Guardian Angel II:
War of the Seven Sins
Chapter 4
Acedia
Disclaimer: Bleach I do not own.
Alright, I'm back in my element in this chapter; action packed action! The awkwardness of last chapter has been washed off for the most part, though the after-stench shall still remain in this chapter for a bit. Whether I like it or not, I've gotta get good at this emotional writing because the Matt/Koshino relationship is kinda -scratch that- really important to the story.
I'm sure I'll get better as this story progresses, but for now I'm still somewhat of a novice in this aspect. Anyway, enough of this unhelpful jabbering, you guys came to read the new chapter, not listen to my whining, so here you go!
Bored…that was what Matt was feeling right now…bored. He'd spent the last three hours in the Rukongai and not one thing had happened. Two days had passed since he first arrived in the Soul Society. He was beginning to think that the tip he'd gotten was nothing but a hoax.
In other news, things between him and Koshino had gotten a little weird since the day he'd gotten here. They were still speaking, but in a more reserved manner. Nathan had neglected to show up today, he wasn't entirely sure why. Toshiro had gotten bored and decided to head off…somewhere. So here they were; he and Koshino walking around the first district of the Rukongai with absolutely nothing to do.
The weirdest thing was, was that he wasn't even sure why he felt so embarrassed around her all of a sudden. He'd gotten to know here a bit, but that's all he thought it was, idle chatter and superfluous conversation. Nothing else past that had even crossed his mind until that evening at the former execution grounds. Now though, he was having some doubts. That particular incident had confused him; sure Koshino was nice, and she was interesting, but once again, he hadn't expected to even consider thinking anything past that.
"Ugh, what's wrong with you," groaned Gabriel suddenly.
"What makes you think something's wrong?" he mentally said with a defensive tone.
"Well, the weather in here is oddly cloudy and it stinks to high heavens, so something must be bothering you."
"I don't feel like talking about it," he groaned back.
"Don't give me that, it's the girl isn't it. Koshino right?"
"I already said I didn't want to talk about it."
"Look, I may not know much about courting women and such, but I can at least help you make sense of your feelings. I am a near all knowing being you know."
Matt mentally sighed; this was pretty much the first time Gabriel had expressed any interest in his personal life at all. Something had to be up.
"What's got you all interested all of a sudden anyway?"
"Because the longer you're all emotionally confused and such, the longer I'll have to endure this horrid environment. Plus, even though you and I don't exactly get along, I can't help but feel a little proud that you finally have an object of romantic interest."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, back the truck up! I never said I liked her like that!" Matt defended.
"Not yet you don't, but the only thing that will truly tell is time."
Matt mentally sighed again. "Yeah well don't get your hopes up, even if I did end up feeling that way, which I know I won't, what makes you think she'd feel the same?"
"Well what's wrong with her?" Gabriel inquired.
"Nothing! She's fine, but I've got bigger things to worry about at the moment! I'm not denying that she's fun to be around, or that she isn't pretty, but I just have too much on my plate as it is!" he argued.
"Alright fine, but I already know she'd feel the same about you if you told her. I don't think you realize how much she idealizes you. You're already practically her role model, I'm sure for her to realize you actually had feeling for her would seem like a dream come true."
"You exaggerate way too much," said Matt unconvinced.
"You think I'm jesting?"
"Pretty much, yeah. I mean, come on, I know I'm strong and my story might be a little inspirational, but seriously, that doesn't always mean I get girls. The only girl to come within three feet of me and get to know me was Holly, and she's my best friend so she's automatically out of the running by default."
"You don't give yourself enough credit, that's your problem."
"It's not that either, I know what I accomplished can't be done by just anyone, and I really feel proud of what I was able to do in such a short time. One thing I'll always feel uncomfortable about though, is girls; I just don't have luck when it comes to romance."
"Look, I'm not suggesting that you try to find a relationship where there isn't one, I only ask that you keep your mind open. You never know what could happen."
"...Yeah, alright."
Just as they were about to break the link, Matt sensed a sudden rise in spiritual pressure nearby. By extension, so did Gabriel, and they both knew this was it.
"Looks like we're up to bat."
"Good luck," he said, then cut the link.
"Koshino, you feel that?" he asked.
She nodded. "I did; it's coming from over there." She pointed over to the east a bit, probably only a block or so in distance.
"Come on!" he said, using shunpo to cover the distance as fast as possible.
They bounded over rooftops and could already see a crowd forming around whoever or whatever was emmiting the pressure they were feeling. They stopped just above the spectacle to assess who was down there and what was happening.
