Title: Eye of the Serpent

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, except my OC's.

A/N: Thanks MyNameIsNigel and AsBlackAsNight for favouriting and following me and this story, I hope to hear from especially you guys about what you think of this story. New reviewers are always welcome, even if it's a bit critical. I'll soon be doing a revision of past chapters, seeing as my writing style has improved. Enjoy this chapter. (oh I will still be continuing with "My Path of a Shinigami" just not now)

The feeling of warm water washing over him was a sensation he hadn't felt since he left home. Before he had only taken the necessary bathes in cold water, which wasn't too enjoyable, but now Souichiro took his time in the shower to rid himself of all the blood and sweat he accumulated in the past few days. It was a nice change of pace. Hot showers were a luxury for him nowadays, so he allowed himself to really feel the warm water coursing all over his body. It was mid-day when woke up and he instantly rushed over to the bathroom after Siegfried gave him something to eat. The shower wasn't only refreshing; it also gave him time to reflect. He had been thinking long and hard on what he's accomplished so far on his journey and before long, he came up with a definite answer.

"…Nothing." He said aloud.

Up to now, he hasn't accomplished any of the things he had set out to do. He just ended up getting in pointless fights that actually slowed his progression. After the whole "Corazon incident", he felt his powers had been stationary, like something was purposely holding him back, restricting his growth. He cursed under his breath. He needed to get stronger, desperately. He couldn't keep getting saved by someone every time Byakuya appeared. He didn't want to just survive, he wanted to win. No…He needed to win. He needed…

"…Power…"

Souichiro's body shuddered when someone spoke, but he quickly relaxed himself when he recognised the voice. He now knew who he was talking to now.

"I was wondering if was ever going to hear from you again."

"Oh?" the voice answered monotonously.

"Now I can get the answers I want. For starters: Who are you?"

The voice snickered. It seemed to find Souichiro's question amusing. "Who am I? What a foolish question…"

"Tch. I guess it is a foolish question, but I want to confirm something, officially." Souichiro stated. "You're the source of that power, aren't you?" He asked sternly. There was a long pause. For a while it seemed like there was going to be no reply. Only the sounds of water cascading from the shower head, hitting Souichiro and flowing down into the drain filled the silence.

"You should be grateful to me youngling. I have snatched you from death's clutches numerous times."

Souichiro closed his eyes as he allowed the realization to properly sink in. Was his strength a lie? Did he only get this far because of someone else's power? Did that mean he really was weak? Those were the doubtful questions that ran through Souichiro's mind. He could feel his teeth grinding against one another as he slammed his fists on the shower wall. He wanted to be wrong and think it was just his inner voice talking or the spirit he'd been searching for, Zangetsu, but this voice seemed too evil and so did the reiatsu that followed it.

"You are weak, but I can give you what you desire."

"Keep quiet, I don't need you!" Souichiro spat, his words laced with venom. He would not let this continue. He would not allow himself to be handed something that didn't belong to him. He would rather crawl his way to the top than soar with someone else's wings. "From this moment on, I will gain power on my own. I will never depend on you again, this I swear."

Feeling he had made his intentions clear and that he had silenced the voice, Souichiro turned the shower off and stepped out to dry himself. Once he wiped his face, out of the corner of his eye he noticed the shards of broken glass on the floor, that weren't there before. He made sure to carefully walk around it, but he found himself intrigued by it, at least more than he should've been. He slowly crouched down so as not to disturb the towel around his waist and closely inspected the shattered fragments. He saw multiple reflections of himself in the glass, but turned away, disgusted, not wanting to see the reflection of what he saw he was.

Weak.

"Amusing, you speak as if you are in control."

Souichiro's head jerked back stiffly as he felt his muscles tense up and his blood run cold.

"Do not delude yourself. This may be your body, but in time it will be my vessel."

This time the voice seemed to be projecting itself from somewhere. Souichiro hesitantly turned his head back to the broken glass on the floor and though he only saw himself, it was as if he was looking at multiple reflections of an unfamiliar face.

