Yeah, this is the edited version. There were some grammar/spelling errors that I missed and they were driving me crazy :( But they're fixed now!
Note: Oopsies! I accidentally deleted the chapter instead of replacing it... sorry guys! It's not a new chapter :(
So, it's been a while... a lot has happened to me over the past half-year. I think I've changed quite a bit; a more detailed explanation is in my profile. I am happy to say, however, that I'll be updating more often now that I feel better. I'm sorry I've let so many people on FFN down and I apologize for my lack of output (and input) over the past few months. Well, I've worked on this chapter every now and then and I find I have enough for a nice long chapter, so enjoy!
A Difficult Predicament
By samisweet
Part Three
As Usagi crept along, the coldness grew worse and lifelessness hung from barren trees. The branches, however, were numerous and thick and created a wooden blanket above to prevent those who entered from leaving. The warmth from Rei's hands did little to heat the cold bodies of the others and they shivered as the iciness settled into their bones. They had summoned their cloaks to warm themselves a while ago, but it did little to help. Usagi wrapped herself deeper into her cloak, suppressing a shudder. She paused for a moment, turning slightly sideways.
"It's going to get colder. It would be wise to take out your winter cloaks," her voice seemed to echo endlessly into the darkness. Rei unconsciously drew herself into her cloak, focusing for a moment in order to let it melt into a thicker, warmer version.
"Why is it so cold?" Rei asked stiffly. Being a Fire Warrior, she was naturally spiteful of cold weather.
"Because something's sucking energy. Heat is a form of energy," Usagi replied, and this time, she was unable to suppress a shudder. "It would be wise to let go of that flame in your hands. You'll be left weaker. I'll use some cooler form of energy to create a light source." Rei hesitated for a moment, but extinguished the fire, casting the forest into impenetrable darkness. Usagi focused for a moment, and a cold silver light exploded from her fingertips, casting tall shadows on trees.
"Won't it suck the heat from your light as well?" Rei questioned, annoyed.
"Yeah, but not as much as fire."
"Well, you're our leader," Trunks said gruffly. "You should keep your energy reserved, right?"
"It doesn't matter. All of you are skilled and I trust you to help each other if anything should happen to me," Usagi frowned, suddenly noticing something. "Do any of you see something ahead?"
"No…" Dark answered, his brow creased. "Probably the shadows from the light."
"Why? Do you feel something?" Rei asked testily with a low voice.
"I thought I did, but be alert," Usagi replied as she shot a look at Rei. Rei's eyes widened and she uneasily cleared her throat.
"I sense something now… it's there, but it's like a hollow feeling…" Rei paused. "I don't know what it is. If we stop for a moment, I can do a quick reading."
"There is no sacred fire," Usagi pointed out. Rei snorted and rolled her eyes.
"Please, that stuff is out-dated. I don't need that anymore," Rei's eyes gleamed mischievously before she shut them as she put her hands together in front of her, brusquely forming the symbols of the elements with quick, deft fingers. When her eyes snapped open, they were bright with fiery light, an inferno glowing in her irises. Usagi watched with muted interest as a slight wind began to whip her cloak about her. "Watch out, behind you!" Rei's voice was hoarse as she shouted and Usagi reacted quickly with wide eyes, immediately plummeting ten feet towards the ground. Something whizzed past her head, almost entangling itself with the long strands of blonde hair that rushed to defy the laws of physics.
"What in the world?" Usagi gasped, her heart thudding against her chest as she stole a glance above her –and immediately blanched. It was a grotesque creature, it's skin a pitch black that would have blended in with its surroundings save for a hideous mask that shone a pure white. "I think it's a –a Hollow?"
"What beautiful, tassssty sssouls," the creature purred delightedly, turning its insubstantial eyes towards Usagi. Its lips curled back in a sneer. "How deliciousss." Usagi made a face and prepared for battle. The monster had a gigantic spider-like body and using its many legs, scuttled along trees. It was surprisingly swift for a being of such bulk and largeness.
"What? A soul eater?" Usagi scoffed as a furious wind whipped up around her. She drew her right hand backward, as if to draw an arrow, and after a moment of stretching it as far as she could, unfurled her hand as if to let something go. And arrow of pure silver light flew from her hand, aimed straight at the Hollow's white mask. The Hollow evaded it just when it was about to hit and suddenly let out a large string of saliva, which hit the unsuspecting Usagi straight on. Usagi cried out as she slammed into a tree, the gooey spit holding her up. "What the…. Disgusting!"
"Mars flame sniper!" Rei quickly nocked an arrow of fire and drew a bow that materialized in her hands. Flames rained down on the Hollow as the arrow pierced through the monster's leg. It cried out in a shrill shriek that echoed through the otherwise quiet forest.
