Chapter: 35
Kira had an opening and took it. He dashed forward with his sword at his side. Yaku's eyes went straight to the blade turned at an angle. He held up his mirror and got ready to block. As soon as that mirror got close, he would reflect it.
Kira wasn't swinging the sword. He was getting closer and closer but wasn't swinging his sword.
Yaku stepped back, knowing he must have been close enough to use an attack.
Now!
Kira jumped and kicked Yaku in the face.
"Ungh!" Yaku started to fall backwards.
"Now for the mirror." Kira spun in the air and tried to hook the mirror with his curved blade.
"Mirror Image."
A sword identical to Kira's shot out of the mirror to block his attack.
"What the hell?" Kira landed on the ground and stared at his own reflection. "Just when I thought I had seen all your tricks. I should have known this mirror could do something other than make people depressed. Especially considering its reflective capability that's been causing me no end of problems."
"Yes, my mirror is quite useful in a number of situations." Yaku was bracing himself up on his knees, holding up his mirror with both hands. "Being underestimated is so depressing."
Kira's image pushed against his sword with such force, Kira almost lost his footing. He pulled back and the sword swung at his neck. It wasn't mimicking his movements like a true reflection. It was fighting with a mind of its own. Either that or Yaku was telling it what to do somehow and was controlling its actions.
"Just when I thought I understood your mirror and had it figured out. Now this."
Kira's reflection looked exactly like him, only a mirror image. His clone's bangs were parted on the other side of his face, partly covering its right eye rather than its left. It also swung with its left hand rather than its right.
"Right and left..." If that was the case, then perhaps Kira could weaken it by using his sword in the opposite hand. If the mirror image was using its non-dominate hand to fight, then its fighting might be weakened. If the clone did everything he did in reverse, then it would use its right hand if Kira put his sword in his left. However, if Kira did this, then his skills would also be impaired. He wasn't left handed so using a sword in his left hand might impair his swordplay.
Taking a chance, he switched hands. His clone did not do the same. He came at the clone. It raised its sword with its left hand and blocked. Kira nearly lost his grip and quickly pulled back.
"So it seems the image won't copy what I do and will not switch hands if I use my sword differently. That's worth noting."
"Are you giving up?" Yaku asked.
"Not just yet. I still have a plan in mind." Actually he didn't, but he couldn't let Yaku know that.
There must have been something else he could do. He had to look for a weakness. This ability must have one, too. The others did. Reflect did not work if no one attacked. Negative Image did not effect someone unless they were caught in the mirror's surface and had no effect on someone with high levels of anxiety and sorrow. That was the conclusion Kira came up with, at least. Even if that wasn't exactly what caused the mirror to have no effect on him, it was still a weakness nonetheless. Therefore, this move must have had a weakness as well. He just had to look for it.
"Ok, let's do this, Wabisuke." Kira tightened his grip and went in to strike again.
The image blocked him no matter which way he swung. Kira blocked when the image came at him. Kira kept his eyes on the image but he was also watching Yaku closely to see if he was doing anything that might indicate a weakness.
He didn't seem to be doing anything other than hold onto the mirror. His lips weren't moving so he wasn't speaking to the image. His hands were holding onto the mirror pretty tightly so he wasn't controlling it with his hands. Maybe it really did have a mind of its own when attacking.
Although...
The waist. It was still attached to the mirror.
Of course. The image couldn't leave the mirror. How could he have not noticed this sooner? When he jumped back, the clone did not follow him. It remained in the mirror. This was a handicap, but there must have been more. What wasn't he seeing?
"Hado 31, Shakkaho!"
Yaku turned the mirror and the image took the hit for him. The clone was smoking but remained unscathed. It seemed that the image was a lot denser than glass which made it very durable. Kira was almost hoping it would break. Without the mirror, Yaku had nothing to fight with. He could not defend himself either.
"Wait a minute." Kira realized something else.
Just before the attack, Yaku turned the mirror. He moved the clone to where he needed it to be.
It could not change direction on its own. Yaku had to move the mirror if an attack came from a different angle. That was its weakness.
