Feeding the Flame [Closed/Yuki]

Meridith kept to her word, she woke up the next day a little past noon and texted her new friend a simple

Too tired, tomorrow, promise, don't get eaten by baseball spirits, k?

And rolled over to go back to sleep. She closed her eyes and tried to ignore the aches and pains but found that sleep did not return. The little bit of anxiety of seeing the other notifications had her up within the next twenty minutes of dozing. She set up slowly within the narrow confines of her coffin hotel and draw her knees up to her chest, staring at the little phone in her hand and began to type away. She'd have to fetch a new number, but it'd have to wait a bit, she didn't wanna lose contact with Kevin but, it was distracting...

She traced a finger along her ankle. It looked ugly, a little swollen, a little trace of purple discoloration. She decided it looked like a low ankle sprain by the way she hit the curb, didn't seem like a grade 2 but definitely close to it judging by the bruising and pain with weight the previous night. She'd be suggested t o stay off it for the next three weeks or so, but she was made of tougher stuff. She scooted out of her combination of bed and room and test weighted on it. It would hold her, she thought, good enough. The cut on her forehead was healing well, a symptom of her own efforts and blessings she decided. Not the first of her little scrapes and certainly not the last.

She cleaned herself up and wound up napping again now that she had started to feel a little more herself. Let the phone buzz, she decided, she wouldn't let it sour her mood any further The previous night was far from the first or last of her late-night escapades and her sleep had paid the price. Arguably she was still jet-lagged too!

By the time she was up and about again it was getting late. The sun had long set and she was starving. She made her way around, used her phone for hopefully the last day to find a late-night take out place nearby and placed her order before setting out to pick it up.

She was still a sight. Clear foreigner, bright red neatly dressed hair, a collection of bandages top to bottom. She drew looks but walked with the fierce determination of a tourist with a destination in mind and managed to grab her food without incident. Things were starting to look up. She had food, her foot was doing a lot better, and furthermore no matter what was going on back home she had found a Quincy, an honest to god Quincy here in Japan. The fact he was a handsome American athlete was a quiet plus, of course.

She grinned wickedly and in a very unladylike manner scarfed down her food and deposited the trash where appropriate. She wished she had somewhere to sit but Japan seemed to have a reckless disregard for benches. A shame. It was a very nice country otherwise.

A cry echoed out across the quiet night chilling her blood. She lingered for a moment and watched the people around her continue as if nothing had happened. She craned her neck to look off into the distance as her heart began to race. She texted out to her new American friend, stretched out her heel and took off running.

She felt light as she moved between the streets, away from the busier sections of the bustling town and towards the outskirts where Hollow's lurked. Everything had begun to slide into place. She was in the right place, she was doing what she was supposed to. This was her path, and she wasn't alone any longer.

She slid into the alleyway, in time to see the Hollow lurking nearby, looking for something, someone. Meridith gave no time to theatrics. She thrust her arm forward and in her palm, she held the broken blade. She focused her energy into it, forming the semi wild energy, the loose outline of her bow. She let out a low whistle to alert the thing but it had caught the scent of her brilliant power by the time the bow had formed and was already wheeling about to face her. This thing was not intelligent, it was a beast and by the time its pitiful mind had decided what to do about her it was already dead.

A bolt of brilliant blue light crackled into life formed against her bow as she drew her hand back forcing the reishi into place. She let it soar, it roared as it flew forth, hungry and sailed straight into and through the Hollow. It let out a horrible shriek as its blackened form began to dissolve casting the soul into nothingness. Peace.

She exhaled softly. That was how she ought to do it. No panic, no running, no frantic conflicts. A calm and collected hunter, a bow, a single arrow. She felt affirmed, she was truly getting somewhere.

If only then, she had realized that she was not the only one who had come to answer the call of the Hollow's cry.

These were the sorts of nights that Yuki enjoyed the most. Clear skies. Plenty of stars. Mostly empty streets. Well, in certain areas. Some streets were seemingly always busy, but on these nights certain ones went quiet. And most importantly of all: activity. Plenty of Hollow activity.

Already she'd hunted down two of the beasts. Two more saved souls. The battles hadn't been particularly difficult, nor the chase. They had both been pretty simple, clearly recently developed. That did take away some of the fun but at least it left her fresh for another hunt. Simple and clean or complex and dangerous. Those were the sorts she enjoyed.

Sometimes its good to have nights like these. I can relax. Wander. Let my injuries heal.

That was certainly important too. Sometimes she was a little too reckless for her own good. She suffered injuries that could have been avoided. But she wasn't always of the right mindset when she entered these engagements. When it got really bad she typically got really hurt. Or was it vice versa?

A little ring caught her attention. Her denreishinki. She flipped it out, tail wagging when she viewed the screen. Already her third Hollow of the night? This was going to be a very, very good day!

She picked up the pace, jumped from light post to light post. The feeling of a chilled night's air brushing across her face always reinvigorated the Shinigami. Of course it probably would feel better if she were moving faster, taking longer leaps. Perhaps she should work more on her hoho.

As she neared her prey's position Yuki started to sniff at the air. She caught the Hollow's scent first. Then again they stood out the most to her. A burning hatred led to her focusing primarily upon the creatures. There was a Human nearby too, but hopefully they weren't too close to where she was headed.

It does seem to be coming from the same direction. Can it not be one of those special Humans? More often than not they end up being just a little more trouble than they are worth.

