The Rule of Two: Execution

The Coming of Age
The sky was a bright grey color as the equally reflected shade of the boat floated along the waters of the vast Pacific Ocean. Off in the distance was a thin strip of land nearly 6 miles long, and near it's edge rested a great mountain that was circular in shape, and had a very wide and flat top. The island was rather lush and green, but no trees could be seen.

On the boat rested three passengers with a single driver. They had been at sea for nearly a day, yet they all appeared to be rather calm and normal. The most notable of them was the large, indian pose sitting Kafiezial, his position remaining the same since they had left Okinawa. His eyes remained closed as he spoke to the other male passenger.

"Iwo Jima is it now? I never thought we'd be coming back to this place again." he said with a calm tone.

"Me, neither...." Qilin commented, his arms folded across his chest and one of his legs shifted over the other. His raven hair gently billowed in the light winds being created by both the travel as well as the environment around them. "I honestly thought we would end up someplace else. But I almost forgot that we had this place..." He turned his head towards the silent Evelyn, giving an encouraging look and smile. "Sorry if you just turned in over there. None of us were expecting the welcome party the Black Wolf gave us to turn up, so...."

"It's fine...." Evelyn answered smoothly. "I've always been a nomadic woman when it comes to life, so there's really no change."

"The life of a nomad tends to leave one better connected with the world." Kafiezial added to no one in particular.

He then opened one of his eyes and looked in Qilin's direction. "I'm going to assume that you haven't come back here since the time that we finished forging Surebachi's interior?" he said, his voice not changing.

Qilin shook his head. "Nope." He admitted, leaning over the boat in order to get a better view of the approaching island. "Never thought I'd needed to use it again ever since that...."

Evelyn's expression took on a surprised composure. "Surebachi...?" She repeated in question, "looking" over at the two for an explanation.

Kafiezial opened both eyes and looked in Evelyn's direction. "Surebachi is the mountain on Iwo Jima. About a century or so ago, Qilin and I, along with several others, reconstructed the interior of the mountain to house a sort of "training area." Here we fought and practiced, or just outright fooled around."

He chuckled slightly at his next sentance. "The unique thing about it is that we designed the mountain's interior to have a sort of "time warp" effect to it via methods that I would rather not explain. It would take days just to explain how it started. But Surebachi's interior completley dispells the effects of time. You could stay in there for a year and only a day will have passed in real time."

"I wanted to use it in the case that I couldn't satisfy a certain time limit under normal conditions." Qilin added. "The inner workings have a certain pattern and concentration of spiritrons within. These spiritrons within the dominating presence of the atoms in the Material World are influenced and warped to the point where their presence can alter the very area's "sense" of time. Just a mistake turned into one of the greatest inventions created...."

"So I hear...." Evelyn commented, giving an appropriate nod. "Will there be anything there to undo the damage to my arm? Although I can risk fighting with one hand, I prefer not to."

"Last I checked there was a medical area somewhere in that mountain." Kafiezial said, his eyes closed as he retained his meditave pose. "We'll fix it as soon as we get there, you have my word." he said in his signature calm voice. Clearly he cared for Evelyn's well being, but it wasn't to a deep extent. His attitude was one of friendliness, he cared for all that he considered his friends.

"Thank you..." Evelyn said softly.

Right as the words left her mouth, the boat landed on the shore of the island, Mt. Surebachi just a little ways from them. Kafiezial then stood himself up. "Well we'd better get moving, I hear a storm coming." he said as he began to walk off of the boat and onto the greyish colored sands.

Slowly, Evelyn stood up from the boat, picking up her staff in her lone hand as she did so. She hopped off, her sandals landed on the sandy grounds of the island. Qilin followed suit with a more jubilant air, letting out a whistle as he stretched. He turned back towards the driver, giving a wave.

"All right, thanks for the ride!" He exclaimed, to which the driver gave an acknowledging nod. With the passengers evacuated, he gunned the boat again and drove off, the vehicle making its away across the waters and away from the island.

As the trio trecked up towards the entrance to the bottom of the mountain, Kafiezial stopped and looked up to the top of the mountain and watched the American flag gently flowing with the wind. "I'm glad we didn't take that down." he said to Qilin, who was behind him. "It gives the mound a strange sense of...freedom."

"What...?" Because Evelyn couldn't see, it was natural that she would inquire as to what they were referring to.

"The American flag." Qilin answered. "I'm surprised it's still lasting with the times, long as it's been...." He folded his hands behind his back, a slightly innocent look on his face. "Hope that this won't be an exception, though...."

The Visored then came up to a large boulder in the side of the mountain facing them that looked as if it was obviously placed to block an entrance. "We really have been away from here for a long time..." he said as he used his right hand to push the boulder out of the way with little effort, making the large rock roll to the side just enough to where they could all get inside. Kafiezial moved out of the way and allowed the othe two to enter first.

"Ladies first."

Qilin grinned, stepping aside for Evelyn to enter. As she walked by him, she stopped to give him an acknowledging nod before stepping inside. He followed in afterwards, knowing that Kafezial would just trail behind them.

As he continued to walk, his eyes couldn't help but drift to the woman that was walking in front of him. Although the kimono she wore was nonetheless made not to show off anything, he couldn't help but note the curves of her hips and legs as she walked. The split in the bottom of her kimono that showed off part of her leg wasn't helping his thoughts. Idly, he wondered if Kafezial hung in the back, knowing that Qilin would suffer.

However, he kept his cool composure, eventually drifting his gaze to the side.

