Chapter 31:

Zalya swung and Hitsugaya blocked. He swung again and Hitsugaya jumped to avoid his strike. In the air, Hitsugaya swung his sword, freezing the ground and Zalya with it.

It wasn't enough. Zalya managed to break free and shot an arrow past Hitsugaya's head. He then sprang straight up and continued his attack in the air. Their swords clanged together and sent sparks flying. They sprang apart and collided with each other on the ground, sending sparks skyward.

"Hyah!" Zalya twisted his blade around while pressing into the Captain's, successfully getting around his blade and into Hitsugaya's arm. At the same time, Hitsugaya's sword was thrown forward and into Zalya's shoulder.

They sprang apart once more to examine their wounds. Neither cut was fatal but they were deep and that was enough to give Zalya another weapon. With a wave of his hand, Zalya commanded the blood staining Hitsugaya's arm to attack. The blood rose from his jacket and stabbed him like a dozen daggers. At such close range, Hitsugaya couldn't swing his sword to freeze them before causing damage. He had no choice but to take the hit.

"You can't beat me," Zalya gloated. "There's no possible way. In a sword fight, blood will be shed. It will splatter the ground and the flesh and I will use it. There's no way you can win."

"I hate it when people underestimate me." Hitsugaya swung his sword and Zalya ran from the ice storm that came his way. "I don't care what you think. There is always a way to beat someone. Always."

"Not me."

"Yes, even you. We managed to beat Aizen and he was all powerful. So he thought."

"Heh." Zalya stopped to land on a broken piece of building and faced the young Captain. "But it was Ichigo who defeated him. Not you. As our leader said time and again, if we take out Kurosaki, you will be weakened. He has come to your rescue countless times. It doesn't make you Soul Reapers look very good, baby. If we take out the strongest, the rest will fall. Ichigo first, then the Captains, then everyone else. Our leader has figured everything out."

"Your leader is using you. Can't you see that?"

Zalya's smirk faded.

"Yagi, right? That's his name?" Hitsugaya turned his body to face Zalya. "He's a coward and a weakling. He's just using you to do the dirty work for him while he stands behind you and gloats. He may have a few tricks up his sleeve but I don't see him here getting all bloody and bruised. He's a coward."

Zalya didn't argue that point. He knew his cousin didn't want to risk his own life. However, he was still a powerful Quincy and his family. He would defend him to the end and follow wherever he went.

"It doesn't matter to me, baby. So far, everything he's said has worked out perfectly. He knows what he's doing."

"He's sending you all to your deaths."

Zalya chuckled. "No. Not me. Not with my power. I'd sooner kill you and everyone here than I will meet my fate. That's why he sent me here. Not to have me die but to kill all of you. With my blood-wielding ability, I can do anything."

Hitsugaya kept his mouth shut. Either Zalya was aware of it and wanted to keep it hidden, or he simply had yet to see it himself. Hitsugaya didn't want to point out his weakness until it was too late.

Zalya waved his hand and the blood rose from Hitsugaya's fresh wounds. Before they could enter his body in another attack, Hitsugaya cloaked himself in ice. The blood could not enter his body and any blood that tried ended up freezing on contact.

This was actually a risky move. Hitsugaya could stand the cold but there was always the danger of freezing to death accidentally. It was also risky in the fact that as long as he was doing this, his body remained in one spot, like a block of ice. This left him open to attack. While he was cloaked in ice, he could not move.

As soon as he felt he was out of danger, Hitsugaya shed the ice cloak and looked around for Zalya who had fled again.

"Behind you, baby!"

Hitsugaya spun around and blocked with his sword. Zalya had jumped from above to launch this attack, the full power of his momentum behind his swing. Hitsugaya's knees buckled under the pressure.

"I have you now."

Something sharp pierced Hitsugaya from behind. It was the severed arm of a fallen Soul Reaper still clutching their sword. Blood began to flow from the wound in his side.

"Time for me to cut you into little pieces, baby." As he said this, the blood began to coil and twist, inching its way up to Hitsugaya's neck.