"Petrificus totalus!" Draco shouted as a burst of energy evaded his pointed finger and hit the Hollow dead on. It fell, petrified, just as Trunks was able to reach it and slam a fist laced with purple electricity through its mask. The Hollow disintegrated into a trail of glitter that reached past the branches into the skies.
"Are you all right?" Dark asked as he surveyed the glue-like saliva that held a pale Usagi to the tree.
"Do I look alright?" Usagi snapped. "I can't move and it's slightly acidic. My skin's getting raw."
"I don't know what to do," Dark murmured as he grabbed Usagi's free hand and attempted to pull her out. Her shoulder lifted slightly, a stretch of the goop connected to the tree, but that was all that could be done
"Don't dislocate my arm!" Usagi winced a little as she felt her skin starting to burn faintly.
"What is that?" Draco asked with a raised eyebrow.
"It's some sort of adhesive, corrosive substance. I don't think I've ever encountered anything like it," Trunks stared calculatingly at the material. "I think we could maybe burn it off…"
"It's highly flammable," Usagi replied brusquely. "Maybe water?"
"But where would we get water from an area like this?" Rei muttered.
"Rei, have you forgotten?"
"Forgotten what?"
"The exchange of crystals… Form the sign of Neptune and of water, then call it forth."
Rei's eyes widened in surprise. Indeed, she had forgotten it because Usagi's betrayal came only a day after the ritual in which all of the senshi exchanged shards of crystal in order to form a bond and be able to have some control over all elements. Rei took in a deep breath and formed the symbol of Neptune and that of water over and over again with her hands, chanting the planet's name under her breath. On her forehead began to glow a teal symbol, the light of which expanded to encompass her entire body. When her eyes snapped open, they were the green-blue color of the clear Caribbean Sea, Michiru's elegance reflected in them. "Neptune Deep SUBMERGE!"
A wall of rushing water hit Usagi dead on, and for a moment, she miscalculated the time it would take to reach her and accidentally breathed in, the rush of the water burning her throat, leaving her feeling as if she were drowning. The water filled her lungs but as soon as the last of it dripped down her legs, Usagi coughed for air, spitting out a stream of water. She pummeled down the length of the tree, drifting in and out of consciousness, attempting to get a hold of herself. Dark, once again, caught her swiftly before laying her down on the dank carpet of moss that dared to grow at the bottom of the forest. Usagi curled up on her side, coughing violently as she attempted to eradicate the water from her system. She was thoroughly drenched, and although she had felt only a little chilly before, she felt as if she were freezing now.
"Are you ok?" Rei asked hesitantly, a tentative look in her eyes. Usagi pulled herself to a sitting position and nodded, still coughing. She winced when she touched her arms. They were raw and red, and in some places, the acid had eaten through her skin and she bled.
"You look horrible," Draco stated matter-of-factly.
"Thanks," Usagi wheezed. Her coughing had cleared up and she struggled to get her breathing under control.
"Aren't you cold?" Trunks asked, moving to help her into a standing position, careful of her wounds.
"I'm ok," she said stiffly. "I won't bother to heal myself because these wounds are superficial, but stay back a little. I should dry myself off." Her warning came through and the others backed away curiously. She closed her eyes before murmuring a small spell. Heat burst from within and when her body temperature returned to normal, she was completely dry, clothes and all. She summoned a set of bandages before setting herself to work and trying to loosely bandage all of her wounds. Rei watched for a few moments, hand clenching, before sighing.
"Here, let me," Rei said gruffly, pushing Usagi's hands away from the bandages. She carefully applied a salve that she contracted from her sub-space pocket with gentle hands, and suddenly, she was reminded of her days on earth when she would help Usagi heal after a particularly harsh attack, always feeling guilty because Usagi would put herself in harm's way to make sure that she was safe. She still couldn't understand why her leader had betrayed her. She lowered her eyes, carefully wrapping Usagi's thighs with the bandages.
"What was that?" Trunks asked, leaning against a tree, his eyes accustomed to the darkness.
"A Hollow," Usagi managed to spit out. "They like to eat souls, so they'll kill you first and once your soul is free from your body, they eat it. They are created when a particularly depressed or lonely spirit's mental stability becomes worse. Their pain swallows them until a white mask begins to creep along their face. Once their face is covered, they become soulless creatures that need to eat the souls of others to survive. They prefer the souls of those who are pure, powerful, or special."
"They sound dangerous," Draco spoke up as he crossed his arms against his chest. He watched Rei address Usagi's wounds nonchalantly.
"They are rather weak. It only takes a punch to their mask to defeat them, but they all have special or surprise attacks and a few of them are extraordinarily powerful. That one was mediocre, a little on the high side."
"I see," Dark tossed his hair. "How much longer?"
"Once I'm done," Rei snapped as she moved on to Usagi's arms. "You'll have to expose your stomach. The blood's seeping through."
