Part XIII: Pestilence
"My Turn," Byakuya had warned, his eyes glowing. He opened his jacket, waving the fine fabric as if he were removing crumbs. A tiny bat fluttered out of his clothing and he waved his hand in annoyance until it fluttered high above his head.
"You speak tough for a dandy," Jackie growled, dragging her tongue along the smooth edge of the bloodied blade.
Byakuya's lips quivered, somewhat between suppressing a smile and deciding how to respond. However, he remained silent, opting instead to slice through the air with his curved sword. The sword swooshed noisily and Byakuya was forced to hold it with both of his hands.
"That sword's heavy and dull." Jackie hissed, pushing her daggers into her belt and pulling a long, slender blade from the sheath across her back. "You'll never be able to keep up, old man…"
"I cannot tell if you are confident or just idiotic." Byakuya murmured.
With no further delay, Byakuya's ancient sword clashed against Jackie's. The swords sparked and Jackie slid backward several yards. Her face contorted with rage as she began to slash blindly, her sword cutting through empty air. Byakuya ducked and dodged with perfect timing, almost as if it were a choreographed dance.
"Quit running away, coward!" Jackie roared, thrusting her sword with all of her strength. She smiled and let out a relieved laugh as the sword struck the target. Her smile faltered, however, when she looked up to see Byakuya holding the blade of her sword between his uninjured palms. "You fucking…"
"I am no coward." Byakuya said, his low voice rumbling from his throat and throughout the entire salon. Every vampire, Jackie included, felt as if they had been frozen in place. Fear gripped their minds, paralyzing them, and in unison, with a deafening boom, their dead hearts beat painfully in their chests.
"Attack him!" Ginjo shouted, urging the other vampires forward. "One of you isn't enough…"
"All of you won't be enough," Byakuya said, his neck twisting unnaturally to face Ginjo.
"Kill him! Kill him now!" Ginjo ordered, spit flying from his mouth.
Byakuya's face was like a mask. Countless vampires scrambled toward him, claws, fangs and man-made weapons at the ready. He stood tall and proud, waiting for the first enemy wave to meet him. And then, just as his sword sliced through the first throat, a wicked smile splayed his lips.
The sword was truly outstanding, and with that particular wielder, the Sword of God seemed to be forged by magma. It cut down his enemies with such smooth precision; it was as if they were melted by Hellfire.
"Cut off his arms!" Ginjo shouted. "Cut them off! Hack him to pieces! Get that sword away from him!"
A pile of corpses lay beneath Byakuya's feet. He stepped over them with no regard, laying waste to countless more with every passing minute. And that was when he saw her, like a revenant in a horror novel, floating down the stairs. His sword faltered, his eyes locked on the figure in disbelief.
I'm not her, the ghost murmured. She paused at the end of the stair, her ebony hair falling into her large, round eyes. She came into focus and Byakuya swallowed, nodding in realization.
You're not her.
Three, no, four blades pierced through him, the vampires happily taking advantage of his crippling distraction. He let out an agonized snarl, his hands curling around the tip of one of the blades. With a feral scream he yanked the sword through his own chest, the hilt wounding him grievously as he pulled it out the wrong direction. He crushed the blade in a single hand, the iron folding uselessly in his palm.
Another blade struck him, hitting one of the tendons in his shoulder. His arm drooped, his sword swinging down as if it were as heavy as an anchor. He cursed, his free hand desperately reaching around to remove the sword.
He was overwhelmed within seconds. He disappeared beneath the swarm of vampires and the foul scent of vampire blood filled the air. Ginjo smiled and nodded, rasping his knuckles against the railing. "Finish him."
There was a continued struggle. Byakuya's hand shot out of the pile, his sword still firmly grasped in his hand. The rest of his body was completely obscured, just a chilling hand, twitching with the last moments of life. The hand flicked peculiarly, the sword shooting upward into the air, and then the hand curled, disappearing back beneath the other vampires.
