Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or Naruto, or any related characters or properties.
.:07:.
Regret
A figure stood trapped in the past, lost in the present. Nothing was clear, nothing was right. She didn't have substance, didn't have feeling.
Blurred landscapes filled with bright greens and stunning blues...
Tiny bulbs of bright colors mixed with much larger dark hues...
Sounds of fighting, a struggle that crossed the land.
Smells of fire, blood, death.
Emptiness. Loneliness. Pain. Destruction. Peace. Pain.
Nothing.
Not one single image was coherent. Focus could be applied to them, but it was met with little success. Sometimes the haze was clear enough to reveal the corner of a piece of navy fabric. The fine-tuned point of a dagger. A flicker of sandy brown dust, a liquid drop of red-blood crimson.
It scared her.
She could not contain the foreign influences that seemed to switch tones within the fractions of each second.
She was not even sure how long each second was. It seemed the lines of time were blurred. Blurring in and out of existence like it could never, ever be understood.
Her mind was a cluttered mess of nothingness.
And yet, she felt everything.
"Damn it!" the boy yelled, his short sword slashing through the air and catching the bird-like hollow on the wing. He parried the next strike from its talon, the attack dangerously close to hitting his neck.
The hollow shouted a battle-cry, swiping at him again. He twisted backwards with as much speed as he could, throwing himself away from the bladed feathers and the spear-like beak extending from the mask. It scowled, opening its maw and unleashing what could only be a sonic attack. He had to fight consciousness from the sheer pain of that, feeling one of his ear-drums bursting from the effort.
"Uzumaki!" a voice yelled, using the surname Naruto had gotten from his zanpakuto spirit. He didn't have time to look, the avian creature taking advantage and flying fast toward him.
When the pain numbed enough, he brought up his sword and blocked the strike, the pure force of it flinging him back far enough that he slammed into the wall behind him, knocking out his breath.
Why was he having this much trouble against the hollow? It wasn't like this one was particularly strong, at least not by the feel of its reiatsu. It is just the fact that it was relying on trickery and its abilities rather than just strength?
He spared a look at the source of the voice, seeing Shikamaru struggling against a turtle-like hollow, who ironically, had quite a bit of speed. Third Seat Nara retreated from his opponent, holding his katana in front of him and trying to think of a way out of this. That was what Shikamaru was good at after all.
The other squad members of Squad Eight and Squad Thirteen had already gone ahead to protect, and konso, the group of souls that had died in the bus accident a few blocks away. Naruto was not worried, because Sentaro and Kiyone were there and could handle themselves.
But why was he having this much trouble? He didn't think these low-level hollows would even need his shikai. He had tried two separate Hado and Bakudo, but they had not managed to do anything because the damn falcon-like hollow was fast enough to dodge them.
"Hado Number Thirty-three: Sokatsui!" The great wave of cackling blue fire streaked through the sky, but the hollow managed to avoid the blunt of the attack, only part of it singeing the end of its left wing.
"It'll take more than that, shinigami!" the hollow cried, diving at him so quickly that Naruto had to shunpo backwards to evade it, the creature crushing the sidewalk and then flinging the concrete at him. The Fourth Seat leapt into the air quickly enough to evade the large boulder, before deciding to move onto the offensive, throwing himself into the air.
"Let's see how you like it!" he exclaimed, diving at the monster with his sword pointed at a forty-five degree angle, hoping to at least be able to graze it. The creature screeched again, the sound deafening and distracting him long enough that he lost control of his descent.
The blonde hit the pavement hard, his sword scattering from his hands. "Shit," he deadpanned, rolling out of the way of the monster's next attack, his ears pounding in his head. One side was bleeding, red streaming from his ears.
He flash-stepped in the direction of his sword, scooping it up despite his lack of proper balance. The hollow's sonic attack must be affecting his inner ear, and he cursed at the implications of that.
Shikamaru noticed his trouble but was unable to help him, the turtle moving fast enough that he couldn't really comment on anything. The turtle's thick shell covered every inch of its body, like a dinosaur's dense armor. Every attack that he threw at it, the creature simply absorbed it or dodged it, moving at surprising speeds.
"You're not going to be able to do anything to me, shinigami. Let me feed on you and your friends and all the other shinigami and souls back at the site of the accident!"