Fighting Zalya proved to be far more difficult than he thought. Actually, Hitsugaya never thought it would be easy. He knew he was locked in battle with a very worthy opponent, but he didn't think he would be cut this often. He knew Zalya was right in saying that a sword fight would always result in someone getting injured. He thought he could avoid it better than this.

Before Hitsugaya could get attacked by the blood, he sent a blast of cold wind and ice from his Zanpakuto. It froze the air and everything around him, including the blood. Zalya managed to retreat to a safe distance once again and watched from afar. Hitsugaya pulled the weapon out of his body and threw it on the ground. Blood began to ooze from the wound, giving Zalya another weapon. Before he did anything else, he had to close this wound. He quickly tore off his sleeve and wrapped it around his body to close the wound.

Zalya watched with a bored expression on his face. "I'm getting tired of this fight. You know you're just going to end up getting killed anyway. Why bother?"

Hitsugaya answered by swinging his sword and freezing the ground where Zalya stood. He refused to die like this. As difficult as this fight would be, he had to keep battling. He had to win.

"Fine by me. I'll make sure it's painful for you, baby."

Hitsugaya took in a deep breath. "Bankai."

Zalya watched in amusement as Hitsugaya spread his ice wings and took to the sky. "I see. And you think that will help you? Let's see."

Hitsugaya didn't want to use his Bankai for this but at this point he felt it would give him an edge. He turned in the air and swooped down in an attack. Zalya stuck his blade straight up and clipped one of Hitsugaya's wings. It wasn't enough to break it or throw him off course, but at least he knew he could hit it.

"You ain't seen nothing yet, baby." Zalya grabbed the blade of his sword with his left hand. He pulled the blade to his side, leaving a red mist trailing between his weapon and his sliced left palm. "Take this!"

Hitsugaya hid behind his wings as the mist of blood turned into bullets which flew at him at an incredible speed. Zalya dashed through the barrage with his sword still stained with his own blood. He threw himself forward and onto Hitsugaya's back. Hitsugaya couldn't attack from this position which was why he didn't want to use his Bankai. He felt it would restrict his movements against an opponent like Zalya. Hitsugaya blocked the oncoming attack with his sword but as soon as their blades clashed, the blood staining Zalya's sword lifted into the air. He never intended for his sword to strike.

Hitsugaya flipped around in the air so the blood would attack his wings instead of his chest. This resulted in Hitsugaya and Zalya having to hang upside-down in the air. Zalya grabbed onto Hitsugaya's neck as his legs dangled over the ground far below. Struggling for breath, Hitsugaya corrected his position, which caused Zalya to land on his chest with his sword in hand. Hitsugaya flipped around in the air again, this time rolling from his left to right. Zalya hung on as Hitsugaya rolled like an angry alligator in the air trying to shake him off. Zalya finally dropped and landed on a rooftop.

He craved a hole into his left palm with the tip of his sword and got ready to use it on the Captain. With a flick of his sword, Hitsugaya froze the blood Zalya had drawn to his hand. "Ah?!" Zalya looked at his left arm, now completely encased in ice. It looked like he was wearing a clear boxing glove.

Which gave Zalya an idea.

Hitsugaya tried to attack from a distance to avoid being cut but Zalya was very agile. Within no time, he had disappeared from the roof and moved somewhere else. He jumped up and punched Hitsugaya in the stomach with his ice-covered hand. He dragged Hitsugaya out of the air and onto the ground. Hitsugaya kicked Zalya off his body and Zalya returned the kick. Hitsugaya got ready to swing his sword but Zalya was slightly faster. He back-handed Hitsugaya across the face with his left hand. Then he punched Hitsugaya in the jaw, cracking the ice.

Hitsugaya's head was spinning. He didn't intend to give Zalya another weapon he could use. He just wanted to freeze the blood and stop him from drawing more of it. Now he was being beaten with a boxing glove made of ice.

Zalya punched him again and the ice surrounding his hand shattered. Hitsugaya was on his knees, spitting blood into the ground. More blood started to ooze from his mouth but he forced himself to swallow it. The blood on the ground was already being used as yet another dagger. Hitsugaya froze it as quickly as he could and tried to get airborne again. Zalya grabbed his tail and dragged him back down.

