Chapter: 30

Unbelievable. Remarkable, actually. To think there was someone who could withstand his mirror's ability.

Yaku stood perfectly still, staring at Kira. This man was the only person he had ever come across who wasn't effected by his mirror's power. Kira must have lived a truly pathetic and depressing life for the mirror to have no effect on him. Or perhaps it was that Kira was simply used to such negative things that he was able to deal with it. He had a resistance. Kira had lived through some hard times and lacked in many ways. It was no wonder he was able to resist the power of Yaku's mirror, now that he thought about it.

Only one aspect of the mirror, though. Yaku's mirror still possessed other abilities. It was unlikely that Kira would be able to resist all of them. Impossible, actually. Yaku's mirror could effect a person directly or indirectly. There were many other things Yaku could do to defeat Kira. Creating a mirror image of Kira was just only thing he could do to fight him. He could also steal his Spirit Energy but that would take too long. He could reflect Kira's attacks and send them right back at him. That was another way to go.

He wasn't defeated yet. Finding out about Kira's resistance to just one of his mirror's powers was a minor setback. A total shock, but still only a setback. There were still many things Yaku could do. He could still fight Kira.

Yaku grasped his mirror tightly and positioned himself for a different attack. Failure was not an option. He was going to defeat Kira no matter what. After all, he found the very thought of losing to a single Soul Reaper, and a weak one at that, utterly depressing.

"Ahh!" Zalya stumbled back, slipping on the ice Hitsugaya created. He braced himself against a wall and shot the Captain a dirty look.

Hitsugaya had just begun his fight with Zalya and was already having doubts about winning. Though he had discovered a way around Zalya's blood ability, fighting him would not be easy. Simply freezing the blood was just one part of the fight, not winning it. Everyone knew of Zalya's blood ability, but no one knew what else he was capable of. Hitsugaya knew he shouldn't get too confident and think he was going to win simply because he could freeze Zalya's weapon of choice. Even if that was giving him an edge in this battle, he knew Zalya would most likely find another way to attack him.

On the surface, Zalya seemed to be a direct attacker, but he was also crafty. He had managed to find his way back into the Seireitei so he must have had other skills to aid him. Hitsugaya would not drop his guard. This Quincy was strong. Freezing the blood wasn't enough to defeat Zalya and he knew that.

Zalya stood up, glaring at the Captain. "So... That's how you're going to fight me? Freeze the blood in ice? That's it?"

Hitsugaya did not answer.

"It won't be enough to win you the fight, baby."

"I never said it would be."

Zalya chuckled. "Good. But you're still foolish, baby."

"Because I'm taking you alone?"

"Nah, baby. Thinking that we are alone."

With a snap of his fingers, the dead Soul Reapers began to rise. One after another, they stood on their feet and started walking.

"Rising Corpses."

Hitsugaya turned around, looking at the Soul Reapers coming towards him. This was exactly what he was afraid of. Taking the blood out of the equation wasn't enough. Zalya had other tricks up his sleeve.

This posed another problem. As if fighting these corpses wasn't enough, he now had to keep his eyes on two places at once. If he turned his back to Zalya, he could take him down. The blood issue wasn't resolved, either. Freezing the blood made it so Zalya could not use it as a weapon. However, injuries could still occur, allowing Zalya to get more blood. Even if the blood couldn't be used as a weapon, the threat of blood loss was a real issue. There were a lot of factors Hitsugaya had to be aware of.

First things first. He had to get rid of these corpses. He started slashing, knowing there was the risk of causing blood to flow. Depending on how long these men have been dead, they might not bleed at all. He slashed at their limps, making sure they could not grab him or walk.

However, when he did that, he discovered to his horror that they could still move. Separated from their bodies, the limbs continued to advance. A hand crawled across the ground and attempted to grab Hitsugaya's ankle. He kicked it away and slashed at another man coming at him from the other side. In pieces, the man continued to advance.

