashed at her with his wakazishi, which she easily deflected with her scythe.

"Stop…" Joshua said suddenly, holding out his hand in front of him, standing in front of Ari. "What?" Ari replied, pausing in her attack.

Joshua smiled sadly at Ari. "I am afraid it is time for you to die, friend. Dolorido Salida Cero!" He said, a flash of black energy leaving his hand, launching in Ari's direction. Ari's eyes widened as the Cero flew at her, but a sudden force knocked her down.

"I'm not dead yet, you bastard!" Suzaku's voice snarled. He stood protectively in front of Ari, holding an arm across the slash across his chest. His other hand had a sphere of blue fire flaring in it.

Joshua laughed a cruel, emotionless laugh. "Oh, really now? With a repeat of your last performance, you surely will fall, not to rise again!" He said, charging Suzaku.

Suzaku grinned. "Flaming serpent of the solar flare!" He said, his spiritual pressure spiking as he was engulfed in flames, the flames quickly taking the form of a flaming serpent. "Now DIE!" Suzaku yelled, sending the serpent towards a charging Joshua.

Joshua leaped to the side, firing another cero at Ari, who was staggering to her feet. But Suzaku's flame serpent had other ideas. "RRRRRAAAGH!" The serpent hissed, shielding Ari from the flames. Joshua cursed Suzaku, who just did not seem to die, and his pet fire serpent. Now on the defensive, Joshua dodged out of the way of the serpent's attack after attack.

Just when Joshua was starting to tire, the fire serpent vanished. Joshua blinked, his eyes adjusting back to normal, as he saw Suzaku drop to one knee, clutching at his chest as he gasped for air. Joshua grinned. "It seems I win after all. In thanks for you entertaining me, I shall let you live for now. Regain your strength so I can completely crush you the next time we meet, Reapers!" He hissed, opening up a garganta and swiftly diappearing through it.

Ari knelt by Suzaku. "You alright, Rhimone?" She asked, anxious. Suzaku nodded weakly. "Fighting that damn hollow drained my energy…" He gasped.

Footsteps alerted them both and they turned to see a ragged looking Raphael. "Ari…you are needed in the infirmary…it's Leonard…he's…hurt bad" He said, his voice wrought with pain. Ari looked from Suzaku to Raphael and back. "Gather your energy, Rhimone, I will be right back." She said, pale.

Suzaku coughed and looked Ari in the eye. "Promise me" He said, his voice flat. Ari startled at this and then her expression softened as she embraced Suzaku in a gentle hug. "Alright, Rhimone, I promise. You are my friend, after all." She said with a smile as she stood up and began to run towards the infirmary.

Suzaku glared at Ari's retreating form. "And don't call me that! It's Suzaku!" He shouted after her, before slumping down, exhausted. Raphael looked at Suzaku with a wicked glean in his eyes that Suzaku did not see. "Let me help you up, friend…" He said, holding out a hand to help Suzaku up. Suzaku accepted the hand and let Raphael pull him to his feet. "Thanks, Rapha—" He said, getting cut off as Raphael's rapier pierced Suzaku's chest, piercing his heart. Suzaku's lifeless eyes now stared at Raphael, wide with shock.

Raphael grinned evilly as he pulled out the rapier, Suzaku falling to the ground one final time. "Oh, you are more than welcome, friend. Too bad your crush will have to suffer a broken heart. Oh, how much I would pay to see the look on her face when she gazes upon your dead body…" He said with a cruel laugh as he opened up a portal and disappeared through it.

Jeanne and Ryo ran into the clearing where Suzaku's spiritual pressure was last sensed and found him laying down on his stomach.

Jeanne knelt next to Suzaku and shook his shoulder. "Suzaku…? Can you hear me, Suzaku?" She asked gently, not getting a response from him. Jeanne's throat tightened as she shook him harder. "C'mon Rhimone, wake the hell up!" She growled, and then turned him onto his back. Ryo knelt next to Suzaku as well and startled as he stared into Suzaku's lifeless eyes. Tears filled Ryo's eyes and fell onto Suzaku's corpse. "No…it can't be…NOOO!"

(Wow…Did I really just type that?

…I guess…I really did…

Well…read and review, please…

~Salvo~)