Sins of the Exiled

Chapter 8: Chaos

Lord Kaito, in skeletal form, angrily growls out as the beaten yellow sashed Tengu turns up alone. The Tengu, Ashi, kneels down and presents Kiseichu.

"You've lost another brother!" He yells and the Tengu drops the blade to lay down on the ground in forgiveness. Lord Kaito rises and the other two Tengu drop down and take the same stance. Juno stands to the side, hidden away in the shadows.

Her face is bruised and her shoulder shows it's bandaged under her ripped clothes. Since the fight, Juno tries to think. How long have I been here? She sees Kiseichu laying on the ground and anger boils up.

"My dear, pick up your blade." She doesn't look away from the blade. The Tengu's all look at her and she shivers. The blank masks are so eerie in the dark light.

"Juno now!" Forcing herself, Juno takes each step slowly till she stands next to her blade. She keeps her eyes focused on it and not Lord Kaito as he gets closer.

"You're so close, it's time to let go." His large hand comes up behind her and grabs her whole body. She struggles in his hold while one of the Tengu's rises up and holds her blade. Unsheathing it, the Tengu plunges the blade up between the skeletons fingers and Juno screams.

Kaito watches as Himiko withers away before his eyes. Her body becomes thinner and her power begins to dwindle away. None of the Captains have an answer and he's forced to stand by a withering woman. Even months after the battle with the bug, she withdraws and hides herself from the rest of Soul Society.

Everyday he tries to follow her, but always she manages to lose him and he's left to worry. Catching her in the barracks one night, he confronts her. He stands in shock as his inquiries are met with the end of her blade.

He watches as her eyes begin to change, from the familiar gray to a dark black. The screech she emits causes him to flinch and then she's gone. The hunt for Himiko begins quickly, the fight is long and the bodies pile up. Once she's restrained, Kaito looks on in horror as she screams and fights against the bonds Captain Kyoraku places on her.

Bringing her before Head Captain Yamamoto is frightening as Kaito stands as close as he's allowed. Anger and demands get through around the room but it seems that everyone is in favor of killing whatever Himiko has become. Captain Unohana is the last to speak and everyone goes quiet.

"Himiko can not be killed, if we condemn her we condemn them both."

The moment the words had left Unohana's mouth, Kaito felt like the world was closing in.

It's after the meeting, when he's alone and forced to stand down. That he hears the voice, hears the opportunities available to him. The lure is strong and Kaito feels he has no other choice.

Juno lays upon the cold ground and she can feel herself fading. Something slithers along the floor and Juno can't bring herself to look. The slither gets closer and closer, circling around her till finally Kiseichu stands above her. His clothes and hair look wild and the glow that comes off him is strong and powerful.

"Can you feel it Juno? Can you feel your death?" He moves to straddle her, he doesn't sit but runs his hand along the wound Kaito left. Looking at Juno, he watches as she cries out, tears escaping as she tries to pull away.

"Just a moment more Juno. It's time we reset, you'll understand once you come back up from the shadows." He pulls away from the wound and wraps his hand around Juno's throat. Fear spikes and she tries to pull his hands away.

"Stop! Please!" She screams as slowly but slowly the light in her eyes begins to die.

Toshiro wakes screaming. His spiritual pressure spikes and he looks around quickly. Pulling at his wet yukata, kicking away what's left of the blankets that tangle his feet, he stumbles up. He breathes deep as he tries to shake the scream from his mind.

Pushing out onto the back porch he takes in a deep breath of the night air, Ragiku comes out from another door, looking just as disheveled as her Captain. Coming over to him quickly, she moves to reach out but slowly pulls back.

"Captain?"

"We have to find her. We can't keep going like this." His worlds are hard as he runs his hands up into his hair, the length feels foreign to him and he closes his eyes. Another door opens, but Toshiro knows that Tsuki is watching the flash of pressure probably scared the poor teen.

"We will, we have to have hope she's okay. She's a fighter, always has been." Rangiku's words wash over him but nothing seems to calm his nerves. Finally she reaches out and lays a hand along his arm. She steps close and pulls her Captain close.

As he lays his head along Ragiku's shoulder, his mind screams again. Juno's voice calling out, screaming out for him. Guilt eats at him and he pushes away from Rangiku as Juno's screams echo again. Rangiku watches as he pulls himself up, straightening his yukata and hardening his eyes once more.

"Head to bed lieutenant."

Comments, Questions, Concerns

Hello all!

Promise, I will try not to keep hurting them...try being the optimal word here.