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

31. And Fools Shine On

Chapter 31: And Fools Shine On

(As I mentioned last time, this will be mostly a flashback chapter. I think you'll like what I have to offer though. Or not. But either way, please enjoy the show.)

Night had fallen in the town of Karakura and most of its residents, from the officer workers having toiled all day at their place of work, to their children having burnt out their energy playing after school, were now asleep in their beds, recovering their energy for the next day ahead. Not a single one of them were aware of the giant carpet-like object flying through the night sky above their houses, carrying no less than 8 people on it.

"My God," Loomis said as he peeked over the edge, the town below him reminding him of the old educational place mats he would oversee children play on back in his pre-Michael days. "I was never a firm believer in the afterlife but now that I'm here, it just seems to get stranger and stranger." A sudden gust of wind blew against Loomis, making him loose his balance. He would have fallen over if Sado hadn't grabbed by the back of his jacket and pulled him toward the center of the carpet.

"Be careful old, man." He said calmly. "You might be a ghost but I doubt falling from such a great height would be very fun for you."

Loomis chuckled sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head. "Y-You're right, young man. Thank you."

Sado's only response was a small smile and a thumbs up.

"We're almost there," Uryu said as he guarded his face against the wind. "The hospital's coming into view."

"That's good," Ichigo said. "The sooner we're there, the better."

"Kisuke," Rukia spoke up. "I don't mean to sound ungrateful for the help but can't this thing go any faster?"

"Not unless you want to risk everyone getting blown off by the winds." Kisuke replied. Around them, the wind roared and whined. "It wasn't meant for crazy nights like these."

"I see. Sorry." Rukia looked down and rubbed her shoulders. She hated feeling this helpless in this situation. They all did. While they were talking, that monster had hurt her friends. She knew there was no logic in blaming herself for the tragedy but she felt guilty all the same. And as she looked up into Ichigo's eyes, she could tell he felt the same way.

Riruka shifted uncomfortably near the center. Throughout the entire ride, her mind had been consumed by the wave of unlocked memories that had been buried deep inside of her. She wasn't why she had recovered them after so long. Perhaps it was Michael's Heart of Darkness taking back its influence so it could help its user achieve Godhood. Maybe it was just learning about the power from Loomis that lessened the hold it had on her. Regardless of what it was, she had her memories of that night back. She could recall it so vividly too. Ginjo's anger, Giriko's dismay and her own overwhelming fear in the face of the inhuman evil known as Michael Myers. Of course, she didn't need any help recalling that feeling. She had spent so many years with this hidden objective in her soul, only know that she had to destroy the man named Michael Myers but never why.

But now she knew the why. And she figured it was time everyone else knew as well.

"L-Listen," Riruka started, her voice almost lost in the wind. Only Ichigo, Rukia, and Orihime, who was sitting next to the Fullbringer, could hear her. The orange-haired girl seemed to sense at once what it was Riruka was trying to do for she patted her back with a reassuring smile. Riruka found herself returning it if only for a few seconds and spoke more clearly. "Everyone! Please listen!"

This time, everyone's attention was captured. Riruka sighed as she steadied herself to relive those memories again. "I-I don't know if you heard me back there but shortly before we left the shop, My memories came back."

"Your memories?" Ichigo asked.

Riruka nodded. "The night we made the vow to kill Michael. The night we went to see him. I...I remember it now. And I think, you should all know what exactly happened that night." Riruka stiffened as she prepared to live through the long forgotten trauma. She started to shake. "I...I..."

"For God's sake, girl! Don't do this!" Loomis crawled over to Riruka, grabbed her shoulders and shook her slightly. "It doesn't matter what happened that night! You met face-to face with pure evil and that's all we need to know. Please, don't subject yourself to this for our sake."

Riruka stared into the watery panicked eye of the old man that not even a day ago, tormented her as a figure born from her nightmares. She grabbed his hand gently and pulled them off, her own eyes watery with a smile. "You went through more pain than any of us could imagine so you could tell us about the Heart of Darkness. I owe you at least this. Besides," Riruka sniffled. "I...I think I do need to relive it, just to confirm that it was all real and not just some horrible nightmare. I...I won't be able to help you defeat Michael otherwise."

"Riruka," Loomis said sadly as Kisuke placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Sometimes, confronting your personal demons directly is the only way to defeat them." Kisuke said. "As a former psychiatrist, you should know this."

Loomis sighed as he realized that Kisuke was right. Riruka held the final piece of the puzzle of Michael's Fullbring, a piece not even he knew about. With a heavy sigh, he gave Riruka one more reassuring pat on the shoulder and backed off. By now, everyone had gathered around Riruka with the exception of Tessai who stood arms cross with his back to the group as he kept an eye on the hospital. His ears, however, were just as open as everyone else's.

"Okay," Riruka cleared her throat as she began. "I...It began with we at Xcution taking a trip to America...

---

"Ugggh! I'm so bored!" Riruka cried. "And where the hell is that stewardess with my tea!?"

"You mean my stewardess?" Yukio asked with his eyes still fixed on the game. "Don't forget that you're a guest on my private jet!" He sighed as he glanced out the window. "Seriously, why does Ginjo always wanna dip into my funds for things like this?"

"Humph!" Riruka turned her head to her own window seat. "Why does Ginjo wanna drag us all out to America anyway?"

"Beats me," Yukio said. "All he said at the meeting was that we needed to go to someplace in Illinois and check things out." For once he looked back at Riruka, "There's been talk about a potential new member there.

"Oh great," Riruka sighed. "So we're getting dragged into some backwoods state in America for some rookie." She rested her chin in her hand. "He better be a cute guy at least."

"Oh wouldn't that be amazing!" Both Riruka and Yukio looked up to see a bubbly young girl with blondish orange hair. She wore an open yellow jacket exposing a black tank top and her navel. Around her waist, she wore cut-off jeans. "I mean, can you imagine if he was the hottest guy in the world?" She shoved her face right into Riruka's. "We might even become romantic rivals, Riruka!"

Riruka scoffed with a smile. "You have way too much optimism, Dawn." She sighed. "In all likelihood, this newbie will be more like Ginjo or even King of Games over there."

Yukio, his eyes already glued to the game once again, responded with a raised middle finger and nothing more. Dawn burst into laughter at the gesture as he shoved Riruka to the side of her seat with her hips. After taking a seat for herself, she looked around the table in curiosity. "What's on the menu, bestie?"

"Nothing. That's the problem." Riruka said. "The damned stewardess hasn't come back yet."

"Maybe if you talk about her more nicely," Yukio muttered.

"Like you're one to talk!" Riruka snapped. 'Speak normally!"

Dawn's smile faltered from bright to nervous as she tried to deescalate the situation. "Now, now!" She patted Riruka on the head. "There's no need to get angry! We're on a trip after all! A trip's always exciting, no matter the destination! So let's try to have some fun!"

Riruka glared at Dawn as the young blonde chuckled nervously. She was a newbie herself, having only joined Xcution earlier that year. Her instance on being positive all the time grated on Riruka at first, Hell, it still grated on her even now. But, at some point, without even realizing it was happening, Riruka found herself tolerating Dawn's presence more and more. Maybe it was because they shared similar taste in clothes, boys and in all things cute. Maybe it was because on some level, Riruka related to her past as Dawn too had hurt someone close to her with her Fullbring. But ultimately, as much as Riruka would never admit it in a million years, as annoying as Dawn could be, she had a way of brightening up a room with her presence.

Regardless of how it happened, Riruka had reluctantly accepted Dawn as her "bestie"

"Say Dawn," She spoke up. "I just realized, where we're going, America. Isn't that you're home country?"

"Yeah," Dawn playfully stuck her tongue out as she answered. "Not from Illinois mind you. I'm from North Dakota."

"Really?" Yukio asked. "What's it like over there?"

"Eh, just a lot of mountains and plains. Nothing special." Dawn stretched her limbs. "And certainly not as fun as Japan!" She giggled a little bit as she looked past Riruka toward the window, sighing at the clouds as they rolled by. "Still, sometimes I think it would be nice if I could visit again, just to see how everyone's doing."

Riruka couldn't help but feel a air of sadness coming from Dawn's voice. That was to be expected of course when Dawn talked of home. As with Riruka, the mistake she made with her Fullbring meant she could never go back to the life she once had there. Riruka found herself placing a hand on Dawn's shoulder. The American girl was surprised at first but then smiled and buried her face in Riruka's side. The sensation tickled Riruka a bit but she smiled as her friend seemed to have cheered up. Yukio, of course, was too lost in his game to care.

On the other side of the plane, Jackie and Giriko were playing cards, the former's eyes constantly darting toward the end of the room. "When are Ginjo and Tsukishima going to come back from talking to the pilot?" She asked. "Just what are they discussing there?"

"Are you worried?" Giriko asked as he placed on of his cards down on the table. "Do you not trust Ginjo?"

"That has nothing to do with it," Jackie said. "Don't you think its a little odd for all of us to fly out to a country hardly any of us have been in for a new recruit? There's something else going on here and I don't think I like it one bit."

"I suppose it is rather odd that Ginjo would go through such lengths for a new recruit, especially when they've always come to us." Giriko shifted his eyes toward Dawn as he said this. "But I trust him. If he believes these measures must be taken, then I will do my best to comply."

Jackie didn't respond. She wasn't sure how to. None of the old man's words served to comfort her.

At that moment, the door to the pilot's control open and Ginjo and Tsukishima walked out. All eyes fell on the two men as they made their way to the center of the cabin and Ginjo cleared his throat. "First of all, sorry for the wait. I needed to make sure everything was prepped and ready to go once we reach the States."

Yukio scoffed. "What you should be apologizing for is using my private jet as if it were Xcution property. I should charge you."

"Now, now, Yukio," Ginjo said as he held up his hands in mock surrender. Don't say such scary things! You know I could never pay that fee in a million years!"

Yukio sighed in response.

"Now that's that out of the way, I'm sure you'll all wondering just why we're bothering to make this trip in the first place."

"Oh! Oh!" Dawn jumped up and down while raising her hand. "It's for a new recruit right? Oh I hope he's a dreamy guy! We need more cute guys in this group, Ginjo!"

Jackie couldn't help but chuckle at Dawn's request, especially as Giriko uttered an undignified scoff.

"Well I would wish the best of luck in your dreams coming true, Dawn." Tsukishima said. "But I wouldn't count on it this time. After all," His eyes darkened. "Most serial killers don't tend to be very attractive."

The whole cabin went silent. Dawn's eyes darkened with surprise as her body ground to a halt. Riruka felt herself break into a cold sweat, actually thankful for once that she didn't have any tea at the moment for she was sure she would spit it out.

"Wh...What did you just say?" Jackie asked.

"Yeah, I had a feeling you'd guys react like this." Ginjo spoke up. "But I didn't want to be the kind of guy that keeps things like this away from his followers. That's just not the kind of guy I am."

"Bullshit!" Riruka slammed her hands down at her table. "You could have told us back at the hideout before we got on this stupid jet!"

