A Twisted Plot [Death/Suicide]

Posted: Fri Apr 24, 2009 5:38 am

I opened my eyes to see nothing. I thought I had just awoken in the dead of night in my own room, as it had no windows or lighting, but upon moving my hand toward the surface I lay upon to look for the edge of my bed, I felt only the cold press of the concrete that was beneath me. I wasn't at home. I pressed my cold hands against my own body to find it completely robed in what felt like the normal Shinigami garb, and without my special sleeve. I got to my hands and knees, and felt around on the ground for some indication of where I might be. I pushed my hand into something heavy, and it sounded metallic as it rolled over and echoed a little. Had I just run into my own Zanpakutou? Had I been kidnapped or something, and then given my own Zanpakutou to defend myself with? I felt the sheath, and then moved to the guard. Yes, it had to be mine, no mistaking it. I turned the blade across my lap as I sat upon my legs. The darkness enveloped everything around me, and silence struck my ears swiftly. I felt like I had been stripped of all but my sense of touch, which was not my most accurate, and my sense of sound.

I felt like calling out to someone. A name, one I couldn't remember learning during my time in Rukongai. Though, it had been many years, and things tended to fade after a while. However, this name stood out. It felt like a warm memory from the distant past. Someone I had learned to trust before I learned of the Shinigami and Rukongai and all the various things that made the Soul Society. How could it be that I was recalling such a name now? I remained seated on the hard, cold ground for a moment, trying to piece together my situation. However, without knowing where I was at or who I was dealing with, I had no way of determining a plan of escape.

I rose to my feet, legs trembling with uncertainty, and did the only thing I could think to do.

"Itsuwari!"

As the name echoed throughout the room, I got a sense of just how grand and large it was. Once... twice... it kept echoing through the room like it had no end. It had to be some kind of industrial building of some kind. I heard the name echo at least five times before it faded from my ears. I stood there in the darkness for several minutes afterward, having received no response of any kind. It seemed I was trapped in here, and would have to find my way out without the use of my eyes. I took a step forward, my bare footstep reverberating in my ear like someone was being slapped in the face every few seconds. I closed my eyes, since they were being of no use to me anyway, and continued forward. It sounded and felt like one large, empty concrete room. My steps began to echo in longer intervals. That meant I had gone farther from any wall or large object I was close to. I had no bearings in this place. I hastened my pace forward, and called out again.

"Itsuwari!!"

I had no idea who the person was, yet I had a distinct feeling they were the key to this whole mess. The fact that the name had just suddenly rendered itself important in my mind was the largest factor in that. And this place was large enough to be a battlefield for Hollows. I stopped walking again, and hit the end of my sword's sheath against the ground. From what I could determine with the echoes, I was equidistant from all the walls of the room now. I took a step more forward and found that, much to my surprise, a rather large square patch of grass was growing. I sat upon it, basking in the aroma of the small plants. Then, I allowed my body to be stretched back upon it. The feel of their blades against my skin was warm, welcoming, and inviting...

Suddenly, however, the room flashed to life. The first light to come to life was the one directly above me, and it blinded me instantly. Stars swirled around in my view until a minute or so passed, and when my vision finally returned, I dreaded what I saw. The patch of grass I was standing on was the only thing in the room besides the few lights littering the roof just barely enough to brighten the room, the brick walls in the far distance, and the concrete floors I had previously been standing on. The walls had to be at least a mile away in distance, as even the lights illuminating the place didn't assist me much in seeing them. I could only barely make out the shape of the bricks, and they looked like they were rather well supported from the other side, as well. The cool gray of the ground was too basic of a color, and the lights only tinted it to a sickly yellow-brown color. The grass was nearly dead as well; it had already turned to a pale green-yellow, meaning it was near the end of its life span. I pulled out my sword, no seeing or sensing any signs of life around me, and slowly sank it into the dirt. Not more than half the length of the blade was submerged in the ground before I could no longer push it down. It was surviving on the small amount of soil it had left, and likely without water or sunlight. The soil was sitting on more concrete, meaning it had lost its nutrients to the grass long ago, and without more being provided to it, both would soon cease to live.

