Winter War's Wrath
Chapter 3
Mayuri bent over the black orb, staring into its depths. There was a strange spiritual energy pulsing from it. The scientist blinked as he heard Nemu enter. "What is it Nemu?"
"You were right, Mayuri-sama. The spiritual energy from the hougyoku is very similar to an Espada's…"
"I see, how strange. From what I hear from Urahara, it was never like this before."
Nemu paused, "Perhaps I should send a message to him. Urahara-san should know." The quiet girl began to slip out the door when Mayuri interrupted.
"No, we can leave it for a while."
"Okay."
----
Kagami, a brown-eyes, brown-haired girl sighed as she looked up from polishing her mirror. Sure, the sky was blue, the birds sang everything might have been perfect if it wasn't for the graves in front of her. "Why am I here, Arashitori? Why is it always me who gets the worst job?" she murmured.
"Because you're the one who doesn't moan as soon as you're given the job."
She turned around to see her captain, Byakuya Kuchiki step off the roof. "Taichou, I thought you were at the meeting."
"Faster than expected."
Kagami's eyes widened, "Oh."
"And to answer your question, it's actually because you're one of the strong officers who don't have an urge to slice up the hollows behind you."
Kagami's brown eyes moved to the locked door of the tower, "I guess that's true…I'm not really interested in…something like that."
"Well, in case you want to know, your shift is basically over."
The girl glared at her captain, slightly upset. I knew that! And I was under the impression that I still had my shift! Kagami swept her plait over her shoulder and began to walk away, her short sword at her side. Her brown eyes were sad and not warm and cheerful anymore. Kagami didn't have any direct connections with those who died in the desperate battle but the mourning around her seemed to pressure her deeper into that feeling anyway. The third seat stopped in the middle of the street and screamed, spinning around and running to her captain's office. "Taichou! You tell me to come off my shift and then send me running to help with Renji's stupid paperwork?"
Byakuya looked up, "Of course."
*sweatdrop*
----
Deep inside the hougyoku, a person stood alone, playing with her long, black hair. Her violet eyes stared forward into the darkness. She didn't know if she was deaf, if she was blind. She didn't know if she truly existed. Her black hair was barely visible to her own eyes. She didn't know her name either. In fact, she felt that she didn't know anything.
----
Kagami raised her head from the paperwork sighing. She was tired and on the verge of slumping on the desk to sleep. She rubbed an eye and gazed at the work before her and picked up her pen. Kagami heaved a deep sigh and started again. The best she could do to help her captain was at least finish Renji's stupid paperwork. "Renji…you are going to pay the next time I see you…" she broke off staring at the sheet of paper she had discovered. "Chiaki Kagayaki…so you're the new officer I'll have to talk to." The brown-haired girl crumpled up the page and tossed it in the bin next to her, "No one needs to tick that box, the seat's reserved…"
She finished the pile Renji had left and stood, tired and sleepy. Rain had started pouring outside and she felt a strange burst of happiness. Least you're happy Arashitori. Kagami walked to a low hanging tree and pulled herself onto a branch and sat, eyes closed, facing up. You're right Arashitori. It's very calming, just sitting and letting the rain fall on you. It washes away everything that's troubling you…Kagami pulled off the ribbons on her hair, letting her brown hair fall as it soaked with rain.
"Interesting way of relaxing."
Kagami turned to Renji who was standing in the shelter of the roof, "Why would you care?"
"Isn't it cold?"
"You think I care?"
"I dunno, maybe you will when you catch a cold."
"As if." She rolled her brown eyes and slid off the branch into a small puddle of water. Kagami walked underneath the shelter, dripping wet. The third seat began to walk away before she stopped, turned and kicked Renji hard in the shins. "I had to do a gigantic pile of paperwork because of you! Don't you dare leave something like that again!"
