Chapter 18: He's Back (The Man Behind the Mask)

"It never ends, does it, Jason?"

CLANG!

"No matter how many you punish, how much blood you shed, they just won't leave you alone."

CLANG!

"First it was those sinful little whores and their boyfriends! Then that awful man who deceived you, made you believe he was me. Oh, my poor sweet boy!"

CLANG!

"And now, it would seem someone else has come to hurt you, my sweet child.

Once again, Jason found himself stepping back due to the sheer force of his opponent's sword. Opponent. Just the word alone felt strange to Jason. He did not take opponents, only victims. Until the day that monster known as Freddy appeared to him, that was the way it always was. Sure, his victims would fight back every now and then. Sometimes, they even succeeded in putting him out of commission for a while. But he always came back and when he did, he would always find more victims to slaughter. Tonight was no exception either...

..at least until this beast appeared before him. One bearing a dented sword and demanding a battle.

"Come on already!" The beast bellowed. "Don't tell me that's all you've got!"

Jason cracked his shoulders and neck again as he stared down his foe. The man, clad in black and white robes and wearing an eyepatch, only grew more and more strange to the undead killer as time passed. Across his chest was a large gaping wound, still dripping with blood. Such an injury would have surely killed any normal human by now but the man laughed it off as it was but a scratch. In fact, he seemed to become thrilled that Jason was able to wound him like this.

"You're starting to bore me!" He roared as he suddenly charged Jason. With no other option, Jason used his machete to parry the blow from the man's sword. Such a jagged, dented weapon should have by all rights shattered against Jason's blade but instead, it pushed him back. It took all of Jason's strength not to be knocked off his feet by the force. Once his footing solidified again, Jason forced the man away with his blade.

"I don't know who this man is or what his connection with Freddy is but there's no doubt about it. He's here to hurt you, Jason. Stop him!"

Normally, the voice of his mother would help to soothe Jason whenever it echoed inside his head. But tonight, it served as nothing more than an annoying declaration of obviousness. Jason knew this man was a threat. That much became clear when he survived a swipe from his machete. It was a sensation Jason had never felt before, as if some sort of force cushioned the blow from his blade without stopping it completely.

The sound of munching caught his attention and Jason turned an eye toward the top of a nearby oak tree. Nestled within its branches was a young pink-haired girl happily devouring what seemed to be candy as she watched the battle below unfold. She was clad in similar garb as the man and Jason couldn't help but wonder if perhaps they were somehow related. She was definitely as strange as her full-grown partner, managing to fly off with Jason's would-be victim and return in the span of a half minute. Jason was just wondering where she had placed the girl when he noticed a shape looming over him.

"Hey! Focus on the fight!" The eyepatch man demanded as he brought down his sword.

Jason realized too late that he had let himself become distracted and paid for it with a huge gash from his left shoulder to his side. Dark red blood burst forth and had his vocal cords not been decomposed from years floating within Crystal Lake, Jason would have screamed out in agony. Instead, he only offered a low grunt as he backed away, clutching his injured shoulder.

"Well well," The man smiled. "It looks like I've finally landed a hit on ya!" The man, apparently known as Kenny if the little girl was to be believed, cocked his head to the side and cleaned out his ear. "What's wrong? Aren't you gonna strike back?" He casually flung the gunk he pulled out into the woods as he watched Jason struggle with his wound. Finally, he gave out a dejected sigh. "What's wrong? Don't wanna fight anymore? Aching to cry home to Mommy?"

Jason shot up, his single eyes staring daggers at Kenny. Wounding him was one thing, even if it was to this severe of a degree, but he wasn't about to let him desecrate the memory of his mother. Freddy paid dearly for doing so and so would he. Without warning, Jason sent his machete spinning madly toward Kenny. The swordsman showed almost no expression as he caught the machete with his bare hand, only a tiny cut forming on the tip of his index finger.

Using this moment, Jason summoned his strength and dashed toward Kenny. Being undead, the simple act of running was a daunting task for Jason, something he only used when absolutely necessary. But at this point, Jason knew this was indeed one of those times. The longer this fight lasted, the more it reminded Jason of that night he battled Freddy, the first time since returning from the dark murky depths of Crystal Lake that he had to put actual effort into his attacks.

This was not another hunt. This was war.