Can't kill em either.

Well-

Well you could, but you won't.

Generally no.

Thankfully she was headed towards one of the less populated regions of Karakura Town. With any luck there wouldn't be any bystanders. In fact it seemed to be nestled away within one of the city's many alleyways. Those typically made great little hunting spots.

One great hop finally sent her atop the flat roof of a building, one of two flanking the designated alleyway. She hurried over to the edge and peeked down. One Hollow and one Human. Was she spiritually aware? Was she the Hollow's prey? Was she one of those Special Humans?

A bow materialized within the woman's hands. Yuki was not new to this sort of thing. In fact earlier in the week she'd met another one capable of such things. Her eye widened in surprise. Suddenly she grew worried, not for the Human but for the Hollow.

Shit! Not another one!

Yuki leapt down, landing in a little roll when she hit the ground. Her body twisted, blade unsheathed. She was just about ready to strike at the Hollow's back when a hole tore its way through the creature's form. At its center was a brilliant blue light, an arrow which flew past Yuki. If only she were faster.

No! Damnit!

Fingers clenched at the hilt of her zanpakuto. Teeth were gritted. A low growl escaped despite her attempt to muffle it. She hated Hollows. Leveled blame upon the entire race for her mother's death. But they were only half of what they represented. Within each Hollow was at least one soul, a soul waiting to pass on. Begging to pass on. A person.

This one fell apart, not from the mask but from the wound. Again, just as she'd seen before, nothing was left behind. No soul. Not a single feeling of anything passing on. Like the world just lost a little piece of itself. An entire future wiped clean. It was just gone.

Calm. Focus.

Attack her.

Maybe she doesn't know?

She has to know! How many do you think she's wiped out?

She isn't my enemy here.

She is!

It will be fine.

Attack her now!

Just talk.

KILL HER BEFORE SHE KILLS YOU!

The wolf started her approach, walked swiftly towards the woman. Clearly she could see spirits, so clearly she could see the Shinigami. There wasn't any point in hiding her presence. A deep breath was drawn inwards. Yuki was not happy. Not one bit. But she was trying to keep a level head. She tried her best not to look too annoyed either, but her tail was swatting at the air repeatedly as though there were a swarm of angry bees.

"Hey!" barked the Shinigami. Perhaps that was a bit rough but, well, she was still calming herself down. One step at a time. She could apologize later.

Her heart rate steadied. Whatever the monsters quarry was, it was safe now. She lowered her bow, ready to dissipate it and turned to leave. And froze.

Black robes filled her vision. Her pupils dilated, she couldn't breathe. Her heart began to hammer in her chest, her hands grew cold and then numb. The bladed Zanpakuto was in the Shinigami's hand, drawn and ready, the expression on her face told Meridith everything. She staggered back and brought her bow around to face.

In the space of a heartbeat, it hit her all at once.

This was everything she was told not to do. Ever lecture about their past, every lecture about their history, every lecture about Meridith's careless hunting when she was out at school. This was why. So many years her family had spent trying to teach her how important her care, attention and restraint were.

She'd ignored them and now they would pay the price.

No.

It wouldn't stop with her. This would start it all over again. A torrent of blood a thousand years ago would repeat all because she was so stupid, so careless, so selfish. How many more would die because of her?

...Unless.

Babump.

The drawn blade left no question in Meridith's mind, so that left her path forward all the more clear. This was a battle for not only her life but for the life of all the Quincy who had been wiser than she to have stayed hidden. She gripped the ephemeral blue form of her bow and it flared out, burning off incredible spiritual might. She said nothing, made no delay.

There was no warning of the form of the arrow, she pulled her hand back and it formed into existence, and she loosed it without delay. It soared towards the center of the black robes as hungry for them as it was for the Hollow moments prior.

If she was to undo her mistake, there was no other way.

One of them would die.

Good. See? She's lowered it.

No.

It was going to be fine. Yes. They could sit down and talk. She could explain everything. The damage that was done. Surely she would understand. Most Humans were reasonable. Well, most of the ones that she met. For a moment she glanced down at her right hand.

Right. I should-

Suddenly the Human lifted her weapon. Yuki's ears snapped up. She started to turn. Was something behind her? Did something sneak up on her?

LOOK OUT!

Everything slowed down. Her heart raced within her chest, eye widened and ears focused towards the woman. As the Human slowly shifted into view Yuki spotted the brilliant blue lance of energy. It wasn't being shot at anything behind her. No, it was aimed right towards her body. Center of mass.

Hands shifted her zanpakuto before she even had time to process what was happening. Feet slid further apart, tail flared out behind her to assist with balance and bracing against the coming attack. Even in slow motion the attack quickly covered the ground between them. It was close, but her blade barely managed to catch the arrow.

A tremendous force slammed into the weapon held defensively in front of her. Arms shook, muscles strained against the impact. It was too powerful for her to completely block, nor had she been quick enough for it. Her pupil dilated as blue light filled her vision.

The wolf's wild mane of black fluttered behind her as the shot passed to her left. She had only just managed to deflect the arrow, a glancing shot which slipped between the inside of her left arm. Heat erupted within the arm and within the left side of her torso, followed swiftly by pain. A good section of her robes were disintegrated, cloth wraps hidden beneath torn to shreds. As the chilled night's air hit her exposed bloodied flesh she gritted her teeth.