I heard the echo of a sound I had not made. I attempted to pull my sword from the ground, but whatever had made the sound was far faster than I was. I had a cold, dry hand wrapped around my sword hand before I could fully exhume my blade. The figure stood over my crouched body, and I knew that I had made a mistake in letting my guard down for even a moment. I looked over my shoulder to the being grasping my hand only to find that a man of about 20 years of age in appearance, light brown hair, and seemingly normal clothes had just moved as quickly as a blur. Stranger still, I felt like I knew him.

"Itsu... wari?" I looked into his eyes, and he closed them, smirked, and turned his head. Though he hadn't said a word, I now knew for sure that we had met somewhere before. Long ago. I turned my body around the blade, allowing mine to face his entirely. I looked into his eyes as he turned his head back toward me. They were kind and gentle, and I felt a sense of familiarity that I wasn't entirely comfortable with at that moment.

"I'm surprised you even remember my name, Aritei. After all, it's been hundreds of years. Not many people remember insignificant things like that after so long. Stranger still, I remember you. It's like we've never even been apart all this time." His voice was calm and gentle, yet his grip on my blade was not letting up in the slightest. For someone who was talking like a friend, he was acting rather strangely. I pulled, attempting to break his grasp, but to no avail. He held steadfast.

"Itsuwari... it's odd. I know your name, yet not who you are. You speak as if you know me, yet you grasp the handle of my blade in hostility. Who exactly are you?" I tensed my muscles in case his reaction to my words was violent, but there was no such action.

"Well, I'm hurt," he said, releasing his grip entirely and taking a pace or two back. The look on his face was smug, like he'd accomplished some huge goal. It was annoying. "Here I thought we remembered each other. Looks like flower boy's memory isn't that great, though. Need a refresher?"

I pulled my blade from the ground, placed it in its sheath, and strapped it to my back. The mere fact that he called me 'flower boy' was enough to say that he knew something about me, though many knew at least that much. Still, I hadn't many other options at that point. "Sure, why not? What've you got?" I took one step back, raising my fists and bending my knees. I needed a good fight; it had been a while since my last rumble. The look upon Itsuwari's face, however, told me that this was not exactly what he had in mind. He shook his head, and looked at the ground that lay in front of us.

"Surely you wouldn't want to hurt the remaining life span of this poor innocent patch of grass by fighting? No, I've got an easier solution." He thrust his hand into one of his many pockets, and pulled out a small pan flute. As he pursed his lips upon it, I sat back upon the ground. This man was mysterious, but hopefully this would help to answer my questions.

The tune he played was quiet and serene. I closed my eyes and let myself be immersed in the melody. It quickly enveloped my mind, and almost felt as if it took over my body as a whole. I felt a scene revealing itself in my head. Itsuwari, much younger looking than he was now, and myself, back in elementary school. Memories of such times had long faded, yet this felt like only yesterday. We were sitting in a small classroom, with large windows entirely encompassing one wall, a white board covering the wall furthest from the door and adjacent to the wall with the windows, and colorful watercolor paintings and high test scores of spelling exams covering the remainder of the room. The tables were perfectly suited for the students there: short, large, round, and brightly colored. Every table had a group of four sitting at it except for one table, which contained me and Itsuwari. I saw his lips move, but no words came out, just more music from the flute. I felt myself talk back, but without understanding what I had said, and without actually voicing the words. Again, more music from his pan flute. Suddenly, my attention was drawn to the person who must have been the teacher. She looked angry, and she was looking right at me. Itsuwari's music also dropped into a more dramatic tone as this took place. She looked to the side, then pointed to a girl sitting at another table, and then to myself. Her lips moved, and I lifted myself, sadness being implanted in my thoughts. The girl and I switched places.

