Arc 3 Preview: Not Knowledge, Merely Data [PG13, NDE, Hard]

[Hotaru Kuchiki-Masurao]

Hotaru walked up to Kagami, watching his mirrors. It was by the time she asked about him that she saw him running out towards the street. She looked towards the mirrors and noticed that there was nothing in the mirrors. It wasn't a good sign. She was surprised that the enemy wasn't caught in the mirrors of Kagami. She has seen his mirrors work first hand, and Hotaru was pretty sure that he used his mirrors like extensions of himself. So, his mirrors worked amazingly well.

For him to not catch the enemy, it meant one thing. The enemy was able to actually move through Kagami's mirrors to get away. She had no idea how any one would be able to move through his mirrors. She honestly had never heard of it happening either. While in the First Division, she asked around about Kagami's power. She had heard a few things about it and had already heard that no one could really escape the Vice Captain. So, for this man to just easily pass through the mirrors and continue the running, seemed almost impossible.

She saw Kagami running and using his mirrors to get in front of the man. She saw the mirror where she was located and assumed that the mirrors were still active. She ran through the mirrors to see that Kagami had the man pinned down using his sword. Honestly, she had never seen his mirrors being used in that manner before. He was bent over the man, i'm assuming asking him some questions. But, just looking at the scene reminded her of the worst day of her life.

When she looked down and saw Kagami over him like that, she pictured Asmoskon and herself, with her on the ground crying and Asmoskon above her, with hatred in his eyes for the first time against her, maiming himself and talking to her. She tried to shake her head to clear it from the image, but the image kept cropping up in her mind every few seconds. She then crouched down by the man's head. She had her hand on her zanpaktou, looked to Kagami and nodded, showing that she was here if he needed her.

[Sozen Kuchiki]

SPOILER: Click to show

{MORE PARASYTE STUFFS}

Kagami was fast, and his mirrors were efficient for capturing prey, but love betrayed him in all sorts of ways. Of all the things that he could have come up against, here was someone who was a perfect counter to Kagami in every way. The strength in Kagami's mirrors was in their versatility. He could use their reflective properties in dozens of different ways. Their weakness was also in their lack of versatility. Once they were countered, Kagami had very few effective options. And, against this specific bartender, something terrible was about to happen. For the first time in his entire life, Kagami would be hard countered in every possible way.

As he arrived before the bartender, the bartender glanced back, and literally disappeared completely. Instantly, Kagami, who appeared out of his mirror and fell upon the bartender, fell instead upon nothing, and came down on the ground, eating dirt instead of victim, covering himself in filth and getting specs of dust in his mouth from the hard, unexpected landing. The bartender had literally disappeared. Hotaru, who also had traveled through the mirror, would appear behind Kagami, just in time to see that Kagami growled again, and again had no target. He had missed yet again. Both of the Soul Reapers were going to be quite surprised to see what had happened.

Remember the mirror that Kagami went through in the first place to get to the one he placed near the bartender? The bartender was inside of that first mirror, though only momentarily. In that instant, the bartender exited through the original mirror, now going back in the opposite direction. He had literally used Kagami's mirrors against him, but differently from how Kagami did it. Kagami had to step into his own mirrors to transport himself. The bartender had literally disappeared, appeared inside of one of Kagami's mirrors, and then escaped out the other side and was now running away from them, in the opposite direction, back toward where the bar was located.

He actually went past the bar of course, and instead got himself to go in the opposite direction in town. There, at the border edge of town, was a forest. The bartender slipped into it. Kagami and Hotaru had to get into the forest quickly and hunt him down, or he would really escape from them. In the forest, which was full of other reiatsu presences, full of Hollows, and which generally just had a lot of trees to hide people, it would be a lot more difficult to locate this bartender, who seemed already to be so clever. How had he escaped Kagami and Hotaru so easily in the first place? No matter what Kagami did, it seemed his mirrors were working against him here.

As the bartender slipped into the forest, where Kagami and Hotaru needed to pursue him, for some reason, Saeki's words might echo in Kagami's mind. And, perhaps, for some reason, Hotaru might even hear them too, so strong might they be in Kagami's mind. Every night when you dream of her, and every morning when you wake with company in your bed yet an empty conscience... But...are you still in her heart? I wonder... Here he was, having his resolve tested by a simple bartender who knew something, and was his only link left to finding Manami whom he loved. And here was Hotaru, watching her former Lieutenant in emotional agony as the bartender escaped. And what was their solution to this tragedy of love?

[Douma]

Hm, scratch that. Kagami was definitely going to kill this bartender mainly because of the nuisance that he’s acting as. It seemed that Kagami’s power was completely countered by this man. No mirrors are going to be effective, for the enemy is capable of using them as his own tools. No, Kagami’s arsenal was far too limited. He was going to have to rely on his own skill without his Zanpakuto that had acted as a crutch in battle for so many years. Now, he was going to have to fair for himself with no mirrors. With no protective walls.

Kagami ended his Flash Glide technique momentarily. However, he also relinquished Mirafureru as well as the other mirrors he had present. They would only hurt him in this fight, so Kagami was going to fight in isolation from his Zanpakuto. It felt strange just to place himself in that mindset, like he was entering a battle nude, especially since he relied on his shikai so heavily. But the bartender was not a man who could be captured with Kagami’s mirrors, and so the Vice Captain would have to stand alone.

Kagami ended Flash Glide for one second, just so that he could pivot on his right foot, spin one-hundred and eighty degrees, and Shunpo down the ally off his pivot foot to nearly catch up with the bartender. However, it was obvious that the man was moving faster than Kagami’s normal speed so he would have to use Flash Glide once more to close the gap quickly. Back at his speed of 1000, Kagami would continue after the man, his right hand gripping his blade. As soon as he got in range, Kagami would execute a forehand slash at the backs of the man’s knees, hopefully bringing him to the ground.

Now, Hotaru had been nearby the entire time, and Kagami was well aware of her fighting style. She was physically based with a strong reliance on her speed. If she could increase her speed to keep up with the bartender, Kagami would appreciate her help. However, he would never ask. He felt that this mission was a solo mission, so Hotaru would have to act on her own accord without Kagami requesting her assistance.

Reiatsu Remaining: 6925/8000 (-300 for Flash Glide)

[Hotaru Kuchiki-Masurao]

While Hotaru was making her way towards Kagami, she noticed that the bartender was gone. Again. She had no idea why in the hell this guy just kept running away from Kagami. It was then that she thought about what Kagami had asked the man in the first place. It was something about Sato someone. She didn't remember the person's last name. Obviously, the bartender knew something about this person. She also, had no idea what this person meant to Kagami.

She didn't know too much about his past, only that he was having trouble with his relationship as she was, with just a few differences. They were both looking for their loves, the main difference was that he had given up on her and now wanted to find her, while she had made a mistake and she's looking for him to fix everything between them and hopefully get back together again. She watched as the Vice Captain quickly took off again, back the way they came.

She looked off and saw that the guy was now running towards the forest. It seemed that the bartender used the mirrors again to get away. She assumed that Kagami now knew that he couldn't use his mirrors against him anymore. But, from the way she's seen him fight, he used the mirrors like another limb. But, it seemed like he would have to go without to catch this man that had information on something. She was curious what it was. But, there was definitely one thing for sure.

They were moving a lot faster than she was. Kagami looked like he was gliding on the air and moving a great speed. Since his mirrors were still active, she ran at the one closest to her and ended up back at the bar. She then started running full speed. She didn't want to waste reiatsu yet, since her sensing skills were pretty horrible. She wanted to wait until she had actually gotten close to the man before doing anything. So, she started running, keeping tabs on Kagami.

The only reason she was able to do so was that his reiatsu was so massive to begin with. So, she kept up her pace, keeping Kagami's reiatsu signature in her mind. After about a minute, she felt Kagami's signature stop for a brief moment. She knew that he had to have reached the guy by then. She then Shunpo'ed to Kagami's location. Upon seeing the man, she broke out her speed and tried her best to tackle the man from behind. If she hit him, she would try her best to keep him on the ground until Kagami got there.

Remaining Reiatsu: 1980/2030 -50 for Shunpo

[Sozen Kuchiki]

Captured by Hotaru, the bartender would look up at the both of them as Kagami arrived. There were two, towering over him, and one was holding him steady and tight. Both of them had their weapons out, as if ready to attack him. Normally one might be able to make an excuse such as "I did nothing," but this guy actually had tried to fry Kagami, so he had attacked a Soul Reaper, and then fled. He had committed a clear crime, and Kagami would have the ability to arrest him. But, even arrested, this guy was the only link to Manami thus far. It was entirely possible that Kagami could resume the search after the bartender, but what point would there be?

Anyone else would have been tipped off, most likely. It was just this guy. Just the bartender, over whom the two Soul Reapers towered, because the bartender was on the ground. And, looking up at the both of them, the bartender smiled a cold smile. "I won't talk," he said. "I will tell you nothing of what you want to know..." He seemed to be hiding some sort of a secret. But what? Just what was this secret? If Hotaru looked down at him, she would notice... his body was covered in burns and scars. What hadn't been apparent earlier was now plainly visible. On his body, from arms to legs to neck to chin, he boasted terrible gashes, burns, and worse, all healed now. Nothing fresh. But his body had seen some abuse.

Laying there, captured, the bartender who refused to speak could be goaded by practically nothing. Maybe begging. Maybe something else. But, it was worth Hotaru and Kagami's time to maybe take him back to the Seireitei. It was either take him back, or try to interrogate him here themselves. If they brought him back to Squad 6 though, which had torture facilities and other information extraction facilities, maybe they could get something out of him, assuming of course that Sozen Kuchiki hadn't already caught on to Kagami's illegal visit of the Kuchiki library and of the prison facilities housing Saeki, where Kagami's investigation had begun in the first place.

