A Quincy's Fairy Tail Special: Memories of Eminence

by Goshinzilla

A limited fathom chapter release for "A Quincy's Fairy Tail." Till 12/1 What is a memory? To some, they are pleasant reminders of the past. To others, they're horrid reminders of things best left forgotten. For one particular soul, however, they are all that and so much more. However, as she travels the country of Fiore, a chance encounter will change her second life forevermore.

Greetings, dear readers. I welcome you to a special chapter/one shot for 'A Quincy's Fairy Tail'.

Think of this chapter as a fathom event, a limited release so to speak. This is actually intended to be the 105th chapter of 'A Quincy's Fairy Tail.' However, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, for those of you both in and outside of the United States, I wanted express my own form of thanks to all of the fans of AQFT with something special. A special, one of a kind sneak preview of a story to come.

I would, however, be lying if I didn't say the characters involved didn't also play a huge role for why I'm releasing this early. For one, one of the characters involved is one my favorite characters of Fairy Tail who desperately needed more time to shine. The other…a character very near and dear to my heart. Perhaps not on the same level as Bambietta Basterbine, but one who I still find very important to me.

So please, enjoy this special, limited time release chapter. It'll be out in due time once I reach 105 proper. But for now…I just felt the need to share this.

Enjoy…Memories of Eminence.

Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo and Shönen Jump. Fairy Tail is owned by Hiro Mashima and Weekly Shönen Magazine. I own NOTHING. This is all just for fun.

---

"Good night, father. Rest well..."

Catherine Bukater looked at her father, noting how frail his body seemed. His had been a full life, one of high adventure as one of Fiore's wizards, but time and age had begun to take its toll in his twilight years. Even despite the life and light remaining in his eyes, both were muddied and unclear; his memory and cognitive functions growing weaker faster than even his physical body was.

That was why Catherine had made sure to pay her dues forward. He had done so much for Fiore and his family both, working himself to the bone in his prime to provide for his family growing up. It was the least that Catherine could do for him. She wanted to make sure he was tended to and at peace in his final years, even as she took on the responsibilities of a parent herself. Even if it hurt. Even if it broke her heart to see him like this.

Still, it mended her heart just enough to see that light in her father's eyes illuminate greatly when she had spoken, the older man saying what he could.

"Thank you, Catey. I… love you..."

Catherine nodded, wearing a beaming smile of relief, and she stepped away, leaving her father to sleep at peace.

The old man soon found himself drifting to that peace, minutes of time soon fading into blissful slumber. His eyelids began to fall, his mind relaxing in full.

Until the voice whispered within the room. An unfamiliar one, though that meant little to the old man now, his memory unreliable at this late stage of his life.

"Leon Regalia, a wizard with such an illustrious career and such a long life."

The voice belonged to a man dressed in the garb of a samurai, all of it cast in equal shades of light and shadow–a stark contrast to his mane of hair. Its color was sharp enough that the long locks of it appeared like blood falling upon his shoulders. He glanced down upon the old man, Leon, with piercing blue eyes, his irises shining so intensely that it felt as if they were burning holes through his very being.

"All those adventures, your storied past..." the intruder whispered, "All of it will be lost to time long before you pass on into the embrace of death. Truly, life's surprises for us all can be so wicked. To rob us of our memories, of our past, of our sense of self, of our very being... Truly, life can be quite wicked, to squander all of that for us, to cast it into the void. But fear not..."

The man slowly began to unsheathe the katana behind his back, moving it before himself and holding it horizontally before him. It was enough to make Leon begin to panic, his breath beginning to grow ragged.

"Deep breaths, Leon Regalia. Life can be a wicked master to one's memories, but not this blade...and certainly not I. What you will someday lose to time will be lost to you regardless... The intruder ran the thumb and index finger of his free hand across the blade, it beginning to glow and become partially translucent. He let the tip of the blade rest atop Leon's face then, holding it gently. "But now it shall be preserved… And put to good use..."

The intruder smiled then, albeit faintly, and plunged the sword directly into Leon's forehead. Though the old man gasped, there was no pain or even shock. There was nothing at all. Nothing at all...at first.

"No, don't..."

It was a sensation he was only vaguely aware of, but one he could at least understand to an extent. His memories were beginning to fade, though he could tell now that there was no chance of them coming back, not like they could in fleeting glimpses. Leon struggled then and there, weakly raising his hands towards the intruder.

"Shhh..." the intruder whispered, his katana humming with power. "Relax and let it all slip away..."

---

Catherine had been checking up on her children, to make sure they were fast asleep, only to pause at the sight of the door to her father's room. The errant, eerie blue light from within it had sent a shiver down her spine. So she moved fast, running to the door, hands on either side of the frame.

"Father!"

She saw him, still in his bed, but clearly breathing just fine. However, she then saw the intruder, a man with blood red hair standing with his back to her, a glowing katana by his side. And then… he looked over her shoulder with his piercing eyes.

Catherine flinched.

"Fear not," the man said, almost paying her no mind, "you are too inexperienced to offer anything to my blade. Kako no Dorobo has no thirst for your memories. At least not yet. But perhaps in time..."

His katana, the Kako no Dorobo, started to lose its shine. The man sheathed it and stepped up onto the window sill, looking into the night air. That prompted Catherine to step further into the room as well, yelling at him.

"My father! What did you do to him?"

"I simply sped up the process you were going to bear witness too over the next few years," the intruder said. "That is all I've done."

Then the intruder, the man known as Omoide, leapt out into the night air and vanished.

"Father!" Catherine paid him no mind for now, running to Leon's bedside, lifting him up and cradling him into her arms. "Father, are you okay?"

She pulled back, looking into his eyes...and could see Leon almost looking past her, his irises glazed over with confusion.

"Father?"

"Who...are you?" the old man asked. "I don't...know you..."

"Father, no!" Catherine held him tightly then, crying into his shoulder. "You have to remember!"

"I just..." Leon whispered, so very lost. "It's all...fading to black..."

"It's me!" Catherine sobbed. "I'm your daughter!"

"It's all just..." Leon said, his voice trailing off, "memories of nobody..."

---

(Song of choice: Route 10 Remastered, Pokemon Black and White.)

On a certain road between two certain towns within was one soul simply taking her time to go about her journey, However, she was not one for taking the low road itself as it was.

No, while most would simply walk alongside the road's path, this woman was instead blissfully walking amongst the autumn trees that dotted the side of it. Whether it was simply walking a branch like a tightrope, arms stretched out to her sides, or leap from one tree to another, she was doing anything but walking along the ground.

After all, Senna loved to be as high as she could, taking in the sights of the lands around her.

"And a hop!" The woman made a impressive leap from one branch to the next, balancing precariously on it as she landed, finally finding her balance. "Whew, there we go!"

Dressed in black like a shinigami, a large red obi tied like a ribbon in the back, Senna was not quite what she appeared. Oh, there was shinigami in the mix, but she once had much more flowing through her soul than just that. More than she could count, sometimes overwhelming so. So many memories that would eventually conflict and start to make her breakdown from the overwhelming nature of it all. However, that was then. Since finding herself in this new world known as Earth Land, she had never experienced a moment like that, not once.

However, she was unsure of how she had ended up being able to do so, as well as how she had ended up in Earth Land. She could remember so much, but not how she had gotten here.

How she had survived sacrificing her everything, her entire existence, to save the world.

To save...

To save...

Senna stopped then, arms dropping by her side as she lower her head. She held herself still on a single solitary branch, trembling slightly.

"Ichigo..."

Senna shook her head, trying to clear it. She smacked her cheeks with both palms to force herself past her doldrums. She knew he was fine. She had...helped save him and everyone else. And this world, this Earth Land...this was surely a true Heaven, was it not?

No, probably not. While it was so much easier here than the world she had known, it was hardly a perfect, blissful land. There were still people in need. People Senna had helped along her journeys to take in her new home. At first it had been simple things here or there. Fending off bandits with her zanpakuto and kido. Simple tasks to brute force her way through and give those in need a smile to show them that everything would be okay.

And that suited her just fine. Helping people was something she enjoyed doing. In fact, one of her fondest memories was helping a lost boy reunite with his father. As long as she could see peoples smiling faces, it was always worth the effort.

"Hmm?"

Senna paused, catching sight of someone walking the road. They were dressed in black, a white bow in their long dark hair, carrying a kendo sword, or shinai on their back. However ,they were moving rather slowly, a tired gait in their step. And then, quite suddenly, did they collapse.

"Oh no!" Senna was quick to move then, jumping down in a crouch by the fallen traveler. She put a hand down on the woman's back, trying to rouse her. "Hey, don't be dead, okay?"

Senna turned the woman over then, prepared to check her heart beat, to find a pulse, to make sure she was breathing, when she was suddenly startled by a very particular sound.

The woman's stomach was growling.

And then the woman's yellow eyes suddenly shot open, a blush spreading across her face.

"You did not hear that," she said, eyes narrowing as they looked at Senna.

Senna could tell the woman was embarrassed and trying to mask it with a cold seriousness, something she was all but used to thanks to a certain someone she had once known. So she played along, giving a friendly smile and shrugged. "Heard what?"

The woman on the ground sighed, slowly sitting up. It was then that Senna took in her appearance more, noting the long button down black coat she was wearing, one that went down to her legs, a pair of matching tights underneath, white boots lower still. However, what was most telling was the lack of a satchel or any way to carry anything save for the clothes she wore and the sheathed katana on her back.

"Did you not...bring any food with you?"

"I did," the woman began to answer, "but the dark guild I went to face destroyed it all in combat. No, that's not it. I would not have allowed them to destroy my food or extra garments. Not in combat, but one of them used a spell that poisoned my belongings. To eat or drink any of it would have led to a slow and painful death. They had hoped I wouldn't notice their last resort when I felled their guild master, but they were wrong. So I abandoned it all, destroying it and the poisoned clothing as well. I was hoping to make it to a town on an empty stomach after the battle, but...I will still make it."

The woman forced herself to try and stand once more, but her body was tired, no food to have given it energy to replenish what had been lost in the battle, and she simply fell back down on her bottom.

"Hey, take it easy!" Senna said, catching the traveler for a moment. "Look, I've got some food right here in my backpack, so just relax."

"This is not your concern," the woman said, now not even looking at Senna.

"Oh yes it is!" Senna snapped. "You might be too darn stubborn to ask for help, so that's why your tummy had to speak up for you! It was all 'Help me, random lady who came down from the trees!' So I'm going to answer its pleas and stuff you silly whether you like it or not."

"You really are an odd one," the woman said, shrugging.

"Because I want to stuff you silly?"

"Because you were walking amongst the trees."

"Hah, guilty as charged," Senna said, smirking. She switched to a serious expression then. "But...I just like it up high. It's...relaxing. Calming. And I can see where I'm going in full. No surprises out of the blue."

"I would have imagined someone as carefree as you appear would take them in stride," the traveler said.

"No, I...don't always find them for the best," Senna sighed. "Too many lifetimes and too many...surprises that creep back into my memories."

"Again, you are an odd one," the traveler continued, "but...it suits you."

Senna could see a slight smile forming on the traveler's face, and it was surprisingly infectious. Senna smiled as well in return, though much more broadly. "Now let's get to making sure your belly doesn't ask for any more roadside assistance," Senna said, pulling her travel bag off her back. "I know I've got some... Ah ha! Perfect!"

Senna held before her a bottle of water and a perfectly wrapped grinder."I got this in the town down south! Their spring water is divine and the deli? Oh, the sandwiches were so good that I had two more made before I left town! So here you go!"

The traveler looked at Senna with a sigh, knowing she was not going to get out of eating and drinking here and now. No, she could protest all she wanted, but this Senna woman was as persistent as the growls of her stomach. So she relented, accepted the situation and took what was offered to her."Thank you..."

"It's Senna. And you're welcome, Miss...?"

"Kagura. Kagura Mikazuchi."

---

" Huff...Huff...Damn it all, this is ridiculous! How could I, a mighty arrancar, be brought down low by a mere human!?"