Jumping back, Hitsugaya used his sword to freeze the corpses in ice, making short work of it. Frozen in a block if ice, they were no longer an issue. The only reason Hitsugaya had not done that in the first place was to see what these corpses could do and their limitations. He wanted to learn as much as he could about this man's other powers. Now he knew not to slash because the severed limbs would continue to move on their own. Freezing them was the best option.

He turned back to Zalya who had changed locations. He was now in front of another building, a coil of blood behind his back. No doubt he would attempt to use it at some point, but for now he seemed to be waiting for Hitsugaya to make a move.

He would not take the bait. He would wait him out instead. Between the two of them, Zalya seemed like the more impatient one.

Very slowly, things started to come into focus. The blue sky above him, the quiet, the pain. Even the pain had returned. It was a dull pain, but pain meant he was still alive.

"Dammit, I knew I couldn't win against leader. I got careless."

Sharif lay sprawled on his back, looking up at the sky. He was alive, but ashamed. He was ashamed of himself. Not just for losing the fight but for what he had become. Not only was he a deformed Quincy pieced together with Hollow parts, but he had fought against a man he had always believed in and trusted. Forget fighting against his own leader, he had fought against a Quincy. His own kind. He was ashamed of himself.

"At least you're alive," said a voice.

It wasn't his female self, so Sharif knew he wasn't alone. Someone was with him. He turned his head and looked around. A young man with light brown hair and green eyes was sitting nearby.

"You must be the Quincy that Yagi dirt-bag turned into a part Hollow. The limbs are kind of a giveaway. But you don't seem very Hollow to me. But nice job kicking his ass. He deserves it."

Sharif stared at the man wondering how long he had been there and what his purpose was. Was he alive because this stranger treated his injuries? Sharif wasn't certain. This man didn't appear to have any medical supplies on his person.

"Who are you?" he asked. "What's your name?"

"Veneno," he answered.

"Sharif."

"Nice to meet you."

Sharif looked the man up and down. He couldn't tell what he was. The white clothing could have meant that he was a Quincy but Sharif wasn't sensing that from him. His Spiritual Pressure was strange. He couldn't detect him until Veneno had spoken. It could have been because he was too injured or weak to sense the presence of another. Now that he was aware of Veneno being there, he was still having trouble sensing anything from him. Either Veneno was masking his Spiritual Pressure on purpose or something deeper was going on.

"I've heard your name before, I think. Leader mentioned it once. You're involved with the Soul Reapers, aren't you?"

"You could say that."

"But you're not a Soul Reaper."

"No. I'm an Arrancar."

Sharif looked Veneno over a second time, searching for something that would indicate that he was in fact an Arrancar. He couldn't find any trace of a mask on him at all, but Veneno had nothing to gain by lying about what he was so he must have been as he claimed.

Seeing Sharif studying his face, Veneno lifted his bangs to show him the mask fragment on his forehead.

Sharif flinched. It was true. He didn't have the strength to fight him at the moment nor did he have the gumption. If Veneno was a threat, he would have done something by now. Veneno must have not seen him as an enemy being part Hollow.

"Why are you here?" he asked Veneno.

"I just had a run-in with your boss. He was bragging about how he had left you for dead after you turned against him. And how he left you to be killed by Ichigo. And how he turned you into what you are now. The guy sure talks a lot."

"I see..." Sharif wondered if Yagi knew whether or not he was dead.

"The guy's a jerk. A real ass." Veneno turned to him. "I wanted to find you. From what he said, you were nearby. Wait, maybe it was the other guy. Yup, the other guy told me. Anyway, I wanted to see what he had done to you. And if you were still alive."

"What does it matter?" Sharif turned to face the sky. "I feel just as scattered as my body. I'm so confused and overwhelmed. I don't know what to do anymore. I feel so lost."

He was a monster. His own leader had forsaken him, used him, cared nothing for him. For any of them. Yagi weighed their worth by his personal gain. Yagi even admitted to killing him when this was over or when he proved useless. Sharif couldn't believe he had followed a man like that. He was loyal to such a man.