[Douma]

It seemed that Hotaru had ultimately caught the man, and Kagami’s efforts weren’t required. The woman seemed to always come through for him when he needed her most, but Hotaru was also the last person Kagami wanted to see at this time. He was in a dark place at the moment, one that didn’t have any room for a ray of light, and he wasn’t about to drag Hotaru into his mess. After all, she had her own problems. That boyfriend of her’s was still out there, so how could Kagami let her ditch her own adgenda and unknowlingly go against her family just to help him. This was a solo missions, but…

…he wouldn’t be able to do this alone, as much as it pained him to acknowledge that fact. His strength was limited at the moment, and the Vice Captain would spend countless days, weeks, or even months expanding his power when he got the opportunity, but, for now, that was just simply not an option. He had to deal with the tools he currently had, and Hotaru was most likely his best asset. There was just too much weight on his shoulders and he was going to be crushed if this mission proved to be too much. Failure just wasn’t an option, and if Hotaru could help him find Manami, then he didn’t have any choice but to lie to and manipulate her.

But first thing’s first, they could not let their prisoner escape. The instant that Kagami caught up, he ended Flash Glide and promptly stabbed the blade into the bartender’s left leg first with key precision so that it tore through his tendon, left a gaping cut in his muscle, and made a clean pierce straight through the bone. This process was repeated not only on the man’s other leg but on both his biceps as well, whether Hotaru approved or not. He would explain to her while doing so, not minding his screams if he happened to let any out. “I’m sorry for the violence, I’m on a classified mission. No one knows where I am and no one has to, don’t even mention this to the Captain Commander for he would not be happy if word of my activity got out. This is a very bad man, Hotaru, and although I can’t give you the details, I’d appreciate it if you help me bring his superiors to justice.” It wasn’t a complete lie, for he did intend to sent the man by the name of Sato Hoshi to prison, he just refused

Now, Kagami wasn’t about to let the man bleed to death, so now that it was safe for Hotaru to release the man without any chance of him escaping, he asked her for a favor. “Please run back to the tavern for a second and grab some towels just so we make sure he doesn’t lose too much blood. I need him alive and conscious so he can talk, and trust me, he will talk.” Kagami’s eyes had a very dark edge to them, and Hotaru could assume that he wasn’t messing around. Assuming that she had complied and grabbed towels to absorb the blood and prevent the bleeding, Kagami would have a few seconds to spare for private conversation.

The Lieutenant crouched down low so that he could get as close to the bartender’s face. In fact, if the bartender refused to look him in the eye, he would flip the man over onto his back so that he had no choice to look up, and Kagami would then grab his face with his free left hand and hold it still, facing up at his dangerously calm expression. “I want you to tell me everything you know about Sato Hoshi, and I mean everything. If you talk, I might just kill you quickly and painlessly, and that is by far your best option at the moment. It’s up to you to decide how much pain you can withstand before giving in. I don’t care for a second if you truly think you can resist me, because when it comes down to it, you can’t. No one can when I’m in the right mood, and I’m definitely in the right mood. And guess what? Everyone talks. So here it is, your last chance to end your life in peace. It’d be a wise choice to take it, because this will be your only chance before I have to stop playing nice. What will it be?” Kagami was willing to do anything, and absolutely anything, to see Manami once again, even if it costs him his life and the life of his closest friends and allies. He just wanted to see that face again…

Welcome to Flashback City

SPOILER: Click to show

Ah, those eyes. Kagami woke up one sunny morning to the sound of a few blue birds chirping in the nearby tree, the same one he had climbed up in order to first get into this room just a week ago. The first thing his eyes came across upon fluttering open were a pair of pink gemstones staring at him with an indescribably beautiful allure that made his stomach do black flips and his heart skip a beat. The familiar pair of eyes brightened and a smile crept onto the face that they belonged in reaction to Kagami’s waking. “Good morning…” was all that she said, but Kagami recognized the relaxed joy in her voice. After all, he felt the same. This was the way things were supposed to be, everything was just in-place and perfect, like they were in paradise.

“Mmm good morning to you, too,” Kagami replied with a quick peck on the lips. However, the action became more intimate and heated, and after a minute, their lips separated once more and Manami lay in Kagami’s warm embrace, her head pressed against his chest listening to his steady heart beat. Her long blond hair was untended and wild, yet Manami still looked as stunning as ever. Her bright rose eyes looked up at him with a blissful carelessness that matched her unrestrained smile. A warm grin spread across the young man’s face, for he didn’t even know what he was saying when the words slipped past his mental censor, through his mouth, and into Manami’s ears. Her eyes widened with surprise, her kind smile fading into the shock like a distant memory, for it had only been a week and Kagami was already saying “I love you.”

This is the same man who up till recently didn’t truly care about any other people and spent glorious nights with various women a few days every week. He had no legitimate feelings, but there was something so real and intimate with Manami that it was almost tangible. Before he knew it, Kagami found himself head-over-heels in love, and as much as he wanted to deny the words, taking them back was the last thing he wanted to do. At that moment, he only feared that Manami’s reaction wouldn’t favor him but there was a subtle twinkle in the gemstones staring into his nervous violet eyes, and she responded by pressing her lips against his, whispering between the kiss, “I love you.”

And That’s All, Folks!

Kagami was going to count dangerously slowly for the bartender, and Hotaru was bound to return as he set the clock. “Five.” His swords was held tightly in his hand, but he didn’t move quite yet. The bartender would feel that evil violet gaze burn through his own eyeballs. It would be like a scene from Ghostrider, for just by looking into his eyes, the bartener would know that Kagami had no rules. He was fueled by an unstoppable determination, one that could even be considered evil. Yes, he was definitely evil. The situation called for it, and this was no business for good guys. “Four.” The blade would very slowly inch toward the man’s face. Kagami’s cold expression wouldn’t waver, not even slightly. “Three” The point of the blade’s target would be identified, and it continued its snail pace toward the man’s right eye.

“Two.” It was inches away at this point, and the target wasn’t the center of the eyeball. No he was going to for the end, apparently planning to dislodge it from the socket in a very painful manner. “One.” Kagami’s blade has less than a couple of millimeters before piercing the eye. The only chance the bartender had of stopping anything is begging for Kagami to wait and let him share his information, in which case the Vice Captain would not pull his sword back but merely stop its progression. In not, the man’s eyeball would be plucked out and crushed agains the socket with the flat of the blade before being pulled and ripped from its nervous network. The pain would be excruciating, but it’d be up to the bartender to decide if it was necessary. If Hotaru tried to stop Kagami, well… things would get ugly quickly.

[Hotaru Kuchiki-Masurao]

Hotaru was able to hit the guy while he was still running. She was glad she was able to catch the man, she was getting tired of running. When she hit the man, she would hit the man full force, tackling him to the ground and holding onto him tight. She didn't want this man to get away again, especially since she wasn't planning on running so much today. She was planning on just enjoying a drink at this place and that's it. Not to walk into an exploding bar and see Kagami running away.

He wasn't wriggling around too much, but she could sense Kagami walked up behind her. The man started spouting off stuff, like he wasn't going to tell them anything that they would want to know. Well, anything Kagami would want to know. She was curious why Kagami came here to ask the bartender anything, but she wouldn't pry. She was curious if this had anything to do with his love. She remembered back on when they talked, that he was searching for answers for her whereabouts.

She could be wrong, but she could be right too. Once Kagami got to her position, he immediately stabbed the man in the left leg with his blade, then the right leg. She was surprised that that was the first action he thought of to do against the man. But, she couldn't really blame him. She figured that he was tired of running after the man too. She moved after the leg cuts and watched him do the same to the man's biceps rather quickly. She stood, listening to what the Vice Captain had to say.

It turned out that Kagami was on a secret and classified mission to find this man's superiors and bring them to justice. She looked at Kagami and nodded in agreement. She told Kagami before that she would help him if he ever needed it. She meant it. So, no matter what Kagami was doing, if he needed help, she would help him to the best of her abilities. So, she was surprised by his actions, but she would not hesitate to do the same against someone that had information she needed as well.

He then asked her to head to the tavern to get towels, so he wouldn't bleed out. She nodded and quickly ran back to the tavern. While running, the picture of Kagami stabbing the man brought back memories of what Asmoskon did in front of her. The way he slashed himself because of what she did to him. The way his eyes looked when he sneered down at her. The way he walked away and never looked back, disappearing in front of her. The way she felt completely broken inside now because of what she did.

When she made it to the tavern, she was wiping tears out of her eyes. Inside the tavern, there was still debris everywhere. The people that were thrown from the explosion were still recovering, but slowly moving about. Everyone else had left. She had no doubt that other shinigami would find out about this explosion and come running to investigate. So, she would make her trip short. She quickly ran behind the bar and tried to find as many towels as she could. When she grabbed ten, she ran back out the back.

She continued to run towards Kagami's reiatsu signature, going as fast as she could. Her legs were starting to burn pretty badly, so by the time she arrived to Kagami's location, she was a little out of breath and slowly walked up. She was shaking her legs out to try to get all the tiredness out of them. Though, what she walked into was surprising to her. Surprising in the fact that she wouldn't picture Kagami ever doing something like this. He had his sword going closer to the man's eye, assuming he was going to pull the eye out. This had to be pretty important information. She saw herself doing the same thing, depending on the situation. She stood away and watched.

[Sozen Kuchiki]

The bartender didn't even flinch as the blade neared him. In fact, it even took his eye out, and he didn't make a single sound, and he didn't even move. The eye came out, and there was blood spilling, but the bartender didn't do anything except continue to stare at Kagami with what was now only one good eye. He wasn't just obstinate. He was literally immune to what Kagami had to do. Somehow, he either felt no pain, or resisted it entirely. How could this even be possible? Well, it was as expected. Kagami was Squad 1. They specialized in strategy coordination, not in torture. Squad 6 or 7 would have been a better choice if Kagami wanted to torture the bartender.

After all, the bartender wasn't moving, and had let his eye come out. But he wasn't cocky, oh no he wasn't. It wasn't pride that was guiding his remaining eye. It was determination. Actually, back up. It wasn't even just determination. It was devotion too. The same kind of devotion, in fact, as Kagami or Hotaru. Taking a step back, they might be able to see that he had the same look that they did, of devotion. He was doing what he did for someone that he loved too. Of all the crazy things! Everyone has this preconceived notion that a random villain character has to be heartless or evil. The bartender could be considered an exception to that rule.

