Bleach: Jigoku Files

by Bloody Simpson Chibi

The Shinigami of Soul Society are tasked with keeping the balance of souls in check. But what happens when outside forces work against this balance? Forces that are evil and violent by nature? Forces that push the Shinigami to question everything they've been taught? Forces that feed off horror and fear? Rated M. Alternate continuity from after the Lost Agent Arc

20. Power from the Pain Side 2

Chapter 20: Power From The Pain Side 2

(I'm just gonna say it, I miss NoHorrorYesAnime. I don't know where you are but I hope you're alright.)

"So then Kiza gives me the look, you know the one, and starts chanting for Hado #4!" Rukun said. The Squad 12 newbie was walking back to his barracks alongside his former classmate, Naki. Both Shinigami had black hair with Rukun possessing blue eyes and Naki possessing green eyes. "But halfway through the chant, I shit you not, the poor bastard swallows a bug!" Rukun threw his head back and laughed as Naki sighed.

"I swear, you and Kiza haven't changed since the Academy. You haven't gotten any better. You're still the same immature brats you used to be."

"Hey, what was that?" Rukun barked. "I'll have you know-

The alarms blaring from the barracks stopped both Shinigami in their tracks. At almost the same time, the ground shook beneath their feet, knocking Naki down. Rukun forced himself to remain on his feet until the shaking stopped and helped Naki back up once it did. "What the hell was that?" She asked.

"I don't know," Rukun answered, "Maybe one of the Captain's experiments on that Jason guy?"

"What kind of experiment could cause such a tremor?" Naki challenged.

"Come on! This is Captain Kurotsuchi we're talking about! Who else could it be-

Rukun was interrupted again, this time by the sound of one of the doors to the barracks getting kicked away with force. The great block of steel flew several feet into the air before hitting the ground, its own momentum dragging it even further away from the building and creating sparks as the terrified Shinigami watched on. Once it had finally stopped, both Rukun and Naki were frozen in place by immense spiritual pressure.

"W-What is this?" Rukun whispered. "This Reiatsu...it...it's enormous!"

"It's on the level of a Captain's but...it...it's so cold!" Naki shivered.

Despite every muscle in their bodies screaming for them to run away, both Shinigami drew their swords and forced themselves to turn toward the source of the abnormal Reiatsu. Their eyes widened as the shape lumbered out from the darkness of the barrack's interior.

"No...No way..."

As the dust kicked up by the broken door finally cleared up, the unmistakable visage of Jason Voorhees appeared before the two Shinigami. He seemed to be looking down, perhaps waiting until his eyes adapted to the sudden abundance of sunlight before continuing his escape. He was bleeding from several parts of his body and his breathing was ragged, yet he stood tall and imposing, his board shoulders falling up and down as he breathed.

"J-Jason?" Naki cried, "What's he doing out here? Did he escape?" Naki meant to say more but was silenced with fear as the masked monster looked up at her. His single eye radiated nothing but intense hatred for the people in front of him and, without so much as moving a muscle, increased the pressure of his Reiatsu.

"Kya!" Naki cried as both she and Rukun were brought to their knees by the sudden output of energy. She could feel blood pool inside her mouth and covered it with her hand. "He increased his Reiatsu!? Something like him knows how to do that?"

"Dammit!" Rukun cursed as he once again forced himself back to his feet. He was bleeding from both his eyes and mouth and as he rose, he could feel the bones in his arms and legs cracking. Nevertheless, he remembered his training at the academy, how he was taught to be willing to give his life for the Soul Society if need be. He remembered past excursions to the World of the Living where he lost dear friends to Hollows and how they had fought their hardest before then. His resolve strengthened, he let out a furious shout and charged at Jason.

"Rukun!" Naki cried out. "What are you doing?" The simple act of talking was enough to induce a bloody coughing fit in the young Shinigami and she covered her mouth again.

"My job," Rukun shouted back, ignoring the blood flowing from his own mouth. "We have to destroy this monster before he takes any more lives!" Once he was close enough to Jason, Rukun jumped up and prepared to deal the finishing blow.

"Rukun!" Naki screamed.

Jason moved his arm to block the attack with his machete but before the two blades could even meet, Rukun's body was suddenly smashed against the concrete floor. Within the span of a few seconds, the young man's body was reduced to a red smear on the ground and a few displaced pieces of skeleton. Jason put his arm back down and studied the puddle curiously.

"Nooo! Rukun!" Naki cried as another coughing fit erupted and she fell down her consciousness fading fast.

Jason ignored her, still preoccupied in trying to understand why the young man before him had exploded. Then he recalled the immense energy pouring out of him and understood.

"These monsters, these Shinigami. They are not like normal people Jason." His mother's voice laughed in his head. "But then again, neither are you."

Jason nodded as he marched through the gory puddle, hardly blinking when the female Shinigami's body exploded as he walked by.

"This power will keep all but the strongest of these monsters from you," Pamela's voice reassured her son. "But they will come and when they do, you'll have to take care of them the old-fashioned way."

Jason nodded again, this time recalling his fight with the one named Kenpachi. A smile formed beneath his mask as he realized part of him wanted a strong Shinigami to come find him so he could fight. Not just kill but fight.

From the horizon, Jason could make out a whole group of Shinigami making their way toward him, their expressions either ones of fear or rage with no in-between.

"Holy shit! Is that...that Jason guy they brought from the Human World?"

"Dear God, he's already killed two Shinigami! Look at the ground!"

"Wait is that...no! It can't be! Naki! Kuzun!" The gray-haired Shinigami heading the group cried. He turned his tearful gaze to Jason and gritted his teeth in anger. "Bastard! You'll pay for this!" He unsheathed his sword and dashed toward Jason, several of his fellow warriors following suit.

Jason's only response to this was to crack his neck and shoulders to limber them up. He didn't bother lifting his machete this time. If these guys were anything like the duo before them, he wouldn't need it. Instead, he simply pressed onward toward the tower holding his only escape route.

Ki-ki-ki, Ma-ma-ma

---

"What in blazes is going on!?" Mayuri growled. It had happened too fast for him to react properly. One second, he was typing in the records of the data he had gathered from Ichigo and Jason's battle and the next, every door in the barracks was suddenly locked. The computer kicked him out, its original password replaced with an unbelievably long encryption key. Overhead, the light flashed dark red as the emergency siren cried out over and over again, merely a second away from being in total sync with the lights. "Nemu," Mayuri shouted, "Check in on Room 2160! Make sure Jason is still in place!"

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Master Mayuri." Nemu replied. "The computer has locked me out."

"Same here!" Rin cried. "We can't access the cameras or the data! We're completely kicked out!"

"Dammit!" Mayuri slammed his fist onto the keyboard before him, sending several keys flying throughout the room. One of them cut Nemu's cheek as it flew past but she didn't even flinch from the pain. Instead, the lieutenant turned to her creator and asked. "What are we going to do now, Master Mayuri?"

"I'm thinking, you dolt!" Mayuri hissed. He crossed his arms and racked his brain for a plan. After a few minutes, he opened his eyes with a pleased expression. "Of course! Why didn't I think of that sooner?" Mayuri typed on the damaged keyboard, his fingers hitting the white buttons beneath the keys with no lag and keen memory of the letter they were once designated. "I have no choice but to perform a hard reboot of the entire system. It'll take some time and be quite a hassle but it's the only way to get out of here."

"But Captain!" Rin cried. "The data!"

"I have all the data ever stored within these computers on my person," Mayuri assured. "It's actually in an artificial organ I implanted into my body long ago. Once the computers are cleaned and the encryption codes replaced, it'll be a cinch to replace all the data." Mayuri growled again. "Not to mention, it'll give me ample time to sniff out who is responsible for this ordeal!"

Rin gulped, almost feeling sorry for whoever it was that started this mess. Regardless of their reasons, Mayuri was sure to make them pay once it was all over. "Yes Captai-

And then they felt it, the slight tremble of the ground as the front door of the barracks was knocked away from its entrance. Even from the locked room, they could all feel the familiar and haunting spiritual pressure of Jason Voorhees as it slipped through the open doorway.

"That...That was..."

"Jason!" Mayuri cried. "I should have known! Whoever is responsible for this must have had the end goal of rescuing Jason!" He frantically returned to typing on the keyboard. "I must hurry! The sooner we find the culprit, the faster they can be punished!"

"But Master Mayuri," Nemu asked. "What about Jason?"

"I'm afraid we have no choice but to focus on escape at the moment," Mayuri explained. "As much as I hate to say it, it's in the hands of the other Captains now. I can only hope they don't do something stupid before I can reclaim my charge. The room fell silent save for Mayuri's panicked typing. As he blasted through the encryption key for the hard reboot of his computer systems, his mind continued to race. "How, how is this possible!? Someone would have needed years upon years of knowledge to even formulate this plan in the first place! But even then, who would want to release Jason upon the Seireitei? Who would...

Mayuri suddenly recalled a certain drone within his Squad. A bandaged glorified door-opener known only as Prim. With one hand still working on the encryption key, Mayuri reached for the nearby file containing the physical articles of Jason from the World of the Living and opened it. He was greeted with the sight of a black-and-white image of Pamela Voorhees, Jason's mother. Despite the graininess and lack of color, Mayuri was able to recognize the cold dead stare in her eye as the same one Prim possessed.

"Could it be?" Mayuri stopped typing for a moment, then smiled viciously. "My, what an interesting turn of events."

---

Throughout the Seireitei, Jason's immense spiritual pressure was felt. The intensity of it wavered the further it seeped from Jason's body but the unmistakable chill remained potent enough to induce a shiver in almost every Shinigami around to feel it. At the same time, an earthquake shook the Seireitei as a giant Kido barrier of unknown origin engulfed the area where the Central 46 compound rested. These two events left every Shinigami afraid and confused, especially the Captains and Lieutenants.

"What is that?" Sajin asked as he watched the Kido barrier form from afar.

"It looks like some sort of force field!" Iba suggested. "And it's coming from the Central 46 compound!"

"The Head Captain!" Sajin roared as he launched himself toward the barrier. "The Head Captain must be in danger!"

"Wait for me Captain!" Iba flashed-stepped after his Captain, shivering as he flew through the air. "Brrr! Is it me or did the air just get colder all of a sudden!?"