"Bring me the sword when you're finished," Ginjo instructed turning away from the carnage with a sigh. "Goodbye, Byakuya…"
The sword hovered in mid-air for the briefest moment and then with a blinding radiance the tiny bat transformed into a glowing white man. Jushiro held the sword in his hand, his hair falling around his face like feathers. He dropped to the blood-soaked floor and took a deep breath, looking around at the ravenous nest of vampires.
"Who the fuck are you?" Jackie asked, cocking her head to the side in bewilderment.
The sword of God sliced through her throat, her head rolling off her shoulders and sliding across the floor. Jushiro switched the sword to his other hand, the tip piercing through the vampire's chest. He impaled the heart on the sword, ripping the blackened organ from her body. Seamlessly, his right hand sprinkled the corpse with a strange earthy, black powder.
Ginjo watched in horror, his jaw hanging open in disbelief. The white haired man, a mere human, brandished the sword expertly, flicking his hair out of his face, "My name is Ukitake Jushiro and I am a samurai."
"Wake up."
Coyote felt a strange pressure against his cheek. His eyes opened abruptly and he sat up, Grimmjow's face coming into view. "What? What's going on? What's…?"
Grimmjow grinned mischievously, adjusting the waistband of his pants. "I wasn't doing anything weird; I was just trying to wake you up."
"What?" Coyote demanded, furrowing his brows in sleepy confusion.
"Nothing…" Grimmjow drawled with faux innocence.
"What's going on?" Coyote repeated, looking around the circular room curiously. He sat transfixed, staring into the mirror. For some reason he was frightened, afraid that he wouldn't see his own reflection.
"You murdered me, but then you saved me, so it's okay…" Grimmjow explained, simply adding to Coyote's misperception. "Come on, lil' pup, let's get you outta here." Grimmjow turned sharply, his hands transformed into claws. He eyed Coyote suspiciously for a long moment. "You're not going to flip out on me again are you?"
"Where am I?" Coyote asked, climbing to his feet. He couldn't turn his back on the mirror, it felt wrong and intimidating.
"Romania." Grimmjow stepped around the puddle of his drying blood and pulled Coyote from the room. Coyote struggled against his grip, walking backward until they left the room. "We're neck deep in vampire territory."
"Oh, yeah." Coyote muttered with a slow nod.
"But you're leaving…" Grimmjow continued, walking with Coyote's hand in his. That was an unusual tenderness that the ancient shifter gifted to no one.
"You're bleeding…" Coyote realized, inhaling the scent deeply.
"Not anymore." Grimmjow assured the other. "I'm okay."
"You've lost a lot of blood," Coyote insisted, halting in his tracks. He yanked on Grimmjow's arm with such surprising strength that the older shifter nearly bumped into him. Coyote held Grimmjow in place, inspecting the red patch of new skin that had grown over his abdomen. Coyote sniffed the air, a strange color creeping into his cheeks. "You have my scent on you."
"Check your finger, mate." Grimmjow muttered, a little embarrassed to be held in such a position. Coyote looked down at his hands. He studied them with intense interest, even as they curved around Grimmjow's shoulders. Grimmjow cursed under his breath, attempting to squirm out of Coyote's grasp. "Never mind, you've already healed… You were missing a finger on your right hand."
"It's not my hand." Coyote said suddenly, looking Grimmjow in the eye. "My hand is dead and rotted. It went on to Heaven ahead of me."
"Heaven? Ha!" Grimmjow ducked under Coyote's hold. He kept a distance between them as he spoke. "You can't believe in such a place, can you?"
"I absolutely do." Coyote said.
"Look, man," Grimmjow said, walking down the hall and gesturing for Coyote to follow. "I was born before Islam and Judaism and Christianity and all that nonsense. I was around when it was made up. It's all fake…"
"I believe in the Heaven before that." Coyote stated matter-of-factly.
"You mean you think the trees and rivers are Gods and the moon is a spirit?" Grimmjow laughed, beckoning Coyote to follow him. "Come on, we need to get moving."
