Therapy is Bullshit ( R | Closed)

[Deleted]

"Mr. Jensen? You have to, at least, pretend to be paying attention. Otherwise the organization will continue to enforce these sessions."

Dr. Brown explained, ending his explanation with a sigh as he scribbled some nonsense down on his clipboard. A simple little office. Brown, wooden walls. A desk made of mahogany. Some cheap air freshener most likely hidden somewhere behind the desk, doing its best to mask whatever foul scent the Doctor created in here. Surely it was to also mask the scent of gunpowder, to better conceal the firearm he kept in one of the drawers. He sat in a lounge chair across from the sofa by the window. He was a middle aged man. Skin was a bight tight around the skull. Hair was beginning to gray. A ring on his finger symbolized that he was married, as did the picture of him his wife and two kids situated on the desk. Not many married men did the organizations work. The business generally wanted people who didn't have anything, therefore had nothing to lose. Then again most didn't sign on to be therapists for hired killers.

Sitting in the sofa was one such person that had nothing to lose. A man that was highly valued in the organization known as Xcution. The hired gun of the shadow organization, their best assassin. Zackary Jensen, someone that Xcution was proving that they very much cared for and wanted back at one hundred percent. The Assassin sat there, lounging on the sofa and looking out the window. He wasn't in his usual suit. He was wearing...sweats. A jacket that was his hung on the coat jack, along with his gloves and a black beanie. Frost was building up on the glass of the window. Winter was a bitch. "Mr. Jensen?" Brown asked again, trying to get the Assassins attention.

The dark haired mans gaze turned towards Brown, followed by the rest of his body. "What do you want me to say, exactly, Doctor?" Zack asked, crossing one of his legs ontop of the other. "You've been on leave for three months now. Generally the organization doesn't allow for such amounts of time off...but yours was a special circumstance considering what it was you've been through. This is our third session together and you've still not told me how you're doing after the incident." Brown explained, eyeing Zack as he spoke.

"You read my report."

"What I was allowed to. I understand you cannot tell me all the details, but I want to know how you're doing."

Zack sighed gently, looking back out the window. "First few days I started drinking again...but I've stopped now. Don't see the point in drowning myself in alcohol much these days." Zack explained. It was true. Following what happened in Karakura, Zack had begun dipping into the bottle again. He lost himself in the drink. It had been a lot worse than he was letting on with his cool demeanor, and he wouldn't let it slip the two occasions he had nearly taken his own life. "Are you confident you can pass a breathalyzer test if I were to administer you one?" Brown asked as he jotted down more notes.

The session didn't progress much further than that though. Zack remained reserved and quiet, answering with barely answers to the doctors questions. He began to prepare to leave, putting his coat back on before being stopped by the therapist yet again. "I don't want to tell you, but one way or another Xcution is expecting you to return to service soon. These sessions are meant for you more than they are for them. Please think about that. I'll see you again in two weeks." Quietly Jensen left. Stepping outside he was immediatly struck with the winter cold, his breath clearly visible. Fresh snow covered the sidewalk, snow plows pushed the snow to the sides of the road to make it safer for traffic to pass through. Putting his hat and gloves on, Zack began to walk.

Between people he walked aimlessly. Nobody noticed him. Even without having worked, without having practiced for three months, his natural talent at remaining hidden was as strong as it always was. Nobody would notice him, nobody would see him. But, on the opposite end, he noticed everything. From the conversation of the lady on her phone related to getting her nails done, to the flavor of coffee the young college student was drinking, the breed of dog that old man sat with, everything was noticed by his killers instincts. So much information drilled into him by his training, experience he couldn't lose.

Three months already huh? Was that really how long it had been since the incident? Zack was still reliving it in his sleep. Maybe he was too damaged to adjust. Actually, why was he asking that? Zack never adjusted after his time in the military. His time as a prisoner. The gunshots. The bodies. Everything scarred the Assassin, killing his emotions and turning him into an effective killer. That's all he was, a killer. He couldn't do anything else, he didn't know how to do anything else, and he didn't want to do anything else. But damn did he hate doing it. Pulling his collar up a bit to cover some exposed skin, Jensen wandered the streets as he let his mind dig in deep to try and think things over. Should he go back? Should he just quit? Would Xcution let him quit? He had no idea.