"Oh, no, you don't!"

Hitsugaya was pulled back down and thrown to the ground. Zalya had so much strength, Hitsugaya could hardly imagine what else he was capable of. He could hardly believe he was able to drag him out of the air with just the strength in his arms. Zalya might have been right about Yagi sending him here because of his power. He was like a one-man army.

Hitsugaya sprang up and drove his sword through Zalya's chest intentionally.

Zalya looked down at the blade running through his chest and out his back. He grinned and leaned forward, causing more blood to spray from the wound.

Startled, Hitsugaya pulled his sword free and jumped back. "I hit his heart. I know I did."

Had he made a mistake?

Zalya took in a deep breath and allowed the blood to pool into his open palm. "You're so foolish. I knew someone was going to try that one day. You think stabbing me in the chest will be enough to kill me because you ripped open my heart? Ha! You're wrong. I can force my heart to keep pumping so long as I have blood."

"What?"

"When you stabbed me, you caused blood to flow. As soon as that happened, I forced the blood that was spilled to re-enter by bloodstream and control it. I'm forcing it to flow through my heart and keep it going. It's a real pain, baby, but it will keep me alive until I can heal."

Hitsugaya was dumbfounded. "How is that even possible?"

"I'm just that good, baby. But by all means, keep hacking away at me and see what happens. Maybe you'll get lucky and severing my body will be enough to kill me. But before that happens, I'm going to use that blood to destroy you."

He had made a mistake, thinking that he could win that easily. Hitsugaya knew there was more to this than Zalya was explaining, but Hitsugaya thought he understood what Zalya was doing to keep himself alive. He was using the blood that was already exposed to the open air to go back into his bloodstream just as he explained in order to keep the heart going. He was not only allowing the blood to continue flowing, but he was also using the blood he could control to seal off any damage the sword had caused.

That was why Zalya leaned forward when the blade was still in his body. It wasn't just to get more blood to exit his body, it was also to get the blood already on the sword to go back into his body and cover the damage done to his heart. Basically, he was using his blood as a bandage. Instead of using it as a weapon, he had used his blood to help the heart heal by covering any damage done to it. Hitsugaya could already picture it in his mind what the blood must have been doing at this very moment. He imagined the blood covering the cuts on the heart and sealing up any tears or lacerations, like tape on a torn piece of paper.

This made things even more difficult. How on earth was he supposed to fight someone who could use his blood in such a versatile way?

His only hope was a hunch. A hunch he still wanted to keep to himself until he knew for certain.

"Shall we continue, baby?" Zalya used the remaining blood spilling from his hand to conjure up a second sword. "I'm really looking forward to killing you."

Kira dashed forward with his sword at his side. Yaku stood, waiting for him with his precious mirror in hand. Kira stopped just short of Yaku and threw his sword forward in an attack.

"Reflect."

Kira's sword was thrown in the opposite direction and Kira was forced to follow it back the way he came. Kira was dragged a short distance in the dirt and quickly stood up, ready to try again.

"Why?" Yaku asked quietly. "Why do you do this?"

"Huh?"

"Since you are unable to be reduced to a depressing pile of depression, I can tell that you must live a hard life. So why bother? Why fight?"

"Why?" To Kira, the answer was obvious. "Because I can't let you hurt my friends. I'm fighting because I have to win. I have to protect them. I have to do something to stop you."

"But why? Even if you defeat me, more will come. Such is the life of a depressing Soul Reaper. Today, you fight us. Tomorrow, who knows? Your battle is endless. You're going to end up fighting someone else down the road. So why bother at all? Doesn't it seem so... meaningless?"

Kira's brow lowered slightly. "Man, you are depressing."

"I'm just saying is all. Doesn't it seem pointless? Why bother with any of it?"

Kira lowered his sword slightly as he answered. "Because, even if there are bad things in the world, there are good things, too."