"I believe that Heaven is grassy and full of flowers. And there is a river…" Coyote paused midsentence. "Ukitake-san is here."
"Yes." Grimmjow sighed. "We're in the middle of an important battle."
"We should help." Coyote realized, looking up with wide eyes.
"Yes!" Grimmjow nearly shouted. "So you need to hurry along. Get the fuck outta here so I can go help everyone else." A wisp of smoke escaped Grimmjow's lips. "Aizen is going to have 100 days to walk. You and I both know, life is going to be hell. Do you want that hell anywhere near that human brat?"
"Orihime?" Coyote asked.
"Yeah, or Ukitake-san… either one…" Grimmjow teased.
"He'd kill you for that." Coyote murmured.
"Humans and shifters should not mix." Grimmjow said seriously. "Sorry, wolf pup… I don't know why Shunsui is different, he just is… The Master doesn't connect with him like he does you or did me…"
"I know what I have to do. And I know what you're telling me to do…" Coyote began, speaking quickly.
"You've gotta separate from your pack." Grimmjow elucidated.
"I don't want to be alone." Coyote admitted so suddenly that he didn't have a chance to stop the confession.
Grimmjow stood in shocked silence for a brief moment before his features visibly softened. He reached out a hand, soft white fur lining his fingers. "It's better to live alone than lose something irreplaceable."
"Is that why you live alone?" Coyote demanded, wanting to cause as much pain as he felt inside of himself.
"Yes." Grimmjow admitted.
"Well, I don't think I'm that selfless." Coyote spat.
"Nah, little pup, you're way worse…" Grimmjow choked out a strained laugh. "Every bone in your body is noble, it's sickening."
"So I leave." Coyote nodded his head in acceptance.
"And they'll look for you. They'll follow you across the world." Grimmjow pointed out.
"But I never let them catch up." Coyote said.
"Never let them catch up." Grimmjow agreed.
"He gets to have everything I've ever wanted…" Coyote whispered. "What do I get? Aizen? Over a century of pain and degradation?"
"They'll be happy." Grimmjow said softly. "Of course, they'll miss ya. But they'll be free and happy and safe. What does that mean to you?"
"Everything." Coyote admitted.
"Then leave." Grimmjow scratched at his neck miserably, nearly drawing blood.
"We share a Master." Coyote said. "That makes us brothers of a sort."
"I s'pose." Grimmjow agreed with a single nod.
"Protect them in my stead." Coyote demanded, his blue eyes burning into Grimmjow's. "Do not let any harm befall them." Coyote sighed anxiously, "Shunsui can't track for shit. He is worthless in so many aspects. He's just a big child. And Jushiro is sick. It's eating away at him. And Orihime's just a girl… She… They need me, but I can't be there…"
Much to Coyote's surprise, Grimmjow spit into his hand, offering it to Coyote in a handshake. "I accept."
"Thank you, you have no idea…" Coyote began, relief washing over him.
"Now fuck off." Grimmjow growled. "If I never see the Master again, it'll be too soon."
"A human?" Ginjo wrapped his hands tightly around the rail of the stairs. His eyes narrowed and he took a deep breath. "Are you truly a human? What sort of madness would lead you here to our coven?"
"That's the white horseman." Haziq called out, pointing toward Jushiro with panic.
"Well, I don't see a horse…." Ginjo teased, shrugging his shoulders. "I just see my next meal."
"The white horseman is Pestilence." Amar shouted, shaking his head back and forth nervously.
"Pestilence?" Ginjo repeated the word thoughtfully. "What does such a word mean to an immortal?"
"I cannot understand you," Jushiro sighed, flipping his sword around in preparation. "But it doesn't matter; you will all die this day."
Jushiro drew his own sword, wielding a sword in each hand. His form was beautiful, like a pure, white light in the darkness. He cut down dozens of vampires, blood soaking into the ends of his hair. He threw his katana into the air, taking only seconds to sprinkle the dark powder over the fallen vampires. The vial of powder returned to his robes and he caught the sword before it hit the floor.