[Shizuyoko Toraumi]

How long hat it been? The world of the living was a large enough place as it were, and honestly being back so....often? It was so very....strange. She couldn't help but smile a little as she found her old home, it was a nice little spot around Karakura. She even found the library. And she actually got something of an idea. With the help of a gigai, she made her way to one of the computers and decided to check her myspace. It had been AGES since she'd been on it. It had been when she had made contact with her old friend Hisha that she'd learned about it. After her death, that whily woman had made her a myspace account. It was old, yes, but it was friends with her daughter, of course it didn't identify who it was. Myspace culture was pretty much just...like that. She was a 'friend of Hisha's, and thus a friend of her daughter's.

But it wasn't just her daughter that she saw on the page. Something...else was there. A picture of a young girl who looked... amazingly like Shizuyoko. A few more clicks and she found out who had been tagged in that photo.... Shizuka. Her granddaughter. With a sudden surge of emotion, she realized who it was. She had a grandchild! Without even thinking she immediately paid to print out the picture, and looked up where Shizuka lived. Or at least where she had last lived. And as it turned out? SHE LIVED IN KARAKURA!

Shizuyoko suddenly felt that it was a little hard to breathe! She had actual flesh and blood in the area! With the picture in hand, it wasn't long before Shizuyoko left the library. She also had a small list of people that Shizuka was friends with that lived in the area. It was an OLD account, probably something Shizuka's mother had made for her, it was possible Shizuka had never even used it. But it was better than nothing. With the sheet of paper in tow, she headed out, only faltering slightly when she lightly bumped into a man, Zack.

"Oh! Sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going." She noted sheepishly, picking up the picture of Shizuka and slipping it back into her pocket. Turning, she didn't even check to see if he had accepted her apology. She was FAR too excited.

[Deleted]

He wasn't entirely sure where he was going. He wanted to walk, to get that cold winter air into his system to help him think. It was the sort of thought process that just about everyone thought about at least once in their life. "Should I quit my job?" A friecook would ask that sort of question as he pondered to leave his terrible minimum wage job for a slightly worse minimum wage job. But the question, for Zack, had a bit more weight to it. Xcution wasn't really something you could just quit. There was a rigurous process of legal contracts you had to do, which violation of could cost you your life. There was also the worry that Zack would be denied his resignation, what with his current standing in the organization and the knowledge he possessed. He mentally sighed, shaking his head a little as he wondered if he should get something to drink.

It was that small moment of distraction though that led to him bumping into a smaller, frailer, form. The assassin instinctively tensed up beneath his clothing, ready to spring if necessary, but instead found himself looking down at a strangely familiar face. For a second Zack thought, with a hint of irritation, he bumped into Shizuka. But on closer inspection there were...differences with this woman and his coworker. She apologized for bumping into him and quickly began to jog off in a hurry. But before that, Zack had noticed the person on the picture that she was carrying. Why was she carrying a picture of Shizuka around? She seemed excited about something though.

"You looking for the girl in that picture?" Zack suddenly asked, and immediately began to wonder why he just asked if she was.

[Shizuyoko Toraumi]

Shizuyoko suddenly halted in her steps. She paused, her head tilting slightly as she turned to look at the man she had bumped into. And she had to admit she hadn't really looked at him before. He really didn't strike her as much of a man. He seemed... calm, but something was off. He seemed almost... withered. Tired. But even through that... she did see... potential. She somehow felt like... if he just had a few more answers, this man might be a really great guy. And that sympathy, that came from her high aura, is what stopped her and let her watch him, listening to what he was saying.

"Um... well yea. I'm a relative of hers. I've... I've not really been around for a long time and I wanted to try and get in touch with her." She noted with a bit of a sheepish, silly smile, running her fingers through that hair as she cleared her throat. " But... wait... do you know her?" she asked, so very suddenly a little excited. Oh goodness! Was this perhaps a friend of Shimuka's? (She was still not 100% on the name but she was old, she'd remember it eventually). Maybe... a boyfriend? Another look up and down as she obviously checked him out. A little dreary... worn out maybe. But certainly that spark gave her hope. Yes, this might be a fine young man for her granddaughter.
"Can you help me find her?"

[Deleted]

A relative? Naturally Zack was suspicious of any individual searching for an Xcution officer and would have been even more so had this woman used a "Oh I'm a friend" excuse. But he wasn't expecting the relative explanation. Yes, it made sense a bit. Now Zack understood why he thought she was Shizuka for a moment. He could see the resemblance between them. "Shizuka? Yeah, I know her." Zack commented, sliding his hand into his coat pocket. "We used to take classes together in college." Zack explained, though it was a lie. A lie he was able to tell perfectly and without any doubt of its truth. He was an excellent actor, and excellent at hiding the truth. Sliding his hand out of his pocket he held up his cellphone, sliding the unlock bar across the screen and opening up the contacts list.