"Sato Hoshi's whereabouts have been unknown for five hundred years," the bartender told Kagami. "He stands accused of genocide of six districts in the Rukongai of Soul Society. These are all located in the South area, and are numbers 34, 86, 55, 21, 18, and 133. He allegedly committed these acts by means of sheer skill, by entering each district separately and carving up all of its inhabitants with sharp objects he found laying around. Most noticeably, he used broken shards of windows and mirrors to cut most of their throats. When he was first found, he was in a circle of wooden stakes with the heads of all the children he had killed impaled. Before he could be arrested, he disappeared, and was never seen again. The case is considered closed."

Kagami and Hotaru were lucky today. The bartender had decided to speak even though it was clear that the torture was having no actual effect on him. His crushed eye was now just a pile of goo and blood on the ground. Rather slick and shiny, the blood had the characteristic of being unusually odorless, and it sank into and drained into the ground pretty quickly too, leaving only the deep stain up top of the dirt. It was like it was just a little bit more liquid than most blood, and less dense. It could pass through something like the ground really easily. But maybe that was just a unique quality. People in the spiritual world had a variety of characteristics.

"Killing me isn't an option, because that's a bluff," the bartender told Kagami. "You can't kill your only lead to Sato Hoshi. If you do, you will have nothing. The man disappeared five hundred years ago, and no other person but me knows a single thing about him." The bartender had a pretty valid point, too! But, actually, he defeated his point soon afterward anyway by saying something that was probably very surprising to both of them. And, right before he said it, he looked not at Kagami, but at Hotaru, right in the face. "Besides. You can't kill the very person you came here to find. You don't have the authority to kill me. I must first stand trial for the things that I have done. Because I am Sato Hoshi."

[Douma]

The man didn’t react. His arms didn’t quiver. His breath didn’t speed up. Even his eyes remained calm. He didn’t make a sound as his eyeball was ripped out of its socket, crushed, and pulled out of the nerve connecting it to his body. The pain would be excruciating that an ordinary person would let out bloodcurdling screams of agony at the top of his lungs. But no, not this man. He took the pain like it was nothing more than a shot at the hospital. Kagami knew just by the look in the man’s eye that he wouldn’t be able to break him. The Squad 6 Captain, Sozen, wouldn’t be able to break him. His resolve was untouchable. This is no bartender… Kagami thought to himself in frustration. Who am I dealing with?

And so the Bartender went into his explanation, and Kagami stared into his remaining eye with dangerously serious behind those passionate violet flames that threatened to consume Kagami in reckless rage. Because of the situation Kagami was in, he didn’t have time to look up Sato Hoshi’s background with the Soul Society intelligence that he had access to. Instead, he had to flee as quickly as possible. No one but Hotaru knows his whereabouts, actually. And now that he had found his first lead, his first piece of knowledge, he was listening to every word, every syllable that came out of the bartender’s mouth. He needed to know who this Sato Hoshi person was, and what he heared made him eager to get his hands on the legend. Maybe he’d put up a brilliant fight. Kagami could use someone to let out his pent up anger on.

And that’s when the line came, the one Kagami least expected. “ You can't kill the very person you came here to find. You don't have the authority to kill me. I must first stand trial for the things that I have done. Because I am Sato Hoshi." There it was. The lines all added up, and with Kagami’s mind, he should have easily figured it out based on the man’s knowledge of Sato Hoshi. However, he was clouded with a fury-fueled determination. He was angry at himself for the post part for not being with Manami in the first place, so he made the conclusion that he wanted. The Vice Captain sought a fight, but this result was even better.

A dark, yet satisfied smile formed on the edges of his lips, yet it was barely present, like a ghost. “You made two mistakes, Sato Hoshi. The first was that you believe that I am bound by an authority such as the Gotei 13. The second error was that you think that I have the intention of killing you.” Kagami held his blade in his right hand and swung forward, like a wide-swining punch that was led by the jade blade’s hilt. It would make contact right at Hoshi’s left jaw, potentially knocking him out. Kagami would repeat the process if it wasn’t effective the first time until his captive was unconscious before returning to Hotaru.

His demeanor suddenly changed as he looked up at her. His eyes seemed to brighten and a forced smile materialized on his face. “I’m sorry about that, Hotaru. I hate having to act like that around you.” “I hate having to be real… “Please, do me this big favor and return Sato Hoshi to Seireitei where he will pay for his crimes. My work here is not done, however. I’m going to be gone for a long period of time doing some undercover work.” Hotaru might realize that Kagami was being very mysterious and sketchy, but he truly did his best to convince her that everything was normally. He was trying to show her that he was his same carefree self, but that smile looked just a bit too forced and those eyes had just a hint of darkness. She would find out the truth soon enough, after she returned.

“I have to leave immediately, I have a lot to do and not much time to do it. I hope to see you soon, friend.” Unless Hotaru stopped him and spoke, Kagami would leave at that moment via Shunpo. His plan was to go to deep wilderness of Soul Society, far beyond the boundaries of the Rukongai where who knows what inhabits. He needed to train remotely so he would be able to return to Seireitei and meet with Saeki once again, and the longer he waited, the longer it would take until he was reunited with his love. He was going to push through his limits and expand them. The Vice Captain, or ex-Vice Captain for the time being, had much work to do to hone his power and focus it to a point, much like a blade. He also needed to put together the pieces of his soul and pull himself out of the darkness. He needed time before he was ready to see Manami again. But he just didn’t want to wait.

[Hotaru Kuchiki-Masurao]

When Hotaru came back and found what Kagami was doing, she stood by and watched. The main reason she did this was because she thought the man wouldn't have it in him to actually cut his eye out. She saw the blade going closer to the man's eye and she honestly thought that Kagami wouldn't. She could say that she knew the man inside and out, but she did know something about the man she doubted he had told anyone else. Based off how he already acted around her, she never would've thought he could do something like that.

When she saw him actually stab into the man's eye socket, her stoic expression was broken. Her mouth opened slightly and she fought back the urge to actually move her hands in front of her mouth. She never would've thought he could do it, but she thought back to their night of drinking. She saw something different in him that night. Maybe that's what was making him do this. The actual deed didn't bother her, she has seen worse in war. But him doing it, it just didn't seem right.

He ripped out the eye, nerve and all and the man didn't even flinch. This man had to have an insanely high tolerance towards pain. She did now, thanks to Sozen, but she didn't even think she could go through that without saying something. The man was impressive in that aspect alone. Then, she started to listen to what he was saying. It seemed that the man Kagami was looking for was a pretty horrible criminal. Then, when the man admitted to being the man Kagami was looking for, Hotaru's eyes got a little bigger.

So, this man did all of those things. She herself got angry that he was able to escape and get away with those horrible crimes. She wanted to beat him for that. Then, Kagami spoke, saying he didn't have the intent to actually kill the man, which Hotaru was happy for. But, the first statement he made surprised her. He said that, pretty much, he wasn't bound by the authority of the Gotei 13. What did he mean? Before she could think more about it, Kagami knocked the man out. He then looked towards her.

When she looked back at him, it was like seeing a different side to him. She knew him as a more carefree man, drinking to his heart's content. But now, she saw something more serious in him, a resolve that seemed to not crack. She felt that within her as well, while she was hunting down Asmoskon. So, is this what he's willing to do for the person he's looking for? For his dead wife? She obviously didn't know if it was the mission or what, but she was starting to wonder a few things about him.

He then asked her to return Sato Hoshi to Seireitei so he can answer for his crimes. He apologized for the way he acted around her. He then said that he was going to be gone for a while on his undercover work. He smiled at her and she noticed something was off about it. He wasn't carefree anymore. She noticed small differences about him, like how he was forcing his smile and hiding something from her. She wasn't going to force him to tell her what was going on, she just wished he wouldn't hide it.

He then said that he needed to leave now and that he hoped to see her again. Before Kagami left, she stopped him with a hand on his arm. "I know that there's something different about you, Kagami-senpai. I'm not going to force you to tell me what's wrong, but I just wanted to say one thing. You don't need to hide your pain from me. I showed you my heart that night while we were drinking, you're the only person I've told that too. I can do the same for you, if you want. Good luck my friend, with what you're doing and I guarantee that we will meet soon."

She nodded, letting him go. He shunpoed off and she was left with the knocked out man. She picked him up and tried to lug him around. It wasn't that bad, but she didn't want to just walk him into Seireitei. She used Shunpo to get into the Seireitei and made her way towards the Seventh Division. She knew that they would know what to do with this scum of the earth. She made her way into the Division and threw the man on the floor. The shinigami asked her what was going on.

She looked over towards them and said, "This is Sato Hoshi. I'm pretty sure you all know who that is. Do whatever you want to do with him now, I don't want to see that man's face ever again." The shinigami immediately took the man away while she walked outside the division. Her head was still full from what she had just witnessed, but there was one thing that she knew for sure. If she got the chance, she would help Kagami with whatever he was doing, no matter how long it took. He needed the help and it might actually help her find Asmoskon.

[Sozen Kuchiki]

OOC Disclaimer: I have permissions on ALL FRONTS for the content of this post. Just so everyone knows.

Six days pass. . .

"Excuse me," a voice would say when Hotaru at last arrived home on a day six days later. But it wasn't whom she might be expecting. Rather than the tall frame of the black haired Head of the Kuchiki Family, Hotaru was instead met with elegant gold eyes locked on hers, and a woman with similar height, and a slim, athletic build. Those very golden eyes, unperturbed, self-assured, powerful, rested upon Hotaru with a sort of warmth that emanated the message that the speaker valued Hotaru as if a million suns were of equivalent worth. The aura that came off the beautiful woman before Hotaru was unlike anything imaginable... Some might say it commanded even more presence than Sozen Kuchiki himself.

But Hotaru wouldn't be ignorant of who this woman was. No, of course not. Anyone that was noble, or had been indoctrinated into nobility, would know who this was. Despite her beauty, and her aura, she was the epitome of scandal, the most shocking of people to encounter in nobility. The lady of the house, and wife of Sozen, Aoi Kuchiki had been the talk of all Soul Society years ago when Sozen had arrived and claimed his marriage to her. The council had been livid for what was an apparent commoner to enter the Kuchiki House by marriage. But Sozen had shut their arguments down. They had been powerless to his words, his blackmail, his political power.