"I did," Ginjo defended. "I told you that we were going to America to investigate a potential new recruit."

"And only now that we have no way to turn back do you mention that he's a serial killer." Yukio added. "You're such a snake."

"Look, you can give me all the crap you want for this after I've finished explaining the situation." Ginjo said. "Is that fine with you?'

Yukio scoffed once more and went back to his game. Riruka sat back in her seat but wrapped her arms tensely around herself. Dawn noticed this and hugged her for comfort.

Giriko didn't make any indication that he was surprised by Ginjo's announcement while Jackie was still reeling from the possibility of a serial killer with Fullbringer abilities.

"Good," Ginjo said as he saw he had everyone's attention. "Alright, so for the sake of transparency, yes, the Fullbringer that we're going to America to investigate is in fact a serial killer and a pretty dangerous one too. His name's Michael Myers and as of right this moment, its estimated his body count is somewhere in the hundreds."

"Jesus," Dawn muttered under her breath, all trace of her usual bubbly tone gone from her voice.

"I take it you've never heard of this guy before?" Riruka whispered.

Dawn shook her head. "No and I was just fine with that."

"Me too." Riruka agreed

"What exactly is his Fullbring?" Jackie asked. "Does he he use it to kill his victims somehow?"

"We can't say for sure," Ginjo said. "But whatever it is, it makes him hard to kill. Police records confirm that much."

"How do we even know this man is a Fullbringer if we do not know his ability?" Giriko asked.

"Because he's currently being held and hidden from the world by a group calling themselves The Cult of Thorn." Ginjo answered. "Apparently, they believe Michael is some sort of reincarnation of their original founder who also happened to be a Fullbringer."

"How do you know all this?" Yukio asked.

"We have an agent working as a mole within the cult," Tsukishima explained. "He's been there for years, watching them closely, keeping an eye on every move they make and reporting back to us."

"An agent!?" Riruka shouted in surprise. "I thought we were the only ones in Xcution!"

"If you paid half attention at my meetings, you'd hear me mention him every now and then." Ginjo replied with disinterest. "He's only one so far but as we find more like us out there, I'm hoping to establish different branches of Xcution all over the world."

Tsukishima nodded. "In any case, according to our mole, the cult is planning on releasing Michael back onto the world soon, no doubt due to their misguided beliefs. That is why were are going to America."

"To take on the Cult?" Jackie asked.

"To take on Michael," Ginjo corrected. "More specifically, we're going to have Tsukishima here use Book of the End on him and make him loyal to our cause." He placed a hand on Tsukishima's shoulder as he said this.

"So you're going to brainwash a serial killer into being our pet?" Yukio asked. "You're quite the messed up guy, Ginjo."

"Says the psycho who drove his parents to suicide," Riruka muttered. She immediately regretted it if only because she was sure Yukio would bring up how she trapped her crush in a box as a child but he said nothing. He didn't need to. His annoyed glare pretty much said it and Riruka went silent.

"Now, now," Tsukishima said. "First of all, my Fullbring does not brainwash people. It allows me to insert myself into their past. I won't be brainwashing our new friend as much as I'll be establishing an unbreakable bond with him."

"Besides," Ginjo continued. "It's the only surefire way to keep Michael from hurting any of us once we get him out of the cult's compound. We don't know what exactly those idiots are planning but whatever it is, we don't need it messing up things for Fullbringers down the line."

"And what about the Cult themselves?" Yukio asked. "Don't you think they'll be angry with us taking their main character out of their game like that?"

"Not to worry," Ginjo said. "Aside from our mole and Michael himself, there are no other Fullbringers in the cult. It's all normal loonies who confused the powers of their founder for that of a god and their current leader is a weak old man teetering on the edge of death. They'll pose no threat to us once we have Michael."

"And what if we can't control Michael?" Jackie asked. "What is he's able to overcome your ability, Tsukishima?"

"That won't happen." Tsukishima said. "My Book of the End is unbeatable."

Jackie turned away with a "hmph!", Still not totally convinced. Something in her gut told her this was going to end badly.

"Anyone else got questions?" Ginjo asked. He looked back and forth between his fellow Fullbringers. None of them seemed all too happy about the situation but none of them were speaking up anymore. Ginjo nodded. "Alright, we'll be at Illinois in a hour. From there, it'll be another hour's drive to the sanitarium where Michael's being kept. Our mole will meet us there."

With this, Ginjo and Tsukishima walked along to the back of the cabin and took a seat at the same table. The rest of the ride was tense and silent, even as the stewardess finally came out with the teas and cakes.

---

As Ginjo had said, once the jet had stopped at the airport, it was an hour-long drive to the sleepy little town of Haddonfield. For the trip, Ginjo had Yukio rent a limo-like car with enough room for all seven passengers and insisted on driving. No one aside from Tsukishima really cared for this idea but once again, no one said anything. They all wanted to get this over with as soon as possible.

Once they were in Haddonfield, Riruka couldn't help but notice Dawn looking much like her old self again. She stared at the rural building through the closed windows, her eyes shining like the Sun. She curled up with her Fullbring, an blue umbrella with orange splotches, and hummed happily. While this was not the same state she was born and raised in, it was clear to Riruka that here friend felt just as home here and why not? It was still the same country. That revelation hit Riruka and she found herself looking out the window as well.

"So this is America huh?" Riruka thought. "Not much to look at."

Ginjo made a turn into a suburban road with rows of house lining it, the leaves on the trees already beginning to lighten and fall. Autumn was coming soon. Once the car reached a delict old house at the end of the street, he turned into its long forgotten garage and killed the engine. Needless to say, no one was super pleased.

"What the hell Ginjo?" Riruka asked. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm not exactly an expert on sanitariums but I don't believe we're anywhere near one."

"You know what, Giriko? You're absolutely right." Ginjo said. "Smith's Grove is actually a long way from here."

"Then what are we doing stopping here instead of going to the stupid sanitarium?" Riruka asked.

"Use your head, ya idiot." Ginjo answered. "The Cult's bound to have guards on the lookout for trespassers. Especially around where they're keeping Myers. We'll just be one giant target if we pull up in a car."

"And us being a bunch of foreigners walking around won't stir up any attention?" Jackie asked.

"Not if we stay in the shadows." Ginjo said. "Now come on, we got a lot of walking to do." Everyone groaned as they climbed out of the car.

"Remind me to kill Ginjo when we get back home," Riruka whispered to Yukio.

"Sorry but I'm planning on killing him first."

Riruka pouted at Yukio's comment and turned away. As the Fullbringers walked on toward the end of the suburbs, Riruka couldn't help but notice a certain house as they passed by it. A horrid blue thing with a grey roof and twin double hung windows on either side. It was only for a few seconds but Riruka felt a horrid chill run through her spine as he spotted that house. It wouldn't be till long after this day that she would realize she was staring at Michael's old home.

...

Night had fallen by the time the group made it to Smith's Grove. Of course, Ginjo insisted they stick with the forest and sneak around the back. By now, everyone was on edge and even Dawn, the poster child for optimism, looked like she wanted to beat Ginjo to death with her umbrella. Once the Fullbringers had finally reached the back entrance, it was Ginjo who gestured for everyone to stay in the woods as he crept closer. He looked around carefully as he slinked toward the back door. The coast seemed clear enough to both him and his followers and so he reached for the door...

...only for a hooded figure to jump out of the shadows and point a gun at his back. Ginjo held his hands up as a second hooded figure appeared besides the first one.

"Whoa!" Ginjo shouted. "Easy there!"

"Intruder!" The armed figured said as he cocked his gun. "State your business!"

"Would you believe that I'm the pizza delivery guy?" Ginjo asked.

"Shit!" Riruka whispered as she watched from behind the trees. She stepped forward. "We have to stop this!"

"Riruka no!" Dawn grabbed her hand and pulled her back. "Don't!"

"He's going to get himself killed!"

"And so will you if you charge in without a plan!" Dawn said. "Besides, they might just shoot Ginjo as soon as they see you!"

Riruka clenched her teeth. She knew Dawn was right but what good did that do in this situation?

"Are you joking?" The second hooded figure said. "You honestly expect us to believe you're a pizza guy?"

"All right. All right. You got me!" Ginjo replied. "I'm not the pizza delivery guy." He turned around and faced the first figure directly, the latter's gun now pressing into his chest. "I'm actually the ramen delivery guy."

The air grew tense as not a single soul moved. Ginjo continued to hold his hands up in mock surrender, the two hooded figures stayed in front of him as if deciding their next move and the rest of Xcution remained in the woods behind, unsure whether or not to attack. After what seemed to everyone like an eternity, the first hooded figure surprised everyone by putting the gun down.

Ginjo smiled knowingly. "It's been a while, Calvin."

The hooded figure lowered their hood, exposing his black hair and green eyes. Aside from a single faded scar under his eye, his face was completely clear. "Same to you, Ginjo. Although I gotta ask, what's up with the ramen? You always bring it up in times like these."

Ginjo shrugged. "What can I say, I like ramen."

The second hooded figure looked back and forth between the two men. "So uh...Clavin, is this..."

"This is the guy," Calvin said. "He's on our side, don't worry."

The figure lowered his hood as well, revealing a brown-haired young man whose whole face was covered in sweat. "Phew! That was intense."

Calvin placed a hand on his friend's shoulders and lightly tapped him on the chest. "This is David. He's the plus one I told you about."

Ginjo's eyes narrowed slightly. "You mean the human you told about us, right?"

"Yeah." Calvin said as he scratched the back of his head. "Look, he caught me using my Fullbring, alright? I had no choice. Besides, he's a good guy." He lowered his hand and tapped David's back a few times. "The only reason he's in this cult in the first place was because of some money issues. Now all the poor dude wants to do is leave and I agreed if he helped us out."

"R-Right!" David held his hand out to Ginjo. It, much like his face, was still soaked in sweat. "It...It's nice to meet you...G..G..."

"Ginjo."

"Right! Mr. Ginjo, sir! It's a pleasure to meet you."

Calvin sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose together.

"W-What?" David asked. "What did I do wrong?"

"Kugo."

"What?"

"His last name is Kugo, you moron."

"O-Oh! I'm so sorry! Mr. G- I mean Mr. Kugo-

"Enough!" Ginjo slammed his fist upon both of their heads. "Will both of you just shut up already!"

"Gah! Sorry sir!" David cried.

"What the hell, man?" Calvin reached for the hemotoma on his head and winced in pain. "Why'd you hit me too?"

"Because it's your fault we have to deal with this headache in the first place!" With this, Ginjo turned to David." David, right?"

"Uh! Yes sir!"

"No listen David, I don't think I need to give you a long-ass speech about what Fullbringers are or why we're doing what we're doing here tonight. I don't have neither the time nor the patience for it and frankly, I think you have enough common sense not to piss off a bunch of strangers with supernatural powers after this is all over, right?"

David looked as if he were on the verge on panicked tears. "No sir! I-I just wanna get out of this damn cult and get my life back on track! After tonight, I promise to keep my mouth shut about you people. Fullbringer? What's a Fullbringer? Heh-heh."