It should have been impossible as far as Jorge Ruiz was concerned. Before he had his mask bitten off in a battle, he had been a mighty Gillian, one of the highest levels of power that a hollow could hope to obtain. He has consumed his own brethren, again and again to obtain such power, and gained even more once he took up a humanoid body.

And yet, and yet, he was completely powerless before this mere human!

The man in question had dealt with his sonido, Cero's and zanpaktou with only little difficulty. No matter what manner of attack he had tried, each and every single one of his blows has been countered.

And the worst part of it all, was that this damned human refused to utter so much as a word to him. Did he think he was that superior to him!?

"Damn you, I'll make sure you'll regret this!" Jorge swore as he lifted himself off of the ground. "I'll show you what happens when you pick a battle with an arrancar, you foolish human!"

But once again, he was met with silence.

Jorge snarled with contempt before he pointed his right hand at the masked began to charge up the most powerful cero he could muster. "Die!'

A red blast of reiatsu hurtled towards the mage, but the man didn't look the least bit concerned. He swung his sword at the cero, and cleaved it in two ...and completely vanished from Jorge's sight.

"What! Where did he-Gurk!"

Jorge felt it, a sharp cold sensation that ran through his mind section before he completely lost all feeling below his waist. He fell to the ground then, in two separate halves.

The arrancar let out a cry of anguish, the pain simply too much to bear before he began to curse. "Damn you, you stupid human! Damn yo-"

He never got the chance to finish his sentence, as the sword plunged itself right through Jorge's heiro with little resistance, silencing him forever more. The arrancar fell to the ground then, as his blood began to pool out from his body.

The wizard had little in way of a response, simply looking coldly where the arrancar lay. It was far from the first life he had taken this way, and he knew that it wouldn't be the last. No, not just life. Memories.

He could still recall it, his life before he ascended to the ranks of Guild Master. One day he had awoken, without any memories to call his own. No family, no friends, nothing. He wandered aimlessly, in search for any sort of answer to his past. But, he found none.

While on his journey of self discovery, he had discovered that he could learn magic. Eventually, he had found himself in the company of a dark guild, though far from one of its strongest members. He was, at most, a mid card, an average joe...A nobody.

That was until he and his guild had one day partaken in a raid omg one of the Magic Councils magical vaults, said to contain all sorts of powerful and forbidden magical items. The raid had been led by one of the members of the Oracion Seis, Hoteye. He had been all too eager to find whatever value items he could find, then sell them off to the highest bidder on the black market.

And so he had, as the raid had allowed them to easily overpower the Rune Knights who had stood guard, and sold the contents for all they were worth. All save for one. A simple magical katana, which he had taken for himself.

At first, the weapon didn't seem like anything too special, only having a higher cutting ability than the average sword and nothing else. Still, given his affinity with swords, it felt like the one item he could take for himself. That was, however, until he had claimed his first life with the blade. Memories not his own flooded into him...and as a result, both he and the blades power had increased dramatically. Kill after kill, memory after memory, he began to climb through the ranks until at long last, he killed his own guild master and became its new leader.

Now he was considered amongst the strongest of the dark mages under the command of Oracion Seis, and with it, he began to climb the ranks of magic councils most wanted lis

Yet even now...he was still unsatisfied. The rush and power of the memories had been intoxicating at first, akin to some of the greatest highs known to man. But now? The memories did little to sate his desire. Both for strength, and the void left in his soul.

"Master Omoide, Master Omoide! Ah, there you are!"

Almost lazily, Omoide turned his head towards one of the dark mages under his control, the man stopping just a few feet short of him. "I see that you were successful on your latest hunt. Was it satisfactory?"

The white-haired mage simply closed his eyes as he sheathed his sword. "It would appear that arrancar have much longer memory than the average human. In this regard, he was... satisfactory. However, it appears that I am unable to absorb the memories of the souls that made up his existence. How disappointing."

The power he had managed to obtain from the arrancar had certainly been of a higher quality than a normal mage, but it wasn't to the same extent as he had hoped. At most, he surmised that his MPF had increased by 500 or so MPF. While certainly not a small increase compared to the average mage, it wasn't anywhere near satisfying enough.

He wanted, no, needed, more. So that he could one day ascend to the highest ranks possible amongst the Balam Alliance. He refused to be a simple 'nobody' that would be forgotten. No, he desired to be someone of importance, to be feared throughout the kingdom. No life, no memory, be it from man, woman, or child, was safe from his blade if it would one day help him to achieve that goal.

But simply going after people with a large number of memories, such as the Elderly, had yielded subpar increases of strength. While the quality of ones memories certainly played a vital role in his increase in strength, that wasn't what truly satiated the sword. No, for a meaningful powerup, what he needed where memories that were really, truly cherished. For most humans, they only had a handful. From wedding days to the birth of their child, the number of memories that were held in truly high regard could typically be counted on one hand.

Still, quantity had a quality of its own in regard to memories, so at least it hadn't been a complete waste of time. He began to walk forward, not paying his own underling even the slightest bit of attention... until he came to an abrupt stop, as his sword began to vibrate wildly within the confines of its sheath.

"What...is this?" Omoide exclaimed as he felt his weapon trying to turn around to point in an entirely different direction. Curious to the blades action, Omoide took the blade out from his hip and released it. The blade floated in mid air then, and pointed north, before it tried to shoot towards the general direction. However, before it got far, Omoide appeared before it, grasping the blade with his left hand as it shuddered in his grasp.

Without so much as uttering a word, his head turned north, before a small smile etched itself onto his face.

"I see. You're detecting a powerful collection of memories now, aren't you?" Omoide asked his partner. The sword ceased its shuddering, as if to answer his question. It was the only way Omoide had been able to truly communicate with the sword. Limited, but effective.

The dark mage laughed in response to its 'answer'. "Very well, you've convinced me." He said to his partner before he turned towards his subordinate. "You. Inform the others. We're heading north."

The dark mage blinked. "N-north? But sir, whatever for? The only thing that's out there is a bunch of small towns. We won't find anything of value there."

Omoide chuckled. "Perhaps not in terms of monetary gain. But for power? Oh...I do believe our days taking orders from the Oracion Seis will be soon behind us if I can acquire that kind of memory."

No, not just Oracion Seis. From the quantity of cherished memories he could sense through his sword, if he were to obtain them all... he'd become nigh unstoppable.

---

Not long after finishing her impromptu and unexpected food and drink, Kagura was back on her journey, talking rather diligently to the next town. However, now she was not alone. "So which town are you going to?" Senna asked, hands behind her back as she popped up on either side of Kagura.

"Begonia," Kagura said simply enough. "I was going there for a job request my guild received and-"

Senna suddenly appeared before Kagura in a flash before Kagura, eyes wide with excitement. "You're one of those wizards in a guild? Ohmigosh! I wish I was!"

"You don't have a guild?" Kagura asked. "But...that sword?"

"Oh, this nifty little thing?" Senna said, taping the sheath. "Yeah, there's...a lot of memories tied to it. But...never any as part of a magic guild. We didn't have any of those back home."

"What brings you here then?" Kagura asked, curious about this woman before her.

"Beats me!" Senna said, putting her hands behind her back, kicking out her feet with a little extra oomph as she walked ahead of Kagura some. She turned, walking backwards and kept up the conversation. "I just...was here all of a sudden. I shouldn't have been...anywhere, but...here I am."

Kagura was about to say something in regard to reiterating how odd Senna was, even if it was in a charming manner, but she thought better of it. She had seemed so very...sad when she had spoken just now, her word choice concerning Kagura.

With that in mind..."Perhaps you should join one then," Kagura said simply, the duo walking along still, never losing eye contact.

"I mean, I have thought about it, but I've been keeping busy with doing good deeds as I explore this kingdom," Senna replied. "And besides, who'd want to take in a stranger in a stranger land?"

"Clearly you don't know the guild master of Mermaid Heel," Kagura said, smiling ever so slightly. "She's just like you, a stranger to this kingdom."

"You know her?" Senna asked.

"Know her? She's my guildmaster. The one who helped me master the art of the sword. And I'm sure she'd be willing to let you join as well. You seem to hit the mark of a true Mermaid Heel wizard."

"Even though I'm not a wizard?" Senna asked, giggling slightly. "Even though you're not a wizard," Kagura replied. "Still, perhaps I have gotten ahead of myself. We have only just met, but..."

"But...?" Senna repeated, looking at Kagura quizzically.

"Traveling like this can be so lonely," Kagura said, her gaze casting downwards as Begonia Town came into view on the horizon. "I found...relief in Mermaid Heel. And even still, sometimes these guild missions can still exert their toll on me, walking along. And you...you've been clearly doing it for a longer time than I."

"I'm not lonely," Senna replied, shaking her head.

"Senna," Kagura said, peering into her heads. "Don't you lie. I can see it etched upon your face."

Senna flinched, eyes blinking, before she sighed. She put a hand to her head, eyes closed. "What is it with you quiet and surly types that get in over your heads with seeing right through me? And wanting to hang around me?"

Senna looked up at Kagura, eyes wide at last.

"Yes, I get lonely. And I...I hate it. But... I have a lot of good memories stored up here, okay? And ones of...someone I know is safe...are enough to keep me going."

Flustered, Senna hopped upwards, landing on a tree branch and began to make her way towards the town at her own speed, picking up her pace with flash step.

"Senna."

"Gah!" Senna cried out, seeing Kagura suddenly matching both her balance and speed, hopping from one tree branch to the next. "Where-where did you come from!?"

"The road," Kagura said simply enough.

"Shut your big fat mouth!" Senna said, both amused and surprised, her tone a playful one. "Y-Y-You know what I meant!"

"I'm afraid I do not."

"Don't play coy with me," Senna sighed, rubbing her head as she kept moving. "How'd you hop up and here and start keeping pace with me?"

"Magic," Kagura explained, not looking at Senna, keeping her focus on the way forward. "And training."

"Right." Senna shook her head and grumbled under her breath. "You're not a shinigami, but you can still match speed with one even when I'm using flash step. Then again, I'm not exactly one myself..."

Senna's voice raised to its normal volume then.

"Okay, so magic and training is the how, but why?"

"Because you seemed distraught and I was worried," Kagura answered simply enough. "Is it any different than why you came down to check on me?"

"No, I just... Hngh." Senna caught herself looking towards Kagura, forcing herself to keep her eye on the 'road' ahead. "I...appreciate it, I really do. I just..."

"You seemed to be overjoyed at the notion of joining a guild," Kagura continued, "but now you resist my company."

"It's not like that!" Senna retorted. "It's... It's..."

"During your travels, you could have applied to any number of guilds. It's not like it would have impeded your ability to travel, not with the job requests you'd find available to you." Kagura was looking at Senna then, still leaping from branch to branch without even keeping an eye on them. "But there's something more to it, isn't there?"

Senna sighed, stopping on a branch just outside the end of the road and the entrance to Begonia Town. "It's just... I had someone perfect by my side already. And I don't think anyone can measure up to him. Or maybe..."

Senna looked at Kagura then, face wavering.

"...Maybe it's because I don't want to give anyone the chance to take his place in my memories."

Kagura stopped as well, looking back to Senna. "A foolish sentiment."

Senna flinched before she got huffy and snapped at Kagura. "Hey! Don't go acting all rude with me! Not when I'm spilling my heart out here..."

Kagura's expression shifted slightly, a moment of vulnerability flickering out from her. "That's not what... The sentiment is foolish, but I expressed that incorrectly. I simply mean that you have no reason to fear another taking this man's place in your memories. I...I had a home once. And it's gone. Burned to the ground. And while I search for the only family I had left, while I mourn those I knew who died that day... Mermaid Heel is a new home and a new family, but there is room in my heart for both."

Kagura leapt to the branch Senna stood on, looking her right in the eyes, her own sharpened but oddly...comforting.

"You have nothing to fear of allowing another in your memories. If this man means as much to you as it appears, you will never lose sight of him no matter who else you let stand beside you. So please...consider my offer to join Mermaid Heel. You don't need to walk Fiore alone."

Senna took off then, pushing her flash step to its absolute maximum capacity, wanting to leave Kagura and her magic and her training in the dust.

