A/N: I'm not slacking off. I had a ton of editing to do for the chapters to come. Hope you will enjoy it. I know I took all of you on a rollercoaster where we visited so many characters and had so many adventures already. I want to thank all of you for keeping up with this story.
-56-
Thick Skin
Koshinko Geren
3rd seat of the Second Division under the orders of Soi Fon
Leader of the Onmitsukidō
Director of the penitentiary unit "The Maggot's Nest"
Traitor
Snakes always concealed their cowardice behind a rich set of values until the day the ultimate sacrifice is asked of them. Then they disappeared, leaving their skins behind.
"You stupid coward! You good-for-nothing asshole! I hope you die!"
Shizen - Skydancer (Epic Dark Dramatic Orchestral)
As soon as Geren started the incantation, he knew he just made the biggest mistake in his life, and Rangiku Matsumoto was right. The words were slow to form, his intonation was hesitant, but the atmosphere immediately started undulated. The words echoed in his head even before they came out of him. He was no longer reading that book. He was being possessed by it. His wrists were sliced open magically and with his blood flowing out of him, he kept chanting. He realized what had not taken long to others to realize. He was not worthy of being a shinigami. He had never been. This had never been his calling. There was a reason he failed so many times the captain exam. How remarkable was the Captain Commander for him to easily notice those undesirable traits in Geren when the latter was so late to come to a realization!? He had a dark profound abyss as a heart, something forged in scraps of iron and fear, and filled with greed and nothing else. People always knew how to read him which was a pity for the leader of the Onmitsukidō. Knocking on death's doors and finding clarity never got such clear meaning. He was aware there would be no turning back. He was aware his own blood was spilling into the spell.
How could he have fallen so low? He cried out as the cylinder greedily absorbed between his fingers his energy. But it was not so much about the pain than the realization he had nothing left to lose. He had nothing left. No title ... No ambition ... No status ... No Family ... No Honor ... Did he love his wife and daughter enough to sacrifice himself to save them? Probably not.
How did individuals like Gin Ichimaru, Aizen Sousuke, Mayuri Kurotsuchi manage to succeed where Geren had always failed? It was simple. They all had at least one of these things.
Geren tried to move his hands away and break the spell. He wanted to stop everything and turn back. He should never have followed the Primeros in their evil plan. He should never have touched the book of demonic transgression. Could you believe this whole mess was his idea? He could not. The sphere voraciously absorbed his reiatsu and blood before rising into the sky.
Oh no, what had he done?
A vertical line divided the cloudy blue sky in two. Kiborutō, the key to the abyssal vaults, slowly rose in the atmosphere. The pressure increased tenfold, and Geren was forced to kneel, the gravity suddenly unbearable. Where did all that spiritual pressure come from? He was currently choking on it, powerless as he watched it divide the atmosphere. He didn't see the hundreds of souls snatched in the premise of their lives to compensate for his lack of reiatsu. Seated officers. Most of them. They disintegrated in one instant.
"Vice-Captain, he is over there!" The seventh seat of the second division, Segi Harada yelled to Marechiyo Ōmaeda. The officers all gathered toward the execution site of the Sōkyoku hills.
Omaeda saw the danger only too late.
His Captain had asked him one thing. Find the traitor. Omaeda was only too aware that he failed her before. He entrusted Geren too much. He gave him too long of a leash. He bought into his bullshit and cost his Captain to lose face. Omaeda wasn't generally a thrill-seeker. He preferred to stay away from the battle, especially when it was way out of his league. He knew to be cautious. However, boring the responsibility for most of what happened with Geren, he wouldn't be a man if he didn't try to atone for his sins. So, he was the first on the scene with Harada Segi and Rin Bumi, his seventh and fifth seat. He stared eyes wide as he noticed a figure standing next to the leader of the Primeros.
"Matsumoto Rangiku." He breathed. His immediate thought was that he also needed to rescue her.
It was like the scratching of nails on a board. The sight of the lieutenant of the tenth standing there was easily enough to make his hair stand. Yet, it wasn't just Matsumoto. It was also the suddenly insane amount of pressure in the air. He realized he couldn't breathe only too late. He realized he was suddenly exhausted beyond what was humanly possible to endure. Grabbing his own throat, he was choking, his tongue wagging in the air desperately. His eyes turned blood red with petechiae. He turned to Segi in panic. But the two officers were in even worse shape than him. That thing was eating at their souls, absorbing their reiatsu greedily. He looked at the cylinder Geren was holding, the gravity tearing at his skin. Shit! It was the last words that came to his mind as he realized he was going to die an ugly death. The tearing of flesh was only unbearable for a couple of seconds before he dissolved on the ground in a gory puddle of flesh.