Ginjo studied the boy's frightened face for a few more seconds before bringing his attention back to the woods before him. "Alright, you can come out now!"

Both Calvin and David turned to the woods as the rest of Xcution reared their heads. David blushed as he noticed the three women among the group. Jackie, of course, showed no real interest in either of the newcomers. She just wanted this night to end. Riruka and Dawn on the other hand, found themselves equally mesmerized, not by David, but by Calvin.

"Dawn..." Riruka whispered. "The Fullbringer."

"I know.." Dawn whispered back, her eyes flowing with more and more lights as they continued to intake Calvin's appearance. The black-haired Fullbringer seemed to notice the girls looking at him as well and flashed a grin.

Starstruck, both girls fell back word, their minds racing with the exact same thought.

HE'S SO HOT!

---

"He's down here." Calvin said as he led the group down the empty corridor. "We got David the guard assignment so no one should bother us." Despite it appearing as just another hallway in the sanitarium, there was something off about it to those who were actually paying attention. The rooms were wide open but there was no sign of any patients. In such a big building, one would expect to hear the sounds of people talking from below and above ground but here there was only silence. A dark, deathly silence that seemed to choke out all natural sound like a parasitic vine on a tree. Jackie, Giriko and Yukio all exchanged looks of unease, becoming more and more convinced that coming to this place was nothing less of a huge mistake.

Dawn and Riruka, on the other hand, were a little distracted at the moment.

"So...how did you meet Ginjo?" Dawn asked as her arms curled around his. He seemed somewhat confused by the gesture but didn't bother trying to shake it off. It had been a while since he had a cute girl tugging at his arm after all. "Well, I'm pretty sure it was by the ocean, a pier actually. I had just gotten off...

"That stupid Dawn!" Riruka thought as she walked besides them, her arms crossed and her face scowling. "I can't believe she beat me to the punch!" She turned away, doing her best to tune out the couple's talking, only realizing too late that she had turned toward David, who became real nervous as their eyes met. With his blushing face and fidgeting body, he looked like a complete wreck.

"H-Hi..." He swallowed. "I...I'm David."

"I know," Riruka answered rudely as she turned away from him. I heard you from the woods, remember?"

"Oh! R-Right!" David turned away as well, muttering "stupid, stupid!" under his breath. There was a moment of awkward silence between the two of them before David attempted to shoot his shot again. "S-So what's y-your name?"

Riruka sighed, really not wanting to have a conversation with this dork. But as she glanced over at Dawn getting cozy with Calvin, she figured she could use the distraction if only for a moment. This hallway had to end sometime right? "Riruka." She said. "Riruka Dokugamine."

"T-That's a beautiful name!" David exclaimed. He made a face of realization as if understanding too late just how loud he said that and turned away in embarrassment. "S-Sorry. B-But it really is beautiful. Japanese people have the most beautiful names."

"Thanks," Riruka said flatly. There was a part of her that was somewhat thankful for the compliment but coming from a spaz like David, it didn't mean much to her. That didn't stop her face from heating up just a little however, nor did it stop her from deciding to reluctantly continue the conversation if only for politeness's sake. "So...you really aren't a Fullbringer, huh?"

David turned around shocked and Riruka could tell straight away that it had less to do with her question and more of the fact that she had spoken to him again. Nonetheless, he swallowed and replied. "Y-Yeah. Honestly, until a couple of weeks ago, I never believed in things like magic or ghost or...well ghost magic."

"Ghost magic?" Riruka stifled a chuckle.

"I-I mean you're Fullbring, sorry!" David broke into a cold sweat. "It must be amazing, having actual supernatural powers like that."

Riruka felt the unpleasant memories of her child crawl back into her mind, seeing the terrified look in her crush's eyes as he begged to be released. "T-They're not so great." Riruka said, stunning David a little. "Truth is, most of us would have been happier without them." Her eyes turned to Dawn and then to Jackie as she said this.

David's face darkened as he realized he had trudged up some bad memories for her. He could see it in her eyes. "I'm sorry." He uttered. "C-Calvin had the same look in his eyes. "I shouldn't have been so insensitive."

Riruka found herself staring at the downtrodden David. Part of her wanted to say something to reassure him that he hadn't offended her but what exactly that was, she couldn't figure out nor could she figure out why she was bothering with such a dork like him.

Before she could contemplate this further or figure out how to continue the conversation, Calvin stopped in his tracks, halting Dawn and the others. "We're here."

Before Xcution lay a single door. It was locked from the outside and had a single window on it.

"David, the keys!" Calvin requested as he held his hand behind himself.

"S-Sure!" David rushed up to his friend, mumbling to himself as he dug through his pockets and searched for the keys. As this was going on, Ginjo stepped closer to the door and peered through the window. Right away, he noticed a man standing in a corner by himself. He appeared to be clad in a blue suit of some kind and his head was bent forehead so Ginjo couldn't make out his face. What he could make out, however, was the malice emanating from this man through the other side of the door. Pure. Black. Evil. Ginjo felt a cold sweat break over his skin and fought to regain composure. He retained his curious position and his facial expression remained the same but inside, he was afraid, afraid of the man in the room.

Afraid of the thing in the room.

Ginjo was so tense that he nearly jumped out of his skin as Calvin unlocked the door. Calvin seemed to notice the sweat peppering Ginjo's skin but said nothing. He didn't need to because he knew. And somewhere inside, Ginjo knew as well.

Everyone, with their heightened sensitivity to the souls of the world around them, were suffocating in an unseen fog of malice. Even David, who possessed no such power, was painfully aware of how everyone in the room felt and was helpless to cease his own fidgeting.

"Alright, everyone ready?" Calvin asked as he gripped the door knob with an uneasy hand. "Remember, this guy may be unarmed but he's dangerous."

Ginjo turned to Tsukishima and nodded, signifying him to get ready. "Tsukishima returned the nod and pulled the bookmark out of the novel he was holding. He held it out and it began to glow, changing shape until it had reached its true form, a katana.

David stared slack-jawed at Tsukishima's Fullbring as the rest of Xcution exchanged uneasy glances.

"Alright," Ginjo said with a heavy sigh. "We're ready."

Right," Calvin turned the knob and slowly pushed the door open, standing aside to let the others come through. One by one, the Fullbringers reluctantly stepped inside the room, all of them making it a point to keep as much distance between themselves and the man in the corner. The horrible chocking aura they felt from the hallway seemed twice as intense now. They all sweated. They all felt their heart pound in their chest. Their instincts screamed at them to run out of the room right now and never turn back, only to be ignored.

David was the last to enter and as he did, he looked to Calvin. The spy nodded and David closed the door, his hand still gripped tightly on the knob.

Only when he heard the sound of the door closing back up then the man in the corner slowly lift up his head.

Calvin gulped and walked toward the man. "M-Michael?"

Michael slowly turned to his new visitors, his face covered by a ghostly white mask. Dawn stifled a whimper as he faced them and Calvin held his hands up. "Listen to me, Michael. These people are not your enemy. They're your friends. They just need to run a simple test."

Michael didn't respond. His breath was heavy and dull beneath his mask with it could be heard by everyone in the room.

"Just a test, Michael, that's all." Calvin, who was now closer to Michael than anyone else, turned toward Tsukishima and Ginjo. Another round of nods was exchanged and Tsukishima made his way toward the man in the mask. His face was the same as it ever was, a quiet smile and studious eyes. The bead of sweat running down the side of his head, however, gave away his intense fear.

"Hello Michael," He said. "My name is Tsukishima Shukuro. Don't you remember me?"

Michael tilted his head to the right, the closest thing to emotion he had shown all night.

"I see," Tsukishima said as he pointed his Book of the End toward Michael's chest. "That's quite alright. This will help you remember." He stuck the tip of the blade into Michael's chest. David squirmed and looked away for a few seconds before daring himself to look back. There was no sound of ripping fabric or flesh. No trickle of blood running down the sword or the wound. Michael didn't even groan or flinch. It was as if the sword was not cutting him so much as it was passing through him, into his soul.

"Ah!" Tsukishima sighed in content as he closed his eyes and let Michael's memories and knowledge pass through him. He saw the house he had grown up in as a child, the faces of his parents and sisters, all of whom were now deceased. Then he saw the doctor that had been with Michael for the longest time, watching over him like guardian angel.

Perfect.

"Do you remember now, Michael?" Tsukishima said. "I was the one who watched over you after that awful night. I'm the only one who understood you when everyone else only saw a monster. I'm the only friend you have in the world. The only one you could trust."

Michael tilted his head to the other side as his new past worked its way through his mind. Visions of Loomis were replaced by images of this strange man, Tsukishima, visiting him in the sanitarium every day, talking to him, trying to understand why he did what he did. Slowly, Michael rose his hands toward Tsukishima, toward the man that had always been there for him."

"That's right, Michael." Tsukishima said. "It's me. I'm your-" Then he gasped. His eyes grew wide and more beads of sweat formed from his head.

"Tsukishima?" Ginjo asked. "What's wrong!?"

Tsukishima began to shudder violently as Michael's knowledge continued to flood into him. The bloodlust. The malice. The face of his screaming sister as he plunged the knife into her stomach again and again. The screams of his victims as they fought against their own demise so desperately. The sick pleasure behind it all. There was no trace of any regret or longing for the life he had before. No sense of love or compassion. No sense of friendship or desire for it. There was only the desire to kill and the need to feed it with whoever was around. No one was immune to this desire. Not Michael's sisters. Not Michael's parents.

Not even the closest thing he had to a friend in this world.

Michael suddenly wrapped his fingers around Tsukishima's throat and held him up. The panicked Fullbringer dropped his sword and dug his hands into Michael's kicking into his chest to get him to let go.

"Tsukishima!" Ginjo called, joined by everyone except for David who was too scared to speak. Ginjo grunted "Dammit!" under his breath as he rushed to Michael's right, Calvin to the left. Ginjo clutched his pendant as Calvin pulled back his sleeve, revealing the orange chain bracelet he used as his Fullbring.

Before either man could use their powers, however, Michael suddenly threw Tsukishima down to the ground and grabbed the both of them by their necks. It was a sudden movement, far faster than any he had made that night. He held up the two men and let them struggle in his grasp.

"Tsukishima!" Jackie rushed over to help him up. "Are you alright?"

He grabbed her shoulder and tried to reply but he was still caught in a uncontrollable cough. Jackie pulled Tsukishima toward the group as the rest of them watched Michael in complete horror. Riruka could feel herself shaking as she tried to reach a hand out. "G...Ginjo.."

Michael continued to hold both Ginjo and Calvin up in the air, completely unbothered by their kicking and thrashing. He looked back and forth between the two men, as if deciding which one he would kill first. Finally, he threw Ginjo away as if he were an empty soda can. The leader of Xcution grunted as he hit the wall.

"Ginjo!" Riruka cried.