Snapping his injured shoulder back into place, Jason slammed his left fist into Kenny's chest. As with his machete, there was a strange force that softened the blow but not enough to keep Jason's hand from breaking through the skin and bone. The undead killer smiled beneath his mask as he felt the familiar sensation of blood and gore ooze over his fist. With his other hand, he grabbed Kenny's face and started to squeeze, intending to crush his skull before he could make another move. The invisible force that surrounded Kenny offered resistance yet again but this simply urged Jason to squeeze even harder, his ears ready to take in Kenny's pained screams as his brain and skull were reduced to pulp.

Instead, he simply grunted in annoyance.

"Hey, cut that out." He said as he reached for his face, machete still in hand. "You're giving me a headache." Kenny grabbed Jason's hand and pulled it away unceremoniously. Suddenly, there was an outpour of energy from Kenny's body which sent Jason reeling back, his gore-covered fist sliding out of the swordsman's torso. The trees rustled as if a great wind was blowing through them and the young girl sitting on the sidelines was nearly knocked off her perch. Jason instinctively shielded his face despite the mask he was clad in and waited for the whole thing to end. When it did, Jason looked back to Kenny and became dumbstruck at the strange yellow aura now permeating his body. Both of his now visible eyes glinted in a similar color, adding uncanniness to his already foreboding smile.

"Well well," He said. "I guess you discovered my little secret."

Jason felt a strange sensation on his fingers as if some small animal was trying to gnaw on them. He brought his hand up and saw the eyepatch Kenny was wearing not but a second ago biting on his fingers, its sharp but tiny teeth unable to break through his rubber glove. For the first time in a long while, Jason felt disgusted and tossed the snapping thing into the brush.

"I wear that eyepatch in order to suppress my Reiryoku. That way, I can draw out my battles nice and slow. Here." Kenny tossed the machete back to Jason who managed to catch it by the hilt. "I have to say, I'm impressed that you were able to deal such a heavy blow on me with your bare hands." Kenny gestured to the gaping hole in his chest Blood was trickling from his mouth as well but he quickly lapped it up. "You're starting to live up to the hype, Jason Voorhees. I think I'm gonna have a lot of fun with you!"

Jason studied Kenny closely. He wasn't sure what to make of this strange new energy seeping from his body but he did know that think to it, this battle was going to go much harder going forward.

Battle. A word even stranger to Jason than opponent. The only other battle he'd ever been in was

(You are like a big stupid dog who can't stop eating, even though your Master's said you've had enough!)

Jason hardened the grip on his machete as he rushed toward Kenny, his entire being consumed by rage. He didn't know where this Kenny came from or what his connection to Freddy was. All he knew was that for the second time in his life, he was engaged in battle.

And it was a battle he dared not lose.

Sarah wasn't sure just what the hell was going on anymore. Her day had already taken a turn for the worst when her boyfriend was killed by Jason while trying to propose and she found herself running barefoot through the woods in a desperate bid to escape. Then they took a turn for the outright strange when she was nearly crushed to death by...well...something. She wasn't certain how to describe it. It was as if gravity had suddenly doubled down on her. She couldn't get up and she couldn't crawl forward, the only part of her body she could move was her head and when she noticed Jason looming over her, she was certain that she was going to die at that very moment.

And then she was here, directly under an endless torrent of rain, her head resting against a rotten log covered in mushrooms. Something had carried her here and dropped her off but whatever it was, Sarah couldn't see and she wasn't sure if it was because this thing was invisible or if it had just moved far too fast for her to spot. From the distance, she could hear the sound of a blade swinging in the air and broke into a cold sweat as she realized Jason was still nearby and she was too terrified to move. Several minutes had passed, however, and the hockey-masked manic had yet to resurface from the forest, even as the song of the single blade continued. By this time, Sarah had recovered enough of her own strength to get back up. Rubbing her arms against the chill of the rain drops, Sarah pondered as to whether or not to follow the sounds or try to distance herself from them.