"Hado 31, Shakkaho!" He fired down at the dry soil between himself and Yaku. A dust cloud formed which he used for cover. He had to get around that clone and behind Yaku. Attacking his back was the safest. Yaku would not be able to block with the clone fast enough.
Yaku listened carefully for Kira's footsteps rather than look for his shadow moving through the dust.
To the left.
Yaku turned his mirror around and waited. Kira came out of the dust cloud and straight into the mirror's attack. The mirror image sliced Kira's shoulder with its sword. As Kira pulled back, the hooked blade went into him from behind as he tried to get away.
"I do not see why you have such a strangely shaped weapon," said Yaku. "It is curved like a fish hook. If you try to move backwards with it at your side, it will cut into you from behind. If you use it to stab someone, it will not work properly, being curved. The best you can hope for is poking them with its curved outer edge. Shoving rather than cutting does not bode well for you in this or any other fight. Not against someone who is trying to kill you."
Kira lurched forward to get the sword out of his shoulder and quickly moved aside before his clone could cut off his head from behind. Blood ran down his arm and onto the ground.
"Bet you're grateful you are not fighting Zalya right now, aren't you?"
Kira pressed a hand to his injured shoulder. He was thankful for that. He would not last long against a man like Zalya. He was fearful of facing the man, but was so relieved when he found Yaku instead. Yaku seemed easier between the two.
No. That wasn't true. He was just as frightened of fighting Yaku. That only changed when he realized that Yaku's mirror had no effect on him. He was mostly afraid of being rendered helpless like all those other Soul Reapers. The idea of laying helpless on the ground, feeling sorry for himself and so depressed up until his final moments frightened him so much. He didn't want to die but being forced to feel such a way would make him beg for death, just to end that empty, sorrowful feeling of worthlessness.
Kira looked over at Hisagi who still wasn't moving. He was an easy target but he was far enough from danger so Kira wasn't too worried. However, if a stray attack came his way, Hisagi would not move to avoid it. That was problematic. Kira would have to defend Hisagi while he was in this state.
That's when he realized something else.
When he fired a Kido at Yaku, he blocked with his mirror and the clone took the hit for him. The mirror did not absorb it. Did this mean that as long as he was using this attack, he could not use his mirror's other ability? Reflect wouldn't work as long as the clone was in play.
If that was the case, then Kira didn't have to worry about Hisagi being hit with a stray shot just yet. So far, he was safe.
It was only a hunch at this point. He would have to test it to be certain.
"Hado 31, Shakkaho!"
The image moved and blocked with its sword. Again, the mirror did not reflect his attack or absorb it. Apparently it could not use both abilities at once.
Which meant a barrage of attacks would be difficult for Yaku to handle.
A folly of arrows would work nicely for this but Kira was not a Quincy, so Kido would have to suffice.
"Hado 31, Shakkaho!" He fired once. Twice. Three times, then again and again. Over and over he fired the same attack until Yaku disappeared behind the cloud of dust and smoke.
Now was his chance. Yaku would expect the attack to continue so he would keep his mirror fixed to that one spot. Kira would keep firing until he got close enough, then move quickly to a different position and attack.
Kira stepped forward, his Kido attack unceasing. He got closer and closer until he was certain Yaku was only a few feet in front of him. He fired one last time then immediately jumped and attacked from above.
The mirror's smooth surface greeted him like a flat, shiny jewel. The clone was nowhere in sight.
"Thanks for the ammunition, Soul Reaper," Yaku grinned. "Reflect."
"Dammit!"
Yaku unleashed everything Kira had thrown at him. He had set aside the clone and absorbed the attacks instead of block them as Kira assumed he would do. The smoke must have been from the first few attacks landing on the clone before the switch was made.
Kira was caught in midair by the attack and disappeared in the massive explosion. It was like being hit with multiple bombs.
Not every attack landed. Some just sent him flying on a powerful gust of wind caused by the explosions. He was thrown backwards and landed on the ground.