Kafiezial then let his crow fly into the cave along with them before rolling the boulder back into place. The hall would have been completley darkened had it not been for the glowing blue light balls that appeared to be that of a lightning bug when viewed from afar.

"Not like this is going to stop him, but oh well."

As he thought to himself, Kafiezial slowly followed the other two companions. His crow quickly flew off of his shoulder in exchange for that of Evelyn's right shoulder, gently perching on her with it's body facing the direction that she was walking in.

"How does it not dig its claws into her shoulder while it's doing that?" Qilin wondered, watching the crow's movements as it landed on the woman's shoulder. She didn't show much reaction to it, seemingly expecting the movement of the animal. If the crow was truly digging its talons into her shoulder, she wasn't showing any emotion or reacting in any manner. She could certainly put on a mask when she wanted to.

The Visored then came closer to the duo and eventually he passed them both, reaching and putting his left hand on a stone shaped door. With a blue glow, the wall disappeared and revealed a surprisingly advanced medical room with various pieces of equipment. Kafiezial then looked back to Evelyn and Qilin.

"Here is where we can get your arm patched up." he said to Evelyn, before turning his attention to Qilin. "I assume you remember how this stuff works?"

"Yeah, yeah, don't start talking to me as if I have Alzheimer's." Qilin muttered. "I'm not an old geezer...." He folded his arms across his chest, walking over to stand beside Evelyn as she remained silent.

"Not like me you aren't." Kafiezial humorously added, slightly amused at his friend's annoyance.

"Will you be going somewhere?" Qilin questioned him, looking over in his direction. "We'll need at least one person to oversee this and make sure everything's going perfectly. I mean...." He shrugged nonchalantly. "It's no big deal if you're busy, though...."

Kafiezial held up his left hand to stop the man's words, his voice reassuring. "Don't worry. I'm here to stay until this mess is all resolved."

As they talked, Qilin looked out of the corner of his eye. Evelyn had her face turned away from them, politely trying to stay out of the conversation. He shifted his face towards her, a sheepish smile on his face and a hand scratching the back of his head. "I'm sorry about this. I normally have Tamafune tend to this kind of stuff, considering you're both female and all, but time is of the essence."

Evelyn turned her face towards him in return, quirking an eyebrow at him. "It's just my arm. There's no need to worry about an issue such as privacy, is there?"

"Well...."

Qilin's shoulder's sagged, his voice trailing off as he looked for the right words to say. He turned his gaze towards Kafezial, aware of how he acted around the likes of women. "Kafezial, do you mind giving us a moment to talk between each other?"

"Sure..."

Without another word, the Visored vanished from view, his crow now flying off of Evelyn's shoulder and off into the back of the cave.

"Now, then..."

Qilin turned towards Evelyn, who had taken to sitting on the bed with one leg shifted over the other. He folded his hands within his sleeves, his eyes closed. "I called Kafezial out of the room because he'd be too much of a...well...gentleman, to ask directly." He explained, one eye opening as he approached her. "Matter of fact, I'm not really sure that he'd be too thrilled in what I'm about to ask you."

"Which would be...?" His light and casual tone, despite his words, was making Evelyn a bit wary.

"Aside from your arm..."

Reappearing outside of the cave, the Visored leaned up against the wall and crossed his arms, his crow flying around the island aimlessly.

''Ah Qilin. You never cease to amaze me...''

His thoughts trailed off as he looked to the distance and saw a shadowy figure, letting his crow land on his left shoulder like Evelyn did to it previously.

Whoosh....

Letting the crow fly off, the figure Flash Stepped in front of the unstartled Kafiezial, his black trenchcoat drifting behind him as he looked up to the Visored with an almost sheepish face.

"...Master."

It only took several seconds.

In those few seconds, however, a miracle had taken place. Visually, it seemed to have come right out of a horror movie.

Evelyn's stump of an arm first started to bubble like a liquid. Then, skin, muscle, and bone began to stretch out in a wild and frantic manner as if trying to escape her body. At first, it looked like only thickened strands of flesh lumping together. However, once those strands merged, they began to expand to the width and length of her arm. The muscle and bone were sealed under smooth skin, and it wasn't long before the hand and fingers formed. Within an extremely short time, every thing was back into place aside from the sleeve that had been torn off.

Qilin grinned, clearly pleased with his work. He stepped back, allowing the woman to work out her arm and test it. "There! Good as new, as if it had never been cut off in the first place!" He exclaimed. "I'm certain there won't be any issues in the long run... unless, of course, you end up getting it cut off again..."

"I'm not foolish enough to make the same mistake twice." Evelyn said simply, resting her healed arm in her lap. "But, thanks for the concern." She allowed herself to slowly get off of the bed, grabbing her staff and holding it in its usual standing position.

"Right..." Folding his arms across his chest, Qilin turned away from her. "Like I said, the offer's still up whenever you decide to come back. I can understand you're probably not comfortable at this particular time, and that's fine. But... do make sure you decide and not leave me out of the loop, kay?" His last words were said with a rather joking tone, and it made Evelyn smile a little.

"Of course..."

"Now, then, let's get to Kafezial... the poor guy probably felt like he's been waiting for hours..."

"...You seem to have grown boy."

Kafiezial's position hadn't changed as he began to converse with his former apprentice. His eyes were half-lidded slits and his arms were crossed as he leaned against the rock wall, his voice calm and collected as usual. Rushifa stood straight up while looking up at his towering master.

"I have to grow up sometime, don't I?" he said while letting a slight smile crack his face.

"Have you grown though?" Kafiezial said back, retaining his pose. "From what I see before me, you're still the lost and confused boy that came to me years ago."

