Chapter 10 Melted Shadows and Unfinished Stories

Mercury growled. Why couldn't he have killed that blond the first time he saw him? Stupid Sky, getting in his way. Now the blond and his family had come to kill them. Berwald? Was that his name? Oh well, the name didn't matter. That thing just needed to die.

Mercury grabbed Skys' hand, who had just finished acting as a middle man between Wan and Tom. Rensa had picked up Enzi and cleared a path for Val to make her way over and try and take care of him. So the Native American would probably end up joining them before the fight was up.

"Are you my opponents?" The Bount asked, he was wearing a long, dark blue trench coat and was trying to clean his glasses with a spare cloth but didn't seem to be getting very good results.

"Only if you attack." Sky said. Mercury scoffed at that, they already were attacking. What was he doing trying to talk to the thing? "Why are you here?"

"You have attacked us and stolen what is ours." He said. His voice only had one tone to it and it was starting to creep Mercury out. "We will not stand by as you kill our friends and family." He held out his glasses, "Lagra" he commanded. His glasses glinted in the light and transformed into Carolingian sword.

Sky's eyes narrowed. He had read in the white book that Dolls weren't supposed to turn into weapons. So what was this then? He didn't have much time to think as he was thrown into battle with the blond. The Bount seemed to know what he was doing because he managed to land several hits on Sky. And while they hurt like all hell, they didn't cut the skin. Sky let himself have a quick looked over to Mercury to see what he was doing but almost took a step back when he saw the pure murder in his eyes. "Mercury?" he asked, not noticing the Bount stopping as well.

Berwald sifted slightly, knowing what was going on and silently disapproving it. He pulled out a small pink pill and swallowed it before letting his sword dip to the ground. The grass around him first began to shrink back before being covered in frost and then frozen. The air around them became unbearable cold but this only riled Mercury up further. He moved to release his sword and Sky immediately noticed how jagged and animal like his movements were. "Bankai" he whispered.

The spiritual pressure in the air was suffocating and the frozen ground began to steam. Mercurys' sword began to slowly burn away into nothingness and leaving behind a small black glove. Sky quickly jumped out of the way to avoid the rings of fire! He had to jump quite a distance because the flames were easily 13 feet across and then he had to move up into the air because of the heat given off by the steam. "Mercury! Calm down!" Sky yelled. This was not the time to be losing control and going into Bankai. "We don't have to do this!" But Mercury didn't listen. He liked this feeling, he never got to release he Bankai and it was the first time in a while he didn't have the constant buzzing feeling just under his skin from all the compressed Reishi he had to hold in. Slowly he lifted up the gloved hand and formed a flaming javelin in it. "Mercury!" Sky shouted, but it was too late. Mercury threw the flames at the Bount and they exploded.

Raven watched the blast from her position in the field. She had been forced to leave the battle with the giant when she noticed the small blond dressed in light blue trying to sneak past their defensives. Hopefully Laugh and her team could handle things on their own, none of them had released their Shikai yet so they should be good.

The Bount had introduced himself with a sweat smile telling her his name was Tino and he felt bad because he had to kill her. Raven returned the gestor of sympathy with telling him that she was probably feeling worse about the situation and how it was going to have to be resolved.

"Aren't you going to release your Doll?" Raven asked.

"He's already having already having fun." He responded cheerfully, tugging his beret off his head "But if you insist. Luoti." The smile disappeared from his face and the white hat turned into a snipper rifle. He quickly brought the sight up to his eye fired. Raven just barely managed to jumped out of the way and pulled out her swords. "Where's your powers?" he asked "Don't you need it to kill me?

"Oh, I'm going to do a lot more then kill you." She said. Glancing up at the sun, she frowned. She had left her umbrella inside and wasn't at full strength in the light. If she could just-

Her thoughts were cut off when her body started to shake violently and she couldn't breathe. "What's the matter?" Tino asked, pulling his gun up to his shoulder, taking aim and walking forward. "Is there something in the air?" Raven tried to move but her legs fell out from under her and she hit the ground hard. She nearly landed on one of her swords but managed to twist her right so she only lost a sleeve. It was fine, they didn't connect to her uniform anyway.

Raven tried to suppress the pain as she struggled to push herself up off the ground. "What did you do?" she asked.

"Why should I tell you? You're just a reaper."

"And your just a Bount."

"I'm not just a Bount, I'm the Bount that killing you." He said and shot again. But she didtn feel anything hit her. Instead she heard someone to her left scream. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Mercury fall back with a bleeding side. "And everyone else here."

Raven knew it was now or never. She waited until Tino was right in front of her face before spinning on her back and kicking him in the gut. She swung herself to her feet and grabbed her swords. "Ankoku!" she yelled, just as the last of the sun set beneath the horizon.

