Chapter: 25
Yagi had a new plan for Sharif and the others. A plan that had two main objectives. He had to separate the group and he had to get rid of Linnette. If there was even the slightest chance that she was the cause of whatever was happening with Sharif, the problem had to be dealt with as soon as possible.
He had planned on keeping Linnette around for a few reasons. She was the weakest in the group so everyone would rush to protect her which was a foolish move as far as he was concerned. It was hard to fight and defend at the same time. With everyone worrying about her, they couldn't concentrate on the fight, making them vulnerable. Her ability to control Hollows was a double-edge sword. Controlling Hollows could give them a new army. However, it could also send Ichigo into a rage, which Yagi wanted. It could also make the Vizard Captains hazy which would be beneficial in battle. If they wished to protect Linnette, then they may even be willing to sacrifice themselves in order to do it. Linnette's powers could work in his favor if he played his cards right.
It would be a shame to lose her, but if there was even the slightest chance she was causing Sharif problems, she had to go.
"Sharif, new plan." Yagi pointed. "Take her out first."
Sharif looked at the two girls standing close together. He couldn't tell who he was pointing at. "The Soul Reaper or the girl?"
"The girl. Take out Linnette."
Linnette was pulled behind Rukia. Rukia couldn't believe that Sharif would willingly attack Linnette. Surely, he would stop. Wouldn't he? Sharif was more complex so she couldn't be sure.
"Yes, sir." Sharif tossed Shinji aside and went after his new target.
They saw that Sharif wasn't stopping so Rukia grabbed Linnette and they ran. Sharif followed, taking swipes at them with his claws when he wasn't using them to run. He seemed to be faster on all fours. His deformed body needed all the help it could get.
"Why is he after me?" Linnette cried as they ran.
"Yagi must have figured that your powers are somehow messing with Sharif so he no longer wants you in the picture. He sees you as a threat."
While Linnette was pleased to learn that the enemy saw her as a force to be reckoned with, she hated being the target of their wrath. Being useful in a fight also made her someone who was targeted like other fighters.
Honestly, she didn't see much of a difference. If she was seen as weak, she was a target and if she was seen as strong, she was also targeted. There was no winning. Either way she would be in danger.
"Gotcha!" Sharif leaped over the girls to land in front of them, cutting them off.
Rukia stopped and made a sharp turn with Linnette holding her hand. Sharif cut them off again. "Some no mai, Tsukishiro!"
Sharif didn't bother dodging. He allowed himself to be encased in ice. This attack only bought the girls a few seconds. As soon as they started running in a different direction, Sharif broke through the ice and gave chase. Rukia told Linnette to run while she handled Sharif on her own. Though she knew it was dangerous to leave Linnette alone knowing full well that she was the target, Rukia thought she could have a better chance at fighting Sharif if she weren't running away. It would be easier to fight like this.
"Tusgi no mai, Hakuren!"
Sharif dodged and went after Linnette. Rukia wouldn't let him. She stepped into Sharif's path and thrust her sword forward. The blade sank into his calf. "Tusgi no mai, Hakuren!" The attack claimed his left leg. It was completely frozen and shattered like glass.
Sharif hobbled on his one good leg and looked down to assess the damage. His left leg was gone. Everything below the knee was missing.
Then a mass started to bubble from the wound and grew. The mass started to take shape and color. It was a new leg. His Hollow body could heal itself. He was given the gift of regeneration.
Sharif turned and beamed at his leader. With all these powers, he truly was unstoppable. It didn't matter how many limbs he lost. They would grow back. He had the perfect body.
Rukia already expected he would have this sort of power. Most Hollows did. She wondered if his human head would also possess the same ability. It was possibly the only way to kill him. She had to aim for his human parts.
Adjusting her sword, she jumped into the air and prepared another attack. "Tusgi no mai, Hakuren!"