So here she was, Aoi Kuchiki. The single most powerful woman in the entire Soul Society. The goddess of political esteem. She extended her hand to Hotaru for a hand shake. "I understand that we have not met yet," Aoi said with a cordial, gracious smile. And damn, was she gorgeous when she did it. "I am Aoi Kuchiki." She said it as if Hotaru wouldn't know who she was. But, after Hotaru had responded, perhaps with a redundant introduction, given that Aoi seemed to know exactly who Hotaru was, Aoi continued to speak. "I apologize if I'm bothering you, but it's just that I felt something when you walked into the room..." Aoi's eyes expressed real, legitimate concern.

Those golden suns in her head narrowed in on Hotaru, and Aoi continued to speak. "I sense a loneliness, and longing in your heart... A lover that you have lost... That you cannot find. And I couldn't help but empathize with the emptiness and pain of not knowing the whereabouts of someone you love so dearly. I had thought, perhaps, that I could offer my resources and knowledge to you? I'm not the authoritative figure that Sozen is, but I do have a large information network. We could, hypothetically, search for his location, if you'd like?" This was quite a lot to drop on Hotaru at once, but hey. Asmokon might be within her grasp now, ever so coincidentally. But, what might Aoi want in exchange?

---

Meanwhile. . .

SPOILER: Click to show

{Play this first}

"I see that you delivered Sato Hoshi, just as I asked," Saeki said with a cunning smile. She said nothing on how Sato Hoshi had so conveniently been the first person that Kagami had encountered, or how she'd known with such certainty that Kagami would find him. And, even if Kagami suspected anything, he wouldn't have the power to question it. He didn't have the authority to further pursue an investigation, given the crimes he had committed, and he was already dangling on Saeki's thread as it was. She controlled him right now. She owned him. Well, hey. She sure seemed to own a lot of other people too, didn't she? Saeki Kuchiki... The monster who owned everyone.

"And, as I promised, I'll tell you where Manami is. But first, I want you to tell me, in your words, what Manami means to you. I certainly know how you feel, but I want you to say it... I want to hear it. Tell me, and I'll tell you her location." Saeki was probably toying with Kagami right now. At this point, she knew that she could, and she probably enjoyed playing around with him a little bit. That was to be expected. After all, when you have that kind of leverage on someone, to the point where they're desperate, and they depend on you and only you, you can do whatever you want with them. Well, anyway, no matter how Kagami reacted or what he said, Saeki spoke once more.

"She's in a beat up straw house in Shousen, right across from the bar called Zaraki."

And, several hours later, that was where Kagami would find himself. Shousen, where a former Captain had come from. And this was the worst place for her to be, for it was a fierce battleground of warriors. As soon as Kagami entered, he would see a place full of beat up, run down houses and shops, and people who looked tired, and sluggish. All around, different people were fighting each other with grins on their faces. There was blood, screaming, laughing, crying, and a whole mess of other things. And this was where Manami lived. And as Kagami made his way through the place, and found the bar and the home across it, he'd see, bit by bit, that all the homes lacked doors.

This house, in particular, was very beat up. Ravaged. Not any more so than some of the worst ones, and it was better than some of those, but it wasn't one of the better ones either. It was probably in between, or in the lower mid tier of the houses. With a roof of black straw, indicating it had been burned or something (but somehow not destroyed or caved in), walls covered in filth, cracks, and moss, and creaky wooden stairs also covered in moss, rotting and smelling of what was about to die, it wasn't where Kagami might want to find his fiancee. But here she was, according to Saeki. And so, ascending the stairs, and into the house, what Kagami would find was....

SPOILER: Click to show

{THIS heartbreaking song from an anime that made me mad}

A beat up house with creaky wooden floors that screeched and moaned with every step that Kagami took. Blood leading down the wooden floors. A trail of blood. And enough to make Kagami fearful, for why would blood lead so directly to the bedroom? It was surely enough to make him rush there, at his top speed, causing the floorboards to moan under his weight, barely able to support him as he headed for the bed room to find what was surely, but not in his hopes, the scene of a tragedy. The tragic ending to a love story. See, that's the trouble with romance stories. They need to have struggle to ever be considered interesting. Well, seeing blood in his frantic state, maybe Kagami wouldn't notice that it was dry...

...And that the moaning wasn't just from the floor boards. Entering into the room, what Kagami would find was that the blood had just been an older trail, from some other event or some other instance. There was Manami, with her beautiful, silky hair. On her back, as it was, with her mouth agape in what appeared to be ecstasy, moans tantalizingly escaping her lips, eyes rolling back in her head. Her clothes formed a puddle on the ground, and her nude form, so recognizable to Kagami almost instantly as she lay on the bed, was elegant even in these horrifying circumstances. Her legs were wide open, and her lips were whispering, in between moans, another name.

But...are you still in her heart? I wonder...

"My love..." she breathed as a phantom sheet, white skinned individual with powerful arms on either side of his also muscular torso, naked like the woman he was thrusting into, powerful like the penetration with which he was making her cry so aloud. Someone with hair that seemed to alternate between a deep blue and a pitch black, and eyes that were empty void black colored, with large hands cupping the breasts of Kagami's woman. A man who, by all accounts, was consummating love with Manami. The two of them there, making love as Kagami walked in. And she didn't seem to see Kagami as the man she had called "her love" continued driving into her, and she gasped in pleasure and moaned his name out.

So there it was. A scene which Kagami had surely feared. The irony was how many he had been with and flirted with since reaching Soul Society. And surely, maybe, he had feared that Manami had been doing the same. But had he ever really taken that seriously? Or had he always thought she would love him as absolutely as before if he found her? But now, here it was. Shock, horror, despair even. For she had found another man. And, worst of all? Was the hole in the center of his chest. The white bone-like fragment on his face. The merciless black grin as he drove into her. And Manami gasped again as her legs flew up high from nearing climax, and a name escaped her lips at last.

"Adalo...!"

[Douma]

Kagami was back. It had taken six, but he was ready to return as a changed man. The Vice Captain’s quest to find himself did bear some fruit, though it was darker and far more bitter than it was sweet. Kagami’s whole life was just a bit more serious, but that was okay. As long as he had Manami at the end of the day, that was okay. She was all he needed, and he returned to the Kuchiki prison to find her. Security measures had tightened slightly, but the guards were just as bored as they had been when Kagami first snuck past them. The only difference was that their were a few more. They know someone had met with Saeki, so they know it was me. Kagami disappeared directly after the incident, so it wouldn’t take a genius to figure out that he was behind the prison breach. Whether the crime was anonymous or not, he wouldn’t be deterred.

The passwords for Saeki’s prison remained the same, and he knew that she had been waiting. She had been waiting for a long time, but when you spend centuries in a cubical jail, months would be insignificant. Kagami didn’t test her patience at all. She was as poised and beautiful as ever when he found her again, but for once, Kagami’s eyes were not wanton. He only longed for Manami, and his lustful days were over. “I see that you delivered Sato Hoshi, just as I asked.” Kagami didn’t react. His cold, dark gaze stared right back into her sapphire eyes. I hate you…“And, as I promised, I’ll tell you where Manami is. But first, I want you to tell me, in your words, what Manami means to you. I certainly know how you feel, but I want you to say it… I want to hear it. Tell me, and I’ll tell you her location."

Kagami’s eyes were daggers, but there were no chinks in Saeki’s armor for them to pierce. He had absolutely nothing on her, and she was using him like a pawn. He needed her, and in exchange, she got a slave and a good laugh. “I’ll tell you what she means to me…” Kagami began, his words slow and dense with malignant passion. “Everything. She means everything. I won’t be the same unless I get her back, I can’t return to the way things were. I can’t live with that emptiness…” Kagami’s body suddenly began to shake with a chuckle that made his mentality dance between the fine line of sanity and insanity. But the smile was cut off right at his lips, for the dark violet flames in his eyes remained as hateful as ever.

“It’s not about Manami,” he stated bluntly. “It’s about me. I need her for me. I need her to make me happy. If I make her smile, then I feel even better. And when she’s gone, I just don’t feel. I need to find Manami for me…” Kagami’s emotionally-void smile was quick to fade into a bitter, acute frown that reflected his focus and determination. “Yeah, I’m a selfish piece of shit, and I admit that. I’ll swim in my sins all day if I have to, and even if they drown me, I’ll get satisfaction from knowing one thing: I might be scum, but I can’t do anything to stoop down to your level. That pitifulness is beyond my reach.” Kagami needed to say something to slam Saeki, and even though she was the one in power. The Vice Captain couldn’t pull his furious eyes away from her. I hate you…

“She's in a beat up straw house in Shousen, right across from the bar called Zaraki." Zaraki… Kagami thought to himself. The name sounded familiar, very familiar. A legendary past Captain may have originated from that district, and if Kagami’s memory served him well, it was in the poverty-stricken outskirts of the Rukongai. Why would Manami be in such a poor, dangerous place? It’s okay, I’ll find her and I’ll take her somewhere safe.

---

Kagami walked toward a ramshackle hut in a corner of Zaraki, where the unfortunate families living there were hesitant to pop their heads out of their windows. However, very few families did settle in the haunted sector. It was a center for criminals, and the most powerful of them. This was not a place for Manami to be. Why is she here? The only situation that Kagami could fathom was that she got into some bad business with bad people, and the beautiful woman that held his heart was trapped and needed rescue. Kagami had to save her. If Saeki was telling the truth, then Manami is alive. If Saeki was telling the truth...

Kagami entered the hut without hesitation, walking straight through the door. His unkempt black hair settled in disorganized manner, yet it still managed to look good over his moonless violet eyes that held an angry flicker. The Vice Captain wore a black coat, black shirt, and black jeans. All black everything. Even the new sword found at Kagami’s waist didn’t reflect a ray of light and exerted darkness. The only brightness that Kagami had was the silver blade of his Zanpakuto, and it was hidden within the forest green of the weapon’s sheath. It fit his mood. Kagami’s hope and excitement to see Manami again was hidden by his dark nature. He needed to find her and protect her first. Then and only then, he could be happy.