"Yagi, my leader... He..." Sharif shut his eyes. "Even after he had left me to die, I was still loyal to him. Once he pieced me back together, I was grateful. All had been forgiven. I forgave him for what he did to me. I let it go. As if I knew it was necessary. I don't know what I was thinking. I thought he cared. That he had done everything he could to save me because he cared. That I was important."

Shairf opened his eyes and looked at his deformed body.

"Look at me now. I knew he had pieced me together with Hollow parts, but at the time I didn't care. I overlooked what it meant. I was just happy to be alive and to think he had saved my life."

"He treats you guys like crap," said Veneno. "He used one of you guys as a shield during a fight."

Sharif wondered who it could be. He knew Yagi had sent Zalya and Yaku to the Seireitei so it couldn't have been them. Unless he had grabbed one of them on the way. Yagi wouldn't be at the Seireitei so this event couldn't have taken place inside. That only left one person.

"It was a guy with a weird Mohawk thing. He had a jacket and could shoot arrows from both hands at once," said Veneno. "I think he said his name was Mordere."

Sharif turned his head. "So he is dead, then?"

Veneno looked down. "Mordere is, yes. First he had pushed Yagi out of the way. Then Yagi picked up his body and used him as a shield for the next attack. There's nothing really left of the body."

"But Yagi is still alive."

"Yes."

Sharif turned away. "I had a feeling Mordere would be the one. He was always very loyal to Yagi. Same as me. It doesn't surprise me to know that he had protected Yagi at the cost of his own life."

"Why do you follow a guy like that?" Veneno asked. "He uses you, tries to have you killed, experiments on you, hurts innocent people, abandons you and even uses you as a shield. This guy is bad news. Why the hell are any of you loyal to him? Why do you follow him?"

Sharif spoke for himself and on behalf of all Quincies. "Because he is a Quincy, and so are we."

"That's the reason?" Veneno asked, raising his brow. "Because you guys are all Quincies?"

"Who better to understand you than your own kind?" answered Sharif. "They'll look out for you and help you out. They'll take care of you and understand you. With such similar everything, how can you not get along? They're your kin. You stick with your own kind because they will stick with you. You can trust them. You can understand each other and they will always be on your side."

"Yeah. I can see that. The way Yagi is with you guys and all."

Sharif frowned. He didn't have an answer. He wanted to tell Veneno he didn't understand and that he was wrong, but couldn't bring himself to do it. He knew Veneno had a point. Yagi was a Quincy like the rest of them, and yet what he was doing went against everything Sharif believed they would do to their own.

Sharif faced the sky again, completely lost. "I know he's wrong. I know what Yagi is. I did attack him. I fought against my own kind. But his actions..."

"You weren't wrong."

Sharif looked at his body again and cringed. "What do I do now?" he asked. "I'm still a Quincy, but with these Hollow parts... I'm a monster. Yagi turned me into this. He admitted he would kill me when the time came and we fought and he left me and..." He shut his eyes tight. "Now I'm alone. What am I supposed to do now? Where will I go? Who can I turn to?"

Veneno cleared his throat. "I don't mind helping you out."

"Because you're a Hollow. So I can relate to you, I suppose."

Veneno frowned. "Hang on a second. So you only hang out with Quincies because you're a Quincy yourself? And now that you're a Hollow, partly, you think you can only associate with Hollows? Is that it?"

"Who else can understand me? Who else can I depend on? You have to stick with your own kind. No one else will help you out."

Veneno sat back. "Are you kidding me? My own kind abandoned me."

Sharif turned. "What?"

"Yeah. Back when I was a Hollow, I traveled with a group of my own kind. I was the smallest one in the group so they made fun of me all the time. They left me behind, when there was food, they would never let me get any, they tried to step on me for fun. They mocked me all the time. They treated me like crap, but I stayed with them. Then one day a group of Soul Reapers showed up and attacked. When I called for help, they abandoned me. I tried running, and they left me behind to die. They were all killed and I was the only one left. I thought I was next, then a Soul Reaper captured me instead and took me back with them."

"So your own kind left you to die?"