It made a zipping round noise like the beginning of a Cero blast before Kiborutō detonated in the sky as if Someone in Heaven was protesting the aggression. How dare the commoners summoned the Guardians. The strike of light absorbed everything on its path. Trees. Omaeda and his officers. Soldiers running in disarray. Geren looked up, blood seeping through all his orifices. The shadowy figure of his wife and daughter stood but a few feet from him, vanishing slowly like a distant memory. Tears blurred his vision. had he done?
The air undulated dizzily. Thunder roared again. Jolts of electricity lit the atmosphere on fire.
Far from there, in the royal chamber, eyes What feral and avid with greed opened slowly in the dark, strange shadows playing in the white inhuman pupil. It contemplated the gem of gems, mesmerized by the glorious luminescence of The Mother of all Sacred Things, the Spirit God. A kneeling shadow appeared on the wall mirroring Geren's position in the Seireitei. He could taste his sacrifice from here. White fangs smiled at this well-orchestrated bloodshed. The Architect of all things smiled proudly. We were almost to the good part. It was in his nature to birth wonders from chaos, and chaos from wonders. Little people they were, short-sighted, born with little or no ambition, born without a purpose. They were not worthy of his attention. Not worthy of what he was doing for them. Yet, he was dedicated to the task, and we were almost to the good part.
Kirio was outside the Royal Chamber, her eyes fixated worriedly on the shaking double doors. She called for the Servants, grim skeletal ghosts, to remain in formation behind her.
Izayoi stood on the Bridge, overseeing the mechanism in the "Factory." Below, it was equal to Christmas rush with thousands of souls with bland faces converging on the speed walk toward the light. They were crawling like parasites. Reini gasped when she noticed a bland soul was not walking, seemingly staring at Izayoi in the opposite direction. The princess paused, then frowned. It wasn't staring. It couldn't be staring. That was impossible. Empty soul about to be processed couldn't stare without a will of any kind. It's not like the souls entering the Factory were not ripe for transition, empty of memories or purpose, not yet sentient, not yet ready to see the world with new eyes. She leaned carefully over the balcony, mesmerized. This thing with dead eyes was looking at her. It's like it wanted to speak. It's like it knew what it was. Blasphemy!
"Kaikoroku."
"At your service, Reini."
" Why is that thing standing there?"
"I do not understand your question. Can you reformulate? How can I help you?"
"There's something there. Something is stuck. Something is staring back at me."
"We do not understand your question. How can I help you?"
Reini's face morphed in disgust, twisting her neck, her fangs suddenly showing.
"It's absolutely disgusting. Freeze all machines."
In a weird metallic noise, the mechanism seemed to come to a screeching halt with all the bland, empty souls standing on the unmoving speedwalk.
Reini faded to reappear, walking among the packed crowd of souls. She literally pushed and shoved everything out of her way. Mesmerized that the soul would continue to stare at her, she just couldn't let it go. What are you? She was fighting her way toward it in a sea of blank souls. It was standing looking straight at her. The more she came closer, the more she could distinguish its unique feature. Silver hair. Bony features. Sharp gaze. Eyes like shards of glass.
"You are not… You cannot be... What are you doing here? How did you get here? No…Ikki, is that you?"
Tears gathered in her eyes like an infinite waterfall of sadness. She caught herself shivering with fright. I don't have the luxury of having someone I care about. Someone precious like that. Thanks to the rampant greed turned into a raging tumor that is your family. The empress swallowed hard.
"Izayoi, you are the moon. Ikki is the canvas I made to support your beauty. You two, my children should support each other till the end of time."
"What am I saying? What's wrong with me? Get a grip on yourself. It's like I'm going mad. Kaikoroku, there is an anomaly in line 30 sector 20B. Do you see it? I want you to discard it immediately."
"There is no anomaly registered with those coordinates. As you know, in the absence of a registered anomaly, we can only act on the whole line of production. Do you want to discard the whole line? It is comprised of 9700 souls. Can you confirm you want to discard the whole line?"
"It's impossible… Impossible. I am facing it. It's staring… It's looking at me. It's like it has a mind of its own. It's not dead."