Yaku ceased fire and observed Kira closely. He knew Kira was still alive but wanted to see what he would do next. Could he stand? Could he walk? Would he give up? He wanted to assess his condition from here and see what Kira would do next. What Kira wanted to do and what his body would let him were two different things.
Kira's arms shook as he put pressure on his hands. He struggled to a kneeling position and examined his injuries. His kimono was scorched and torn, his sleeves nothing but tatted cloth. He was burned and cut and covered in dirt, but he was still able to move.
"How foolish," Kira lectured himself. "I should have seen that coming. What the hell was I thinking? I should have known better."
It was a lot of self-pity, but it was thoughts like this that made him immune to the mirror's power.
Remembering that, Kira realized that he was stronger than he knew. Stronger than he was given credit. Weakness became strength as long as he got back up. Mistakes were triumphs if he learned something from them.
Little by little, Kira pulled himself up and stood.
"Impressive," said Yaku. "I would have thought you would lie down and quit after such an attack. I have to give you credit, Soul Reaper."
"My name is Kira. And there's no way I can give up. Not now. No way."
"Oh?" Yaku looked intrigued.
"Remembering that I'm immune to the mirror's ability made me realize that if I don't defeat you, no one can. If I give up, then it's all over. You'll just face another Soul Reaper and use the mirror on them. As long as I am able to do something, then I will. There's no way I can give up."
He was not the same person he was before. He had grown so much since his days at the academy and under Gin's command. Since the war and everything else he had to face.
Giving up would be easy. Trying would be harder. Succeeding would be next to impossible.
But he could not give up. No matter how hard it would be or how much pain he was in. He had to fight until the end. He had to give it his all and go until he had nothing left.
"So determined," whispered Yaku. "I have to say that I am impressed."
To fight so hard for others and feel such a sense of responsibility was almost overwhelming for Yaku. The fact that his mirror had no effect on him led Yaku to think that Kira was weak and would run away as soon as things looked bleak. He thought if he hit Kira hard enough with some powerful moves, he would give up and beg for mercy. Not just for himself but for others. Kira was not doing as he expected. Kira was standing strong. Knowing that the mirror did not effect him made him take up his sword and fight until he had nothing left. To fight and defeat Yaku because he knew no one else could. If he alone was not effected by the mirror then everyone else was, therefore no one would stand a chance.
"So you will fight because you believe no one else can... Because if you give up, I will continue to take people down until there is no one left to fight against me or any Quincy. What responsibility you have. What a task you have taken upon yourself."
Yaku smiled.
Kira flinched.
"In that case," said Yaku, "then I shall treat you to a grand battle. If we are destined to die, then I see no reason why we shouldn't go all out. It would be a waste. I will give it my all, Soul Reaper Kira. You and I shall battle until one of us is defeated. To the last man standing."
Was Yaku still holding back? Was he stronger than this?
"You do not want someone to take you lightly, yes? So I will give you the fight you deserve. Is that agreed, Soul Reaper Kira?"
Without thinking, he nodded.
Yaku's smile spread. "Well, then... Let's see if you can do it. Let's see if you can defeat me and save your precious friends. Think of this as a test of your worth."
"A test of my..?"
Yaku's mirror began to glow.
"I was ordered to come here and defeat as many Soul Reapers as I could. That is my mission and my master's will. You seek to stop us and defeat me in order to protect your friends. I want to see which is stronger. Which one will prevail."
A contest between Soul Reaper and Quincy.
Kira gripped the handle of his sword and prepared to deflect whatever came from the mirror this time. He was betting on it being another one of his Kido attacks but he couldn't be certain. Yaku seemed to have another trick up his sleeve.
The mirror was glowing but nothing came out of its surface. Kira didn't understand. He was waiting for an attack but Yaku wasn't doing anything. Or so it appeared.
If nothing was coming out of it then something must have been going into it.
Realizing this, Kira quickly moved out of the way. Yaku's mirror followed him but the light was beginning to diminish.
"Then it's true. The mirror was taking something in... But what?" Kira already knew that it couldn't render him helpless like Hisagi and so many others, so there must have been another ability he wasn't aware of.