"But even the good things are fleeting. The battles that Soul Reapers see on a daily basis... Some of you are bound not to return. You want to protect your friends from me. But tomorrow they may be killed in another way. Wouldn't it just be easier to let it happen? It's bound to happen sooner or later anyway."

"Even if things are fleeting, they're nice while they last. That's part of what makes them so important and meaningful. Knowing that they might not be there the next day."

Yaku raised his head.

"Is that why you're so sad and depressed?" asked Kira. "Have you lost people, too?"

Yaku looked down. "I just don't see the point. There are so few Quincies now... Most of the ones I knew before are dead. Others I know will also die, it's just a question of when and how. Life itself is depressing. You speak of hope and living in the moment. Enjoying things while they last. I just can't see the point. If you get attached to something you know will end, you get sad when it's finally over and there's a sense of emptiness. Don't get me wrong. I've had plenty of good things happen in my life. I just know eventually it will end so I do not see the point."

"So you don't enjoy any of it."

Yaku shrugged. "I'm not very good at putting my thoughts and feelings into words. No one really listens to me anyway."

"With an attitude like that, I can see why."

Yaku looked up again. "I've come to terms on the fate of my kind. I know as long as there are people like you out there, more and more Quincies will die. Even if you don't come after them and hunt them down, you will still be the cause of many Quincy deaths. War, for example. They will come here and attack you and you will defend yourselves which will result in their deaths. Or yours. Depends on who is the stronger of the two."

"Then don't attack us and we won't attack you. See? Very simple way to avoid death."

Yake shook his head. "You fail to see the truth of the matter. So long as there are two disagreeing sides, there will always be conflict. That is life. That is depressing."

The way Yaku put it, it seemed such things really were unavoidable. However, Kira, as bad as things were in his experience, he still wanted to live and enjoyed life. Sure, bad things happened, but life was still good overall. He didn't want to have to fight in deadly battles and war, but this was the path he chose. Not to see battle and kill, but to fight for peace.

"Instead of fighting, why not reach a compromise?" Kira asked him. "That way, there will be no need for war or any battle. We can end conflict through compromise."

"Compromise..." Yaku repeated slowly. "Well... We want you dead. Can we compromise on that?"

Kira flinched. "Uh..."

"See? Battle is always needed to settle such things."

"But why do you want us dead? We're trying to keep the peace and protect people."

Yaku shrugged. "There are many reasons why our kinds do not get along. You have never done anything personally to me. But I still don't like you. No reason, just don't."

"Do you like anything?"

Yaku paused a long time. "I'll get back to you on that."

Kira groaned.

"It's nothing personal. You're just a Soul Reaper and our kinds do not get along. I don't know of any Quincy who has. Such a thing is probably impossible."

Kira shook his head. "No. A couple years ago, there was a Quincy who came here with some other people to help rescue a Soul Reaper. He fought to save one of our own and I guess you can say we're friends."

Kira was referring to Uryu coming with Ichigo's party to save Rukia. It was the only example Kira could think of that might sway Yaku's judgment.

"A Quincy, you say?"

"Yes."

"Saved a Soul Reaper?"

"Yes, yes!"

Yaku looked away. "Leader would call such a person a traitor. Unless he rescued the Soul Reaper for the satisfaction of killing him themselves."

Kira shook his head again. "No. Actually saved the Soul Reaper. Didn't hurt them at all. No ill will whatsoever."

Yaku sighed. "I would have to meet this Quincy myself and see how I feel then. I don't trust many people. Partly because I'm good at reading them. Partly because I don't really trust anyone."

"Not even your own leader?"

Yaku didn't hesitate to answer. "I know he's marching us to our deaths. I suspected as much since he wasn't here himself. If I know anything about our leader, I know he will never be anywhere he feels there is a risk of death. The fact that we're here and he is not, tells me that death will come. That is something he will not be a part of." Yaku clutched his mirror tightly. "But no one ever listens to me. I even told Zalya that and he didn't care. He's too confident in his own abilities. He believes we were sent here not to die but to win. He believes we are the strongest of our group and therefore stand a better chance of winning and little chance of actually dying. Maybe he's right. But I'm not a glass-half-full type of guy."