"It's not that bad," Usagi protested quietly. "I've suffered much worse. Just do my arms and leave it at that."
"What if it really is bad and something happens to you? How are we supposed to know what to do?"
"Worry about yourselves," Usagi's voice was back to its original coolness after she realized that her mask had fallen. "I've already told you my plans. In battle, there are always casualties. And a little bit of acid will not do any harm to my body. My wounds will heal in ten minutes." Rei rolled her eyes, tying the knot of the bandage tightly. "Once we are done with this, we must hurry. We have lost too much time. The village disappears at midnight."
"That leaves us an hour," Trunks stated. "If you're too injured, then one of us can carry you."
"I'm fine," Usagi replied coldly, although a small unnoticeable twitch in her eye nearly gave her away. She was not going to tell them that the poison of the muck had seeped into her blood. "You should know better than anyone that a warrior is made through pain and pain alone. Thank you, Rei." Rei muttered in response before standing and brushing off her legs. Usagi gave a slight wince as she got to her feet; the acid still burned and would do so for the next hour or two, until her blood cleansed her of it. "Well, let's go." Usagi took to the air, waiting only a moment for the others to follow suit, before zooming off into the distance. The others followed her easily, so she picked up the pace and flew through the tall, bare trees, her hair rushing behind her. Rei was closest to her, eyes alert for any sort of breach in her judgment.
"How far away is it?" Trunks asked, catching up to the blonde.
"About fifteen miles in," Usagi replied curtly. "Make sure you all stay alert." The rest of the passage was spent in silence. A half hour later, Usagi pulled herself to a sudden stop, grunting when Rei bumped into her back. Before her was a shimmering blue dome in a clearing, evidently a force-field –and within, a village of mud-and-straw buildings teeming with people. Above, the branches cleared to reveal a moonless, star-lit night.
"Whoa," Dark breathed. "A village in the middle of nowhere."
Usagi ignored him and followed the curve of the dome to the forest bottom. A fortress surrounded the village, built from stones and ancient runes and spells carved intricately into the surface. From the top of the wall, armed sentries watched the surrounding forest diligently. One of the sentries noticed the small group at the bottom of the fort and motioned to someone behind him, his black outfit marking him as one of the famous Shinigami. The Shinigami was a group of strongly skilled remarkable warriors who depended on a sword with a resident spirit to defeat their enemies, the Hollows most notable out of them. Shinigami were also infamous for being ruthless and dependable and to say that Usagi respected them was an understatement.
"What is your purpose here in Soul Society?" a low, testy voice caught Usagi's attention. She looked up to find a gruff man with an eye patch over one eye glaring at her from the other side of the force field, numerous scars marring all visible skin. Usagi nodded at him in respect.
"Tsukino Usagi," her icy voice caused even him to falter for the smallest fraction of a second. "I am here to rest for the night. I hope you will be kind enough to allow my group and me to do so and I would like to meet with a Kurosaki Ichigo and an Ukitake-san, if you please. It's rather urgent. Ah yes, Zaraki-taichou, and if I could please speak with Yachiru-chan as well, I would appreciate it." The man's eyes widened considerably and he stared at Usagi with a dropped jaw for a few moments, frozen. Usagi raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps you can begin by telling me the password."
"Usagi-chan!" a blur of pink whizzed at Usagi before smacking into the force field and falling backwards. Usagi bit back a smile as a cheery little girl with pink hair grinned up at her. "Usagi-chan is back!"
"The password is Rukongai," Zaraki said as he threw Yachiru onto his shoulder.
"Thank you. Rukongai," the force field before her wavered before a small section, just big enough for her to enter, appeared. The rest of the group followed her and the force field reappeared.
"Amazing," Trunks breathed, his hands running over the runes carved into the stone fortress. "These spells are incredibly powerful."
"Wanna fight?" Zaraki asked gruffly, drawing himself to his fullest height. Without warning, he sped towards Trunks.
"Sword of Selene!" Usagi shouted quickly. The flat edge of her sword crashed with Zaraki's. She held the pure white gold hilt tightly in her hands. Yachiru cried out gleefully.
"Sword of Ares!" Rei shouted confusedly. A silver blade with a pure white hilt embedded with rubies and humming with power appeared in her hands. She held it in front of her with inexperienced hands.
"Don't call out weapons you aren't used to using," Usagi bit out harshly. "The spirit of Ares resides in your sword; think about what would happen if you ever lose control."
"Oh?" Rei raised an eyebrow defiantly. "And you would know how to use it?"
"I've been here far longer than you have," Usagi replied coolly with calculating eyes. "I can wield my zanpakuto better than any other. Yachiru-chan knows that." Yachiru grinned.