She need not have worked so hard to do so, Kagura remaining still as she stood alone now in the trees. "I...misspoke."

The wizard leaned back against a tree, grabbing the sides of her arms with both hands tightly, lowering her head. Kagura's expression shifted slightly, a moment of vulnerability flickering out from her.

"I'm sorry, Senna. I..."

---

Senna stood within the hustle and bustle of Begonia Town, wandering among those who crowded the streets. She felt a little more relieved now, at least outwardly, but internally...

She knew she should not have run off on Kagura the way she had. It had been so sudden, not giving the wizard a chance. She had spoke out of turn, but Senna felt it in her gut that she should have at least let her finish. Enough so that she sighed.

"That was rude of me," she whispered under her breath as she stopped dead in her tracks. "I guess we both were- Oh!"

Senna gasped, the crowd suddenly shoving her a little with its rapid movements to and fro. It sent her stumbling forward, leading her to see a man in black and white robes ahead of her, his red hair quite striking, though not as much as the katana strapped to his back.

"Sorry!" Senna gasped, bumping into him. "Seriously, this is all so- Whoa!"

Senna stumbled forward past him then, seeing the man continue to move in the direction he had been heading.

However, what she did not see was a smile adorning his face. The man could feel the sheathed sword on his back vibrating ever so slight, its magic power humming into his very soul.

"She's not like our usual targets," he whispered. "Far too young to have many memories worth obtaining, but... You sense it too, don't you, Kako no Dorobo? She has... priceless memories. They may not be many, but with how much she seems to cherish them…"

The man who called himself Omoide did not know how that was possibly, but he did not care. It was far too tantalizing to ignore.

"This woman," he whispered to his sword, "shall be our victim tonight. Her and those precious memories..."

---

(Song of choice, Always be with me in mind, Bleach Memories of Nobody OST)

Night fell upon Begonia Town, most who called it home or a tourist attraction having turned in for the evening. Not all of them, a scattered few enjoying the night life, Senna among their number.

The shinigami walked a fine line along balance and a fall, carefully working her way across the edge of a building. Once again, she felt so free, both in mind and body. She could focus as far her eye could see, take in all that the town had to offer under the moonlight.

"Mmm..." Holding her arms out to the side for better balance, she stepped out onto a rope running between the buildings, knowing she had nothing to fear. Her balance and poise were both impeccable, but Senna knew the fall could not phase her even if she did so much as slip up.

It had been such fun, having someone she could just talk to like that again. In so many ways, that Kagura had reminded her of the one who had stolen her heart. Sure, she had seemed a little gruff at the beginning, but it quickly became clear that despite this, Kagura had a caring heart.

"Join a guild huh? Yeah...I bet that would be nice."

Her words had not left Senna even after all this time. It had certainly been a tempting thought in the past, and especially now. To finally have a place to belong, to be in the company of friends and comrades who would fight by her side? She would have loved nothing more.

But... with that new companionship came with its own share of problems. Kagura hadn't been wrong in that she had been afraid of losing that special connection with Ichigo, that perhaps someone someday may end up replacing him in her heart, but that had only been only one of the problems of preventing her from making another connection.

Senna had quickly come to love this brand-new world she had found herself in, truly. But her travels had quickly made it aware that while this was a world filled with many wondrous things, it was also filled with just as many dangers. Monsters, dark mages, and perilous terrain, there were many things that could unexpectedly take the life of even the strongest of wizards.

Yes, she could make new bonds, especially within the confines of a guild. But with so many new friends, yet so many dangers, there would simply be no way for her to protect them all.

And sooner or later, either from the many perils of mage work, or even the passage of time...she would one day lose those bonds.

Sure, she'd still have the memories of those bonds...but she already had more than her fair share of memories. At least, she had. Enough to last a million lifetimes, and while she could only recall bits and pieces of each...many of them came with their share of pain and loss.

She had felt it once, while she was kept captive in the Valley of Screams. The losses of Fathers, mother's, brothers, sisters and friends, even the loss of one's son or daughter. She had felt and experienced them all at least once. Each of them had worn away at her in their own way, depending on how clear the memory was.

Yet none of these memories of loss had been her memories. None except for one. And it was the loss that hurt most of all.

The loss of Ichigo Kurosaki.

Oh, he wasn't dead, thank goodness. She had committed the ultimate sacrifice to ensure that never came to pass, but it still didn't change the fact that she would never see him ever again. There would be no reunion, no second chance. Nothing.

Perhaps it was because this was a bond and memory she had made of her own, and not simply experienced second hand, that it had hurt most of all. And no matter how many days had passed, how many people she met and helped, the pain simply hadn't faded away like the rest.

"If I ever do join a guild, if I make more friends... I'll just wind up feeling that pain all over again, won't I?".

Was this to be her life now? To wander this new land for the rest of her days, moving from one place to the next to avoid making more bonds? To help someone out, yet never make a meaningful connection?

No, this was simply how things had to be.

To now and forever be...alone.

"Ichigo, I -"

"Help me! Please!"

(Song of choice: Rush to the Scene, Bleach Memories of Nobody.)

Senna was snapped out of her reflections, the shinigami hearing the sound of a commotion in the distance. She pitched her body forward, leaping off the rope straight to the next building. As she landed on its edge, she could see a band of ruffians causing a disturbance in the city streets, flinging around magic both at themselves and the citizens still out.

"Hey, you jerks," Senna shouted, leaping down to the ground in a crouch, her hands touching the cobblestone pavement. "How about you pick on someone your own size!?"

One of the bandits guffawed at Senna's request. "Oh, and what'll happen if we don't, huh? You're pretty short yourself. So how's about we teach stupid girls like you a less-"

The man didn't have the luxury of finishing his taunt, as Senna's foot slammed onto his face, toppling him to the ground. His fellow guildmates let out a surprised gasp, before each of them attempted to strike her down with a various assortment of weapons and spells.

"Gah!"

Yet, in the blink of an eye, Senna's had already drawn her zanpaktou from her sheath, and simultaneously managed to cut down the 8 or so dark mages that had surrounded her.

"What the hell?!" One of the surrounding dark mages exclaimed.

"She took down over half a dozen of our members with just two moves!"

"It's her! She's gotta be the one the boss is after!"

Well, that certainly got her attention. She turned around, looking at the one who had uttered that last sentence. "Oh? Your saying that you're boss wants me?" Her expression changed then, from serious to horrified, though in reality it was a mocking facade. "Oh no! What does your big scary boss possibly want with little old me?"

"Doesn't matter!" One of the mages shouted as he prepared a water spell in the palm of his hands. "Cause we're going to take you down, you dumb broad! Water Shot!"

The bullet of water hurtled towards Senna, but the shinigami slashed through the projectile with the same ease one would swat a fly.

"No way!"

"That's impossible!

"Relax, she can't possibly dodge if we all fire at her at once!"

"Get her!"

A barrage of countless spells made their way towards Senna, the remaining dozen or so dark mages having made good in their plan. However, Senna wasn't the least bit concerned. Compared to 'The Dark Ones' she and Ichigo dealt with, these wizards were nothing more than braggarts.

She ran, not even bothering to waste any reiatsu on flash step as she headed towards the onslaught of spells. She sucked underneath a ball of fire, before she twirled to the left to avoid another two spells, and swung her zanpaktou through an incoming earth spell, the massive rock cleaved in two like a hot knife through butter.

More spells were cast her way, but each one was as futile as the last. Finally, Senna had closed in enough on one of them and swung the flat end of her sword against his chest, knocking him into one of his comrades. A dark mage to her right drew his sword and attempted to swing it down on her, but Senna twisted her body away from the strike and slammed the flat edge of her sword behind his head, his face hitting the earth.

"Damn you!"

A large and macular dark mage rushed in, this time with a large magical flail, the weapon shrouded with darkness. Senna jumped over the large ball as the weapon destroyed the ground below and landed on the length of the chain before she ran along it and slammed her sword against his head. The oversized man letting out a painful yell as the dull part of the blade came into contact with her sword and fell the the ground with a loud thud.

"Holy shit! She just took out Boris!"

"Yeah, and with one hit too!"

"Let's get the hell out of here! No pay is worth fighting her!"

The remaining dark mages attempted to make a run for it, running as fast as their legs could carry them.

Senna, however, had different plans.

"Oh, I don't think so."

Before any of them could even register the sound of her words reaching their ears, the woman appeared right before their eyes, her sword seeming to strike nothing but air. However, before they could ponder as to what had just happened, a sharp pain ran through their bodies, with each and every single one of them crying out in pain before the lot of them collapsed to the ground.

Believing the battle to be over, Senna turned around and casually placed the flat of her blade against her shoulder as she gazed at her defeated enemies.

"What do we have here?" the closest one said. "A pipsqueak with a big mouth?"

"Yeah, yeah," Senna said, scratching at the back of her head with some degree of irritation hidden behind indifference. "It helps with making my bite just as bad as my bark."

"And a smart mouth on you too," one of the four ruffian said. "Boss, we should show her what really smarts."

"Blah blah blah," Senna interrupted, miming the man by motioning with her right hand, her voice deepening in mock impersonation. "Let me guess, the next line from you four is gonna be 'We're the Brothers of Death and you should fear our wrath, girl.' Am I right?"

"So," one of them said, beaming with pride, "you have heard of us."

"...Oh God, I was kidding," Senna sighed before playfully shrugging. "Nope, call it an educated guess. I never heard of you four dopes."

"Oh really?" The news did not seem to deter the quartet, nor take the wind out of their proverbial sails. "Well that's a real shame. Then let us introduce ourselves."

The group all struck multiple poses then, doing their best to be menacing.

"Smash! I am Zhànshì, The brawler of Brutality!"

"Die! I am Shāshǒu, the Defiler of Death!"

"Swift! I am Shǎndiàn the Quick Strike of Silence!"

"Burn! I am Huǒyàn, the Flame of Fury!"

Finally, they stuck with one simple pose, glaring at Senna with hotblooded fury.

"And together, we are the Brothers of Death! And now we shall burn our existence in your memory, pipsqueak."

Senna returned their glares then, the sinenju's irritation burning past her outward indifference. "No."

"No?" Huǒyàn asked. "What do you mean no?"

"Simple. I don't want any part of you in my memories."

The quartet suddenly felt it then, a massive pressure coming down upon them from on high. They tried to struggle against it, but it was too no avail, the four of them dropping to their knees.

"This...woman..." Shāshǒu gasped, struggling to get the words out. "She's...some kind of monster...! What kind of...magic is this?"

"Not magic," Senna said, looking at them, twin tears forming at the corners of her eyes, their threat to her memory still lingering. "Spiritual pressure. I'll draw my zanpakuto when I need to. And you four...aren't going to get that out of me. Or be committed to memory."

Senna saw the four finally pass out from her power, the Sinenju relaxing at last, sighing. She was not used to be...so angry before, but her memories, those that truly belonged to her, were far too precious. Especially of...

"Impressive," a voice called out from behind her. "Even trash such as them would require the average wizard to at least lift a finger, but you brought them low without even moving. What a fearsome magic this 'spiritual pressure' is."

"I just said it's not magic..." Senna sighed again, turning to see who was talking to her...and was greeted by the sight of a man in white and black robes lunging at her with a sword. "What the-?"

Senna managed to evade his strike with flash step, her feet skidding across the cobblestone as she came to a stop, facing the man's back. She grabbed her zanpakuto and unsheathed it then, feeling an aura of unjust evil within this man.

"Oh, isn't that nice," Omoide said, looking at Senna then, a terrifying visage echoing from his eyes. "I am worthy of your sword...just as you are of mine."

"Who…are you?" Senna asked, her hand resting back onto her sword. This man…he's nothing like the others. He's strong.

"I am the swordsman Omoide. Though you will not remember it for long."

Senna gripped her zanpakuto with both hands, taking a deep breath. "What? You think I'm not going to live long enough to remember it?"

Omoide shook his head. "Far from it. You will live a long time, but anything you've experienced up until now will leave you. After all..."

Omoide raised his katana high above his head with both hands.

"Kako no Dorobo will take all your past...and make it pure power."