From the looks of it, there was only one person, which made Matt worry more. One person emmiting that kind of energy would be difficult to take down without causing damage to the surrounding area, and he definetly didn't want anyone caught in the crossfire.
The man himself looked around twenty to twenty-three. His hair was black; long and extremely messy. It looked as though he hadn't combed or brushed it in weeks. Matt could also smell the stench all the way from where he was standing, he obviously hadn't bathed either. Even his face showed evidence of miscare; covered in dirt and grime and there were no sign that he even tried to clean it off. He seemed like a complete lazy slob, but his spiritual pressure said otherwise.
"Stay here Koshino, I'm gonna see who this guys is," he said, stepping to the edge of the roof.
"Why can't I come with you?"
"You can sense his pressure, he's way beyond you; just hang back for now."
She pouted but complied, taking a seat of the roof and waiting for his next move. With that Matt jumped down to face his would-be opponent. He looked completely uncaring as to his arrival, and still stood in place, unmoving.
"So, care to tell me who you are?" asked Matt.
"Why are you here, they said you wouldn't be here?" the man asked.
"Huh? what's that supposed to mean?"
He sighed heavily. "Never mind, it's too much work to try and explain everything. I don't suppose you'd just leave so I don't have to fight you, huh?"
"Nope, you're not hurting anyone here," he said determined and drawing his sword at the same time.
He sighed heavily again. "Damn, this day just got a whole lot more annoying. Oh well, no getting around this I guess; let's just hurry it up, I didn't even want this assignment in the first place."
Matt got ready to fight, but his opponent just stood there like a bump on a log.
"You sure you don't wanna...I don't know...get ready or something?" asked Matt, utterly confused by his antics, or lack there of.
"Just start this up already. I wanna go home," he groaned.
Matt didn't need any more provocation than that. He sped forward at top speed, heading directly at the long haired man. As he closed in, he noticed something odd. He wasn't moving, hell he wasn't taking any sort of defensive measures at all, he just stood there and took the blow to the shoulder that Matt delivered to him. Blood squirted out the right side of his upper torso but he didn't grunt in pain, he didn't even wince. He looked as though he didn't even feel it.
"You didn't...dodge it?"
"Eh, too much work. I figured it would take more energy to move and counter attack than it would to just take the hit and stay still."
At that, the man grabbed a hold of Gabriel with his right hand and pulled it forward. Matt fell forward with it, and felt the mans knee drive into his gut, knocking him back. As he landed, the man tossed him back Gabriel and took the same lazy stance he had when Matt first arrived.
"Why did you give me back my zanpakuto?" even more confused.
"Too heavy, you can have it back."
Was this guy even a fighter? Of course he was, he just nailed him in the gut faster than he'd seen anyone move before. From what he could tell, this guys reaction time and reflexes were exceptional, even faster than his own, but he lacked the drive or will to use them at all.
"So...what's your name anyway?" asked Matt.
"Acedia," he said in an uncaring tone.
"Acedia huh? Kind of an odd name."
"It's Latin, it means "absence of caring", that's what they tell me anyway."
Matt laughed. "Well, I can't say the name doesn't suit you."
"Hm," he grunted.
Matt threw away his brown over cloak, leaving only his standard black Soul Reaper robes. The cloak constricted movement and vision too much for someone like him, he'd need to fight with a little more effort himself. Next he gathered up his reiatsu and centered Gabriel out in front of him.
"Bring Heavens Wrath: Gabriel!" he shouted, releasing his Shikai.
The crowds of people backed away in a hurry when Matt was engulfed by the column of holy fires that made up his shikai blade. The inviting flames felt good on his body, it'd been way too long since he'd released his zanpakuto.
Koshino, who was still sitting upon the roof, looked on in wonder as Matt disappeared into flames that suddenly appeared around him. She watched intently as the flames died away, wondering what his Shikai would be like. Then she saw it, the magnificently beautiful burning blade that sparkled and shone like a small sun. The orange-yellow flames licking the air around the red hot superheated metal core; it was an awe inspiring sight in her eyes. Not only had his blade changed, his Soul Reaper robes were now white as new fallen snow, adding to the majesty of his released form.
Acedia sighed before sprinting forward to confront Matt. He attacked with his palm flat, hoping to inflict some blunt force trauma. His palm was blocked however, when it collided with the edge of the magma-hot blade. It's flames instantly began eating away his flesh and scorched his muscles. His bones even suffered some scarring before he pulled away, clutching the injury.
He looked down to inspect it; all the skin on his palm was completely gone, his muscles were raw and burned, and he could see the white of bone where his hand had directly touched the blade.