Being covered in fur, however, Sajin hardly noticed. "The perpetrator must be connected to Jason somehow! Could this be a distraction?" He growled in frustration. "No! They'll be other Captains to take care of him if that's the case! Right now, I need to free the Head Captain!"

Meanwhile, the other captains were beginning to take notice of the immense spiritual pressure as well as the tremor caused by the rising barrier. Shunsui and Jushiro happened to be drinking together in the former's barracks when it happened. The tremor caused the Squad 13 captain to spill his sake all over his haori.

"Oh my!" He muttered as he grabbed a nearby towel and began to wipe his clothes.

"Now what the heck could that be?" Shunsui set his sake down and crept toward the window. His eyes widened as they fell upon the giant red barrier that now stood over the Seireitei, quickly realizing it was erected over the compound. "Uh oh. That can't be good."

"Captain Hirako!" Momo cried as she followed her superior toward the barrier. "What's going on!?"

"I don't know," Shinji shouted without so much as looking back. "But whatever it is, I'm sure it's going to be a major headache to deal with!" As they continued to run, Shinji's mind became clouded with troublesome thoughts. "It's not just the barrier either. There's something foul in the air. Not a scent but a spiritual pressure, dead and rotten. I have an idea of who it might be but I hope I'm wrong because if I'm not," He inhaled sharply. "That means that bastard Mayuri had broken his promise!"

From the Squad 4 barracks, Retsu casually walked outside and watched as the barrier finished completion. Her expression was stoic and one could not tell what she was thinking no matter how hard they might try. From inside her barracks, her men and women began to panic. Her lieutenant, Isane, ran out, clearly scared out of her mind as well but making it a point to fight against it.

"Captain!" She called out before stopping to catch her breath for a few seconds. "The Squad is in a frenzy! Nobody knows what's going on or what to do about it!"

"Isane," Retsu replied calmly without turning around. "First, I want you to calm everyone down. Assure them that this will all be taken care of and that they must be ready to help the injured afterward. There is no room for panic right now."

"Y-Yes Captain!" Isane agreed.

"And then," She turned to Isane, her normally kind eyes beholding a hint of bloodlust to them. "I'll need you to bring me my Zanpakuto."

"C-Captain?" Isane whimpered.

As the captains and lieutenants of the Gotei 13 reacted in their own ways to the impending disaster, one pair stopped in their tracks. Kenpachi and Yachiru were on their way back to the Squad 11 barracks when the event unfolded. Yachiru began to shiver against the suddenly colder air and the earth trembling forced Kenpachi to grind to a halt. They both watched as the Kido barrier formed over the Central 46 Compound and the trembling ceased but the coldness remained.

It didn't take long for Kenpachi to recognize it either.

"Yachiru," He said, "Do you feel that was well?"

"Yep!" She chirped happily. "It's Jay-Jay!"

"Looks like that stupid egghead couldn't keep him in check after all, huh?" He chuckled to himself. "Poor bastard's probably dead. Oh well!"

"Are you going to find him?" Yachiru asked. "Are you gonna fight again?"

"Of course we are!" Kenpachi shouted, reaching for his eyepatch and ripping it off. His own immense Reiryoku poured out from his body and warmed up Yachiru a little. He howled in laughter as he rushed through the streets. He didn't bother asking Yachiru for directions this time. He was close enough to the Squad 12 barracks to find it himself. To find him for himself. "And this time, no one's gonna keep us from going all out!"

Clasped firmly around her Captain's shoulder, Yachiru licked her lips again.

---

"Sir, the compound has been sealed off from the outside!"

"What did you say," Number 22 screeched.

"Some sort of unknown Kido has been formed around the building!" The servant elaborated. "We're doing everything we can to break it but so far nothing's worked."

Angry shouts and cries erupted from Central 46 as the condemned Shinigami watched on.

"This has to be connected to that monster Jason! Perhaps he set the barrier!"

"Do you now see what your insolence has done!? You've doomed us all!"

"It's just like when Krueger's flames engulfed the Seireitei! You've failed to protect us yet again!"

Genryusai said nothing. He simply stood silent amongst the shouting, lost in thought. Kiba, simply shook his head and scoffed. "Typical old geezers. More concerned about their own hides then they are about the Soul Society.

"Gahhhh!" This is horrible!" Marechiyo cried. "Captain! What are we gonna do?"

"Calm down, you fat tub of lard." Soifon demanded. "Panic won't help in this situation."

"Then what do you suppose will!?" Omeada Marechiyo. "This is bad! We're trapped like rats! Like fish in a barrel! Like- If the Shinigami existed in a world of cartoons, it's most likely that a lightbulb would have appeared over Marechiyo's head at that moment. "That's it!" He grabbed Soifon by the shoulder and shouted "Your Yumekai!"

"M-My Yumekai?" Soifon blubbered. "What about it?"

"You said that its power was to destroy anything you touched with all five of the blades at once right?" Marechiyo's lips produced a cocky smile. "You can destroy that stupid barrier with your Yumekai!"

"Wha-"

"Come on Captain! Use your Yumekai and get us out of here!" He began to shake Soifon slightly which, on any other day, would have resulted in him being thrust head-first into the ground like a tent peg. Instead, Soifon simply sighed in an annoyed tone as she was shaken.

"I can't." She replied.

"Huh?" Marechiyo stopped his shaking for a moment before increasing his efforts. "What do you mean you can't? Is it because of that skimpy outfit that comes with it?"

Kiba turned his attention toward the duo, his interest peaked.

"Come on! Don't tell me you're too embarrassed to perform Yumekai because of that! Since when did you become a wimpy school gi-

"I AM NOT EMBARRASSED!" Soifon slammed her fist onto Marechiyo's head and sent it breaking into the ground. His whole body flipped, his legs sticking comically in the air as the dust settled. "I can't perform the Yumekai because we're in the waking world!"

Marechiyo said something but with his head underneath the rumble, no one could tell what it was. As if sensing this, he gripped the floor with both hands and pulled his head out before repeating his question. " What do you mean?"

Soifon pinched the bridge of her nose and continued. "My Yumekai is a power pulled directly from my dreams. I used it to defeat Freddy Krueger a few months ago after he had warped Soul Society with his Bankai. You remember that much, don't you?"

"Yeah."

"The issue here Marechiyo is that the only reason I was able to use the Yumekai in the first place was because Freddy's essence had tainted the Soul Society, allowing dream logic to take over. Once Freddy was defeated, his Reshi began to dissipate and now there's none of it left. Dreams and reality are completely separated again."

Marechiyo's face turned purple as it dawned on him what his captain was saying. "S-So you mean-

"I can only perform Yumekai in my dreams." Soifon finished. "Literally."

"Oh no!" Marechiyo cried out as he fell to his knees. This is horrible!"

"Oh man," Kiba sighed. "And I was looking forward to seeing that outfit of yours."

"He's only spoken to me twice and I wanna kill him," Soifon thought.

Chojiro, who had silently watched the tomfoolery unfold turned to his captain and asked. "What should we do, Head Captain?"

"For now, wait." Genryusai answered. "I'm sure by now, the barrier has been noticed and at least a few of the other captains are on their way to set us free. And as for the others," Genryusai looked up at the walls of the compound. Even with his fiery Reiryoku and even from the inside of the barrier, he could sense the chilly essence of the being he knew was somehow connected to this mess. "They will have their hands full cleaning up the mess." He said gravely.

---

A few blocks away from the compound, Ichigo approached the man named Roy Burns. "Hey," He asked, "Do you have anything to do with that Kido barrier?"

Roy trembled as he stepped back. This person, this kid in front of him didn't look like a captain but his spiritual pressure sure felt like it. Whoever he was, Roy wanted no part of him. "E-Easy kid! Why are you automatically assuming I had something to do with the barrier?"

"Well for one, you're the only person around here for miles not wearing a Shinigami robe," Ichigo replied.

Roy looked down at his blue kimono and mentally cursed himself for not swapping it out with a Shinigami robe back at the Squad 12 barracks.

"Second, someone from the Rukon probably wouldn't even know about Kido in the first place which makes it suspicious that you already knew what I was talking about."

"Shit!" Roy grabbed his sword and continued to back away, wanting to avoid fighting at all cost if he could help it. Mostly, because he was certain he would lose. "Look buddy, I have no idea what you're talking about. I was just out for a stroll."

Ichigo ignored the man and continued to approach him, his face screwing up as he thought something over. "You know, your face seems familiar."

"I just have that kind of face," Roy lied. "Everyone's said that to me."

"No, I've definitely seen it somewhere."

Gulping, Roy suddenly took off.

"Hey!" Ichigo flash-stepped in front of Roy, nearly causing the man to fall to the ground in surprise. "Shit!"

"I'm not done talking to you yet," Ichigo took a step forward, "and frankly, you're starting to look really suspicious.

"I'm warning you kid!" Roy grunted. "You don't wanna be messing with me!" Once again, he took off and once again, Ichigo flash-stepped in front of him, this time intending to block his path with Zangetsu. Either out of instinct or annoyance, Roy finally drew his sword and used it to counter Ichigo. The substitute Shinigami was stronger and easily pushed the man away. "Well you cut it out already?" Ichigo asked. "That's not...gonna...work..."

As he was speaking, Ichigo's eyes fell onto the sword Roy held in his hands. An all-too-familiar Zanpakuto the color of night itself.

"That...sword..." He trailed off.

"Huh?" Roy looked down at the Zanpakuto Pamela had given him, the one she had stolen from Akane Watanbe after murdering her. Roy instantly remembered Pamela saying something about Akane having other visitors before they arrived and realized at once that the boy had been one of them. He recognized the sword as Akane's and any hope Roy had of getting out of this without a fight vanished. "Just my fucking luck,"

"That sword...that Zanpakuto..." Ichigo gritted his teeth. "Where did you get it!?"

"Look kid. Just calm down." Roy tried to bargain.

"Where did you get that sword!?" Ichigo shouted as he pointed Zangetsu toward the man. "Tell me!"

Roy sighed in defeat. "It...It was given to me alright.."