"Yes. I called for help and they ran away. I tried to run after them and they left me in their dust. A couple even tried to throw me to the Soul Reapers, if I remember right. It was chaos."

"So then what happened?"

Veneno told his story. He told him about the painful experiments, how he had become an Arrancar and how he had waged war on the Seireitei. How he turned people into Hollows and how he was ultimately defeated. Then he told Sharif how he was brought back and how the Soul Reapers treated him kindly despite being an Arrancar.

"I turned them into Hollows before not just to protect myself but to deal with the loneliness. I figured who better to keep me company than my own kind? A Hollow should be with other Hollows. But I was wrong."

Veneno sat back with a chuckle.

"It's weird, isn't it? How strange that I found more in common with these Soul Reapers than I did my own kind?" Veneno smiled fondly at the thought. "I'm friends with these filthy Soul Reapers. And I like them. Very much."

Sharif listened without interrupting. Veneno's story left him wondering a great many things and he had plenty of questions but he never asked. When he saw Veneno smile, he found that he had learned the answer. Maybe things weren't as black and white as he thought.

The Soul Reapers didn't kill Veneno despite being a Hollow and Veneno was their friend despite nature dictating that they were enemies. The two kinds were constantly in battle, one destined to kill the other. Soul Reapers and Hollows could never get along. It was in their nature to fight. In the nature of a Hollow, at least, but it was a Soul Reaper's job to kill Hollows. Seeing the two actually coexist was very bizarre. Such a thing was unthinkable.

Yet here they were.

"It's character, I think," said Veneno. "You're following a guy because he's your kin when you should be following a guy who will treat you right. I learned that a long time ago. It took a lot but I finally got it. Judge the person, not the race."

Sharif thought a while about this. Veneno was right. He should be loyal not to a specific type of race but to someone who was kind and treated him well. He felt such a thing was strange and unnatural, but given is current state, who was he to judge?

"Different people coming together. Fighting together..." He had seen that with Linnette, a human and the Soul Reapers. Even the ones with Hollow powers. They were all working together despite being different so he knew it was possible. He had just never done it before.

From the time he was little up until this moment, he had only ever associated with his own kind. Even in school. He never played with his other classmates because they were not Quincies. He would sit at his desk and read quietly while the rest of them played and chatted. At lunch, he would sit by himself and eat from his lunchbox. He never shared with others and he never took food offered to him. As he got older, that habit continued strong. He even turned down a girl who asked him on a date because she was human. He intended to marry a Quincy so their children would be as well and the bloodline would continue. Love had nothing to do with it. He was just interested in marrying a Quincy woman, whoever she may be. Once he found a Quincy woman, they would get together and that would be it. No courtship or anything like that. She was a Quincy and that's all that was needed. It might as well be considered an arranged marriage.

He chose that way of life because he thought it was proper. Nothing was forced on him. Both his parents were Quincies and they were friends with other Quincies. Sharif would play with Quincy children and had a wonderful time. He was never upset or displeased. He was never lonely or had any desire for a human friend with no special powers. He always thought this was a good life. He enjoyed it and never once wished for anything different.

Even if the Quincy children were mean or nasty, he would still be with them because they were his kin. If a human was kind to him, he would never accept their friendship simply because they were not his kin. This was his life and it never bothered him. Going against Yagi was the first time he had ever gone against his own kind. Up until then, everything a Quincy did was justifiable. Granted, nothing a Quincy had ever done to him or anyone was ever as bad as what Yagi had done. No one had ever tried to kill him before, or tried to feed him to a Hollow or turn him into a Hollow. That was the last straw.

He still didn't regret the way of life he had chosen for himself, but now he was left wondering how much he had missed out on by keeping himself closed off from others. Could he have become good friends with those human children? Or that girl who asked him out. Would he have found out what it was like to be in love? Could he have ended up marrying her? So many unanswered questions. So many curious things. Would his life have been any different had he chosen to mingle with others? Would anything have changed had he played with kind human children instead of the bratty Quincy who only ever wanted to play the same game over and over and lash out if things didn't go his way? There were kind Quincy children, too, but since he only played with Quincies, he also had to play with the bratty ones. If he had mixed friendships, he might have played with only the children, human or Quincy, who were kind and pleasant to be around. Would that have changed anything for him?