It seemed obvious to her at first, get the hell out of dodge! Walk as fast as you can girl! Until you bump into the first person with a badge and a gun you come across. But as with all humans, Sarah was a curious creature. If Jason wasn't coming after her, just what the hell was he swinging his weapon at? That, as well as the possibility of catching a glimpse of her savoir(s) prompted Sarah to inch toward the sounds. She took care to duck behind every tree she walked across so as to hide. The rustling of her feet against the dead leaves and sticks hardly made a sound thanks to the rain and as she came closer, she could make out the familiar foreboding shape of Jason Voorhees. Quickly, she ducked behind the giant oak in front of her and fell to her knees. Then she peeked out from behind the tree.

Jason seemed to be struggling against something she couldn't see. She could definitely feel it, however, the overwhelming energy pouring out from the spot in front of Jason. It was the same force that nearly crushed her before, no doubt about that. As she watched, Jason swung his blade at the invisible entity, only to be blocked and sent staggering back. Every so often, Jason would be the one to parry and even then struggled to remain on his feet.

"Just what the hell's going on?" Sarah thought to herself. "Is there a ghost fighting Jason or maybe even...a guardian angel?" The romantic image of a winged warrior with a flaming sword locked in battle with the undead murderer popped up in Sarah's mind. "Well whatever it is, I hope it makes Jason pay for what he's done!" The angel on her mind was replaced with the face of her late boyfriend and Sarah started to cry. "Oh, Ben.." She covered her mouth to suppress her sobs as tears fell from her eyes and onto the forest floor.

Her grieving was interrupted by the sound of cloth tearing and flesh ripping and she looked back up just in time to see Jason's shoulder spray blood in all directions. She gasped behind her hand as the undead killer reeled back and clutched his wound. Sarah felt a strange satisfaction in seeing the monster that had killed her beloved Ben injured so gravely. If this really were an angel Jason was fighting, then it would seem divine judgment had come for him at last.

Jason tossed the machete at the invisible entity which caught it in midair, allowing Jason the opportunity to rush toward his opponent and punched through the space they occupied. With his free hand, Jason started squeezing the space above his fist, almost like he was trying to crush something.

"C-Can Jason see it?" Sarah thought. "He seems to know where to attack. Can he actually see the angel?" Before Sarach could ponder this situation further, she suddenly found herself pinned to the ground again. Jason was sent reeling back once more and the energy seeping from the invisible entity tripled, rustling through the trees like a great wind, it took Sarah all of her strength just to crawl away. It hurt her to do so and at some point, she was certain she was about to die. "I don't know what the hell's going on but I need to get out of here now!" As she crawled further and further away from the fight, she found herself feeling lighter and lighter until at last she could stand back on her own two feet. The air was still heavy from the strange energy and her breathing was labored but she felt like she could run again which is exactly what she did.

"I don't know whether you're my guardian angel or not but either way, thank you." She thought as she sped through the woods. "Please, destroy that monster! For Ben." The tears returned and she wiped them away. "For everyone he's hurt."

Sarah continued to sprint through the woods as a crack of lighting flashed across the sky, followed by a thunderous roar.

Ichigo and Rukia sat on the former's bed. The window was closed and as far as either of them could tell, Isshin, Karin, and Yuzu were all asleep, the latter having taken Kon with her to bed. This wasn't an entirely new situation, given all the nights that Rukia slept in Ichigo's closet but that was ages ago and tonight, both of their minds were heavy. At the foot of Ichigo's bed, Zangetsu and Sode no Shriayuki were propped up. After what seemed like an eternity of silence, Ichigo spoke up.

"So..did it work?" He asked. "The mission, I mean? Did they catch Jason yet?"

Rukia's cheeks became tinted pink as she gave Ichigo a guilty stare. "Actually, I left before any of the captains came back. As far as I know, they're still searching for Jason."

"Oh." Ichigo looked awkwardly at the floor. "Sorry."

"B-But it definitely seemed to be going off without a hitch. They dispatched Captains Kurotsuichi, Zaraki, and Soifon to Crystal Lake."

"Zaraki huh?" Ichigo chuckled. "If he gets to Jason before any of the others, there might not be much left for Mayuri to study."

Rukia chuckled as well and before they knew it, both Shinigami were bursting into laughter at the thought of Mayuri chewing out Kenpachi for destroying Jason. They quickly remembered the sleeping people inside the house and clamped their hands over their mouths. Another bout of silence followed as they waited for someone to wake up and check in on them, listening for the footsteps that would send Rukia leaping out the window.

But none happened. They were still alone.

Ichigo sighed. "That was close." He whispered. "Be more careful next time, idiot."