Mercury was confused. How the hell did he end up with a bullet hole in his side? He was being so badass and then suddenly he was shot. Who the fuck even had a gun? And why was it so dark all of a sudden? The only thing that was really proving any light was his flames. His Bankai was still active so he was careful not to land on his flames. Why was he in Bankai though? That seamed stupid considering how much energy it consumed and how much collateral damage it created. He slowly let if fade and returned to the smoking sword but the things that had already caught on fire, stayed in fire.

The smoke in the air was a comforting feeling to him. The fire was like a purifier, taking away the toxins in the air and leaving only the smoke as a bad memory.

"Mercury!" Sky yelled, trying to get to him.

"I'm fine." He managed to get out. Sky nodded and turned to face Berwald. As the smoke filled his lungs he started to think. This Bounts doll were his glassed. Could he still see well enough to battle? Especially with a sword. It was a European sword, meant to break bones, not cut flesh like their katanas.

Slowly, he lowered his Zanpaktou. He wasn't as proficient in sword battle as Mercury was, his strength laid in hand to hand combat, but that wouldn't be the smartest move at the moment. Plus, he didn't want to go in Shikai because of how quickly it drained his reishi and how it would give him a disadvantage against the Bount. So, he did the only thing that seemed right, Kido. He was by no means a master at the demons' arts, but he knew gun beat sword so exploitations should also work as well.

"Hadō #31. Shakkahō!" he yelled, hoping it would be strong enough without and enchantment added on. A red beam of light grew from the side of his palm and blasted out and hit the Bount. Berwald tried to block it with his sword but was thrown back and burned pretty badly. Sky didn't wait to see if he would recover and sent another at him "Hadō #32. Ōkasen!" and another "Hadō #33. Sōkatsui!"

The Bount wavered and dropping his sword. "Father!" the blade vibrated.

Sky was just about to send another Kido but was stopped when the Doll turned itself into a little boy in a sailors' outfit. Well, a little boy made of steal. "What the-" Sky said as the boy ran up to Berwald and tried to help him to his feet.

"Lagra." The Bount tried to say, but with his accent and the amount of pain he was in turned the word into a munch of mumbles.

The steal boy stood up and placed himself between Sky and the blond. "Don't come any closer! I won't let you!" His steal clothes moved slightly, glinting in the fire light, confusing Sky even further.

"No. I-" But he was cut off when there was a ripping pain in his shoulder "OW!" He screamed. The darkness grew, snuffing out the light from the flames. Sky turned to see Raven. Or, what was still visible of her.

She was bleeding heavily, but it was hardly notables against the shadows of her Shikai. The only thing you could really make out of her was her pale skin and purple hair. She was surrounded by black beasts made up of similar black flames that incased her swords. Her face was cover in sweat and blood and she was panting.

Across from her was the Bount, holding the rifle up to his shoulder. "Another one down." He said.

"Your opponent is me. They have their own fight to deal with."

"Its two against one. I'm only evening the odds." He smiled. Raven glared in response and disappeared into the shadows. "Oh, are we playing hide and seek again? Fine, Luoti. Find her."

"Yes sir." The gun said, glowing slightly in response. The air around them buzzed and seamed to turn a strange shade of pink, but that might have just been the fire.

Suddenly the black beasts pounced, each forcing their way forward to try and rip and tear at the Bount. Tino was forced to use the rifle as a blunt weapon. "Mister!" The thing said in a way that made it sound like it was about to cry. "She's not in the air!"

The beast continued to attack but they started to focus more on his face. Suddenly, the darkness opened up behind him and a pale hand and a black blade swung out and slashed Tinos back, forcing him to drop the gun. The rip in the shadows closed up and opened again before the Bount could properly understand what was happening. Raven used her beasts to guard her as she drove down and grabbed the rifle.

There was screaming. The kind that could only be the result of torture. Darkness was the only comfort in what was undoubtedly a blood filled room. The screams were soon drowned out by the sound of something dark.

Her heart was pounding, blood pumping in her ears, she was going to die. She was going to die again and again; they would never let her rest.

Pain was there. Pain was always there.

"Raven!" came a voice "Raven! Calm down!"

That voice, that was her Zanpaktou. "Ankoku." She muttered.

"It's ok, Raven. It's just a memory, it's not real. Not anymore."

She nodded and let the rifle drop from her hands. The dark blood room vanished and she opened her eyes and let reality come back to her.

It was still dark, the sun had set and her sword had covered the moon and stars. "Raven." Rensa said softly. "I'm sending for Val. Don't you dare move."

He was about to send up a flair but Raven stopped him. "I am going to kill him." She said, struggling to stand up. "I am going to kill him and then you can send for her."