Jushiro was one of the finest swordsmen to ever live, but a human could never outmatch a vampire's supernatural ability. He too was overwhelmed, the swords clutched tightly against his chest as he fell. The vampires drank greedily, punctures appearing over nearly every inch of his body.
"Finally," Ginjo groaned, pressing his fingertips to his temples. "What is the point of Seers who cannot predict a legitimate challenge?"
"Master Ginjo," Amar began. "Our apologies, please…"
"My vision is not wrong." Haziq barked, much to his brother's nervous dismay. "Everything I see will come to be."
"Ha!" Ginjo snapped. "Remember your place, foreigner."
Haziq did not reply, he merely pursed his lips tightly together, watching Ginjo with dark eyes. Amar whispered into Haziq's ear, tugging on his twin's arm, but Haziq didn't back down. Finally Ginjo looked away, settling on Jackie's corpse in dismay. "Is Byakuya dead yet?"
"He's dead." One of the vampires confirmed. "We just need to burn the body."
"Do it."
"Yes, sir."
But suddenly there was a revolting retching sound. The vampires turned, watching in shock as a group of them began to heave. Blood poured from their mouths, noses and eyes. It emptied out in bucketfuls, the warm blood steaming as it washed across the floor. "Oh my God…" Ginjo murmured, walking forward to assist but then stopping suddenly.
The vampires affected were huddled around Jushiro's body. They fell to their knees, their hands wrapped around their bleeding throats. They cried out, mewling and roaring in agony. Blood dripped from every orifice. Within a minute their bodies began to crumble, their skin peeling off in flaking sheets.
"What is this?" Ginjo demanded.
"Pestilence." Haziq answered flatly.
"Brother," Amar murmured, pulling against his brother uselessly.
"It's infectious. His blood is poison to us." Haziq continued, his eyes meeting Ginjo's. "And the next horseman…"
Haziq's words were drowned out by the screaming wind. The doors were thrown off their hinges, wood splintering in every direction. It was impossible to make sense of the twisting shape that burst into the manor. It slithered and coiled into the salon, its tail crushing everything in its path.
"Stop dying, you fools!" Ginjo shouted, the veins in his forehead pulsing. "Tsukishima! Tsukishima!"
But the creature swept through the room and out of it. The beast crashed through the walls, not even slowing down. "After it!" Ginjo ordered, his stomach twisting into painful, anxious knots.
"Master Ginjo…"
"M-Master…"
"What?" Ginjo shouted.
"The Lord…" "Byakuya is…" "Master Ginjo, I'm sorry…"
"What?" Ginjo demanded.
"The Count is gone."
"How?" Ginjo screeched, jogging down the stairs. He gave the vomiting vampires a wide birth, not even noticing that Jushiro's body was also missing. He ran toward where Byakuya's body had laid. His blood pooled on the floor, bits of his shredded clothing strewn throughout the rivers of red. "Find him."
"How?" Ginjo shouted, looking from the twins to Tsukishima as he appeared at the top of the stair. "How is one vampire inflicting so much damage?"
"He is not only one vampire." Amar said simply.
"Kill him, Tsukishima." Ginjo instructed. "I will kill that other creature and the human…"
"The red horseman," Haziq explained. "The horseman of War."
"This war is different, unlike Conquest, the red horseman brings about internal war, civil war…" Amar began to explain.
"Come with me, Haziq. Amar go with Tsukishima." Ginjo barked.
"We cannot separate, please." Amar pleaded.
"We are useless to you dead, please." Haziq said pointedly.
"We must not part," they said in unison.
"Fine." Ginjo conceded. "Both of you come with me!"
Ginjo and Tsukishma ran side by side, the twins behind them, inhaling deeply, tracking Byakuya and the strange creature. Suddenly Ginjo stopped, skidding across the floor; he turned toward Tsukishima, a strange furor twisting his face. "Where is the shifter?"