Rushifa's face then became sheepish once more and he looked down, his voice solemn. "Look, about what I've been doing..."

His master cut him off before he could say anymore. "You've been on quite the killing spree, from what I've heard." he said with his same voice. "I guess you really are lost now. Did my teachings tell you nothing?"

"They taught me to find my own path." Rushifa added, still looking down. "I thought that I was on the right path. I thought that making them all suffer for their ways was my destiny. Trying to change the world for the better...but...." He then looked up towards Kafiezial with a slightly less sheepish face. "...something's come up now, and I find my resolve hindered further."

The Visored chuckled slightly, the look in his apprentice's eyes gave it all away. "You love her, don't you?"

Rushifa's eyes widened in surprise to his master's ability to read his face as if hearing his own thoughts, but it went back to a calm and somewhat happy voice. "I've never met anyone like her in my life. Temari I cared for sure, but Brina is just...."

"She has an affect on people. Let's leave it at that." the Visored said in good humor. He then looked down at his apprentice with a serious glare afterwords. "I know why you're here Rushifa."

His apprentice gave an equally serious look. "When you start a storm..."

"...you have to finish it." Kafiezial finished, putting his right hand on the boulder guarding the cave entrance. "Maybe there is hope for you yet." he said as he pushed the boulder aside, revealing Rushifa's form to whoever could see from the inside. "Go ahead. Just try not to hurt Qilin any."

"Thank you, master." Rushifa said as he looked into the cave, his form standing straight up and his trenchcoat flying around behind him.

Needless to say, it didn't bode well for the people that happened to see him.

Qilin and Evelyn immediately stopped in their tracks like deer caught in head-lights. Their expressions conveyed nothing but surprise, but Qilin's expression was more prominent. "Wait a minute, Kafeziel?!" He exclaimed, blinking repeatedly. "Look, you may have a neutral hand in this, but really, opening the door for him? Don't just show him the way to us!!"

The Visored looked back into the cave with his eyes closed, his head poking out of it's side for them to see. "I didn't open it for him, I opened it for you." he said, with a hint of amusement towards his friend's reaction.

Multiple anime veins appeared on the back of Qilin's head, and he fixed a comically angry glare at Kafezial with piranha-like teeth. "You're a liar! Go and die. Please, just go and die now!"

Despite Qilin's comical mood, Evelyn remained silent. Her focus was on Rushifa and Rushifa alone as he stood outside the cave doors. She took in a deep breath, exhaling softly. She could feel that familiar anger stir within her, her hand gripping her staff tightly. However, she now understood. Her daughter really had a presence within his heart, and he had a presence within hers. It was just too late to kill him or be killed without consequence. Unless they stopped their arms, this would only end in tragedy.

But she couldn't ignore the fact of what he had become. He had taken many lives just to reach her, both innocent and guilty. He had come all of this way just to hunt her down and end her life. He had made her his amusement and his entertainment, turning his own revenge into a game of cat and mouse. It was despicable and without pride. At these thoughts, her eyes slowly opened up to reveal an angered, blank stare in her enemy's direction.

This could only end one way.

Rushifa's gaze was equally solemn as his blood red eyes looked straight into Evelyn's blank ones, his right hand gripping the black handle of his katana tightly as he slowly began to unsheathe it, letting the scabbard fall lifelessly to the ground.

"Evelyn..." he said with an empty voice. "...top of the mountain. Meet me there."

WHOOSH!

With a Flash Step, he vanished from her "view", presumidibly reappearing at the area he previously stated. The storm Kafiezial mentioned earlier becomeing more and more visible.

Calmly, Evelyn kicked off her sandals and let them collide against the rock wall. With Rushifa gone from her sights, her expression lightened up as she looked towards Kafezial. "Kafezial... if I am to be killed... and if you happen to see my daughter or husband again..." She said softly. "Please... tell them I love them. They deserve to know that much, after how I left them behind..."

The Visored's body was in full view, his arms dangling at his sides as he acknowledged her request. "You have my word." His eyes then closed as a breeze calmly made his hair flow to his right side. "Remember Evelyn. Listen to the wind when it beckons you."

"I will..."

That being said, Evelyn tracked the boy's signature and used a Flash Step to instantly appear a distance in front of him.

Though she could not see, she could feel the wind picking up as the storm approached. A chill went down her spine at the feeling, her kimono billowing softly in the winds. It only served to fuel her fire, mentally preparing her for the battle that was to come. She swung her staff out to the side, revealing the three-pronged blades of her Yari. Throughout this, she had a smile on her face, her eyes still open as she "looked" at Rushifa.

"I thought you would be more excited..." She commented. "This will be the last time we'll get to see each other, so it'd be better for one to savor every second of it."

"There's nothing to savor." Rushifa solemnly said, his eyes nearly as blank and solemn as Evelyn's. "I finally realize that all of my actions leading up to this moment were no better than the one that you commited on me." He backed up from her a little, not out of cowardice, but to give them both space. "I don't want to fight you. I don't hate you any more for what you had done to me and Temari. But I started all of this back with that train in Tokyo. I need to finish it."

"Noble words..." Evelyn remarked, brandishing her Yari in a preparing stance. "It's a shame that I don't agree. You may have changed your mood. But it still doesn't change the fact that you killed so many. You and I both know that you'll never redeem yourself. You chose this path, so you'll just have to face the consequences. Whether that means death at my hands or retribution by someone else, I don't know. But, I will only ask one thing of you."