The tune stopped, and then began anew. All at the same time, my memories were shifting. The two of us were in what was probably the school's playground on a bright sunny spring day, kicking a ball back and forth. I hadn't a care in the world. The leather of the red ball against my shoe as it went flying into the air gave a satisfying feeling. I followed it up until the sun blinded me for a moment, but when I looked back down, an older woman was standing behind Itsuwari. She had a sad look on her face as she put her hand on his shoulder, and the two of them turned and walked away. I could only stare at them, the salty tear rolling down my cheek in despair.

"You see, Aritei? Do you remember?" His warm eyes looked upon me as my own opened, "we were best friends for years. I never forgot you, and when I had heard of your death, I was devastated." He put his flute back in his pocket, and left his hand with it. "It took me years to get over the news." I felt bad for not remembering up to this point.

"I'm sorry for not remembering any of it, Itsuwari. It's just been such a long time. I'm surprised you remember so much." I stood once more, and extended a hand to him. "How about you help me find a way out of... wherever this is, and we go grab a bite to eat?"

"Sounds good, old friend," he said with the warmest smile. He grasped my hand, shook it once firmly, and released. "Nice to meet you again. Let's go. I think I saw a door this way." He turned and began walking rapidly in the direction he had apparently come from, though I still had no explanation for why either of us were here, or why he had grasped my blade in the first place. We continued on, talking occasionally, for what seemed like several dozen miles over the span of many hours, before he placed his arm out in front of me.

"Wait... Aritei, let's stop and rest here for a moment." He laid down on the concrete we had been pacing upon for so long, arms and legs sprawled about carelessly. I wasn't quite as tired as he seemed to be, but it couldn't hurt to take a quick break. I laid next to him, my arms and legs extended evenly on both sides. It was more comfortable that way on the rough surface, in my own opinion. Itsuwari began to laugh. It started out as a normal, casual laugh. However, I became concerned quickly when his voice turned maniacal, and he began to laugh more hysterically.

"Itsuwari, what's... up?" I interrogated, raising my torso with my elbows. He got to his knees beside me, turned to face me, and pressed his hands against my chest, my body hitting the cold gray rock hard.

"Nothing... nothing at all, Aritei." He spoke calmly, but this was followed by more of the insane laughter. "I've just never met a Shinigami who has fallen so easily for my trap before."

Before I could react at all, my arms and legs were bound by a powerful force, one that would not belong to a human. Then again, it made no sense for a mere human to be in this realm anyway. The reiatsu crept over my whole body slowly. I struggled the entire time, trying to break free. First, I lost the movement of my hands and feet. Slowly, my knees and elbows ceased to function, followed by my shoulders and hips. After what felt like days, I could barely breathe, and my body was completely paralyzed, save for my thoughts.

"Well, Aritei? How do you feel?" Itsuwari's voice had become demonic and raspy, and his face motionless and emotionless. His body hovered over mine before being torn to shreds, his true form showing from behind. The large owl-shaped Hollow swooped down from the shadowed portion of the roof, its twisted, yet perfectly round white mask staring straight at my face with its single centered red eye. The man I thought I had known was a puppet, and this beast had been manipulating me from the shadows for all this time. Its twisted talons and oddly shaped wings were illuminated through the small light that lay several hundred feet away.

"How does it feel to know your memories were manipulated by the very things you hunt every day?" So, that was it. This Hollow specialized in illusions, and he had used his knowledge to trick me into believing I had memories that didn't truly belong to me. Itsuwari had most likely never existed in the first place, and was probably just a puppet used by this creature whenever it needed a snack, or wanted revenge for something. And since my memories had become so faded in recent days, yet so recently faded, I felt I had still a small connection to them. That had been my downfall; I let the unruly owl into my mind too easily. The thing I feared most at this point was the fact that it said "things." Were there more of them?

"I am Uso," the owl 'spoke.' "And I am the leader of this group. You cannot see them, but there are several dozen other Hollow hiding in the shadows of the building, just waiting to prey upon your fresh, powerful soul." It snickered aloud. I released some of my spiritual energy in order to try and break the bonds that held me together, but it just wouldn't break. At this, the monster broke into a laugh, and was joined by several other laughs hidden in the shade.