"Bullshit! Do you take me for a fool!? I happen to know for a fact that Zanpakuto belongs to Akane Watanbe! So what the hell is it doing in your hands? What have you done to her?"

Roy remained silent for a few moments as if choosing his next words as carefully as possible. "I didn't want to do this," He began, "She made me. She forced my hand."

"Who!?" Ichigo shouted.

"Pamela Voorhees," Roy replied with his gaze fixed on Ichigo's eyes.

The substitute Shinigami fell silent as the words sunk into his mind. "Pamela Voorhees? As in...Jason's mother?"

"That's right." Roy replied. "In your efforts to find the big guy himself, you Shinigami seemed to have overlooked his dear old mother. She's not too pleased about what you've been trying to do to her precious baby boy either."

"You're lying!" Ichigo snarled, anger and fear mixing within him like sugar and milk in a cup of coffee. "Pamela can't be in Soul Society! She should...should...

"Should be in Hell?" Roy finished, "Yeah and frankly, so should I. I guess you Shinigami don't have everything as under control as you would have hoped."

Ichigo tensed up and mentally told himself to calm down. He couldn't afford to lose control of his emotions Not now. Still, he had to know... "I won't ask again...What did you do to Akane?"

"Come on kid," Roy sighed. "Use your imagination." Roy held up the Zanpakuto. "Pamela's the one that gave me this sword after all,"

Reality struck Ichigo like lighting. He didn't want to believe it but at the same time, he knew there was no use denying it. "No...No."

"I'm sorry," Roy said. "I didn't think she would do it. But if it's any consolation, she didn't suffer. It was quick and painless."

Ichigo hardly heard Roy anymore. His mind had been overcome with what few memories of Akane it possessed. The sad, longing expression on her face. The look of hope in her eyes when they told her they planned to eliminate Jason. The regretful, mournful tone of her voice as she made her request. A request he had forgotten to keep.

"Before you destroy him, tell Jason that I'm sorry for bringing him back into such a lonely world, that I deprived him of the chance to see his mother again and condemned him to a lifetime of solitude in the forest."

Rage burned through Ichigo like an inferno. Beneath it, however, lay a thick center of remorse. "If only we had brought her with us...if only she wasn't alone..." Gritting his teeth again, he fluctuated his Reiatsu, forcing Roy back. "What is your name?" He asked grimly.

"W-Why do you need to know?" Roy asked as he took a stance. He gulped as he realized he was entering the fight of his life. He mentally prayed that he could recall all that Pamela had told him about Zanpakuto.

"A close friend of mine once told me it's customary for opponents to tell each other their names as a final courtesy. That way, the one who dies will at least know who it was that killed them."

Roy shivered. "This brat's actually looking to kill me!" He thought. "Was that Akane person really that important to him?" With a grunt, he forced himself to stop shaking. "Dammit Pamela, you crazy bitch! Look at the mess you got me into." As he looked down at the stolen Zanpakuto in his hands, Roy was briefly reminded of when he was doing the carving. When he had given in to his psychosis and slaughtered indiscriminately. He could feel some of that rage returning at that very moment and for the shortest moment, he believed he could actually win the fight. Taking one more deep breath, Roy looked back up to Ichigo and introduced himself. "If you must know, I go by the name Roy Burns. Perhaps, you've heard of me?"

And Ichigo had. In passing Mayuri had mentioned a Jason copycat. A killer who had adopted the guise of Jason during the few years he was actually dead. He realized with dry humor that that's where he remembered Roy's face, from the articles that Kisuke had shown him. Ichigo couldn't have imagined that he would be here in Soul Society, never mind working with Pamela to save Jason. It was all starting to make sense to Ichigo but that didn't matter to him at the moment. What mattered was stopping them both.

"Yeah, and you've probably heard of me," Ichigo once again pointed his sword at Roy. "The name's Ichigo Kurosaki!"

---

"Stop him!"

"He's too strong!"

"Where are the Captains!?"

The air was filled with the voices of panicking Shinigami. The walls of their own buildings as well as the floor beneath their feet were covered in the blood of their fallen comrades. In the midst of all this chaos, Jason Voorhees marched on toward the tower.

"Stop him! Don't let him get any further!" With a fierce battle cry, he and his friends rushed toward Jason, calling out the names of their Zanpakuto.

"Roast, Faiaraion!"

"Strip to the bone, Rippingusame!"

"Blow em away, Emerarudotorunedo!"

Before any of the Zanpakuto could transform into Shikai, however, the charging men were reduced to a red paste by Jason's spiritual pressure. Their Zanpakuto shattered as he stormed past.

"Bakudo #4: Hainawa!" Several female voices cried. Before Jason could react, four rope-like energies suddenly wrapped around his limbs. He found himself pulled down to his knees, nearly dropping his machete. As he struggled to get free, the four Shinigami responsible for his bindings crept closer. "Keep him tied!" One of them cried. "Don't lose your focus for a second and don't get too close!"

"This Reiatsu..." One of them moaned as she stepped closer to the target. "It's so crushing...it feels like I'm suffocating." Suddenly, the female Shinigami coughed out blood from being close to Jason's spiritual pressure. She fell to her knees, the Reshi making up her Hainawa breaking apart from the lack of concentration. Jason was quick to notice this occurrence and even quicker to act on it, gripping his machete and launching it right into the abdomen of the Shinigami binding one of his legs.

With a choked cry, the Shinigami fell back, her Reshi rope breaking apart as well. With an arm and leg now free, Jason got back to his feet and began marching toward the fallen woman. Without the added strength of their comrades, the Hainawa binding Jason's remaining limbs could not stand his immense Reiatsu and, despite the other women's efforts, broke apart as well.

"No!"

The Shinigami with Jason's machete stuck in her stomach fought through the pain and held her hands toward him "Ha-Hado #33! Soka-

But before she could finish her incantation, Jason grabbed the hilt of his machete and wrenched it upwards with enough force to slice cleanly through her skull. As her cleaved body fell backward, the other girls screamed in mortal terror. Jason turned toward them and quickly noticed the third Shinigami still on the ground, her eyes wide and teary and her mouth leaking blood. Deciding to finish her off first, Jason marched toward her.

"No! Don't" One of the other Shinigami flash-stepped in front of Jason, using every ounce of her own Reiatsu not to be crushed by his mere presence and slashed at him with her Zanpakuto, producing a red line across his chest. Jason responded by nonchalantly severing her head with a single swipe of his weapon.

"This isn't right!" The remaining girl thought as she watched her friend's now headless body fall to the ground. "We've been training for years for situations like this and yet, we can't even get near him. As she stood there, silent and shellshocked, she beheld her injured friend's cry of desperation as Jason slammed his foot onto her head. "We can't win. Only a Captain-level Shinigami would be able to even stand a chance against this...this...monster.

She commanded her feet to move but they wouldn't, not even as the monster that killed her friends stormed toward her. She could feel herself shaking with fear as well as every bead of sweat now covering her body and knew that if she didn't move now, she would be killed. Yet, she could not. Tears streamed down her face as she watched the monster that would be her executioner approach her, his single working eye glaring at her with hate she never knew could exist. At last, she finally managed to regain control of her eyelids at the very least and closed them, silently praying that her death would be as quick as possible.

And then she was taken off her feet and moved away from Jason's crushing presence.

Once it dawned on her that the movement she felt wasn't her own head falling from her shoulders, she forced her eyes back open and found herself staring into the cleavage of one Rangiku Masumoto.

"Hey, Are you alright?" The Lieutenant of Squad 10 asked.

"Y-Yeah," Was all the woman could think to say. She slowly picked up her head and gasped as she watched a familiar white-haired Captain approaching Jason, his Zanpakuto slung over his shoulder.

"I knew something like this would happen." He said. "Nothing good could ever come from giving into the demands of a madman like Mayuri. You should have been destroyed the moment you were brought into the Soul Society."

Jason's only response to the shortie in front of him was to tilt his head. In his head, he couldn't tell whether the Shinigami approaching him was a kid or just a really young-looking adult. Then he noticed the haori draped over his shoulders and realized that, kid or no kid, he was a Captain.

"I'm sorry," The shortie spoke. "It must be confusing for you, ripped away from your normal hunting grounds and wandering a strange world. You probably don't even realize where you are or who we are?"

Jason cracked his neck in anticipation.

"Well allow me to introduce myself." The shortie brandished his sword. "The name is Toshiro Hitsugaya, Captain of Squad 10 of the Gotei 13! And I am the man who will end your life!" He brought his sword before himself and shouted "Reign Over the Frosted Heavens, Hyorinmaru!" The sword suddenly transformed, producing a chain with a moon-shaped blade at the end of it. Jason's single eye widened in surprise at this sudden turn of events. Toshiro himself seemed surprised at Jason's reaction until he recalled how the madman's first encounter with a captain went.

"That's right," He said, "So far, the only other Shinigami you've fought on equal footing was Kenpachi Zaraki. He's the only captain in the entire Gotei 13 that doesn't possess a Bankai or even a Shikai for that matter. This must be the first Shikai you've seen in a long time, huh?"

Jason glared at his opponent and began his march, machete held high.

"Of course, you've only ever experienced the power of Shikai's belonging to lower-rank Shinigami. Toshiro took a stance with his sword as clouds began to form overhead. "Allow me to show you the difference. Allow me to show you a Captain's Shikai. With an angry shout, Toshiro slashed at Jason, throwing a huge amount of spiritual energy from the tip. The energy formed into a great dragon of ice that rushed toward Jason relentlessly. Bewildered by the sudden appearance of the beast before him, Jason could only think to try and hack at it with his machete. At first, this seemed to work as he succeeded in splitting the dragon's head in half, the two sides of the beast flanking past him. Then, he felt a cold sensation several times greater than his own Reaitsu and looked down to see a thick layer of ice engulfing his arm. Before he could lift his leg to move back, Jason found himself completely frozen in place as the dragon disappeared.

By now, the clouds above Toshiro had become a raging thunderstorm, its icy rain falling to the earth and washing away the blood from Jason's path of destruction. Rangiku, having already taken the injured Shinigami a safe distance away, had just returned to her Captain's side. She noticed the frozen statue that used to be Jason and, with a delighted chuckle, slapped Toshiro's back as hard as she could. "Way to go Captain! I knew you could do it!"