"And what would that be?" he said back to her, a slight smirk coming across the right side of his face.

"If you live through this... if you hurt my daughter in any way... I'll be there to chop your head off."

She had said it. Her forgiveness of her daughter... her forgiveness of him... both of those had been conveyed into one single statement. It was a genuine statement, despite her guarded and composed tone. Now, she simply waited for his response, even as the storm continued to gather over them.

Rushifa's face became shocked, she actually approved of their relationship?!

He shook the thought aside and closed his eyes, bowing his head before her in a respectful manner. "I promise. I'll keep her safe from any harm that may come to her." he said to her in a respectful tone.

"See that you do..." Evelyn twisted her Yari around, her body tensing up as she did so. Her hands moved and her wrists flicked, spinning her weapon around in a preparing manner. "But that's only if I don't kill you first. So if you're going to fight me, fight me with what you had before. I won't settle for anything less."

Then, she lunged.

No longer did she hold the elegant and natural grace that she had in their first two fights. Now, she was attacking with the ferocity and aggressiveness of a tiger. She swung with immense speed and power, holding nothing back as she struck again and again. With each and every blow made, her heart raced in excitement. If there was anything that Rushifa taught her, it was to enjoy battle while she could still participate in it. She would never tell him, of course... but she was going to enjoy every bit of the fight instead of letting her killing desire overwhelm her.

Just this once, she would let go of herself.

He didn't need to be told twice.

Letting his fight loving grin take over his expression, Rushifa held up his glistening white katana with it's hilt facing the sky with both hands in a blocking position. The two weapons slammed into each other just as a bolt of lightning struck the distant ocean, it's booming thunder noise reflecting the impact just at the right moment.

Switching his weapon from left to right to continue his blocking motion, Rushifa's arms shook with every blow that he blocked. Clearly Evelyn was trying to enjoy herself, and it was only appropriate that he do the same.

Finally swiping his weapon to his right and parrying one of her oncoming blows, Rushifa then brought his sword back towards her, aiming to hit her around her throat area.

Woosh...

The woman stepped back accordingly, the blade passing by her throat. She could feel the slightest wind on her skin chill that area as the metal was swung. But she didn't allow herself to stop, continuously flipping her spear as well as her body in order to keep the pressure on her opponent.

Rushifa was slightly taken aback by Evelyn's willingness to continue her assault. Even he knew that this was somewhat odd for her. But he shook the thoughts aside, retaining his grin as he continued to block her strikes.

Ducking to avoid one of her horizontal swings, Rushifa squated down and pushed his right foot towards her, aiming to trip her and leave her exposed.

With the shift in movement, Evelyn bent her knees briefly before performing a frontward leap, her body flipping around in an elegant flip. One of her hands kept twirling the Yari in a pinwheel, mirroring the move she had used in an attempt to corner him in the train. The weapon spun like a fan, threatening to split his head open with its user's cutting strength.

Rushifa was forced to duck his head further down to avoid the swing's lethal edge, though he could feel a slight cut come across the top of his head as he did so. Had he been just an inch higher his head would have been split like a melon.

Twirling himself around like a top, Rushifa spun around to meet where she would land, thrusting the point of his sword towards her form.

Clang!

The blade clashed with one of the corner created by one of the right angles of the three-pronged blade, batting it away and allowing for Evelyn's safe landing. She twisted herself around in a retreat, flipping her Yari over her head before swinging it off to the side in a readying position.

Rushifa regained his standing position, pointing his blade at her as rain began to fall on both of them. "Having fun yet?" he asked in a playful manner, his fight loving grin remaining.

"And here comes the rain..."

Slowly, Evelyn allowed herself to stand back up, closing her eyes once again for a moment as she readied her weapon in a more defensive stance. The droplets picked at her skin with a cold feeling every time they hit her body, and their influence made the wind feel even colder. But it didn't phase her any. It might as well have been a mild aggravation made by nature, as far as she was concerned.

"If I didn't enjoy this..." She said, keeping her serene tone. "I would have never bothered to fight you in the first place."

"Fair enough." Rushifa responded, still smiling as his sword began to glow with a bluish hue.

"Put them down, Puraimaru Gunsuringa!"

His elegant katana transformed into his large, gun cleaver sword hybrid that he was infamous for using with a flash of dark blue energy.

"You know...ever since we've started fightning, I've not had the chance to see your Zanpakuto's release any..." he began while holding the weapon pointed at her, his hair now soaking wet and hanging all around his head. "...why is that?"

"It doesn't suit my fighting style..." Evelyn said simply, pointing her blade at him in response. "I prefer not to use it in combat directly unless I have to. It's nothing but a hindrance to me."

"If increases your power...you just might need it here in a few minutes."

CHITOW!!!

He then discharged an augmented Kido Bolt in her direction, before quickly lunging at her form, aiming to throw her off balance with the two seperate attacks and leave her vulnerable.

All Evelyn had to do was shift her body to the side to avoid the attack before stepping back into her normal pose. She thrust her weapon forward at his approaching form, using the bigger length of her weapon to her advantage in order to keep him at bay.

Rushifa spun himself horizontally to the left, barely avoiding her thrust before regaining his footing and spinning around from the right side, his blade positioned to cut her in half.

Mirroring his movements, Evelyn spun in order to evade the strike. His blade nicked her clothing on its flight path, but there was no damage done to her at all. She had evaded the attack literally by the skin of her clothing, her movements precise and controlled with each and every step that she made. The wind and rain could not unbalance her spinning form, nor could it stop her Yari's revolving path as she swung it in an elegant spin attack.