"I haven't seen her for awhile, but I kept her number when we worked on a project together." He continued, setting the explanation for how he knew Shizuyokos granddaughter in stone. Zack thought she was little more than a cousin. Sure it was strange that she was going around with a picture and didn't just call her relative, but this was Karakura Town. Lots of weirdoes here. He was going through his contacts list, trying to find the name he had actually saved Shizukas number under. It was standard protocol for individuals who worked in his line of work to do whatever they can to not reveal personal details about other employees. It was why he had only a few Xcution members in his phone, and those that were all had their names and details changed when the number was entered. He was sure there had been a reason he listed Shizukas number under the name Yoko Ono but for the life of him he couldn't remember.

But, even though Zack had given off the appearance of being rather nonchalant about handing out Shizukas personal cellphone number he wasn't entirely ready to just give it out. While he had cemented his cover story as to how he knew Shizuka, he did need to clear some stuff up with this one. There was always the possibility of her actually being a lot more insidious than she let on. "You said you were her relative, right?" Zack asked, coming off with a slow sounding voice as he continued to slid his finger across the screen going through the numbers. "Don't you have her phone number or some way of getting in touch with her?" Zack asked, giving Shizuyoko a quick quizzical glance before looking back at the telephone screen. As if on cue, old habits started coming back. He gently touched the silver band on his ring finger with his thumb, the Power Ring, and was given some interesting information about the person he was standing in front of. Namely, her "stats".

[Shizuyoko Toraumi]

Shizuyoko simply tilted her head, shaking for just a moment as she thought it over. Admittedly.. she supposed it was a little suspicious. "I don't, I saw her on facebook on her aunt's feed. And well... I have been trying to track her down. I... I considered speaking to her over the phone but.... I think a more direct contact would be more prudent. I even considered finding her mother but... I haven't seen most of the family in... a very long time. I'm not sure her mother would even recognize me." Or rather it would be a bit weird because she probably looked the same as she did when she died. She wondered... would Shizuka's mother even remember her? It.... it hurt to think that she might not. Her own daughter... unable to remember or recognize her... but she had to focus.

Of course his ring would activate and well.... the 'stats' he found, would be very interesting to say the least. She seemed for the most part fairly normal. She didn't have any exceptionally fast reflexes, her senses were normal, her reiatsu strength was incredibly low, even for a normal plus. Almost cripplingly low in fact. Her strength was quite big, but not unsurlrising for a human. She would seem incredibyl athletic, maybe even an olympic contender when it came to strength despite how slim her frame was. Her spiritual pressure was... above average for a soul, but not insanely so. The only EXCEPTIONAL thing about her was her speed. She was very fast, faster than anwy human had any right to be. Of course she was completely unaware of this little scan of hers. She simply watched him as he seemed to be looking her over.

"I kno wit seems a bit strange. But .... I've just been having a it of a rough time with my life until very recently. Ad I want to try and reconnect iwth my family." She noted softly, and suddenly he would be hit with it. He owuld have been hit iwth something similar before, but EVEN Hebika was not quite as .... bright a soul as Shizuyoko was. when she smiled, suddenly he owuld feel the warmth of it practically in a palpable sense along his skin. She felt VERY sincere, as if she wanted nothing but the best for not just shizuka, but HIM. And she COULD sense that about him. She was able to sense the... 'good' in him. Even if it wasn't packaged like that, she could tell that he was being cautious wfor Shizuka's sake, and that actually...made her smile a bit. She started to ownder hwat his relationship with her was. Even if he wasn't dating her, he certainly seemed protective of her.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats}
Strength - 100 Points

Speed - 250 Points (+50%= 375 points)

Spiritual Pressure - 115 Points

Reiatsu Strength - 75 Points (-66%=25 points)

Light Aura - 100 Points

Dark Aura - 0 Points

Instinct - 150 Points (-66%=50 points)

Senses - 40 Points (+50%=60 Points)

Energy sensory - 0 Points

Healing Expertise - 0 Points (-66%=0 Points)

[Deleted]

This sensation was something he felt before. Something he had felt from someone he had made the acquaintance of. This warmth he felt from her smile was something that caused him to remember that Mod Soul that spent her time around Shizuka. But this time it seemed...different. With Hebika it felt insincere, like a snake trying to lure you in closer in preparation to strike, but Zack wasn't getting that feeling this time. Instead looking at this girl was like gazing at a comforting fireplace. The assassins tired eyes blinked, turning themselves away from her and looking back at the screen. Shizukas cover name had been highlighted and her number displayed. He had been in this business for a long time. He'd been begged to, pleaded with, lied to, threatened. He had been trained to understand people, to pick up on lies. Zack would be killer at poker.