Now able to focus all of his energy on one victim, Michael added the strength of his left hand to Calvin's throat and squeezed. Calvin's eyes were bulging out of his sockets as he tried to pull on Michael's hands. His kicks were getting weaker and weaker as the life was literally being squeezed out of him. Finally, in a last-ditch effort to survive, Calvin once again attempted to point his bracelet toward Michael. "Da...Dare..." He tried to call out.

Michael seemed to notice what Calvin was doing because he finally unclutched Calvin's neck long enough to grab his wrist and snap it backward. Calvin uttered a bloodcurdling scream as the bracelet fell from his now broken hand to the floor. Michael let go of Calvin completely and watched as he fell to the floor, hitting his head hard against the cement. A small red puddle formed beneath his head as he opened his eyes half-wide, clearly on the verge of death. Calvin's eyes met Michael's for a moment before he turned to his side and saw his bracelet within arms reach. With his uninjured hand, he tried to reach for it, only for Michael to stomp on it with the force of a sledgehammer right as he was about to graze it. Calvin let out another, weaker scream as he tried to pull his hand free from under Michael's boot. After a few tortuous seconds , Michael lifted his foot a little, allowing Calvin to pull away his ruined hand. Calvin returned to his back and fought through the sheer amount of agony he was in to see his hands. One bent toward his forearm and the other missing at least two fingers. A little bit of blood dropped into his eye and as he fought to wipe it off, he noticed Michael looming over him again.

"P...Please.." Calvin blubbered.

Michael stared at Calvin for a bit, almost as if contemplating his plea. Then he raised his foot and slammed it down onto Calvin's head with enough force to cave in his skull.

The Fullbringers, some too preoccupied with Tsukishima and the others petrified with fear, all looked toward the sound of the stomp.

"Calvin..." Dawn whimpered as tears seeped from her eyes. Her quivering lips suddenly straightened into an intense scowl as she pulled out her umbrella and opened it up. "You bastard!" She screamed at Michael and aimed her umbrella's tip at him. "Crazy Weather!"

A huge bolt of lighting suddenly shot from the tip of the umbrella and blasted Michael, sending him flying against the back of the wall. Following the lighting was a black could that seeped into the air and rested in the ceiling above. As it continued to grow, the sound of thunder could be heard within the clouds. Riruka and the other Fullbringer backed up as the storm cloud overcame the entire ceiling and brief flashes of light could be seen within them.

"W-What's goin on?" David asked fretfully, his eyes fixed on the storm cloud.

"It's Dawn's Fullbring, Crazy Weather." Riruka explained. "Well, she says its full name is Crazy Weather We've Been Having but that's stupid so we just call it Crazy Weather. That umbrella she's holding in her hands interacts with the soul of the air around her, allowing her to manipulate the weather around her depending on her mood. When she's happy, for example, she can cause the air to exaggerate the sunlight or even create a rainbow."

"And when she's not happy?" David asked.

"Well...you can see for yourself, can't you?" Riruka motioned to the storm clouds overhead. A bolt of lighting suddenly blasted the spot near Yukio, forcing him to jump back to avoid being fried.

"Dammit!" He grunted as he picked himself back up. "Of all her times to lose control."

"Indeed." Giriko agreed. "If this is allowed to persist any longer, the chances of us leaving here alive will dwindle into nothingness." He calmly took out his pocket watch.

"Dammit!" Ginjo muttered as he picked himself up. He winced in pain as the slight spray of rain fell onto his wounds as he was getting up. Once again, he gripped his pendant. "Dawn! You need to calm down!" He shouted.

Dawn snapped her head toward Ginjo, her teeth bared and her eyes glassed over in anger, a far cry from the pretty warm girl she usually was.

"Remember what happened to your mother!" Ginjo shouted as he pointed to the other Fullbringer. "You told me you never want a repeat of that night, right? Then pull yourself together before you kill us all!"

Dawn turned toward her fellow Fullbringer, her eyes locking with Riruka's. Only when she saw the sadness and fear in Rurkia's eyes did her own eyes lighten, her teeth unclenching as she lowered her umbrella. "My...God...I...I'm sorry." She took a deep breath and fought to keep her anger over Calvin's death in check. As she did, the rain stopped and the storm clouds began to shrink and shrink until they were condensed to a single spot above her. She held her umbrella close to her. "I'm sorry, Ginjo. Thank you."

Ginjo smiled as he made his way next to Dawn. "There you go. That's more like it. Another minute and you would have fried us all along with Michael." His gaze shifted toward Calvin's deformed corpse. Next to it, the bracelet was breaking apart and fading into the air, the fate of all Fullbring items when their owner dies. Ginjo's eyes narrowed as they shifted to toward the back of the room where Michael was starting to get up. Despite literally smoldering from the lighting blast, the edge of his mask blackened, he did not groan or show any other sign of being in pain. He turned to the Fullbringer before him, the dark aura of malice surrounding him even heavier now.

"Hey Tsukishima!" Ginjo looked back as his men. "You alright?"

"I will..." Tsukishima coughed a little. 'I'll be fine." He felt a bit of blood on his lips from the cough and wiped it off. "I'm sorry I couldn't help you more."

Ginjo shook his head. "You did fine. This guy's just too evil for the Book of the End. Sorry to put you through this. It's time for plan B." His eyes shifted to Giriko. "You set the timer yet, Giriko?"

"Yes, sir." Giriko nodded. "I've used Time Tells No Lies to place a timer on our dear friend Michael. If he fails to be defeated within five minutes, the flames of time will consume him. Regardless of whether or not he can be brought down, regardless of what his Fullbring may be, he will never leave this room alive."

"Five minutes huh?" Ginjo smiled as he turned back to Michael and grabbed his pendant once again. "That's a shame. That's far too little time to knock you around for killing one of our own. But I guess I'll take what I can get. Cross of Scaffold!" At once, Ginjo pulled the pendant away from his neck as it glowed and gripped the changing object with his other hand. Once the light had faded, the object had transformed into a two-handed broadsword.

"So...So that's his Fullbring?" David asked. "J-Just a big sword?"

"Trust me," Jackie muttered. "He can do a lot of damage with that big sword."

"Riruka, Yukio, Giriko and Jackie!" Ginjo called out. "I'm trusting you to act as backup. Guard David and Tsukishima."

"Right!" All four of them said in unison.

By now, Michael had made his way into grabbing distance of the two Fullbringer in front of him. He reached for them only to be blocked by their weapons. He gripped them and started pulling on them, wanting to disarm his opponents. His left hand bled as Ginjo's blade cut through the palm. Dawn took a few deep breaths, channeled some of her energy into her umbrella, and pointed the tip at Michael while it was still in his grasp. "Take this!" A jet of air suddenly blew Michael back against the wall. He hit it with enough force to create a hole in the wall. Michael fell from the hole and took quite a bit of plaster, brick and a single rebar rod with him. Michael was quick to notice the rebar and grabbed it. Now armed with a weapon, he got back to his feet and stomped toward the Fullbringers.

"Great!" Dawn twirled her umbrella in front of her. "I gave him a weapon!" She opened her umbrella in front of her right as Michael was about to strike her with the rebar. Despite his injuries, Michael was able to summon enough force to push Dawn back. He attempted to pierce her with the rebar again, only for Ginjo to block the attack with his sword. He pushed Michael back and sliced through the rebar, cutting it in half. Michael looked down at the two piece of steel he had and dropped one to the ground.

"Huh? You don't really intend to fight me with just a little piece of metal like that, do ya?" Ginjo questioned in a somewhat amused tone.

Michael said nothin but gripped the rebar in his hands as if it were a knife. He stalked toward Ginjo who held his sword in front of him. "Alright, I guess we're doing this." He went for another block but to his surprise, Michael opted to grab the blade with his free hand, once again cutting himself. He lifted the sword up and stuck the rebar into Ginjo's unprotected stomach.

"Ginjo!" Riruka called.

"Shit!" Ginjo thought as a little bit of blood fell out of his mouth. "I got careless." He grabbed Michael's wrist and pulled the rebar out before flickering away in a blast of Bringer Light. To everyone's shock and horror, Michael proceeded to do the same thing, catching Ginjo in the air by the throat.

"Bringer Light!" Yukio asked.

"No way! He really is a Fullbringer." Riruka whispered.

"What the fuck?" David screamed. "Since when was he able to do that?"

Neither Jackie or Giriko responded verbally. The sweat on their brows said it all.

Ginjo and Michael landed in front of the group, Ginjo grunting in pain as his body took the full force of the impact. More blood trickled from his mouth and his grip on the Cross of Scaffold loosened. Michael dropped the rebar and wrapped his hands around Ginjo's throat. The leader of Xcution grabbed Michael's wrist and try to pry his hands away.

"Ginjo!" Dawn screamed as she channeled her energy into the tip of her umbrella, this time focusing on the immense anger she felt for Michael killing Calvin added with him hurting the man that had saved her from the streets. "I need to put everything I have into this one attack!" Dawn thought. "Ginjo won't make it until the deadline! I have to kill this monster now!" With a final cry of fury, Dawn shot a blast of lighting twice as fast and twice as strong toward Michael. The blast went over the downed Ginjo and hit the wall, shaking the entire room as it created an even large hole. Everyone held their arms over their faces as the plaster and brick flew everywhere.

Dawn gasped once the attack was finished and fell to her knees. She really had used all she had in that attack and felt completely drained. "D...Di I get him..."She thought to herself. "Did I get Michael?" She looked ahead at the large cloud of dust she had created, watching as it faded away, her mind imagining dozens of possibilities as to what it could be. As the dust began to settle, one of the first things she was able to make out was Ginjo, still on his back and still injured but still alive, breathing heavily.

"T-Thank God I didn't hurt Ginjo." Dawn thought as she searched for Michael or at least what was left of him. But there was no sign anyone had been on top of Ginjo or anywhere near him for that matter. Nothing was close to him except a giant hole in the wall.

"D...Did I blow him up completely?" Dawn asked herself. For the briefest of moments, she entertained the idea that she had completely reduced Michael to ashes and smiled at the thought that the nightmare was over.

The she felt a sharp pain in her throat.

It didn't hurt much at first and she wondered if it was just a small piece of wall that had stuck her neck. But then, why was it hurting from the other side as well? She tried to open her mouth to speak but felt a rush of blood come up instead. The rain over her was beginning to die down even though she had not willed it to. Slowly, she willed the rain to gather under her open umbrella and form a sideways puddle so she could she herself.

That was how she discovered the piece of rebar Michael had slammed through her throat. The Shape himself was standing right behind her, looming over her like a shadow. Her shirt was soaked with blood and she found she could no longer breath. The rain clouds were vanishing and everything was going dark.

"No...Dawn!" Riruka screamed as she ran toward her friend.

"Riruka wait!" Yukio called out.

"Dammit!" Jackie ran after them.

"Wait!" David almost ran after them, only to remember that out of everyone in the room, he was the only one without any special powers. Panicked, he turned to Giriko. "Can't you do something?"

"I have already played my role in this plan." Giriko said as he looked down at his watch. "We have three minutes left."