----
Mayuri gazed at the hougyoku as it pulsed and appeared to grow larger. Slightly. The scientist turned on a screen and watched as some numbers increased massively. "Hmm, now things become more complicated." He pressed several buttons in rapid succession and grabbed a piece of paper that was printed out. The scientist shut the door behind him and only left when he heard the several locks click and a gas being released around the door frame.
He walked down the hallway and out of his division building, clutching the piece of paper that held the basic facts about the hougyoku since it was kept "under quarantine". Mayuri thought over the numbers for a few seconds before focusing on getting to the commander general. There wasn't much to say. Really, there wasn't. Basically, the hougyoku, was growing, not necessarily in physical size though.
----
The figure that stood inside the dark hell of the hougyoku walked around in a circle, truly not sure what to do. She hoped that there was a reason for her existence. She thought her existence over and over as she stood stock still, the brilliant violet and green wings she developed moving slowly behind her as an invisible, cold wind blew around her. The black-haired person didn't even know her name. She felt trapped as she walked to the wall that enclosed her from outside. Her hand pressed gently onto the cold, black wall. She withdrew it quickly, as though she was afraid that the wall would collapse and she would regret being exposed to "outside".
She stepped several paces back, trembling and sank to the ground. She understood what was happening and it horrified her. I'm afraid.
----
Kagami stared out over at the graves, eyes filled with sorrow. She paid no attention to the espada trapped behind her. Her thoughts were held solely on the lost lives before her. But she didn't know that she should be directing her attention to whatever was going on behind the walls she guarded.
----
Inside, one of the espada sat, hands chained together, eyes staring forward, unblinking. Something was about to happen. Something amazing was going to happen…soon. And he was going to be part of it, to see it. He grinned and sat still, quite contented with what was going to happen soon. The poem he heard from outside the room was going to become reality.
Deep beneath the sky of black,
Beneath the supposed victory,
A creature stirs,
And begins to wake,
Wandering its temporary cage,
It screams and thinks,
Thoughts never stopping,
It hisses in fury and stabs at the walls,
But never breaks out,
For it knows,
Deep in its black heart,
That the time's not right,
To hold back,
Just for now,
To wreck havoc at the right moment,
It gains feelings and emotions,
Letting them pile high,
Like mountains and hills,
So that it understands,
What people desire,
What people despise,
So it can use them as weapons,
And crush others' hearts,
It has dark intentions,
That won't be found immediately,
It's an enemy,
That even the gods,
Have to toil against,
Her hair is long,
Black,
To represent her long life,
And dark heart,
Her skin is white,
A constant symbol,
Of what she really is,
A ghost,
Of all the sorrow,
All the pain,
The hate in the world,
That has been bleached,
Into a pale tone,
Her eyes are violet,
Pale violet,
To give her the colour,
Those others have,
That she really doesn't have,
And acts as a symbol,
That pities her,
That tells those who understand,
Even a minute part of her,
Might understand,
That having simple,
Stupid,
Human desires is fine,
That having those desires,
Is possible,
That having those desires,
And trying to fulfill them,
Isn't pointless,
But she won't listen,
Her eyes will cloud with confusion,
She poisons her own mind,
With misunderstanding,
As well as understanding,
And she won't remember,
Anything,
She'll be wiped blank,
There'll be nothing in her eyes,
They'll stare out,
Nothing left in them,
Not even a spark of fury,
A spark of hate,
Or even joy,
And she'll know why she ended up that way,
But too late,
Much too late,
But things change,
This prophecy might not come true,
It could be…
A lie,
Or an incorrect prediction,
For futures change,
As it is affected by the present,
And the choices,
That everybody can make,
But be warned listeners,
What has just been said could also be a lie,
For prophecies and foretellings,
Can come true,
For they may be impossible to outwit,
As they are etched into your fate,
And I end,
For I no longer wish to see,
The turmoil of this monster's future,
For she will most likely,
Die without knowing,
What love meant,
Perhaps she would die,
Asking that question,
Wondering,
What others thought it was,
Wondering,
Why she didn't know about it,
Wondering,
Why she didn't have those human feelings…