Part 7: Spirit Dreamer


Escorting Orihime into the holding room, the tall Spirit Eater called Frigeld gave no sign of dislike, or much in the way of emotion at all. Had she not overheard him talk normally when negotiating the terms of this little 'visit', she might have figured the tidy robed man to be as stilted and robotic as Nogrand Juno.

He didn't seem like someone she wanted to mess with even if he'd been the weakest of his kind, and according to princess Adre's grudging confession, just the opposite was true. He was the strongest; the one used by Dr. Zatsua to keep unruly ones like Reeve and herself in line. Still, the way he stood by with muscular arms folded as she peered into the darkness at the back of the room was encouraging. If not exactly safe, she could be confident no one else would mess with her.

The figure held there, by contrast, looked worse than she'd imagined. Eyes nearly concealed under overgrown ash-black bangs, the Shinigami might have looked as young and energetic as Ichigo once, but was now haggard and pale. His breathing was awkward and heavy- Orihime suspected the metal bonds holding his arms and legs weren't even needed to keep him here, a prisoner like herself.

"Youuuu...", he murmured brokenly as she approached, "are not... one of... them?"

"No", she shook her head, wide-eyed. Without waiting to see if Frigeld approved, she raised her hands and began invoking Soten Kisshu. The Shinigami boy's skin remained deathly gray, but he seemed to stir a little from it, raising his head so they could look eye to eye. "What...?"

"I rejected some of the damage. Sorry I can't do more."

"Don't be", he replied with a new vigour in his words. "It's better than I've felt in weeks, so thank you. I'm Rutori Igenari, spiritual guardian of Naruki City... But why did they take you prisoner, girl?"

She briefly explained the circumstances which had gotten her into this. "You're either brave", Rutori said gravely after she finished, "or suicidal. Zatsua will never let you leave this lab while there's a chance you could lead someone else here to their doom."

"I wasn't planning on it", she admitted nervously. It had already become clear that she would never get away from here without help, and Rutori was in no condition to provide it. "I just want to survive until help comes. I'm just glad Adre-sama- sorry, Adre... likes me so much."

"The little girl", he acknowledged sluggishly. The connection was clear from the long-sleeved azure ball gown that Orihime herself now wore. "She's insane, but not as brutal as many of them. She doesn't hurt me when she's feeding."

So that was it, the reason why this Shinigami was in such awful condition. "Day after day they feed off my reiatsu", he explained breathily, "keeping me weak, but never quite finishing the job. There's about two dozen or so Hollows kept in a separate lab off the main hall, but I'm their biggest meal. I can't resist them when they come."

"I'm sorry." It was all she could think of to say. He might have been hundreds of years old, but he still looked like a boy younger than Ichigo or herself, and one badly abused by his captors.

"Don't be. If your friends really are coming, that's a bright hope right there. I was worried Soul Society would never get around to looking for me, a low-ranked Soul Reaper."

"Then maybe you can help me", she nodded brightly. "Have you heard of or seen a girl named Tatsuki Arisawa?"

The young-looking Shinigami closed his burnt-out eyes. He looked about to cry. "Apologies, miss Inoue. As you can see, the constant draining has taken its toll on me. Some days I can barely see at all. But I will ask to speak with you again if I hear that name. That is all I can offer."

"Rest", she commanded agreeably. "It's doctor's orders. And don't worry- my friends will come. They'll save me, you, and Tatsuki-chan..."

She left him with a look of renewed hope, but got a dirty glare from Frigeld as they began the trip back to Adre's room. "You should not tease him with false hope, Orihime Inoue", the tall man scolded her as they walked together. "I dislike such cruelty myself."

"It's not false", she argued back, momentarily forgetting who had the power here. "They'll come. I can feel it."

Frigeld scoffed as if sensing her doubts on that score. "Then they will die along with their false Gods."

He spoke the words with great certainty and conviction. But now she knew for sure that this one wouldn't hurt her offhand, even if she spoke out. Just a feeling she had, but those were almost always right. "You're wrong. It's complicated. Kurosaki-kun... he risked everything to save me once. It's what he does. You'll understand some day."

He halted before Adre's door, never breaking composure. "I pray that is not a threat, Orihime Inoue. In truth repenting, severing your ties with that Shinigami, is the only possible way you can leave here alive.. and it may just be the only way you might yet save his life. So if you truly love him, I would advise you to think long and hard on this matter. Because when the time comes, be assured that no Shinigami shall be spared God's wrath."