"Gah!" Toshiro zipped around angrily, slapping her hand away in the process. "Rangiku! Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"Oh calm down!" Rangiku responded. "I'm just trying to congratulate you for a job well done and that's the thanks I get? You need to learn some matters, Captain!" The tone of voice she spoke with was the exact one a mother would use to scold her child and this served only to enrage Toshiro even further.

"How dare you speak to-

Before Toshiro could get another word in, however, he was interrupted by a loud cracking noise Both he and his lieutenant returned their attention back to the frozen monster before them, their eyes widening as they realized the crack was coming from the ice encasing him. "I-Impossible!" Toshiro whispered.

Before long, Jason broke through his icy prison, his Reaitsu pouring out from his body like a raging waterfall. He grabbed a jagged piece of the broken ice and chucked it at Toshiro. The dumbstruck Captain of Squad 10 hardly registered the frozen projectile until it sliced through his shoulder. He winced as he grabbed his shoulder and the ice shattered on the ground behind him.

"Captain!" Rangiku cried.

"It's fine," Toshiro hissed as he looked down at his wound. Quite a bit of blood had been drawn but it wasn't deep. Just a scratch. "I was distracted. It won't happen again." Toshiro heard a footstep crunch through the ice and saw that Jason was once again approaching him and Rangiku. "Ryojin Hyoheki!" Toshiro cried as more ice formed from his blade. The ice came out in finely woven threads that formed a wall between Jason and Toshiro, just as the former was about to swing his machete. "That should slow him down." Toshiro thought.

But no such luck, Jason's machete cut through the icy wall and sliced across Toshiro's chest. Once again, it was a shallow cut but still enough to panic Toshiro as he and Rangiku backed away. Jason forced himself through the icy wall and tried to strike again, only for Toshiro to parry. The two began to exchange blows with their respective weapons as Rangiku watched on.

"What's with this guy?" Toshiro thought as the crossed blades. "He's simply smashing through every attack I have. I knew he'd be difficult to kill but it's looking that might actually be impossible. Toshiro was pushed back by Jason's blade but forced himself to remain on his feet. "No, I can't give up! Not just yet! Who knows how many lives this monster will claim if I fail now? Not only that," Toshiro's gaze shifted to the tower standing a few miles away from where he currently fought for his life. The one with the Senkaimon on top. "Jason isn't just wandering blindly through the Seireitei! He's trying to make it to that tower. Whoever set him free must be planning to release him back to the World of the Living. But who would want to do such a thing?" Toshiro shook his head. "No! There's no time for that. I have to focus on the fight!"

Right as Toshiro thought this, however, Jason punched him in the stomach. The Captain of Squad 10 coughed out blood and spittle as he was sent flying into a nearby building.

"Captain!" Rangiku rushed to her captain's side and leaned him on her shoulder. He was bleeding from the mouth and as he moved him, Rangiku was certain she could hear his bones crack. Jason's shadow loomed over the both of them and Rangiku unsheathed her sword, ready to protect her captain at all cost.

That's when his hand feebly grabbed her shoulder.

"Huh?" She turned her head to see Toshiro fighting to pick up his. "C-Captain?"

"Rangiku, don't...don't put yourself in needless danger." Toshiro rasped. It clearly hurt him to talk and he ended up having it spit out another wad of bloody saliva before he could continue speaking. "I'm not done."

"B-But Captain," Rangiku watched as Toshiro used her shoulder to prop himself back to his feet and face Jason.

"I've underestimated our opponent." He continued. "Maybe its because he's from the World of the Living. Maybe it's because he doesn't possess any talent aside from raw strength. But I have greatly underestimated our opponent." Toshiro held out his Zanpakuto. "If we're going to end this, we have to go all out. We can't afford to hold anything back." He turned to his lieutenant. "Will you help me?"

Rangiku wasn't entirely sure what exactly was going through her captain's mind at the moment but the glint of determination in his eyes was enough to reassure her that he was far from finished with the fight. "Yeah!"

"Good," Toshiro smiled as he turned back to Jason. "Now let's do this! Bankai!"

---

Roy considered it a miracle that he managed to remain on his feet after that blow. It was an attack he parried successfully, sure, but he lacked the raw spiritual energy his adversary possessed and was launched backward as the Shinigami swung his sword.

"Dammit!" He thought as he spat out a wad of blood. "I knew these Shinigami freaks were strong but this kid's on a whole other level!" He looked down at his pilfered Zanpakuto, trying and failing to remember the name and release command Pamela had told him would unlock its true power. He had been determined not to be caught in a fight in the first place and so hadn't put a whole lot of priority into memorizing it. "Dammit, Roy! You fucking idiot!"

"There you are!" Ichigo's voice called out. Roy hardly had time to lift his sword before the substitute Shinigami brought down his own. Roy struggled under the weight of the enormous blade and, before long, found himself flying backward once again. This time, he fell against the wall of a nearby building, uttering a pained groan as he fell back to the ground.

"You know something, I'm kind of torn," Ichigo spoke as he started approaching the injured Roy. "On the one hand, I really don't enjoy beating up on some old guy who can't even fight back." His gaze narrowed. "But on the other, I know you're not just some old defenseless man! You're a murderer who hid behind Jason's legacy!" Once he was close enough, he held out his Zanpakuto toward Roy. "Tell me, did you even consider the cries for mercy your victims made before you killed them!?"

Roy coughed up more blood and looked back at Ichigo, his face a stone-cold expression of concentration. He was feeling it rising to the surface, the animalistic bloodlust that consumed his heart the moment he had seen his own son lying dead on the lawn in front of Pinehurst. The son he had left behind due to his own selfish desires and weaknesses. The son he had thought he lost the chance to reconcile with. "I can't say I did." Roy confessed as he forced himself back up, his eyes dark and distant. "I really can't recall all that much from when I was behind the mask."

"Bullshit!" Ichigo shouted. "Don't try to play amnesia now! Even if you couldn't remember doing it, the fact is you killed innocent people!"

"I'm not trying to claim innocence, alright!?" Roy defended. "I'm simply explaining to you that I was in a different headspace at that time. I was...I was a different person back then."

"You mean Jason, right?" Ichigo challenged. "Maybe you thought that if you used Jason as a scapegoat it could absolve your sins. Well I got news for you pal! It doesn't work that way!"

"Don't I know it," Roy uttered, his dead eyes locking onto Ichigo's angered stare. "Sometimes, I wonder if what I've done can ever be absolved. Probably not. After all, I killed so many people I lost count." He felt the darkness inside him try to beckon to him once more. It felt as if it were whispering in his ear, goading him to return to its sightless slendor and give in completely.

"He doesn't understand. He never will."

"He's just like that idiot who murdered your boy! Nothing but a dumb jock throwing their weight around!"

"You know what will happen to your son and your charges if you allow yourself to die here and now. You must live! You must fight!"

"You must kill."

A moment of complete and total clarity came to Roy, during which, he was finally able to recall the name and release command of Akane Watanbe's Zanpakuto. But before he used it, he decided to ask Ichigo something.

"Before we continue, son. I want to ask you, are your parents still around?"

Ichigo cocked an eyebrow. "Why the hell do you need to know that?"

"I'm simply asking a question. Are your folks still with you?"

Ichigo paused for a moment and then said. "My Mom isn't but my old man is. I have two sisters as well."

"I see. Your father and two sisters." Roy repeated. "Tell me, would you do anything to protect them? Anything at all?"

Ichigo gritted his teeth. "What the hell are you on about, is this your way of threatening me into leaving you alone because I'm telling your right now, that's not a smart move!"

"My point exactly," Roy responded without missing a beat.

"Huh?"

"Kid, I don't expect you to understand, considering you don't have any children of your own. But there is all kinds of grief in this world and the worst kind a human being can experience is a parent's grief over the death of their child! You can't possibly imagine what it feels like to watch something, someone you brought into the world, destroyed right before your eyes! Pamela's felt that pain and it turned her into the crazy bitch she is today!"

"Pamela," Ichigo repeated.

"And as for me, well, my whole world fell apart after my son was murdered. Yeah, I may have not handled it the best way possible but what was I to do!? My heart was ripped apart! My soul torn asunder! And by the end of it, all that was left was rage. As Roy spoke, he was trembling lightly, not from fear but from anger. Ichigo had noticed this and decided to keep his guard up, knowing that Roy was planning his counterattack. "I pray you never feel the horrible rage that this kind of grief can bring!" Roy's voice broke. "And now, maybe you don't have to," Looking down at his Zanpakuto, he cried out. "Pierce, Sento No Kotei!"

At first, nothing happened and Ichigo considered explaining to Roy the nature of the Zanpakuto. To his surprise, however, the sword shone a brilliant blue and changed form within Roy's hand. The former killer looked down at his new weapon in in quiet awe. Clearly, this was the first time he had called out its power for himself.

"H-How can he call out that Zanpakuto's power? It isn't his!" Ichigo growled as he took a stance, deciding that at the moment, the "how" didn't matter. The real battle was about to start.

And sure enough, Roy made the first move. "Yahh!" He cried as he pointed the sword toward Ichigo. The ground trembled again and a row of stalagmites jutted toward Ichigo. The substitute Shinigami jumped up right as the stony formations reached his location and swung his sword at Roy. "Getsuga Tenshou!"

Roy jumped back as soon as he saw the blast heading his way but wasn't able to escape the blast radius entirely. He was sent up into the sky along with Ichigo who was already starting to descend. "That's a nasty trick you got there." Roy muttered to himself as he tightened the grip on his sword. "But I bet I can do better." Once again, Roy swung his sword toward Ichigo which only served to confuse the orange-haired teen. "What an idiot." He thought. "Is he that desperate that he'd try to create stalagmites in the a-

Ichigo's train of thought stopped completely as he saw the new formations coming for him. They weren't stalagmites in the traditional sense. Technically speaking, they would be considered stalactites given how they were now pointing toward the ground. What really caught Ichigo off guard, however, was the condensed swirling air they were made from. They grew out of nothing but the sky as they sped toward Ichigo. "No way. That attack...works in the air too?"