The attack caused Sharif's left arm to freeze but her attack was meant as a distraction more than as something to cause damage. She planted her sword in Sharif's chest and stood on its hilt. Distracted by his frozen arm, Sharif wasn't expecting her to do something like this. He was unable to grab her with his arm frozen so he had to use his other arm instead. She grabbed onto his long hair and pulled herself onto his shoulder.
"Ouch! Get off!" He tried to grab her but his large arm wasn't easy to control in tight spaces. He clumsily scratched his own neck trying to grab onto her.
It was just as she thought. An arm that size wasn't easy to maneuver. Since it was about the length of his whole body, it was difficult if not impossible to bend it to reach something on his shoulder without accidentally touching himself in the process. Because he was moving so quickly, it was even easier for him to end up injuring himself.
Rukia saw the shallow gashes in his flesh and watched to see if they would heal as quickly as his severed leg. As it turned out, they did. Even his human body could heal with ease.
Sharif pulled the sword from his chest and tossed it aside. "You little..!" He reached over his head to grab Rukia. She jumped down to retrieve her sword. Sharif stomped on her as she landed, driving her into the earth. "Now for the girl..."
Linnette was still running. She didn't look back until she heard footsteps running up behind her. Sharif was on her heels, his arm out and ready to strike. His other arm flexed, breaking the ice surrounding it and used it for balance. Linnette couldn't get away. Sharif thrust his arm forward.
His claws made contact with a body but it wasn't Linnette's. It was Rojuro's.
Linnette's mouth fell open in horror. Sharif's claws were driven through his body and out his back.
"Rose!" Shinji screamed, finally catching up. "Rose!"
The Captain in Sharif's claws smiled, his quiet laughter causing blood to spill from his lips. "You two weren't quick enough so I had to do something." He looked over his shoulder at Linnette, his eyes glowing gold. "I couldn't let anything happen to my songbird."
From a distance, Yagi saw this and smiled. "I knew this would happen. Her voice is a double-edged sword. They will always protect her, no matter the cost. Even to themselves."
His plan was for the Captains to sacrifice themselves to save Linnette when their Hollows took over. He had many plans, but this was one he was pleased to watch happen before his eyes. It worked better than expected.
Rojuro put his hands on the claws cutting into his body and pushed them back. Sharif's claws eased out of his body and dripped blood onto the ground. Rojuro stepped back panting but still able to stand. His body turned slightly so Linnette could get a better look at him. His Captain's jacket had blocked most of her view when the strike occurred so she believed he had been impaled in a vital area. As it turned out, he took one of the claws in his right rib. The rest of the claws grazed his body. It wasn't through the chest like she thought.
"No matter the cost, even to my own life, I will make sure she lives," he told Sharif. "Like the host of this body, I, too, am a music lover. I cannot allow her song to end. Even if that means I must be silenced."
When it came to Linnette, his life did not matter. He felt that strongly towards her that he would gladly sacrifice himself for her.
"Now it's your turn," he said to Sharif. "Attacking my little songbird is unforgivable. You-"
"That's enough!" Linnette snapped. "I don't want you to sacrifice yourself for me. I want you to live. Even Rose. Find another way to protect me that doesn't involve you sacrificing yourself or anyone else."
Rojuro turned to her looking ashamed, like a child giving the result of a failed test to a parent. He didn't want her to be upset with him.
Then his eyes started to change and he fell backwards onto the ground.
"Rose!" Shinji knelt beside him, ignoring Sharif and Linnette. "You alright? Let me see..."
"I'm fine..." Rojuro said. "The other guy just took over for a second. I was out of it. Now I'm- Ow! What the hell happened to me? Did I get hurt or something? Why does my side hurt so bad?"
Because his Hollow was in control at the time, Rojuro had no idea he had been injured. He had no memory of what occurred during that time.
With Shinji's help, Rojuro sat up and they checked on his wound. He needed medical attention, but this was nothing he would die from. He was going to be fine.
Linnette backed away as Sharif came closer. With the others distracted and injured, Linnette was on her own and unprotected. He thought she would be easy to kill.
She backed away from him and pleaded with him for mercy. He thought it was pathetic. A young girl not yet ready to die, frightened of him and his power. How irritating.