Yuki stumbled to the right. Her left arm was pulled in close to her body on reflex, too weak at the moment to support itself, pressing one wound against another. Pupil constricted, teeth clenched tightly together, and a fierce growl escaped, drowned out by the arrow's end behind her. Two horrific wounds touched together. Pain filled her senses. Pain and the sound of her own heart pounding away within her ears. Pain gave way to adrenaline.

KILL OR BE KILLED!

She pushed herself forward towards her new foe. Reiatsu poured outwards, unleashing at once, its terrible essence filled the air surrounding her. The Shinigami covered the distance between them in a single leap, not quite a shunpo but getting there. Already her blade was on the move, cleaving outward in a flat horizontal arch aimed for the woman's center of mass. Nothing was held back.

It didn't feel right. The moment the arrow soared her resolve wavered and the bow shrank, no longer flaring off the impressive spiritual energy shown a moment prior. When the arrow impacted the woman's Zanpakuto, the girl, she could see the strain of their muscles. She could see the reflection of pain in their eyes, she knew that she was not fighting a monster, she was fighting a person.

She'd hurt them, God, she could have killed them with that.

The bow nearly lowered, but Meridith held its spiritual form still. It looked like a blaze of bright blue reishi, wavering slightly but solid within its core. She flinched back as the arrow burned away her opponent's side, watched as their teeth clenched tight and reminded herself that this path had no method for turning back. This was done, already, resolved. She could lay down and die if she wanted, but never was there going to be a way for them to both walk away from this. Meridith flinched back as she launched forward, as she felt the raw heat of her opponents power bearing down on her-

killing intent

-and had no choice but to put aside whatever dilemma raged through her because if she hesitated for even a moment she was dead.

She didn't have time to move entirely out of the way, she sprang backwards a half foot as the blade shot forward fatally. She swung her bow as she landed to drive the Zanpakuto away, but the blade passed nearly straight through it and carved into her side. Meridith let out a cry, genuine pain and fear mingled in her voice as she tore herself away, leaving some blood soaking the ground where she stood.

The bow reformed, she loosed an arrow at close range to drive her opponent back and ripped her jacket open, letting a single silver tube drop freely. Before her opponent wheeled about to attack her she seemingly vanished, a blue glow forming around her body briefly before she pulled herself around her opponent.

Clumsily she slid to a halt but with enough distance for her purpose at a dozen or so feet behind Yuki as her jacket flared around her. She let loose a second arrow from behind as another silver tube dropped to the ground.

The bleeding was bad but not fatal, not yet. She just had to keep it together a little longer.

CUT!

Blood splattered out in an arch to her left. This woman's blood. The scent was caught by the wolf. She locked onto her prey, pupil constricted and tail thrashed around behind her. Only one thought permeated her mind.

HUNT!

Another arrow was swiftly reformed and fired off in her direction. Yuki was ready this time. Steel flashed in another arch, driven inwards from her left as she stepped in towards the swing. Again the attack whistled past her, crashed into the pavement behind her, only this one had not been close enough to deal any substantial damage.

The temporarily blinding flash of blue had distracted her enough to lose sight of her foe. Smell took a little more time to catch on, especially this close. But her ears twitched as they caught a noise. Movement. Behind her!

Twisting around Yuki cleaved her weapon diagonally, sent her strike towards the sky. Her opponent's mishandled landing had given her enough of a warning. Again her zanpakuto clashed against a shot and again it was deflected, however this one had been a much closer affair. The wolf leaned back, one foot forced backwards, her body only barely having avoided another vicious hit, however the arrow had been close enough to leave behind a burn on her right shoulder.

Something caught her eye, a glint of something silver. A tube within the ground. Where did she remember that from? She couldn't think straight.

Muscles tensed as she prepared for another counter-attack. She started to charge once again, blade pulled back to her right. These attacks were too powerful. They were keeping her in one place. On the defensive. A break in her opponent's ceaseless offensive. That's what she needed.

Two shots both deflected, the first she expected but the second was a surprise. It didn't do a lot for her wavering confidence. Of course, she knew this wasn't going to be easy. She grew up on stories of the reapers who carried with them death wherever they tread. She grew up knowing fear at the utterance of the word, to not even speak the name of these gods who wielded death.

Shinigami.

When she first hunted she was a young girl in a boarding school far from home. That was a moment brought about by more desperate circumstances and need than any desire on her part. When it was done, when the monster was dead she spent that night weeping alone in her room, sure, absolutely, positively, one hundred percent sure that she was going to die. She stared in terror at the moonlit window of her dormitory, expecting any moment the gentle rustle of the reaper's appearance, then the gentle sound of drawing steel and then she would die. But she didn't die, and in time the terror had faded, and she began to put that fear aside for the 'greater good'.

If her first shot had done anything to make her think that she stood a chance in an open fight, the next two had undone it. She let out a panicked sound and sprang back as Yuki closed in on her, but wasn't able to muster the reishi in time to get out of the way.

The reaper's Zanpakuto slashed her open for the second time.

She let out a strangled cry as she felt her left arm get torn. It was a relatively light wound for what could have been due to the fact that she had managed to pull herself out of the way mostly but blood was already rushing out.

I'm dying. Oh God. I don't...please don't let me die here.