As he met her strikes with his own defensive moves, Rushifa remembered all the times that he had with Evelyn when he was just a boy. How he constantly annoyed her with his attempts to see Temari, and how he began to view her as his own scolding mother, a mother that he never had, and how she began to see him as a wild and aloof son. It was at this point in time that he remembered how much they truly cared for each other deep down, how their lives were ruined and seperated, and how the gap between then and now was full of nothing but hatred and resentment. But finally, he remembered...

...just how much he actually cares for Evelyn now.

The woman could see that.

Even now, as she continued to engage him in combat, she couldn't feel the killing intent to the degree that she had felt before. There was no malice or anger in his attacks anymore; just plain resolve. It was impossible to think that what he had said before was nothing more than a lie to catch her off-guard. He really didn't want to kill her, but he wanted to finish what he started back in the train. But what would it mean in the end?

Would she kill him?

Would he kill her?

Their weapons clashed together with a powerful burst of wind, lightning bolts struck the distant ocean and the rain seemed to stop with their powerful lock.

Rushifa then pushed himself away a good 20 meters from her and held his sword towards her with both hands, it's sharp blade beginning to bristle with cyan energy tendrils.

"I've only used this one other time. If there's anyone I would want to use it on for the next time, it would be you, Evelyn..." he said, just before the ground around them began to shake as he looked up at her with his red eyes changing to silver.

"BANKAI!!!!!"

A massive beam of blue energy then shot out towards Evelyn's form. If she didn't move it would undoubtably devestate her.

Of course, she moved.

But only by a hair.

As the energy raced by her, she could feel the very power it exerted lick at her arm. She was silhouetted by the shot, her body's detailed darkened into a thick shadow. What penetrated through the darkness that briefly overtook the area were her widened eyes. But because the visual darkness had consumed her, this gave off an eerie and frightening image to stare at; a shadow figure, staring at its victim with eyes exported straight from insanity.

Of course, Rushifa gave off an equally terrifying image as well.

When the blast cleared, Rushifa was now holding a much larger version of his gunsword, with various new parts to it's form. Behind him, a string of spiritual energy manifested itself in the form of a silver wolf, staring back at it's foe with determination.

"Pakku no Tsubasa Hanta"

He then swung his blade down to his bottom right side, a flurry of wind being produced as he did so, before he sprung at Evelyn with a much faster version of his previous form, the silver wolfing following him close behind.

"Let's go Evelyn!!!"

CLANG!

When Evelyn swung her spear in order to parry the attack, she instinctively skidded back in order to avoid the threat of the silver wolf trailing her opponent. The only thing that seemed to change was the very form and shape of his weapon, although it was only to a minimum at best. Other than that, the only thing she had to pay attention to was the hound that stayed at his feet. If she wanted to beat him, it would take a lot more than just masterful sōjutsu.

She would have to think.

Rushifa then skidded back as well, but his wolf came to the opposite side of Evelyn. She was essentially trapped between the two beings, and it was only made worse when Rushifa pointed his weapon at her and began to charge a high powered cyan Kido bolt in her direction.

PEEOWW!!!!

Making an electric whistling noise as it discharged, the bolt flew towards it's target, and the silver wolf behind her charged at the same time. Both were planning to inflict major damage upon their prey.

It was here that Evelyn seemed to have made a tactical mistake.

With the obvious pass that the wolf made by her, it was easy to intercept it with the sharp end of her spear and put it out of the way first. But that would've been assuming that Rushifā and the wolf were two separate entities. Under such circumstances, that would've been a fatal fact that a reckless or novice mind would declare to be true. Of course, she was far from a novice.

So she decided to allow herself to fall into the trap that he set for her.

Because the bolt was flying faster, she didn't have to worry about them closing in at the same time. She pulled her shoulder back and bent her back to once again barely miss the shot directed towards her, then slammed her three prongs into the ground. With a twist and swing of the spear, she unleashed a power-backed strike. The wind was enough to throw the animal back from its charge.

And she was right.

The animal was no more than a projection created by the user's Bankai as a means of distracting Evelyn and leaving her open for an attack. The silver creature yelped before fading away into the storming wind, and the bolt flew off into the distance.

But she had left herself open.

Rushifa then charged towards her from behind. As her attention was focused on the silver wolf earlier, he was now capable of dealing a deadly blow to her upper right back area.

Her reflexes kicked in.

Before he could initiate the attack, she spun around again to face him, her feet sliding against the sandy earth of the island. Her weapon was swung horizontally, coming from the side opposite of the hand that held the weapon. Her blindness was essentially the only thing saving her from being gravely wounded, her other senses picking up his movements without the need for focus. In that moment of attack, she idly wondered how it would've been if she still had her eyesight...

Her parry forced his weapon to swerve to his left, but his now silver eyes continued to feast upon her form with a sort of primal glee. Clearly he was having the time of his life fighting her.

As his weapon brought itself around in a circle along with it's twisting user, it began to glow with a sort of cyan fire, signaling that his next sword strike was going to be far more stronger than it previously was. It came right back around to Evelyn, preparing to cut her left shoulder and other following body along with it.

It wasn't intelligent to gamble with an enhance of an enemy's power.

Instead of blocking it, Evelyn allowed herself to skid back even more. Her eyebrows were furrowed, and she started spinning her Yari in one of her hands in a idle motion. She gritted her teeth slightly as she retreated, knowing that it would be harder to keep herself to the sōjutsu level only. But she really had no way of striking unless she could drag the fight on.

After all, he was the one using Bankai...