Yet for some reason he didn't want to hurt her. Somehow it didn't seem right. It wasn't fair. Why did she have to die? She wasn't a Soul Reaper. They weren't after her. She wasn't the enemy. She didn't even live in the Seireitei. She was just a human. A human.
He didn't want to go through with it. He couldn't bring himself to do it. Something was holding him back.
Yagi had given him orders so he had to do it. He had to do as Yagi wished.
But hurting a girl? And a human no less. If she were a Soul Reaper, things would be different. Being a human meant she wasn't the enemy.
She was a threat, though. Yagi obviously thought so otherwise he wouldn't had ordered this. He had no choice but to kill her.
He didn't want to. She didn't deserve it. She hadn't done anything. She didn't have a sword or anything. She was just a weak human girl.
Why did he feel so conflicted? Something wasn't right. Why didn't he want to do this? He didn't know this girl. Why did she deserve any mercy? But an innocent girl? Really? Was he that heartless he could go up to anyone off the street and kill them just because Yagi asked him to? But she wasn't just anyone off the street. She was with the Soul Reapers. That made her an enemy. Anyone who sided with Soul Reapers became a target. That was how it worked. Plain and simple.
He stared at Linnette looking back at him with sad, fearful eyes. It was heart-wrenching. Like looking at a kitten. Did he really have to kill something so pitiful? She couldn't even fight back. But he still had his orders. His orders. Yagi had commanded him. He had to do it. Even if he didn't want to. But why didn't he want to?
"Damn it, I'm so confused," he muttered to himself. "Why is this so difficult for me? It's always been so easy. Yagi tells me to do something and I do it. Why is it suddenly so hard?"
"Because your heart's not in it."
Sharif jumped, hearing a voice inside his head. "Who... Who said that?"
"I did. Come on. You haven't forgotten about me already, have you? We've been together for a long time. Forever, really."
"That voice..." It sounded so familiar. It was female. "Wait... Is that..?"
It sounded like his voice only more feminine.
"Fufufufufu..!" came that laugh.
Sharif spun around and saw her. He saw himself. His other self. He was face-to-face with his other personality.
"How?" he asked. "How is this possible? Leader got rid of you."
"Oh, don't think you can get rid of me that easily."
"You cannot be here. I don't want you. No one does. You're the reason leader is upset with me half the time. He loves the real me but hates you. But us being the same..."
"He can't get rid of one without getting rid of the other. But that's just not possible. It's also not possible for me to leave just because I'm not wanted."
Sharif couldn't wrap his head around this. "Wait a minute. You only appear when I get hit in the head. That hasn't happened. So how can you be here?"
"Me? Here? Oh, don't you see? I'm always here. Always with you. Always in your head." His other self started laughing. "I'm inside of you. I am you. A part of you. There's no escaping me."
Sharif saw a white hand grab onto the collar of his shirt and watched his other self pull closer.
"Besides... I like it here. I've become quite attached."
Sharif leaned away. "But you weren't... You didn't show up. Even when I got hit in the head, you didn't show up. Leader told me you were gone. That I had become the ideal man who could serve him."
"But leader doesn't know everything. In fact, he didn't know that even if I wasn't where I usually am, that I would simply move somewhere else."
Sharif watched his other self lift their head and look him in the eyes. Gold and black eyes. His other self had the eyes of a Hollow.
"Ah!" Sharif pushed his other self back in surprise.
"Fufufufu! What do you expect?" she asked him. "Now that you have Hollow powers, this is to be expected. Don't be scared. I'm always with you. I'm always going to be with you. Just in a different way now, thanks to leader and his infinite wisdom."
Sharif found it hard to breathe. He backed away but wasn't getting any further from the white version of himself which had now become a Hollow.
"I don't understand," he panted. "How is this possible? How does this work? How can you be..?"
"Ask leader. Though I doubt he knows himself. You, or rather we, are just another experiment to him. He probably doesn't know the answers himself. He might not have a clue what's going on."