Shikamaru blasted forward, his signature ability to run away working for him here. He threw out his katana, grazing against the body of the hollow but unable to possibly damage it. The creature's heavy tail whipped out and collided with Shikamaru's stomach, throwing him into a car and denting it. It created a scene for any bystanders, and Shikamaru realized that he had to attract the creature out of the area.
He air-stepped up into the sky, hoping the creature would follow. He ran through several strategies, thinking over the possibilities. Force was not going to work, so he needed ingenuity. What could he do now that could help him defeat this bastard?
He only had one choice, but that wouldn't exactly work as well in the air... His eyes widened, realizing that it could work very well.
"Split, Kakusayami!" With a purple flash of light, his katana turned dark black and then disappeared, leaving him seemingly without a weapon. The hollow laughed as it headed for him, jumping on the air as easily as if it could fly.
"That's a pretty strange shikai," the creature began. "Did you force your own sword to disappear? I'll show you how stupid your last decision will ever be!" The turtle-like hollow rushed at him, its spiked, skull-like mask heading right for him.
Shikamaru didn't move. His body remained perfectly still, but his mind was spinning rapidly. Just before the hollow appeared, it stopped, all of its inertia heading upwards as it cried out in pain. The Third Seat looked down to see the being made of pure shadow, a pure black sword stabbing through the creature's abdomen, in between two plates of pale hide.
The hollow roared in pain, leaping upward fast enough that it pulled itself from the impaling shadow-soldier. Shikamaru's zanpakuto moved to stand in front of him, holding out the blade in a basic kendo form.
Ideally, his shikai fit him so well. Having someone do all the fighting for him was perfect; it all came down to his mental commands.
The turtle-like hollow charged once more, but the shadow-being slashed at the creature, cutting through a layer of the creature's armor.
"What? No one has been able to pierce through my armor!"
"Your armor doesn't work for energy-based attacks, and my shadow is similar." His dark minion attacked the hollow once more, cutting into the creature's arm and then clean off. The monster roared again, but before it could do anything else, the shadow leapt upward and slammed into the center of the creature's shell.
He took a deep breath and then released it, thankful that the hollow had not seen his shadow-self approaching or having the creature be able to understand his ability. It was timed just right that the creature slammed into the bird-like hollow Naruto was fighting, pinning it to the ground before vanishing.
Nara silently thanked his zanpakuto spirit, before resealing and putting it away. He wasn't looking forward to Naruto giving him hell about interfering in his fight, but he couldn't care less.
The falcon hollow prepared to take off again, but Naruto was ready this time. He trapped it with a powerful Hainawa rope, before walking up to it calmly and stabbing it in the eye. It made one last attempt to sonic-scream but it was already finished. The last hollow disappeared as well, dissipating into tiny spirit particles.
"Before you start, Naruto, I just want you to know that I did not mean to have my hollow fall onto your hollow."
The blonde rolled his eyes, breathing deeply from the battle fatigue. "Yeah, right, Shikamaru. You never make a moment in battle happen by accident. Why'd you have to interfere? I could have beaten it on my own!"
"Yeah, probably. I managed to help you wrap it up though, so let's get back to the others. I need a nap."
Naruto shook his head, not surprised by his response. He knew he could have beaten the hollow if he had used his shikai, so he probably should have used it sooner.
As he and Shikamaru headed to meet up with the other squad members and help the souls migrate to the other side, Naruto could have sworn he felt something... odd. Something that just felt very strange, not on his normal senses and not on his spiritual radar. It was just... within his mind.
It was enough that it nearly made him stop altogether, to question where that brief flash of a feeling even came from. He wanted to know where it had come from, and why it had felt so foreign and yet familiar at the same time.
Kusaritane, do you have any idea what that was? Did you have something to do with it?
"No, I'm afraid I do not. It did seem to be a little out of the ordinary, but it seems to have gone."
Naruto could not decipher it, and when he realized he had fallen behind Shikamaru, he pushed onward, his mind still trying to wrap around it.
When they returned to the Soul Society, Naruto and the other members of Squad Thirteen returned to the barracks. He headed to Ukitake to file the report. Eleven souls were sent to the other side, as well as two hollows. He didn't mention the strange feeling he had experienced, thinking that Ukitake would even be able to understand.