She let her momentum carry her back. By reflex, her body was forced to move she pulled an arrow from the reishi around her and sent one straight towards the Shinigami before she could follow up with a second. Her arm screamed in pain as she forced it to work, but grit, determination or rampant fucking terror kept her from really noticing. As the arrow loosed, two more silver tubes soared out to the side. This was it, she was set. Another moment and this would be over.

Each arrow rattled her to the bone. Just blocking them took something out of her, and even then they hadn't been completely successful. But adrenaline dulled the pain. Anger focused her upon her prey. Bestial hunger sharpened her blade, empowered her, drove her to keep pushing forward.

Another successful hit. The Human's iron scent grew heavier in the air. It further invigorated the wolf. How long could they go on like this? When would the hunt end? Normally she might attempt to extend a fight, but this wasn't her fighting. This wasn't her in control. She was a passenger in her own body, a voice obscured within the back of her own mind.

Stop!

It wasn't right, killing a Human like this. They weren't supposed to meddle in Human lives in this way. She wasn't a Hollow. And even then Hollows were simply trapped souls. Killing them was fine because it wasn't actually killing. Yuki didn't disagree with killing in the right circumstance, but was this really it? She didn't even understand why she was attacked in the first place!

Don't!

Her body didn't listen. She wasn't in control but, in a way, she was. This was her, and it was not her. Another side typically released in short bursts. It knew not friend from foe, ally from enemy, or bystander from prey. Everything was just something to hunt. Her against the world.

The Shinigami's blade spun around, lifted to engage yet another arrow in a defensive maneuver. Her zanpakuto's tip cut into the ground, tore it up as she was driven back by the power of her enemy's attack. Arms shook, feet dug in, steel clattered as the arrow pushed towards her. With a roar she forced her weapon to the right and, with it, the arrow, sending it crashing into a wall.

Once more she pushed off, legs carrying her as quickly as she could manage. Her weapon was torn from the cement, sparks scattered behind it as it was dragged for a couple seconds. Who would tire first? The Human or the wolf?

Blood dripped from her elbow as she watched the arrow soar towards the Shinigami. She knew it wouldn't do much, her opponent was quick and strong, able to deflect each of the arrows she fired. Worse, they had incredible reflexes able to keep up with her Hirenkyaku surprise attack. She couldn't keep distance, she couldn't break through their defences, and she couldn't protect herself from their blade. All in all, a fairly hopeless scenario. But instead of terror at such a hopeless situation Meridith felt calm now, the terror had subsided replaced by a cool calm acceptance.

She had nothing to be afraid of because there was nothing left for her to do. She would fight, and she would win, not just to save her own life, but the lives of every Quincy on the line if this Shinigami returned with word of her hunting. People like her family, like Kevin, like all the Quincy still hiding, afraid that if they protected loved ones, and innocent people that some reaper would appear in the night and kill them.

She wasn't wrong to hunt. She wasn't wrong to destroy that Hollow. The Shinigami had no right to hunt those who protected others where they failed. The Quincy didn't deserve to live in the darkness. This was the Quincy's world, to live in, to thrive in, to protect. Not theirs.

Meridith lowered her bow as the Shinigami closed towards her, watched as she crossed the center of the diamond of Ginto she had placed through their fighting. She could feel the bottled Reishi, densely packed, awaiting her command. It was a simple spell, the kind her Father would scold her for using. There was nothing elegant or artful about this one but the effect was undeniable. As Yuki passed the threshold Meridith let it loose. Reishi was pulled forth from the silver tubes and suddenly four bright blue lines burned away along ground linking the four containers. Yuki found herself surrounded.

Meridith closed her hand in a fist, finishing the spell as she pulled the Reishi out. The stored Reishi collected in the center of the diamond and exploded, a brilliant blue flash of flame and heat, utterly destructive unlike any of her arrows.

Smoke filled the immediate area from the force of the spell as the blue light died away. Meridith staggered, and sagged, her bow wavering. She had to treat her injuries, had to get out of here before more came. She felt the weight of her decision bear down on her, but her resolve held.

Blue flames erupted around her. The tubes. Yes. But this was different. Something she'd not seen before. Another trap? No. They were already starting to close in around her. The flames grew brighter. Hotter. She could feel them licking at her flesh, threatening to burn it away. The pain. So much pain.

I'll always protect you.

And then nothing.

Everything went black.

One enormous eruption of blues and whites spiraled upwards into the sky. Window panes shattered as the concussive force of the blast smashed into the walls flanking the battlefield. For a moment night turned to day within the alleyway, both in lighting and the warmth one felt beneath the sun. Smoke billowed outwards, threatened to choke anyone who got too close.

Yuki felt nothing. Saw nothing. Heard nothing.

For she was not in control.

The expanding cloud of black smoke billowed outwards as a figure burst free. Most of her robes were gone, incinerated. There were hardly any burns to be seen upon her body. No longer was her reiatsu a raging hurricane. Instead she was alight with thick black flames which dripped upward into the sky.

A howl cut through the night, not her voice but something more feral. Yuki's predatory gaze locked onto the Human. Her right hand snapped forth, held blade pointed towards the woman's chest. With all the force she could muster Yuki attempted to skewer her prey.

To end the hunt.

She felt the presence as the smoke began to dissipate. Heavy, weighty, choking. The weight of the spiritual pressure was cloying as she began to feel her own strength waver. The spell hadn't done it. The trap had sprung and there her opponent stood, battered but ready and howling into the night. Meridith stepped back, an expression on her face of not just surprise but her frantic attempt to come up with something, anything before the inevitable occurred.