"A thousand nanosecond before we reach the Cycle's critical jamming limit. Can you confirm you want to discard the whole line?"
"It's staring at me. Like it's alive and mocking me!"
She stared at the ghost who looked a hundred percent like the one she lost.
"Scan this area for a Kaiju intrusion, Kaikoroku."
"A Kaiju intrusion? All registered Kaijū of this universe are reported and accounted for."
"Please do this for me…"
Before she could finish her sentence, something moved behind her.
"Gin."
It was only a soft whisper carried in the air. Yet Izayoi jumped startled, unsheathing the dagger she always kept concealed in her garment.
"Who said that?" Stupefied, she watched another soul behind her ran in the wrong direction. She turned to the original problem, except he was gone. She tried to make her way across the crowd. Where was he? But both souls were gone without a trace as if they vanished into thin air.
"60 seconds left."
She jumped on the sideline, away from the factory line, shaking. Whatever it was, they were gone. Wasn't it all that matter? It made no sense. They were gone.
"Recount the lot immediately, Kaikoroku.
"The lot is comprised of 9698 souls. Anomaly detected. Sources unknown. Reality engine compromised."
"See… I was not dreaming."
"Reini, awaiting your order."
" Kaikoroku, push the cycle speed to 200% of its capacity like Reiichi wanted. It should compensate for any time. Start the process again."
" Very well. Cycle pushed to 150% and gradually rising. The result of the Kaiju scan is back. Two residual spiritual prints were found, one belongs to Izayoi, second member of the Zero Squad, the other's provenance is unknown."
Someone tampered with the reality engine. I don't have the luxury of having someone like that.
Izayoi simply shook her head, black tears streaming down her cheek, as her skin became translucent. Impossible. It was impossible. He was gone. He was gone. She bent over suddenly, overwhelmed with pain. She shouldn't let something like hope deceive her, turned her resolve into whimpers of despair. It was just a trick of the mind. A trick of his. It was just… She crawled on her knees, dissolving into tears, whimpering and moaning like a wounded beast.
Like her spider crawling at the back of his neck, her sudden pain rolled over him like a sharp cutting wave of ice. It chilled him to the bone. Reiichi struggled to stand for a second, his hand grabbing the command control tight. A thousand screens were showing different events happening simultaneously. Kuchiki Byakuya, head of one of the Four Noble Family, holding Tadashi's girl close after the girl literally ransacked the Seireitei with her bankai. Matsumoto Rangiku waking up. Izayoi's crying on the floor. He stared at his shaking hand and fixed the Factory feed, watching the one he was supposed to care about unfold before him. His red eye burned with passion.
Suddenly the ground shook violently beneath him, making his chair sway from left to right. He closed his eyes.
" Kaikoroku, has it started yet?"
"If you're referring to the breach of Muken, yes, it started."
He turned toward the screen on the left. Kakira was seen dashing through the corridor of Muken. He was suddenly invaded with doubts. Can she really do this? Worse. He paused and wondered how fair it was that the child had to be the one to do this.
Menoly and Lolly were holding hands while facing Jūshirō Ukitake.
"That's it! It's working!" Menoly yelled while trying to dodge Sōgyo no Kotowari. The battle was even fiercer now that the stakes had become so high.
The sphere engaged in an imaginary slot while turning counterclockwise. The key turned in the lock in an excruciating noise. The air was no more than a compact mass of spiritual pressure, threatening to kill every unseated soldier on the spot with its toxicity.
While Unohana was evacuating Byakuya and Keikosuki and their lieutenants. Shunsui ordered every unseated soldiers' immediate withdrawals from the battlefield. Sasakibe seconded him. This glorious carnage was just about to get worse. Shunsui froze suddenly when he saw Nanao helping two soldiers to their feet.
"Nanao! I told you to stay in Karakura!"
"Don't be unreasonable, Captain. The soldiers need to move! You cannot do that while fighting to save all our skins. Hey! You! Where you're going? Not that way! Move! Move back! That way!" She roared to a couple of disoriented soldiers.
"This is dangerous, Nanao."
She spun around to face him, giving him one of her signature sharp looks, adjusting her glasses.
"Do you think I'm on a tourist visa here?! What are you doing not trying to close that door!"
She pointed at the sky. Sure enough, the square was moving, and the doors of Muken began to appear, adorned with giant skeletons, sealed by about twenty chains with gigantic rings. Fuck! Shunsui cursed under his breath.