He sighed again. "You're just not gonna make this easy for me are you."
He reached behind his back and pullout out two tonfa-blades, holding one firmly in each hand. They were curved, which made them ideal for slashing and were extremely aerodynamic, and the fact that there were two of them mean that he could attack and defend at the same time.
He twirled them around in his hands a bit before sliding into and actual fighting stance for once.
"I hope you're happy, I absolutely hate doing this sort of thing. Way too much work for my tastes."
The two stared each other down for a few seconds, then the both of them disappeared with lightning speed. They met in the middle and began a wild frenzy of slashes, counters, feints, and the occasional melee combat fits. Both their speeds were unreal, and Koshino was now standing and watching in absolute amazement. She had no idea two people could move that fast and emit so much spiritual pressure at one time. Any more and it threatened to force her to her knees. She watched as they appeared, battled for a few seconds, disappeared, then repeated then process.
Matt was amazed that someone so lazy could put up such a fight. He deflected another attempted thrust, then countered with a slash of his own, which was promptly blocked by both of Acedia's tonfa-blades. He seemed utterly unconcerned and apathetic towards everything and everyone that surrounded him, including Matt. He was only fighting because his existence was threatened.
Matt was having trouble keeping up with him even in Shikai, but his longer weapon coupled with it's heavier weight gave it more strength and momentum, effectively keeping him at a good distance. Especially since the claymore was designed well for stabbing, which his tonfa's were not designed to block. He seemed to be a specialist in close quarters combat, which gave Matt the edge if he could stay far enough away to avoid those arm mounted blades, but close enough to still strike him when an opening presented itself.
Speaking of which, Acedia's tonfa's were currently busy blocking a high slash from his claymore, so Matt used this opening to deliver a kick to his upper chest, forcing him off balance. Matt made another swing, making a shallow but long incision in his upper left shoulder. He still showed no signs of pain.
Matt jumped high to try and finish him, but he recovered quicker than he had predicted and jumped straight at him. Matt lowered his blade just in time to block his left tonfa, but his right one slivered itself into Matt's side for a moment before slicing its way free, splattering a squirt of blood out of the wound.
Acedia hadn't escaped uninjured however. Matt blocking his left tonfa had burned his left hand as well, burning away his skin around and on top of knuckles and actually melting a bit of the bone. It would make adjusting his blade much harder, his hands were what he relied on to attack and block attacks by alternating the angle and position of the blades.
Matt grunted as the wind whipped at his open wound, stinging his body. He'd had much worse before, but it was still an uncomfortable and distracting injury.
"Your not bad, lazy bones!" he complimented. He wasn'ts sure why, but he always felt happiest when fighting a strong opponent. Grimmjow had rubbed off on him more than he thought.
"Hm," he grunted.
Without a second though, Matt went on the offensive again. He immediately made an attempt to stab Acedia, which proved to be a reckless and stupid move on his part. The man was easily able to dodge the attack and feinted behind him, leaving him completely open to the fury of the tonfa blades. Sure enough, he felt the cold steel slice down his back, causing all the muscles they touched to suddenly turn lax and limp. He lost control of his shoulder joint and his arm went limp, causing him to drop Gabriel.
"Wha...What did you do?" asked Matt.
"I've got fancy powers to ya know." said Acedia.
"It's pretty useful, any body part my tonfa blades cut become immobilized, completely useless for a good few hours. If I were to even glance a vital organ such as a lung or the liver though, they'd shut down for good and my opponent would immediately die or suffocate. It takes too much strategy and work for my liking, but it has its moments," he said in his normal apathetic tone.
"Your right arm is completely useless for the time being, plenty of time for me to finish you," he said, raising his right tonfa, reading himself to stab him most likely in the heart.
Just then they both heard a loud cry and looked up. Koshino was high in the air with her zanpakuto drawn, coming down on Acedia, ready to strike. He easily sidestepped the slash and planted his foot on her blade, preventing her from raising it again. He quickly slashed her right and left arms, causing them instantly to go limp. A hard kick to the chest later, she was laying in a mass of splintered wood after crashing through a wall.
He turned back to Matt and slashed his left leg. "Just so you can't get in my way, you've been enough trouble. I'll be back in a sec, I'm just gonna go handle the small fry."
He walked casually over to Koshino, who was staggering upright even without the help of her arms. He raised his tonfa again, preparing to strike her down. Matt, despite the affects of Acedia's tonfa, was able to dash forward fast enough to dive forward and push Koshino out of the blades path just in time.