"You cannot hope to break this seal, young soul. You are being held down by five of the strongest Hollows in this region." I looked up at Uso, its eye still piercing my gaze. I could break this seal, I just needed time to figure out its weakness. I tried to release my reiatsu through my arms, but there was no success there. More laughter as I persisted. I pushed my energy through my legs, but no luck there either. My strength was draining quickly, so I needed to find a way out of this as soon as I could. Instead of using the last of my energy on a random attack on the bond, I laid still and thought through the seal. It started at my arms and legs...

"Ah, given up already? I thought you might have put up a bit more of a fight, Aritei. I've been watching you for a while, and I thought you would have worked for a while to break this. You seemed to have the strongest spirit with the weakest body in the area, but perhaps I was wrong. I was going to wait until you were completely out of power, but it seems you've already stopped trying." Laughter erupted from every corner of the dark room. However, I hadn't given up. I hadn't even come close. Uso began to approach me, his broken-looking wings barely supporting him as he flapped down to consume my body. I had only a few more moments to figure out how to break this seal...

Perhaps...

A small bit of spiritual pressure here...

"I'm being 'held' by the only five Hollow in this area, and you're not that strong!" I screamed out these words as I broke the seal from the head outward, thrusting my fist toward the being's face. Uso was obviously caught off guard, but still reacted quickly enough to dodge my assault. He flew to the side, and beckoned to the others.

"Get this fool. I don't care who kills him, but whoever does get the spoils." Its voice was still calm. It may have been expecting this from the beginning, but if that was the case, it may not have been trying to hold me, either. I didn't care at the time. I needed to find a way to escape, or else I'd be toast. There were still no visible exits still, and there were now more Hollows descending upon me. A couple looked like bats, one looked like a screwed up jay-bird, and one lizard fell from the roof, making a small quake as it landed. I turned and ran; there was no way to take all five of them on at once while they were working together. The darkness went on without end. The angry cries of my predators behind me echoed through the night, or at least what seemed like the night. I looked over my shoulder to see only the lizard still chasing after me. The others had most likely ascended back into the shadows, awaiting their chance to strike. I had to make an attempt at an attack, though.

I shifted my weight backward, kicking myself over the top of the cold-blooded Hollow. A burst of spiritual energy surrounded my body as it was suddenly thrust downward and I placed my foot firmly into the side of the beast's scaly hide. It screamed and halted in its tracks, while I continued to run. I didn't have time to assess whether or not my attack had been a complete success. I heard one of the bats approaching from above, while the bird dove low to the ground. A pincer attack. Tucking my torso forward into a more compact ball-ish shape, I jumped onto the back of the bird. Well, maybe both of them were large enough to gain footing on after all. I kicked off of the bird, pushing it into the ground, and shoved my fist into the belly of the bat. Neither seemed to take serious injury from this, but it bought me a few moment's time.

The gray just continued to rush from every direction. Of course, I had tried to maintain a straight line in order to reach one of the walls, but in this kind of situation, such instances were nearly impossible. I peeked over my shoulder again to see Osu making his way toward me, talons drawn and aimed straight for my head. The moment I turned back is when I saw the thing that would make this situation that much harder to get out of. A small girl was passed out in the corner, not far from the wall that I had chosen as my destination. Probably a victim of similar the same trickery that I had been captured with. While size and age were never synonymous in this plane, I still couldn't leave her there to suffer the same as myself. The problem was finding the way out... alive. I didn't have time to explain anything, so it must have been horrible waking up to the scene, but I scooped her up in my arms and began to run alongside the wall. I looked over my shoulder again, and I could see all five of the Hollows pass beneath the light. There were now two souls up for grabs, and that made the prize for victory all the sweeter.

"I... tsuwa... ri?" I heard the small girl's voice whisper to me. It was a young, innocent voice. She had indeed been tricked the same way. I shook my head as I continued to run for the next corner.