"How do we close that? Captain!"
Shunsui gritted his teeth as a vertical line formed in the sky. To answer her question frankly, he had no fucking clue.
"Well…"
"Well…"
" Once completely open, we cannot close that, Nanao. We're screwed. I mean… I don't even know… We need to stop this guy right now, but I don't even know how to do that." Shunsui turned and looked at her, suddenly serious. "I told you to stay away."
"Captain…"
"I've only seen this happen once. When Sōjun Kuchiki opened that door to save his moronic best friend. But it was Sōjun Fucking Kuchiki! The kid was a fucking outstanding necromancer compared to this guy. "
Nanao frowned.
"Sōjun Kuchiki…Isn't he?"
He nodded.
"Byakuya's rebellious punk of a father. You got that right."
"Rebellious… Punk."
Shunsui smiled.
"He was also our student. They were both our students, Jūshirō and I... This sucks!"
Shunsui shook his head clear of the fond memories, clear of the nostalgia of simpler times.
"But even Sōjun knew, he wasn't going to live long after pulling such a stunt."
Nanao gasped.
"Who touches that book, Nanao, is… going to Hell literally."
"But Sōjun Kuchiki died later… On the battlefield… Fighting someone named…"
"Yamada Kai. He died fighting Ichinose's deceased first love. But what those books got wrong was that he was dead ever since that day. He had been dead all along. He only survived in appearance because of his nobility. But he had lost most of his powers using that spell. Yet, that punk didn't tell a soul because of something sharp and cutting like Pride. This thing forever changed him and stole his future. He was never the same. But that guy, Geren, isn't even half of Sōjun Kuchiki. Kuchiki was the heir of one of the fourth noble houses. Geren is a third seat stuck somewhere between mediocre and terrible. He is gonna kill us all."
He pointed at Geren's figure standing on the edge of the Sokyouku hills, dangerously unleashing a massive amount of spiritual power.
"Does Captain Kuchiki know about this?"
Shunsui shook his head.
"His grandfather wanted to raise him with the idea of an irreproachable dad. As if there was great value in being born from a Saint. It's something about the Pride of a Kuchiki. So, I don't think they had this conversation yet. Byakuya was really young when it happened. He probably doesn't remember. It doesn't matter."
Nanao nodded. He didn't need to tell her it was a secret that should remain between them for her to understand.
"So, the moral of the story is we're probably all gonna die today."
"Not you, if you'd listen to your Captain. You'd be cozy somewhere drinking tea."
"Waiting for the world to end somewhere… sounds fun, Taicho."
"Nanao…"
"I wouldn't want to stand anywhere if it's not by your side." She said, adjusting her glasses.
"You're a cruel woman."
"No, shit! Taicho, you just figure that one out didn't you?!"
"If only I got my hand on a replica on this book. There must be something inside I could try."
Nanao smiled.
"Why didn't you say so earlier?" She said, getting a high-end tablet out of nowhere.
"What is that? It's the digital catalog of the Seireitei library."
"Huh?"
"Do you remember approving the Gutenberg program four years ago? You know the one I kept bashing your head about?"
"What?"
She continued to tap eagerly on the device screens.
"No. Right, you were drunk that day. I took my chances in case something like that happens. I digitally scan all the books in our library, even the forbidden collection. I did it myself whenever I got time to spare. You can never be too cautious."
" You mean to tell me you got an actual copy of that book on that thing."
"I am so fucking amazing I shouldn't die today. I'm too amazing to die." Nanao shrugged as she showed him.
"Password?"
"IttybittybikinilivesinMaui. Here, Captain. Put your little hand here, and I will put mine. Five Kido seals+ dual fingerprints authentication. Like I said, you can never be too careful with these things."
Nanao looked up suddenly aware her Captain hadn't said a word in a long time. Yet, his mouth was gaping open like he was dying to say something. He was staring at her with lovey-dovey eyes, the gross kind, the "big red hearts pumping from joy" kind.
"Don't say it. Don't you dare say it! Don't you…"
He grinned like a fool, his lips in her heart-shape.
"I love you, Nanao-chan."
She dropped the tablet in his hands.
"Screw you, Captain! That's harassment! I will file a suit against you as soon as this is over."
"When this is over, we're going to make sweet love you and me."