"Wha-" Rukia gasped. "You're the one who started laughing first! Don't pin the blame on me!"

"Whatever!" Ichigo fell back to his bed with his arms underneath his head. His annoyed expression become solemn as he watched the ceiling and sighed again. "I should have been there." He said. "I should be helping them find Jason right now."

"Why?" Rukia asked. "Did you say after the battle with Freddy that you were glad not to bear the mantle of hero?"

"That's not the point and you know it." Ichigo defended softly, taking great care in keeping the volume of his voice low. A few more seconds of silence passed and Ichigo briefly wondered if he had made Rukia mad with his comment. Right as he was thinking this, however, Rukia suddenly loomed over him, her eyes darkened with sadness. "It was Akane, wasn't it?"

Ichigo felt chilled. Memories of the woman whose entire life was derailed by the mere existence of Jason Voorhees crossed his mind. The injuries on her body were great but they were nothing compared to the mental and emotional agony she had to carry with her. Through what was supposed to be an act of kindness and mercy, she had released an unspeakable evil onto the World of the Living, one that had created countless tragedies like the one she was trying to alleviate.

"Yeah," Ichigo admitted. "I just can't believe a good intention like hers could go so wrong, you know? I can't imagine the guilt she must have lived with all this time."

"I agree," Rukia said. "No one could have imagined that this would be the outcome. That that young innocent child would become such a devastating monster." Rukia lay down beside Ichigo and looked up at the ceiling. "And yet, I can't help but feel sympathy for Jason as well."

Ichigo's eyes widened as he turned to Rukia. "Wait! R-Really?"

Rukia nodded. "Don't get me wrong. I know he's a murderer and a threat to the Cycle of Souls and must be destroyed as soon as possible but..." Rukia's gaze lowered sadly. "But he was once a young child like you and I were, and with a loving mother. I just can't help but wonder what would have become of those two if that drowning had never happened."

Ichigo pondered Rukia's words. "That's right. Before Jason came back, his mother Pamela was killing first out of revenge for her lost son." A new image appeared in his mind, that of his own smiling mother. "I lost my Mom when I was pretty close to Jason's age too and it devastated me. But I had Dad, and Karin, Yuzu and many others to help me get by. Pamela probably didn't have anyone to turn her in the right direction when she lost her son and neither did Jason. Maybe, just maybe if someone had been there before they...

"Ichigo?" Rukia noticed the stern, concentrated look on Ichigo's face as if he was thinking hard over something. "Ichigo?"

"Huh?" Ichigo finally snapped out of it. "Oh. I-I'm sorry. Guess I got lost in thought."

"About what?"

Ichigo paused for a moment as if thinking over whether he should tell Rukia his theory and spoke. "It's just, with what you said about Jason and his Mom, I can't help but wonder if, maybe if there were someone there at the time either of them lost each other to help them through their grief, maybe things wouldn't have ended up like this."

"I see." Rukia smiled faintly but it only lasted for a moment. "That being said, it does no good now. Pamela is dead and Jason will soon be captured by the Gotei 13 and destroyed. Mourning over their fates will not help anyone, them included.

"Yeah," Ichigo agreed. "You're right." But Ichigo still pondered it. Maybe it was because he had lost his own mother but part of him couldn't stop feeling sorry for Jason or even Pamela. "What if I didn't have anyone with me at that time," He thought. "Would I have ended up like Jason, destroying others because of my own misery?"

From outside, the clouds flying over the Moon finally passed, allowing her light to bathe Ichigo's room in silver. Noticing this at once, Ichigo turned again to Rukia who was still staring up at the ceiling, the moonlight bringing an enteral quality to her face. He found himself thinking back to the dream he had the other day, with her standing directly beneath the Moon itself and the other dreams before that, and, to his shock and horror, found himself blushing. He quickly turned toward the ceiling again just as Rukia turned to face him. In the moonlight, she could make out his face, so young and yet with a rugged expression that hinted at the various battles he's fought over the years.

Battles that began when she entered his life.

"Ichigo." She whispered softly.

Ichigo was reluctant to turn toward her as his face still felt hot but figured ignoring her would only make things worse. As he turned his gaze back to her, however, he couldn't help but notice a scarlet tint on her own face. "What is it Rukia?"