The Zanpakuto raised up, pointed straight towards her heart. Here it was, the gentle rustle of wind as the reaper appeared, the sense of encroaching steel. Her long nightmare was finally realized. Meridith had no trick up her sleeve, she braced herself as her opponent launched forward. Defiantly she dug her feet into the ground, stood her ground and brought her bow around to bear. She'd figure something out, she'd find some way to stop this attack.

The blade crashed into her bow and the wild loose form fell apart instantly scattering reishi into the air in a bright flash. The blade continued undaunted and tore into her chest. The amateurish form of her bow ended up serving a purpose before it was near effortlessly destroyed, it served to deflect the stab a bare inch from a fatal arterie. The effect was immediate.

Her mind went blank, she was tumbling backwards but she could only register it in flashes, she saw Yuki, then the horizon, then the twinkling stars, inky blackness closing in on all sides. She made a strangled cry but found she had no air to scream. Her throat dried and closed. She hit the ground and realized it only moments later.

Then it all went black.

Crimson splattered across the pavement. The woman's bow had done little to obstruct Yuki's attack. Enough to save her, perhaps, but she had been run through none the less. As the Human stumbled back and fell to the ground Yuki stepped towards her. Her blade was raised.

Time to end this.

A howling gale briefly erupted from her body, eradicating the thick black flames which had covered it. Once more Yuki was in control. Her right hand fell to her side, only loosely gripping her zanpakuto as its tip clattered against the ground. Fatigue overtook her. Pain.

Did I really kill her?

Her blade was dragged forward, body leaning into it for support. Yuki's entire body trembled, not just from the fatigue or the pain but also out of something else. Fear? No. That wasn't it. Sadness? Almost. She didn't really know the woman. The woman attacked first. Yuki had just been defending herself.

Guilt. Guilt over losing control. Guilt over killing this Human. What if she had a good reason for attacking? Maybe she didn't know what a Shinigami was? Could she have done it out of fear? Surprise? Malice was still possible, but she didn't even know the woman! How could she hate someone she didn't even know?!

Okay, Yuki hated most nobles, but not all nobles! She wouldn't kill someone just for being a noble! Hollows certainly couldn't count either! They were just trapped souls. She was helping them. But this? None of this made any sense.

She crumpled to her knees, breath quickening. A little whimper escaped from her as her left arm pulled in close, settled into her lap, finally having grown too heavy and too pained for her to support otherwise. Or perhaps the whimper was from something else. Her eyes stung.

Why did you do this?

She drifted between the state, semi-conscious but unable to really think. She was battling through an ever encroaching fog. There was a sense of weightlessness to it all that she fought desperately again. She was being pulled upward and out. It felt comfortable to let go, to just accept that what was done was done and to fight no only hurt it was completely and utterly pointless.

She was almost gone but reached out, desperately, for something, anything to hold on to.

The broken blade she wore around her neck. She could still remember the day her father gave it to her, solemnly placed it over her neck and told her the history of the family. The moment of reminiscence almost had the opposite effect, she could feel that pull increase lulling her to a peaceful end. She fought against it, focused her mind on the image of her 'cross'.

She had worn that cross for a reason, because she was Quincy, because the world needed Quincy. It was so so easy to embrace a sea of circumstance, to throw up her hands and claim herself a victim of chance. Wasn't it unfortunate that a Shinigami had caught her? Wasn't it unfortunate she found herself in Japan? Wasn't it unfortunate that a Hollow had attacked her friend all those years ago? If only she hadn't been born into a family of Quincy. If only the Shinigami hadn't unleashed their vicious genocide a millennia ago.

But no, all of them relied on the choices people made. She couldn't free herself from the consequences of her circumstances by merely surrendering and deciding that fate had merely dealt her a bad hand, no more than could she forgive the Shinigami for merely decided to stamp out her kind. She was responsible for being here today, for killing that Hollow, and for being seen. She was responsible for deciding to fight this Shinigami because of all the decisions she had made that led her here.

That meant that she was responsible for losing, and that all the consequences that befell her people as a result rested on her.

So she couldn't let herself drift into that quiet final sleep. She'd rage against it with everything she had. If there was a chance then it was her responsibility to take it, no matter the cost.

Her body was broken by a trio of injuries, her blood was spilling into the ground around her. She was dying, she felt dead, maybe she was. The kind of damage was fatal for a human, but that was for normal humans, she was more than that. She was Quincy.

She focused on the image of her cross and used it to push past the fatigue that pulled her back towards the dark she was finally leaving. She could see the darkened sky, the twinkling stars. Meridith beckoned Reishi around her with all the effort of the last dozen feet of scaling a mountain. Slow at first, imperceptible she pulled the Reishi to her body, a nexus. She wore it around her skin, taking on a soft blue glow. The bleeding slowed to a step, held in by an effort of will. Her hand clutched so tight to the broken blade emblem around her neck that it started to pierce her skin. With her wounds closed, for the moment, the Reishi began to collect around her hand.

She was starting to move, at last. She staggered to her feet like a broken doll, her limbs hung as her legs trembled and she forced herself to her feet.

She stared at her opponent, her face a grim mask, stricken with fatigue. She had no weapon. Her bow was always a disappointment, always misshapen, always a mass of untempered reishi. Whenever she summoned it, it always felt as if she was trying to force the Reishi into a mould that did not suit it. No wonder it broke so easily.