So listening to her explanation...he chose to believe her. Maybe she was lying. Maybe she was actually an enemy. But Zack was choosing to not believe that. He decided to trust his gut and years of experience. But there was a reason he was hesitant. What the Power Ring revealed to him was that she was more than she was letting on. Zack couldn't sense energy, the drinking had seen to that, so he relied on his Power Ring much more than he should have. Most of her statistics were normal, or a little above average, but that Speed was what caught him off guard. She wasn't a normal human, that was for sure. Zack was curious. There was a loud snap as he closed the phone, returning it to his pocket and looking at the young (old) woman.

"What are you?" Zack asked. His demeanor had shifted slightly, almost like feeling a cold breeze push itself past your shoulders. His guess was Fullbringer, considering Shizuka, but there was an issue with that. Zack didn't recall Shizuka ever having a sister. An aunt maybe? Zack himself was an uncle at a very young age in fact. But something about that didn't make much sense. Zack began to have a guess based on what she said. "If you're visiting from that place," He was referring to Soul Society, "then understand that you might not get the warm reception you're hoping for. Shizuka has...prejudices against your kind." Zack explained, trying his best to keep it cryptic from the passerby's walking by. He could be wrong in his guess, but even so it would do good for him to know who this woman was and for her to know about the person she was looking for.

[Shizuyoko Toraumi]

Alas for all of her empathetic powers she really couldn't read his mind. Zaxk's thoughts remained as out of reach as they would be for any other individual. However that sudden shift in tone did catch her a bit off guard, her brows lifting a little as she wondered, had she given something away? She paused, and suddenly she felt.... worried. Not JUST for her... but for him. What if this shattered his relationship with Shizuka? The idea that Shizuka might scorn er had been real, but she had never wanted to compromise anyone else in the process. And suddenly she had a very real look of concern on her expression, and deep in that soul of souls, Zack would reallies she was worried about him.

"I..... that's.... a very complicated story." She murmured softly at that, suddenly very forlorn in her words and tone, looking off to the side, and then around to their surroundings. She paused for a moment in consideration of his second statement, and it did cause... concern. "I've been there.... but that is not where I was born." She noted softly, rubbing the side of her neck as she thought it over. To be honest, it wasn't as if it was some big secret. The only people she had worry about finding out were soul society. But just some random human? There was really no means to hide.

"IF you need more specifics I understand... it's clear that you care a lot about Shizuka's wellbeing. But... if you DO want answers, I cn't give you them here. And.... well you probably won't believe most of it." she noted softly. It was simply how things were. Chances were that no matter what she said, a LARGE number of individuals would never believe that a weak shinigami like her was who she used to be. But well, she owed him the truth, she wasn't responsible for what he would or wouldn't believe.

[Deleted]

Zacks gaze remained as it was when he had begun to talk to her. So he was right. The woman standing before him really was something more than human. He had guessed right with his assumption. She was a Shinigami, her spiritual body hidden within one of those false ones that the Gotei Thirteen created so that they could mix in with the human world. She seemed to hint that there was more to her than met the eyes, even for a spirit. His eyebrow raised, curiosity growing as she spoke. But her body language alerted him that something was bothering her. Perhaps it was the idea of explaining it to him? No, that didn't seem to be the issue. The location? They were standing on the side walk, with random individuals walking past them as they conversed.

Getting out of the cold was certainly a good idea, as was getting something warm in him. Zack turned his gaze away, spotting a coffee shop across the street. An idea came to his head, one that might help to make her more comfortable. "You drink coffee?" Zack asked.

He lifted the to go plastic cup to his lips. The warm liquid was like magic as it found its way through his mouth, the bitter taste waking him up, before being sent down his throat. He decided it would probably make her feel better if they took the conversation on the move, and she had something warm to drink, heading towards the more quiet parts of town. "So what's your story then?" Zack asked, giving her a quick glance before returning to looking ahead where he was going.