No plan is perfect though, and Matt's had a particularly large drawback. That drawback was a tonfa blade through his chest. He felt blood rush up his throat and flow out his mouth, as well as all his limbs going dull and numb, not responding to his commands. Acedia took his foot and pushed Matt off his blade with it, letting him fall to the floor with a thud.
Just as he was about to step forward again, he felt a sharp pain in his side and looked down. A large katana spear hybrid had pierced through his right thigh.
"Get the fuck away from him you bloody wanker!" shouted a man with a British accent.
Matt was able to twitch his neck just enough to see Nathan arrive just in time. The brit yanked his naginata out of Acedia's thigh, causing him excruciating pain and flipping him onto his stomach. As he was trying to get back up, another figure landed on his back and began continuously smashing his head into the ground with their foot.
"This'll teach ya to attack my best friend!" the person shouted, still kicking Acedia in the back of the head.
When they were satisfied he was incapacitated, the unknown person stepped into the light. Matt would recognize that blond hair and lightly tanned skin anywhere.
"Bout time...Holly," he grunted.
"Don't blame me, Nathan's a slowpoke. Now come on, let's get you out of here and patched up," she said, picking him up and supporting his weight by taking his arm and pulling it over her shoulder.
"Nathan, get Koshino. she's injured to," grunted Matt.
"Don't worry about a thing mate, I'll get her. Toshiro's on his way with a team to apprehend this bastard he-... where the bloody hell'd he go!" he shouted.
Acedia had crawled slowly away and suddenly receded into darkness as Nathan went to capture him again. Matt watched and recognized it as the same way the man who had told him this would happen in the first place had disappeared. He would just keep that to himself for the moment, but it could be useful later on.
For the moment he was just happy Holly and Nathan had shown up when they did, else both he and Koshino would have been screwed. He was impressed, Holly had only discovered she had acutal spiritual powers a few months ago, and she was already making some good progress.
Her powers seemed to be primarily precognitive in nature; she could actually see clearly three seconds or so into the future, giving her an edge in combat. She knew what her opponent would do before he did it. Not only that, but her strength and speed had also been given a power boost; nothing on Matt's level, but she was definitely faster than a lot of the greener Soul Reapers.
She made pretty good use of it, smashing Acedia's head into the ground like that must have felt like being hit with a sledgehammer over and over again.
Nathan walked up to the two of them with Koshino in his arms, she looked unconscious.
"Come on now, get you to the fourth division before you bleed to death," he joked dryly.
Matt and Holly nodded, and they made their way slowly to the infirmary.
Once finally at the fourth division barracks, Matt and Koshino had hastily been given beds and were healed quickly. Koshino stayed unconscious for the duration of her treatment, but Matt had actually helped apply his own bandages, much to the nurses protests. After he was patched up, he layed down to rest and let his wounds heal. Nathan and Toshiro showed up to fill him in on what would be done now.
"So basically, we'll be forming a team to track this guy down and anyone who may be working with him," explained Toshiro.
"I've already been selected for it, as have you, and I'm sure Holly would be useful as well," said Nathan.
He nodded tiredly. "Got it, I'll see you guys later, right now I'm exhausted."
"Right, we'll be seeing you later mate," he Nathan.
He smiled as they left, then turn onto his side and fell asleep.
Back in the Rukongai, a lone cloaked figure stood atop one of the taller buildings overlooking the rest of the district. He smiled to himself in victory. Sure Matt had failed to eliminate Acedia, but he had still managed to gather some valuable information on his little puppet. The only reason he was defeated was because he underestimated the lazy warrior, many had made the same mistake.
Another also managed to pick up on some other nice pieces of information. He seemed to have a little rabble of friends that generally seemed to help him in battle. He had easily been able to determine who was weakest, a brown haired girl who Acedia ahd very nearly killed. If he were to...apprehend the girl, it might just give Matt the extra nudge he needed to give him.
Over the next few days he'd have to move carefully and cover his tracks. The others could get suspicious of him, and he couldn't afford to be found out yet.
Regardless, if he played his cards right, things would fall into place and he would emerge victorious. He just had to keep the others, not to mention Matt, off his trail. If either faction found out what he was doing, he would surely be killed, and that just wouldn't do.
With that done, he faded into the shadow's and returned from whence he came.
Alright, there you guys have it, chapter 4. I hope it was more entertaining than the last chapter (that wasn't one of my prouder moments in my opinion.) In any case, I'll still have the next chapter ASAP, so look forward to it.
This chapter was much easier to write than the last one, it came so much faster and was more fluid I think. Anywho, I hope I made you all proud.
Review if you please.