Arms clutched tight to the dress' waist, she shook her head sadly. Orihime hated the very idea of having people that she would refer to as her 'enemies'. But she could no longer deny that she was looking directly into the eyes of an 'enemy'. Faith. It's all about faith, I guess. This guy... he seems to have complete and utter faith in his power, and in whatever God he believes in.

And me? I have faith in my friends... In Kurosaki-kun.


"You want to talk", Ichigo repeated, incredulous. "If it weren't for all these people we'd take you down right here and now. What the hell makes you think we would ever talk to YOU?"

Reeve Pastell looked pleased as punch by contrast, but never let his eyes stray from Ichigo's intense glare. "Because I got what you want, buddy. And you got what I want. I'll tell ya up front; none of the other Spirit Eaters know that I'm here talkin' to ya. It's against orders."

Every muscle in his body still wanted to throttle this creep, but looking at Rukia and Sado at their tables on the cafe's outdoor patio, he could tell that wasn't what they wanted. "Fine. But don't call me buddy. Just what did you have in mind?"

"An exchange. I'll let you ask me three questions about whatever you like."

"And in return?"

Now the obsessive hunger returned to Reeve's eyes. "You shake my hand. For thirty seconds."

Without checking with his friends this time, he scoffed. "Yeah right. Last time you did that I couldn't walk for a whole day. You want me to let you steal even more of my spiritual power to use on someone? Fat chance."

"Number one", the young man began ticking items off on his fingers, "you're in human form at the moment, so the drain will happen a lot slower and be less painful, you sissy. Number two, you've lost your badge so you're no use to the Shinigami in battle anyway. Number three... Unless you let me... indulge, you're out of luck, Kurosaki. Didn't you come here to save that Tatsuki chick of yours?"

"Take me, then", Rukia piped up unexpectedly, rolling up one sleeve of her T-shirt. "Thirty seconds shouldn't be enough to kill me, right?"

Ichigo sat up, eyes wide. "Rukia, no. This guy's a dirtbag. We can't trust him."

"I don't recall asking your opinion. And in case you've forgotten, this is a Soul Society problem now. I want those answers, if he'll give them." The coldness of her reply threw him long enough for Reeve to take a few more idle bites of his lunch, licking his lips. Just preparing himself for what he hopes is gonna be the main course, he couldn't help thinking.

To his partial relief, the Spirit Eater waved one hand in dismissal. "Sorry toots. I got a diet to consider; Kurosaki's the only one I want."

Odd. Draining Rukia would give him way more power than I would as a human. What's he up to? "Twenty seconds."

He shrugged. "Fine. Two questions."

"Done." Looking back at the others, he saw recognition in their eyes. If Reeve held on longer than promised, they wouldn't hesitate to force him.

Satisfied, the thug finished his plate and did a last-minute check. "Done. You first. What d'you want to know?"

That was almost as hard as agreeing to this insane deal in the first place. Ichigo thought hard. There were a multitude of things he wanted to ask about, and they all seemed important. "A moment. I want to talk this over with my friends."

Seeing his affirmative, they huddled a way away from the table. "Their hideout", Rukia demanded right away. "We haven't been able to find it yet."

"Like we can trust anything this guy says", he shot back. Had she always been this rude, or was it their time spent apart? "I was going to ask about Tatsuki-chan."

"She's at their hideout", she whispered shrilly. "If you ask him, he'll just say that. And if he's such a liar why did you go along with it?"

"So that you wouldn't!"

"You-!"

"Enough", Chad cut them both off. "Not the time to fight."

The Shinigami noble glared at, but here Ichigo noticed how reluctant she was to yell at him. Chad wasn't easy to stay mad at, especially when he was right. "What do you think then?"

His friend looked uncomfortable being asked. "I think you should ask about the hideout, Ichigo. Both of them might be there, and if not we can ask this Dr. Jutani Zatsua."

"There, see?"

"You be quiet. Fine. But the second question's mine."

"You seemed a bit tense there", Reeve commented cheerfully as he returned to his seat. "A little spat among friends, hm?"

"None of your business", he growled. "Anyway, I've decided. We know that you guys have some kind of hideout in this city. I want to know where it is."

The Spirit Eater looked remarkable unconcerned, merely shrugging it off. "Alright. Zatsua's lab is in an industrial zone about half a mile north of the Bashi district. It's hidden underneath a condemned factory."