"Until that time comes, I will push you to the brink of insanity and when you are desperate enough and when you are begging for it to stop, then I will take over, this I swear…"

Those parting words were imprinted in Souichiro's mind. It was as if all the sound, but the beating of his heart had disappeared. Souichiro felt something run down the side of his face and he moved his hand to touch it.

'Sweat?'

Souichiro realized this wasn't just ordinary sweat. It was something he had only felt once before in his life. Not even the Los Antiguos' Goliath made him feel this way. It was like his entire being was shaken to the core. He eyed the droplets of sweat that remained on his fingers from where he touched.

'Is this... what real fear feels like…?!'

"Hey what are you doing in there? You've been in there for a while now." It was the Quincy's voice that called from the other side that brought him back to reality.

"H-Hold on, I'm almost done." Souichiro replied. He had to keep what just happened to himself, the less people that knew of his "weakness", the better. He was going figure out how to deal with this, or at least that's what he kept telling himself.

15 minutes later Souichiro emerged from the house, still trying to shake off the nervousness he felt. He couldn't let the demon get to him, so he tried to push the thoughts about it to the back of his mind. Souichiro was dressed in his newly mended Shinigami uniform thanks to Siegfried's sowing skills. He wouldn't have guessed that the Quincy possessed such talent. He walked to where he saw Siegfried, who was sought refuge under the trees, trying to escape the rain. He was constantly flicking his lighter, but having no luck in getting a flame.

"When did it start raining?" Souichiro asked as he joined the Quincy under the tree branches.

"Last night." He answered, still focused on the lighter.

"Finally." Siegfried announced as the sparks from the lighter created the flame he had been waiting for. As he brought the flame closer to the cigarette in his mouth, a lone droplet of water fell from above and extinguished the flame. Siegfried stared at the lighter for a few moments before tilting his head backwards, glaring at the tree branches.

"Damn. I was so close too." Siegfried muttered. He sighed as he shoved the lighter and cigarette into his jacket pocket, then he looked at Souichiro and nodded in approval.

"I see I didn't do a bad job in mending that outfit."

"Yeah, thanks. I appreciate it. If it wasn't for you, I was going to have to steal someone else's." Souichiro said and the Quincy chuckled, though Souichiro wasn't so sure if he was joking or not. He was definitely going to think about it. Souichiro waited for Siegfried to say something, he had they needed to speak urgently, but he didn't look as if he was in any hurry. Souichiro frowned as he grew more impatient.

"Siegfried, what do you want? I have other places to be."

Siegfried hummed. "Well," He started off. "The Elders aren't very pleased that I let a Shinigami into Quincy territory and they demand compensation for this transgression." Siegfried answered.

Souichiro raised an eyebrow. "The Elders?"

"The Elders, they are the people that rule over the Quincy. No, that's incorrect. The one really in charge is the Heilige Kleriker." Siegfried started explaining.

"You see, though we may be few, there are still enough of us to inhabit many regions. We have a hierarchy system or chain of command if you will as most civilizations have. At the bottom we have our regular officers. Their uniforms consist of maroon robes and black armbands. They aren't very strong but they can get the job done. Next are the Reine Ritter, the pure bloods. They do most of the hollow exterminating and are extremely skilled. Only the elite can join that rank. They're hard to miss because they only wear white clothing."

"And I'm guessing the Elders are like the ruling government of a region, right?" Souichiro added.

"Correct. The Heilige Kleriker is the person on top. He is said to be the most proficient Quincy alive, not many have seen his face. Legend has it, that the First Heilige Kleriker had not just Quincy, but Shinigami and Hollow powers as well."

"That's definitely something." Souichiro said, a bit surprised.

"Don't take it too seriously now, it's just a Legend. In any case they've given you a choice. Either you face execution, but I highly recommend that you don't for health reasons."

"What's my other choice?"

Siegfried hesitated to speak and Souichiro caught it immediately. "What is it?" He asked in a forceful tone.

"Competing in the arena."

"What happens in arena?"