Rukia stayed silent but for a moment. "I-I know you said you wouldn't accept any apology for burdening you with the powers of a Shinigami and I won't offer any." The scarlet grew. But I just want you to know that all the battles you've fought since then. All the enemies you've stopped from destroying the Soul Society, none of that has ever gone unappreciated, least of all, by me."

"Rukia." Ichigo hardly heard himself. He was becoming more and more enraptured by Rukia's eyes, the violet pools almost beckoning to him.

"Ichigo." Rukia found herself in the same situation as Ichigo and the two slowly began to move closer to each other. They were hardly aware of their surroundings anymore, the only thing visible in their line of sight was each other's eyes which, little by little, began to close as their lips locked.

Miles away from the bloodshed unfolding in Crystal Lake, Death, and the Strawberry had discovered a peace within each other's presence that they'd never known.

"Tsk! Is that really all you got?" Kenpachi sighed. He and Jason had been hacking and slashing at each for the better part of twenty minutes now. The excitement he had felt upon Jason ripping away his eyepatch and forcing him into his true power had been replaced by annoyed boredom as the Crystal Lake Killer struggled against his Zanpakuto. His cloth was ripped and his mask had formed new cracks. The new wounds he had sustained on his stomach and chest as well as the one on his shoulder continued to bleed, painting the forest floor beneath him and Kenpachi a watery crimson. Normally, this sight would excite the Squad 11 Captain's lust for battle but not when most of the blood was his opponent's. As it currently stood, he could describe this battle with two simple words. "Fucking boring!"

From the nearby tree, Yachiru placed the final piece of candy she had onto her tongue as she watched the battle with a pitiful expression. "Poor Kenny." She moaned "Disappointed again."

With hardly the effort used to swat a fly, Kenpachi parried Jason's strike and sent him reeling back. The undead behemoth trembled slightly, stepped forward, and then fell to his knees, his machete falling to the blood-soaked ground.

"Get up Jason! Get up and finish him off!"

But Jason couldn't. For the first time in a long while, he was too injured to continue. Hell, until his battle with Freddy, it never occurred to him that he could be injured with his body in its undead state. And now, it was in even worse shape than last time. Not even Freddy had damaged him this badly.

"Come on!" Kenpachi roared. "I came all this way from the Soul Society to fight you and this is all I get!? You call yourself a killer but all I see is a giant fucking wimp!"

Anger swelling inside, Jason tried to stand but failed. Whether it was because of the slippery ground or just his injuries, he didn't know.

"I expected more!" Kenpachi continued. "You survived fighting that Krueger bastard after all! When he arrived in Soul Society, he nearly destroyed the damn place! It must have taken everything you had to keep up with him and yet you haven't even released your full power!"

Jason tilted his head again, unable to understand what this strange man was getting at. What power did he expect Jason to have? What more could he possibly do in this situation? Unless...

"I know what you're thinking Jason. And I'm thinking it as well. That strange energy swirling around his body. The same energy that keeps softening your blows. It's rather annoying isn't it?"

Jason studied Kenpachi carefully, focused on the energy he called his "Reiryoku." Jason had never heard anything like it and yet, the sensation of it as his blade bounced off of it, the roaring wind that nearly knocked him down when Kenpachi's eyepatch was removed, and the intense force of it that seem to increase the gravity around them. It seemed strangely... familiar.

"He said he met that horrible Freddy right? But we both know he's burning in Hell. You sent him there yourself! So that can only mean one thing. This man is from the afterlife! He's an agent of the spirit world sent after you, probably by Freddy himself! That power he wields must come from the afterlife as well. Heheheh. But you know a thing or two about death yourself, don't you my dear boy? You've escaped death and you've become an agent of death. If someone like him has this sort of power, what's to say you don't?"

At that moment, Jason felt a surge of energy, unlike anything he had felt before. It coursed through his body like the lighting that had brought him back from the grave that fateful night but there wasn't a single ounce of pain involved, only raw power.

"It feels good, doesn't it my boy? And to think you've spent all this time completely ignorant of it? Well no more! This man says he wants your full power. I say let's give it to him!"

Jason smiled beneath his mask once again.

"Kill him Jason! Kill him for Mommy!"

