I have related the first part of my worst memory. This is the second. There will be one more.
Me and Hitoyoshi stared at each other, mouths dry. The tang of bile still hung thick in my mouth, and just thinking about it was almost enough to make me turn away again. Steeling myself, I raised my gaze.
The scene was the same as before, our allies still literally torn to pieces on the ground. Somehow, I managed to choke back the retch that almost escaped from my lips. It was Hitoyoshi who spoke first, finally finding his voice.
"What happened here?"
His voice was soft, but it cut through the silence of the night, shaking me out of my thoughts.
"I...I don't know..." Steadying myself, I crouched besides one of my fallen companions. Now that I looked closer, great gashes were apparent in the flesh of his body, where something sharp had torn through. "Some sort of hollow, I'd guess"
"Do you think it's still in the area?" He asked, his grip tightening on his Zanpakutou, his eyes darting among the trees.
"I wouldn't think so." I stood "We'd probably be able to sense it if it was that close. The mere fact that we can't means that it's probably very strong, to get that far in such a short amount of time..."
"Could there be more than one?" He knew the answers as well as I did, but talking helped to dispel the atmosphere of the scene.
"I'd say that it's a good chance. Although I haven't often seen them travel in packs, a large group of Shinigami like this would be a tasty taget for those either brave or stupid enough to attack them. I would say that it was quite a large group, if the sheer amount of carnage is anything to go by."
I indicated the bodies of our companions, which were tossed here and there, some resting in trees, some split into pieces, some others just barely sticking out of bushes.
Hitoyoshi nodded briefly in agreement, then stiffened as a loud howl rang out through the trees. Immediately, we leapt into motion, using Shunpo to get into the branches of nearby trees, and compressing our Reiatsu in order to hide.
From here, we watched as five Hollow entered the clearing, their large, masked heads seeming to sniff the air. They gathered around the bodies of our companions, beginning to snack on the remains, trying to find a last bit of spiritual energy.
I stiffened, outraged at the treatment our comrades were going through, but I was hesitant to take any action. Hitoyoshi, on the other hand, had no such misgivings. By the time the first one had lowered it's head, he was already standing behind it. His sword flashed once in the moonlight, and dark blood splashed the ground, even as the Hollow withered and disappeared.
Tears were streaming down his face as he moved to the next one, smoothly pushing the tip of his sword into it's face. Placing his hand on the back of the blade, he pushed down, ripping through the hollows nose and down through its chin. He continued the motion even as he spun, moving the sword to cut up through another Hollow's head. Even as the third fell, he was moving again. Blurring, he moved underneath the fourth, sticking the blade through its torso and sweeping it in an arc above his head, cutting it open. The fourth disappeared also, its body fading into the air. By this time, the fifth had finally realized what had happened. It had abandoned its meal, leaping towards Hitoyoshi. He gave it a glance filled with rage and tears, then drove his sword up to the hilt in its eye, killing it instantly.
His adrenaline gone, he fell to his knees, great wracking sobs wracking his body. "why?" he whispered. "what did they do?" His sword fell out of his hand as he raised his head to the moon, his face full of anguish.
"WHY??"
(To Be Continued!)