Chapter 3: Now what?

After the confrontation with Milton we got back to my place for a little brainstorming. So… our best friend was a bad ass psycho freak and for some reason he wanted to eat peoples souls. It sounded like something out of a sci-fi movie from another planet… then again our lives weren't the most normal ones you'd find. The question was: Now what?

"We've got to tell his girlfriend the least." Mikey said

"Do you think she'll believe us?" Charlie asked

"Probably not." I said

"If they really love each other, she probably already knows" my mom said… wait a sec!

"When did you get here?" I asked her

"Just now; anyways, if he really loved her he probably already told her. And even if he didn't, her connection with him might be enough to let her know he's up to no good." She said

"Hmm… It makes sense." I said

"I'm here anytime you need me." She said and went back inside

"Dude, your mom knows about us?" Charlie asked

"Yeah… I had to tell them; I wasn't going to disappears almost everyday and then lie about where I was. I rather have them know so they don't worry." I said

"And they're ok with it?" Mikey asked

"Well… mom's not so hot with the whole torturing part, but she knows were trying to leave the 'crime doesn't pay' message, so she doesn't bug me about it. Dad was a police man so he doesn't care." I said

"That's hardcore." Charlie said

"Awesome. So like… where does his girlfriend live anyway?" Mikey asked

"I know how to get there." Charlie said

We used my car to get there; I let Charlie be the driver this time. It was about a 15 minute drive, but for me, those were the longest 15 minutes of tension of my life. I felt like we were about to get blown up by Milton any second. I was actually afraid of what he could do to us. I mean, with reiatsu that high, it would be easier to name the things he couldn't do.

We got to Zile's house and knocked a few times. We were actually about to leave before she opened the door. She greeted us with a sad expression on her face and let us in. we wanted to get straight to the point, but she just had to go and serve us some juice and a snack. She was so sweet to us, even with her obviously burdened mind.

"Listen Zile… there's something we have to tell you… it's about Milton." Charlie said

"I know" she answered

"How much do you know?" Charlie asked again

"The power… the killings… everything; he's no longer the same person" she said as a tear wiped down her face

"He… has become a threat to, well everybody I suppose." Mikey added

"I know." She said again

"Listen… we might be forced to do something… it might not be the best thing to do." I said with hesitation, afraid of my own words

"Like what?" she asked

"We… we might be forced to…" I stopped looking for a word that wouldn't sound so harsh "eliminate him… for good."

I saw Charlie shrug a little when I said it.

"I… I understand. He… I understood the whole Hollow thing. I knew what he was doing was good. It was like having my own little superhero, even if he didn't want to be called that; to me he was; but not anymore. I would be eternally grateful if you could somehow bring me back my Milton… but don't hesitate to eliminate him if it gets dangerous. You have my permission." She said holding back her tears

B-side

With Zile's consent we knew what we had to do. We knew we needed some time to assimilate all of this, so we went back home to clear our minds. After I dropped the guys off I went to my backyard to just watch the sunset. It was the only time I felt like I could think about anything at all without fear of making a bad decision. The sun was about half way out when I felt a presence behind me. It spoke.

"So now you go behind my back to try to tell my girlfriend what to do? And here I thought we could still be friends." He said

"I don't ally myself with low lives like you." I answered

"Wow… the way things change. From friend to foe in just a few hours." He said back

"I just want to know what happened. What made you like this?" I asked

"A simple story really. You see… humans don't appreciate life. They don't love anyone but their greed, and their lust for impurity. Once I realized what humans really were, I began to hate them."

"You talk like if you weren't human."

"Hey, you said it yourself, were Hollows now."

"But we were human once. At least some of us still remember what its like."

"Why would I want to be human? Humans are powerless against their own thoughts and feelings."

"That's not true. Some people are good. There are only a few humans who think they can get away with anything, those are the ones who contaminate the world; the same ones we faced so many times before."

"That's why I'm out to eliminate them to cleanse the world. It's exactly what we were doing before vacation."

"Then why kill them? Why take their souls?"

"The power.

"What?"

"The power I get from consuming human souls makes me strong enough to both continue living and to complete my labor."

"Continue living?"

"As all good things in life, you have to pay for this power. Think of me as a Shinigami vampire."

"So what happens when you're done cleansing the world?" I asked

"I suppose ill find other souls to eat… good ones maybe."

That last bit made me angrier than I have ever been. My reiatsu began building up. I flew towards him, blade in hand, but he stopped it just like before. I drew it back and fired a Getsuga Tenshou, but he moved out of the way to quickly for me to see. Next thing I know I have a huge fist in my face. I managed to flip before hitting the ground and landed on my feet.

I pushed myself up into the air straight at him, but he moved aside right at the last second. He grabbed my leg and swung me around, then threw me out into the middle of the street. I crashed against the ground, cracking part of it. I didn't want to do this, but if I didn't I could probably die. I put on my mask and turned firing a Getsuga Tenshou.

It then hit me, he was a master of the Getsuga Tenshou; he probably knew how to counter it easily. Just as I thought, he flew right through it and continued flying towards me. I waited at the last possible second to jump off, letting him crash into a tree. He seemed to be pretty hard headed; the tree broke upon impact with him. Before he could fly towards me I took the chance and started charging up reiatsu.

I saw him jump towards me, so I fired a Cero straight at him. He disappeared and appeared behind me. I drew out my Zanpaktou and slashed at him, but he blocked it with his hand. I continued swinging as fast as I could, but he blocked them all with the same hand. He knocked my Zanpaktou out of my hands, and then punched me in the gut. He then grabbed me by the neck of my shirt and pulled me up.

"Do I really have to beat you with one hand behind my back?" he said

I tried firing another Cero, but he swung me around and threw me at the ground. I can't remember much but I know I landed hard on the ground… then I blacked out.