"What?" Tsukishima asked, his eyes narrowing in confusion.
"Coyote Starrk! You were supposed to be watching him." Ginjo snapped.
"I…" And Tsukishima's face fell. He swallowed uneasily and took a step back from Ginjo. "I'm so sorry, Master Ginjo…"
"What did you do?" Ginjo whispered.
"I am so sorry…" Tsukishima began to sweat, the dream-like enchantment suddenly ending. "I… I think he's gone…"
"Hey, you awake?"
Byakuya's eyes blinked open, his vision blurred. He reached out and touched the person above him, his cold hand brushing against a warm, smooth cheek. He felt drops of warm, wet liquid land on his lips and his tongue darted out greedily. He swallowed the blood, moaning as a wrist was placed to his mouth.
He suckled the arm hungrily, his eyes open but unseeing. He felt a warm body pressed against him. And he felt agony, oh God, he felt it. His heart beat in his chest and he fought the urge to claw it out of him. Heat spread down his throat, filling his stomach and shooting through his icy veins. For a moment he felt alive, it was painful and pleasurable and intoxicating.
He gasped, pulling away from the warm arm. He sat up, Renji coming into focus slowly. Byakuya licked his lips, tasting the shifter on his lips. Renji smiled, a crooked, handsome smile, and Byakuya felt another twinge in his chest. "Where's Ukitake?"
"Right here." Jushiro said. He rolled onto his knees and into Byakuya's view. He held the Sword of God in his hand, offering it to Byakuya with a nod. "Your sword."
"Thank you," Byakuya breathed out, letting himself sink back to the floor, his sword clutched in his hands. "I'm impressed you were able to keep hold of it."
"I understand the importance of a man's sword." Jushiro said simply, brushing his hands over his blood-stained skin. He peeled off the scabs on his arms; a bizarre, disturbed look in his eye.
"I need a few minutes." Byakuya murmured, closing his eyes. "My wounds are not yet fully healed."
"Drink my blood," Jushiro offered, scooting across the floor weakly.
"No." Byakuya refused, shaking his head. "A taste will not harm me, but any more than that and I will die."
"Why?" Jushiro asked, looking down at the visible blue veins in surprise.
"There is a curse in your blood. Heavy magic…" Byakuya murmured, biting down on his lip to stifle a painful groan.
"But not mine?" Renji asked, staring with concern at his fresh blood still smeared across Byakuya's pale lips.
"Not. Not yours." Byakuya agreed, opening his eyes. He watched Renji for a long moment before speaking again. "I'm surprised as well."
"They're coming." Renji warned, his eyes morphing into neon slits.
"I'm not ready." Byakuya admitted, pushing himself into a sitting position.
"I'll stall them." Renji offered. But Byakuya gripped his hand, holding him in place beside him. Renji looked down at Byakuya in surprise, waiting for the vampire to speak. "What's wrong?"
"Wait."
"Yes?" Renji murmured.
"They're too strong for you." Byakuya warned.
"The others are here." Renji pointed out. "They should be here any minute."
"You stay." Byakuya ordered gruffly. His arms wrapped around Renji tightly, his fangs sinking into Renji's warm flesh. Byakuya drank greedily, gulping and swallowing without pretense. Renji struggled, his hands tapping against Byakuya's back. And then Renji's body sagged, his weight pressing against Byakuya heavily.
"Don't hurt him!" Jushiro shouted, rushing toward them anxiously.
"Be safe." Byakuya whispered, lowering Renji's unconscious body to the floor gently. His face was inches from Renji's as he spoke and then his lips pressed against Renji's ever-so-slightly. He pulled away from Renji's warmth slowly, reluctantly. Byakuya stood, his wounds closing almost instantaneously. He nodded toward Jushiro, removing the remaining scraps of his shirt. His heart beat once very loudly, filling the room. "I go."