Naruto decided that it didn't really matter if he understood it or not, shoving it to the back of his mind. He was completely ready to head to bed, the day nearly over, but someone stopped him in the hallway.
"Hey, Naruto, did your mission go well?" asked Rukia, the unseated shinigami who hardly ever left Third Seat Shiba's side.
The blonde nodded, smiling. "Yeah, I managed. We ran into a little trouble, but it was over soon enough. Did you need anything in particular?"
She looked like she might have something more to say, but the girl shook her head. "No, sir."
"You don't have to call me sir, Rukia. I'm pretty sure you're older than me," he said, laughing. "Did you need something?"
"Well, I was wondering if you could help me work on some things sometime soon? The lieutenant has been busy lately, and he hasn't been able to help me as much as he used to."
Naruto smiled, nodding. "Yeah, I don't see why not. I've done it a few times before, but you tend to teach me too." She laughed. "It's usually more like us training together really. Were you having any trouble with something in particular?"
Before she could comment, Sentaro suddenly appeared, rushing in the direction of the captain's room. "Where's the fire?" he asked, smiling but realizing that the serious look on the man's face was not a good sign.
"What's wrong, Sentaro?" asked Rukia, worried.
"No time to explain!" he said, rushing past them. The two of them followed, heading toward the captain's office.
Sentaro slid open the door, shouting, "Sir! The recon team! There's bad news!" The captain coughed in surprise, and the lieutenant shot up, ready to act.
Naruto's eyes widened, and Rukia froze completely. The reconnaissance team that had left earlier that day had been led by Third Seat Shiba, although that was all Naruto knew. He had left on his own mission to the World of the Living before he could receive any more details.
Naruto followed the others to a relief station within the barracks, not quite as well equipped as Squad Four. Lying inside and being monitored by a low-ranking shinigami was Miyako Shiba, her reiatsu so low and fluctuating that Naruto knew it did not look good for her.
The lieutenant gasped upon entering the room, his expression one of horror. "Miyako!"
"She's unconscious now," the shinigami on duty explained, "but her life is not in any danger."
Naruto was relieved. Hearing him say that made him feel so much better.
The white-haired captain looked grave. "And the others?"
"They're all dead, sir."
"All four of them?"
Shock spread through the room, Naruto's heart beating fast. It had been weeks- no, months since someone on the squad died in battle, and that had been only one life. Hearing that four died all at once was more terrifying than ever.
Rukia stepped forward, her expression filled with concern. "Kaien?"
"What killed them, sir? What was so dangerous about this mission?" asked Naruto, his emotions on high.
The captain was lost in thought, but once he realized he was being addressed, he shook off the confusion. "This hollow was particularly dangerous, even more so than we originally anticipated." He looked toward the unconscious body of Kaien's wife. "She was lucky to have survived, Kaien. You should be thankful."
The lieutenant did not comment, his expression grave and stoic. He could not leave his wife's side, worried too much for her own safety to think about anything else.
Eventually, the others turned to bed. Naruto left the room but could not head to bed himself, deciding to take over a shift guarding the perimeter wall of the barracks. He had too much on his mind and not enough time to consider the options of what was happening.
The blonde sighed, watching the woodsy area and feeling slightly reminiscent of his time in Rukongai all those years ago. He had to be nearly ninety years old by now, not including how long he lived as a human. And he had no clue how long that had been.
The leaves were a comforting sight, however; calming, almost peaceful. He could not quite understand why. He had brought it up with Hinamori once, and she had theorized that it had a connection with the plant-like nature of Kusaritane. That may have been the case, but Naruto liked nature, so perhaps he was reading too much into it.
Nevertheless, the trees seemed to calm his nerves. He was still trying to wrap his mind around what had happened to Miyako and the others. He still did not have a clue what kind of hollow the others had faced, but it made him consider that it could have been him or Shikamaru that had been hurt. If the hollows had been a little bit more advanced, there was no question that they could have been seriously injured; Naruto was already nursing some nasty bruises and a cut on his left shoulder. What if it had been the kind of hollow that had hurt Miyako? Would he have shared the same fate as her, or would it have been even worse for him?
He cursed, thinking far too hard about the matters at hand. He wanted to visit with Hinamori, but he knew she was either too busy or asleep. Either way, the girl always had the unique ability to help him clear his mind of fear and doubt.