"Did you notice?" asked Yaku. "You must have. You're on the move again so you must have figured out that I was taking something from you. Tell me, do you feel any weaker? Are there any changes or have you moved too quickly before it was complete?"
Kira looked down at his body. Now that he mentioned it, his arms were feeling a little weaker but not by much. He assumed it was from the ongoing battle, but Yaku must have done it to him.
"My mirror can also absorb the Spirit Energy of those it captures in the mirror. But it takes a while so that's why I don't like to use it."
"Then you going into that speech just a minute ago... That was you stalling. Going on and on like that gave your mirror more time to absorb my Spirit Energy. I noticed it glowing but you weren't attacking; just running your mouth. But you were attacking the whole time."
"So you did notice. Very clever. You're right. I was going on and on to keep you still so my mirror could work. I can only do it on someone who is standing still and my mirror must keep hold on them the entire time, so stalling is the best strategy. Otherwise I usually hide somewhere and point the mirror at someone's back while they're talking to someone else or looking at something. I'm never noticed. By the time the realize they've had their Spirit Energy taken, it's too late and they're left feeling very weak. Too bad it didn't work on you though. If it isn't complete, then I have to start all over again."
"But now that I know, I won't let you do it."
"It's like I told you. I don't like doing it anyway, so you're really doing me a favor. I just told you to be fair. You might as well know all the abilities I'm using. Don't you think?"
Kira had nothing to say.
"I figured it was worth a shot." Yaku raised his mirror. "Alright. I'll be serious. If you are so determined to protect your friends and take me down, you might as well know what you're up against. I will not make it easy for you."
"Like it's been easy so far."
Yaku smiled a little. "It's business. It's war. But... I do want to see just how far you are willing to go for these people you call friends. To protect those who might not be here tomorrow due to their career choices. Soul Reapers are always throwing themselves into danger. How depressing."
"You saying how depressing things are is depressing!" Kira was finished taking his time. He was through listening to Yaku talk. Now he had to fight. "Bakudo 63, Sajo Sabaku!"
Yaku looked at the ropes winding around his torso. He wouldn't be able to reflect this attack.
"Mirror Image."
The clone of Kira was back and took the attack unto itself. The clone was wrapped in ropes but not Yaku. With the clone's job done, Yaku sent it away. The clone retreated back into the mirror along with the Kido.
"So the mirror can't repel it, but it can take the hit for him. Does this mean that the clone thing of me is going to be bound the next time it leaves that mirror?"
"Attack and find out, Soul Reaper Kira."
Yaku was baiting him.
But at least now Kira knew what might be more effective against him. "Bakudo 63, Sajo Sabaku!"
The ropes appeared again and so did the clone which was no longer bound. The clone took the Kido again for its master, but Kira wasn't going to watch it happen like last time.
"Bakudo 63, Sajo Sabaku!"
"Ah?" Yaku looked at the ropes winding around his torso again. The clone in the mirror was taking on the first attack which meant Yaku could not defend against this second attempt. His arms were bound to his sides and the mirror dropped to the ground.
"Yes!" It was working. Kira was winning.
Yaku struggled against the Kido but there was no getting free.
"I've got him now." Kira took up his sword and moved in.
Yaku lifted his head and saw Kira coming. Then he looked at his mirror which had landed face-down. He looked back at Kira.
"Reflect."
"Huh?" Kira stopped mid-stride and watched as the mirror was propelled upward into the air by a massive blast. It had released another one of Kira's Kido attacks directly into the ground, causing it to fly into the air from the force of the explosion.
As it descended, Yaku reached out with his fingers and caught the mirror. Turning his fingers up, he rotated the mirror so it was pointed directly at his restraints. "Reflect."
The Kido shattered and flew in different directions.
"Dammit." Kira thought he had Yaku defeated but he spoke too soon.
Yaku now freed turned the mirror on Kira. "Reflect."
Kira ran from the explosions, zigzagging across the battlefield. Then he had another idea.
"Bakudo 73, Tozansho!"