Ichigo failed to get out of the way in time and cried out as the "stalactites" rammed into him, one of the points cutting into his shoulder. He fell to the ground hard enough to crack the sidewalk while Roy landed on his feet on the roof of a nearby building. Once again, he stared down at his new weapon.

"So this is the power of a Zanpakuto." He thought. "I have to admit, it's a little fun once you get used to it." He directed his attention back to Ichigo. The way the teen angrily tore himself from the ground, blood running down his now exposed shoulder, reminded Roy of that boy who had killed his beloved son in the first place. He felt the rage grow within his body like a flame, ready to reduce anything he sent it toward to blackened ashes.

Roy jumped off the building and approached Ichigo, his Zanpakuto hanging loosely in his hands. Had there been any mask on his person, he would have put it on at that moment for the darkness had consumed him.

The same madman that had slaughtered the youth at Pinehurst was back and his first victim was still struggling in front of him.

---

Jason was a man of few thoughts and even fewer words. His mother did most of both for him nowadays and it seemed to serve them both fine. That's not to say he didn't possess his only feelings on certain matters of course. He had a favorite animal. (It was the turtles that rested in the lakebed during summertime.) and a favorite color (which was black. He wasn't sure why.) And at this very moment, as he continued to block blow after blow from the tiny ice-using Shinigami Captain, had he been able to talk at that point in time, Jason was completely certain of what he would say.

"This is just getting ridiculous!"

From above, the Shinigami known as Toshiro Hitsugaya, now sporting a pair of wings and a tail all made entirely of ice, dropped down on Jason and slashed at him with his sword. Once again, Jason parried the blow, although he was thrown off a little and wavered. Having failed to land a blow, Toshiro retreated to his lieutenant's side while Jason fixed his footing.

"So this is the power known as Bankai?" Pamela's voice spoke. "Earlier, that boy said he'd use his Shikai to defeat you but he failed. He must think that upgrading his attack will let him destroy you. Well, it certainly is strong but's nothing compared to you, my boy. Not even the strongest Bankai in the world can kill you!"

Jason said nothing. He just continued to stare at Toshiro, waiting for his next move.

"I can't believe such a primitive weapon is actually holding out against Hyorinmaru," He panted. "It must have something to do with his immense spiritual energy."

"Captain," Rangiku asked. "Don't you think its time we did that?" She fluttered her eyelids and made sure to use her sweetest tone of voice.

"Not yet," Toshiro responded without looking back at her. He was still studying Jason closely. Although he had yet to make a decisive blow, he could see patches of ice all over Jason's body. This seemed to slow his movement considerably. Despite this, he didn't seem to be even close to being brought down, his hateful eye still glaring at Toshiro as he started marching toward him. "This guy just doesn't give up, does he?" Toshiro thought. "We're gonna need to take drastic measures if we're going to end this battle."

He turned to Rangiku and said. "I have a plan. But I need you to distract him for me,"

"Distract him?" Rangiku seemed somewhat reluctant, not out of fear but out of impatience. "Captain, come on! Let's use that new attack we've been working on! Please?"

"Rangiku! This is serious!" Toshiro snapped. "If we don't stop this monster now, there's no telling how many lives he'll take before he gets to the Senkaimon. The attack you want to use hasn't been perfected or used in combat yet. It's strong, yes, but it might not have the power we need to end this."

Rangiku pouted and sighed. "Alright Captain,"

Toshiro stared at the mopey Rangiku like a parent looking over a child throwing a fit and sighed. "If my plan doesn't work, then we can try that attack."

Rangiku brightened up at once. Toshiro could have sworn he saw stars in her eyes "Captain!"

Part of him wanted to be annoyed with her antics, especially in this situation but the rest of him found a strange...comfort in her sanguine demeanor. He nodded again and took off into the sky, leaving her alone to confront the approaching behemoth.

"Hey there big guy!" Rangiku cooed. "You've made quite a big mess here huh?"

Jason pressed forward.

"It's a real shame it has to be this way," Rangiku continued. "In another life, maybe we could have been friends. I bet you're really cute under that creepy mask of yours."

Jason stopped in his tracks, momentarily throwing Rangiku off as she didn't expect her flirtations to actually work. She watched as Jason slowly reached for his mask, grabbed the bottom of it, and lifted it up, revealing his naked face.

It took everything Rangiku had in her not to shriek at the sight and even then her purple face and cold sweat gave her true feelings about Jason's appearance away. "W-W-Well you know what they say, b-beauty is in the e-e-eye of the be-beholder!"

Jason lowered his mask and resumed his march, raising his machete in his hands.

Rangiku sighed and brandished her Zanpakuto. "What a shame," She adopted a stance. "Growl, Haineko!" At once, Rangiku's blade turned into a cloud of ash which she then sent after Jason. The masked killer used his arms to defend himself again the attacking cloud, unsure of what to make of it.

"Is this ash?" What does that little whore think she's playing at? Ice is one thing but ash can't possibly hurt us!" There was a mocking tone in his mother's voice and Jason could understand why. He grinned beneath his mask as he continued to push through the ash, wondering what could this busty Shinigami was hoping to accomplish with such a useless attack.

He got his answer when fountains of blood erupted from both of his hands. He dropped his machete as they both fell to his sides, limp and shredded.

"Surprised?" Rangiku asked coyly as she pointed a finger at the dumbfounded Jason. "I bet you were wondering how a bunch of ash could possibly hurt you hmm?" She clicked her tongue as she wagged her finger. "Your mother should have taught you better than to judge a book by its cover!"

"That dirty little slut!" Pamela's voice screeched.

"All that ash you see flying around you is actually a cloud of tiny blades, almost invisible to the naked eye." She raised her hand and gestured toward Jason's legs, causing the ash to suddenly gather around them. Before Jason could react, a similar explosion of blood occurred on the back of his legs, causing him to fall face-first onto the ground.

"Oh! You really should watch where you step buddy!" Rangiku teased. "Honestly, this is almost more fun than drinking!"

Jason lifted his head back up, a large crack forming in the middle of his mask. Slowly, he pressed his hands against the ground, the bones cracking as they lifted his body up.

"Oh no you don't!" Rangiku lifted up her hilt and brought it down while shouting "Neko Rinbu!" The cloud of ash that used to be her sword swirled around Jason, closing him off from the outside world completely. With a wave of her hand, Rangiku commanded the ash to form a vicious cyclone around Jason, sucking up all the blood he had lost from the ground and continuing to siphon it away from his open wounds.

"Get up Jason!" His mother demanded. "Get up quickly!"

Jason tried to obey but the rapid loss of his blood made his body feel heavier and heavier by the second. He tried to fluctuate his Reiatsu again but it was no use. He was caught under the weight of the cyclone above.

"I think I've toyed with you enough," Rangiku snapped her fingers, causing the cyclone to disperse. A light rain of Jason's blood fell over his body as it lay ragged on the ground. Several cuts were now visible on his torso and hindquarters.

"Hmmm. Did I go too far?" Rangiku asked herself. "He was a serial killer after all."

After a few moments of lying completely still, Jason brought his head back up. The crack in his mask had widened, threatening to break the thing apart at any moment. Jason struggled as he lifted himself to an upright position, his single eye glaring at Rangiku.

"Wow, I can't believe you can still move after all that!" Rangiku commented in an actually impressed voice. "No wonder Captain Kurotsuichi is so obsessed with you. Captain Zaraki too. You just don't know how to stay down do ya?"

Jason's only response to Rangiku's comments was to force his leg up in front of him and attempt to stand. He stumbled and fell on his back, causing Rangiku to erupt with laughter.

"Hahaha! Oh! I'm so sorry!" Rangiku wiped a tear from her eye. "I promise I'm not normally this mean! I'm actually a very nice person once you get to know me!"

Jason tried again, this time succeeding in sitting back up. Using his machete, he propped himself back to his feet. The patches of ice on his body, every bit as rigid as when they were first formed, now worked together with Jason's wounds to slow the masked murderer down as he stumbled towards Rangiku. His Reiatsu was flaring now and Rangiku could feel herself struggling to breathe. She stepped back while taking a defensive stance should her opponent get any funny ideas.

"This spiritual pressure is nasty," She thought unhappily. "It feels like I'm sinking in a filthy swamp!" Her gaze rose toward the sky where she spotted a familiar shape flying down toward Jason. She smirked. "About time Captain."

Jason was quick to realize the presence falling toward him rapidly. Figuring that it must be the white-haired boy from earlier, Jason held his machete against his chest and swung backward, grinning under his mask as he felt his prized weapon slice through ice and flesh.

"Captain!" Rangiku cried.

Jason allowed the momentum of his swing to turn his body around, expecting to see two halves of the young man called Toshiro Hitsugaya fall lifelessly to the floor. He could hear his mother's triumphant laughter as that's exactly what his eye beheld...

...at least before both halves suddenly melted into bloodless slush.

"Oh I'm sorry. Were you hoping that was me you had just cut in half?" A familiar voice asked Jason from behind. Spinning back toward Ranguku, Jason saw her superior standing beside her, unharmed and with a hint of cockyness in his otherwise deathly glare. "Sorry to disappoint you but what you just sliced apart was actually my Zanhyo Ningyo. It's a technique I reserve for when the battle is near its end." He paused to point his Zanpakuto towards Jason. "And I'm afraid for you, that time is now!"

Jason suddenly heard the sound of cracking all around him. Looking around, he witnessed as an encirclement of ice pillars formed around him and his would-be victims. The air around him became even colder and the patches of ice on his body slowly began to expand, making it even harder for him to move. Jason tried to take a step toward the Shinigami, only for his foot to freeze up in a block of ice as soon as he set it back on the ground. He found that he could only move his head freely and even then, it took all his strength just to look up and glare at Toshiro who at that point was turning his sword counter-clockwise.

The pillars of ice began to move toward Jason with haunting, uncanny ease, almost as if they were simply gliding toward him, never breaking their circular formation even as they passed their creator and his lieutenant. Jason tried to fluctuate his Reiatsu again in the hopes of somehow using it to crush the pillars but it was no use. Now powerless to even turn away from his apparent executioner, Jason continued to stare hatefully as the pillars fell upon him and crushed his body against each other.