The icy-blue aura of energy exploded from Jason, smashing into Kenpachi like a great gale. Yachriu, unprepared for this sudden turn of events, fell out of her tree branch. As she hit the ground, the candy she was sucking on was knocked out of her mouth and vanished into the brush. This caused her to pout. Meanwhile, Kenpachi struggled to keep on his feet against the outpour of Reiryoku Jason had suddenly unleashed. Seizing his chance, Jason grabbed his machete, charged toward Kenpachi, and slashed at his right shoulder. This time, there was no resistance of any kind as the blade tore through flesh and bone, nearly taking Kenpachi's arm off in the process. Kenpachi grunted in pain, something that surprised the both of them.

And delighted the both of them as well.

Kenpachi started to laugh, first just a quiet giggle and then a full-on cackle of amusement. "Now that's what I'm talking about! This spiritual pressure...it's nearly identical to mine. And yet, judging by the haphazard way you released it just now, I'm gonna go out on a limb and say you've never even realized you had this power, didn't you?"

Jason didn't respond. He didn't need to nor want to.

"Tsk. Well, I guess that's just what happens when you waste your time with puny weaklings who can't fight back!" Kenpachi flicked his blade into the air, throwing Jason's blood off the metal. "But now you've got a real battle on your hands! The only question is, will you take the challenge!?"

Jason remained silent and still for a moment. And then, he did something else that he hadn't done in a long time.

He nodded.

"Let's go!" Kenpachi and Jason charged at each other, one yelling in ecstasy, the other silent with determination in his eye. Zanpakuto met machete and from the center, immense spiritual energy rippled throughout the woods. Leaves from ripped from trees. Small animals were crushed into dust and Yachiru, who had climbed back up her tree for a better look, was nearly knocked out of it again. Luckily, she was able to grab onto another branch and climb up even against the intense energy. Her lost candy and bleeding forehead were forgotten for the moment, and Yachiru's eyes glistened with excitement as she watched the battle unfold.

A song of steel rang through the trees as Kenpachi and Jason exchanged blow after blow. Every few turns, a new slash would appear on either of their bodies and more blood would paint the ground. The pain from their wounds only served to increase the fight's bloodlust with Kenpachi unable to help but bellow in delight as the battle dragged on. "This is what I've been waiting for!" He thought. "A real, brutal fight against an immortal opponent!" Kenpachi briefly came out of his thoughts to parry Jason's attack, a movement which pushed the both of them back. "This feeling, this thrill. I haven't felt anything like this since.."

The brief image of a familiar raven-haired woman appeared in Kenpachi's mind

"Her." Kenpachi tried to bring his blade down on Jason but the undead killer blocked it and forced it aside. He was becoming more used to Kenpachi's techniques and this thrilled the Squad 11 Captain to bits. "I wonder how far you could progress if we keep this fight going." He purred. "Let's find out!"

As Kenpachi charged Jason, however, a shape suddenly appeared in the sky above them. Kenpachi was too distracted by his opponent but Yachiru was quick to recognize Nemu Kurotsuichi as she emptied a giant bag over the dueling monsters. From this bag fell four orange squares of metal which tripled in size as they fell around Jason, the one in front of him forcing Kenpachi to jump back as it landed.

"What!?" He barked.

Jason, bewildered at what was happening tried to strike at the blockade in front of him, only to suddenly feel his strength sapped. It was a violent, fast sensation that left Jason falling to his knees. From the sides of the squares facing Jason, four blue lights began to glow. Before he could try to get back to his feet, the lights shot through Jason and solidified into spears of energy. 16 spears in total held him in place as Jason found he could not even move his eyelid to blink. He was completely paralyzed.

"Hey! What the hell is this?" Kenpachi asked as Nemu landed in front of him. "The mission is complete, Master Mayuri." She spoke. "Jason Voorhees has been captured."

"About damn time!" The Captain of Squad 12 growled as he emerged from the forest. "I was starting to get worried Jason would kill this buffoon and leave before we could make it. He turned to his men as they followed closely. "Prep the subject for transport!"

"Yes, Captain!" The Squad 12 Shinigami rushed toward the incapacitated Jason as Kenpachi stomped toward Mayuri. "Hey! What the hell is this?"