"I'm not listening. Now let me do my best while you turned yourself into a goddamn hero. If they tell me you slacked off on the job, Taicho, Spirit King help me, I will hunt you down and kill you."
She said with a crooked smile. He turned to Nanao with half a grin.
"Stay alive, Fukutaicho. That's my final order."
She nodded and leaped into shunpo immediately. Shunsui sobered quickly. Well, it wasn't going to be easy. He grunted before fading. Another day at work, was it?
Geren had to be stopped. Someone had to stop this?! Help! Geren tried again to break the spell in vain. He tried to close his mouth, stop the spell flow, but his lips kept moving, kept pouring the words despite himself. He was nailed to the ground in a position of repentance while Kīboruto did what it had been summoned to do.
In front of this apocalyptic scene, Lolly and Menoly held hands, tears in their eyes. What beauty in this world! If only Aizen-sama could see that! Wait, he was gonna see it soon!
The cliff shook wildly, and several plots collapsed. Rangiku slipped back and avoided Enzo's spear by an inch. It got stuck in the ground just between her feet. She rolled back acrobatically out of reach, realizing she lost Haineko in her escape. Enzo whirled Jikanakuma over his head, laughing maniacally. Rangiku rolled forward breathlessly to catch her zanpakutō back and countered. He gave another hit, slashing the arm that was holding Haineko. She cried out, her face grimacing in pain. Before he could stab her again, she evaded quickly. He swirled the spear in the air before catching it nimbly. Rangiku did not avoid it this time, and Jikanakuma cut her flesh again.
A spray of blood washed over the loose soil, and Rangiku stepped back, her legs shaky. She tried not to moan and contain the sudden pain.
A hiss in the sky.
The chains of the hellish doors broke one by one in a metallic thud. If Geren wanted to break the spell and stop this heresy, his hands were forever tied around that box. He couldn't undo what had been done.
A new chain broke, dangerously sheared the air, and tore off the first floors of the first Tower of Penance. The tower collapsed in a deafening sound of metals and rocks. Another chain fell back into the courtyard of the first division, crushing all the balconies in its path. Kīboruto continued to turn more beautifully, drawing on the resources of the necromancer that summoned her.
"Make it stop! Please!"
With his knees nailed to the ground, Geren looked up. Unbeknownst to him, someone was about to answer his call. A veil of panic darkens his eyes, though. A golden missile was aimed straight at him. With trembling lips, Geren thought he was witnessing his imminent death. So, he screamed. The ensuing explosion painted the Seireitei yellow. A cloud of smoke fell over the cliff. It was not long before it dissipated under the downpour.
"Jakuhō Raikōben."
Boom. Soi Fon was dragging her bankai with difficulty. Boom. The Captain of the second division looked positively furious. Omaeda, the fuck was that hasty exit, you lazy fucker? The downpour redoubled. It was raining now. She hated Rain. That treacherous asshole was about to taste the depth of her wrath. Geren's mistake just cost three actually loyal soldiers.
Soaked from head to toe, Soi Fon continued to progress toward the epicenter. Geren opened his eyes. He had been protected by the magic of Kīboruto's barrier.
"Taicho!" He yelled.
Soi fon frowned. How dare this stray dog call her Captain? The audacity of this treacherous motherfucker knew no fucking end! He dared call her so colloquially after what he'd done? She really was gonna annihilate him! She growled with rage.
"Third seat of the second division, leader of the Onmitsukidō, Geren Koshinko, you are hereby placed under arrest! I, Soi Fon, Captain of the second division, release you from your duties and return you to civilian life effective immediately. For betraying the Gotei 13, kidnapping a ranked officer, and conspiring with the enemy, the price to pay is death. You will die from my hands today."
Soi fon pointed Jakuhō Raikōben toward him again and fired. The missile broke on the shield of kido magic. A reiatsu spiral drove the smoke away. Unfortunately, Soi Fon had been blown away by the blast against a range of trees.
"You can't do it that way! The spell is already underway! A hojo spell cannot be interrupted. Kīboruto will protect his spiritual vessel until the completion of the ritual. Let me lend you a hand, Soi Fon-Taicho." Manatsu Dengeki shouted. "I will try to tie his spiritual pressure from a distance!"
Geren's silhouette stood out from the cloud of smoke. Manatsu clasped her hands and recited quickly.