Agreeing to associate with Veneno would be the first time he ever had a relationship with anyone other than a Quincy. Should he break that streak? Would now be a good time to start looking for friendship elsewhere? This man was an Arrancar. An enemy. However, he was part Hollow now so what did that make him? Sharif was almost killed by his fellow Quincy so what did that tell him?

This was actually a very difficult decision for him.

He felt so lost.

He knew Yagi was a bad guy and that he had done terrible things. They were already enemies so perhaps fighting alongside an Arrancar wasn't the worse thing in the world. He was built with Hollow parts so in a way they were almost like kin. Maybe befriending Veneno wouldn't be such a bad thing. There were worst things in the world. Yet he was still having second thoughts. Being a Quincy, it was his job to kill Hollows. Befriending one was practically blasphemous. At the very least, it was spitting on tradition.

But being a mix of both Quincy and Hollow, what did that make him?

"You've been quiet for a while," said Veneno. "You doing ok?"

So far this man was treating him far better than his own kind. Better than his leader, that was for sure.

Maybe joining forces to take Yagi down wouldn't be so bad. When it was all over, he could then kill Veneno. It was his duty as a Quincy to do that. Maybe ending the Arrancar's life would bring him some relief from these conflicting feelings. It was a thought. But if he did that, then wouldn't he truly be alone? He needed someone with him he could relate to. He didn't want to be alone. Especially not like this.

Maybe a monster should be with another monster.

He and Veneno were a bit similar. They were both experimented on, both were abandoned by their own kind to some extent. Both were treated poorly by their own kind for one reason or another. Associating with Veneno might not be so bad. He could do worse.

Shairf started to move. He could sit up. Veneno stood, watching him.

Sharif turned to Veneno. It was time to make a decision.

Joining up with Veneno to take down Yagi was one option. For the sake of his pride, he could go off and kill Yagi himself. He wasn't so lucky the first time, but maybe things would be different the second time around.

What should he do? What should he do?

With a flick of his wrist, Hitsugaya sent a pillar of ice into the air. Zalya dodged and came running at him from a different angle. Hitsugaya used his sword to block his path, sending a wave of ice his direction. Zalya jumped and responded by sending bullets of blood down upon the Captain. Hitsugaya froze them in midair. Zalya still had blood circling the air behind him but wasn't using it. Zalya had decided to use his blood sparingly, knowing what the Captain could do.

Zalya landed and came at Hitsugaya with his bare hand. Hitsugaya could easily cut it off but that would cause his blood to flow which the Captain did not want. He chose to block with his arm instead. Flesh meeting flesh would not cause too much damage.

Hitsugaya saw something flicker. A sliver light. Thinking fast, he blocked with his sword. Zalya had drawn a sword from his belt and was using it against him.

"A Quincy wielding a sword?"

Zalya chuckled. "That's right. I might be the only Quincy who does. But with my powers, it is not considered shameful. I use this blade to cut myself all the time so I can draw blood."

That made sense, but now Hitsugaya had a problem. Not only did he have to be wary of the blood in addition to the Quincy being able to use arrows, but now he also had to face an enemy who wielded a sword. Zalya had too many weapons to keep track of. He was resourceful, Hitsugaya had to admit. Zalya would be able to use close-combat and be able to attack from a distance using a verity of weapons such as this.

Hitsugaya pushed him back and Zalya swung sideways to cut his shoulder. Hitsugaya jumped back to avoid it. Zalya advanced. He swung left and right like a madman. He didn't seem to possess any sword-fighting skills. He was just swinging wildly. In theory, this should have made him easier to fight but it actually made him just as dangerous. Hitsygaya tried to read his moves but Zalya was unpredictable.