"Finally," Toshiro breathed out as he felt Jason's spiritual pressure begin to fade. "It's over." He let his sword-bearing arm fall to his side and exhaled, his breath frosty and drawn-out. "I just wished we didn't have to lose so many men before this."

"Cheer up Captain!" Rangiku replied. "We won! That's all that matters." She put her finger to her chin as she started to ponder the repercussions of her Captain's actions. "Although I'm sure Captain Kurotsuichi won't be happy you went and destroyed his new pet!"

"Captain Kurotsuichi's emotions mean nothing to me," Toshiro answered sharply. "He brought this monster here and he will be the one to answer for the damage caused." Toshiro turned around and began to walk away. "Now let's go check out the Central 46 Compound! I can still see the barrier from over here."

"Yes, Captain." Rangiku turned to follow him, only to stop with one foot off the ground. She was frozen in place, unable to even speak. She tried to move her lips, tried to warn her Captain of the reason she found herself frozen but then stopped trying.

He knew. She could almost feel the fear and confusion radiating off of him, even with his back to her. He knew.

Jason's spiritual pressure was rising again.

---

"Gah!" Ichigo cried as he felt one of the stony protrusions dig into his left heel. Thinking fast, he stomped on the highest one next to it and launched himself into the air. Blood flew from his shoulder, chest, back and now his foot. He was still far from finished, of course, but the combined blood loss from his various wounds was beginning to take its toll on his speed and strength. He could feel himself slowing down as the battle went on, and thus becoming an easier target for his opponent's attacks.

One of these attacks was already heading for him at that moment.

"Shit!" Ichigo held Zangetsu in front of himself and grunted with pain as another row of air stalactites slammed into the blade. The Substitute Shinigami was sent flying backward towards another adjacent building, his sight stolen by the resulting cloud of dust and debris. Fighting just to stay conscious, Ichigo tumbled through the various floors of the building, creating a crater on the bottom floor once he finally reached it.

From the top of the only intact building left in the area, Roy watched solemnly as the building he launched Ichigo into collapsed. "This really must be the afterlife." He thought. "There's no way anyone alive would survive something like that." He felt around for Ichigo's spiritual pressure, a trick he had picked up during their fight, and sighed as he realized he still lived. "Damn kid's stubborn. I'll give him that." He jumped down from the building and started approaching the rubble, keeping his eyes peeled for any sign of movement. Once he noticed a rising figure within the dust, he slashed his sword forward and sent a fresh row of stalagmites toward it.

The stony formations dissipated the dust cloud as they ran through it, revealing nothing but the shattered remains of the building.

"Huh?" Roy muttered. He suddenly felt a presence behind him and barely turned around in time to parry Ichigo's attack.

"Bastard!" Ichigo snarled as he put his back into the strike, sending Roy flying across the ruined area. The former paramedic smashed into a nearby wall, knocking it down and Ichigo raced forward, not intending to give him a chance to recover. Unfortunately, it seemed Roy didn't need one anyway as the madman was already on his feet and swinging his sword toward Ichigo. The Substitute Shinigami narrowly avoided the resulting row of stalagmites by jumping and, thinking from last time, used Zangetsu to block the following stalactite attack. "Dammit! I just don't get it!" Ichigo thought as he was pushed back. "A Zanpakuto is only supposed to respond to its rightful owner! So how is he able to use Sento No Kotei with such force!?"

As Ichigo landed on his feet, he thought back to what Roy had said before the battle had begun. "This guy said he was working for Pamela right? That she was responsible for all this? I wonder if she did something to Sento No Kotei to make it obey an ordinary soul like Roy." Another row of stalagmites rushed toward Ichigo and he flash-stepped to the side to dodge them. "I just don't get it. Why would he help Pamela in the first place? As far as I can tell, they never even knew each other when they were alive. Could she be forcing him to help her?" Ichigo dodged yet another array of stalagmites and flash-stepped toward Roy who once again blocked Ichigo's blade with his own. As the two struggled, Ichigo noticed the look in Roy's eyes. Lifeless. Studious. The eyes of a single-purpose machine.

They almost reminded him of Jason.

"Why are you doing this?" Ichigo finally asked as he blocked another attack. "What do you get out of attacking the Seireitei like this? Out of sealing the old man away?"

Roy said nothing but grunted with effort as he pressed his sword toward Ichigo. It seemed that the young man's words simply phased through the madman, like a river through an old mountain. Ichigo felt like he was fighting a rematch against Jason. Ichigo was beginning to understand how Roy was able to trick people into thinking that Jason returned from the dead all those years ago. When he became gripped in his own psychosis like this, he was nearly as silent and deadly as the Crystal Lake Slasher himself.

Nearly.

Ichigo forced Roy's blade away and jumped back. "I didn't want to have to use this," He thought. "But I gotta snap this guy out of it. I need some answers!" Touching the top of his head, he brought his hand down, producing a Hollow mask over his face. Roy's stoney expression somewhat wavered at the appearance of his opponent's new accessory. "A-A Hollow!?"

"Yeah, long story," Ichigo responded, his voice somewhat deepened by the mask. "But I don't have the time to explain and neither do you!" Ichigo vanished from Roy's sight yet again, this time managing to land a punch to his face before he could turn around. The Jason copycat screamed as he flew through the ruins and debris, a far cry from the calculating predator he was just moments before.

Ichigo gave chase and kicked him in the side, sending him flying to the left. Ichigo followed a third time, only for Roy to finally block the attack. However, Ichigo's strength was much greater now and Roy was knocked off his feet, losing a sandal in the process. As he landed face-first on the ground, Ichigo slowly lowered himself in front of the downed opponent, his now yellow eyes displaying the tiniest hint of pity. "Ready to talk now?" He asked.

Roy coughed up a little bit of blood as he looked up at Ichigo. Gritting his teeth in anger, he slashed his sword forward and sent one more row of stalagmites toward Ichigo, certain that the young Shinigami would have no chance to dodge them at such close range.

As it turned out, he was half right.

Ichigo flexed his Reiatsu, causing the stalagmites to break apart as they neared him. Roy's pupils narrowed and his lips quivered as he watched the rocky formations disintegrate into nothing, all while Ichigo remained perfectly still his Hollow mask cracking. "This...This isn't..." Roy didn't bother finishing his sentence as he uttered a panicked cry and crawled backward from Ichigo. "What is this kid?" He thought as he felt his murderous instincts slip away, abandoning him like a young bison calf surrounded by hungry wolves as the rest of the herd ran away. "He's a Shinigami but he's got a Hollow mask! This doesn't make any sense!" Roy could feel tears forming in his eyes as he crawled away. His already-speeding heart practically burst from his chest as Ichigo took a step forward. Then another one. And another one. All while those vicious eyes glared at Roy.

"Please don't hurt me," Roy thought. "I made a promise, I have to get back to my son," He envisioned his curly-haired son still waiting for him in the Rukongai, wearing that dumb yet enduring smile of his as he waited for his father's return, completely unaware of the dire situation he was currently trapped in. "I promised.." Roy lurched forward as he backed into a large piece of rubble. Ichigo continued to follow him, his shadow falling over the cowering Roy like an eclipse. Realizing he was trapped, Roy looked down to the ground and waited for Hollow-masked Shinigami's sword to swing down on him.

After a minute passed and Roy realized he was still breathing, he cautiously looked back up to see Ichigo's hand extended toward him. His Hollow mask was gone but there remained a stern look of contempt in his eyes. This was enough to tell Roy he wasn't out of the woods yet even though his opponent was showing mercy and so with a gulp, he grabbed Ichigo's hand and was lifted to his feet.

"You know you can't win this fight," Ichigo spoke. "That Hollow mask isn't even the strongest trick I know. There's no point in fighting anymore so why don't you tell me what's going on with you and Pamela?"

Roy briefly contemplated whether or not he should spill his guts. He could already guess what Pamela's reaction would be once she found out. Deciding that he had no real choice in the matter, however, Roy chose to talk. "Heh It should be obvious kid," He replied dryly. "She's trying to save that kid of hers you brought here and I'm her lackey." He pointed to the giant barrier behind Ichigo, now surrounded by several Shinigami trying to break through it. "She had me seal the Head Captain and everyone else inside the compound with some sort of do-dad she fished out of her Squad's barracks."

Ichigo's eyes widened. "Her squad's barracks? Hold on, are you saying she's...she's a Shinigami?"

"Man, are you slow or something?" Roy asked. "Yes, she's a Shinigami. How else do you think she was able to force me to do all this? She's only been rolling with Squad 12 for the past 17 years! At least, that's what she told me."

"Y..You've got to be kidding." It was then that Ichigo recalled a strange encounter with a blonde woman within the Squad 12 labs not too long ago. One wrapped in bandages and an all-too-motherly voice.

"You must be that Ichigo boy who's helped us so much in the past. Thank you for that."

"Just call me Prim. Everyone does."

"Could it be...could Prim..." Ichigo suddenly shook his head with an angered grunt. There would be time to find and grill Prim/Pamela for information later. Right now, there was still something else he needed to know. "Why did you do it?" He asked. "Why would you help Pamela set Jason loose?"

"I already told you kid! I had no choice in the matter!" Roy shouted.

"There's always a choice!" Ichigo shouted back. "What reason could you possibly have for helping her!?"

"I was trying to protect the kids!" Roy screamed. The air fell silent, save for the gentle breeze blowing their the men's robes as Ichigo processed what Roy had said.

"Protect...the kids?"

"Look kid, I'm sure you probably won't believe what a killer like me has to say and frankly I wouldn't blame ya. But I've changed since I came to this place. No...not changed...it's more like I was fixed. My head was cleared." Roy sighed. "What am I doing? No one wants to hear the excuses of a murderer."

"You're right. I don't." Ichigo confirmed. "But I do wanna hear how you got involved in this. And about those kids you're apparently protecting so talk."

Roy stared at Ichigo in awe. Was he really being given the chance to explain himself?

"R-Really?"

Ichigo nodded.

Realizing that maybe, just maybe he could somehow get out of this alive, if not unscathed, Roy cleared his throat and began. "Well I'm sure you've already heard the stories about my crimes,"

"Nope. Not a word," Ichigo cleaned out his ear. "I just saw your picture on a paper with "JASON COPYCAT in the title and that's it."