"Just bud out!" Sharif snapped. "Just stay away and leave me alone! Don't bother me! Don't interfere with me or anything I do. This is my body, I get to control it. Not you! Just leave me alone and don't do anything!"
"I can't let you do that. Not when you're going to hurt Linnette. I can't let that happen."
Sharif snarled, glaring at his other self. "So this is because of her. It is, isn't it? It's because of her voice!"
"Leader said it wouldn't work on you, but I happen to like it."
"So you're only acting this way and budding in because of her."
"Not exactly. While I happen to like the song, I'm still restless. And so are you."
"We're not the same person!"
"You just said we were."
"We're not!"
"Listen to me, Sharif. You are feeling conflicted. That only has a little to do with me. Most of it is you. You are having issues."
"You're my issue!" Sharif snapped.
"Just shut up and listen for once. What you're feeling only has a little to do with me. You are having these feelings and not because of me. Understand? So just forget about me for a second and focus on yourself. Why are you feeling this way? Why is this a problem? Why do you feel like something is wrong? It's not me doing it. It's you. So think. Figure it out."
Sharif didn't understand. He thought he was feeling conflicted because his other personality had become a Hollow and was now being controlled by Linnette. He didn't want to hurt her because his other self didn't want him to. That was the reason, wasn't it? His other self said that wasn't the case. Not completely. She only had a small part in this. Most of it was him.
What did that mean? Was he holding himself back? Why did he feel this way? What did he have to be conflicted about?
Yagi had ordered him to do something so he should do it. Was that why he was feeling this way? What did Yagi have to do with any of this?
"Just shut up and leave me alone!" Sharif snapped.
"Fine. Figure it out for yourself. Whatever actions you take in the next little while is your doing. Remember that. Don't blame it on me."
"I said to shut up!"
His other self was gone. That female personality that had become his inner Hollow was gone.
He was back where he was before. Right in front of Linnette.
What was that he experienced? He felt like he was inside his own mind. It was as if he had disappeared from this world and went somewhere else. What a feeling.
Now he was even more confused than before. He hated this feeling. The sooner he got rid of Linnette, the better.
He took another step towards her and Linnette retreated.
Knowing her voice wouldn't work on him, Linnette had to find another way out of this situation. The other Soul Reapers weren't able to help her at the moment. She doubted that Sharif would wait for them to catch up. She had to stall him somehow.
There was something bothering her. It was what Yagi had said before. About Sharif. She was curious so she wanted to ask, and asking could buy her some time.
"Just a second," she said to Sharif as she backed into a bolder half buried in the dirt. "Why me? Why are you after me? What did I do?"
"Leader gave me an order," said Sharif. "I have to do it. Orders are orders."
"But why would you listen to him? A guy like Yagi... He's mean."
"No, he isn't."
"Yes, he is!" insisted Linnette. "He locked you in a cell with Ichigo and left you to die."
Sharif hesitated. She had a point. Yagi did lock him in a cage with a rabid Hollow. He was willing to sacrifice him to Ichigo. Just to test his maliciousness.
"I, uh..." Sharif remained devoted to Yagi. "That was just because he had to run some tests on Ichigo. See if he could kill..."
"He was willing to let you die. How fair is that?"
"It wasn't me. He likes me. It was the other personality he wanted to get rid of. Because we share a body..."
"That's no reason to kill someone. So what if you have faults? If he likes you, then they don't matter. He's just being cruel."
Sharif shook his head. "He is not. He rebuilt me. He gave me a new body. Gave me Hollow parts and powers. He made me stronger. He saved me. He didn't let me die in that cell."
"But didn't he see that you were alive by accident? He didn't even know you were still alive until after they took Ichigo out of the cage. He never bothered to rescue you. It happened by chance. For all he knew you were dead."
Sharif paused again. She was right. Yagi didn't save him on purpose. He found out he was still alive after everything was done. He discovered his mangled body purely by chance. He expected him to be dead. Yagi wanted him dead.
"He... He didn't want me dead. He just wanted to test and see if Ichigo could do it."