Senna flinched. "My...memories?"

"And then, without them, you will be just like all the victims who have proceeded you. You'll be nothing. Nobody."

Senna heard that.

Every word of it.

With every inch of venom that the words had been soaked in.

And she snapped.

(Song of choice: Frenzied Battle, Bleach Memories of Nobody.)

She lunged at Omoide with flash step, her katana going right for his heart. The malevolence in human flesh, cloaked in light and dark, was ready for the attack, parrying it, his blade skirting along the edge of Senna's own as he moved to the side. However, as he did so, he grit his teeth, Omoide feeling the tip of Senna's blade slice into an arm, blood staining the cobblestone.

Senna, meanwhile, let herself go for the moment, knowing her burst of anger would do her no good. She let it slip away, giving in to tranquility. Tranquility and gravity. Her body fell back, Omoide's sword cutting through the space her upper body had been occupying.

Senna reached out, placing her free hand on the ground then, her fingertips just barely making contact as she went down. Then, she pushed away, giving herself momentum to pop up.

And disappear in a flash.

"What?" Omoide saw the shinigami vanish from sight, but he felt her movement, abet faintly, in the night air. Turning, he saw Senna just as she appeared against the wall of a building, crouching against it. It was a momentary sight, the wizard just barely noticing Senna's feet push off the brick and mortar.

And then she was gone once more.

"What devilry is this?" Omoide hissed, gripping his sword with both hands. As he did so, however, he grit his teeth. Pain flew through his left arm, weakening one side of his grip. "Curse her..."

Senna appeared once more, her blade slicing through the darkness and against the weapon that thirsted for her very being. She felt it then, Omoide fall back, crimson leaking from his arm and turning the black cloth to maroon. His grip was weak, his posture starting to falter as she pushed.

Faster, stronger, hit harder. That was what Senna told herself again and again, pushing herself to her limit as she forced Omoide to lose ground. Her fighting style was there, graceful and sure, but it was intermingled with that that of one she had observed in full, that of a brash and sure young man, one who had fought for her and so many others.

"Just go down!" Senna shouted, leaping up and then slamming her zanpakuto's blade against Omoide's own sword. However, she did not stop there, using her momentum to let her katana slip off of his own, not pressing against it further, but letting her graceful nature override that of Ichigo Kurosaki's for a moment. As she spun in midair, she swung her right foot down, slamming it into Omoide's skull. It left him dazed, allowing Senna to complete her rotation and land in a crouch. She spun out then, her right leg sweeping the wizard's and sending him falling.

However, as he fell horizontally before her, Senna could see him grinning.

"Heavenly Blades of Calamity."

Senna saw it then, a faint light shining upon her left shoulder. Turning, she alloted herself just enough time to dodge a golden sword of light that shot by her face. However, that was not the end, Senna knowing the wizard has spoken the spell in a plural sense, and another shining sword of gold shot up from the ground, making Senna stumble back.

"And now you're past...is mine!"

Senna felt something poke at her skull, a cold unpleasant sensation not like one would expect from a sword. She had just the briefest of moments to use flash step then, slipping away. As she turned, she saw Omoide stand there, his katana ethereal and nearly transparent, its form ghostly and unnerving.

"What...kind of blade is that?" Senna asked. "Some kind of zanpakuto?"

"I know not what you speak..." Omoide whispered, his sword returning to its solid state. "But this sword is my destiny, and I am the living instrument of its will."

Senna's shoulders slumped. "You're nuttier than trail mix, you know that?"

Senna saw it then, flashes of light all around her, the glowing blades forming a perimeter around her.

"Huh."

"Nowhere to go, my little treasure trove of memories," Omoide said, one hand outstretched, his fingers suddenly closing.

The swords moved inwards then, but Senna was gone once more, leaving them to shatter against one and another.

"Hm?"

Omoide saw it, a sword falling upon his shoulder from behind. It lay there then, gentle and yet...foreboding.

"Leave me alone," Senna said, with just enough edge in her voice. "I won't ask again."

"I can't..." Omoide whispered, his voice teetering as it rose in timber. "I won't! You offer to much and I have to have it all!"

"Ew." Senna cringed, prepared to attack.

However, one sword of light shot up in front of Omoide, slamming into the tip of Senna's own zanpakuto. It was enough to send it moving upwards, the the wizard taking advantage of her surprise. He spun around, spinning his blade into a reverse grip, and slammed the end of its handle into her stomach.

Senna gasped, leaning forward. She felt...off in that moment, but it did not last for long. The shinigami grit her teeth, just a little bit angry, and she spoke.

"Bring them to the twilight, Mirokumaru!"

(Song of choice: Senna, Bleach; Memories of Nobody.)

Omoide felt it then, the air around him flowing inwards, all towards Senna. It rattled the wizard, the man seeing leaves begin to materialize around him. Feeling a degree of trepidation, he stepped back, hopping from one foot to the next to put some distance between himself and Senna.

Then...then he saw the woman's katana glow and change, reforming itself into a pewter staff of sorts, a red khakkhara, and it was his turn to ask what Senna had only moments ago.

"What...kind of weapon is that? This is no ordinary magic..."

A tornado formed beneath Senna's feet, lifting her up into a spin. She held her zanpakuto horizontal before her with both hands, giving herself into the power of her shikai.

No, she had to correct herself. Not her shikai, but that of a deceased shinigami. One she had inherited the memories and powers of. Power that had been put to good use, to benefit those in need, to preserve peace throughout the worlds.

And though she had left those worlds behind, she still had this world to protect.

"Curse you!" Omoide shouted, feeling the wind of Senna's released power push him back, his feet sliding across the ground. "You detestable wretch! I will not be denied all that you hold dear! My blade will drink of your mind's eye and it will never grow hungry again! Do you really think you can defeat me? Do you really think you can keep yourself safe from my power?"

"Oh, I was planning on it!" Senna swung her zanpakuto out then, waving it with one hand, and a whip of wind spiraled out towards Omoide. "Kaze utsu!"

Electricity crackled within the twister's corridor, autumn leaves buffeted outside of its existence, and it slammed into the wizard. His feet left the ground then. He began to look about with a degree of uncertainty, feeling the wind lift him away from any contact with his surroundings as he was rocketed back.

"Now just go away!" Senna whirled herself around then, snapping her zanpakuto to one side, causing the whip of wind to follow. She was intent on expelling this madman, this monster, away from town, to at least drive him away from any innocents. However, much to her surprise, she saw sparks within the tornado as it slid by a building. Sparks not caused by its own crackling, but by something else...

Then, quite suddenly, did golden light burst from within the winds, blades of solid light slicing it apart, disrupting the wind itself. And there was Omoide, the man hanging from the side of a building, his katana shoved into the stone, the sparks it was generating as it cut a groove into the structure finally ceasing.

"Was that all you could muster?" Omoide rasped, his teeth grit together as more swords of light formed over his shoulders, their blades pointed towards Senna. "Heavenly Blades of Cala-!"

"Oh no, I'm just getting started!" Senna shouted with a wink, holding her zanpakuto before her vertically. "Aki no Shoten!"

Wind skyrocketed from the ground then, three tornadoes spiraling around Omoide. As the lightning within crackled around him, the wizard screamed, his body buffeted from one twister to the next. Though he kept his sword held tightly, it was all he could do to never lose hold of it.

"And for my next trick..." Senna spun her zanpakuto in a circle, moving it from one hand to the next. Twisters fired out from one direction after another, striking Omoide from angle after angle, trapping him within the eye of multiple storms. "Aki no Moko!"

"Such...power..." Omoide hissed between grit teeth. "So much...unbelievable power... Is this...what your memories give to you? Oh yes, if this is but a taste of one lifetime of memories within your mind..."

A shaking hand moved towards the blade of Kako no Dorobo, index and middle finger sliding across its length. It began to grow ethereal once more, a ghostly sword within the grip of a mad wizard. And it...began to howl...

"If I must sacrifice all that I have take from you all that you are..." Omoide began to cackle. "Oh yes, it will be such a worthy trade! I can tell! I have spent years amassing power from other people's decades! But you... You possess such a strong and powerful memory that surpasses my entire collection! Kako no Dorobo felt it within you. The more precious the memory, the more powerful it is, and yours is by far the most powerful memory of them all! And so... I give it all away! I sacrifice the rewards it as reaped...for this..."

Ghostly specters flowed out from Omoide's blade, flashes of the past glowing from within them. The wizard turned his blade over then, holding the handle away from his body.

"What...are you doing?"

(Song of choice, Shadows Close in, Bleach, Memories of Nobody OST)

Omoide simply smiled at Senna, his every move a struggle, but he persisted.

And plunged Kako no Dorobo directly into his chest.

And the specters, the memories, all of them began to flow into the self inflicted wound. In turn, Omoide's body began to shift and change, veins bulging from beneath his flesh, eyes glowing bright red. Then he withdrew the sword from his chest, the weapon ethereal and transparent once again, even its hilt.

"To use this power, to sacrifice the memories instead of preserving them, that is the path of a devil," Omoide whispered, floating in the current of wind. "You have forced me down this road, woman, and you will take responsibility!"

Omoide raised one hand up before himself then, fingers spread out. More of his abstract swords began to appear around him, though no longer possessing a golden shine. They glowed as dark red as his eyes, burning with his apparent hate.

"It's my ultimate technique that I had saved to one day become a member of the Oracion Seis themselves! But with your memories…I'll be able to take control of the entire Balam alliance!"

A dark vortex began to swirl around Omoide's body as a dozen transparent ethereal blades began to float around him. He sneered at Senna before he swung his sword to the side, slashing an entire building in half with the shockwave of his strike.

Senna let out silent gasp as she sensed Omoide's power. This…this isn't good. From what I'm sensing right now…he's just as strong as those captains who came to help Ichigo!

She was strong for a shinigami, very strong in fact, surpassing the strength of the average Vice captain by a considerable margin. But compared to the power she was sensing now…

(Song of choice, Fight to the death, Bleach, memories of Nobody OST)

She shook her head, the grip on her zanpaktou intensifying as a gust of wind began to surround her. No, you can't just give up. Ichigo would have fought on till the bitter end! She glanced around the ravaged town, as her eyes narrowed at the one ultimately responsible. Even if I could run away, that would put all of these innocent people in danger. And because of that…because of that-

A tornado of wind formed around her as she spun around before she swung her zanpaktou towards Omoide, the tornado guided by her weapon. I refuse to run away!

But as the massive force of wind headed right towards him, Omoide leapt over the attack before he commanded his ethereal blades to shoot downwards towards Senna.

Seeing incoming hail of swords, Senna leapt back, narrowly avoiding the attack. However, just as her feet managed to make contact with the ground, Omoide had already launched another volley of weapons her way. Senna spun her Mirokumaru in front of her as a massive tornado shot forward at the incoming blades.

However, much to Senna's shock and horror, the blades didn't seem to have neither their trajectory nor momentum affected by her wind in the slightest. Realizing her defense was meaningless, Senna leapt into the air to dodge the hail of swords. Most of them had only narrowly missed their target, but one of them had managed to graze her left leg.

"Agh!" She cried out before she stood on the air to look down at her opponent. "Alright, so you managed to graze me. Big whoop. This won't be any different than that time I was outnumbered by a bunch of bandits when I…when I…"

Her eyes widened as she felt herself beginning to stutter. Why…couldn't she remember!? It hadn't been that long ago when she helped a bunch of villagers deal with some rowdy bandits. It had only been a few days ago…right? Even that particular detail seemed a bit fuzzy.

"Surprised?" Omoide asked as he glanced up at the shinigami. "I told you, didn't I? My sword feeds upon the memories of those whom it's blades cut. Those ethereal blades of mine are no different. They might not be able to steal all of your memories with one strike, but they're more than capable of wildling you down to a husk of no memories with enough strikes. You're quite fortunate that the last one only grazed you."

More ethereal swords began to surround his body as he pointed his katana at Senna. "Now, let us see how long you can last."