"How can you be so calm!?" David grabbed Giriko by the shirt and yanked him back and forth. "Your friends are fucking dying! Don't you care!?"

Giriko didn't answer nor did he attempt to get the boy off of him. His facial expression said it all.

Riruka grabbed Dawn by the arm and pulled her away. Michael attempted to reached for her but was stopped by Jackie kicking him in the face, sending him reeling back. Afterward, she grabbed Dawn's back and both girls pulled their friend toward Ginjo who was once again starting to get up.

"Shit!" He groaned. "If this keeps up I'll have to buy a back brace." His eyes widened as he noticed the girls. "Shit! Dawn!"

"Set her down." Jackie commanded as they placed her in front of Ginjo. All three of the Fullbringers checked over their dying friend, all of them desperate to save her and all of them cursing their powers for not having a healing ability.

"C-Can't we pull it out?" Riruka asked as she reached for the rebar stuck in Dawn's throat. Jackie grabbed it and shook her head. "That's the only thing keeping her from bleeding out completely."

"But she's still bleeding you-" Riruka choked up. Tears forming in her eyes marred the vision of her friend's faces and she whimpered as she wiped them away. "Dawn...Dawn can you hear us!? Dawn!"

Dawn was still alive. That much was evident with the way her gaze shifted toward Riruka as she cried. It was clear she was losing consciousness however as these eyes were starting to lose their light and, despite what Jackie had said, she was losing more and more blood by the second. Nonetheless, she somehow possessed the strength to lift up her hand and place it on Riruka's cheek, causing her friend to stop crying and look at her. Dawn tried to open her mouth to speak but once again, no words came, only more blood. So she settled for a smile. A bloody, weak smile in a desperate attempt to comfort her friend.

"Dawn..." Riruka wiped her tears again. "You...You idiot!" She grabbed Dawn's hand. "You're the one who's hurt and yet, you're trying to comfort me?"

Dawn continued to smile, tears forming in her own eyes.

"Dawn," Riruka sniffled as she heard footsteps approaching her. She, Jackie and Ginjo turned to see Michael approaching them, once again weaponless but no less intimidating. Her sadness was slowly replaced with anger as he crept closer. She took one last look at Dawn and got up to confront Michael, stomping toward him in a similar fashion.

"What the hell are you doing?" Ginjo asked. "Riruka!"

"Maybe..."Riruka said as she took out a small toy from her pocket, a small plush bunny. "If I trap him here and now, I can end this!" She stopped in front of Michael and pointed her finger at him. "I can trap him in this plush! I can stop him! And then maybe we can get Dawn some help. Maybe-

Riruka's thought process ceased as she gazed into Michael's eyes. Actually, she couldn't be certain if what she was looking at was his eyes or the shadows cast over them by his mask but either way she saw black. Cold, dead blackness, completely devoid of any warmth or conscience. She tried to move forward but found that her body wouldn't listen to her. She tried to back away but still no luck. It was as if her consciousness had been transferred into a statue. "What's wrong with me?" She mentally asked herself. "W-Why can't I move?" Her heart began to race as Michael crept closer, his arms raising from his sides as he meant to strangle her. Tears formed in her eyes once again but this time, they were tears of fear as she desperately tried to move. "Why! Why can't I move? Come on, move or you'll die! Don't you understand?"

Michael was in front of her now and only then could she finally release the sound of a choked sob as she felt his cold, calloused hands graze the skin of her neck.

Before Michael could fully grab her, however, a black cloud of pixels suddenly came from behind and descended upon him. He looked up, confused at this new occurrence and in doing so, broke his eye contact with Riruka. This finally broke the young Fullbringer's body out of paralysis and she backed away toward Ginjo and Dawn.

"Yukio!" Riruka and Ginjo shouted.

"What are you waiting for?" Yukio shouted as his Invaders Must Die continued to save Michael. "Grab Dawn and get out of here!" He shifted his focus to Michael who was now struggling against black pixels as they downloaded him piece by piece. "I'd rather not save such a vicious human being but there's no choice." Yukio said. "I'll just wait until we're out of here and load you over a river or something, somewhere you're bound to die." Just as he finished speaking, Yukio's console began to beep. The screen degraded into a mess of random colors and images. It was as if some sort of virus had been downloaded into the console.

"What!?" Yukio muttered as he tried to fix his game. "What's going on? Why is my Fullbring acting like this?" Yukio was so caught up in trying to fix his glitching game that he failed to notice Michael reconstructing out of the dying pixel cloud. Once he was fully loaded, Michael rushed toward Yukio and grabbed him by the neck. Yukio dropped his glitchy console and grabbed at Michael's hand as the masked murderer held him up.

"What...What is this?" Tsukishima said. "Defying my Book of the End is one thing, that man is clearly too evil to be close to anyone. But Invaders Must Die is indiscriminate about things such as that. Why was Michael able to break free of that?"

"It must be the work of his own Fullbring," Giriko said. "Somehow, it must give him the ability to turn the tide of battle in his favor, no matter the method. He looked down at the watch which marked his timer as having two minutes remaining. "But not even someone like him could stand up to time." As he said this, a line of sweat trickled down the side of his head.

"Hey asshole!" Jackie screamed as she wiped her boots together, activating her Fullbring. As Michael turned to her, he witnessed the transformation unfold as her boots extended all the way up to her waist, armor formed on her shoulders and forearms, a scarf appeared around her neck, and finally ending with a black hat forming on her head, a small transparent cloth hanging down from it and covering the right side of her face. The strange appearance was enough for Michael to slightly tilt his head.

Jackie noticed the pool of blood that had formed next to Dawn and stepped in it with both feet. "I hate using this power but I'm not about to stand by and let you hurt my friends!"

To the Fullbringer's surprise, Michael tossed Yukio to the side and started marching toward Jackie. Without a moment's hesitation, Jackie leapt into the air and delivered a kick toward Michael's chest. The masked man blocked the attack with both of his arms but with Jackie's increased strength, it did him little good and he was sent flying into the wall behind him. He hit it with enough force to fall through it into the room on the other side. Once again, the whole room began to shake and David whimpered.

"This is bad." He whispered. "There's no way the Cult's not going to notice that. "They'll be here any minute!" He turned to Giriko. "Can't you make your Fullbroug- err, Fullbring power work any faster?"

"Once the parameters for Time Tells No Lies has been set, not even I can change them." Giriko explained. "We must wait and if need be, we'll fight out way out."

David grunted, scared and frustrated at how badly the situation had escalated. The fact that the girl named Jackie was able to kick Michael right into the wall did bring him some comfort as did seeing her and Ginjo with his giant sword rush toward the wall. But it wasn't enough.

All the reassurance in the world wasn't enough when Michael Myers was involved.

"We're almost out of time, Jackie." Ginjo said. "Let's just wail on this son of a bitch until it's over."

"Right," Jackie said as she felt Calvin and even a little of Tsukishima's blood splash on her boots. The sensation disgusted her but at the same time, she could full her power increase. If this increased the chance that she could cave in Michael's head before the time was up, then reliving those bad memoires was a price she was willing to pay. Ginjo, on the other hand, was thinking of a different time. A time of betrayal from someone he could trust and how badly he wanted to kill them afterward. Of course, Michael never betrayed him but he did kill a close ally of Ginjo's and that was enough to earn his wrath.

As the two of them got closer to the wall, they watched Michael pick himself up again, his mask and suit were ripped in some areas and he was bleeding from the neck but otherwise was unharmed. He stood on his two feet and glared at the two Fullbringers before him, the closet thing to emotion he had shown all night.

"Riruka!" Ginjo shouted. "Grab Dawn and Yukio and get behind Giriko!"

"R-Right!" Riruka bent down and draped Dawn's arm around her shoulder. It was cold and limp but the girl was still breathing. "Y-You're going to be ok, Dawn!" She said, more to herself than to her friend. "You're gonna be alright."

Dawn opened her eyes slightly. They stared out into space, into something that no one else in the room could see. Slowly, she opened her mouth. "M...M...Mom"

Riruka quietly gasped.

"Mom...I'm sorry...Please don't hate me...I...I'm sorry." Tears fell from Dawn's half-closed eyes and Riruka's eyes followed suit.

"Dammit!" Riruka cried as she dragged Dawn with her toward Yukio who had been crawling toward his console since Michael had let him go. "You really can't let go of those games for a second , can't you?"

"Ha ha" Yukio hissed as he reached for the console. Riruka kicked it into his hand and once he had gripped it, bent down and allowed him to drape an arm over her. "How much time is left before Giriko's Fullbring activates?" He asked.

"Can't be more than a minute," Riruka said as she made her way toward Griko and the others. "And that's only if Ginjo and Jackie don't kill him first." She tilted her gaze toward the other room now visible from the hole in the wall. It was brutal struggle, Michael using rebar and his own arms to deflect Jackie's kicks, the metal being bent or outright destroyed as he burned through it. He couldn't block Ginjo's attacks, however, and already had several slashes on his body, blood trickling from each and every one. Michael was refusing to go down but he was the one on the ropes.

Riruka smiled darkly as she carried her friends over to Giriko. As she neared the group, she could hear the old man counting down.

"...49...48...47...46..."

"Almost time," Riruka said as she allowed Tsukishima to take Dawn and Yukio off her hands, he himself already having mostly recovered from Michael's attack.

David could hardly hear her over the sound of his own heavy breathing. He thought he could hear commotion from down the hallway leading up to this room and tried to convince himself he was just imagining it due to his overwhelming fear.

Another tremor rocked the room as Michael was kicked back into the room, hitting the top corner of the other side. The sight would have been quite funny if it weren't for how tense the situation was.

"...31...30...29...28...27..."

Ginjo and Jackie rushed back into the room. "Everyone alright?" The former asked.

"More or less," Tsukishima said as he felt Yukio shuffle in his arm and examine his game. "It's lost its battery." He said. "I won't be able to use it again until I can charge it."

"Guess that means you can't take us all in in case the Cult interferes." Riruka murmured.

"You'd never run into this kind of problem with a book." Tsukishima commented.

"Now is not the time!" Yukio snapped.

"18...17...16...15...14.."

Michael slid down the wall, taking a good deal of plaster with him. He laid still for a few seconds and then slowly got back to his feet, his eyes glaring at the strange people that had put him through this humiliation. He would make sure their deaths were agonizing and filled with fear. Once he was back on his feet, he stomped toward the Fullbringers.

"...5...4...3...2...1!"

Suddenly, Michael was engulfed by a strange greenish-black flame. It clearly hurt him for his eyes bulged in pain but he did not cry out. Instead, he flailed about helplessly as the flames continued to spread around him. After a few seconds of thrashing about, Michael fell to his knees and then on his face.

"Oh my God!" David cried! "Those flames...I've never seen anything like them before."

"Those, my friend, are the flames of time." Giriko explained. "They burn everything they touch out of the timeline completely, the ultimate wrath of the God of Time."

"God of Time," David whispered. "Man, super powers, ghost, Gods. This world's way more crazy than I could have ever thought."