"That name is for a person who does not exist. Erase it from your mind, clear your thoughts, and together, we can escape this trap!" She lifted her head over my shoulder, looking at our pursuers. She too was a Shinigami, it seemed, for her reaction was calm, and the blade strapped to her back was unique in design; her Zanpakutou. She laid her head back in my arm, shut her eyes, and spoke softly as she put her trust in my abilities.

"Mirarenai here will help me out of this mess. If you can find a way out, I can make it." Her body felt almost lighter now, like she had found a way to lighten herself. I was grateful for it regardless of its origin. As I approached the next corner, with the smallest glimmer of luck, I noticed a small white light, paired with a small dark blue rectangle, in the roof at the far end of the wall. A star in the night sky. No doubt their point of entry and exit. If the girl was going to have any chance of making it out if here, it would be through there. Unfortunately, with my notice of an escape route came their anger.

"NO!" Uso bellowed. "Stop them, stop them now!" He screeched loudly, and all of the others moved forward. The lizard jumped in front of us first, and spewed some kind of acid all over the ground. That was easy enough to dodge, but the bullet-like feathers flying from the jay-bird made things much more difficult. I took several shots in the back. I felt my knees weaken as they hit, as well; they were poisoned. The size of the protrusions didn't help my speed much, either. The bats dove down, yet didn't make any motions to indicate an attack. Instead, they just stayed close to each other as I continued to run for the opening. Uso then flew past, turned, and beat his wings against me several times. It was now clear what their intentions were. Push me back into the webs of the bats' wings, then allow them to take me out. I crouched down and Ki Dashed between Uso's talons. The only chance either of us had to escape was now, and I knew what had to be done.

"Take this to the Eleventh Division Captain." I placed my blade in her arms as she nodded, then took the longest, highest leap I could manage with my remaining strength. The opening was close, but not close enough to reach with either of our hands. I tossed her upward to what I hoped was the roof, and she disappeared over the vertical horizon. I could hear her faintly as I fell back into the room turned tomb.

"Vanish, Mirarenai!"

As I was falling, helplessly, Osu pinned me to the wall. He wasn't about to let go, either. His claws sank into my skin, his wings beating against my battered body. The feathers had been pushed deeper into my back, as well.

"You... are going to pay for what you've done! That was a prime cut, she has the strength of several captains within her, and you just helped her escape after I spent all that time weakening her emotional and mental state! It took me centuries to capture that one!" He slammed his mask into my head, and then once more for emphasis. Perhaps he was trying to knock me unconscious, perhaps he thought it would crush my skull. Either way, he failed. I was weakened, though. He allowed my body to fall to the ground, disgusted with his failed experiment.

"Tear him to shreds," I heard him mutter as he flew back into the darkness of the gargantuan room. The other four approached me once more, finishing me off and devouring my soul their top priority. I stood back on my feet, knees unstable and hands weak. They finally got to me. I could practically feel them tearing my body apart already, but I wouldn't go out without a fight. I thrust my fist into the mask of the lizard, then turned into a kick into the side of one of the bats, effectively knocking him into the other. The jay-bird caught my foot, and I knew I was in trouble. I was lifted helplessly into the air, let loose, and then freefell back toward the cement. The bats grabbed my arms with their giant fangs, and the lizard gripped my legs with his tongue. The bird flew above and gripped my head with its beak.

I had a strange thought at that moment: what did the life after this one hold? I certainly hadn't expected the world of the Shinigami to exist, so maybe there was something even greater on the other side of this odd existence. It was certainly interesting enough to think about, though I'd be finding out soon enough.

My final thought, however, was why the girl had not saved herself if she had the capability to. True, it was more honorable to die this way, but I still had things I wanted to accomplish, goals I wanted to meet. She very well may have been capable of saving both of us. My body was torn to pieces, each Hollow consuming their own share of the reward. I had lost my life saving the life of another, and I had no choice but to endure the pain as I was ripped from the face of Seireitei.

[[Eimin Ariei: ripped to pieces by hungry Hollows. Word Count (for fun): 4662]]