"You little punk!" Roy calmed himself down and continued. "Well just as well. There isn't much to say other than I was a scumbag. I didn't have a particularly hard life or an easy one. Just sorta drifted from one town to the next. At least, until I met Rachel."

"Rachel?"

"She was the love of my life, I guess you could say." Roy explained. "The kindest, warmest soul I've ever known." His face contorted into a look of pure despair. "Which is why it broke me when she died giving birth to our only son."

"Did you blame your son?" Ichigo asked.

"Oh God no! I've loved him with all my heart. Believe me! He was all I had left of Rachel But...I...I was just too broken to care for him. I...I...sent him to live in a foster home!" Roy choked up as he entered the cruelest act of his tale. The one that would mark his entry into the dark. "I did my best to get my shit together. I even became a paramedic and one day, I wanted to come back to Joey someday, wanted to be the father he needed me to be! But before that day could come..." Roy's entire body began to shake as his fist clenched.

Ichigo was able to tell from the look of Roy's eyes, the sadness, and rage that they betrayed, what happened next. "Your son. He was murdered wasn't he?"

"By some meathead punk with a chip on his shoulder," Roy confirmed, "And because I was a paramedic at the time, I got the pleasure of wrapping my son in a body bag." Roy sniffled and grabbed his head. "I'm tempted to say what happened next was a blur but the truth is, I remember it all too clearly. Something snapped inside me while I was examining my boy's body and all I could think about was making them pay."

"Them?" Ichigo asked.

"I knew I wouldn't be able to get to that bastard while he was incarcerated. But my rage remained and it needed to be sated. So I took to killing as many people in the surrounding area as I could." Roy's eyes became lost in a trance as he harked back to those final days of his life. The smell of freshly spilled blood. The screams of his victims as they fought and pleaded for their lives. The rage driving him like a machine, somehow burning him under his skin and freezing his emotions and sense of reason at the same time. It was just as clear to Roy as if it had happened yesterday and yet, they felt long they belonged to a different person. Or something inhuman to begin with.

"But why?" Ichigo asked, "Those people did nothing to you or your son!"

"But that didn't matter to me at the time, not to me and not to the rage consuming me." Roy explained. "To this day, I still don't know what compelled me to dress like Jason but when I donned the mask, it felt like I wasn't a human being anymore. I wasn't even alive. I was just a force of nature, death taking physical form. And everyone else was nothing but cattle." There was no joy in Roy's voice as he spoke nor in his eyes. Just quiet sadness and fear. Ichigo was sure he could even hear a trace of disgust in his voice. "I think the only time my head cleared after that was when I died." Roy's mind wandered to the final memory of his human life, watching up from the bed of spikes he had become impaled on as his would-be victims looked down below. The falling rain made it hard to make out their faces but he was certain they were fretful. And then, blackness came.

"Alright, well that explains your connection to Jason," Ichigo spoke. "But what about those kids you're trying to protect? Why play defender now after you've tasted blood?"

Roy looked at Ichigo with regretful eyes.

"Who are these kids anyway?"

"They're...They're..." Roy trailed off.

"Well?"

"The kids...they're my past victims..." Roy finally admitted and for the second time, Ichigo's eyes widened.

"..You're past victims?"

"It all began on a rainy summer day," Roy said. "I think it had been four months since I arrived in the Rukongai...

---

Roy was sitting on the porch on a long-abandoned shrine. The three gaping holes on the rooftop still allowed the rain to fall through and he could feel the little splashes as he sat but he remained in place for this was the only shelter for miles. Every so often, Roy would look back to the shrine behind him. The statue sitting in the middle of it cracked and chipped from years of neglect, resembled some sort of strange creature with a vaguely fist-shaped head and a single eye. Inscribed beneath the statue was kanji almost faded beyond readability. Roy studied it for what seemed like hours before finally giving up and blaming his basic understanding of the language. The most he was able to get out of the kanji was a word he was not familiar with and would only later consider that it might have been the name of the lonely deity to whom this shrine belonged.

Mimihagi

Roy's stomach growled and he rubbed it while groaning. He had hardly anything to eat since a few days ago when he had nearly lost his life over some stolen bread. He sometimes would ponder why he would even need to eat in the first place if this was the afterlife but then decided to drop it. There was a lot about this place that just didn't make any sense and considering that the alternative could have very well been burning in Hell, Roy figured he best be grateful. Still, it didn't make the hunger any more bearable.

Roy looked up to the sky. Even though it was completely covered by clouds, he could till from the lack of light that night was beginning to fall. "Guess I'm sleeping here tonight," He thought unhappily. He turned back to the statue and asked, "Don't suppose you have some pillows and blankets you can spar huh?"

The statue, of course, did not answer.

Roy sighed and lowered his head, allowing the constant barrage of raindrops all around him to lull him to near sleep.

This went on for ten minutes before a new sound interrupted the raindrops. The sound of a young man's voice.

"Hey! Mister! Are you alright?" It asked.

Roy almost didn't register the voice talking to him, thinking he was just dreaming it. When it became more persistent and sounded a lot closer, Roy finally snapped himself back from sleep and looked up, half expecting to see some punk kid ready to mug him. It wouldn't have been the first time.

Instead, he saw his son, Joey Burns, standing before him, a bag of cookies in his hands. "Are you alright, mister?" Joey asked innocently.

Roy could not believe what he was seeing, he even wiped his eyes so as to make sure he wasn't dreaming. But Joey remained once he cleared them and the longer things went on, the more apparent it became that Joey, the same son he had taken to the morgue himself, was standing right before him, no axe wound in sight.

"Boy, this rain's pretty harsh huh?" Joey took a seat next to his dumbstruck father, removed a cookie from his bag, and bit into it. "Yeah, there isn't much here aside from a few shrines that nobody uses anymore. And they all have that weird statue inside them." Joey looked behind himself and noticed yet another one of the statues sitting in the dark. "Yeah, like that one!" He turned to Roy "What do you suppose that thing's supposed to be?"

Roy opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. Only a dry exhale as he struggled to comprehend that his dead son was standing before him again. He found himself caught in an endless cycle of rationalization, thinking how this had to be a dream of some sort as Joey was dead, only to remember that he too had perished and this place, this Soul Society as the locals called it, was neither peaceful enough to be called Heaven nor cruel enough to be called Hell. This same thought pattern revolved on and on in Roy's mind until Joey spoke up again.

"Oh I'm sorry," He said as he finished his cookie and held out his hand, "The name's Joey,"

Roy remained still, simply staring at his clueless son and his outstretched hand.

"Do you want a cookie?" Joey reached into his bag and offered one to Roy, "That nice couple that lives on the other side of the river gave them to me. They're supposed to be stale because they were made yesterday but they taste just fine to m-

Roy suddenly wrapped his arms around his son and pulled him close. Caught by surprise, Joey dropped the bag of cookies, spilling quite a few of them out onto the wet ground. He uttered a yelp but did not pull away from Roy. He simply sat there, accepting the sudden affection from this stranger who...was beginning to feel somewhat familiar.

"You're here!" Roy choked as tears streamed down his face, "You're actually here!"

"Y-Yeah I am. M-Mister?" Joey asked. He realized the man was crying and patted his back to get his attention. "Mister! Are you alright?"

But Roy did not answer. He simply sat there, holding his lost son in his arms throughout the night as the rain continued to fall and a deity from a bygone era watched on from the shadows.

---

"Eventually, I told Joey I was his father and I was perfectly ready for him to reject me, call me crazy. After all, he'd never seen me in his life. He had no reason to believe me." Roy sniffled. "But that boy...that boy, God bless him, he accepted me, almost like he could just tell I wasn't lying." Roy smiled through his tears. "I just couldn't believe it. I had my son back!"

Ichigo felt like smiling as well but kept his face neutral for he knew what was to come next.

"But that...that's when it began to dawn on me," Roy uttered, the elation in his eyes replacing itself with fear. "That's when I realized what I had done, to those people, to those kids...I...I killed them and yet here I was being rewarded with the return of my son,"

"Does your son know about what you did?" Ichigo asked.

Roy shook his head. "No. None of them do. I was wearing that mask back then, see. They all thought I was..."

"...Jason," Ichigo finished.

"Yeah, They think Jason killed them and as selfish as it is, I want to keep it that way. It made it easier, you know? With Joey's help, I was able to track down most of them, found them wandering the Rukongai by themselves and then we settled down in the Eastern district. I figured since I took their lives in the other world, I could help piece them back together in this one, at least, as much as I could. The Rukongai isn't exactly the land of opportunity, you know?"

Ichigo thought back to the conditions of the district they found Akane in and nodded. "I guess not,"

"Then you fools started searching for Jason and I tried my best to keep the kids out of it. But it wasn't enough and she found me."

"Pamela."

Roy nodded. "She had this plan, she was going to wait until you brought her son into the Seireitei and release him onto the masses. She needed me to keep the head honcho out of the way while she went to work," Roy gestured once again to the red barrier surrounding the Central 46 Compound. He looked at his feet in shame. "I didn't want to go along with this, I didn't want to cause any more death and destruction than I already had. But if didn't do what she said, she was going to tell them the truth. She had the proof." Roy sighed heavily. "I'm sorry, I know you don't want to hear the excuses of a dammed soul like myself. I tried to achieve atonement but I realize now that it's far too late for me to even try."

Silence ruled the area for a few moments, Ichigo remaining perfectly still as he stared down at Roy. Once again, he was reminded of his mother but this time, his mind went in a different direction. "The grief of a parent who's outlived their child. Pamela and Roy both became murderers because of it. What would have happened if I really had died that day? Would Mom have fallen into the dark like that? Dad?" The thought chilled Ichigo to the core and he shook his head. "Of course, that wouldn't happen. Mom and Dad are more adjusted than that...well Mom was anyway. Still, to think if things had ended differently that day..." Ichigo's memories of the day he lost his mother once again broke into his mind only for him to shove them aside. Now was not the time to reminisce about the past but to fix the present. For both him and Roy.

"You're probably right," Ichigo began. "After all, those were some grievous sins you committed back when you were alive. Maybe true atonement really is out of reach,"

Roy continued to look down, unable to meet the Substitute Shinigami's gaze.