Just when it seemed he was advancing, he jumped back and switched weapons. He showered Hitsugaya with arrows. Hitsugaya blocked and changed directions. Zalya followed, firing everything he had. He ran up the side of a building and pushed off from the wall. He flew over Hitsugaya's head and fired more arrows. Hitsugaya fled, blocking whatever he could.

Then something pierced his shoulder from behind. "No..!" Blood lifted from his wound and met in the air, circling Zalya's hand. He shot the blood back at the owner. He froze the blood coming back at him at great speed. He then hid behind his sword as the ball of ice came flying at his head.

This was exactly what Hitsugaya was afraid of. The blood could attack him from different angles and it didn't matter if he froze the blood he saw gathered around Zalya. There was still more blood hiding elsewhere. Even in his own body. In Zalya's. This would not be an easy fight, even if he did have an edge.

"Hyah!" Zalya's sword clanged against Hitsugaya's.

"Ah?" Hitsugaya's feet were sliding across the ground. Zalya's taller frame coupled with his own strength gave him an edge. He was pushing Hitsygaya backwards. Zalya kept pushing until Hitsugaya was backed against a wall. He pressed him up against it, pushing and pushing.

"What was that you said about being able to fight me because you stood a better chance?"

Hitsugaya looked over Zalya's shoulder at the gathering blood. In this position, Hitsugaya could not block or turn it to ice. His sword was busy holding off Zalya's blade. Either he let the blood get him or use his sword to stop the blood and let Zalya's sword slice him from the front.

"Take this, baby."

The blood showered Hitsugaya like a heavy rain.

It was so painful, like needles and bits of hail.

Crying out in pain, something started to happen with his blade. Zalya noticed it, too. The blade was starting to freeze. Zalya jumped back to prevent his sword from being frozen to the Captain's. Freed, Hitsugaya swung his sword and froze the blood showering down upon him.

Hitsugaya looked himself over, checking his body for wounds. He wasn't in too bad of shape. His scarf and Captain's jacket were full of holes but otherwise he seemed fine except for a few scrapes and cuts, but those were minor.

Zalya didn't want to let the Captain breathe. He fired more arrows, letting the fight continue. Hitsugaya blocked with a wall of ice which shattered quickly due to the amount of arrows. He couldn't stay put. He had to move. He ran from behind the shattering ice wall and tried to freeze Zalya in place. The ice was broken before it could reach its target by the circling blood. It protected Zalya from the attack but it was short lived. Hitsugaya threw more ice in his direction, encasing the blood.

Zalya jumped back and picked up his sword. He drew a line across his arm with the blade. Blood floated into the air, giving him another weapon.

He fired arrows at Hitsugaya and then chased the arrows with his blood. Hitsugaya blocked the arrows with ice but the ice shattered, and when it did, the blood came, cutting Hitsugaya's shoulder like a red spike.

"Dammit!"

"Don't worry, baby. It's not over yet."

The blood wrapped around Hitsugaya's arm like a red rope and held his sword in place. The blood was moving so fast, it had become solid, enabling it to hold onto Hitsugaya's wrist. This explained how Zalya was able to ride the blood like a surfboard, despite it being a liquid. At such a high speed, the liquid blood had the same properties as a solid.

"Don't move, baby," Zalya taunted. He put the sword to his lips and licked his own blood off the blade. "I don't want you moving the wrong way and dying faster. For you, I want to see suffer a little longer, baby."

Hitsugaya jerked and twisted but the blood held fast. He could not swing his sword like this. Not unless he switched hands and used his free hand to swing, but he knew Zalya would never give him the chance. Unless he distracted him for a moment.

"Why the hell are you doing this?" he asked. "What have Soul Reapers ever done to you?"

"Not to me personally. But you guys are a bunch of asses. I don't see why we have to follow your rules when we're not Soul Reapers. And why should you be the ones in power and dictate the proper way we should kill Hollows? And besides, baby... Frankly, you're not fit to rule. You think you're the good guys? Please. You Soul Reapers have done some terrible things yourselves. Yet we Quincy are detected as the bad guys?"

"All things considered..." Hitsugaya gestured around with his eyes. "You're not helping your case too much."