"He was still willing to sacrifice you," said Linnette. "He took a huge chance. If he really cared, he would have found another way to test it other than sacrificing you. He could have used another Hollow or a rat or something. Instead he picked you. Why are you loyal to someone like that? Someone who willingly risked your life knowing you would most likely die?"
She was right. Yagi all but said that Sharif would die. He did want him to die. All because of his other personality? Was it that much of a liability? That much of a pain? Sharif hated it, too, but he never tried to kill himself.
Yagi was leading them into battle against the Soul Reapers. They had a goal in mind. Sharif was helping them achieve that goal. Yagi even said that he was a great help and one of his strongest men.
"I'm one of them," said Sharif with confidence. "I am a Quincy. And so are they. Of course I would side with them. No matter what, I am a Quincy and I belong with my own kind. Our leader is a good man."
"A man who willingly tried to kill you. Your own kind doesn't sound like they're very good to you."
"You don't know what you're talking about. He is a good man. He still saved my life. He gave me a new body and blessed me with power."
"Power from a Hollow." Linnette gave Sharif a worried look. "Don't Quincies kill Hollows? What's going to happen to you? What will Yagi do?"
Sharif hadn't thought about that. They hated Hollows. If he had become a Hollow, then there was a problem. What would happen to him next?
"Face it, Sharif," said Linnette. "That body he gave you was part of another experiment. Even he didn't know what would happen to you. He just didn't want you to go to waste. That's how Yagi thinks. He saw that you were alive. The only reason he didn't finish you off was because he saw his chance to try something else. He wanted to use you as part of another experiment. He didn't save you because he cared. He did it to see what would happen to you. He's using you."
Sharif refused to believe it. "No. No, he saved me! He could have let me die but he didn't. He allowed me to live."
"He 'allowed' you?"
Sharif froze at his own words. He lived under Yagi's command. He obeyed his every whim and remained loyal to him no matter what. Sharif and the others weren't able to do anything without his permission. Even his own cousin was too afraid to do anything. He couldn't even speak the way he normally did because it annoyed Yagi. If anyone displeased him, it was punishable by death.
This was the man he was following? His wonderful leader and good man? Yagi was even willing to let innocent people die at Ichigo's hands just to flush out the Soul Reapers. They didn't have anything to do with this, yet Yagi made them targets. Sharif and the others had no quarrel with the innocent. No anger, no hate, no vengeful thinking. They were innocent.
Locking him up in that cell with Ichigo was just another example of how little Yagi cared. He didn't even look sorry when he locked the door and told Sharif 'good-bye' and left him for dead. Yagi didn't even say it was just a test. He said that he intended for Ichigo to kill him. Yagi truly thought that Sharif would die. It wasn't a test. It was murder.
Why on earth was Sharif defending a man like that? He had convinced himself that everything Yagi did was for the greater good. The good of them and all Quincies. If that were the case, then why was he willingly killing his fellow men?
He didn't give Sharif these parts to save his life. He just didn't want his mangled body to go to waste. He wanted to see if he could make something out of his failed plans. Sharif was just another experiment, like Linnette said. This body wasn't crafted out of love. It was out of curiosity and disappointment. Yagi was just making a new dish out of a ruined one. Like dropping food on the floor but instead of throwing it out, he gave it to the dog. Was that all Sharif was to him? Just something that could be used as something else when something didn't go right? Just a waste?
Come to think of it, Yagi did this sort of thing all the time. He never cared about him or any of them. Yagi was selfish. When something didn't work, he did something else, even if it meant hurting someone. Yagi even used the Hollow serum on innocent people to make sure he had it right for Ichigo. The people he used weren't Soul Reapers. They were innocent people walking down the street. Most of them had families. Yagi didn't care who he did it to. He didn't discriminate. Everyone was fair game. Human, Quincy, Hollow... It didn't matter. He would do this to anyone.
Even his own men. Those loyal to him.