"I don't think I'm the right guy to tell you that." The Quincy said as he walked away from the sanctuary under the trees into the open rain. His arms hung loosely by his sides as he gazed into the clouds, allowing the shower of rain to fall upon his face. It was obvious something wasn't right, but he was keeping vital information to himself, so Souichiro asked again.

"Siegfried, what happens in the arena-

"Just survive as long as possible." He quickly chipped in. "You better keep up." Siegfried hastily said just as he sped off, leaving Souichiro under the tree. Before Siegfried left, Souichiro was able to catch a glimpse of the expression on his face.

'There's no mistaking it. Emptiness, that's what I saw. Siegfried… Did something happen to you?'

For a moment, Souichiro made no movement towards following after the Quincy's trail, taking a moment to watch as the torrent of water slowly washed away Siegfried's footprints. After he felt a droplet hit his forehead, Souichiro decided it was time he caught up with the Quincy and he moved quickly, taking off into the rain.

(Snow Point)

"Ah I'm so over this weather. Can't we at least wait for the blizzard to stop?" The former prisoner of Hell grumbled as the group journeyed up the cold mountain.

"Stop complaining you big baby. If you hate the weather so much, why don't you just go home? At least it would be quiet." The raven-haired woman snapped.

A devious grin appeared on the man's face. "Oh? I get it. You want some 'alone' time with the boss man, ~right?" Kokuto teased which caused Rin's face to heat up.

"T-Th-That's absurd! I just don't like you in general, that's all! You're annoying. Ginjo, back me up!" She said as she pulled the former Substitute Shinigami to her side. The man merely shrugged and put his hands behind his head before speaking up.

"This is your fight. Leave me out of it." Ginjo said offhandedly which made Rin cringe.

"See? Even Ginjo knows it." Kokuto said with a sly smirk.

"Do you want me to kill you? I'll send you to hell myself." She said threateningly

"Whoa, slow down, I've already been there, but I must say, with you around there's not much difference." Before the enraged female could say or do anything, the man leading suddenly stopped. The three of them felt the sharp glare he gave them and they immediately fell silent. Rin shifted under his powerful gaze while the other two avoided his eye contact. Once he was sure they wouldn't start bickering again, he resumed walking.

"We cannot afford to be caught off guard, especially now that we're dealing with Zanpukuto. Stay focused." Raiyuda strictly instructed them.

"Talk about scary. Did Mr Gloom-and-Doom wake up on the wrong side of the coffin today?" Kokuto muttered irritably.

'He's so manly!' A love-struck Rin thought as she stared at the back of Raiyuda. Their hiking up the snow covered mountain came to end when they stopped at the entrance of a large cave.

"Ginjo, what's his position?" Raiyuda asked.

"He hasn't moved since we entered the area."

"Could that mean he was already expecting us?" Rin questioned, becoming serious about the situation.

"In that case, it's pointless being subtle anymore." Raiyuda said, gripping the hilt of his sword that rested on his side.

"Let's go."

The four entered the cave with Raiyuda still in the front. He felt the temperature was even colder in the cave than it was outside. He knew it was only a matter of time before they encountered the Ice Dragon spirit. As they journeyed further into the cave, they arrived at what appeared to be a shrine made of ice and there they found him, Hyorinmaru himself, sitting on his throne, looking calm as ever.

"I've been waiting for you." The spirit spoke. "It seems as if you four have been looking for me. What is your reason?"

"You have something I need." Raiyuda said as he stepped forward.

"Oh? And what might that be?" Hyorinmaru inquired.

"I need your soul." A cold draft blew through the cave, causing Raiyuda's robes to flap in the wind. He The Ice Dragon spirit sighed, not feeling the least bit threatened by the man's words.

"Remove yourself from my lair and be glad I let you continue breathing after making such a bold statement."

"I don't think you understand. I wasn't asking you, I was telling you that I am here for your soul and I'm not leaving without it."

"Then you leave me no choice. I will end your existences and your frozen corpses will serve as a warning to all those who challenge me." Hyorinmaru said as he finally stood up. The four of them felt the temperature drop even lower and could visibly see the cold mist swirl around the spirit.