She ripped her cross from her neck, hand bathed in soft blue light. She took one uneven step forward and wavered, looked as if she might fall and lunged suddenly towards the Shinigami, swinging her glowing hand forth.

What do I do?

She would be disciplined over this. Even the lazy captain of the fifth wouldn't allow such a transgression to go completely unchallenged. But that didn't really concern her. It never did. The unfortunate reward for being a noble and the unfortunate situation concerning those at the top. Their authority didn't matter to her.

Her parents would not have approved. This was not how she was raised to be. Killing Humans? Innocents? Well, potentially innocent in this case, but even so! She had raised such a fuss when Watari had slain all those people with poison, when he worked in the shadows to eliminate his opponents without mercy, and now look at her! This woman's blood was on her hands. Literally.

---

"Stop! Please!"

A rock slammed into her temple. She could feel her own blood trickling down her cheek. Everything went dizzy as pain dulled all other senses. Before she knew it she was on the ground.

"Leave her alone!" shouted one of the children. "You're going to get into trouble!" shouted another.

Blurred faces surrounded her. They were on her side, weren't they? Some of them were her friends. Claimed to be her friends. Then why didn't they help? Why didn't any of them help?

Pain erupted in her side. One of the boys had delivered a kick. It hurt. Hurt too much to think properly. She rolled against the foot, cradled her stomach, her ribs, and then she felt the foot return, felt it collide with her arms. Why were they doing this? What had she done this time? The answer always eluded her.

Don't lose control. Talk to them. Be kind and they will be kind to you. They are scared of you, but that is only because they do not know you. When they know you they will befriend you, and do you want to know the best part? Friends stand together.

Her mother was wrong. The world was wrong. She tried. Nobody could fault her for her lack of trying. But nobody was coming to save her either.

A hand gripped at her arm. Pupils constricted, teeth gnashed together, and a sharp growl emerged from the curled up pup. For a moment everything went red. She turned into the second boy, the leader of this two-man bully squad, and raked her claws against his face. Blood poured out from the wound. He was screaming.

She sat herself up, lips parted to speak, to apologize, as already she had regained composure. Hands gripped at her arms, pinned her to the ground. The boy she'd wounded returned, planted a knee into her ribs, drove the air from her lungs. For a moment she couldn't breathe.

Bloodied fingers pressed against the right side of her head, pinned it to the ground. The look upon the boy's face paralyzed her. Such anger. But there was something else too: a smile. Not a normal smile, but something off. His other hand held something metal.

Sunlight caught the blade as it dropped.

---

A sharp painful inhale drove her back to her senses. She was exhausted, not just physically but emotionally. Hurting. Her right hand lifted, shaking as it pressed to her eyepatch. The Shinigami's skin felt damp, chilled. Losing control once had cost her too much. Her eye. Her father. Her mother, in a way. What would she lose this time?

She attacked me.

It was just an excuse. Perhaps it might hold up in their court, but it wouldn't hold up in her heart. How could she possibly change the nobility? She couldn't even change herself.

A noise caught her attention, lifted an ear before she could lift her gaze. The Human stood! She was alive! But how? Yuki was certain that she'd hit her heart.

Alive!

Yuki was stunned. That familiar blue energy returned. Her eye widened in shock as her foe lunged towards her, swung her hand down towards her body. The Shinigami only had enough time to push herself to her feet, blade lifting overhead to block whatever might be coming. Her voice escaped, a single weak command. A plea.

"Stop!"

It materialized in a flash of brilliant blue light that lit up the surrounding block. A gleaming blade formed, bathed in the soft glow reishi. It crashed against her opponents Zanpakuto and forced it back. Meridith pressed her teeth tight together and stepped forth, pressuring her opponent's blade and attempting to force it away.

The broken bladed cross, a family relic of a long-forgotten age. A millennia ago it was a different emblem altogether. The blade was a symbol, a declaration of conflict to come. A bow could be used to hunt, but the sword was a weapon of war. Her family used to be so much more.

Meridith sneered at the command. Stop? This Shinigami sought to kill her, would kill her, certainly tried and all for the crime of defending another from a Hollow. The Shinigami had drawn their blade and approached from behind. Meridith defended herself and the Shinigami gave no quarter then. They struck to kill and Meridith survived not because of their mercy, so what then? Would she let her go because she was remorseful now that they were on the back foot?

"Go to hell!" she bellowed in reply and pulled her blade back before swinging it forth. A wave of reishi accompanied the horizontal slash, casting off the edge of the blade and carried its power against her opponent.

To protect her people, she would have to stop this Shinigami here and now but she had changed her mind in one way. After this, she was done hiding. Let them come, a thousand years of cowering was long enough!

For a moment Yuki's eye was forced shut. The light was blinding, and even after it reopened she was still seeing spots. But by then Meredith's weapon had crashed against her own, had forced it down and back, pressed it close to the wolf's body. Teeth gritted, feet dug in as she resisted the strike. A cry slipped free as the edge of her opponent's blade dug into her right shoulder.

FIGHT BACK!

The pathetic noise shifted into a growl. Her left hand moved up, gripped at the back of her blade to assist with her defense. Every second the pain grew worse. Muscles were strained, body trembled.

Stop! STOP! "STOP!"