Ichigo held up a hand. "Wait, which factory? There might be dozens there, you have to tell us which one."

"Is that your second question?"

Dirty-! "No. We'll find it ourselves, thanks. Second question: What are you?"

Reeve's eyebrow arched. "Uh. Care to clarify that?"

Ichigo smiled. A less obvious question than the first intrigued the Spirit Eater, and made it less likely he'd dodge the question. "Gladly. Before I go to fight your kind, I have to know where you came from. You're not spiritual beings yourselves. And the way you blend in here..."

Reeve chuckled. "So that's it. Yeah Kurosaki, you've got us pegged. Or at least half of us."

"Half?"

Suddenly serious again, the man wiped his eyes. "Half. The original Spirit Eaters were made that way to start with. They were strong, fast, did everything they needed to... except for the fact that they were all a bunch of baka retards."

"Not helpful", Rukia said, clearly annoyed by Ichigo's choice of question. "Keep going or you get nothing."

Reeve threw up both hands. "Hey easy, I was about to. About twenty years ago someone had the brainstorm that if you put a normal human through those modifications, you might get a smarter Spirit Eater. Smarter, and easier to blend in with people."

"So it's true". Ichigo felt his heart sink. It was as he'd feared. "Most of you are from human 'stock'."

"Correctamundo." Throwing the hands back around his head, he put both feet up on the table, pushing the plates off. "Changes how you feel about things, does it?"

"Maybe. How long have you-?"

Now he'd touched a nerve- the superior smirk and lazy dialect were nearly gone from his face. In their place was just a frightened human, just about his own age. "Those modifications- the proteins have to be injected at the start of a human's life. So they got a better idea- let us live out normal lives until they needed us. Then, they switch on the specialized organs, the senses for detecting spirit energy... and we become their 'sleeper agents'... their 'Spirit Dreamers'."

"You had no choice", Chad noted bleakly. "You gained those powers?"

"On my 17th Birthday, yeah." Reeve waved the words away like a swarm of biting gnats. "That's why we're not s'posed to give people our names. In case someone..."

"...In case someone from your old life recognizes you", Ichigo finished for him, his hands suddenly numb on the table. He was no longer hungry. "Reeve. They took that life away from you. You don't have to do what Zatsua says-"

"Hence why I'm here", the Spirit Eater countered. "I do what I want, Kurosaki. Killing Shinigami by draining their energy? Yeah, whatever. When I feel like it. I just wanna-" Stopping abruptly, he caught himself and smiled again. "Eh. I think that's a fair trade, don't you? Now. My end of the deal."

Ichigo looked from Rukia to Chad, then back again. Neither of them wanted to see this happen, but he'd gotten more information out of the Spirit Eater that he would have guessed... and a part of him knew it had to be the truth.

Deep breath. This wouldn't be nearly as bad as last time, but it would still hurt him terribly, likely leave him too weak to talk for many hours afterwards. "I'll do it. Remember, twenty seconds. Then you get your dirty hands off me, or Rukia will take them off. Are we clear?"

"Crystal". Pulling back his left jacket sleeve, the man looked quite pleased with the result even before taking it. "One more thing, Kurosaki. A question that's not a part of our deal. You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

He braced himself, not caring for the words as they came on.

"You asked me before why I do what I do. I ask the same thing to you, 'cause I don't understand; why do you fight for those two devotchkas Inoue and Arisawa? Why not choose one of them and be done with it? Why protect anyone at all, when they don't do anything for you?"

There was no time to formulate an answer; Reeve clapped one predatory hand onto his face, and all other considerations vanished.

"AAAAAGHHH-"


Toshiro Hitsugaya surveyed his new force with mixed feelings. On one hand, he had known from the start that they weren't about to risk sending any more Shinigami as powerful as himself yet.

On the other, that meant that all of these looked to him to lead. Some of them were not even members of one of the 13 squads. If they fell, if they died or were drained to death, it was on him. He would be responsible.

So he spared them none of his typical frostiness, driving home the point that if they allowed themselves to be caught off guard, they would be helping the enemy far more than their presence could make up for. And they would probably still die for it.

"This enemy was designed solely to destroy our kind", he emphasized furiously. "So if one of your abilities suddenly becomes useless, don't waste time being shocked, because they certainly won't. Move on to something else, and stay with the group so you can cover each other's backs."