"Am I?" asked Zalya. "You don't go wandering into a Hollow's den and slaughter them all and then get called murderers. You're hailed as heroes. Same with us. You Soul Reapers are the enemy. You're bad news. So why are we the bad guys for getting rid of people who deserve it?"

"You think killing Soul Reapers will be best? That it will keep the peace? It's not like we go out there and kill your people."

"No, you just don't offer help when we need it," Zalya said bitterly. "To each their own, right, baby?"

"We help people."

"Then where were you?" Zalya demanded. "Where were you when my aunt and uncle were torn to pieces by Hollows? When my kin called for help and you never came? How in the hell are you not the bad guys? Why in the hell don't you deserve to die?"

Hitsugaya put himself in the Quincy's position for a moment and realized he was right. From a Quincy's perspective, Soul Reapers must have been seen as the enemy.

"But that doesn't justify killing an entire race," Hitsugaya said. "We didn't all abandon you."

"No. But your rules make it difficult for those who wish to leave to assist us to do so. If they are not allowed to go, then they will not break the rules to come help us. Those are your rules, yes? Whatever the Head Captain commands. Not just him, but you have other rules, too. So any halfway decent Soul Reapers have their hands tied, preventing them from helping us. Therefore, they are just as guilty as those who choose not to help us. Your rules have left many dead and Quincy blood spilled. That is just another reason you and your kind deserve to die."

"All Soul Reapers? Innocent people?"

"They are Soul Reapers. They are not innocent. They all follow the same rules that allow such things to take place and my kin to die. Soul Reapers deserve death."

"Even those who have done nothing?"

"That's right, baby." Zalya raised his sword. "You have done nothing."

Hitsugaya dropped his sword and caught it in his left hand. He swung, blocking Zalya's blade and swung a second time to freeze the blood around his wrist. He jumped away as Zalya recovered. The blood around Hitsugaya's wrist was frozen solid, giving him a cold, red bracelet. He quickly smashed it against the side of a building to free himself and then turned back to Zalya who was readying another attack.

"I'm sorry," Hitsugaya said quickly. "I'm sorry for what happened to your kin, but there must be more to the story than that. You can't condemn everyone for something that happened. And that was years ago, wasn't it? We have new students at the academy who want to become Soul Reapers. They were not involved. We have new Soul Reapers who have graduated. They had nothing to do with that. With any of it. So you're in the wrong. You can't come here and kill all Soul Reapers just-"

"Whether or not they were directly involved doesn't matter, baby. Soul Reapers are the ones who should pay. Who deserve death. If they want to become Soul Reapers, then they condemned themselves."

"So to your eyes, it's all Soul Reapers. Anyone who takes the title is bad. All Soul Reapers are bad. That's very simplistic thinking. Not to mention unfair."

"If they become Soul Reapers, then they will learn how to abandon others and think only of themselves. They will not help a Quincy in need and will follow their own rules. That is why it does not matter who the person is or their character. Whoever they are does not matter. Because as Soul Reapers, they will all follow the same rules and be bound by your laws. If it is in their character to help a Quincy, they will not be allowed to do so if it goes against your rules. That is their crime, baby. That is why all Soul Reapers are bad."

"Then hate the rules. Not us."

"Ah, but who made the rules, baby? Who follows them?" Zalya raised his sword. "We can talk all day about this but I don't want to. The fact of the matter is that we will never see eye-to-eye and will always be enemies. And enemies must be eliminated. That is how we will have peace. By getting rid of those who do not agree with us. Only a Quincy can understand what is in another Quincy's heart. Who better to understand you than your own kind? There will be peace among your own kin. They will not turn their back on you. Whereas those who are different are unpredictable and strange. How can you ever understand them or get along when you are too different? That is just another reason why we don't get along."

Hitsugaya did not wish to argue with a man who could not be reasoned with. Whatever his reasons were, it did not justify what he was doing. Even if he could sympathize with him, knowing why he would be motivated to do this, Hitsugaya knew he was an enemy and needed to be stopped.

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