The blonde felt a spike of energy behind him, not far away but potent enough that it was readable. He was further surprised when he realized that it was familiar, but he could not quite place who it was.
A scream shattered the night, and he immediately flash-stepped toward the source, danger fueling his adrenaline. What could be happening?
His eyes widened when he saw Miyako Shiba, her face splattered with blood, the bodies of three night patrol squad members strewn around her. Shadows obscured the top half her face, but there was no mistaking who it was. Naruto gasped as the woman suddenly sped toward him, her sword raised above her head.
He grabbed his own wakizashi, parrying the strike and then falling back, his body reacting faster than his own mind.
"What are you doing, Third Seat Shiba? Why did you kill them?!" The blonde asked, blocking another clumsy strike but not wanting to go onto the offensive.
The woman made no reply, continuing her almost desperate and mistake-filled attacks. Her form was... not good, her body moving unrealistically for combat. She left far too many holes open in her defense, holes that Naruto knew he could exploit if the situation were different. The sounds of their blades clashing filled the night, and it eventually caught someone's attention.
Captain Ukitake and Rukia suddenly appeared, their faces surprised to see the dueling shinigami and even more surprised to see the three dead squad members at their feet. "Wha- What's going on, Naruto? Miyako?"
"Naruto, why are you attacking her?!" Rukia shouted, reaching for her own sword to try to intervene. Sentaro and Kiyone appeared behind her, aghast at what was happening.
Naruto cursed under his breath, blocking another strike and stepping backward again, trying to put some distance between them. "I came to investigate a spike in reiatsu and a scream, but I found her attacking and killing these three squad members! She suddenly started attacking me when I got here!" He threw up his short sword to defend against another strike to his neck, flinging his body away from the enemy's blade.
He ran backwards, her surprisingly not following. But after a few seconds, she smiled and then shot forward toward the group.
The lieutenant materialized in front of them, throwing out both arms to defend the people behind them. "Stop it, Miyako!" Kaien shouted into the night.
The woman ground to a halt, her sword arm still poised in the air as though she were going to strike them at any given moment. She seemed to be struggling, her body twisting strangely. Before anyone could confront her, she leaped into the air over them, dropped, and then jumped again, heading away from the area. Another scream tore into the night, and Naruto grimaced at what was even happening.
"Kaien, hurry!" Ukitake said, not making a move forward. The usual captain-like behavior of not getting involved unless necessary. The lieutenant nodded, weaving through the crowd and hurrying after her. After another few seconds, the rest followed.
The carnage before them was tough to stomach, another two dead shinigami lying before them. The smell of blood and meat was thick in the air, and Naruto had to fight down his stomach at the thought of it.
"I can't believe she did this," Ukitake said, his body illuminated by the torch light.
"Oh, Kaien," Rukia muttered softly, her concern written heavily across her face.
"Let me go after her, Captain." Kaien stood up from examining one of the bodies. "She co-could not have gotten very far, sir."
"No, don't!" The captain exclaimed. "Think about it. Following her is exactly what the enemy wants you to do."
"That may be," the lieutenant said grimly. "But it's still the only option. This monster that's controlling Miyako used her to kill her own men, men who trusted her. Miyako's honor has been defiled! You must let me go, Captain!"
There was a long pause after his plea, the only sound the crackling of the torches and the fluttering of the wind through the trees. Naruto realized that they must be dealing with some kind of hollow that can control others, the only explanation that he could stomach for Miyako's behavior. He did not know all the details about this hollow, but he trusted those that did.
"Very well," Ukitake affirmed. "I shall go with you."
Everyone had not expected that. "What? You, Captain?" asked Kaien, surprised. It was not like Ukitake to get involved, considering his sickness.
"What about your illness, sir? You should let me come along instead, let me back him up!" exclaimed Naruto, not wanting Ukitake to risk himself getting into this kind of danger.
"I appreciate your concern, Naruto, but I will be heading with Kaien." He turned to the blonde and Rukia. "I want you two to come as well. Sentaro, Kiyone, seal off this area and call the squad to battle stations!"
"Understood, sir!" the two said together, bowing slightly.
"Go!"
The four of them suddenly stopped, looking apprehensively at something lying over the branch of a tree. It was almost too dark to see.