[Shizuyoko Toraumi]

Shizu remained silent for a moment before giving a sheepish smile. Oh lord, coffee. Perhaps one of the more traumatic experiences in her life. At least when it came to acclimating to human customs. Her first attempt at caffeine had been an energy drink, which she had unknowingly chugged. Not a very pleasant experience for someone who had no tolerance for the stuff. That aside, there was more to coffee that she didn't enjoy, but she shoved all of that aside and simply smiled, allowing Zack to lead the way.

After a short little walk, they finally hit the shop. Zack snared himself a warm....whatever that was, and Shizu had gotten herself a hot chocolate with extra marshmallows. Childish perhaps, but it was her thing. In any case, as the two began to walk, she fell silent, thinking over what it was that she was going to convey to this man. She sighed a little, sipping her drink a little as she thought it over.

"Originally I was.... A statue I think. I don't remember it all that well, it's been a very long time. I was some sort of decor for a shrine to some god. But well, someone saw fit to bring me to life. As much of one as could be expected at least. The closest thing you could attribute me to I suppose would be a hollow. Of course, when I moved past that stage things were very different. There were no arrancar back then. At least not like the ones you see today. It was a much more....relinquishing prospect. Things just didn't work the same. But... to put it short. I separated myself from my hollow instincts by pushing them into a sword. A sword that fell into a shinigami's hands. Bad things happened. And well, I wound up having to kill the shinigami, or try to." She muttered, rubbing her eyes as she knew exactly how stupid this story felt. But she was horrible at lying.

"I couldn't kill him, but I could erase his powers at the cost of my own. And the both of us wound up as humans. Several thousand years old, but still human. And well, as it turned out.... he was a very.... lovely human." She pinkened a little as memory flirted about in her head, gently running her fingers through those golden tresses. "Before I knew it, we were going to be married. Myself and my fiance, Itahke Sanamizu." She murmured lightly, and being the type of person he was, Zack MIGHT have actually recognized who that was.

"But it never actually went through. After we had two children we had a run in with hollows. Before I knew it I was dead, thougha shinigami was close by. I was saved and sent to soul society." She paused, frowning a little as she realized that at the very least she had learned to be a bit more concise. To be frank not many people knew about this sort of thing. She hadn't exactly been advertising it. But it felt so... weird to just spill it all out. Well, most of it out. She left out the part about her being a legendary monster.

It wasn't really lying. IT was just omission. But she still felt bad for doing it.

[Deleted]

"Hmm.." Was really Zacks only response to the story explained to him by Shizuyoko. He wasn't really sure quite what to make of it. She was much older than she looked and he was certain that she wasn't lying to him. Taking a sip of his coffee and letting that steaming bitterness warm him up. But even though he was choosing to believe she wasn't lying, he'd been in this business long enough to know when someone wasn't telling the entire truth. But, hell, if you chose to tell someone you were born from a statue and decide that that is a lie then the truth might be even more outlandish. "That's unfortunate to hear. I'm sure you would have been a great wife had you been given the chance." Zack commented as he took another drink of his coffee.

But, either way, it wasn't his business if she wasn't being completely honest with him or not. She would be the one to deal with Shizuka and the ridiculous prejudices she had towards Shinigami. Reaching into his pocket and pulling up the number again, Zack extended his arm out to her with his phone in hand. "Here. Her number is highlighted. Hopefully she's in Karakura." Zack commented as he closed his eyes and took another drink. Coffee really did taste good.

[Shizuyoko Toraumi]

Shizuyoko actually paused, her brows lifting slightly when she heard that....sentiment. She couldn't help but chuckle softly at that, covering her mouth as she contained herself from outright laughing. She supposed that was.... a rather nice compliment. She did wonder about that sometimes. Wether it would have even worked out with her and Itahke. Wether she'd be a good wife.... a good mother... It was a moot thought now she supposed, but even so she could not help the feeling of dissonance that came with having such musings. And depressing ones at that as she was not entirely sure that she could answer in the affirmative. How on earth could she discipline children? She had no frame of reference in rerms of what a fair punishment was. That was what Itahke had always planned on doing. She sighed softly to herself and gently let her face rest in her hands, her thoughts swimming unhelplingly.

But she did pause, glancing up, and accepting the number, eyeing it for only a moment before it was memorized, looking it over before gently setting it down, falling silent for a moment as she watched the young man before her. She had a sense about these things of course. Old as she was, how could she not be? Here was a young man who seemed so very.... smooth. Not physically, but his mind. He was like a stone tossed into a river, jostled and bounced around until all the edges and notches had been scraped away, leaving a smooth, cold, facetless surface behind. His lack of expression. That almost dead look in his eyes. She couldn't help but have sympathy. And....perhaps.... bygone empathy.