Yaku looked around at the beams of light beginning to surround him, forming a large triangle. "Reflect."
The light changed directions, expanding away from Yaku rather than enclose him. Moments later, the Kido was gone.
"Were you trying to trap me inside that thing? I can easily break out of it."
Kira tried to think. He could try using that other Kido but Yaku, having already seen it, would be expecting it. He had to try something else. Something that would get that mirror away from him.
"Reflect." Kira started running again, hoping Yaku would run out of ammunition soon.
Then he realized just how close the fight was getting to Hisagi. One of the stray blasts went straight for him.
"Hisagi!" Kira made a sharp turn and went to help his friend. He threw himself over Hisagi's body to protect him from the blast. The Kido didn't hit either of them directly but it did cover them both in dirt as it hit the ground with tremendous force. Kira lifted himself up and looked down at Hisagi. "Are you alright?"
Hisagi only moaned with a sad look on his face.
"Don't worry. We're both fine."
"I'm so worthless, I can't even get destroyed properly," Hisagi moaned. "I can't even get hit with an explosion."
Kira rolled his eyes. "I'll snap you out of this. Just you wait." He looked back at Yaku. He was just standing there. This gave Kira some time to think of an option.
He saw Hisagi's Zanpakuto laying on the ground. It was no longer in its released state, which gave Kira an idea. He looked around for Hisagi's sheath.
"Taking your time, I see," Yaku called to him.
The Soul Reaper returned Hisagi's Zanpakuto to its scabbard.
"What is he doing?"
Kira used his sheathed Zanpakuto as a windmill and cried out, "Hado 58, Tenran!"
The Zanpakuto was used as a catalyst to stir up a giant tornado. The powerful wind was aimed at Yaku. The tornado nearly knocked him off his feet. Yaku hid behind his mirror and yelled out, "Reflect!"
The blast of wind was sent back in the other direction, forcing Kira to flee.
But he wasn't going anywhere without Hisagi.
"Come on, get up!" Kira pulled on Hisagi's arm. "Get up! Hurry!"
Hisagi was nothing but dead weight. He wouldn't budge.
Unable to do anything else, Kira slung Hisagi's arm over his shoulder and attempted to carry him to safety, but the wind got there first. Clutching Hisagi tightly, Kira was thrown into the air by the powerful gust, spinning at an incredible speed. When the wind finally died down, he and Hisagi were both slammed into the ground. Hisagi landed on top of Kira, his body cushioning his fall. Kira was dizzy and had the wind knocked out of him but he was alive.
"Hisagi..?" Kira lifted his head. "You ok?"
He gave a depressed sigh. He was alive but unwilling to speak.
Kira pushed Hisagi off his chest and stood up.
He was slowly figuring this out. Some Kido would be effective against Yaku. Anything aimed at him like a projectile would be easily deflected, but certain binding techniques seemed to be more effective. He couldn't easily dodge those or reflect them back at the caster.
"If I can just get it so he can't use his hands..."
Yaku held his mirror close to his chest. His gaze was fixed on Kira but he wasn't anticipating his next move. He was observing.
"He wouldn't leave that Soul Reaper behind. Even though he was dead weight, he still tried to protect him. He wouldn't leave him and save himself. If he had, he would have not been caught by the attack but his partner would have. This man means that much to him..? To risk himself for another..."
He had seen people do things for each other many times, but they were little things like holding doors open or waiting for someone to finish a test so they could travel together. It was rare to see someone put their own lives at risk for another person's. With the company he kept, it was an impossibility. Yagi would never do something like that for them. They would have risked themselves for Yagi if he were in danger either because he told them to or because they still needed him. He was an asset. It was more of a gesture of need than love.
They needed Yagi because he was intelligent and powerful. Invading the Seireitei was his idea. They all shared the same goal but it was Yagi who was calling the shots. It was his plan, not theirs. Therefore, without him, they would be lost. They couldn't carry out the mission without him. That was the only real reason why they would have risked themselves to save him.