"What is that?" asked Naruto, his hand on his hilt.
"Kaien," the captain murmured, as the lieutenant moved automatically to go and investigate. He barely sensed quick enough that several red appendages shot toward him, snapping like a whip through the air. The shinigami leaped into the air, stopping aboard a thick branch and the others joined him.
The object in question fell off of the branch, swaying in the wind. Naruto realized that it was Miyako's shihakusho, and it looked like it might still have something inside.
The hollow's body emerged from it, crawling on strange limbs that looked far too human for a hollow. The creature had strange red hair and a mask that was decorated with orange and green markings, two deep black holes for eyes. It did not seem powerful, but Naruto knew not to take that lightly.
"I'll go first, sir," Rukia said quietly, putting her hand on her zanpakuto. "I'll scout out what it's abilities are."
Naruto shook his head, about to comment that if Miyako could not handle this creature, what chance did Rukia have? But the lieutenant stepped forward, silencing any opportunity for them to argue.
"Captain, I beg of you. Permission to go fight it alone."
Another moment of hesitation, and Naruto disagreed with this plan vehemently. "Go."
Lieutenant Shiba only needed that bit of confirmation from the captain. He blasted forward, leaves churning through the air from his just his amount of speed. He stepped down, his hand always prepared to draw his sword.
The hollow laughed. "So you're the first, eh? You're nothing but a boy!"
Kaien did not comment, but instead looked toward the shihakusho of his now dead wife, her sword lying scattered on the ground. "Tell me. How many shinigami have you devoured so far?"
"Ah," the hollow said, relishing in the deaths of his enemies. "How many?" It laughed again. "Sorry, boy! I don't keep track of such trivial things!"
"Have you ever, even once, had any regrets about it?"
"That's such a stupid question. I have a heart, you know. Just like you. There isn't a single night that I don't have regrets about eating a shinigami. Even now, I'm having regrets about that woman shinigami." The hollow paused. "I regret having not eaten the rest of her!"
"So you controlled her and made her kill her comrades?" the shinigami interrupted, the hollow's maniacal laughter breaking through the night. Naruto wanted nothing more than to interrupt, just to shut that stupid hollow up.
"Controlled her?" It found the statement hilarious. "Oh, not the way you're imagining! I was actually inside her body and then I ate my way outside of her, returning to the form you see now! Too bad you didn't get to see that part!"
Kaien's reiatsu intensified in anger, so powerful that it started to become visible in an aura around him. He drew his blade and prepared to strike.
"Wanna see what it's like yourself? Come on, boy! I'll eat you too!"
In that moment, the Shiba slashed outward, slicing two limbs of the creature clean off. The monster screamed, but Kaien didn't stop. He latched onto one of the hollow's red hair-like tentacles.
"You're fast, boy. But not fast enough!"
"Rankle the seas and the skies, Nejibana!"
There was a surge in spiritual pressure and Naruto was excited; he had never seen Kaien's shikai in action. But as the sword started to change, it suddenly melted and vanished, shocking everyone watching.
"What the hell?!"
"You fell for it, boy! Once every night, the first one to touch my tentacles will see his zanpakuto destroyed!"
Another red tentacle snapped toward him like a whip, and he threw up his arms in defense as it smashed against him, knocking him back.
"Kaien! Get away!" Rukia yelled, scared for his life now.
Naruto's hand inched toward his sword, but when the Kuchiki girl actually grabbed her hilt, Captain Ukitake stopped her.
"Captain? Kaien has been disarmed! We have to help him!"
"But if we were to step in now, what would become of Kaien's pride? Even if by going to his aid, you were somehow successful in saving his life, the cost of such an act would certainly be the death of his pride forever!"
Naruto couldn't take it anymore. "That doesn't make any sense at all!"
"Exactly! What good is a man's pride if he's dead?!" Rukia exclaimed.
Kaien threw himself backwards, holding out a palm and firing a Shakkaho, the creature withstanding the blast of fire-like reiryoku. He dodged another counter-strike, and Naruto wished that Ukitake would let him join the fight!
"Listen now, and remember these words," Ukitake began. "There are two kinds of battles, and those of us who are warriors and have chosen to fight those battles must always be aware of the difference between the two.
"There are battles that are fought to protect lives. And there are battles that are fought to protect honor."