With all the force she could muster Yuki threw herself back, stumbling away from the woman as her blade was freed to continue its powerful strike down. It had cleaved a fairly sizable gash in the wolf's shoulder, had even cut down to her collar bone in the front. Most of her torso was now soaked red from the two horrific wounds she'd suffered tonight.

"I SAID STOP!" roared the Shinigami, dashing forward again as soon as she had enough footing. It wasn't so much a command for the woman as it was for herself. She could feel it bubbling within her, that familiar rage. Yuki didn't want to lose control. Not again.

A sudden burst of energy carried her forward, another near-flash step, but not quite. She just needed to reach the woman before she could go on the offensive. Yuki's wounds were really starting to take their toll, and the woman before her had a renewed source of energy. At this rate she might not outlast her foe.

And so as she neared Meredith she swung. Swung with all her might, right for the woman's center. Every bit of energy she could muster. She didn't want to kill this woman. She really didn't. She was trying to help people, damnit! But how could she do that if she was dead?

There was a tone in her voice when she asked Meridith to stop that she had to steel her heart against. It wasn't truly a command, it was a plea. It might have been a plea rooted in a vast misunderstanding of the realities of the conflict but it was still an earnest one. And Meridith could see the way it might play out had she heeded it, a moment of peace, an end to the conflict. Neither would have to die...

Until the Shinigami returned with renewed orders to eradicate the Quincy. She had to accept the choices of her path and part of it was acknowledging that it was within her power to end this moment bloodlessly, no matter what else she had to own that truth. The next words from the Shinigami were no plea, they were an order. The moment it became clear this little Quincy wasn't listening, the veneer of civility melted away and the monster returned.

Meridith was a threat now, and she saw the way her opponent reacted to that reality, no longer a plea but an honest to god command. Meredith raised her blade up and stared her opponent down, beckoning, daring them to approach. Her vision wavered, the world shifted thirty degrees and she had to catch her breath. She blinked, and steadied herself, ground her teeth together. No. Not yet. Not before it was done.

Meridith watched her opponent approach and her body was already moving in response. She didn't have to be afraid now, she had formed a weapon capable of standing up the Zanpakuto, proved it twice before already. The force behind her opponent's blow was immense, but she was ready for it, and waiting. Her blade crashed against the Zanpakuto and held strong. The force sent vibrations through her body sending her staggering back but she managed to pull herself together quicker than her opponent.

The reishi collected around her feet, she swept forth, gliding across the ground and slashed hard, desperately upward from her opponent's torso up past her shoulder. She could feel it the moment she swung that she had given too much, way too much. She may have felt like she could take on the world but she was running on fumes.

The momentum of her movement carried her past her opponent, a dozen or so feet past. Her blade wavered and at last, vanished scattered into nothingness and she staggered, took one step forward.

And fell.

Blades crashed together. Her attack was held back, but it had forced her opponent back. Yuki took a second, just one little second, to compose herself before she continued her strike. Fatigue had set in. Again her blade swung down, only now with considerably less speed.

I tried.

The Shinigami stumbled forward, blade snapped at the asphalt, sent a few tiny shards of debris and an equal amount of sparks flying. Finally. Their battle was over. She could rest.

"Sorry" whispered the wolf.

She hadn't even noticed the spray of blood across the ground, or the thick line of red soaking through her already ruined bandages, many of which only remained stuck to her body because of the leaking crimson. One final horrific gash to mar her body. It was painful, yes, but fatigue numbed her senses.

The intensity drained from her eye, leaving it dull as she leaned forward, too far forward, and finally collapsed.

It really was a lovely night for a walk. Kevin could understand why Meridith had decided to go for her jog. What he couldn’t understand was why her little blip on his cell phone hadn’t moved for a while. At first, he thought she was just stopping and having a rest? Still, it seemed an odd place to be resting from what he saw on the city map dropdown.

Deciding he’d given her enough time to wait and realizing that she might be in more trouble again, Kevin loaded up his bag and bailed from his hotel room, getting a taxi to take him there. She might be fine, but if she wasn’t, he’d already have the car there to take her wherever she needed to go. He was scrolling through some American sports scores and making idle chat about how he needed the ride to pick up his sister when they finally pulled up.

”Keep ‘er runnin’, Chief,” he told the driver, doubling back and clarifying his request in a much more polite Japanese before heading into the alleyway. He hadn’t stepped foot in it before he realized that something was very wrong. He could smell blood, but the remnants of spiritual energy were very heavy in the air. Reaching into his bag, Kevin gloved up and rounded a corner only to find Meridith and some weird fox… thing laying face down in the alley.

”Oh, fuck!” he shouted, sending a cat that had been sniffing around scattering down the other end of the alleyway. He wasted no time, ducking down by Meridith and putting his finger to her neck to check for a pulse. She couldn’t be dead, not now, not after they’d just met. Had the fox thing been fighting her, or had they been together against some Hollow? Something in the air reminded him of the Crow, but he really wasn’t certain.

His worries about Hollow vanished as he found a pulse. ”There ya go. Takes tougher stuff than that to kill a German, huh?” he asked the unconscious Welsh girl. He gave her a quick examination for broken bones, having seen his fair share of sporting injuries in addition to his Quincy training. Finding nothing that should prevent him from moving her, he looked over to the other figure. ”Don’t worry, we’ll get you out of here. Just gonna check on your friend quick.”