He landed back on his feet with his still glowing sword hanging at his right side, he was breathing slightly heavier than before. Perhaps his Bankai was taking a toll on his body?

Shaking the thought off, he brought back his grin and flew towards her in a fast sprint, discharging another powerful Kido bolt towards her as he did so.

She could hear it in his breathing. There was a certain hitch and irregularity within the rhythm of his inhalation. His Bankai, as predicted out of the common belief, was taxing him to some extent. It was another reason she never preferred to release her own in combat. It was a means to expend her own energy too quickly, leaving her open to counter-attack.

But she also knew that offensive power was in his favor, at least in terms of the shots. She couldn't deflect them like she would have with his Shikai shots; they were just too powerful for that. All she could do to counter his shots was evasion and maneuverability. One shot could potentially throw her off her balance, if not critically injure her outright.

WHOOSH!!

Suddenly, the younger Soul Reaper Flash-Stepped out of her current "vision" and reappeared just above her, discharging another powerful Kido bolt down upon her.

Unbeknowest to her, he was honestly looking for a way to end the battle quickly. At this point in time, Rushifa was done with vengeance, done with murder and terrorism. He wanted to start over, he wanted to explore the world not as a wanted criminal, but as a simple traveller, seeking to find powerful foes to battle and hopefully call friend. He hoped that when this battle ended, maybe Evelyn would finally refer to him as her friend, whether or not she killed him or spared him mattered not to him. All he wanted at that point in time, was a friend.

All he had to do now, was wear himself down until he was left open for her final decision.

With a Flash Step of her own, Evelyn had re-appeared right behind him with her spear held back behind her, the staff gripped in two hands. In the midst of the wind, her hair and kimono billowing in the winds. She swung, bringing her full arm strength into her blow. It was becoming generic to attack him in such a manner at this point of the battle. But what else could she do for the time being?

Rushifa hadn't expected her to move in such a fashion.

But he was prepared.

As he felt her attack inching closer to him, he uttered a few words as he began to bristle with a bright, silver aura.

"Ikari no Hoko" ("Howl of Rage")

Suddenley, the aura around his body rapidly expanded like a massive burst of spiritual energy that would be powerful enough to fling his opponent a good distance from him and allow him to recover. As the wave blew up, one could hear several angry wolf howls in the distance.

"!!"

Shocked by the sudden exertion of energy, Evelyn was blown back. However, she managed to catch herself in time, skidding on the very air and hovering at an equal level with the top of the island above the water. She was on one knee, her staff held by one hand and out to the side. Her other hand was resting on what would've been the ground if she was standing on it. Slowly, she stood up, readying herself as the howls rang in her ears.

It was such a powerful sound... yet it felt so empty...

Rushifa landed on his feet, but they were trembling, as if he was about to give way and fall to the ground. Using his sword as a crutch, he turned himself around to face her, his breathing much heavier than it was before, and blood running down the left side of his head. The gash that she had inflicted on him earlier was finally showing it's sign.

"You....you haven't..." he started, before the breathing took over his words. He raised his sword as if he was going to fire a shot at her, but his trembling arm instead discharged one into the ground, causing the weapon to fall from his hands and onto the wet ground. He was too tired to even hold his weapon.

He then slumped down on his knees, his body hunched over, but still conscious.

"You win..." he managed to say past his breathing.

You win.

It was two words she would've never expected to hear from him. Her eyes widened in surprise as she lowered herself back to the ground, her weapon held in an idle stance by her side. For a moment, she held that stance out of pondering, wondering what she could do. She could slay him and avenge her fallen comrades... but, her daughter had fallen in love with him. If it was possible for him to connect to Brina, then he couldn't completely be a heartless and chaotic killer. What would killing him do to her daughter...?

She breathed in, slinging the blades back to their hidden position in the staff before standing it beside her.

Rushifa tilted his head up to where his eyes could see her own, almost anxious looking.

"I guess I was wrong then..." he began, chuckling slightly as he spoke. "...you aren't going to kill me. But why?"

"Your actions spoke louder than your words." Evelyn said bluntly. "From the start of this, you showed me that you truly were unwilling to pursue me for my life anymore. Whatever my daughter did to you... you seemed to have changed from your self-destructive path. If I killed you here, then where would that leave the one who loves you? It would be a repeat of history, and that is something that I wish to avoid at all costs."

She turned her face away from him, closing her eyes. "So be glad that I decided to be merciful to you this time."

He chuckled one more time before standing himself up, still shaking slightly from the toll that his Bankai had put on him. "And I guess....Kafiezial managed to change...your way of thinking to, eh?"

"...Rushifa...?"

But before Evelyn could say anything further, she was hit with a sudden signature that came up just behind Rushifa - a signature that she had only recognized all those years before.

The hesitant voice came from a figure who was approaching them cautiously, covered in a hooded and black raincoat. Despite the hood covering her head, her face was clearly visible. Her expression was nervous and anxious, one of her hands held up to her mouth in hesitation as she slowly walked towards Rushifa.

The man's eyes widened in surprise as he too recognized the Spiritual signature all too well. He turned to face the being, and as he did so, began to walk towards her slowly, albeit still with a limp.

"...Brina?"

There were no more words needed.

With a Flash Step, she closed the distance between them and threw herself at him, throwing her arms around his shoulders and burying his face in his shoulder. "Oh, thank God you're still alive!" She whispered, slight tears coming to her eyes. "I was certain one of you would've died here!"