As Ukitake continued, Kaien flash-stepped to the top of the creature's back, ripping away at a tentacle with a reiatsu-enhanced grip.
"Right now, Kaien is fighting with all his heart and soul to defend honor, that of his men who died and his own honor! And above all, his beloved wife's honor!"
Rukia eventually brought her hand down from her hilt, but Naruto kept it at the ready, for a reason that he could not easily identify. He knew that Ukitake had a point and that Kaien was a man with that type of honor code, but Naruto was not sure that his own was that black and white. If it were him in this situation, however, he was not sure how he would react or if he would want others to help him.
"What's the matter, shinigami? Too full of yourself to ask your friends to help you?" The hollow's mask was covered in blood, its limbs dripping crimson.
Kaien sighed, breathing heavily. "Shut up! I don't need a sword or anything else to handle scum like you!"
"We'll see about that. Because now I'm about to do unto you, as I did unto your beloved and delicious wife!" The hollow paused, confused. "I'm going to play you like a puppet from inside, and against your will! You'll slay your comrades with your own hand!"
Without warning, the creature's tentacles bunched up in a dome-like shape, and then burst outward, an explosion of reiatsu accompanying them. Kaien raised an arm to defend himself, but as soon as the tentacles reached him, they burrowed quickly into his arm, following his veins until every piece of tentacle was sealed within the shinigami's body.
Naruto gasped at the implications, as he watched the rest of the hollow's body disappear. Kaien lowered his arm, standing solidly.
"Lieutenant... Kaien?"
"Yes? What is it, girl?! What do you want?" The lieutenant turned, making Rukia and Naruto gasp. Around Kaien's eyes were orange markings, his sclera black as though he did not even have eyes. The hollow had taken over his body.
Rukia repeated herself, questioning the situation. Naruto was not sure how to react to this, but his hand did not leave his blade.
"What is with you, girl? Why do you keep repeating my name? Are you that worried about me?" The creature looked up, forcing everyone to look into the blackness of his soul. "Or are you in love with me!?"
The hollow in Kaien's form shot forward, leaping up to their level. "I guess if you really love me that much, then maybe I should eat you first!"
Naruto and Ukitake both moved at the same moment, but Ukitake beat him to it, blocking the hollow's attack with the silver of his zanpakuto inside the jaw of the beast. Naruto made a motion to attack Kaien's lower body, but Ukitake pulsed his reiatsu in their direction.
"No! Get away, both of you! Run away, back to the barracks! Warn the others!" The captain warned, pressing forward. "Naruto, that's an order!"
The two shinigami nodded, rushing backwards. Naruto hated the idea of leaving, knowing that he was capable of fighting. He worried about the captain's safety, knowing all about his sickness and how troubled it was. What if it interrupted him from fighting?
"C'mon, let's hurry back!" Naruto shouted to a crying Rukia, and Naruto was curious for a moment if the hollow had been right. Had Rukia actually loved Kaien? "Maybe someone back at the barracks knows a way to save him, rid him of that hollow!"
Rukia looked at him hopefully, that idea spurning her forward. Naruto kept his spiritual senses open, and he felt the familiar pressure of Ukitake in battle. But suddenly, it started to drop and Naruto's eyes widened.
Without warning, he turned around quickly, using as much speed as he could. Rukia would notice but might still be safe. Naruto had to help, had to help his captain because of the illness. That was the only explanation for the sudden drop in spiritual pressure.
Naruto returned to the scene, Ukitake kneeling on the ground coughing up blood and hollow-Kaien heading toward him.
"You were supposed to get away from here, you idiot!" Ukitake yelled, standing up despite the pain.
The shinigami readied his blade, his lieutenant diving toward him from the sky. Naruto leapt into the air to meet him, avoiding the red tentacles spitting from his arms and mouth and slashing into the man's side.
He stayed in the air as his lieutenant tried to recover, falling through the air. Naruto made to attack again, but as Kaien hit the ground, the trauma knocked him unconscious or worse. Naruto dropped back down, landing near the profusely bleeding shinigami and wishing there was something that he could do; his healing Kido was not great at all.
"Naruto! End him quickly!" Ukitake yelled, coughing again and stopping completely. "There's... nothing you can... do!"