A dozen blades hurtled towards Senna, with the shinigami opting to use flash step to dodge out of the way of the hail of blades. She landed on the ground, her orange eyes tracing the skies best she could to try to locate him. I can't keep fighting defensively. If I do, he'll cut me sooner or later, and then that's it. I need to hit him, and hit him hard and hope that'll be enough. Because if it's not…if its not… Senna flenched, the mere thought of losing those precious memories of Ichigo simply too much for her to bare. They were what brought her true comfort in her moments alone, in her moments of sorrow. If she were to lose them…

"Well well, you're rather swift, aren't you?"

Senna's eyes widened at the unexpected voice, turning around just in time as Omoide swung down his Katana, Mirokumaru blocking the strike just in the nick of time. However, the force behind his strike was great, forcing her down to one knee, grimacing at the difference of power between the two of them. Damn it! He's gotten so strong?

"My, my. You are a rather capable warrior, aren't you? I'd say you're far strong than the average mage." Omoide said as he tried to press his Katana more against Senna's zanpaktou, the weapon shaking in her hands. "But the power of the memories that you possess is being put to waste in your hands. But once I acquire such power, they'll be put to proper use, allowing me to-"

"Shut up!" Senna shouted, using flashstep to get some distance before she channeled wing and electricity around her staff before she began to twirl it around. "Memories might be nothing more than a source of power to you, but in reality, they're so much more! They're a part of your very being, what makes a person who they are! They're a way to relive the past! A way to see friends and family that you've lost! And I won't let someone who fails to see their true value continue to misuse them! Daishu no uzu! (Grand Autumn Vortex)

A great tornado built up around Omoide, autumn leaves swirling around the enormous mass of wind as it billowed up and around the town. This was currently her strongest spell, one she normally wouldn't have dared to have utilized so close to innocent people. However, desperate times called for desperate measures. If this wouldn't do the job…then what possibly could?

Senna stared at the swirling mass of vortex, hoping, praying that her ultimate spell would be enough to get the job done. However, as she stared at the vortex, darkness began to build up around its center. Then, after hearing a loud shout from within, the darkness shot outwards, dispersing the tornado as countless ethereal blades shot out indiscriminately throughout the town. Men, women, children, all fo them were pierced by the blades as they tried, and failed, to run to safety.

"Mommy! Where's my mommy!?"

"Where am I? Oh my god, what is this place!?"

"My name! Why!? Why don't I know my own name anymore!"

"What the hell is going on!?"

Senna gasped, the devastation Omoide had unleashed upon Begonia tore at her very heart strings. She glared at the dark mage, her grip on her zanpaktou tightening and her resolve returning to her in full force as he slowly approached her. Omoide wasn't uninjured, his body littered with small cuts, but it was far from what anyone would have called a debilitating injury.

"That wasn't a half bad spell you used back there," Omoide admitted as several ethereal blades surrounded his body. "But as you can see, it's utterly futile. If anything, you forced me to unleash enough power to gain even memories. So in the end, the only one you can blame the suffering of these poor fools on…is yourself."

"You monster!" Senna shouted, anger overriding her common sense as her feet impacted off the ground as she shot towards Omoide. The dark mage simply chuckled at her defiance as several of his surrounding blades shot towards Senna. She deflected the incoming blades, wind building up and around her before she swung her zanpatkou, a vortex generating around Mirokumaru and whipping towards her foe. Omiode simply leapt above the destructive tornado before he fired off several more blades at Senna. She twirled Mirokumaru a them, deflecting two of the blades, but a third pierced through her guard, stabbing right through her shoulder.

No! Senna panicked before she grabbed the sword and pulled it out, ransacking her memories of anything important. Thankfully, she could still remember Ichigo. The day they met, the city of Tokyo, the clear blue sky of that day. In fact, she even remembered she had worn a different color of ribbon when they first met. It was…it was….it was…

Her eyes slowly widened, as realization began to slowly sink in. Wait, what was the color of it again! Red? No, orange? Green? Come on, come! You have to remember! To some it may have been a minor detail, but to Senna it was more than that. It was a part of how she met the person most precious to her. The one who had risked everything to come to her aid. The one who had stayed by her side. The one who helped her find a lost boy's parent. It was his…his…his…

NO!

"Oh, what's wrong?" Omoide taunted Senna as several more blades began to float around him. "Forget something important? Something…precious to you?"

"Damn you!"

Tears began to flow out from her eyes as a powerful gust of wind surrounded her, she shot forward, anger once more overriding her self preservation. "How could you!?" Senna demanded as she began to swing her zanpaktou at Omoide with reckless abandon. Gone was the elegance and grace associated with her zanpaktou and her overall fighting style. What took its place now was nothing more than simple, angry and predictable strikes.

Just as Omoide had hoped for.

After letting out a cry of utter anguish, Senna thrusted Mirokumaru forward, Omoide dodging to the left, as Senna's momentum carried her forward and exposed her back. The dark mage grinned and with a swing of his blade, his katana struck true, cutting Senna down her back.

"Gah!" Senna cried out, the blade running its length across her back as she stumbled forward. The shinenju panted and wheezed, trying to compose herself before she went back into the thick of things.

That…that won't be enough to beat me…No way. Senna thought as she turned around to face Omoide, her face filled with determination as a young man with orange hair came to the forefront of her mind. He wouldn't stop fighting. He never did. He kept on going, and going as hard as he could so he could protect me. And I have to do the same! I'll keep the people of this city safe. Just like…just…like…

(Song of choice: Never Meant to Belong; Second Movement. Bleach, Fade to Black OST)

Her eyes widened, her breath now erratic as the purple haired woman attempted to ransack her brain, desperate for one single thing. She could remember the young man who had found her, the one who had given her so much, the one who had stayed by her side to the bitter end. She could remember his hair, the scowl he typically had, the rare smile she had managed to catch every once and a while, and even the shape of his sword.

Except for his name.

Whatever other memories she had lost from that strike were irrelevant. Right now, she had just lost the name of the person most precious to her. The one person who had truly cared for her wellbeing in spite of her supposed lack of humanity. The one person who had fought not just for the sake of the world, but for her.

Now, she couldn't remember his name…and she never would. Now all she had was the memories of how they met when he….when he…

"No…oh god, please, NO!"

She let out a choked sob, realizing she had lost far more than just his name. How had they met? This was completely unacceptable! How could she ever forget something so important! But try as she could, try as she might, and she certainly did, the memories would not return to her.

And soon…soon he would eventually end up taking them all.

The revelation of it all was simply too much, her grip on Mirokomaru going completely slack as the weapon fell to the ground in a loud clatter. Her legs shook before she fell to her knee's, her shaky and dilated eyes staring down at the ground. "No…I…Please no…not that...Anything but that…"

Omoide slowly approached her, his katana raised above his head as he no doubt prepared himself to land the finishing blow, but it scarcely mattered to Senna. What was even the point of going on now? It was clear now that there was nothing that she could do. The dark mage, whatever his name was, was simply too strong. Sooner or later, she'd lose memory after memory in a futile struggle. Just as she had for her savior. The memory she held so dear.

The memory…of nobody.

"That's right, there's no point in trying to resist any further." Omoide said as he stood right behind Senna, his sword poised to remove her head. "Just stand still…and I'll make it painless. You won't need to suffer any further."

Senna didn't respond to his words, and simply closed her eyes. It was…fine. What did it even matter? She wasn't a human or shinigami, hell, she wasn't even real. Nothing more than just a collection of memories. She had no purpose, she was merely a traveler, moving from place to place to find meaning in her existence. And now…that pointless journey was about to come to an end.

Omoide swung the sword down, and Senna embracing the eternal nothingness that would await her…

*Crwhack!*

…Only instead for her ears to be met with the sound of steel clashing against something loud. Something…wooden?

"You…who are you!?"

(Song of choice; Come to lend a hand, Bleach Memories of Nobody.)

Tentatively, Senna looked behind her, only to let out a silent gasp. It was Kagura, the woman she had given her lunch to just a few hours ago. The swordswoman glared at Omoide, her Shinai keeping his katana at bay before she pushed herself into the attack, shoving the dark mage several meters back.

"Are you alright?" Kagura asked as she glanced down at Senna, though she suspected her answer.

Senna shook her head. "No…No I'm not. He took….he took… my most precious…memory. He took…his name…he's taken…everything!"

Kagura's eyes widened ever so slightly before she glared at Omoide. "Is that a fact? Then fear not." Kagura said as she began to make her trek forward. "I will not allow him to take any more memories from you."

"Don't…even bother."

Kagura stopped before she slowly looked around, an uncharacteristic shook etched onto her features. "What?" She asked with disbelief.

"I said…don't even bother," Senna nearly whispered. "His name is gone. Everything is gone! And no matter how long I live, I'll never know what it was. He meant everything to me, Kagura!" Tears began to flow from her eyes, the shinenju kneeling down to her feet as she began to cry. "He was the only one to see me for who I was! The only one who came to save me! The only one who cared! Without him, I-"

"You haven't forgotten him entirely yet, have you?"

Senna's choking sobs stopped, the purple haired woman slowly glancing up towards Kagura. "I…I do, but what does that-"

"I also have someone who I dearly cherish," Kagura told her. "My big brother, Simon. He means the world to me. I hope to one day become strong enough to save him from those who had enslaved him. If I were to have forgotten his name, then I too would shed tears of sorrow. However-"

Kagura placed a supportive hand on Senna's shoulder, before she gave the grieving woman a small smile. "So long as I'd have him in my memories, regardless if I knew his name…then he would always be there with me. Whoever this person who you cared so dearly for was, I'm certain that he'd want you to continue to live in spite of this, would he not?"

Senna simply stared at Kagura before she slowly nodded.

"My brother would no doubt be the same." Kagura told him. "So for the sake of those whom we continue to live for, we must not allow ourselves to give into despair. " Kagura said before she let go of Senna's shoulder and turned her attention back to her soon to be opponent. "Rather, we must continue to fight and life on in spite of it. For both their sakes…and our own."

Kagura slowly made her way towards Omoide, Senna couldn't help but stare at Kagura's back, her words reaching the depths of her very soul. …She's right. What was I thinking, just giving in like that? Senna chastised herself. Whatever his name was…I'm certain that he'd never want me to just give up and die like that! I can't just give up, because neither would he! Because in the end…to live through despair is what it means to be alive!

"Are you actually coming to that girl's aid?" Omoide asked as he looked at the approaching swordswoman with some interest. "Whatever for? Are you her bodyguard or something?"

Kagura shook her head. "She gave me food when I had none. I'm not someone who can rest easy until a debt is repaid, no matter how small. I believe that this will more than suffice."

Omoide couldn't help but chortle at her response. "She gave you food, that's what you're risking your life for? How tripe!"

"Perhapes," Kagura admitted before she game to a complete stop, her eyes piercing into Omoides own. "However, even if I hadn't owed her anything, even if she was a complete stranger, I still wouldn't let you do as you please. For anyone who would dare to steal the precious memories of someone-"

Kagura's own mind flashed through her own memories then, from her deceased parents, to her older brother, to her sensei, the members of the guild, and the scarlet haired girl who had sacrificed her own freedom for the sake over her own, before her mind returned to the present.

"Is someone I cannot allow to roam freely."

(Song of choice, Imagawa Yoshimoto, Nioh 2 OST)

The eyes of the two swordsmen met, each taking up their own particular stance. Omoide placed his katana at an even level of his own head, while Kagura simply moved her right hand onto the handle of her kendo sword, her knees slightly bent.

For a moment, there was nothing but silence between the two, each one waiting for the exact, opportune moment to strike. Then, as a gust of wind blew between them, they moved.

Cold steel clashes with Bamboo as a shockwave erupted between the two of them, shattering the windows of the entire town as their eyes never lost focus. Then, without even a moment's hesitation, they began to strike at each other at incredible speed, the air filled with the sounds of their epic clash, Senna's eyes just barely able to keep pace.

Yet, as the pair continued to strike and block blows from one another, neither had moved from where their clash had initiated. As Omoide went for a forward thrust, Kagura ducked underneath the strike, only to attempt a slash at his stomach, Omoide quickly bringing his katana back just in time to prevent the strike.