Rushifa was slightly taken aback by the move, and he nearly fell trying to keep ahold of her, but he stood his ground and gently wrapped his arms around her upper back and the back of her head. "It's okay....it's alright Brina..." he said with a pleasant tone as he continued to hug the woman he loved. "It's over now. We're done fighting."

As they hugged with the rain pouring all around them, all Evelyn allowed herself to do was watch. Noticing Brina again brought back the painful memories of what happened in the Gotei 13. The attack, the stab in the back, and the victimization made by her allies were the first images to come in her head. She bore a weary look, the rain suddenly becoming more and more chilling to her bone. Her daughter was happy with Rushifa... but what about her?

What would be between mother and daughter now?

Rushifa then looked down at Brina, running his hand through her hair gently. "How did you even get here? Let alone know that we were here to begin with?" he said with a smile.

Around them and the rain, a gentle, almost soothing breeze could be felt gently touching their three faces...

Brina smiled back, putting her head on his chest and allowing him to rake his fingers through her hair. "What can I say, other than the gift you gave me bringing me here?" She asked him.

He gave a gentle grin and a slight chuckle as he continued his motions. "A gift? What did I give you?" he said, oblivious to what she was speaking of.

The tone in his voice caused Brina's expression to shift from kind-hearted to a face that said, "You're kidding, right?"

She pulled one hand off of him, reaching into her coat torso to pull out the silver cross attached to the necklace she was still wearing -the same one he had given her back at their dance. "Don't tell me you forgot about this so easily!" She chided him, a slight frown on her face. "You're smarter than that."

He then gave her a sort of "Got ya." look as he pulled out his own cross necklace and showed it to her.

"I know that. You didn't honestly think I would forget about these things just over three days." he said in a slight teasing tone as he kept his hand on her back.

"Don't tease me like that!" Brina complained, putting on a pouting look as she slipped the necklace back into her coat before placing her hand back on his shoulder.

He laughed slightly as he hugged her again tightly, his strength slowly returning. "I am sorry, Ms. McTavish. Do you forgive me?" he said to her with a joking voice.

Brina rolled her eyes, her smile turning into a slight smirk. "Yes, Sureiya..." She answered him, a bit of sarcasm in her tone. "I forgive you."

The man snuggled her one more time, before going on. "Heh, you know, we..."

Suddenley, a strange feeling came over Rushifa's more keen senses and he looked up behind Brina. His eyes widened in shock at what he saw before him and his girlfriend. Reacting quickly, he pried Brina off of him and threw her to his left quickly. Time seemed to slow down as he watched her fall, his eyes locked onto hers in a worried manner.

SCHTICK!!!!!!!

And it went back to normal as a blade ran through his chest, his eyes changing from worried to shocked and confused as the blade ran through the center of his chest and out his back. He had shoved Brina out of the way to keep her from taking the blow in his place.

"Such a useful toy you were." a voice said, revealing itself to be the origin of the attack.

It was a blow that woke up the sense of both Brina and Evelyn.

The girl's eyes widened as she was knocked aside by Rushifā, initially surprised by the sudden use of force. However, it lasted only a few seconds before that very same expression changed into horror once she heard the sound of metal penetrating flesh. Her pupils dilated, the brown of her irises overshadowing her eyes. Although she regained her balance quickly, her body immediately froze afterwards.

"NO!"

Her anger rising to the surface, she gripped the handle of her sword and drew it, her blade swinging in an attempt to decapitate the one that dared to hurt her lover...

But she wasn't the only one.

With a Flash Step, Evelyn had appeared on his other side, her three-pronged blade unsheathed. Her blind eyes were narrowed, and a disdainful scowl was clear on her face as she swung in conjunction with her daughter. Unlike Brina, she was not attacking the enemy out of anger, but out of the understanding that the bond that she was trying to preserve would be severed if Rushifā died here. She refused to let it happen - not when she had chosen not to repeat history.

Despite wearing a full mask, one could tell that Auron was grinning with satisfaction.

Violently pulling the sword from Rushifa's chest, the Arrancar blocked both of the strikes on his sides, locking them with his two blades, before flinging both of them back with a sudden burst of Spiritual Pressure. Twirling the blades around like rapid fans, he readied himself into a battle stance as he continued to direct his words to his victim.

"You've changed quite a bit Rushifa..." he began, still grinning behind his white mask. "...I asked for a slaughter, and by the Primera you gave me a slaughter."

His victim was now on his back, wheezing and holding his chest wound tightly, the blood beginning to surround his entire body.

Both females were quick to keep themselves from falling too far.

Because Evelyn was the stronger of the two, she managed to keep herself on solid ground and only had to skid back while maintaining her standing position. She bent to one knee as she stopped, digging the bottom of her spear into the ground in order to keep from being pushed back too far. Her daughter, however, lost her ground completely and forced off her feet. She was forced to perform a backflip in order to land safely, quick to stand back up again.

With a Flash Step, Evelyn threw herself at her target again, her spear flipping and spinning as she attacked.

Giovanni reacted in an appropriate manner and spun his swords around in his trademark fan maneouver before forcing them to violently clashing with his new foes weapon. After maintaining his locked position for a few brief seconds, he quickly pushed himself off of her spear and then quickly used his Sonido to reappear behind her, his swords swinging down on her in an attempt to decapitate her.

Rushifa on the other hand, began to pick himself up with his left hand planted on the ground, trying to holster himself up with it as he held his wound with his right hand, blood pouring from it and his mouth as he looked to his lover.

"B..B..Brina..." he gasped out, before falling back on the ground, a splash of blood following his fall as he began to wheeze and breathe heavier.

He didn't need to say anymore.