In Mordere's case, he would have gladly sacrificed himself for Yagi without having to be asked. For him, it would be out of love. He respected and cared that much for Yagi. But not Yaku. Yaku would not risk himself for Yagi because he wasn't that devoted to him. He did not love him. He respected him and even feared him, but never loved him. That was the real difference.
"I see."
"See what?" Kira overheard Yaku's muttering.
Yaku smiled softly. "Just confirming something I already knew."
Loyalty to someone who was loved than loyalty to someone who commanded it was different. Very different.
They were forced to obey Yagi out of fear for the most part. Similar goals and feelings set aside, it all came down to Yagi barking orders at them and doing something to them if they didn't do their assigned jobs well enough.
Yagi was strong and intelligent and organized and intimidating, charming, ruthless and so much more. Everything they could want in a leader. He was someone they could respect and follow. But if he couldn't back any of it up, they would never have stayed this long. At least, Yaku wouldn't have. Personally, he wouldn't have followed Yagi this long if it weren't for certain traits and because of his position of power.
Those qualities made him obey. But if Yagi were in danger and they did not need him, he wouldn't lift a finger to help him.
Yaku closed his eyes. "You've demonstrated something I've suspected for quite some time, Soul Reaper Kira. That love trumps fear. You're more likely to go back and help someone while putting yourself at risk out of love rather than because they told you to do so."
Kira glanced back at Hisagi then back at Yaku. "So you wouldn't lift a finger to help your leader if he were in danger?"
"No, I would not. He would order us to, but of my own choosing, I would not. I only obey out of fear and because I know he is stronger than myself. But if it's a question of integrity... No, that's not the word." Yaku shook his head. "Ah, let's just say I wouldn't bother saving him at risk to myself if the situation ever occurred. I respect him, but I do not love him."
"Would you put yourself at risk for anyone else?"
Yaku thought a moment then shrugged. "No. Because there is no one out there that is that important to me in that way. There is no one that I love. You see, I have never formed a bond with anyone. I work with many people and I've lived among many people, but I did not love any of them. Like I said, I have trouble connecting with others."
"Because of that attitude of yours," Kira pointed out. "Since you never see a point in anything because it's fleeting, you've never been able to form a bond with anyone. It's as if you always ask yourself 'why bother' and then ignore it. Instead of thinking about the end, why don't you enjoy the beginning and the middle? See what happens and enjoy it while it lasts? Like with books and things. You enjoy reading them and when the book ends, it's over. But at least you can look back and remember the things you liked."
"I don't read much. I do, but... I just like watching people better," Yaku admitted. "I study them and see what they do and try to figure them out. Try to see why they do what they do and for what purpose. So I notice a lot of things about people. The way they act around others, how they behave when they're alone or think they are. For many of them, it's like they have an image to maintain. As soon as no one is watching, they act differently. Rarely do I find those who don't."
"Are you like a philosopher or something?" asked Kira. "Trying to understand people so you can understand yourself a bit better?" Kira looked at the mirror. "Or are you stalling again so you can use that power of yours?"
The mirror was not glowing like before.
"No," admitted Yaku. "I'm not using my mirror. But I will admit that there is some truth to what you say. I suppose I am trying to understand myself a bit better through other people. I still feel like an outsider, though. It's not that I feel like I can't relate to others... I just..."
He didn't know.
He didn't have a hard life compared to others. He went to school with other children and watched them play and study and socialize. He didn't engage them and they never asked if he wanted to join. He was always invisible. No one really noticed him. He sat quietly at his desk and no one ever glanced at him. He was a little on the shy side when he was younger, but he was also naturally quiet. He never had anything to say to them and they weren't very interesting to him.
He remembered sitting in the hall one day and noticed a girl waiting outside a classroom for her friend. She waited for a full hour before the door opened and the two went skipping off together. Yaku watched the girl wait for her friend without a word. She didn't seem to notice him anyway. He quietly observed her until her friend came and they left. He didn't have an opinion at the time. He only observed with quiet indifference.