Sharif looked down at his claws. He wasn't saved. He was a monster. Yagi used him once again. This new body wasn't from the goodness of his heart or given to him out of kindness and love. It was an experiment. He was an experiment. Something to be tampered with. Now he was deformed. This wasn't kindness. This wasn't love. This wasn't saving. This was sick. Just a madman piecing things together to see if it would function. Yagi didn't even care if it did work, or what the results would be or what they meant for Sharif. Would he live in pain for the rest of his life? Would this shorten his life? Yagi didn't know or care.
Why the hell was he loyal to a man like that?
"Do it, Sharif."
He could hear his leader calling to him.
"Attack."
Sharif was a Quincy. Therefore, he should side with other Quncies. He had known Yagi for years. He had always followed him. He was still alive thanks to Yagi's experimentation. He was grateful for that, even if it wasn't done out of kindness but rather curiosity. On the other hand, it did make him a monster. Sharif wasn't thankful for that.
"Attack now, Sharif," Yagi ordered.
Sharif stood tall and took in a breath.
Linnette coward.
Killing an innocent girl who didn't even possess a weapon would be easy. Yagi's orders were absolute. Sharif had to trust his gut. He always had and always will. His gut knew what was right.
Sharif turned his head and fired a cero at Yagi.
Yagi jumped out of the way to avoid it. "What the hell are you thinking?"
Roaring with anger, Sharif turned away from Linnette and went after Yagi instead. He slashed at him with his claws and snapped at him with his teeth. Sharif's head wasn't Hollow so he was snapping at Yagi with his human teeth. He was doing what felt right. Attacking Yagi felt right. His fury allowed him to give in to his urges and behaved more like a monster. He didn't care how he looked. He just wanted to rip into his former leader.
He was never going to follow another order Yagi gave to him. This was the end of their alliance. Now Yagi was his enemy.
"What are you doing, you fool?" Yagi snapped.
"You left me in a cage to die! You attack innocent people! You turned me into a monster! Why the hell should I listen to you ever again?!"
Yagi stopped Sharif's claws with his bare hand. "Because I am your leader."
"Not anymore! I quit!" Sharif pulled his arm back, taking Yagi along for the ride. "Why would I remain loyal to a man like you? You tried to have me killed!"
"You should be grateful. Once I found out you were still alive, I saved you and gave you new powers."
"Powers I'm going to use against you!" Sharif tried to punch Yagi but he vanished. "Was this an afterthought? You never expected me to survive, did you? So I became your next experiment. Was that it?"
Yagi appeared behind him. "Next time, I'll remove your brain so you won't have this rebellion in you." He summoned his bow. "What good are followers who don't listen to you? Your job is to follow my every command without question. Using your strength and having you work for me was all you were ever good for. Why do you think I kept you around for so long? It wasn't because I liked you. It was for your strength. That was the only reason you were even tolerated around here. If you had no ability, I would have killed you a long time ago or ditched you somewhere else. I would have never had you come along."
Snarling, Sharif came at him again. "I'll kill you!"
The truth came out. Yagi truly did not care about any of them. All he wanted was their loyalty and power. That was all they were good for.
"Linnette!" Rukia rushed to her side. "Are you ok?"
"Yeah. Are you?"
"I'm fine." Rukia looked at the quarreling Quincies. Sharif was attacking Yagi with words and claws. He was really angry. "Did you tell him to do that?"
Linnette shook her head. "No. He's doing that on his own. I just asked him why he was loyal to someone who tried to kill him."
"Glad to see this guy finally woke up." There was no sense in being loyal to someone who didn't care about his followers. "While they're distracted, we have to go after Ichigo. Come on."
"We're coming, too." Shinji had Rojuro slung over his shoulder. "Rose says he's good to go but I don't believe him. In any case, we can't leave him here with those two going at it."
"Then what do you plan on doing with me if there's another fight?" he asked Shinji. "You'll have to put me down on another battlefield. You haven't thought this through, have you?"
"It's a work in progress. Let's get a move on before those two notice."