Kagami heard a distant sound from the other side of the room. The voice was muffled and it seemed to be moaning rather than forming words, but there was something familiar about it. Something so familiar. And as Kagami started to move toward the room, the memory of the moaning grew stronger and stronger. He could almost identify it, but not quite yet. It had been so long that his mind was having a difficult time resurfacing it, but the he was almost there. So close. When Kagami had gotten to the final door that separated him from the voice, the woman behind it exclaimed two words loudly, and those two words through Kagami into an unwelcome trip down memory lane.

“My love…”

SPOILER: Click to show

“My love…” Manami spoke softly, looking into Kagami’s eyes as they lay facing each other in bed. Only a few inches separated their eyes, and even less separated their lips. As they stared into each other’s gaze, the two held hands between themselves, hesitant to let each other go and be separated for the night by sleep. It was past one in the morning, but they were too busy talking and enjoying each other’s company that sleep was far less appealing.

“Yes?” Kagami responded gently, in a faint whisper. His face was even younger, being only eighteen years old. Manami was eighteen as well, for her birthday was in the previous month. Her golden locks tangle amongst themselves as she lay on her side facing her soul partner. Those rose gemstones in her gaze shone like stars, and Kagami couldn’t imagine a diamond more beautiful. She was all he could ever ask for and all he wanted. No warmth was more comforting and no touch as soft as hers. She was irreplaceable, and Kagami knew it. He knew it so well. But he didn’t know it well enough.

“When we get married in a couple of days… I want us to disappear for a while. Maybe a few months, just to travel the world. I want to see the jungles of South America and the skyscrapers of New York City in the United States. I want to visit the Great Wall of China and the pyramids in Egypt and the Eiffel Tower. I want to see the world with you Kagami, before we’re dragged back into reality.”

“I’ll take you anywhere and everywhere you want to go. We can go for more than a few months if we can spare it, depending on when you have to go start school. But even when the wedding and the honeymoon and the vacations end, every moment with you is going to be like a dream. Don’t worry about reality, I’ll keep away. Right now, just enjoy paradise.”

Manami couldn’t help but giggle, but her expression suddenly faded away into seriousness. Her warm eyes grew sharp and honed as they focussed on Kagami. “Kagami… do you love me?” The soon-to-be groom almost laughed, but something about the way Manami spoke, in a direct and serious tone, held back the amusement. “Yes, I love you more than anything and anyone, and don’t even question it.” This was the answer she was expecting, yet Manami bit her lower lip in deep thought. It wasn’t enough.

“Will you always love me, no matter what?” Kagami raised his eyebrow with a curious expression on his face. “Aren’t I supposed to save this for the wedding, after our vows and everything?” She didn’t find him funny and almost seemed like she was ready to slap him, so Kagami had to recover and do so quickly. “Yes, no matter what, my heart will be yours and I will be yours. I’m not going anywhere, Manami, so don’t worry. I’ll keep you close.”

A smile finally broke through that untouched face of hers, and Manami managed to let out a sheepish laugh. “I’m sorry but the wedding’s coming up and I just had to ask to make sure. I love you, Kagami, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. That won’t ever change.” Manami rolled over to rest in Kagami’s warm and protecting embrace where she would fall asleep. However, if she knew what events might transpire that night, she wouldn’t have slept. She would have grabbed Kagami and sprinted out the door to fight the fate that would reach them in less than a few hours.

Kagami and Manami died that night. There was no wedding, no honeymoon, and no vacation. It was all over.

SPOILER: Click to show

Kagami stared in absolute shock and horror as he struggle to come to terms with the scene that lay behind the door. Manami, the woman he had been longing for since they were separated, lay nude in bed. It wasn’t a sight Kagami was unfamiliar with, but the nature of it all was terrifying when he knew that she wasn’t calling for him. He was no longer “her love.” Instead, a muscular man with midnight blue and black hair lay over her. This man was also very familiar, but Kagami didn’t want to connect the dots. He didn’t want to acknowledge the truth of what was unfolding before him. This had to be a cruel prank, for Kagami’s mind was being torn apart just from having to watch another man sleep with the woman he wanted to marry. Kagami wanted to deny it all, but Manami forced him to accept that the man who stole his love was…

“Adalo...!”

Kagami could only stand there like an idiot, but what was there for him to do? He was beginning to have a mental breakdown, and the anger, misery, and betrayal he felt was choking him and keeping him from breathing. However, one thing did relax him: the concept of revenge. Kagami wanted to believe that Manami didn’t truly love Adalo, that this was all a ploy. But until that confirmed, his single goal was to destroy Adalo. The surprised and dumbfounded gaze he once wore was replaced by a look of evil, vengeful blood thirst. He drew both his swords, the katana Zanpakuto and the black western one-handed blade. The artificial Zanpakuto in his right was a bit longer than the katana, but both were to be used to take the life of the Primera Espada.

“Give me one reason why I shouldn’t kill you.” No matter what Adalo’s response is, Kagami was going to go on the offensive. However, he needed an explanation, and this would be Adalo or Manami’s only chance to give him one. However, Kagami was more focussed on Adalo. It’d make it easier to keep his head straight, but if he looked at Manami… he just wouldn’t be able to do it. He’d break down.

SPOILER: Click to show

Stats

Strength - [100] Points (60)

Speed - [400] Points

Spiritual Pressure - [400] (700) Points

Reiatsu Strength - [250] Points

Light Aura - [65] Points

Dark Aura - [35] Points

Instinct - [150] Points

Senses - [100] Points

Energy sensory - [200] Points

Healing Expertise - [0] Points

Total SP: [1600] Points

Abilities

• [Weapons: Sword] {3}
  
  
• [War Strategy] {3}
  
  
• [Battle Analysis] {3}
  
  
• [Sex] {2}
  
  
• [Battle: Projectiles] {1}
  
  
• [Analysis] {3}
  
  

Items:
15 Kunai
10 Shuriken
1 Giant Shuriken
5 Kunai Clips
5 Full Body Condoms

SPOILER: Click to show

{Artificial Zanpakuto - Kagebokkusu}Appearance

In its non-released state, Kagami’s artificial Zanpakuto takes a slightly unorthodox appearance compared to the traditional Japanese katana. No, his blade is far superior. It may lack a Zanpakuto spirit like the true Zanpakuto all Shinigami are equipped with have. However, the black market in the Rukongai has its share of excellent smith’s that forged the deadly black beauty. Black is the best word to describe the weapon. Black color, black aura, a black weapon. It was the embodiment of Kagami’s dark side.

Now, let us begin by examining the hilt. It is approximately six inches long and three inches wide. The hilt is fairly plain and has a symmetrical pattern on each of the flat sides composed of small grooves and dips into the blade. It is made of a dull black metal with little luster. In fact, it reflects very little light. In fact, the particular shade of black on the hilt would belong more to a black wall than it would the pure darkness of true black.

However, the blade of the sword embodies that darkness. It draws nearly light into itself, letting none meet the eyes of the viewer. However, one part of the three and a half foot long sword does in fact reflect light from it, and that part is the most dangerous. Along the razor sharp edge of the sword, the black metal transitions into silver with an unplaceable gradient border between the two shades. This silver metal is polished and shines like a mirror, so one would be able to see the horror in his or her eyes through it before the blade removes the light of life from those eyes.

The slight curve of the single-edged blade leads into a honed, focused tip capable of drawing blood as it bypasses the pain receptors of the opponent. That is how sharp the weapon is. It’s keen edge makes cuts that the opponent won’t feel until blood rushes out of the openings and pushes past the pain receptors. The weapon may be seen as a kind blade, for the opponent won’t even feel their death as it slices through his or her body.

SPOILER: Click to show

Now, the released form of the weapon is completely different. The transition doesn’t occur in a flash of light, but rather, the opposite. All Kagami has to do is speak the words “Observe in darkness, Kagebokkusu.” The blade draws in all light. It acts like a black whole, sucking up all visibility. For a second, the place of the sword is replaced with an empty, dark slot. It was like a black whole. Nothing would be there but the silhouette of a transforming blade.

When the darkness faded, there wasn’t much light to replace it. In fact, there was little light at all. The only really visible part was the handle. It is partly composed of a metallic black very similar to that of the blade in the sword’s non-release state. The majority of the light, however, is revealed from the silver metallic pieces of the hilt that compose part of the grip. The hilt has a light curve that allows it to fit easily into Kagami’s hand. There is no guard separating it from the blade.

Now, this sword for this weapon is something special. It is nothing like any other Zanpakuto, artificial or legitimate. The blade is long, slim, and straight. It is razor sharp, sharper than in the unreleased form. A cut from this sword is always clean. However, that is not the magnificent part of the blade. The material it is composed of seems to embody a black hole. It absorbs absolutely all light, not letting any out. The only portion of the three and a half foot long blade that can be seen is its outline, and it’s black shade is so void of everything that it is clearly identifiable, like any other blade. However, it is not quiet like any other. It harnesses the darkness of Kagami soul in its appearance.

SPOILER: Click to show

The last part of this weapon’s appearance has to do with its power. It summons a black box, and the characteristics of this box and the effects it has are to be described in the next section. This box is a small cube with a side length of about one foot. The box is made of the same material as the blade of the released sword, so only the completely empty silhouette makes it clearly visible.

SPOILER: Click to show

Power

Kagebokkusu has a power I call "shadow box." What does this do? It creates a black cube of reiatsu next to its user, Kagami in this case, which floats five feet away from him at all times, and moves next to him. What does it do? It records him. For up to five moves, 100 reiatsu per move recorded. It's costly. Very very costly. But it's surely worth it, because every single movement that Kagami makes has the capacity to be recorded. He doesn't need to fill up all five to make this work, of course, but five is still a good number to have. So what happens when it records? He can make it "play." How? Contact with the box. The box itself can be fired at half his step speed, or he can just touch it. A target hit by the box INSTANTLY ceases all actions, and is forced to repeat the actions recorded by the box, all of them, in sequence... at Kagami's step speed. Brilliant, right? Pretty brilliant if you ask me. And that's the box's only power. It cannot be resisted by any skills. It can be broken only by superior offensive stat (2x requirement) AND class equality or superiority. (BOTH needed to break it.) Also, if the time needed to record exceeds your duration, worry not. Records carry over to refreshed releases.

The box's ability may only be used once during release. After he shoots it out, whether it strikes the opponent or not, the release ends. In addition, if the box is struck, it is broken and the release ends. When the release ends, the saved moves are deleted.