Riruka scoffed. "That's just because you're too close-minded."

David turned to Riruka for a few moments and laughed sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

Riruka was taken aback, expecting him to take offense to what she said. "Seriously," She thought. "The second he's out of danger, this guy goes right back to normal." She sighed as she turned to Dawn. She was lying in Tsukishima's arms, limp and with her eyes fully closed. Her breathing was shallow and a new puddle of blood had formed from the wound on her neck. Riruka stepped in front of Dawn and placed a hand on her cheek. "Dawn...can you hear me?"

Dawn's eyes twitched from beneath the lid but did not open. Riruka felt her heart sink.

"Dammit! Don't you die on me!" Riruka shouted. "If you die, I...I'll never forgive you!' Riruka fought back her tears as she yelled but no matter how many she wiped away, new ones kept seeping from her eyes. "Do you hear me, Dawn!?"

As Riruka continued to cry and beg Dawn to say with her, the rest of Xcution gathered around the dying girl. No one else shed tears but everyone felt the same pain Riruka felt. Ginjo clenched his fist in anger as he listened to Riruka's cries, angry at Michael for causing this tragedy and at himself for allowing it to happen in the first place.

David stayed back, wanting to give the Fullbringers time to grieve. This ran right in conflict with his desire to get the hell out of dodge as he was certain now that he could hear clamoring from the end of the hall. The Cult knew they were in here and it wouldn't be long before they arrived. How they were all supposed to escape was beyond him. His heart was racing and sweat peppered his entire body. As he shivered, waiting for someone to announce some kind of plan, a flicker of movement drew his attention toward the flames of Time. He convinced himself for a moment that that's all it was, a flicker from the flames themselves.

Then he saw the Shape rise from the flames.

David was stricken with terror as Michael emerged from those flames. He was smoking, a quarter of his mask and even some of his jumpsuit gone with the rest darkened with flames. His one exposed eye was glaring at the people before, the exact same blackness from before emanating within it. With a single grunt of effort, Michael took a step out of the flames and toward the group. Then another. And then another.

David tried to warn them. He tried to lift his hand to point and shout at them but his petrified body wouldn't let him do either. He was frozen in place by Michael's gaze, just as Riruka was. "Come on!" He thought to himself as he tried to power through his fear-bore paralysis. "Move dammit!"

It was Tsukishima who first noticed Michael coming, causing him to utter a single, almost silent, "Impossible." One by one, the rest of Xcution looked up in horror as Michael approached them with Giriko, growing the most panicked.

"It can't be," He whispered. "How could he still be alive?"

Yukio noticed Riruka was still clutching Dawn and completely unaware of Michael, all the worst as he was creeping toward her first. "Shit! Riruka!"

"Huh!?" She looked up to see the panicked faces of her fellow Xcution. Only then did she feel a malevolent presence behind her, its very shadow threatening to eat her whole. With her body slightly trembling, Riruka turned to see Michael standing behind her, a sharp piece of rebar in his hands.

"No...no.." She whimpered.

Michael raised the rebar, brought it down on Riruka...

...and slammed it into David's back as he jumped in between them.

"Gah!" David cried as the rebar was forced through his torso. He coughed out a bit of blood as he fell onto Riruka who quickly pulled him close.

"Get away!" Jackie cried as she kicked Michael back. This time, all her strength was only enough to push him back a few feet. He wavered for a moment and then fixed his stance. "Impossible!" Jackie muttered. "Not only did he survive but he's gotten stronger!"

"David!" Riruka cried as she held the normal human close. He coughed out even more blood which only served to rack his body in pain. "Why?" Riruka asked. "Why did you do that?"

"I...I..." David coughed one final time, spraying a little blood on the crying Riruka's face. She hardly noticed for she was too preoccupied with the warmth leaving his body rapidly. "I...I didn't want to see you hurt is all, Riruka." Somehow, despite the immense pain he was in, David managed a smile. "Calvin would have kicked my ass in the afterlife if I let a beautiful girl like you get hurt."

Riruka was shocked by finding herself giggled chuckling through her tears. "You idiot! I-Is that supposed to sound badass because it only sounds stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!"

David chuckled himself. "Can't blame a guy for trying right?" Then the light in his eyes faded and he laid his head down, becoming still. David had died.

"David!" Riruka sobbed. "No!"

"Riruka look out!" Ginjo grabbed the pink-haired Fullbringer and pulled her away as Michael swiped at her with the rebar.

"No..." Giriko continued to whisper to himself. "This is impossible...no one can defy the will of Time! No one!"

"Giriko! Calm down!" Jackie shouted to no avail.

"Who do you think you are?" Giriko shouted as he pulled out his watch. "Who are you to defy the God of Time!?" He sent out a bunch of glowing green numbers rushing toward Michael. The burned man was pushed back by them but only pushed back. He remained on his feet, his dark aura more suffocating then ever.

Just then, the front door burst open and a man dressed in black rushed in, leading a swarm of hooded figures behind him. The figures formed a blockade in front of the door, barring any escape for the Fullbringers.

"Who are you people?" The man in black asked. "What are you doing in Michael's room?"

"Uh...would believe that we're ramen delivery people?" Ginjo asked.

"Seriously?" Yukio asked in the most disappointed tone he could muster.

"Everyone to the other room!" Jackie shouted as she tried to rush toward the hole in the wall leading to the next room. However, Michael suddenly appeared before the entrance and slashed as her with the rebar, denting the armor on her shoulder. Jackie jumped back to the group as the hooded figures began to surround them.

"Shit." Ginjo said as he lowered his weapon. "This looks bad." He turned to Tsukishima. "You think you can use Book of the End on all these guys at once?"

"It'll be risky," Tsukishima said as he raised his sword. "But it doesn't look like we have much choice."

"Yeah," Ginjo said as he raised his own sword. "Looks like we're gonna have to make a big scene. I just hope this doesn't attract any unwanted attention."

Xcution gathered close together, their backs all to each other, Jackie pulling Yukio behind her as he couldn't use his Fullbring.

"Get them!" The Man in Black demanded. "And take their weapons!"

The hooded figures rushed toward the Fullbringers with daggers, a bloody battle all but inevitable.

And then, it happened. Someone forced themselves through the Fullbringers group until they were facing the man in black and pointed their weapon at him. In an instant, the Man in Black and all of the minions behind him were blown back into the far end of the hall by a huge gust of wind. The figures still inside the room were blown against the walls with Michael blown through the hole he was guarding. The only ones that remained on their feet was Xcution who still had to shield their eyes and faces from the rough gale. Once it was over, they were in complete and utter awe of the chaos before them.

"W...What just happened?" Riruka asked right as the scent of blood hit her nostrils. She looked down to see a trail of it near her feet, running between the Fullbringers. Her eyes followed the trail to its source who still stood in front of the group, breath raspy and umbrella open toward the exit. "Dawn?"

Dawn turned to her fellow Fullbringer, her bloody smile mirroring that of David's. "Go," She breathed. "Go now! I'll keep them away."

"But...Dawn!" Riruka heard footsteps and turned to see some of the hooded figures getting back up.

"Go now!" Dawn rasped as she began to gather a second gust of wind from her umbrella. Slowly, she turned to Ginjo, tears from her eyes mixing with the blood from her smile. "And Ginjo, thank you...for everything."

Ginjo gasped quietly, taken aback by just what Dawn was doing. His mind flashed back to that day he had found her on the side of the road and he could tell by her eyes that she was thinking the exact same thing. Gritting his teeth, he shouted to his fellow Fullbringer. "Let's go!" He took off past Dawn and toward the exit, body slamming a cult member that dared to get up.

"Ginjo..." Jackie clenched her teeth as well. "Dammit!" She knocked a wave of cult members back with a kick before taking off toward the door. Tsukishima, Giriko and Yukio followed but Riruka stopped and grabbed Dawn's arm.

"Come on Dawn!" She cried. "We have to go! Now!"

Dawn looked to Riruka and smiled again, her eyes reclaiming some of their lost light. "Thank you...for being my friend...Riruka."

"Dawn!" Riruka cried. "Don't make me put you in a stuffed animal! Let's go now!" She was too preoccupied with trying to save her friend that she failed to notice a cult member rising behind her, dagger in hand and ready to be plunged in her shoulder. Before the cult member could strike, he was knocked back down by a punch from Yukio who then grabbed Riruka's arm. "Dammit Riruka!' He shouted. "Let's go now!"

"Dawn!" Riruka cried as she was pulled away from her friend. More cult members and even Michael were getting up now and as Yukio and Riruka left the room, they once again blocked the door.

This, of course, didn't matter to Dawn. She knew she was dying either way. She had lost too much blood and could barely breath. It had taken all her willpower just to rasp out those last words to her friends. Tears streamed down her face as the realization she would likely never see Riruka or anyone else again hit her. Her Fullbring reacted in kind and the room once again was overcome by a storm cloud filled with lighting. As she prepared to engage in her final battle, and her mind revisited her family in North Dakota and the day she met Ginjo, she was also reminded of how he explained her power. Her gift. Her curse.

"So...if everything has a soul, where do they all go? I mean like, when they die? Is there such a place like that?"

"Yeah, there's no need to explain it now but I can guarantee you, nothing that dies in this world stays dead. The soul lives on."

"No," She thought as she felt someone step up behind her. She turned to see Michael, now holding a dagger he had taken from an unlucky cult member. Said cult member was behind Michael, laying in a pool of his own blood with his head turned all the way around. "No. This isn't the end. We'll meet again, Riruka. Whether in the afterlife or even in our next one here, we'll meet again and we'll have snacks and argue over boys like we used to." She pointed her umbrella at Michael. "Until then, stay safe. Please don't stay mad at me for leaving you like this and please...please...open your heart to other people."

And with this, Dawn launched the first attack of her final battle.

---

It was a rough run out of Smith's Grove. Xcution had to shove, kick, and occasionally blast their way out of the madhouse. Even after they had fled the building and reached the safety of the forest, not a single one of them stopped running. Even as their lungs grew aflame and their legs felt as if they were going to break underneath them, they still didn't stop running. They didn't stop until they had reached the suburban area where they had left their car. By now, everyone that lived on this block was fast asleep, allowing the group to run down the sidewalks without fear of arousing suspicion. At this point, most of their injuries had healed enough to keep from impeding their movement. The only exception was Ginjo who Tsukishima had to lean on his shoulder once they were far enough away from the cult.

As Riruka ran through the streets, the image of Dawn bleeding from her neck as she cleared a way for them reigned in her mind. Try as she might, she couldn't stop seeing Dawn's eyes shimmering with tears as she used the last of her strength to let her friends escape. Riruka was still fighting back tears of her own, caught between wanting to be grateful for what Dawn did and wanting to hate her for leaving her like this.

Then the chill came back. A horrid, frigid sensation that banished all thought of Dawn's sacrifice from Riruka's mind and replaced it with overwhelming fear. She looked to her side and saw the house she had passed by again. A dark aura emanated from it much like Michael.