"Heh. It's ass kicking time." Kokuto said as he grinned wickedly.

"Looks like it." Ginjo said, also smirking now.

"Honestly." Rin sighed as she shook her head.

"Before I put an end to you, let me at least know the names of the people who were foolish enough to challenge me."

"Rin Suzunami. Nice to be your acquaintance."

"Kugo Ginjo."

"Kokuto, just Kokuto."

"Raiyuda Kokuja." He said, adding emphasis on his last name and for the first time since the start of this confrontation, Hyorinmaru's eyes widened, unable to comprehend what the man just said.

"Kokuja..? That means you're-!?" The spirit had dropped his guard only for a second and only realized too late that Raiyuda had already appeared behind him with his sword protruding out of his chest. Hyorinmaru could feel the blood slowly trickle out of his body. He could feel the world growing dimmer. The spirit willed himself to turn his head to face his assailant and he caught a glimpse through the corner of his eye, and what he saw was the man staring at him with soul-piercing green, reptile-like eyes.

"Remember my name well, Ice Spirit, for it will be the name that will be recognised as the ghost of vengeance that returned to cripple the Seireitei."

The rain came down harder and harder, not stopping once since it began and accompanied by it were the howling winds and the occasional sounds of thunder rumbling sounded in the distance. All these signs created an ominous feeling air as Souichiro stood in the shadow of the enormous structure that towered over him. He examined the coliseum-like building's intricate designs and symbols. If there wasn't a difference between Shinigami and Quincy cultures before, there definitely was now. He ran a hand through his already wet hair as it was being whipped in the wind before walking towards Siegfried, who was waiting at the entrance.

"You ready?"

"Yeah."

He followed Siegfried into the building where they both walked through a tiled passage that had many ancestral artefacts hanging on the walls. As Souichiro walked through the corridor, other than the sounds of footsteps, he thought he heard the faint roaring of a crowd. He immediately stopped walking to make sure if his hearing wasn't off. It wasn't. It was definitely the sound of people on the other side of the corridor which made Souichiro feel edgy. Just before the two reached the end of the passage, they encountered another Quincy standing there and by Siegfried's description, it was a regular officer. The soldier saluted Siegfried and glared at Souichiro. Souichiro first raised an eyebrow, but not in confusion. It was more to say 'are you serious?', then he shot the low ranked officer an even more frightening stare which made him cower away. Souichiro smirked as he walked passed him and he and the Quincy emerged from the passage, once again stepping into the rain.

There was no doubt about it. His deduction earlier was correct. Thousands of eyes were on him as he followed Siegfried to the centre of the grounds. They all stared at him with contempt. The people only saw him as the outsider who dared to tread into their territory. The crowd had become silent as soon as he had appeared before them and Souichiro couldn't help but feel nervous. The tension was so thick; he thought that maybe someone from the crowd would start a riot, with him as the target and if that happened, things wouldn't end well for him. Souichiro instinctively reached for his sword, but felt a hand grab his wrist.

"Calm down. They won't do anything." Siegfried said in a low voice. "If you draw your sword now, you'll only give them a reason to react. Restrain yourself, Souichiro."

Souichiro glared at Siegfried, still frustrated that the Quincy gave him a vague answer which didn't tell him much about what he was supposed to do here. He aggressively snatched his arm back and grunted.

"Whatever."

Suddenly the crowd all turned their heads to one direction and Souichiro followed their gaze. They were staring at a platform high above the ground where there were three individuals standing there, all dressed in white and blue garments. Two were men and the other was a woman who stood in between them. The three of them were covered by umbrellas held by regular officers. He didn't know if it was coincidence or not, but all three of them had white hair and blue eyes. Souichiro could only guess who they were.

The woman took a step forward. "We are the Elders of Reineheim." The woman introduced, staring at Souichiro with a playful smile, "Nice to finally meet you, Shinigami-kun."

Translations:

Kokuja- Black serpent

Heiliger Kleriker- Holy Cleric

Reineheim- Pure city

(A/N): Meh I don't know how to feel about this one, oh well. That's up to you guys.