He attempted to knee Kagura in the stomach, but the swordswoman leaned back, avoided the strike before she leapt up and attempted to bring her Bamboo blade down onto one of his shoulders. Omoide brought up his Katana just in time to block the strike, but the force of her strike was far stronger than he expected, bringing one knee to the ground as a result.

To think that this girl would possess this much power! Omoide thought before he snarled and sent Kagura flying back several feet before she landed gracefully on the ground. "Ok, so you're strong, I'll give you that," Omoide complimented her before he smirked. "But are you fast enough?"

Kagura said nothing in reply, simply holding her weapon by her side once more, her concentration unshakable.

"Then let's see how you handle this?"

Before Senna's eyes did Omoide appear right behind Kagura, his sword already swinging down, mere inches away from slashing her back.

"Look ou-"

But, much to Senna's surprise and relief, Kagura had managed to turn around and block the strike, her gaze as detrimentied and non flustered as ever. "Sorry, but I've already been well trained in dodging attacks from behind. You'll find such tactics will yield you nothing in this fight."

Then, to the surprise of both Senna and Omoide, it was Kagura who vanished from both of their visions temporarily before she had already swung her sword, the Bamboo blade striking at Omoide's waist. The dark mage rolled across the ground, letting out small grunts of pain before he finally righted himself and jumped up and landed on his feet.

That...that was incredible! Senna thought as she looked back at Kagura with shock and awe. That speed...no, that wasn't her just moving quickly. It was almost like...flash step!

Omoide glared at Kagura, his hand moving to his side as he felt where she struck. "Not a bad blow," He admitted as several ethereal blades came into existence all around him. "but I believe that I've humored you long enough, girl. It's time that you become nothing more than a memoryless husk!"

A dozen of the ethereal blades shoot towards Kagura, but the onslaught of swords did nothing to deter her. Her shinai deflecting each one as they came close. After Omoide sent out yet another barrage, Kagura leapt over the volley of blades and above the dark mage, and attempted to strike him down.

However, just as her blade was about to strike, ethereal blades surrounded Omoide's body, one of them stopping her attack. The white haired man smirked, and the blades began to rotate at high speeds around him. The rotation of the blade began to increase their power, with each strike of every individual blade chipping away at Kagura's Bamboo blade before she leapt back to the ground below.

"And just where do you think you're going?" Omoide asked snidely as a massive enteral blade came into existence and shot towards Kagura. The swordswoman narrowed her eyes at the massive sword, the power behind it far greater than anything Omoide had done thus far.

"Sorry, girl. But not even one skilled as yourself can hope to possibly stop that sword! And if you decide to dodge it then that precious town behind you will be all but destroyed, adding more to my collection of memories!" Omoide declared as the gigantic blade shot forward."It's over!"

Yet, as the great blade hurtled towards their target, Kagura brought her Bamboo sword to her side, taking up a stance akin to one drawing their sword, and then, just as the ethereal blade was about to strike her, she quickly swung her Bamboo sword at it.

What followed was a powerful shockwave, shaking the entire town and then some before the smoke gave way. There stood Kagura, as countless pieces of the giant blade fell to the ground, shattered by Kagura's strike, though her kendo sword now had a large crack forming along its length.

The dark mage could only stare at Kagura, stunned by her performance. "You...just who are you, girl?" Omoide demanded.

"I'm Kagura Mikazuchi, S class member of Mermaid Heel." She replied softly, her eyes never leaving her opponent.

"An S class wizard of Mermaid Heel you say?" Omoide asked, eyebrow raised. "That would certainly explain your skill. Your guild master is considered one of the strongest in all of Isghar. Clearly, she has an eye for talent." His smirk returned in full then, as a dark energy began to surround his body. "I have no doubt that your memories will make for a wonderful addition to my collection!"

"You'll have to cut me first," Kagura commented as she took up a defensive stance. "Something you've yet to manage once during our bout."

"Oh I'll admit that I've underestimated you," Omoide admitted. "But from this point onwards you'll find that you have no chance at victory. Enjoy your memories while you still have them, girl. Because soon you'll find yourself with not a single one to your name!"

Omoide dashed towards Kagura then, moving so fast that Senna's eyes could barely keep track yet again before he swung his sword down at Kagura.

She leapt back, deflecting several of Omoide's ethereal blades as they were flung her way, but in the time that she had, Omoide had removed his sword from the ground and rushed towards her, thrusting his weapon at her throat. Kagura had managed to intercept his strike just in the nick of time, but she was quickly forced to duck as an ethereal blade had formed around Omoide and shot towards her head, the swordswoman narrowly avoiding the strike.

Kagura thrust forward with her kendo sword, but Omoide blocked with his katana before he was surrounded once more by a horde of spinning blade. As the weapons rotated around him in a deadly disc, Kagura found herself on the back foot, as Omoide's six blades constantly struck and chipped away at her weapon.

"There's no doubt about it, you're powerful!" Omoide said as he began to lash out against Kagura with his own sword, the sharp steel of his blade slashing against the Bamboo of Kagura's own, as the crack from before grew ever so slightly. "But your weapon is weak and feeble compared to yourself! All I'll need to do is simply break it and you'll be left powerless against me!"

"Is that a fact?" Kagura asked as she as she blocked yet another strike from Omoide's swords. "Then I'll simply have to defeat you before that happens now, won't I?"

"As if you could manage it!"

Kagura felt Omoide's knee small into her, knocking the wind out of her before he attempted to slash down at her with his sword. She blocked, though her knees buckled as a result before he began to wail on her with the katana, each strike sending her back before he summoned up several blades

Kagura's eyes widened as she attempted to deflect the onslaught of blades, but try as she might, one of them escaped her guard and cut her waist. Her eyes widening, Kagura quickly somersaulted away from Omoide several more ethereal blades shot downwards upon her. Finally getting some distance between them, her eyes narrowing at her foe.

"Kagura!" Senna shouted, concerned for the swordswoman's own well being.

"Well, well, well, looks like I managed to get a hit on you after all." Omoide said with a cheeky grin. "Too bad for you. So, what memory did I manage to take this time? If you can even recall it, that is?"

Kagura said nothing in return, not wanting to give the man the satisfaction he sought. From what she could sense, the memories of her sword skills remained intact and that was all that currently mattered. Still, if he continued to land glancing blows, it would only be a matter of time.

No, at the rate things were going, she'd either end up losing vital memories, or her weapon would eventually be rendered useless. While the few strikes she had landed had indeed done some damage, it wasn't to the degree she'd like. She needed to end this. Fast. But unfortunately... the option that came to mind came with its own risks.

How unfortunate. It seems as if mere sword strikes won't be enough to win this. I have no choice but to utilize those techniques if I'm to win. Then, for the first time since their battle began, she glanced down at her kendo sword. I'll just have to hope that my weapon can withstand their use long enough to claim victory.

"So, are you finally ready to surrender your memories to me?" Omoide asked Kagura as he slowly approached her. "Or will you continue to futilely resist me?"

"Neither," Kagura said as she placed her weapon at her waist as she bent her knees. "For I intend to settle this battle in the next three blows."

"Settle this battle? Within three blows?" Omoide asked before he guffawed at her proclamation. "Rather confident, aren't you? We'll see if you feel the same after I rob you of your every precious moment!"

As he spoke, over two hundred ethereal blades floated at his side before he beckoned for Kagura with his right hand. "Now, come and face me if you dare to face my overwhelming power!"

(Song of choice; Samurai Edge, Gundam Build Fighters OST)

Then, at his command, all 200 of his swords shot towards Kagura. However, rather than panic at the sheer number of blades sent her way, Kagura had instead decided to run forward, much to the surprise of both Senna and Omoide.

But why!? Senna couldn't help but think as Kagura went charging head on against the hail of swords. There's no way she'll be able to deflect all of them with her sword, there's just too many!

Omoide, on the other hand, laughed at her resistance. "Ha! Do you wish to go down swinging so badly that you'd rush head forward into defeat! I see this for what it really is! A foolish charge against an inevitable defeat!"

However, as the onslaught of blades rocketed towards Kagura, the swordswoman placed a hand of her Bamboo blade as her eyes narrowed at the incoming projectiles.

"Flying Form."

Her sword drawn, the air itself was littered with slashes, devastating the barrage of blades that Omoide had fired towards Kagura, the shattered remains of his spell falling towards the ground before they disappeared into nothing.

Omoide couldn't believe his eyes. "What!? But how!?" He demanded as he summoned up more blades before they shot out in a swirling vortex like pattern.

Kagura bent her legs before she shot up in the air, dodging the onslaught of weapons as Omoide. However, by the time that she had maneuvered out of the way, the dark mage had begun to concentrate power into the tip of his blade. "You may have been able to dodge that strike, but let's see what you can do about this one mid air!?"

A beam of darkness shot towards Kagura, the swordswoman seemingly falling down helplessly towards the attack. Yet, rather displaying any sort of panic, Kagura pointed her sword at the incoming strike before she prepared her next move.

"Strong Form."

Kagura shot downwards then, her sword piercing through the darkness as she thrusted downward towards Omoide. Before the dark mage realized that his attack had failed, the tip of Kagura's Shinai had already slammed onto his chest, sending him back several dozen feet, blood erupting from his mouth as he did.

Using his own sword to stop his momentum, Omoide snarled at Kagura as he placed a hand over where she struck him, only one to wince. There was no doubt about it, she had cracked, if not broken, several of his ribs with that attack. "Don't let that hit get to your head, girl. It'll take more than a few broken bones to defeat me!"

"I'm well aware," Kagura said as she prepared herself for another attack. "That's why I'm going to end this with one last strike."

"One last strike!? Don't be ridiculous!" Omoide shouted as his body began to clad itself in darkness before he slammed his sword into the ground, his body surrounded by an orb of darkness, its outer shell looking akin to that of a turtle's shell.

"Fool, my memory shell is all but unbreakable," he said to himself. "I've tested it under the harshest conditions. Not even the S class mages I've fought and stolen memories from have been able to crack it!"

All he had to do now was simply bide his time to unleash his most powerful spell. Sure, it may have been a bit overkill, considering he had created it to deal with the likes of Jura Neekis, but it was better to be safe than sorr-

"Slashing Form."

Pain shot through Omoide as the shell that surrounded him was cut in two, Kagura's Shinai hitting him on his shoulder. The dark mage let out a painful wail, the strike dislocating his shoulder as he fell to his knees. He glared up towards Kagura with contempt, which she met with a dispassionate glance.

"This battle is over," Kagura said as she placed the severely cracked Shinai blade on Omoide's dislocated shoulder. "With an injury like that, you'll no longer be able to properly weld your weapon."

"You're wrong!" Omoide shouted at her as he attempted to lift up his Katana. "As long as I still draw breath, you'll never -"

Not in the mood to listen to any more of Omoide's inane rambling, Kagura kneed him hard on the stomach, forcing him to tumble over. The fight now, she turned to face Senna as she slowly made her approach.

"That should keep him quiet for a while. Now, let's -"

"Kagura, look out!"

Surprised by Sennas cry, Kagura spun around to deflect a large ethereal blade. Her shinai blade cracked under the strain as her feet dug into the ground before she let out a loud shout and managed to cleave the attack in two. However, just as she had, her own blade burst into countless splinters as the tiny pieces of Bamboo feel to the ground.

"And just like that…you're completely powerless!"

(Song of choice: Showdown, Bleach Memories of Nobody.)

There stood Omoide, the man looking at Kagura with the most contemptuous state he could muster. His left shoulder was slumped, still dislocated from Kagura's earlier strike. However, in his right hand he still held his mighty katana, which he stabbed into the ground.

"I'll admit that you've managed to injure me far more than anyone else ever has," Omoide told her before he grasped his left shoulder with his right hand. "But in the end, your resistance has amounted to nothing!" Then, with a loud, and painful shout, did Omoide forcibly move his shoulder back into place, a loud cracking sound following soon after.

He twisted his left arm a few times before using it to remove his weapon from the ground. "And just like that, I'm good as new. You, however -" The tip of his sword pointed downwards towards Kagura's feet, where the splintered remains of her Shinai lay. "No longer possess any means to combat me!"