[/b]

[Hotaru Kuchiki-Masurao]

It had been six days. Six long days of looking for her lover, Asmoskon, in China and wondering, in the back of her mind, how Kagami was doing. She knew that he was trying to find his own love, but she hoped that he was having a much better time of it than she was. She even started to ask around with the spiritually aware humans she would run into, and even hollows, to see if any of them had actually met him. All of them said no. Of course, after she asked a hollow, she would send them on their way to Soul Society, but all the nos disheartened her.

Of course, she had no idea how much Asmoskon had actually changed, or that his appearance was nothing like what he had looked like when they had first met. So, the reason her looking could be fruitless is because he was so different and none had met the happy-go-lucky man she described. They could've met the hard fighter he had become. She would drive herself to exhaustion, every day, all the while training to hone her body and skills while still performing her squad duties.

Because of all the time she spent in the manor, she decided she might as well live there full time. She thought back to what Mika said and he was right. She was a Kuchiki and she should live in the manor. She would at least have her own room and maybe Riff-Raff would like it better there. So, she said good-bye to her other seated officers, grabbed all her belongings, which consisted of Riff-Raff and her zanpaktou, and went to move into the manor. All she had to do was put out her zanpaktou holder, Riff-Raff and his bed in a sunny spot, and she was good to go in her room.

She already had all of her uniforms there, so it wasn't a big deal. Also, this way, she could actually get to know more of her family. She took a quick shower for the day, so she was making her way towards the library for another intense study session on better ways to locate Asmoskon when she heard something. It was a woman that was saying excuse me, if trying to get her attention. She didn't know of many women that were in the manor anymore, with Ana leaving. She could really only think of one, but she would have no idea why she would talk to her.

When she turned around, her assumption was right. It was Aoi Kuchiki. She knew of her as Sozen's wife, but honestly, she didn't really know much more detail than that. She knew that their wedding was an uproar for nobility, since Aoi herself was not of noble birth, but Hotaru didn't see any issue with it. If two people love each other that much to spend the rest of their lives together, and then go do it. It's how she felt about Asmoskon, but sadly, she wasn't as happy as she could be right now and she knew that it was her own fault.

She continued, saying that they had not met yet and she was Aoi Kuchiki. Even though the woman had to know that Hotaru knew who she was, it was actually nice that she wanted to personally introduce herself. Even though Aoi probably knew who she was, she would introduce herself as well. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Aoi-sama. I am Hotaru Kuchiki, Third Seat of the Eleventh." She bowed, showing her the respect that she deserved. 

She then said that she had sensed something from her when she walked in, a loneliness and longing in her. A lover that she lost and can't find. It was that statement that put shock on her face. How in the hell did she know about that? She had only told Kagami about her love and even then, she knew that he wouldn't have told anyone about it. She continued, saying that she empathized with the emptiness and pain of not knowing the whereabouts of someone you love so dearly. She then offered her her help, saying she has a large information network that could be used to search for him.

Flashback

Asmoskon stands on the dark grass of the park that he and Hotaru so frequently met at in Tokyo. He had set up this time with her a few days prior after everything had truly began to unfold and the two became one for the first time. Asmoskon had been unable to keep himself from the overwhelming emotions of finally having someone to love once again. It wasn't like he hadn't felt love for her prior, but now it was as if everything had been proven between them.

It was the middle of night and no one else was in the park as he walked over the grass, his hands in his coat pockets as he awaited the arrival of his love. He stopped after a few minutes and looked out at the small pond the light of the moon reflecting off the surface back at him. For once, the memories of his parents death was not haunting him when he was in the same place they had been taken and it was all due to his new support of positive emotion.

Hotaru had finally decided to dress up to meet with him; she walked quickly towards the gates, ending up in Tokyo. She looked down at herself, to make sure that everything was in place. When she thought she was good to go, she slowly walked towards the park that had changed her life in more ways than one. She smiled the entire way there, thinking back on her life since meeting that Quincy. She walked into the park and saw him by the pond. She slowly walked up to him, wearing her silver, strappy high heels and the only outfit she owned outside of her uniform, her nice body-hugging black dress, accessorized with her locket and earrings.

When she was close enough, she hugged him from behind and whispered in his ear, "Hello my lovely. How are you?" Asmoskon had heard the sounds of foot steps behind him so when arms wrapped around him he wasn't surprised. He could feel the outline of Hotaru's body pressing against him from behind and it made him smile that he knew her so well. He could feel the warmth of her breath against his ear which sent a shiver of excitement up his spine to the back of his neck.

Moving his hands up to hers, Asmoskon's hand closes around Hotaru's gently. "I'm perfectly fine now that my better half has arrived." She smiled at what he had said while keeping him close. "I believe that you're the better half in this situation my love, not me." She hugged him tight, just for a moment, feeling him against her and taking him in completely. It was still like a dream that she was able to be with him, be with someone that cared about her so completely like he did. She was so happy she almost couldn't stand it. Almost.

Asmoskon turned around gazing into Hotaru's eyes gently while he moves inwards to her moving his right hand up to her cheek greeting her with a romantic kiss. His kiss was so heartfelt and romantic, she felt so warm, she was so lucky to be with him like this. She put her hand over his while they kissed, feeling complete being around him. After a few moments passed Asmoskon pulled back with a smile, still holding Hotaru's right hand in his own as he tilted his head to the pond and the grass.

He would then sit down on the grass leading Hotaru to do the same. In all truth he was doing his best not to just stare in awe at what she was wearing. He held her hand and sat down, her following since they were still holding hands. She sat with her legs off to the left making sure that nothing would show. She scooted as close to him as she could get. "What do you think of my dress? I like it, but if you don't mind, these shoes are killing me." She then bent down and unbuckled her shoes, letting her feet breathe.

Now they were on the ground and it was obvious that Hotaru was self conscious about the dress she was wearing. Asmoskon blushed as she leaned against him and he looked down seeing her cleavage easily from the position he was in. Looking forwards for a moment Hotaru then spoke about his opinion on what she was wearing. Asmoskon wasn't completely sure what to say and how it would make Hotaru feel, but the worst thing to do was lie, especially to his love. Looking to her again he smiles gently. "You look beautiful as always Hotaru. I'm surprised though honestly. I wouldn't have thought a warrior would wear heels especially one that prefers the feeling of the ground on the soles of her feet." Asmoskon grinned at her as he spoke and moved his left arm around her waist.

"Thank you for the compliment, sweetheart. And, I know right? I really wouldn't wear these stupid things, but when I got this dress, I was told that these shoes completely matched it and that I 'would be an idiot for not buying them together.' What could I say? The lady was right; they do match together really well." She then pushed her legs out in front of her and stretched out her feet and toes, putting her shoes on her left side so she wouldn't lose them.

She then saw that Asmoskon had looked away for a moment. She smiled as he put his arm around her waist, feeling him pull slightly, making them sit closer together. "I noticed that you looked away for a moment though Asmo. What's wrong? Was there something on the dress I didn't notice?" She then uses her arms to try to smooth out the dress as best she can before she moves her right arm around his waist, pulling him closer to her and smiling at him. Asmoskon simply smiled through Hotaru's explanation of how she got the dress and the shoes and how the person or place that she had bought them from basically forced her to take them together.

As he pulled her closer to him he could feel her chest pressing against the left side of his torso and he began to blush red. It was strange for a male of his age, though considering that the two of them were already bonded through passion that he would still blush. As Hotaru brought it up, Asmoskon was prepared to deny such a statement while he blushed yet as she pulled on him her chest pressed much more against him and he could feel them spreading out over him. Memories of the last night together rushed through his head and the young Quincy couldn't help himself from turning bright red.

After a moment he attempted to collect himself turning back to Hotaru and kissing her forehead. "It simply shows off how beautiful your figure is my love and I'm blessed in yet another way by you." Hotaru loved feeling the kiss on her forehead and was happy by what Asmoskon said. It was nice to hear him say that she has a beautiful figure but she had no idea what the blessed thing was about. Maybe for the two of them being together? If that was the case, then she definitely felt the same way. Though, she looked at him and saw his face turn bright red. What the heck was going on with him? "Um are you okay? You're face is bright red. Did something happen that I not know about?"

Well, that was it. Hotaru had asked about why his face was red and now Asmoskon couldn't even think straight. He couldn't come up with a logical reason other than admitting that the sight of her body was still embarrassing for him due to his respect towards her. He attempted to speak after a few moments only to find out that no words would escape his mouth. Pulling on her waist suddenly, Asmoskon leaned inwards and kissed Hotaru deeply moving his tongue inwards on her like he had done the last night.

She sat and waited patiently for him to answer. She couldn't really describe what was going on, but she felt a sudden pull on her waist. Before she realized it, her love leaned in and kissed her. She opened her mouth to let them taste each other. It was starting to feel like it had on the last night they had been together. She put her left arm around Asmoskon, keeping him close to her, while her right hand was gently on his cheek, keeping their faces together.

Asmoskon continued to kiss Hotaru over and over again until after about half a minute he had to pull away slightly in order to breathe. "Your just breathtaking Hotaru and the sight of you like this pulls on me as a male. It's hard to keep my code of honor while you're in that dress." Asmoskon moved inwards again without much control over his actions. He began to kiss her neck over and over while his hands moved upwards grasping her left breast gently.

Once Asmoskon finished with his kisses and pulled away, Hotaru was breathing heavy. She listened to him and she smiled. Well, the dress was definitely doing what it was supposed to do. Before she could even say anything, he pulled her in again, kissing her neck and reaching her left breast. She moved her head up, giving him access to her neck while her hands were under his shirt, caressing his back as he continued. She moaned quietly. "Oh Asmo. I love you. Don't leave me."

Asmoskon continued to kiss and fondle Hotaru gently as he felt her hands move up his back and knew that she was definitely enjoying this all over again like she had a few nights ago. It was then that she spoke as she moaned and Asmoskon moved his head back and looked her in the eyes. "We'll always be together Hotaru. There is no one in existence that can break the love that I feel towards you." Asmoskon smiled as he leaned in again kissing her on the lips gently as a sign that not everything he felt was sexual, yet right now this display was of love completely and that he meant every word that had just been uttered from him.