"Yeah! Bunny is so awesome!" Yachiru hopped down from Zaraki's shoulder. "When I first fell, I was lost, and then Bunny came and I thought she was an enemy so I tried to attack her but she defeated me and then she asked me who I was and I told her and she was really nice and gave me food and candy and then she took me to where Ken-chan was and boom! I was there."
"Well, I am hungry and tired and my wounds need to heal, so explore the village," Usagi ordered her team. "Make sure to remain kind and gracious and respect everyone you see. Yachiru-chan, please take me to see the fourth division captain. I think the acid from the Hollow has poisoned my blood." Zaraki merely glared at Usagi, obviously annoyed that she had parried his attack and walked away, leaving Yachiru to her. Rei, Dark, Draco, and Trunks dispersed, leaving the blonde in the hands of the young co-captain.
"This way!" Yachiru said happily as she led Usagi.
"Are you sure I can trust your sense of direction?" Usagi raised an eyebrow, remembering how directionally challenged Yachiru was. She gently and subtly tugged the youth in the right direction and the pink-haired vice-captain happily followed. She allowed her proud shoulders to fall and her mask to drop as soon as she entered the large sun-baked brick building of the famous Unohana-taichou. Lines of rooms overflowing with patients followed every hallway and the only brick building in the village had three floors and three hundred rooms.
Tired lines appeared on Usagi's face as she watched moaning and groaning men shift and whine. The Shinigami of a few divisions defied their pain and grinned proudly at their wounds, obviously delighted that they could have battle scars to show off. Usagi shook her head at them; it would get tiring after the 100th fight. As she climbed the dimly lit stairs to the third floor, where Unohana-taichou was likely to be tending to a new batch of patients, she found herself dizzy. The poison would have to be pretty strong if her body had not been able to eradicate it as of yet. She turned the corner of the hallway, following Yachiru swiftly despite her lassitude, and finally found Unohana-taichou in an overcrowded room gently applying herbs to a bad wound.
"Guess who's here!" Yachiru announced loudly as she entered the room, grinning ear to ear. Usagi followed, leaning heavily on the wall as all traces of her façade of strength left. She gave a small nod.
"Ah yes, Tsukino-san," Unohana gave a kind smile as she rose. "What is the problem?"
"Poisoning from a Hollow; it's in my blood," Usagi replied. "Also, lack of sleep and energy drainage. And Usagi is fine, Unohana-taichou."
"My, our most powerful warrior was thwarted by a Hollow? That's rather surprising," Unohana led Usagi to a bed in spite of massive protests from the overwhelming amount of wounded men that needed tending to. Usagi gave a desolate sigh before closing her eyes and sending a quick wish to the crystal that resided within her body. In a flash of silver light, their shallow wounds were healed. They gaped at themselves in amusement.
"You're healed, aren't you?" Usagi bit impatiently. "Leave!" The frigidity in her voice caused them to follow her command and Unohana laughed lightly.
"Energy drainage?" she raised an eyebrow before helping Usagi settle into a bed, her cape pooled on the floor. "These wounds seem to cover your entire body. I'm sure you told the rest of your team you would be fine?"
"Of course. I didn't imagine that my blood would not be able to wipe out the poison," Usagi snapped her fingers and her clothes disappeared from her body, leaving her unabashedly naked. She quieted as Unohana looked carefully over her wounds, applying a clear, sticky salve to the lacerations that stretched across her abdomen, chest, back, neck, and limbs. Unohana clicked her tongue and shook her head.
"You should learn to take care of yourself, Tsukino-san," Unohana pressed the blade of her zanpakuto to Usagi's forehead and closed her eyes, muttering a chant. A blue light flared from the tip of the sword and covered Usagi's body. Once it was gone, Usagi could feel that her blood was once again clean. She nodded thankfully towards the captain of the 4th division. "I'll leave you here to sleep."
"Thank you," Usagi replied before snapping her fingers once again. For the first time in five years, she was happily clad in a pair of baggy pink plaid pajamas and an over-sized nightshirt. It was the most comfortable she had been in a long time. Unohana laughed again before covering Usagi with a sheet and leaving the tired blonde in the quiet solitude of the empty room. And slowly, Usagi drifted into a blissful slumber void of dreams.
I've come back to find that this section is sadly lacking once again. I don't mean to say that everything is bad, but these people do need work. I know a lot of the veteran writers have left, and only a few of us are left, but with the write constructive criticism, I think a lot of these potential writers could maybe replace us as we leave for good, right? So work hard, people! Because I know for a fact that most of us older authors probably won't be back, and you guys must replace us by giving out quality writing and pieces to bring this community back up to its feet, ne?
Anyway, that said, I think Hope is long overdue for a new chapter, so I'll work on that next, ok? Any thoughts, comments, and critiques are more than welcome, so don't be afraid to leave a few lines! Please review.