"Then why do you follow a guy like that? If your leader is trying to get you guys killed, why follow him?"

"It is not that he's trying to get us killed. He just doesn't want death to happen to him so he wants us to risk ourselves where there is no guarantee." Yaku looked at the outer rim of his mirror thoughtfully. "But I follow him because he's strong and so far things have worked out pretty well. Plus, he's a Quincy. I'd sooner follow a foolish Quincy than a brilliant Soul Reaper. You should stick with your own kind."

"You don't have to. You can make connections with people who aren't the same race as you. It's possible."

Yaku ran his index finger along the decorative grooves of his mirror. "It's funny you should say that."

"Why?"

"Because when I was near Kurosaki in the hideout... for some reason... I felt..." He continued looking at his mirror, but his finger had stopped tracing the grooves along the rim. "I felt like I could connect with him. Like somehow we weren't so different. But I cannot explain that. With the traits of both Soul Reaper and Hollow, I don't see how I could ever feel as if we could get along."

Kira had no explanation for that either. Unless he was talking about Ichigo's personality, he had no idea why Yaku would feel this way.

"It's a shame, really," Yaku said with a sigh. "If Ichigo could survive longer, I would have liked to investigate a little further."

Kira's heart started to race. "He's not dead yet, is he?"

"Who knows? Leader estimates he will not last the day."

Kira was worried for Ichigo.

"Much like you," Yaku went on. "You will not survive the day either." He held up the mirror. "Shall we continue?"

Hitsugaya let the tip of his blade drag across the ground as he rushed forward towards Zalya, leaving a trail of ice where his blade touched. He flung his sword upward and the trail of ice continued forward, freezing everything in its path. Zalya jumped aside, flipping through the air once before hitting the ground and running forward. He thrust his sword up and clashed blades with Hitsugaya.

"Yeah, baby!" The maniacal look in Zalya's eyes sent a chill down Hitsugaya's spine. This man was mentally unstable. He could carry on a conversation well enough, but when it came to fighting, clearly he enjoyed it a little too much. The look in his eyes reminded Hitsugaya of Kenpachi when he went while in combat. He prayed Kenpachi wasn't around to fight this man. He expressed a great interest when he heard about Zalya's power and wanted to test his strength himself. Hopefully he was either distracted by another battle or had people holding him back. The last thing Hitsugaya wanted was for Kenpachi to get involved.

Zalya grabbed onto Hitsugaya's icy wrist and hoisted himself up so he was sitting on Hitsugaya's arm. He pulled his sword up to strike at his neck but was knocked off by his icy wings. Zalya landed on the ground and jumped aside as his boots began to freeze to the spot. The ice sparkled like glitter as Zalya broke free and dashed to the side.

Hitsugaya tried to trap him with several pillars of ice but he fled each and every one, moving quickly across the ice and snow. Zalya jumped onto a pillar of ice and used it to launch himself towards the Captain, his sword pointed forward. Hitsugaya flew higher and Zalya changed coarse.

"Get back here, baby!" Zalya waved his hand and the blood he still had control of moved behind Hitsugaya, blocking his path. He froze the blood and it fell from the sky. "Dammit." Zalya cut himself again and threw projectile blood up at the Captain who ducked behind buildings and pillars of ice.

Zalya did not chase him. He knew if the Captain wanted to attack him, he would come where he was.

The ground under Zalya's feet began to freeze and creep up his legs. Soon he was imprisoned in a pillar of ice. Before Hitsugaya could breathe a sigh of relief, the prison shattered. Zalya could not move to cut himself, but he used the blood staining his clothes to break out of Hitsugaya's trap. No matter what he tried, Zalya could not be stopped. If it wasn't one thing, it was another.

Hitsugaya landed on the ground, panting. He didn't know what else to do but wait him out. Eventually, Zalya would run out of blood. That's what he was betting on. Though powerful, Zalya's anatomy wasn't any different from a human being's. If a human could die from blood-loss then so could he. Unfortunately, the same held true for Hitsugaya as well. He could also die from losing too much blood.