Senna felt her body tremble, her breath shaky as the reality of the situation finally began to settle in. "N-no. It…can't…. it can't end like this!" She screamed before she fell to her knees. How had it come to this? The day had started off so well, with her befriending Kagura and all, yet now…it was to result in their demise!

No….No! Senna thought, shaking the despair from her mind. Something inside of her told, no, demanded that she continued to fight. That Orange haired young man, whom she just barely recall, wouldn't have done that, she remembered at least that much! She had to stand and fight, just like he would have!

"Kagura, you should run," Senna said as she ran in front of Kagura and took up a stance with her zanpaktou.. "I don't think I'll be able to hold him off for long, but you're pretty fast. I should be able to at least buy you enough time so you can-"

But, before Senna could continue speaking, she felt a firm hand on her left shoulder as Kagura walked in front of her. But most peculiar of all, was that Kagura didn't show even the least bit of worry.

"Your efforts are appreciated, but entirely unnecessary, Senna. I'll finish this myself."

Omoide could scarcely believe his ears, his smirk widening before he broke out into a mad cackle. " Ahahaha! Have you gone mad!? Finish this by yourself!? Without a weapon! Face reality, you're completely powerless to stop me!"

Kagura merely looked back at Omoide and a shiver of fear ran down his spine at the icy cold glare she had given him in response. "No, Omoide. The one who is powerless in this situation isn't myself. It's you."

She then stretched out her right hand, as a dark red magic circle formed in front of her hand. "I didn't want to use this, I'll have you know. My control over it's power is still quiet unrefined. However, you've left me with no choice in the matter. Now come to me, Archenemy!"

Out from the Magical circle came a nodachi, with a red tsuba handle and its scabbard, a white color with a distinct gold strike running down from its middle to the hilt, where both the gold marking, and the hilt itself, were obscured by bandages, where a talisman with the kanji of 'seal' attached to it. She grasped the handle of the sword, the magical circle that had been used to summon it fading away.

"What…is that sword?" Senna asked, her eyes looking at Kagura's sword in amazement. This was no more blade, no, Senna could sense that quite clearly. Power seemed to radiate from it, unlike any weapons she had ever sensed in her time in Earthland. No magic sword she had ever come across during her travels ever felt like this. No, this felt like something else. Something…. familiar.

I…don't know how, but that sword…it feels like a zanpaktou! Senna thought, her jaw gape as she looked back at Kagura. But…she's still a human! Just…who are you, Kagura!?

She was just like…just like…him!

"What!? You had a proper sword that you could have used this whole time!?" Omoide shouted.

Kagura nodded. "I did. However, it's power is far too great to use recklessly. It's for that exact reason why I traveled with my shinai. My master told me that I should first seek to properly control my own magic through it before I am to use this weapon. But now, seeing as how you've managed to have destroyed it, I am left with no choice."

She took up a stance then, akin to that one of the samurai of old from Senna's old world would have taken in the attempt to draw a sword. The art of Iaijutsu. "Do not blame me if I wind up taking your life as a result."

Omoide let out a made cackle as a dark energy began to surround him. "My my, your quite cocky now that you have that weapon in your hands! It must be quite powerful indeed! However, it means nothing before the might of Kako no Dorobo!"

Kagura raised an eyebrow upon hearing its name. "Kako no Dorobo, you say?"

Omoide nodded. "Ah, so I see you've heard of it. Yes, it's one of the ancient weapons created by Elven blacksmiths! Even though they no longer exist today, their weapons are still considered far superior to those made by man! So it hardly matters how strong your weapon is, because no human sword has ever surpassed those made by the elves."

"What you say is true," Kagura admitted with a nod, eyes closed. "Even to this day, no human blacksmith has ever been able to produce a blade as powerful as the one's created by the elves. I have no doubt that your weapon is every bit as powerful as you claim. And yet, it is precisely for this very reason-" Her eyes then opened, with not a hint of worry present. "That you will lose."

"Huh?" Senna couldn't help but utter, confused by Kagura's logic. "But…wouldn't that mean that your weapon would be no match against his?"

"Yes, that would be true," Kagura admitted. "At least, if Archenemy was made by a human. But it wasn't. No, my weapon was personally handcrafted by none other…than Elizabeth Heartcruze."

(Song of choice, Warriors suite, last attack portion, Ruroni Kenshin OST)

Omoides eyes widened upon the revelation. "S-so what? That woman makes all kinds of weapons! Most of them are subpar!"

"That may be the case for the weapons she sells widely on the market for mass production. However, when it comes to commissioned or, or passion projects, the difference in quality is akin to that of heaven and earth," Kagura replied. "Your elf made katana may indeed be impressive, but my weapon was meticulously handcrafted by the best blacksmith in all of Ishgar. It was a true project of passion. She was already considered amongst the best of the elves 400 years ago…and she's only further refined her skills in the time since then."

Omoide took several steps back, his face contorting with fear before he let out a loud scream. Dark energy shot up from his body, and began to form around, as he began to float above the air and held up his own weapon above his head. "Fine then! I won't take any chances and assume your words are mere bluster! Rather, I shall kill you, the girl, and all of the inhabitants of this insignificant town with my most powerful technique! Kurai Kioku Tora!"

A massive tiger made of black magic, standing over 100 feet tall, formed around Omoide, before he bent his knees, the tiger following in his footsteps, as if it were to pounce. "I hope you are prepared, Kagura Mikzuchi, to have your very being devoured by my sword!"

Yet despite the display of such a destructive and powerful spell, Kagura's stance and expression had not changed even an iota in the face of such powerful magic. Her grip on her sword tightened ever slightly, before she uttered one word in response.

"Come."

"Eeeeeuuuuuuurrrrrraaaaaagggggghhhhhhhhhh!"

Having had enough of the interloper's smug attitude, Omoide took off in a burst of speed, the ground beneath him shattering as the massive tiger's claws and speed devastated the world around him. The moment the spell made contact with his foe, he would receive every single memory that existed in her, the woman with invaluable memories and everyone else in the town with the burst of power his spell would erupt with. It didn't matter how strong this weapon was, she was powerless before him.

He would finally, truly, be somebody!

Yet, throughout it all, Kagura had not moved one inch, her eyes closed, and mind focused purely on the moment before her. To her, there was nothing else that mattered in this moment. Not the man attempting to steal her memories, not the girl who had gone out of her way to give her some food, and not even the town of Begonia.

No, the one, singular thought that preoccupied her mind was her next strike.

Then, as the tiger neared her, the claws of the spell rapidly approaching her, did she finally move, the S class mage swinging her sword as quickly as she could.

FFFFWWWWWIIIIIISSHHHHHIIIIIIIINNNNNNNGGGG!

Senna could only stare in disbelief at what had just happened before her eyes. The massive tiger that Omoide had created had been completely cut in half. The ground below was simply gone, replaced by a narrow chasm that ran down the earth as far as her eyes could see. Omoide himself fared no better than his technique, his body and weapon having been spilt into two halves.

Kagura slowly opened her eyes just as the two halves of his body hit the ground. "One last tidbit before you pass to the other world. Sometimes…Mermaids feast upon tigers."

Omoide said nothing, but not out of choice. The man's life having left his body the moment his body had been struck by Kagura's.

Kagura could only shake her head in disappointment, not at the life she had taken, but rather her own technique. So, even now I'm still unable to control it even in it's unsheathed state. It seems my skill is still inadequate.

Kagura looked back towards Omoides face, his eyes and mouth wide open, before she walked over towards the corpse and shut them both, allowing him to at least look somewhat dignified in death.

"I tried to warn you, but you refused to listen. You only had yourself to blame for what happened. Nevertheless…may you find solace in the afterlife."

(Song of choice, Into the Fire Instrumental, Shiro Sagisu Songbook)

Senna could only stare at Kagura, the young woman trying to process what had just transpired. The reality of it all finally sinking in. Not too long ago, she had completely given up hope and lost her will to live. A life that she wasn't sure what to do with to begin with. But that life, the one she had been so willing to throw away, and what little memory she had left of the one she cherished most, had been saved from the clutches of that mad man.

Senna couldn't help but smile at the approaching Kagura, as the warmth of hope returned to her once more. She really came through for me when I really needed it, huh? She's just like you, isn't she, Ichigo?

Senna gasped, her eyes wide and welling up with tears at the thought of the name that had just ran through her mind. Ichigo. Ichigo Kurosaki! The name that she had dreaded had been lost to her forever now having unexpectedly returned to her. She could remember it all once again. How they had first met. The red ribbon he had given to her. The little 'date' that they had. The time they helped a lost child reunite with his father before they reunited. How he had fought so hard to save her…and how she in turn saved him.

Her tears of joy now falling in a steady stream, Senna letting out an uncontrollable sob as they did, both unable and unwilling to hold back her emotions. It's back…. they're all back! Senna realized, the shinenju completely overwhelmed with relief. Her most precious possessions, her most precious of memories, they were back where they belonged, forever in her heart.

And it was all thanks to the woman right before her eyes.

"Kagura!" Senna exclaimed with glee before she quickly embraced Kagura in a tight hug, taking the swordswomans by complete surprise. "They're back, Kagura, they're back! All of my important memories, I remember him now! I remember everything! " Her grip on Kagura intensified, as she let out a few more uncontrollable sobs.

Kagura, while momentarily taken aback by the unexpected hug, couldn't help but smile at the good news before she lightly patted Senna on the back. "That's wonderful news. I had suspected that breaking his sword may have been able to restore your lost memories, along with all of the others he stole. I just didn't wish to give you false hope in case my suspension proved to be false. But nevertheless…I'm glad I could help you."

Senna's embrace lessened then, before she pulled herself back and whipped away some of her tears of joy. "Kagura…I can't begin to thank you enough for what I did. If there's anything that I could do for you -"

Kagura held up one of her hands, interrupting Senna before she spoke. "That won't be necessary. I still owe you for giving me some of your food earlier today. Consider this my way of repaying that debt."

Senna couldn't help but chuckle. "Really? You think that's enough to make us even? No way! I owe you a lot more for saving my life than you do for giving you some of my lunch."

"Be that as it may, I insist upon it," Kagura told Senna. "I did nothing more than what any other mage should have done."

Senna couldn't help but grin at those words. "Oh? Just doing what anyone should have done then? Then in that case, we're definitely still not even after all! Looks like I still owe you for saving my life!"

"Very well," Kagura recanted, chuckling lightly at Senna's antics before her expression turned more stern. "So, how are your injuries? He landed a pretty nasty blow behind your back."

"Oh, that?" Senna replied as she smirked. "That's nothing! I could keep on fighting for days with a wound like -"

Coincidentally, it was in that particular moment that Senna's joy had faded, and along with the lack of her former all encompassing despair, allowed for the pain of the injury to hit her suddenly like a sharp knife. "Ow, ow, ow! Nevermind, nevermind! it hurts, it hurts a lot!"

"I see. That certainly won't do," Kagura said before she turned her head to look over the horizon. "Fortunately for you, my guild possesses two incredible healers. It's not far from here either. We could make on just a few minutes if I carried you as fast as I could. Do you think you can hold on until then?"

Senna nodded before Kagura picked her up bridal style. "Alright, just hang on for a moment. I'll get you there as soon as I can and once your recovered you can leave as soon as you -"

"I don't…I don't think I will."

Kagura's eyes widened before she looked down at Senna, her surprise clear as day. "But I thought that you didn't want to join a guild?"

"I was being stubborn. Stupid, really," Senna replied. "All this time, I was afraid of making new bonds and memories, because I was afraid that I'd end up feeling more pain from losing someone...and forgetting the one I already had. But I've learned now that being all by myself to avoid that pain isn't the way to be either. It just brings more suffering. So…even if I end up losing the friends I hold dear, I'll still have the memories of them to keep me company…and the new memories that I can by making friends with people like you."

Senna clutched onto Kagura's arms, as her own smile widened. "So please, let me join your guild. So I can make as many friends and memories as possible."

Kagura's surprise quickly gave way to one of fondness, a warm smile of her own etching itself onto her face. "We'd be more than happy to have you at Mermaid Heel."