Naruto pleaded with the captain with just a look, but the white-haired shinigami shook his head, coughing into his hand.
Something latched onto his foot suddenly, and Naruto tried to yank his foot away. The hollow forced Kaien's obviously dead body forward, attacking Naruto and attempting to spread the tentacles to inhabit the blonde's body. Naruto knelt down reflexively and stabbed, his zanpakuto embedded in the lieutenant's heart.
Finally, Kaien's body lay at peace.
"What!? No...! No, you said we could save him! You said we could save Lieutenant Kaien!" Rukia, appearing from the forest at the wrong moment, shouted angrily, her tears streaming down her face. "And then you stabbed him!"
Naruto saw her pained expression, rain starting to pour. "But he was going to kill me! Us! All of us! I just... reacted!"
"But you said we could help him! You... you promised we could save him! You said it! You said it, Naruto!"
She broke down, crying hard over his body. Ukitake stumbled up to the scene, wiping his hand with his coat and trying to control his weakness.
"Captain! Use your healing Kido!" Rukia begged through tears, her words barely coherent. "We can save him! Revive him, rid him of the hollow!"
The captain shook his head, his duties preventing his emotions from getting to the better of him. "It... it was impossible to save him. Killing his body was the only way to kill the hollow, so that it could not hurt anymore innocent lives, Rukia. We could not have separated the hollow's soul from Kaien's soul, because they were both made of spiritons... I'm sorry."
Rukia continued to cry, desperately and emotionally. Naruto watched the scene, pulling his zanpakuto from the man's chest and wiping it carefully on the grass. He sheathed it, realizing that he would never be able to look at Kusaritane again without remembering the blood that stained it today.
"How are you feeling, Naruto?"
He looked up to see the small brunette, her hair wrapped in bun. He embraced her as soon as she sat down beside him on his bunk. "Guilty. Hurt. I... I should have not listened to the captain. I should have intervened with the fight, and none of this would have ever had to happen."
"You can't blame yourself," Hinamori said, rubbing his back lightly. "Naruto, you have to put this past you. Captain Aizen always says that anything can happen and that no one is at fault in situations like this. He's always there to remind me that life can throw us for surprises, but that we should prepare ourselves mentally for the worst."
Naruto nodded, wiping away the first tear that he had even had over this. "Thank you, Momo."
She smiled, glad to see him looking slightly more positive. "Now, let's get up and go get something to eat. I'm famished because I didn't have a chance to eat after the funeral."
He smiled, letting her yank him up and then following her out of the door together. As they passed Sentaro and Kiyone, both were crying over the loss of two of their greatest friends; Naruto could smell the sake, but he didn't mind. But when they saw Momo and Naruto walking side by side, Kiyone perked up.
"Oh, look at the newest couple!"
"It's about time, Naruto!" Sentaro cried out, laughing at the implications.
"Shut up! We're not a couple!" Naruto cried back, but Momo could only laugh, choosing not to comment. The blush filled both of their faces.
As they finally exited the barracks, far to the left was Rukia, sitting on a bench and watching the stream pass by. She didn't notice them pass, her mind occupying her own little world. Momo frowned.
"How is she doing?"
"Not good," he replied. "Worse than anyone in the squad. She's still angry with me for making the final blow, and she hasn't talked to me since right before the funeral. She asked me to help her train, but now she won't even speak to me."
Momo looked solemn. "She'll come around soon enough. She can't be angry with you forever, right?"
Naruto simply sighed, thinking about everything that had happened. Both the lieutenant and the third seat were gone, leaving Naruto as the acting-lieutenant for now. He had lost two great friends to the same hollow, and if he had been stronger and more willing to act on his own, he could have prevented this tragedy.
He'll carry that regret with him always. The regret that he had not acted, had not pushed hard enough to save them, to save Kaien.
Hopefully, you are not too upset with me for taking this long! Sorry for the long wait! I would have had this down faster, but I originally had a different story to tell and was going to put off Kaien's death one more chapter, but decided that that other story will work better later.
Shikamaru's zanpkauto Kakusayami translates loosely to "Darkness Divide."
Also, you'll learn the identity of the person the first section of the chapter is referring to soon enough!
I hope that you enjoyed it! Leave me a review if you enjoyed it! I love hearing from you guys, good or bad!