Whimpering, Riruka pulled the bunny ears hat she was wearing further on her head and took off, wanting to be as far away from this house, from this town, from this entire country as fast as possible.

At last, the tired and defeated Fullbringers made it to the old garage where they had left their car. It was still inside, of course, its presence never noticed by a single resident of the area in all the time they were gone. No one wasted anytime climbing inside and with Ginjo too injured to drive, it was up to Tsukishima to take the wheel. Despite wanting to get the hell out of Dodge as much as his fellow Fullbringer, he forced himself to calmly back out of the garage and drive off. Only once was he out of the town limits did he begin to pick up speed.

"I just called my flight crew," Yukio said as he put down his wireless phone. "They're getting the jet prepped as we speak. We'll be able to take off as soon as we make it to the airport."

"Good," Riruka said. "The faster we get out of this awful place the better."

"It's impossible," Giriko whispered to himself, although there was no hiding what he was saying in the close confines of the car. "Someone would have to control the soul of time itself to survive such a thing."

"Girkio, stop it!" Jackie said. "It's over. We lost. Get over it." She sighed as she glanced over at the empty seat next to her. "What where you thinking Ginjo?"

"Now hold on." Tsukishima said. "There's no need to be tossing blam-

"I wasn't thinking. That's the problem."

All eyes fell on the injured leader of Xcution as he leaned against the car window, some of his blood staining the glass. He was looking out at the cars passing by, full of ordinary humans who would never know the battle that took place tonight. "At least, I wasn't thinking this thing through. I knew there was a serial killer who might have been a Fullbringer and I wanted to either contain him or destroy him. Either way, I wanted to make sure he couldn't hurt anyone with his powers. Maybe if this had been a full-on seek and destroy mission from the start, we might have had a chance but I had to be optimistic and extend the olive branch and now two of our own are dead and we're running back to Japan with our tails between our legs...I'm sorry."

No one was sure how to respond to Ginjo's words. There was no sign that he was fighting back tears yet the coldness of his voice betrayed a sense of silent self-loathing. There was no doubt that he had taken the complete responsibility of Dawn and Calvin's deaths onto himself. He was the one that led them to Xcution after all, it was he who put them on the path of that monster. It was all his fault and he needed to make up for it somehow.

"You're all still figuring out your powers," He said. "There's still potential to be tapped into. So let's swear on our fallen comrades hear and now." Ginjo's eyes narrowed with hate. "Let's promise to get stronger, come back to America and kill that bastard once and for all!"

Once again, everyone was at a loss of how to respond. Normally, such a speech, especially from Ginjo would rally their spirits into agreeing almost right away. But this time, they weren't so sure. No one wanted to go back to that town, never mind see Michael again, even if their Fullbring could unleash the power to destroy the Earth itself. The aura of fear Michael gave off was just that strong. Even without the Fullbring, there was just something wrong with that man, if could even be called that.

However, they also didn't want Michael's powers to grow. As far as they knew, Michael never received any proper training as they had. He might've not even been aware of what a Fullbring even was. It frightened them to think of what a monster like that could unlock if he actually learned to utilize his Fullbring to the fullest. And so, with a quiet nod to each of them, they accepted Ginjo's proposal, completely unaware that in a few months time, their memories of what happened tonight would start to fade, thanks to Michael learning to use his power.

The rest of the car ride and the entirety of the flight back home was dead silent.

---

"After that night, we just tried to move on with our lives the best we could." Riruka explained to the group. "It was hard at first, not seeing Dawn sitting at her favorite stool waiting for me but after a few months...I don't know, things just felt easier. I couldn't remember Dawn's death. I couldn't even remember Dawn. it was like she had never been with us in the first place." Riruka sniffled as tears shone in her eyes. "I can't believe I had forgotten all about her and all because of him. It...It wasn't enough him to kill her, wasn't it!? He had to erase her too! He had..." Riruka broke down into a sob.

Orihime was quick to get up from were she was standing and wrap her arms around her friend. Riruka didn't bother fighting against it, choosing to nestle her face into Orihime's chest.

"How horrifying." Rukia whispered. "To think that someone's entire existence was erased from the memories of those close to her by Michael's powers."

"But if they had forgotten all about Dawn," Ichigo said. "Why were they able to remember enough Michael to hunt him down?"

"Perhaps Michael's aura is just that strong," Loomis suggested, a utterly haunted look on his face. "A persistent evil that stains every soul that meets it and lives."

"Michael..." Ichigo whispered.

"Alright everyone, we're here." Uryu said as the carpet neared the hospital roof. "There's a door here we can enter the hospital from."

"But won't people question it if we enter from the rooftop?" Ichigo asked.

"Maybe but Tatsuki's in one of the upper levels as is someone I think you should meet, Riruka."

Riruka looked up from Orihime, tears still streaming down her cheeks. "What? What are you talking about?"

"Just come along," Uryu said. "Trust me. You'll want to see this." With this, Uryu jumped off of the carpet and heading toward the rooftop door.

"Hey Uryu!" Ichigo jumped off after him. "Hold on!" He was followed by Rukia, Sado and Orihime. Riruka and Loomis shared an uneasy glance, unsure of how to proceed next.

"You should go," Kisuke said, causing the two of them to turn toward him. "I've known Uryu well enough that I think you can trust what he says." The man in clogs than turned to Dr. Loomis. "As for you, no one else but us should be able to perceive your existence. So you can go with us if you want."

Loomis and Riruka exchanged another, slightly easier glance, followed by Loomis nodding to Kisuke. "T-Thank you, Mr. Urahara."

Riruka turned toward Ichigo and his friends as they made their way to the door and sighed. "Wait for me!" She shouted as she jumped off the carpet, leaving Kisuke and Tessai to help Dr. Loomis off.

Once everyone was inside the hospital, it was only a matter of time before they started getting strange looks from both the staff and patients they came across. It wasn't so much because they had come from the rooftop, however, as much as it was that such a large group of people walking together was not a common sight around here. The fact that Uryu was leading them, however, put them at ease and so they didn't bother asking questions or stopping the group.

At last, they had made it to the wing Uryu was looking for. Not only was Tatsuki being held at the end of the hall but closer to them on the other side, was the room he wanted to show Riruka. He stopped just before in and peered inside.

"Is that Tatsuki's room?" Ichigo whispered.

Uryu popped his head back out to shake his head and held his hand up, gesturing that he wanted patience. He reentered the room for a moment and from inside he could be heard saying, "I know its late but I brought you a visitor."

"Huh?" Ichigo asked as he turned to Rukia. "Who's he talking to?"

Rukia only shrugged and made a noise that sounded like a muffled "I don't know."

Uryu popped back out and said. "Alright, Riruka. You can come in now."

"Huh?" Riruka looked back and forth as if she expected anyone else to have an answer for what was going on, but alas, they were just as clueless as she was. Uneasily, she approached Uryu and placed her hand on the door. "What's this about Uryu?" She asked as she pushed it opened. "Just what's so important that you want me...to...

Sitting up in the bed before her, his fingers once again wrapped around the controls of his beloved game console, was Yukio. He had already paused the game and was looking directly into Riruka's eyes as she realized he was there. "R-Riruka?" He asked.

Riruka opened her mouth but no words came out. Hardly any sound. Just a look of pure surprise on her face as she continued staring at the boy in the bed. It was as if her murky mind needed to ensure that what she was seeing was real, especially considering the state of Yukio's body the last time she had seen him. Once it was clear that what laid before her, who laid before her was real, tears shone in her eyes and she didn't bother fighting them off. "Y...Y...

She dashed toward the boy and tackled him in a vicious hug. "Yukio!"

"Gah!" Yukio cried as Riruka's body applied its full weight to him. "What's wrong with you! I'm laying injured in a hospital bed! What makes you think its a good idea to-

"Yukio!"

"No! No! No!" Yukio's pleas fell on deaf ears and Orihime landed on him too, hugging/crushing him from the other side. The two girls continued to cry as they held Yukio close, all while the poor boy felt his wounds reopen. He dropped his game console and coughed out a bit of blood.

"My word," Loomis said. "That poor boy will die if this keeps up!"

"Don't put it that bluntly!" Ichigo shouted.

"He is right, though." Kisuke said as he clapped his hands together loud enough for the group to hear. "Alright, girls. I think you've shown enough concern for our friend Yukio. You wouldn't want to prolong his stay in this hospital now would you?"

Orihime and Riruka looked at Kisuke in surprise, exchanged a glance at each other and then at Yukio who's head was turned to the right. He was hardly breathing.

"Yukio!" Both girls cried out as they got off of the bed. "Yukio! Say something." Riruka demanded.

Realizing he was no longer being crushed, Yukio slowly opened his eyes. "Riruka, you're alive. I'm glad."

Riruka teared up again as she knelt down next to her friend. "Yukio...I'm so sorry."

Orihime wiped her own tears away as she smiled at the two Fullbringers. Uryu walked up to her and gently grabbed her shoulder. "I think it's best to give these two some time alone. Come now, Tatsuki's waiting."

Orihime's smile faded just a little as Uryu's words reminded her of why she was here in the first place. New tears formed in her eyes but she wiped them away and nodded. "Right!" She made her way to her friends and Uryu followed, only to be stopped by Yukio.

"Wait, Uryu."

"Yes," He turned to face his patient.

"Thank you." Yukio breathed softly as Riruka grabbed his hand.

Uryu fixed his glasses. "Think nothing of it. You were injured and we treated you. That's what a hospital does. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some personal business to attend to." And with that, Uryu followed his friends out the door.

"Personal business," Yukio whispered. "He must mean that girl they brought in earlier. I heard the nurses. Seems as if she had been attacked by a strange man in a white mask."

Riruka gulped as her guilt reared its ugly head. But along with it came a burning question. One she didn't want to ask but needed the answer to. "Yukio, do you...do you remember back then? When we first met Michael?"

Yukio gave Riruka a quizzical look. "Not really. Why?"

Riruka stiffened. "Well...Well...Because I do. It finally came back to me. The cult. The room. David. Calvin."

"Riruka-

"Dawn!" Riruka cried. "I...I remember Dawn!"

Yukio's pupils shrank and his mouth opened wordlessly. At that moment, if only as a few spotty images, his memory did come back to him.

He remembered Dawn like Riruka did. And like Riruka, he began to cry as well.

---

"She's in here." The doctor, a older man with black hair and glasses led the group inside Tatsuki's room. They remained as quiet as they could, only their footsteps on the floor tiles making any sound. Orihime had to cover her mouth when she saw the state her friend was in but the others made no such reaction aside from grim faces.

Tatsuki laid next to a single window, the Moon visible from it. She was attached to a breathing respirator, the machine hissing with each breath it helped her take. He top left side of her face was bandaged up, a dark red spot of blood visible in the cloth where her eye once was. Further down her body, more bandages were wrapped around the stump where her right arm now ended. Her eyes were closed but she looked far from peaceful.

"She seems to slip in and out of consciousness," The doctor said. "You can try to talk to her if you wish but I can't promise she'll respond. In any case, the worst is over. All she really needs now is rest."