Kevin didn’t quite know what to make of the thing in front of him. It had a sword and the clothes might have been what the stories told him Shinigami wore, but he’d always pictured them more as ninjas, and there was a serious lack of headband here. That, plus the ears and the tiny nature of the thing in front of him proved to be real head scratchers. Whatever it was, it was hurt. Kevin bent over and checked its pulse and, finding another heartbeat, decided to throw caution to the wind. After another quick and successful check that she would be safe to move, Kevin stuffed the sword on the ground back into its sheath at her side and loaded the unconscious Yuki up on one shoulder before going over to Meridith and putting her on the other.

A little tingling noise let him know she had dropped something and, with the aide of his cell phone light, Kevin was able to spot and pocket her cross. Loading the two back up, he effortlessly hauled them out of the alleyway. ”Hey bud, think you could take us to the nearest hospital?” Kevin asked, ”I think she might be a little drunk so nothing you need to call the cops on, but I’ll pay you extra if you can hurry it up.”

The trip wasn’t a long one, thankfully, and Kevin slipped the driver an extra 5000 yen for his haste. Hurrying off to the hospital, he got a wheelchair and loaded Meridith up in it, draping the invisible animal thing over his back like some kind of weird pelt and getting the two of them inside. Admissions were easy enough, though he wondered what had been able to knock these two out so soundly. He got her up to her room and, respecting her privacy, stepped outside while the doctors and nurses set about examining her and changing her into a hospital gown.

Once he’d been forced out into the hallway, he walked down to the cafeteria, the 80 pound fuzzball still hefted onto his shoulder, spotting a really nice outdoor garden on his way. ”Shit yeah, that’ll do fine,” he said to no one in particular. It took him a few moments to find a nice comfortable bench. It seemed as good a resting place as any for a spirit. Surrounded by nature and whatever funky healing spirits that must dwell in Japanese hospitals? This thing, whatever it was, should be up and running in no time.

Just to be sure, he fished in his bag and procured one of the little charms he’d picked up at the shrine he had given the Bird its final rites at. ”You get better now, weird little dog thing,” he said, patting it on the head and sliding the charm into its palm. Content that he’d done not one but two good deeds for the night, Kevin returned to the cafeteria, snagged the best available pudding options he could find, and made his way back up to Meridith’s room.

Pulling up a seat near her bed, he set an array of butterscotch, chocolate, vanilla, Oreo, and banana cream pudding for her selection. ”Eh, oreo’s probably a no go for recovery, right?” he asked the medically talented Quincy and, mimicking her tone in a feminine “mmm hmm,” set her cross down on the tray in the place of the Oreo before finding himself a nice resting spot to enjoy his justly earned reward in one of the guest chairs.

“She’s where?”

Watari’s scars itched as he dropped his cigarette onto the ground and stomped it out. The runner from the detachment of his house he specifically had established to watch Yuki Kameko had just finished delivering a report that she was battling an unknown enemy that they hadn’t seen before on Earth. The detachment was purely for surveillance purposes, keep an eye on her and if she did anything obscene, report back, usually when Yuki was in Soul Society they were disbanded, but when she left? Well, Watari had to make sure she’d come back.

Ah it didn’t matter. Watari snapped his wrist and a Hell Butterfly crawled from his sleeve and sat upon his fingers. He threw open his office door and glided across his estate, his hands snapping in the air in front of him. It’d be too hard to trace or leave it to the servants to find out the name of the town. Really they were just there to report back, most likely he’d still need to wait at least an hour to get location details - this was the problem with trying to keep her privacy, if he got them to track her location, then she’d be offended if she ever found out. So he didn’t even do that. The messengers were literally just glorified pigeons.

Watari searched the confines of his robes and unravelled a scroll as he travelled. On it was an etched circular symbol in black ink with four quadrants divided up. As he exited the build and crossed the gardens his hand snapped to the page and he chanted.

“Heart of the south, eye of the north, finger of the west, foot of the east, arrive with the wind and depart with the rain."

The Head snapped his other hand out as he called the Kido to life and the circle illuminated with blue energy that flickered with numbers as the “Demons” sought the location of Yuki Kameko. The Hell Butterfly took flight, activating the Senkaimon and just as Watari stepped through it, he knew where she was.

“Bakudō #58. Kakushitsuijaku (摑趾追雀, Summoning of the Tracking Sparrows)”

-  -
Moments later a glowing gateway would open in the gardens of a hospital and Watari would exit it to find the battered and beaten remains of Yuki Kameko.

Watari stopped and crouched by the broken and burned Shinigami at his feet. She was still alive - just. It seemed like her avid desire to fight had finally caught up with her but what had done it? The injuries were unlike anything he’d seen from a Hollow or a Shinigami. This was something new - something different, in a way it reminded him of Raphael but this wasn’t Raphael’s psychokinetic work - he somehow doubted the Human was capable of this.

“Kenpachi don’t lose” he muttered as his finger ran along the gash in her body. Shinigami? No, this weapon burned as much as it slashed. It was completely foreign to him and that was uncomfortable.

An unknown enemy defeats one of the most promising Shinigami in Soul Society and then leaves her for dead? It was a sign. A sign he would keep under wraps for now. Watari muttered a quick numbing Kaido to at least dull the pain of the wounds and then picked up the unconscious Yuki before vanishing back into the Senkaimon.

Yuki would later wake up in the third division medical rooms, unsure who had brought her back that night.

Watari had confirmation as well, war was coming.

//EXIT