"I remember every human I've ever eaten...." She murmured softly, her eyes drifting to a close as she took a slow, deep breath. "When I BECAME one.... briefly... it was such an odd feeling. I thought I'd suddenly feel... different. Some sort of remorse... Some sort of shift. I thought that being a human would be so much more peaceful...." She murmured softly, looking around them at the others around them. "Most of them kill without even thinking about it. Somehow, somewhere down the line of all this... money and credit. Something lost its life to sustain them. In much the same way they once sustained me." She mused softly, resting her cheek in her palm as she let her eyes slowly close.

"Eventually you just don't think about it. You never even think about it." She paused, letting one eye open and sweep in Zack's direction. "But I don't think.... even after losing my fiance... that I had quite the look that's on your face young man." She noted, taking a slow inhale as she sat up, resting her hands on her knees before looking back up at him. "I'm not sure what it is that had you. I'm sure there have been any number of knocks you've suffered in your short life so far. And I suppose... someone my age aught to have some sort of pearl of wisdom to offer you." She thought for a moment, looking off to the side before smiling brightly. "But I've never been a very smart blonde. That said.... I'll just say that with how strong you feel. You'll likely live longer than most humans. And because of that, you're going to eventually learn that things just pass. Whatever pain you're in. One day you're going to vaguely remember it. It'll be like ... a stomach ache. When you have it it's the worst. Not feeling pain like that, you imagine it would be like perpetual bliss.... but a day or two later... and you're fine... but certainly not euphoric. You don't even think about the stomach ache you just had. It's just sortof...there..." She rolled her eyes. Good lord, comparing whatever had damaged the boy to a stomach ache. She have a sheepish smile.

"Sorry, that probably wasn't very helpful. I'm not very good at this."

[Deleted]

"..." Zack didn't say anything as Shizuyoko spoke her mind to him. He didn't give any sort of physical sign that what she was saying was having any sort of effect on him. As she spoke she would see those gray eyes of his simply locked on her with the same gaze he'd been giving her since they met. Tired, lifeless, gray eyes. Like those you'd find on a sharks. Jensen was quiet as he listened to her explain how she remembered every person she had ever eaten. Every person? Zack had a feeling she was saying that to him because she had an idea just what was going through his head. But she mentioned then that even when her fiancé had died that she didn't have a face like the one he had. How could she? It was more than just the death of someone he loved that was bothering him. It was more than just the countless lives that he had taken that were bothering him.

Shizuyoko was correct in that if that was what bothered Zack, then eventually the pain would go away. Eventually what Zack felt would pass like a stomach ache. They were like bumps on a long road that would eventually pass. But what was stuck on Zacks mind, what kept him awake at night, what made him rely on medication to get to sleep, was what was at the end of his road. What Zack was destined to experience for the third time was not something he could move on from. Shizuyoko didn't know it, how could she, but the man she was speaking to was someone who was damned to an eternity of punishment. Hollows got a "get out of jail free" card when it came to the lives they took. They were nothing but animals, free of the karmic system of punishment and reward that other mortal races had to live with.

The lives that Shizuyoko ate would not be held against her when her time came...because she was a Hollow. But Zack? He didn't kill for survival or base instinct. He killed because he was told to. He consciously signed on to join the military. He made the willing choice to become a killer. Zack would be punished for the choices he made in his life. That was why Shizuyoko didn't have the face that Zack had. It was why when she was at her worst her eyes looked nowhere near how tired his looked. He blinked when she was done, raising the coffee to his lips and taking another sip of it. "You sell yourself short." Zack suddenly commented as he lowered the cup. "What you said may not have been as poetic as you meant it to be but the point you were making was clear." Zack explained, closing his eyes for a moment as he rolled his shoulder.

The older woman would see the man turn away from her and head towards a street trash can, tossing the empty coffee cup away. "Good luck." She would suddenly hear him say as he raised his hands to fiddle with the ski cap he was wearing. "Shizuka might not be the person you're expecting to find. If she ends up attacking you because of what you are, you'd best know that she's a lot stronger than he appears." Zack said as he turned his gaze towards the Shinigami, those eyes of his still looking as tired as they did before. And just like that he was...gone. As if he was never there to begin with. One moment he was standing there, looking at her and the next he was gone. All that remained were brief green, fire like, sparks coming out from the pavement where he had been standing. Shizuyoko would find herself all alone again.