And with that, the two were off, towards the location of Senna's soon to be guild, her home, and her memories for the future.

This was where she'd belong.

This was her happily ever after.

This…was her Fairy Tale.

---

Deep within Alstroemeria Town was the hall that belonged to Mermaid Heel. The guild itself was reminiscent of a mansion, built with white bricks and a light pink rooftops. In its front, was a large, magnificent japanes style garden, which extended all the way to its back. It was a place of true beauty, fitting for its mages who called it home.

Today was a typical day for the guild, the typical hustle and bustle of its members going about their daily , one returning member suddenly interrupted the tranquility. The doors swung open to the main hall, Kagura stepping in, one arm helping support Senna.

"Master Unohana, Isane, I have returned with someone in need of healing!" Kagura said rather brusquely, her eyes dashing about.

"Master...Unohana?" Senna said faintly, her mind scratching at the name. "Wait, you mean..."

"Calm yourself, Kagura," a woman in black robes said, stepping forward, a white cloak falling from her shoulders. Hers was long dark hair tied in a braid beneath her chin, all of it a telltale sign to Senna that her stirred up memories had been correct.

"Retsu...Unohana...?"

"You know the guildmaster?" Kagura asked, more than a little surprised.

"I suppose that makes sense, considering your garb," Retsu Unohana said, looking at Senna. "But...I do not recall a shinigami such as yourself..."

"I wouldn't say recall," Senna said. "Lets just say I experienced some…memories involving you briefly back from where we were from…"Senna said sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head. "I just...I'm glad I have this second chance."

"As am I," Unohana replied. "As for your injuries..."

"I'm on it, Capt- Guildmaster Unohana, said another shinigami as she approached Senna. Her hands lit up with a kido, the tall woman whispering an incantation.

"No matter the world, no matter the Isane Kotetsu, you are ever the dutiful shinigami," Unohana said, faintly smiling. "I am glad you could be my lieutenant of sorts in this world."

"I may not be the original Isane," Isane said, beginning to mend Senna's wounds, "but her memories are what made me in the first place."

"Memories..." Senna whispered, trying to take it all in.

"Did you fall in the line of duty before my time?" Isane asked. "I'm...a reigai. A duplicate created from Isane. One used to try and bring about the Soul Society's fall. But I…" She stared blankly then, briefly recalling how she had fallen. She had not been given the honorable death that the other Reigai had. No, she had simply been used as a scapegoat to allow Kageroza a chance to avoid the erosion of his mind.

A pain that had instead been passed down to her.

However, she felt a comforting hand on her shoulder, as her guild master shot her a heartwarming smile."But she woke up here," Unohana said. "Just as I did."

When they had first met, Unohana had assumed her to be the original. However, quickly it became apparent just what this Isane was. Nevertheless, she still invited her to her guild. Isane was one of the few people the former Kenpachi had truly come to cherish over the years, and her pain…it was one of the few regrets she still had, upon her revival.

But, here and now, she would make up for that sin. Just as she had done before.

"And I...I did too..." Senna said, sniffing back tears before they could flow freely. "This world really is a place of second chances..."

"Perhaps a third..." Unohana whispered, closing her eyes for a minute as she never lost her smile despite it. It was true, the former captain and now a guildmaster having taken what she could from this chance. It had taken her time to grow accustomed to Earth Land, to accept how her role as a shinigami had been repurposed to suit this world, but she had grown to quite like it. For this was a world where Yachiru Kenpachi had never been, and only Retsu Unohana would be.

"With that in mind," Kagura said, looking to her guildmaster and bowing, "I hope I was not acting impertinent with offering Senna the opportunity to join Mermaid Heel. I...may have overstepped my bounds by suggesting it to her before consulting with you, but-"

Kagura stopped then, feeling a gentle hand on her right shoulder.

"Nonsense, Kagura," Unohana said warmly. "I trust your judgement in all matters. And I would humbly extend the offer to Senna as well."

Senna perked up then, all but fully healed by Isane. "You mean it? I mean..."

Senna bowed as well, joining Kagura.

"Thank you, Guildmaster Unohana."

"No need to be so formal," the shinigami said. "This world is far different from what I had once known. I would much prefer you simply call me Unohana. Or Retsu if you so desire."

"Oh, I see we have a new member, and a fellow shinigami no less!"

Senna turned around as a woman approached her. She had fair skin and brown eyes, with her similarly colored hair done up into two buns, with its back tied into a braided ponytail. That went down to her shoulders. She smiled as she gave Senna a wave. "It's nice to meet you, newbie."

Kagura gave the woman a light bow. "I see that you've returned from your SS class mission. Was it difficult?"

The woman sighed. "Well, it certainly wasn't a cake walk, I'll tell you that much. But then again-" She then gave Kagura a smug grin and wink. "They didn't use to call me 'Kenpachi' for nothing."

The woman's eyes then fell back on Senna. "Soooo, who's your new friend, Kagura? Come on, don't be shy? Introduce us."

Kagura nodded before she looked at Senna. "Senna, this is Homaru Tamura, formerly known as the Ninth Kenpachi back in your world. She's the second strongest member in all of Mermaid Heel. She, alongside Master Unohana, taught me everything I know about the sword. In the Masters absence, she's the one placed in charge, and then Isane after that."

Senna's jaw fell to the ground. "Is she really that strong?"

Kagura nodded. "Indeed. As I currently am, I don't hold a candle to her full might."

Tamura waltzed over and promptly slapped Kagura on the back, almost forcing her to topple over. "You're being way too hard on yourself, Kagura. You've still got plenty of room to grow. Why, I'm certain you'll be stronger than I am in about eight or so years at the rate you're going."

Kagura bowed lightly once more. "You praise me too highly, Sensei."

Tamura sighed as she looked at Senna. "She never can find it in herself to fully relax. Do me a favor and try to make sure she finds time to properly relax, won't you newbie?"

Senna grinned. "Oh trust me, I planned on it already."

Tamura reached one of her hands forward then, before she lightly ruffled the smaller shinigamis hair. "Oh, I think you're going to make a great fit here newbie." She then walked forward, going right towards the job request board. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to pick out my next job before I relax and shower up."

Senna smiled, happy to have at last found a place to belong within Earth Land. And then...

"You happy now? That's another win for you!"

"Hmmph, not yet. Not until I've proven I'm the superior wizard with beyond a shadow of a doubt."

Senna saw it then, two women entering the guild hall's main room from the other side. Both looked worn down and beat up, a clear sign that they were returning from a battle, a sparring match between themselves.

"Who are they?" Senna asked.

"RumiKirkpatrick and Sapphire Callahan," Kagura said, looking at the two. "Ria's...a unique soul."

"You know, I bet I can get another win over you!" Rumi exclaimed, following after Sapphire. "And then you'll pay out when I win that bet!"

"She's an A-class wizard of Mermaid Heel, specializing in Baton magic,," Kagura continued, sighing a little. "Though she's almost always broke, burning through all her jewel the moment she completes any given mission.

"She seems fun at least," Senna offered up. "And Sapphire? She's A-class too?"

"S-class, like me," Kagura said. "She was the strongest active wizard until my training with Lady Unohana. Her Gemstone magic is one to be feared."

"Wait, S-class like you?" Senna blinked. "Then...shouldn't she be a rival with you and not Ria? I mean, if she's just A-class..."

"Just A-class the newbie says!" another woman, this one a brunette in a tight red outfit and matching mask with black outlines reaching around its ears, with brown hair appearing around her mask and brown eyes exclaimed as she popped up beside Senna, putting an arm over her shoulders. "Listen, Sapphire should be training against me, Kagura or May, not Ria! Still, she can't help herself!"

"What?" Senna asked, looking at the newcomer. "And...who are you?"

"Flame Tigress of Mermaid Heel's S-class at your service!" the woman said, smiling sweetly despite her rather abrasive energetic personality. "As for why, Sapphire really can't let it go that Rumi Won their first sparring match the day she joined Mermaid Heel!"

"Oh, so they're tied in mock battles or something?" Senna asked, honestly curious.

"Not at all," a woman with light green hair said from across the room, a rifle she was polishing resting on the counter before her. "Ever since I brought Rumito Mermaid Heel, she's been fighting nonstop with Sapphire, but the current results are forty-nine to one."

"Fifty to one after today's battle," Flame Tigress corrected her.

"Huh?" Senna was flabbergasted. "Then...how are they even rivals?"

Kagura interrupted. "Rumi Was rather...creative in winning that first duel. Perhaps one could consider underhanded. Sapphire's never quite let that go, no matter how decisively she wins any rematches."

"And she's won some of them faster than she can make a cup of coffee!" Flame Kitty laughed. "But she's just never going to let that one loss go..."

"We are not going to gamble on our fights," Sapphire snapped at Ria, getting a little frustrated. "The battlefield is sacred."

"You're just afraid you'll fall into one of my booby traps and I'll finally win again!" Rumi Teased. "C'mon, lemme make some money!"

Sapphire shook her head before storming off. "I'm going to go celebrate my victory by bathing in some diamonds. Good day to you, Ria."

Sapphire stopped, looking back at Senna.

"So you're joining us, are you?" Despite her annoyance with things going on, Sapphire did give Senna a smile. "Welcome to Mermaid Heel, newbie."

Then she was gone, leaving Rumito stick out her tongue in Sapphire's general direction. "She's no fun. But you..."

Rumisuddenly popped up beside Senna, pushing away Flame Tigress and putting her own arm across Senna's shoulders.

"How 'bout we celebrate your joining the guild by doing a little shopping, eh? We can-"

Rumi Took noticed of Kagura's thumb moving underneath the guard of her sheathed sword.

"Or we can just do lunch sometime later. Buh-bye!"

And then Rumi Was off, leaving Senna to try and take it all in. "She and Sapphire sure are- Wait, a diamond bath? That...can't be comfortable."

"Sapphire has some rather eccentric and exotic taste," Unohana said. "Enough that she could backrupt Mermaid Heel worse than Rumi if we were not careful. However, if it relaxes her to do such things, far be it from me to stand in its way. However, to protect Mermaid Heel's financial status, she does not need be privy to the fact that I provide her with fake diamonds in which to bath in."

"Huh." Senna smirked a little. "Such a lively bunch you've taken under your wing. I didn't expect this after meeting you, Kagura."

"It's our charm!" Flame Tigress said, popping up by Kagura and giving her a playful nudge. "And every wacky team needs one straight woman to its antics, isn't that right, Miss Grumpy Pants?"

"Come on, Alisha, don't keep teasing Kagura," May said, now polishing a pistol.

"Don't go using my name when I'm all masked up as wrestler extraordinaire Flame Tigress!" the masked woman shouted. "Every main eventer should respect kayfabe, May!"

"Right..." May suddenly got anxious then, rubbing one of her pistols against her face. "Oh, don't you worry, Calamity Jannety, you'll get a chance to go out on a job request. Grrr, it's been way too long since I got to use my Auto Cannon Magic!"

Senna stared as May got very into the moment, looking equal parts awkwardly happy and frustrated. "Is she okay?"

"She tends to do this sometimes," Kagura said, a perplexed expression on her face. "Even now, I am not used to it."

Senna burst out laughing. "I...I think I'm going to like it here. Thank you, Kagura. Thank you... I just..."

(Song of choice: Always be with me in Mind, Instrumental. Bleach Memories of Nobody)

Senna wanted to step forward, seeing the look of sudden concern on Kagura's face, the wizard knowing what reservations were buried deep within Senna. There was still the memory of the past, the nostalgia she wanted to hold onto.

"C'mon, are you really gonna keep hanging around clinging to the past? Get a move on already..."

Senna heard it then, a familiar voice, leaving her to question if she was simply imagining things. Then there was the push of a hand against her back, though no one stood behind her. She took that one step then, allowing herself to suddenly embrace Kagura.

The wizard smiled then, returning the hug, even if she was caught off guard by it. "Welcome home, Senna."

Senna could see it then, a strand of her yellow ribbon, having draped over her shoulder and into view. She smiled then, speaking to both the voice of her past and the embrace of her future.

"Thank you..."