Back at the Seireitei, the lock-down was still holding strong. The Soul Reapers on watch duty were bored pacing the gate they were assigned to, but were also very concerned. The feared another attack but they were equally worried about the Soul Reapers on the other side of the wall. Most of them wondered if they were still alive.
After Kensei had returned, they had become hopeful that others would also return. They were still missing two Captains and a Lieutenant. If they returned, they were most likely injured. They would have to help them to the sickbay as soon as possible.
"The sickbay is full of already injured Soul Reapers. Can Squad 4 really handle anymore?"
"Oh, please. It's light compared to past events. This is nothing to them. Trust me."
"I'm really worried."
"Don't be. If there's another attack, we'll be ready. And if injured men should return, we'll help them. We were put on watch duty because they knew we could handle it."
"Or because no one else would do it..."
"Enough of that talk. Everything's fine. The Captains know what they're doing. With the lock-down in place, no one is getting in or out without anyone knowing it. If the enemy even tries to come in this time, they won't get very far. We'll be ready for them. We'll get the jump on them and end it before it begins."
The gate started to open behind them. Expecting to see the Captains, the men came forward. Whoever was coming in was most likely injured. They might be in need of help.
Most of them didn't think to pick up their weapons because the gatekeeper would only open the gate if it were someone they knew, like a Soul Reaper. If it were an enemy, the gate would not have been opened.
The gate slowly rose and the Soul Reapers stood by to assist.
A red whip snapped the air and struck one of the awaiting Soul Reapers in the chest. The whip curved around and struck the other men standing by. They cried out and toppled over. Blood was drawn from their wounds and floated into the air.
Two Quincies stepped inside the Seireitei.
"Ah, yeah, baby. Could these Soul Reapers be any stupider?"
"I wish you would stop calling me 'baby'. It's depressing."
Zalya turned to his companion. "Who says I'm calling you that? You gotta lighten up, Yaku. You're the depressing one."
Yaku sighed, caressing the edge of his beloved mirror with his thumb. "It is depressing. Leader sent us here to the Seireitei knowing this is Ichigo Kurosaki's target. He is meant to attack the Seireitei. If we're here, we're going to be in the line of fire. We'll be attacked as well. How depressing."
"Ichigo's taking his sweet-ass time getting here. At this rate, he'll die before he makes it to the gates. It's up to us to get a move on this thing, baby."
Yaku observed the wound on Zalya's arm between his wrist and elbow. The cut wasn't deep but it was enough to make him feel queasy. "Please cover up that wound of yours, Zalya. It's depressing."
"So the sight of blood bothers you, too?"
"The sight of blood is depressing. It's a sign of death and pain."
Zalya laughed and pulled his sleeve over the cut to hide it. His sleeve then folded into the gloves he wore on his hands. In battle, he removed the gloves on his arms so he could cut into his flesh without causing damage to his clothing, but sometimes he forgot. This time, he thought he would keep them on. Sometimes his sleeves would absorb the blood or it would pool into his gloves which he could use later in battle.
"Blood also means life, baby. Give and take."
Yaku sighed. "Even so, I can't help but think leader was wrong to send us here with Ichigo still alive. It's asking for trouble."
"You worry too much."
They looked up, hearing running footsteps. A group of Soul Reapers appeared, noticing that the gate had been opened and had just closed. Thinking there were injured Soul Reapers returning, they came to help. Seeing the enemy at their front step, they quickly got into a fighting stance.
"Stop right there! You're not taking another step in here without a fight."
"I got this," said Yaku.
Zalya lowered the blood bubbling like a lava lamp in his hand.
Yaku held up his mirror, catching the reflections of the Soul Reapers. "Negative Image."
The Soul Reapers slumped to the ground, no longer having the will to fight. They lay on the ground, too depressed to move.
"Guess they don't have any fight left in them." Zalya smirked and turned to the rest of the Seireitei. "Well, let's get this started, baby. It's time to show these Soul Reapers we mean business."
"It is not that we make them look weak. They are weak. We're just showing them how much. How depressing."
Everywhere is a battlefield!
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