She smiled at his words and when he gently kissed her, it meant so much to her. She knew that he loved her from the gentle kisses alone and that they wouldn't have to do anything and he would still love her. With the gentle kisses, she gingerly moved so that he was on the ground, by having her arms wrapped around him. When he lay on the ground, she kept the gentle kisses going, putting her hands under his shirt and slowly pushing it up until it was completely off him and she threw it off to the side. The next thing she did was work her way down from his lips to his neck, then slowly down to his collarbone.

After that, she started to kiss his chest slowly and methodically, making sure to kiss all of it, while her arms were keeping her balanced above his chest. She would look up at him every now and then to see if she was doing good or not. Asmoskon could feel Hotaru's hand moving over his skin and it felt so good for some reason. They were both moving over one another kissing anywhere they could and then Hotaru leaned him down on the grass taking off his shirt. Asmoskon's coat was off now and so was his shirt leaving his chest barred to the cold night air as Hotaru kissed him over.

Asmoskon felt quite strange actually for it seemed odd that Hotaru was doing this action when it should be him instead. Hotaru loved caressing her lover's skin like this. It was an amazing feeling. She continued, enjoying exploring his body. She felt for the zipper on her dress and started to unzip, giving her a better range of motion. When she resumed she looked up, she saw Asmoskon smiled. It made her feel that she was doing well, so she continued kissing his chest.

As she looked up at him Asmoskon smiled only to move his hands down to her face and gently motion her upwards towards him. She saw that his hands were moving to her face and she let him pull her upwards. When she moved over him he would kiss her deeply then topple over her switching positions with her now on the ground. She felt the pressure when he switched the positions on them, but she was more interested in the kiss that was going on.

Asmoskon was no longer thinking with logic, only with his body and moved himself between Hotaru's legs causing her dress to move up while he kissed her and began to motion himself against her. She felt her legs being spread open, her dress moving up towards her stomach. She put her arms around him, pressing him closer to her, deepening the kiss more. It felt so much like their first night together. When he started to move against her, she broke the kiss long enough to moan out "As....mos.....kon...."

Asmoskon broke off the kiss as the sound of Hotaru struggling to actually say his name was one thing that had only occurred the few nights prior. He smiled and then began to resume the passion filled displays of a male towards his love. It went on for about two more minutes only stopping for brief moments to breathe and then resume again. After that though Asmoskon couldn't help himself leaning backwards off of Hotaru he pulled at her dress removing it from her.

He knew that it simply wouldn't be fair to not remove his own clothing a fact she had made very clear the last time. So unbuttoning and unzipping his pants so that he might be free with his love, Asmoskon leaned back into her kissing her deeply again. Hotaru saw Asmoskon smile as she said his name and he continued what he was doing, Hotaru almost losing her head to him. All of the kissing and passion was starting to get to her and she felt herself lose more and more control with herself the longer he continued his acts. The breathing breaks were nice, but she enjoyed the kisses more that way.

She felt the pressure that was him on top of her leave her and her dress getting pulled off. "Be careful, it's new. I don't wanna wrinkle it." Then, Asmoskon took off his pants and she got to see the entirety of him again. She smiled at him, looking over his gorgeous body. He then leaned back over her, kissing. She put her arms around him, pulling him close to her. Asmoskon couldn't hold himself back any longer from embracing everything that was going on and just going through the actions that they had done a few nights ago. It started off slow making sure she was okay with everything and then after a few moments Asmoskon began to thrust faster while kissing Hotaru deeply.

Hotaru's eyes were closed but she felt something shift. She was already under Asmoskon, so when she felt him enter, she moaned slightly, but was pretty much expecting it. He was going slow and when he started to thrust faster, her back started to arc up towards him, moaning a little louder the faster he went. She only broke the kiss one to moan out loudly, "Asmo...." She was moving her head side to side, almost unable to bear what her love was doing to her. She started to move against him, matching him thrust for thrust.

Everything continued on course for the next few hours. Asmoskon and Hotaru continued to go through the actions of a couple in the midst of love and passion. It was nearly the end now and Asmoskon was thrusting much harder then he had been at the beginning. Now though, he was thrusting up due to Hotaru being on his lap and bouncing slightly as well. His face between her breasts as he pulled her down by the curve of her back. The past few hours had been amazing. Right now, she was moaning on her lover's lap, his face between her breasts, hands on the curve of her back, helping her bounce up and down on him.

Her hands were on him, one on his back and the other in his hair, her fingers of her right hand running through his hair. She thought it was weird that he hadn't said a word, just smiled at her. With her right hand in his hair, she pulled his face up enough that his chin was still resting on her breast. "You're very quiet..." she said breathly. Feeling Hotaru motion his head upwards Asmoskon rests his chin on the softness of her breast. Asmoskon grinned up at Hotaru as she bounced. "I haven't wanted to let a moment pass me by, my love." Asmoskon smiled and kissed Hotaru once again halting his thrusting as he pulled her as close to him as possible.

She thought about what he actually said. He smiled at her and kissed her again, stopping their movement while he was pulling her as close as she could be. After a minute or two, she broke the kiss, pressing her forehead against his. "I've been saying so much and you haven't said a word. You don't have to be quiet with me, not when we're like this. Remember that." She kissed him again, wrapping her arms around his torso, crushing him against her like she was trying to physically make them one person.

Asmoskon smiled as Hotaru spooke and when she pulled him to her he tightened his own grasp around her. He then proceeded to begin thrusting once again while this time he began to massage her breasts like he had been doing prior. He could feel himself losing control now and knew that it wouldn't be long until he'd be unable to continue so he'd have to finish Hotaru off this final time. She felt the crushing pull from him and she knew that his grasp was just as strong as hers. When he moved again, another moan escaped her lips. She was biting her lower lip now, feeling him move in and massaging her.

She kept her back arched, keeping her hands where they were before, right going through his hair and her left grabbing his back. She was reaching the limit that she could take and after a few more thursts, she yelled out "Asmoskon!" She felt her body release, pulling him closer to her while her body started to shake from all the effort. When she was done, her body sagged against him, her head landing on his shoulder, her breathing heavy from the exertion from what just happened.

Asmoskon had been powerless to control himself towards the end and was sent over the edge with the sensation of Hotaru climaxing on him. He had been unable to keep himself from firing off the seeds of his blood into her. Normally he would have been freaking out over such a thing yet in truth he had no idea if anything would even occur from it due to the two being different races. As Hotaru sagged against him breathing heavily Asmoskon moved his hands up to her head and held her gently. "Well, seems like we've got a new hobby that's going to take up most of our free time my love."

She panted and felt hands touch her head and hold her. She smiled, feeling his tender touch on her again. She felt like she was glowing from all the heat she felt right in that moment. Then, she heard Asmoskon talk, saying that they have a new hobby that will probably take up most of their free time. She chuckled a little and brought her hands up to his face, gingerly rubbing her thumbs across his cheeks. "Hopefully not all the time, love. I'm pretty tired right now and could use a break."

Asmoskon gave Hotaru a grin and proceeded to kiss her gently again for a moment and that motioned her face down to his shoulder so she could rest. "We'll have forever to be together my love. Take a rest now for there is nothing that can separate us." Asmoskon stared up at the moon and then realized it was time to reveal the one thing he hadn't told Hotaru or anyone else due to him not trusting anyone with the task. "My love there is one thing you must promise me."

He grinned at her and the kiss he gave was so gentle, it put her at peace immediately. When he put her face down on his shoulder, she let out a huge sigh of contentment and peace. When he asked her that there was one thing that she had to promise him, she moved her head so her cheek was touching his. "Anything my love. What did you have in mind?"

Asmoskon's face was at the moment not one that showed happiness nor joy yet was completely serious. "If I shall ever fall from my path of honor, if i become like the Vandenreich . . you need to kill me my love. The me that lives now the true me that loves you and wishes to protect everyone will never be happy as anything else. You're the only one that can kill me and make things right if that shall ever happen Hotaru." Hotaru listened closely to what her lover was telling her. It was something so serious to bring up after what had just happened between them.

While listening, she tried to picture what kind of man he would have to be to completely lose his path of honor. She could never picture killing him, unless she absolutely had to. She lifted her head and held him close, touching her forehead to his. "I don't know if I could do that love of my life. You are literally the air I breathe, the reason I wake up. I don't know how to willingly kill something so much a part of me." She started to sniff and felt tears welling up in her eyes, falling down her cheeks. "But, if you really want me to, beloved, I can try."

End Flashback

She couldn't believe this. She had been hunting him down for six months. Six long, hard months. And now, one person, a family member no less, was telling her that he could be found quickly and she actually felt bad for all of her pain. She saw the concern in Aoi's eyes for her. Hotaru could easily say yes to her and hope that they find her love quickly. But then, it would almost prove to herself that she couldn't find him alone and that she would need help with everything. She wanted to do this on her own, and she would find him on her own, even if it would take her years to find him.

The entire time she was thinking this and remembering one of their last night’s together, if not THE last night together, she was trying to best to fight back the tears that were forming behind her eyes. She took a deep breath and steeled her gaze towards Aoi, no doubt her eyes looking teary as she did so. "Thank you for the offer, Aoi-sama, but I refuse. I would prefer to find him on my own, under my own power. Even if it takes me years to find him, I would prefer to look for him myself." She bowed towards the woman, hoping that she wouldn't think it disrespectful that she did that.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Updated Stats and Skills}
Strength - 150 (112) Points.
Speed - 350 (525) Points.
Spiritual Pressure – 400 (300) Points.
Reiatsu Strength – 350 (525) Points.
Instinct - [100] Points.
Senses - [100] Points.
Energy sensory - [50] Points
Healing Expertise - [0] Points

[Weapons: Swords] 3
[Pain Tolerance] 3
[Bleeding Tolerance] 2
[Damage Recovery] 3
[Anti-Pain] 3
[Special: Hoho] 3

[Sozen Kuchiki]

Aoi's theme song


"I see," Aoi said when Hotaru refused her offer. There was something like understanding in the eyes of the Kuchiki Lady, whose gaze was like the warmest embrace on any earth. Her smile, too, though small and controlled, was to die for. They said that Sozen was good looking, but Aoi was something else entirely. To be in her presence, perhaps because this was Hotaru's first time, was a different experience completely. But Aoi didn't seem disappointed. That was the important thing. She was neither disappointed nor offended by Hotaru's refusal, and in fact seemed to actually be impressed by Hotaru's refusal of that offer, and of such an easy pathway.