Without warning he lunged out, grabbing a Shinigami cadet who had been joking at the back by the scruff of his robe. "Maybe you didn't hear me, Yomiki. I said to avoid distractions. You give them any more energy to absorb, I'll kill you myself."

"Y-yes, sir."

"Pardon?"

"Yes, Captain Hitsugaya, SIR!"

Now he had them scared. Good. At his side, Abarai looked like he was mulling over stepping in as the kiddies' defence, but thought better of it. He was no Matsumoto, but he would do.

Matsumoto. Amazingly, he actually missed that spoiled-rotten woman. She was back home now, recuperating from the attack that had nearly killed her. In one shot. Hopefully all of them wouldn't be quite that strong.

The gate behind him flashed, and he suddenly felt a great spiritual presence. "How go the preparations?"

"Middling", the other captain said in clear frustration. "You might think after all we've been through lately, the squads would be ready for something like this."

That voice...? He'd expected a messenger from home, though didn't know exactly who it would be. Turning, he saw several of the cadets staring in confusion at a cat. "Yoruichi-san. You were the last one I expected to be performing this important duty." He felt it imprudent to mention his scorn for how the former head of the assassination squad had been freeloading with the exile, Kisuke Urahara, for so long that she was nearly a stranger in her own home dimension.

And just like Urahara, the female Shinigami didn't seem to care much what the captains thought of her. "A lot of them still aren't taking this seriously", the cat spoke up sheepishly. "They think it's just a bunch of malcontent humans with spiritual senses."

"But not you?"

With a sigh, the cat slowly reverted to its true state- a willowy woman with a lush purple ponytail and brown skin, wearing an orange tunic in lieu of a Shinigami's robes, further marking her exile status. "Just a feeling. If the reports are true, you'll need all the skilled fighters you can get your hands on for this. So here I am 'Shiro, at your service."

Hitsugaya stared at her. Soifon and several of the others would object to it, but they weren't here. He wasn't so rigid that he couldn't accept help when needed... hence why he hadn't simply ordered Ichigo Kurosaki's band back home to safety. "Accepted. You know the danger here?"

She nodded. "Of course. If they drain you or me, they absorb our powers and become considerably more dangerous." Digging at a pack at her side, she fished out some black yarn material. "So I brought gloves, enough for a dozen of us."

An unusual amount of preparation for an exile, he observed. With those on, their only open spot would be their heads, which they would simply have to be careful to protect. "Uruhara's work?"

She snorted. "Fat chance. That guy couldn't sew to save his life. Actually, Uryu Ishida made these a while back when he was with us. Now we get to put them to use."

"One more we owe the Quincy", he said uncomfortably. Seeing his own pair, he did a double-take; both of them looked normal enough from a distance, but the backsides both held a cute cartoon depiction of his own head, complete with a friendly expression he couldn't ever recall making. "Or... not. Are they all like that?"

"Afraid so". Grinning mischievously, Yoruichi held up her own pair, which bore the artist's sugary cute interpretation of Ichigo's head. "Are we going with a dozen?"

He thought for a moment. Easy enough to get more from some shop in this city if we really had to. "A dozen, then. You, me, Abarai, Kurosaki, Rukia, Hatsururu, and the rest of Squad 10. Everyone else guards the gate."

Groans sounded all around him. He didn't care. He only wanted the ones he could trust on this mission with him.

Sounds of a scuffle drew his attention away from the rejects' disappointment, and he walked over to see two cadets handling an elderly-looking human. From the way he was pushing them away with his lit cigar, it was clear he could see them. "Is there a problem here, sir?", he asked, putting on his best cross glare. "Or were you thinking you could make a late-night snack out of one of us?"

The man glared back defiantly, returning the cig to his mouth. "I'm not a Spirit Eater, young man. I'm here to help you."

Toshiro gritted his teeth. "Don't call me young man. We Shinigami are many years older than you."

"No insult meant", the man said briskly, puffing once. "I am doctor Matoba Arisawa. And I'm here to help- Shihoin?"

The sight of their newest recruit had stunned Matoba, and from the look in her eyes Yoruichi had been similarly affected. "It's been a long time, Mato-san. I see you still haven't quit."

"It has", he agreed hesitantly. "Indeed it has. Every day I thought of you. Many times I considered death, just to see if my soul could cross over to your world."