"Ring of fire. The wolf howls. The arrow enters the heart. Tremble and tie the throat of the whistler. Bakudo no hachijû Roku, Ryūketsunōkami [1]"
A light seal marked Geren like a tattoo. The spell glued together his eyelids and lips. Its reiatsu greatly diminished, the sphere turned with less power. The lock mechanism stopped with a metallic grunt. Thus, the doors remained closed a little longer. She folded her fingers to start tying it with the 99th Bakudo, Bankin. But before she could pronounce the incantation, Manatsu was pierced by a spear. With one hand, Enzo had impaled her, with the other, he held Rangiku by her blond mane.
"Stop ignoring me, people! I'm the main character in this Tragedy! Don't interfere!" He groaned before laughing.
Manatsu spat blood in the air. Her shihakusho turned even darker. Enzo retracted Jikanakuma with a smile. He let go of Rangiku. She rolled several times towards the end of the shaky cliff. With bloody lips, Manatsu turned to face her opponent.
" Hado no Sanjû ichi, Shakkohou. [2]"
Manatsu released the red orb generated by the palm of his hand on the Primeros, which spun Jikanakuma in front of him to absorb the shock. She clasped her hands again.
" Bakudo no Rokujû ni, Hyapporankan. [3]"
In the same spirit, she generated a bluish tube of energy which she threw on the Primeros. The cylinder duplicated a dozen times before hitting its target, pinning it to the ground. Immobilized, Enzo was at her mercy.
"Hado no Hachijû Hachi, Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō [4]"
It fired without incantation a tremendous amount of electricity and reiatsu, which swept everything in its path to its target.
"You are too slow !" Enzo whispered in her ear.
He was behind her. She didn't know how he got rid of Hyapporankan so quickly or even how he got behind her without her seeing him coming, but he was there. Enzo materialized with a sly smile. He impaled her again, lifting her into the air as if she was just a piece of meat. Manatsu struggled and only succeeded in sliding off the spear and falling heavily on the ground.
His binding tattoo was gone, and Geren gasped quickly. He tried to sit up. He could do nothing, though. He was compelled by an unknown force to start chanting again. In front of him, Kiborutō, the devil's instrument, began to rotate again in the inter-dimensional lock. He gasped. The doors continued to open, slowly breaking its chains. There were only thirteen left.
They whipped the air with a frightening hiss, doing untold damages as they rained on the Seireitei. On his knees, Geren continued to agonize over what he'd done over the choices he made.
Enzo Weavorpine
Primeros n°3
The enemy
He confessed he did steal a sizable part of that girl's soul. Yet, he advocated that he only acted in retaliation and that it was Rangiku who had dispossessed him first.
Desolation - Tom Player
Enzo kicked the body of the Captain of the third division with his foot dejectedly. The young woman rolled on herself and hurtled down the slope quickly until she stopped on her stomach, face in the mud. He turned his attention back to Rangiku with a grim determination. Time to end this.
She was gone.
Where had she gone to hide? Did she think that will stop him?
Two new chains gave way, and the metallic hinges of the door started to squeak loudly. Behind him, the falling chains were doing untold damages in the landscape, only desolation, and destruction.
Enzo looked for Rangiku, scanning the whole cliff. Geren was still doing penance with that Soi Fon bitch trying to take him down and failing… And Rangiku ... Rangiku was nowhere in sight. Nope! She was there!
"Here you are at last! I was looking for you!"
He frowned. Rangiku stepped back, near the edge of the precipice.
"What are you doing?"
Rangiku looked down at the sandy ground getting darker and darker under her. She held onto her slashed left arm, trying to catch her face. Her face was tight in anguish and pain, she looked haunted. She could not feel him. Ever since she woke up, she couldn't feel him. Blood was spilling on the ground as she stepped hesitantly, searching for a sign, searching for a way to reassure her panicking heart. Gin couldn't be just dead. He couldn't just go without her. He couldn't have just abandoned her here. She was standing wobblily on her feet trying to catch her breath, her lips a hint purple from the lack of oxygen. I'm glad I said I was sorry.
"What have you ever won, Mao Enzoraki? That's your name, right? So what? Do you think Aizen respected you so much he turned you into a monster? You are a buffoon. You were always a clown. You could say he even had a strong sense of humor, making sure you had a buffoon face, didn't he ?! Aizen only turned you into a monster because you were convenient. Now you're following his sick plan obediently."
"You think Aizen did this to me? You think he turned me like that?! You are so naive, sweetheart! No, the one who did this to me... The one who made me a monster. It's Gin Ichimaru!"