"I respect you for that," Aoi said. "You won't take charity, only what you can earn yourself. It shows that you're truly devoted to this person that you love. Whoever he is, he's lucky to have someone like you." Huh. Weird. She didn't insist. Sozen probably would have insisted, but then again he might not have even approached Hotaru about the whole thing to begin with. That was also probably because he didn't know and had no way of knowing. Aoi had known because... because... Why had she known? Had she just read Hotaru's mind? Could she do that? The Kuchikis were all amazing people. It shouldn't be out of the question for even Sozen's wife to be able to do something crazy.

"If you ever need assistance of any kind, or even just a friend to talk to, don't even hesitate to seek me out," Aoi told Hotaru with a firm smile. She had some kind of a mature, controlled vibe to her. Like she had experienced something to make her refined, and disciplined, like a tempered steel sword. Just like how Sozen was a spreading wildfire that could not be contained, Aoi was a well refined bullet in a sniper rifle, designed to have a straightforward, calculated path, and incalculable damage potential. Speaking of Asmokon, though, he was also a Quincy. Would Aoi be so helpful if she knew that? ...Or did Aoi already know about it?

Actually, Hotaru found out right then and there. "I don't want you to worry that your lover is a Quincy," Aoi said suddenly, without even having been told that Asmokon was that race. "I will support your love no matter what, even if others do not, and they will come to support it when I guide them to that conclusion." Aoi was showing that she truly cared for Hotaru's peace of mind. But, more importantly, she was showing that she had influence, and that she also had some sort of innate ability to read the minds of those around her. She was a dangerous adversary, but an amazing ally to have. Aoi Kuchiki. Lady of the Kuchiki Household. And so much more than that.

"And if it's my husband that you're worried about, don't be. Sozen doesn't like Hollows or Quincy after what he's seen in the war, but he understands that you can't help who you love, and understands the difficulties of forbidden love. And if you love him, my husband will welcome him with open arms, as will I. You have my word that there will be no personal biases for when you do finally find him and bring him home." But wait. Why was Aoi being so insistently helpful to Hotaru? Normally, Sozen had a goal when he did that. He had some kind of motive when he approached people. Sure, he stopped to ask them about their lives and to be helpful to them, but Sozen made often calculated moves. Was Aoi doing the same?

---

Adalo De-Mona


Meanwhile... There he was. Adalo De-Mona. The Primera Espada. The Arrancar King. The agent of darkness that not even the Segunda could be. And when Kagami made that threat, Adalo perked up. Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you... A huge smile exploded onto Adalo's face as soon as Kagami said those words, but he kept thrusting into Manami. He had stopped to observe the newcomer when Kagami had entered the room, but when Kagami said those words, Adalo put on a huge smile and kept fucking the girl that had once belonged to the Squad 1 Lieutenant. A few seconds later, for it truly wasn't long at all, Manami arched her back, sucking on Adalo's thumb that entered her mouth, and let out a deep exhale.

Adalo pulled out, and stood up to his full height as he got off the bet and got off Manami, who then lay there comfortably, still naked, and unmoving. The fluids of fornication still dripped from Adalo's man parts, but somehow that just seemed to be such an irrelevant detail. The Primera was huge. What many couldn't see under his clothing was now clearly visible. His muscles were enormous, and tempered, like a linebacker. His white skin belonged to a huge, muscular frame, and he cast a shadow that enveloped all of Kagami and blocked all sunlight from outside. There was something unbelievably intimidating about the Primera Espada.

Adalo walked over to Kagami, step by step, slowly. Each and every step was deliberate, and though the distance between them hadn't been all that great to begin with, it would feel like an eternity as Adalo approached Kagami. Step. Step. Step. Step. Adalo didn't even stop to put on clothes. He just walked right up to Kagami, uncaring of how his member hung out, still covered in vile fluids, or how his body was still covered in sweat. He was uncaring of the idea of public decency, because his only prerogative was evil. But, somehow, Manami had fallen in love with him... With Adalo De-Mona... With someone who was everything that Kagami wasn't.

And Adalo reached Kagami then, standing only inches away from the Squad 1 Lieutenant. Adalo was bigger than Kagami. His muscles were huge. His eyes were black as the night, and he had one of the most intimidating auras anyone could imagine. Just by being near him, Kagami would start to hear voices in his head telling him to kill, telling him to commit suicide, and giving him a thousand other commands. "So KILL me..." Adalo said to the Lieutenant. Adalo reached into his own eye socket, crushing an eye, and then rubbed his hand all over Kagami's face, wiping his own blood all over the Lieutenant. "KILL. ME." The might of the Arrancar King.

And with Adalo's touch, Kagami might feel something stirring in him... Some sort of indescribable darkness. An evil that brought with it the urge to puke. Something... vile. Something... truly horrible. Like a million evil souls inside of Kagami's heart, telling him all the things that he didn't want to hear. So THIS was Adalo De-Mona. "Stop," Manami's familiar voice spontaneously rang out, and Adalo froze with a grin. "There's no point in your fighting Adalo, Kagami," Manami said, directly addressing her former lover, her fiancee. If Kagami looked at her directly, he would see her eyes, now a deep black except for violet irises, gazing right at him. "Because you're nothing."

[Douma]

SPOILER: Click to show

{Play This}

I don’t understand…

True anger is not common. In fact, few people realize exactly how potent it is. Human restriction typically holds back the vast majority of rage one can feel to preserve sanity and maintain self-control, but true anger is a force that cannot be chained down. It is a hungry demon that consumes all in its path, possessing its host. However, it doesn’t come easily. Kagami wasn’t quite at that level of true anger, but he was getting very close. The thread holding onto his sanity was Manami’s presence, regardless of what she said, did, or felt. I don’t… Her presence kept Kagami from losing control.

But that grin that Adalo flashed him was so close to pushing him over the edge. That smug expression that Kagami wore so much was fired back at him in the worst scenario imaginable. Kagami was living through the death of his spirit, and it was agonizing. …don’t understand… Adalo merely turned to Kagami, but he still gave Manami the attention she was so desperate for. She sucked on his thumb like it was candy and her body shook with pleasure from every back-and-forth sequence Adalo committed. Moans of ecstasy continued to escape her lips. She hadn’t even looked at Kagami. She couldn’t get enough of the Primera Espada. I don’t understand…

Adalo finally left Manami to her self after what seemed like an eternity of Kagami watching his nightmare play before him without the escape option of waking up. And the demon haunting Kagami in this case was none other than the most powerful Arrancar alive. Adalo was enormous. Kagami had never seen someone with such a physically defined appearance. Adalo’s strength could be compared to that of the Strong Man, the Gotei 13 Captain Commander, old man Ningen. It wasn’t at that level, but the fact that it was remotely comparable is scary. Kagami was way over his head. I don’t under…

As the Arrancar approached Kagami, step by step, the Vice Captain had to fight back that urge to retreat. His legs were screaming for him to distance himself and take a few steps back, but his iron will kept him from moving a muscle. It wasn’t fear that petrified him, but his devotion to his goal. He needed Manami back. I don’t… Before long, Adalo was directly in front of the Shinigami, and Kagami had to look up to meet his eyes. Those dark holes were the most intimidating, horrifying things Kagami had yet to see. His whole body was yelling at him to run, but he just couldn’t. I don’t understand…

So KILL me... Adalo said, his thunderous voice appropriately matched to his body. Time slowed down, the tick of the hand’s clock hesitated for just a moment. And that moment was long enough for Kagami to witness Adalo reach into his own eye socket and crushing his own eye between his fingers. A drop of blood splattered onto Kagami’s forehead, but he didn’t flinch. He was petrified. Adalo knew about the events that led Kagami to that ramshackle hut. He knew. I don’t understand…

It’s not that Kagami refused to let himself move, but he no longer could if he tried. His body was completely petrified. To think that he had just threatened Adalo, but a mere Vice Captain was no match for the King of Arrancar. Kagami couldn’t breath as Adalo wiped his own blood on his face. The Mirror Master’s face was stained red with the warm red blood from Adalo’s veins. He sought that blood so strongly, but Adalo had just given it to him as a mocking gift, taunting Kagami to draw it himself. I don’t… But he couldn’t move. He wanted to kill Adalo. He wanted to run away. He couldn’t move.


”KILL ME.”

Kagami couldn’t move.

I don’t understand…

And a voice tore through the darkness, a voice that Kagami had once come to love. “Stop.” Kagami’s gaze was rescued from the grasp of Adalo and was now ensnared by Manami. It had been so many decades since she and Kagami had last laid eyes upon each other, and she was just as beautiful as his dreams painted her to be. Still in the nude, Manami was an angel in his eyes. He still held onto that image of her. His lips began to form a light smile, but all they had time to do was twich upward before she extinguished the light of his hope. “There’s no point in your fighting Adalo, Kagami.”

Kagami would have been happy to hear her just speak his name again, but the words that came out of his mouth confused him. …don’t understand… That’s when he saw that something was different about her. The pink diamonds in her eyes that he had loved so much were replaced by obsidian. This wasn’t his Manami. “Because you’re nothing.” This wasn’t his Manami. This couldn’t be the same person.

I understand…

Kagami saw the picture now. This wasn’t about him and Manami. This wasn’t about Adalo. This wasn’t about Soul Society. It was all about Saeki. She would be sitting in her cage, laughing her sorry ass off as she led Kagami into a pitiful trap. This wasn’t Manami. This was Saeki’s idea of a joke, and it was beyond cruel. Kagami understood now. He had been played.

“Adalo De-Mona…” Kagami said, his dry mouth causing the words to come out raspy. “How did this happen?” Kagami would ask. But he didn’t look at Adalo. His burning violet eyes were focused on Manami’s imposter. The questions were directed to her, but he couldn’t speak a word directly to her. It would tear him apart. “Who is she…?” he would ask, his voice trembling. “I don’t understand…”