"Easy now, you old flirt", she cautioned with one finger. Inwardly though, she smiled. "Too much talk like that and I might get a swelled head like Matsumoto. But it's good to see you again. Even now, when we have to... deal with things."

None of the others were quite sure what to make of all this, but Toshiro raised his hand for the cadets to release him. "Ichigo told us of you. You created the Spirit Eaters."

"To my great regret", the doctor confirmed. "I also regret abandoning him yesterday, but one of them was following me closely and I couldn't be sure I'd lost them until recently. I do have more of the device I gave the Quincy for detecting Spirit Eaters."

Hitsugaya forced himself to look pleased. "Many thanks, Arisawa. I'll include the cooperation you've shown us in my report."

But here Matoba merely waved it away. He had eyes only for the lovely exiled Shinigami at his side. "Don't bother, young man. All I'm concerned with right now is with making amends... undoing the great sins that I've done to your kind, and to over a dozen unwilling human test subjects." Looking pained, he stared out across the cityscape, which was already beginning to take on the evening's lights as the sun set. "I owe it to them all, to end their torment. One way or another."


"Then it's confirmed", Frigeld spoke to the monitor showing Dr. Zatsua's bespectacled face. "There will be a Shinigami task force arriving here tomorrow."

His creator nodded in satisfaction. "Matoba couldn't give us exact details, but I'd expect at least a dozen, led by a squad Captain. They'll assume we're all still at the lab, and they'd never consent to a fair fight."

"It matters not, doctor", he assured her confidently. This was it. This was the moment he'd waited for. "As I told Orihime Inoue, all Shinigami who set foot in your lab shall die."

"As they should", Zatsua agreed. Still, she seemed for once to lack his faith, or else was distracted by his mention of the human girl. "Still no luck with the princess?"

"Lady Adre maintains that miss Inoue is her Shinigami captive", Frigeld explained. "Personally, I believe she merely desires that girl as her close friend. Meaning no disrespect milady, but the princess has had no one else her age in our organization."

"I know." The doctor looked downcast, momentarily diverted from the business at hand by memories of the youngest Spirit Eater. "I know. All the other attempts became so insane they had to be put down, and I lacked the resources to keep trying after the government severed ties with us. I haven't been fair to her, to my... hm. But when has life ever been fair?"

Back to her usual venal self, Zatsua adjusted her specs enough so that Frigeld could see the fierce eyes lurking behind them. "No matter how this battle goes, I wantAdre to be safe from the carnage at least. Send her away once the attack is confirmed."

"As you command, doctor", Frigeld nodded. "And what of miss Inoue?"

"She should never have gotten involved in this." The doctor's mirrored glasses shone in indifference. "Kill her. But not in front of Adre, preferably. Just tell her that her handmaiden is waiting for her at the rendezvous point."

"Very well." He began moving to cut the communication, but stopped halfway to the button. He was no fool. Despite his faith and all his power and training for this, there would be no way to predict the outcome of the fight that lay ahead- even Lanis was useless in that regard, as frustratingly cryptic as ever. This was it. This could very well be the last time he saw or heard from Jutani Zatsua, his master and creator.

She was not his mother. He knew that. He had not always gone by the name 'Frigeld' either, but was one of the 'Spirit Dreamer' agents planted long ago among human society. The memories of his old life would always be fresh and cherished... but it would take much more than that to make him regret his new cause.

This has to happen, he told himself. The soul reapers, the Shinigami, are blasphemous. Their very existence is an insult to the true God. They all have to be destroyed. He would not rest until this goal became reality, and he was up to his knees in the bodies of the fallen enemy. He could almost picture it.

"I thank you for this life, doctor", he whispered, not caring if she heard him. "I would gladly give it a hundred times to our great cause. When the enemy arrives, I shall assault them with everything I am. We all shall."

"I expected no less", Zatsua replied, equally solemn for once. "Above all the rest of them Frigeld, you have always showed the greatest devotion to our mission here. That may be why you are the strongest... well, the second strongest Spirit Eater now. You don't mind that, do you?"

"Not at all, milady", he assured her, as cheerful as could be for a man going to his death. "Second place is nothing to be ashamed of. And even should we lose the battle, we shall in fact win the war. I can go to the beyond knowing that no matter what happens, you shall fulfil our dreams. The reason for our existence."

"Count on it. Honour and luck to you, Frigeld."

"And to you, doctor. Hallelujah."