Mayuri scoffed. "I'd think even an ignorant barbarian such as yourself could understand." Mayuri gestured to the device. "These makeshift walls were designed to automatically cut the spiritual pressure of whoever or whatever was caught within them by half. This was to ensure that Jason would not pose a threat to us. Then for good measure, I fitted them with some of the new paralysis spears I've been working on. I actually designed them from the data I gathered on that Quincy boy."

Kenpachi growled. "Quit playing dumb! You know damn well that's not what I was talking about!" He slammed his forehead into Mayuri's. "I want to know what the hell gives you the right to butt into my fight!"

"Your fight?" Mayuri returned the favor, his face merely an inch away from Kenpachi's. "May I remind you that our entire purpose for coming was to capture Jason and bring him back for study? You are the one in the wrong here!" Mayuri looked back at Jason with a surprisingly pitiful expression. "I mean, look at the state of my subject. Do you have any idea how much potential data you've ruined with your little skirmish? How far back you've sent us?"

"He's right you know." Both men turned to see Soifon suddenly appear before them. "Our mission was to capture Jason Voorhees and nothing more. By going off on your own and indulging in your own selfish desire for battle, you've nearly thrown this entire operation out of order. What would have happened if you had died? How many Shinigami could have been slaughtered if Jason had managed to get the jump on us?"

"Tsk." Kenpachi turned away. "I don't see why any of that matters. "Nobody died right? And if you had let me finish our fight, I-

"Enough," Soifon said. "What's done is done and now I'm going to report it to the Head Captain." She lifted up her hand and opened it, revealing a Jigokucho resting in her palm. "I'm sure he'd like a few words with you."

Kenpachi scoffed as he walked away. "Fine. Do what you want! Come on Yachiru! We gotta find the others!"

"Okay!" Yachiru jumped down from her tree and landed on Kenpachi's shoulder. "That Jason guy sure was strong! Did you have a lot of fun Kenny?"

Kenpachi stopped and looked at Jason as Squad 12 prepped him for transport into Soul Society. Once again, that raven-haired woman appeared in his head. "Yeah. I sure did."

Once Soifon sent out her message, she approached Mayuri who stood before Jason within the squares. "The Senkaimon will be opened here shortly. With Squad 11 scattered at the moment, we'll have to escort you and your men through the Dangai."

"Fine, fine," Mayuri muttered, hardly hearing or even caring for Soifon's words. The two captains stared at their undead captive who seemed almost like a statute with how badly he was paralyzed.

"I can't believe it," Soifon whispered. "To think this...thing actually fought Freddy on equal footing."

"Yes, quite." Mayuri agreed. "Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees. Two humans who somehow broke from the Cycle and became something entirely different from Shinigami or Hollow." He stepped closer to Jason, placing his face mere inches away from the cracked mask. "But unlike your friend, you won't be escaping my clutches so easily." He chuckled. "Oh, I have so much planned for you. We're going to have so much fun together!"

"No more," Sarah uttered. "I can't run anymore." She had already lost track of how long she had been running. Yet, she remained in this endless forest and her heavy body refused to carry her another step. With a choked gasp, Sarah stopped moving and fell...

...only to land in the arms of a man with a black cowboy hat.

"Wha...Wha..."

"Shhh...Don't talk." The man said. "You need to rest."

"But...in the woods...Jason...Jason Voorhees...Oh God Ben!" Sarah broke into a sob as the men helped her back to her feet. Behind him were a couple of younger men in FBI garb. He placed her in one of their arms. "See to it that she gets medical treatment."

"Yes sir!" The man said as he led Sarah away as his partner approached the man. "Did she just say Jason Voorhees? She did, didn't she? We need to call-

"We don't need to call no one." The man in the cowboy hat said grimly. "It'd just be wasting their time."

"B-But Jason's the whole reason we're even here!" The man complained. "How are we supposed to catch him if-

"We ain't calling anyone." The man in the hat repeated sternly, silencing the other man at last. He took a cigar from his breast pocket, lit it, and placed it in his mouth as he stared out toward the lake. The rain was finally coming to a halt and the Sun was beginning to break through the clouds in beams. From deep within the forest, the spiritual pressure of several Shinigami as well as his target simply seemed to vanish. "We won't find anything there today."

(Well it took some rewriting but I think I fixed this story, at least to a degree. In any case, the final arc is upon us and I will do my best to make it worth the wait! Until then, BSC out!)