This fight now was really a question of time. How long could Hitsugaya dodge him and who would die from blood-loss first?

"Take this, baby!" Zalya fired another round of blood bullets at the Captain.

Hitsugaya flapped his wings and dodged in the air. The bullets circled back and came at him from behind. Hitsugaya used his sword to freeze them and they fell to the ground like red marbles. He turned his body and flew away from Zalya.

Zalya watched, wondering what the young Captain was doing. He couldn't have been running away. He must have been doing something else.

Impatient, Zalya took the blood Hitsugaya hadn't frozen yet and turned it into a board he could surf on. He rode it into the air, following the Captain's every move. "Like hell I'll let you escape!"

Hitsugaya was in sight then ducked behind an ice pillar. He swooped low to the ground then back into the air.

"What the hell is he doing?" Zalya couldn't figure out what Hitsugaya was planning. Either he was trying not to get cut or hoped to tire him out. Zalya would kill him before that happened.

Hitsugaya felt something pierce his shoulder, causing him to spin half-way around and face Zalya. Zalya was right behind him using his blood to attack while Hitsugaya's back was turned. Hitsugaya had to watch where he was flying so he couldn't keep his eyes on Zalya every second.

The blood from his shoulder curved in the air and struck again, going through Hitsugaya's right calf like a spear. The blood circled a third time and prepared to strike at his stomach. Hitsugaya unleashed a blast of cold air from his sword to freeze the attack in midair.

Realizing Zalya was no longer in front of him, he spun around just in time to block Zalya's sword. Their blades scraped together, screeching like beasts. Zalya bashed his head into Hitsugaya's and grabbed the Captain's blade with his bare hand. He pulled away and the blood rose from Hitsugaya's sword and towards his chest. Hitsugaya quickly unleashed another breath of cold air from his sword which froze the blood as it rose from his blade. Now his sword looked more like a trident, the blood frozen to the blade.

Zalya cut himself again and sent his blood forward.

Hitsugaya's eyes narrowed. It was the same move. Over and over again. If Zalya couldn't cut him then he cut himself. If he kept doing that...

"Die!" Zalya sent the blood towards the Captain. As he swung his sword to freeze it, the blood curved under him and attacked from below. Zalya was moving the blood away from the attack so it wouldn't freeze. Hitsugaya hadn't seen him do that before. "Ha ha!"

Hitsugaya blasted the air below him with ice but the blood had moved again. Zalya wouldn't let the blood be frozen this time.

Unless he had no choice.

Thinking fast, Hitsugaya threw an attack not at the blood but at Zalya. If he didn't do something to block the attack, he would be frozen in place. Just as Hitsugaya predicted, Zalya used the blood to block the ice heading straight for him.

The frozen blood fell but Zalya was nowhere to be seen. Thinking he was attacking for behind again, Hitsugaya turned his body to block. Zalya wasn't there.

"Gotcha, baby!"

"Augh!" Hitsugaya's body pitched forward as Zalya's sword cut into him from behind.

"I knew I would get you eventually. It was just a matter of time." Zalya twisted the sword, causing more blood to spurt out of Hitsugaya's chest. "Whatcha gonna do now, baby? You're stuck."

He was right. Hitsugaya couldn't pull the sword from him and he couldn't attack Zalya pressed against him from behind. The blood from the wound gave Zalya a new weapon to work with. Even if he tried to move or attack Zalya, the blood would reach him first. Zalya could even make the blood attack him right now and Hitsugaya couldn't do anything about it. The situation wasn't looking good for the Captain of Squad 10. From Zalya's perspective, Hitsugaya had lost.

"Does..." Hitsugaya said softly. "Does... everyone... think... I haven't improved... from a couple years ago?"

"Hm?" Zalya looked down. "Ah?!"

Ice was creeping up his arms from Hitsugaya's back. Zalya's sword had already been frozen to his body. Now there was no way for Zalya to pull it out. His weapon was stuck in the Captain's body. If he didn't move, he would also be frozen to Hitsugaya.

He pulled his hands off his weapon and fell back. His hands were pink and sore from being in the ice for only a few seconds. If he had waited any longer...