Rangiku blinked in surprise, she remained silent.
"Your dear lover is a murderer. The worst murderer I know. Without faith or law... He is a ruthless predator. He is the King of the monsters! Aizen doesn't hold a candle to him in the realm of making other people's life miserable!"
Rangiku clasped the pendant of his necklace in one hand.
"Gin?"
"Shortly after our little meeting ... Shortly… That's a point of view. Twenty-five years after we met. He's a patient one. Someone who can definitely hold a grudge… Gin Ichimaru set a trap for a whole unit of the fifth division. The monster ... The real monster is him. I'm telling you! He tortured my men and me until daybreak. Aizen… Aizen saved us. He kept us alive with his first version of the Hōgyoku. Of course, the result was not perfect. I lost much of my charm, Barruk too. Rigor, there was not much going on before then, there was even less after. Nevertheless, we survived. Without Aizen, we would have died like dogs at the hands of a little cherub.
" Gin did that… He killed you."
"The Gin you love so much, little doll. He abandoned you and betrayed you. He did things that I can't even repeat. He had his tongue so far up Aizen's ass that we were forbidden to touch him or take revenge for almost a century. You should hate him as much as I do ..."
"Hate Gin …"
Enzo savored the hesitation on the young woman's face for a few seconds. Finally, Rangiku looked up, unable to keep up the charade any longer and laughed wholeheartedly.
"Ha! Ha! Ha! Why are you making this so easy, you punk!"
"He is!" Enzo growled.
"So you were that guy he killed. I have to ask again. So what? I was still at the academy when it happened. I never knew why he did that. I resented him for years. I truly thought he was a heartless monster, and I was so ashamed. So, I'm not going to gloat. Must have been awful dying from his hands. He was always very meticulous. Was he meticulous that day? Did he take his time? Oh, sorry, that's me gloating a little! Sorry!"
"You think this is funny, you stupid bitch?"
"I don't think this is funny. I think this is freaking hilarious! That you think I don't know all that. That you think I don't know Gin. Don't make me laugh. I married the man. Not once. But twice. I would marry him again and again like it's an afterthought like I am possessed. So I know him. I know him better than anyone."
Enzo's eyes widened.
"You think that I did not see the blood on his clothes all those years or that I did not distinguish the lies in his promises. Gin. He stepped on so many lives because of his strong beliefs. He was always so stubborn. My Gin was an early genius. He knew everything about everything. At least he was convinced he did. And he knew how to take advantage of the flaws of this world better than anyone I know. I'm telling you. He had never been content to just understand the world, he harnessed it in his strong, fierce grip to make it work as he pleased like he was born to rule. He could hold grudges for centuries. So true! I'm not surprised. We once got in an argument. It took me an eternity to apologize. Despite his easy grin, I'm sure he is still holding it against me. I also remember he always hated authority. That's why I could never believe his allegiance for Aizen. It was so weird! Gin was a liar. He always promised that he would never abandon me, and the minute I did not pay attention, he would disappear. Just like now… I close my eyes just a minute, and when I wake up, that frustrated man is nowhere in sight. Gin is mostly an assassin. He always managed to kill my one and only hope. He shot me point blank so many times, left me on the road to find help. Never got back. Ask Kira Izuru. He shot all the people who loved him and who he loved back, point-blank. But Hey! He also did incredible things like killing vermins like you… so slow, you guys, would remember the name of the person whose life you ruined in your next life. My name. My name, you whisper when you're scared, isn't that right? My recognition you seek! Fool! You will own neither. Your life means nothing. You threw it all away because of the way you lived it."
She finished, breathless. She gave a quick peek behind her.
"Of course, you don't understand what that means, monster. It means… It means my husband deserves my undying love and freaking loyalty. He deserves a fucking medal! It means ... It simply means: Get lost!"
Rangiku backed into the void. Enzo remained frozen. The doors behind him continued to open.
[1] Bakudo no Hachijû rokû: Ryūketsunōkami. Way of Binding n ° 86: The bloody wolf.
[2] Hado no Sanjû ichi: Shakkohou. Way of destruction n° 31: Red light cannon
[3] Bakudo no Rokujû ni, Hyapporankan. Way of binding n ° 62: 100 steps barrier
[4] Hado no Hachijû Hachi, Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō. Way of destruction n ° 88: Flying Dragon-Striking Heaven-Shaking Thunder Cannon.