He had a good family. He lived in a neighborhood where families came and moved out on a regular basis. One neighbor moved in with a small white rabbit. He kept it in a cage in the small front yard on sunny days. Yaku went over to feed the rabbit grass everyday, stuffing it through the thin bars of the cage. One day, he picked a lot of beautiful green grass for the rabbit, but discovered that the rabbit was gone. The cage was not there. According to the neighbor, he had gotten rid of it. Whether he had given it away to someone else or released it into the wild was never specified to six year old Yaku. All the neighbor ever told him was that the rabbit was no longer there. Yaku dropped the blades of grass on the sidewalk and went home.
Other neighbors came and went just as quickly as the rabbit. A young boy moved in down the street with his family. Yaku had some interest in the young boy and liked watching him play in the yard and draw with chalk on the sidewalk. He even approached the boy once to ask him a question. The boy was playing with something Yaku had never seen before and wanted to know what it was. It was a toy that changed shape in water. The boy offered to play with him and show him how to use it. The boy had a lot of interesting toys and didn't talk a lot. Yaku liked him. Then one day, as he rode his bike past the house, he noticed that the boy was gone and the family was leaving with their car packed full of boxes.
There was a neighbor who moved in to the same house. He was an old man and liked to give out candy to all the local children in exchange for listening to his stories. Yaku didn't care for the stories but the candy was good. The stories went on and on but the old man told them in such a captivating way and made it easy to listen. He was a great storyteller. Then the stories were swapped for a 'for sale' sign and the candy stopped.
Then it was Yaku's turn to move, just as a new family with children moved in next-door. He lived in an apartment, then in a house. The schools were different, too. Each year, just as he got used to one teacher, he would graduate to a new class with a new teacher and different students. Nothing stayed the same. He moved, others moved, things changed. Even stores he liked to visit ended up closing down or were replaced with something else. Here one minute and gone the next. Yaku suspected that this was a factor pertaining to why he had trouble forming attachments.
"I guess I just don't understand people." Yaku looked down at his mirror. "I don't understand why they cling so much to such fleeting things. Why they become sad, knowing it would end one day. Even if they did not know, why become attached and put themselves through such pain?"
Kira didn't know what to say.
"Quincies die, Soul Reapers die. Humans die." Yaku didn't lift his gaze when he asked Kira a soft question. "Why go through so much for someone who will die? Even if there is no saving Ichigo, why would you fight so hard for him? Is one person really that important?"
"All life is important."
"What of Quincy life? Is that important?"
Kira took in a deep breath through his nose. "It is. But you became a threat. Not all Quincies. Just the ones who attacked us. Including you. If you had stopped… If you had simply given up… I would not have to fight you."
Yaku chuckled softly. "You would show mercy to me. How kind. But…"
"I know. You won't give up. You have a job to do. You don't have to say it. This conversation is going around in circles."
"Glad we agree." Yaku lifted his head. "All you need to know is that I see you as an enemy. There is no compromise. Leader wants you dead and I don't object to that. We are simply too different. We cannot see eye-to-eye and we have different ideas. You think your way is best and we think ours is just. Simply trying to reason with us is pointless and appealing to logic is wasted because we're just too different. I know you were trying to reason with me and make me see that our methods are wrong, but I will not be swayed. Not just because of leader's orders, but because I simply cannot trust in what I do not understand."
Could they have really been that different? Even Uryu wasn't this stubborn.
"I just cannot trust in what I do not understand. I do not understand people. Not fully. I understand that they will betray each other and look out for their own interests and are ruled by their emotions. I trust that I cannot trust people. That much is certain. I trust that they are too unpredictable."
Yaku looked down at his mirror.
"And I trust that one day, they will all be gone. That is so depressing."
Kira saw the mirror flicker and knew an attack was coming.
"Perhaps I should not have said anything," said Yaku. "It's like I told you before. I am not good with words. I have trouble putting my thoughts into words. Some of the things I told you I feel I did not explain properly. Not a good portrayal at all. So I suppose we should not exchange words anymore. Let's just battle it out and see where it takes us. The other thing I trust is that at the end of the fight, one of us will be dead."
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