Hitsugaya turned, his body covered in ice as if he were wearing a suit of armor. It started to break away and fall to the ground below. Hitsugaya looked down at the sword still sticking out of his chest. He had to do something about this.

Zalya went to grab his sword but Hitsugaya was too quick. He threw himself into the side of a building to force the sword out his back. Blood sprayed and dripped, but Hitsugaya didn't have to deal with the weapon in his chest anymore. The sword clanged on the ground and Hitsugaya stood on top of it.

"This is your last chance to surrender," Hitsugaya told him. "I'm giving you a chance. I suggest you take it."

"Or what?" asked Zalya. "I'll meet an unfitting end? Please, baby. Giving up now would be shameful. I've been fighting too damn long to throw in the towel now. Besides, I'd never give up and surrender to a Soul Reaper."

"Your Quincy pride has to stop you somewhere."

"It's not just me being a Quincy. It's about being a man. A real man would never give up, baby. A man takes whatever he wants and takes crap from no one."

"Do you really believe that or are you just talking nonsense to waste time?" Hitsugaya had a feeling Zalya was stalling. He couldn't see any blood around for him to use so he had no idea where the next attack would come from.

Zalya smirked. "What would a mere child know?"

Hitsugaya scowled.

"The fact of the matter is, this fight can go on for hours, baby. I don't mind. I love the slaughter. It's fun. Especially when it isn't my kind on the bloody end. You want me to give up, but I never will. Until my last breath, I will fight. That's what it is to be a man. To do anything and everything it takes to win."

"That's one way of looking at it. But those are just words. You talk about being a man but there's so much more to it. Being strong is only a part of it. What's more important is what you're doing with that power."

Hitsugaya thought of Ichigo willingly walking into a trap knowing the enemy was luring him into one, but doing it anyway to protect them. It was foolish, but Hitsugaya had to commend him on his intention. He wasn't doing it for glory. He was doing it to save countless others.

"This power you have... This talk of strength..." Hitsugaya said to Zalya. "Is it for anyone or just yourself? You killing people and fighting like this... Are you doing it to protect someone dear to you?"

"Protect?" Zalya scoffed. "Protect?! Are you kidding? I'm doing it because I like it. I'm not protecting anyone. I enjoy what I do."

"Even knowing that you're causing pain to so many? Those Soul Reapers you killed were someone's friends. People cared about them and no doubt they cared about someone, too."

"That just makes it even better," said Zalya with a twisted smile. "The screams of agony, the mournful cries... The constant wailing is like music to my ears, baby."

Zalya's smile spread into something Hitsugaya could only describe as nightmarish. This man was sadistic. He didn't care who he hurt or what the consequences were to his actions. He did this because he enjoyed it.

"That's one thing my cousin and I both share," said Zalya. "We both have a cruel heart."

Zalya bit his arm and drew blood. A lot of blood. Hitsugaya was fearful Zalya intended to gnaw his arm off but he stopped before even getting close.

"It's not to everyone, though," Zalya admitted. "Just your kind. My cousin hates Soul Reapers with a passion. I loathe you as well but mostly because we're so different. I have other reasons, but we'll be here all day. The point is, I'm not this cruel to my own kind. Just everyone else. Soul Reapers more than anyone."

The blood splattered the ground and Zalya's boots.

"So answer me this, Soul Reaper..." Zalya locked eyes with Hitsugaya. "Why should I pity my enemy? If Soul Reapers are the ones we're fighting, why should we care what happens to you? Why should we give a damn about hurting you or your friends?"

He could not answer.

"This is war, Soul Reaper. You must hate your enemy." Zalya watched the blood drip down his arm and into the puddle around his feet. "The whole point is to wipe you out, so why should we care? If the whole point is to kill every last one of you, why should we feel bad about it? Why should we feel bad about killing our enemy? That's how you win."

Hitsugaya could see his point but he knew Zalya also saw this whole battle as a game. He saw targets, not people. It was easy for him not to care because they weren't Quincies. He couldn't see them as anything else.

They were enemies and enemies had to be eliminated.

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