"But that doesn't mean you shouldn't try!" Ichigo suddenly declared, causing Roy to look back up. "I'm just a Substitute Shinigami and, to be honest, there's still a lot I don't know about this world or how it works. From what I understand, both you and Pamela should have gone to Hell for what you did. Yet, here you are, trying to save her son. Not to mention, you're son is waiting for you back home as well."

Roy opened his mouth but once again, no words came out. Just a quiet gasp.

"I don't know if true atonement is within your reach and I can't tell you the Gotei 13 will let you off with just a slap of the wrist. But if you truly want to repent, start by helping me to stop Pamela and Jason!"

"S-Stop Pamela?" Roy finally choked out. "Kid, you don't know what you're talking about. Pamela might not be all that strong but she's crafty, not to mention vicious!"

"That doesn't matter to me!" Ichigo barked. "As long as she and Jason are on the loose, innocent people are going to be killed! You say you want atonement but right now, all your doing is letting this evil repeat itself again!"

Roy shuddered as Ichigo's words sank in. His mind raced with memories from both the World of the Living and the Soul Society. He saw carnage and laughter. Blood and a nice evening supper consisting of light soup. He saw the dead body of his son Joey vanish behind the zipper of a body bag and his smiling face as he stuffed himself with stale pastries. "I have another chance," Roy thought. "And they need me. He needs me."

Roy gulped. "I know I can't get out of this easily. I'm much too involved. But if I help you, will you please..." Tears streamed from his face again as he looked up to Ichigo. "Will you please make sure that the kids are safe? That my Joey stays safe, even if I can't return to him!?"

Ichigo sighed as he realized what Roy was saying. He was prepared to go after true repentance this time, even if it meant possible imprisonment or even execution, just as long as the kids under his care were safe. Ichigo firmly nodded. "I'll make sure of it,"

Roy chocked again, this time with a look of immense relief on his face. He wiped his tears and placed his Zanpakuto back in its sheath. "Ok. I'll help you." He sniffed loudly. "By now, I'd imagine at least one or two of your Captain buddies are taking on Jason so our best bet would be to track down Pamela."

"Alright," Ichigo nodded. "Do you have any idea where she co-

"Oh. Don't bother your pretty little heads, gentlemen."

Both Ichigo and Roy froze at the sound of the female voice speaking to them, its tone motherly and venomous at the same time. Footsteps drew closer from the right and as the men turned around, they were met with the cold, predatory gaze of Pamela Voorhees.

"Here I am."

---

"This is...impossible..."

Toshiro and Rangiku remained frozen in place as the ice pillars that had crushed Jason began to crumble. Through the icy mist they created as they fell, Toshiro could feel the murderer's Reaitsu slowly but surely begin to pick up again. It was faint and considerably weakened but there was no room for doubt in Toshiro's mind.

Jason was still alive.

"I knew this guy was supposed to be thought but this is just ridiculous!" Rangiku protested. "I mean seriously! All that hard work down the drain! Talk about a bummer!"

"Now's not the time to be goofing around Rangiku!" Toshiro scolded. "We have bigger problems to deal with." With that, Toshiro pointed his Zanpakuto toward the now dissipating icy cloud. A shape was emerging from the dying cloud, its footsteps thunderous and full of intent. As Jason, stormed out of the remanents of his frozen Hell, Toshiro and Rangiku quickly noticed the bottom half of his mask was missing. His mouth, mishappen and perpetually drooling, gritted what few teeth it held. Jason was angry and he was going to do everything to make the Shinigami pay for his pain.

"Any more bright ideas, Captain?" Rangiku asked, trying not to stare directly at Jason's exposed jaw and failing miserably.

"Only one," Toshiro turned to Rangiku with a small smile. "It's time to try that attack,"

Rangiku suddenly brightened up, her eyes glowing with excitement. "R-Really?"

Toshiro nodded, "Just remember what we've practiced."

"Right!" Rangiku nodded as she commanded the ash of her Zanpakuto to return to its blade form.

Around this time, Jason had slipped and landed on one of his knees. His right shoulder and left leg were completely encased in ice and Jason could feel the chill within his very bones. He couldn't tell if he was shaking from anger or the cold.

"Get up Jason!" His mother's voice commanded. "They'll finish you off if you don't get up soon! Hurry my son!"

Jason pushed himself back up and continued marching toward his targets.

"Ready, Rangiku?" Toshiro asked.

"Sure am Captain!" Rangiku winked as she and Toshiro tapped the tips of their blades together. A swirl of white dust-like particles began to swirl around the blades. As the swirl grew stronger and faster, the particles darkened into a deathly grey. Jason stopped in his tracks at the sight of the strange energy, unconsciously backing a single foot away.

"Oh wow!" Rangiku's eyes sparkled with excitement and awe. "It's so beautiful! The girls at the WSA are gonna be so jealous!"

"So this is successful Shikai Fusion," Toshiro thought as he studied the swirling mass up close. "This powdery substance, I can't if it's snow or ash. The sensation it gives off, it feels cold but...somehow it's also burning me as if I'm standing too close to a bonfire." Toshiro felt his eyes water at the burning sensation and blinked a few times before looking away toward Jason. "I wonder how he'll like it."

Jason took another step back and raised his free arm as if anticipating that he would not be able to dodge this next attack.

"Shikai Fusion! Tenso Jurin Neko!" Both Toshiro and Rangiku cried out as they lifted up their blades toward the sky. At once, the swirling mass of frozen ash flew from the tips of their swords and into the thundercloud above. After a few seconds, the cloud changed into a swirling shape as well and the ash raced back down onto Jason in a cyclone. Before the masked murderer could react, he was bombarded by the immense frozen ash. It stuck to his skin, producing the horrid sensation of burning and freezing at the same time. Jason grunted as he tried in vain to rub the ash off, only to redirect most of the pain onto his hands. His clothing and mask offered no protection against the agony and he fell to his knees with his good eye closed, convinced that he would be blinded if even a single particle touched it.

"Don't give up Jason!" His mother's voice demanded. "Don't let those monsters win! Use your power!"

Jason tried to flex his Reiatsu in the hopes of dispelling some of the ash but it too failed to help him. The pain was becoming unbearable and if he didn't die, he was sure he would at least lose consciousness. And then, it would be back to the labs. Back to the experimentation. Back to waiting for the end...

No.

Jason slammed his fist on the concrete and forced himself back on his feet. Fighting through the pain, Jason focused on his spiritual pressure, his brain in overdrive as he fought for a solution. This power wasn't just for show, it must have its practical uses as well. But if it couldn't keep him from feeling the ash, what could it do? Jason focused harder, harder than he had ever done in his life. He was briefly reminded of the nights when his mother would stay up with him to try and teach him how to read. It frustrated him then, not being able to make sense of the text near the colorful pictures. Too often, he would end up crying out of frustration but Pamela never gave in to that emotion. She practically waited for him to get it out of his system before trying again and eventually, Jason could make sense of the word,

Man.

Jason became aware of the spiritual energy signature standing outside the cyclone of ash he was trapped in. He wasn't sure how, but he could tell it was the boy with the ice powers.

Woman.

Another energy signature, this one from the Captain's lackey. They both stood on the other side of the cyclone, no doubt waiting for Jason to succumb to the frozen, burning hell they put him in. His fear and pain gave way too seething anger and Jason slowly brought his machete over his head, unconsciously imbuing it with his own raging energy.. He was not going to die here. He was not going to lay the victim anymore. Those days were gone and they would stay gone. He would do whatever it takes to keep them gone, including...

KILL.

Jason threw the machete toward the Captain's energy signature, his own energy protecting it from the frozen ash and the winds that carried them. It smashed through the cyclone wall, creating a hole through which all the wind suddenly escaped, destroying the cyclone and freeing Jason. One last agony overcame his body as the frozen ash melted into nothingness but Jason hardly noticed.

He was too busy enjoying the sight of Toshiro's shocked face as he stared down at the machete now stuck to his chest.

"Captain!" Rangiku cried.

Toshiro sputtered as he fell to his knees, a trickle of blood running down from his mouth and his Zanpakuto falling to the floor. " ! We got too cocky," He thought, "I let my guard down for a single second and now..." He gripped the machete, tried to pull it out and coughed up a mouthful of blood before gasping.

"Captain!" Rangiku reached for the machete, only to take her hand back as she wasn't sure what to do.

Jason, on the other hand, used the Shinigami's surprised despair to rush up to Toshiro and kick him down. He stomped on the Captain's chest and wretched the machete out with force, taking a good chunk of blood and flesh with it. Toshiro screamed in agony and tried to grip his Zanpakuto so he could try to freeze the wound. Jason noticed this and stomped on his arm before raising his machete to strike.

"No!" Rangiku jumped down onto her captain just as Jason delivered his blow. A line of red formed on her back and she screamed in agony as blood gushed forth from the wound.

"R...Rangiku..." Toshiro rasped. "G...Get away..."

Rangiku looked down at her Captain, her eyes streaming with tears, and shook her head viciously. "I'm not leaving you here, Captain!" She cried out as Jason slashed at her again.

"Rangiku," Toshiro noticed Jason going for a third strike and, summoning all of his remaining strength, grabbed Rangiku and turned, switching places with her just as Jason stuck. He roared in pain as the machete slashed through his back, smashing one of his icy wings into pieces. Ice, water and blood fell around the wounded Shinigami and Rangiku was just able to find her voice.

"C-Captain?"

"Rangiku...I'm so sorry..." Toshiro's eyes were beginning to close and his body was starting to become heavier. From behind her dying Captain, Rangiku could see Jason about to take another swing.

"Captain no!"

Then Jason stopped. Not because he suddenly had a change of heart or because he got bored. He stopped because the same technique he used to wound Toshiro was in use once more. The spiritual pressure he felt this time, standing behind him, was much more raw and violent but at the same time, familiar. Turning around, Jason saw his old playmate as well as that strange little girl he had with him. The both of them were smiling.

"So it looks like you broke out," Kenpachi licked his lips. "Good! I've been itching for round two!"

(Next chapter will be Zaraki vs Jason round 2! And I promise it'll be worth the wait!

Edit: I also just realized it has been a year since I started this fic! So happy birthday Jigoku Files. Here's to many more!)