A Look Back

Come what may, all misfortune is to be conquered by endurance.

There was a disgusting taste in his mouth watching the sorry excuse of a sternritter crawling on the ground. He was beaten and yet he still refused to die. He was a fool to ever think his Schrift would be a danger to His Majesty, a fool he was.

"Still won't give up will you?" He said as he watched him crawl, bloodied, to a ledge away from him. His eyes narrowed and a scowl appeared on his face at the sheer audacity to still fight him.

"You're a smart man, I know you realize you don't stand a chance against me or His Majesty." The man on the ground, in turn, remained silent as he continued to crawl away. His eyes closed and he gave a quiet sigh before lifting his blade, whose edge was resting on the ground. He proceeded to walk around the man on the ground, his shield clanking against his arm. He came to a stop as he was now in front of him. A subtle sneer formed on him again as he watched him wither in pain.

"I said I could not see you, but I take that back." He raised his blade in his right hand with its sharp vulgar edge pointing down on the man.

"You are very much like those unbelievably foolish humans." And brought the blade down.

He missed. No, he dodged.

A piece of him felt impressed that he could still move with such injuries. The rest of him felt a tinge of rage welling up within him.

"So, you can still move." He stared down at the man with a still and neutral face. He could see his chest quickly rise and fall as he battled for his breathes, his huffing continued on for a few seconds.

"...I'm... Like them?" He asked in between huffs of breaths. The standing man's expression never changed from a stoic one as the grounded man shifted onto his stomach. As he continued struggling he finally threw back his previous words in his face.

"I... Thought... I've always remained calm. Made decisions based on your so called balance." His anger, never evident on his face, was beginning to tense him up.

"But..." the grounded man continued.

"... Ichigo's an idiot, so he can't do that." He shifted to look up at him, "if he wants to help, he'll just go help."

His eyes slowly closed. His hand tightened its grip on his sword. He calmed his quickened breathing as he realized the grounded man began shifting once more. He should just strike him down, be done with all this. But, something held him back. He didn't know if it was his anger stiffening his movements, or if he has being made to listen to this.

"Oriheme's also an idiot." He held himself up with his right arm, "Chad's an idiot. Ms. Kuchiki's an idiot... Abarai's an idiot..." he now sat up on his knees, still in a groveling position.

"If... I appear to be the same as those idiots... Then that makes me happy."

He returned to being a stoic. He spared no angry expression to the ground man as he finished his "speech." He internally sighed a breath of relief as he concluded his damn speech.

"Happy... You say?" He lifted his sword slightly off the ground, "I wasn't calling into question how you felt." He brought the sword up to inspect its tip, it wasn't chipped or broken. As if it would.

"I can't imagine being with them benefits you in any way." His blue eyes locked onto his own. "That is what I'm saying."

"Have you grown being with them? Compared to the few years you've spent with them, you should've grown much more in the instant His Majesty gave you power."

He planted his sword down and rested his palm on the tip of its pommel.

"If friends are there to heighten one another, it is not them, but His Majesty you should risk your Life for." The grounded man parted his lip, waiting for the sir to form his words.

"You said... The balance is a choice." He moved to a crouched position and his blood trickled from his winds onto the floor. "Given the choice... I chose to be with them... there is no self interest there... No right. No Wrong." He let out a breath he was holding and steeled himself to stare at the man standing above him.

"Because... We're friends."

The standing man's visage became dark and filled with a cold, demeaning sneer.

"I see, I understand now." He lifted his blade from the ground and held it to his right, "So, you have no intention of forsaking anything? Even though you were accepted by His Majesty." His hand quickly lifted above his head and a booming scream left his mouth.

"Then at least forsake your life, Uryu Ishida!"

A blinding flash of light from up above paralyzed him.

His blue eyes glanced up as he felt his power draining, his body became heavy, "what is this!? What's going on!?" Uryu shouted.

A small smile appeared on the standing man's face.

Oh, when did he fall?

The skyline of the buildings were now in his view. Perhaps he stumbled when he blacked out, how long ago was that? He huffed as he glanced at the huge hole in the sky that lead to His Majesty's palace. He knew what caused his sudden fall, he knew it would come. After all, he had already seen it.

Ausählen.

He continued fighting for his breath until he felt a pair of eyes on him. He turned his head to the right and saw Uryu staring at him with, huh, a concerned look?

"Why are you... Looking at me like that?" He said in between Breaths. He waited a second, to see if Uryu would say anything. He remained silent.

"Did you think I was disappointed... That... His Majesty... Robbed me... of my power?" Was he? He now thought on the words he uttered. His whole life, wasted on serving a man he knew would kill him. When in turn, he planned on killing him when he was a child. He was a hypocrite.

"Quite the opposite... I'm... actually honored he didn't... take your power." He raised his arm to the sky, he hated this. It amounted to absolutely nothing. He thought back to a certain time where he first met the "royal." His mind also drifted to a red haired boy his age.

"I'm honored... he chose... to take my power." He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. He wish he could reset.

"Because... only I... can be of service to him." He smiled. Because, he knew he'd loose. He'd shown him when they switched powers when he slept. It was cryptic and he knew His Majesty wouldn't be able to tell in time. 'Perhaps, I did keep my word.'

Uryu stood up and stumbled a bit. "Okay..." was his only response as he turned to limp away. He watched him as he continued on, he felt something in his chest. Was, was this jealousy? But, of what? That he got to live? No, he couldn't tell for now, he casted the idea aside. Uryu would play a huge role in ending His Majesty and he couldn't allow this.

"Wait... Uryu Ishida..." he called out to him.

"Your wounds... transfer them onto me before you go."

Uryu whirled around, shock evident on his face.

"I... will die soon... wounded or not... that won't change." As calls Auswählen.

"But..." he trailed off.

He found it within himself to chuckle slightly. "What is there to think about? I told you to place everything on a balance." His mind wandered.

"Decisions made... without weighing them on a balance, made hastily in doubt," piecing red eyes filled with betrayal as they laid on the ground flashed through his mind.

"...Will all end up as regret." They stayed silent for a moment, "Weigh that on a balance too, Uryu Ishida."

Regrets, unfulfilled promises, pain, and loneliness all came to him at once. If he could redo all of this, he would. Without a doubt. He could still see the unsureness on his face as he avoided his gaze. An almost invisible smile found its way to his features. He gave a sigh and stared at the sky once more.

"You should... Go help your friends."

He left.

My hand gripped the sword and rubbed my thumb over a coin in the grip. Even if things won't change, the thing is to decide as you please. To move forward as you please. I have no regrets, but one. I wished I never left you, my friend.

The one who saved me, the one who was now below me. The one I killed.

I wonder, would you still be happy? Happy that I now fulfilled our promise? I've set the scale to tip on His Majesty at any moment. I wonder if I'll ever feel that comradery again. Is it wrong of me that I want to? I wonder what you'd say,

Bazz-B.