"Thank you, Dr. Toriyama." Uryu said with a bow. Toriyama returned the bow and left the group to their friend. Orihime struggled not to rush to Tatsuki's side and forced herself to walk curtly to her friend's bedside. Fighting back tears, she knelt down and whispered. "Tatsuki, can you hear me? Tatsuki?"

Slowly, Tatsuki turned her head toward Orihime, murmuring as her eyes half-opened. Upon seeing what looked like Orihime in front of her, she grunted and fought to fully wake up. "O-Orihime?"

"Tatsuki!" The orange-haired girl cried. "Thank goodness! I'm so glad you're alive!"

"Orihime, what are you doing here?" Tatsuki asked as she removed her breathing apparatus

"Uryu's father runs this hospital!" Orihime answered. "They called us as soon as you arrived!"

"Us?" Tatsuki turned to see the rest of her friends approaching. "Uryu...Sado...Rukia...Ichigo."

"Tatsuki," Ichigo spoke, unsure of what to say. "Are you okay?"

"Okay?" Tatsuki asked back. Her face twisted in anger and she winced in pain as she forced herself up. "Okay!?" She shoved her bloody stump toward Ichigo and the others. "Does this look okay to you!? Is this how you define okay in your crazy little world, Ichigo? You fucking idiot!"

Ichigo stiffened, already kicking himself for asking such a stupid question. Of course, Tatsuki had been through Hell just now. She wasn't okay but he just couldn't think of a thing to say. "I...I'm sorry." He uttered.

Tatsuki's surviving eye shone with tears even as she continued to glare at Ichigo. She uttered a sob and tensed up at Orihime gently grabbed her and pushed her back down on the bed. "It's over." She whispered as she stared at her stump. "My karate career. Everything. It's gone."

"Don't say that!" Orihime cried, sobbing even more than Tatsuki. "Don't forget I can reject things! I can bring your hand and eye back! You don't have to worry!"

Tatsuki turned to Orihime and through her own tears smiled as she patted her friend's head with her remaining hand. "And what are we supposed to tell the doctors huh? That I just magically regrew my hand and eye?"

"But...Tatsuki..."

Tatsuki shook her head. "That's very nice of you to offer Orihime but you can't be so reckless. This is just something I'll have to learn to live with."

"Tatsuki," Orihime wept into her friends side.

Uryu, unable to take this anymore, moved closer to Rukia and whispered. "I know what I'm asking might be against your duties as a Shinigami but if you were to use your memory-replacement technology, Orihime would be free to heal Tatsuki without any issue."

Rukia lowered her head, her bangs obscuring her eyes. "Memory-replacement is only meant to be used in dire situations that threaten the exposure of Shinigami and the Soul Society as a whole. Officially, I can't use my memory-replacement for such a personal reason as helping a friend."

"Rukia," Uryu repeated, feeling a hint of anger in his heart that Rukia would let someone close to her suffer like this.

To his surprise, however, Rukia then turned to him, her eyes confident and her mouth curved into a smile. "That's why its a good thing we can get them from an unofficial source!" She motioned toward Kisuke who was behind her and had overheard the conversation. He turned to Uryu and flashed him a thumbs up.

Uryu was taken aback for a moment but then smiled, feeling disappointed in himself that he would even for a moment think Rukia would abandon her friends. "I see. Thank you."

Rukia nodded and turned to Kisuke. The two shared a nod. It was bad enough that they couldn't be there to protect Tatsuki and the others from being attacked. They were sure as hell not gonna let Michael take more from her than what he had already done.

"The worst part is," Tatsuki sniffed. "is that I got them all killed!"

"Don't talk like that!" Ichigo barked as he stomped toward Tatsuki's bed. "It was Michael who killed them, not you!"

"But I'm the reason why! If I hadn't been so stupid and cocky, none of this would have happened!"

Ichigo clenched his fist and gritted his teeth. "Why...Why the hell did you go after Michael in the first place? What the hell were you hoping to do?"

"We were trying to help!" Tatsuki shouted, taking Ichigo aback. "Ever since this whole thing started with the Soul Society, it's been you guys who are always saving the day. Saving us!" She gripped the edge of her blanket with her good hand. "I...I know we don't have any special powers like you do but this is our town too! We were tired of being pushed to the sidelines. We wanted to help too."

"But...But how could you possibly expect to combat Michael?" Rukia asked.

"We weren't going to combat him." Tatsuki explained. "We were just going to find out where he was and report back to you guys." Her lips trembled. "But he...he caught us off-guard. We were unprepared! And now...And now Keigo, Mizuiro, and Chizuru are...are..."

Before Tatsuki could finish her sentence, Orihime pulled her into another hug. Both girls broke into sobs as they held each other close. The others watched on in hopeless guilt, all wanting to somehow make the situation better but none of them knowing how to do it. Sado sighed and Kisuke lowered his hat. Loomis regained his haunted look as he watched the girls. It reminded him of one of the cruelest realities of his former patient's evil.

"One does not have to die to be one of Michael's victims." He whispered to himself. "Damn you, Michael. Damn you."

Ichigo remained still as he stood before Tatsuki's bed. He didn't even move as Rukia stepped up and grabbed his arm. Now that he had seen Tatsuki with his own two eyes, now that he had spoken with her, the full reality of what had happened could sink in. He had lost people close to him and unlike with Freddy, there was no bringing them back.

Tonight, the Surrassha had won.

---

It was late. By all rights, visiting hours were long over but thanks to Uryu's connection, everyone was aloud to stay. Orihime had fallen asleep with Tatsuki in her arms. Sado and Tessai were sleeping against the wall just outside the room while the Fullbringer down the hall remained awake and talking. Kisuke was in the waiting room, jotting down notes concerning what Tatsuki had told him tonight. They might prove useful later. Loomis was with him, doing his best to add as much input as he could and Uryu was in his father's office, making a phone call. As for Ichigo, he was standing on the rooftop of the hospital, looking out at the rest of Karakura Town.

"You should be careful," He heard Rukia's voice speak as she approached him. "Any close to that ledge and you'll become a Shinigami for good." The comment was meant to be a joke. A little dark humor to bring Ichigo out of his funk. But as she came to his side, Rukia could see Ichigo's face. Cold. Distant. Staring off into the town as if somehow looking for the monster responsible for killing his friends from where he was.

"He's in there." Ichigo said. "Somewhere out there, Michael is walking around, killing even more innocent people for his own sick pleasure."

"Easy Ichigo," Rukia warned. "I understand you had a heavy night tonight. We all did. But you shouldn't let it cloud your judgement."

"They needed me," Ichigo stiffened. "If only I was there! If only I had been-

"It wasn't your fault, Ichigo!" Rukia shouted. "Tatsuki said it herself, didn't she? The made the decision to go after Michael on their own! You shouldn't blame yourself for that!"

"Why not?" Ichigo shouted back. "After all, they were doing that to help me, weren't they?"

Rukia quietly gasped as she realized exactly what Ichigo was talking about. He was feeling guilty, yes, but not because he hadn't been there to protect his friends. He felt guilty because he was the reason they put themselves in harm's way in the first place. And as much as she wanted to, she couldn't completely relieve him of that sentiment. All she could do was hug his arm again in comfort.

"I'm so stupid." Ichigo continued. "I thought I was protecting Tatsuki and the others by leaving them out and then this happens. And now, Keigo, Mizuiro, Chizuru. They'll all gone."

"Ichigo, please." Rukia pleaded. "You're stronger then this! You can't let yourself break because this monster killed your friends, especially when you still have so many left!"

"You're right," Ichigo said. "Sado. Uryu. Orihime. My sisters. The old man. I still have a lot of people I need to protect! And I will!"

Rukia shivered slightly as she felt Ichigo's spiritual pressure. It was flaring and there was a hint of malice in it. as she looked to his face, she noted it was tenser then she had seen before, his eyes narrowed hatefully onto a target only he could see. She had never seen Ichigo this angry before and she wasn't sure she liked it.

"You're dead, Michael!" Ichigo said. "Mark my words, I'll destroy you myself!"

---

"How much further?" Jamie asked herself as she ran through the Dangai. She had lost track of just how long she had been running, how long had seen been following this damned butterfly. Minutes? Hours? Days? She wasn't feeling tired but she was getting impatient. If she didn't leave the Dangai soon, she was certain she would be captured and taken back. She couldn't go back yet. She had to find out who he was. Who was this man in the white mask tormenting her so.

Even now, as she ran through the empty abyss that connected the Soul Society and World of the Living, she couldn't help but be reminded of the endless corridors from her nightmares, the ones with constant shadows in the corners concealing the dreaded man in the white mask. She could almost see him in the inky blackness of the Dangai, his hands ready to reach out from the darkness and grab her.

"No!" she shouted to herself. "Don't think about that! Don't think about that! Just focus! Focus on the path forward!"

As if summoned by her words, a bright light appeared a few yards before her. Its sudden appearance blinded her for a moment and Jamie had to shield her eyes. Once she made out what it was, however, she practically cried out of joy. "That's got to be the exit! That's got to be!" She forced her legs to double up on their speed. "Can't stop now! I have to find those answers! Even if it cost me my second life, I have to know!"

With a grunt of effort, Jamie leapt through the doorway and was engulfed by the light. For a few seconds, she wondered if she had messed up and entered some sort of bright void as she felt herself floating in space. That theory died once she landed face first on the ground, the unwelcome sensation of dirt and rocks in her mouth. She gagged and proceeded to spit it out. "Phew! Phew! Gack! What the hell?" Jamie wiped her tongue with her fingers as she felt along the ground with her free hand. There was something different about this ground. Something about it was more...physical.

Wait...physical?

"Could it be?" Jamie asked as she took a deep breath. The air felt different as well. More rich. More real. "Oh my God! I-I did it! I made it to the World of the Living!" She jumped up and down in excitement. "I did it! I did it! I did I...am in so much trouble when I get back!" Jamie began to tear up as she considered what the ramifications would be once she made it back home. A very small part of her actually hoped she died on this personal mission so she wouldn't have to face the wrath of the senior Shinigami and the realization of that thought scared her. "I know what I said about accepting any punishments but...Fuck!" Jamie gripped her hair, pulled it over her face and screamed into it. Once that was done, she sighed and fixed her hair back into place. "There's no point in crying about it now. Since I'm here, my first order of business should be to find Karakura...

It was then that Jamie realized she was on a riverbank smack dab in the middle of Karakura Town, the Sun barely beginning to rise on another new day.

"Oh...that was easy." Jamie got up from the ground and dusted herself off. "The next step will be finding either Kisuke Urahara or that Ichigo boy. If anyone can help me find that monster, it's them."

With her Asauchi in hand and under the rising Sun, Jamie began her quest for the truth.

(And thus we finally have our first real character deaths in the series. Jamie's in town and Ichigo has a personal score to settle with Michael. How will this all play out?

As with this story, I have officially finished my tributes to the late great Akira Toriyama. R.I.P, old man. You deserve it.

Stay tuned for the next chapter!)