With a Flash Step of her own, Brina was crouching beside him. She lowered herself to sit on her knees, ignoring the feeling of the rocks. "Just hold on, Rushifā!" She exclaimed, her hands hovering over his chest. They started to glow a bright blue - the start of the Kidō healing process. She glanced over her shoulder just in time to see Evelyn duck and counter-attack. It was a nonverbal agreement; Evelyn was providing a distraction in order for Brina to get the man to safety.

Auron continued to parry his foes attacks as the younger woman healed his victim's wounds.

"I...I..." Rushifa began as he felt the Kido energy enter his body. "...I...promised her..." he said as he gently put his left trembling hand on the right side of Brina's face, slight tears coming from his eyes as he managed to let out a weak smile.

"...I promised her...I'd....keep you safe..." he said to her as she healed him, his bleeding now ceased.

The touch, as cold as it was in the chilling rain, brought about a sense of bittersweet comfort for Brina. She began to relax, keeping her concentration on the wound while keeping her eyes locked with his. It seemed like a mirror to what had transpired before; her mentor trying to heal her while her father fought against the Prophet. That time, it had been nothing more than a failure, and she was forcibly left to die in the snow.

This time, she prayed that it would be different.

Rushifa moaned slightly as he slid his hand down to her shoulder, an attempt to comfort her, to let her know that it would be alright. His grip was becoming somewhat weaker and more trembling than before.

CLANG!!!!

Giovanni slammed his left sword onto Evelyn's Yari spear as he began to speak to her, a slight hint of mockery in his dull russian voice. "So tell me...where do you think the little bastard got the bright idea to kill every Soul Reaper he sees?"

To this, Evelyn remained stubbornly silent, her slitted eyes glaring into Giovanni's as she fought against his strength. However, it was obvious that she was waiting for an answer to his own question. It just wasn't in her nature to speak to opponents she had no particular interest in.

Twirling himself around to block a vertical strike from her with his right sword, the Arrancar continued to speak to her with his signature voice. "It was me. In my mission to find the Spiritsmith, I felt inclined to get...."

He then swung at her from her left in an attempt to sever her from her waist up. "...creative."

Accordingly, she dodged and leaped back from her opponent, once again readying her staff defensively. While her ears listened to each and every word he said, she also kept her focus on the battle at hand. She gripped her spear in both hands, her expression full of hostile concentration. Other than that, any emotions were unreadable.

Giovanni brought himself around and pointed one of his swords at her in a challenging manner. "The boy was grieved and confused after his training with his Visored friend." he went on. "And as I'm sure you know, a lost mind is quite easy to manipulate."

He then prepared to fire a green Cero from his pointed sword. "I found him outside of the human country of Russia, wondering around searching for answers. Through his damaged and fractured mind, I convinced him that Soul Reapers were the enemy, how they were all corrupt and unjust. How they were all just like you."

The Cero then shot out from his sword and threatened to engulf her entire form.

It was a move that would've threatened her... if she wasn't prepared.

With expert precision, she thrust her spear tip straight into the Cero, manipulating her own spiritual energy and focusing it into her weapon. The energy beam connected, splitting into straight tendrils all around her. Her hair and clothing billowed violently in the pressure of the attack, but she did not allow herself to falter.

"I hope you yourself don't believe the words that you speak..." She said vehemently, ignoring the vicious energy current as it pushed against her.

Then the Cero stopped it's onslaught and cleared away.

Only to reveal that it's source was no longer in his same spot.

Reappearing just above her, Giovanni threw one of his swords down at her form.

"I do. I was there, and he'll tell you the same thing."

CLANG!

Bringing her staff up, Evelyn blocked the strike and twisted the staff around to parry the move. She twirled her body around to face him, her eyes closed but the scowl still on her face. "I admit that I have done wrong to him in the past..." She said, a low yet cold tone made of her voice. "But one who says that all of our kind is corrupt knows nothing about it. You are nothing but a fool and a manipulator who uses someone for their own personal gain. If anything, you would be considered the corrupt one, going so far as to toy with another's emotions like you have. And for what?"

Catching his sword back into his hand, Giovanni gave her an equally cold and empty stare. "Because this is what Lord Ultharon willed. I needed the Spiritsmith to reforge my lord's weapon, and I knew that using Rushifa as a means to kill all of these Soul Reapers would get him to worry for his own safety, and in the process, draw attention to his whereabouts."

He then pointed his weapon back at her. "I knew that eventually the boy would end up finding him."

"And what makes you think you can convince a Soul Reaper to carve your master a good weapon...?"

"Because he will have no say in the matter."

From behind her emerged a daunting and powerful voice. Giovanni stepped back slightly and went into a bowing position, laying his swords to his sides.

"Lord Caius."

The being was a massive humanoid Hollow with a large set of bone like armor and a black flowing cape flying around behind him from the storm. His skull like head's red eyes peered into Evelyn's form as he sat upon a large Adjuchas level horse like Hollow, the beast breathing out black ash from it's nose as it too stared at Evelyn's form. On the back of the horse was another figure that initially couldn't be made out.

That was what made Evelyn spin herself around in surprise, her body twisting to face both the Hollow and his riding animal. She had caught the passenger's signature immediately and recognized it right off the bat. It didn't help matters when that particular passenger spoke, a comically despairing tone in his voice as he spoke.

"I hate my life..."

And if one could see, he was crying an anime waterfall of tears with both of his eyes.

"Who...?" Brina whispered, staring in disbelief as she continued to keep watch on the progress with Rushifa's wounds.

Giovanni then stood himself up, grasping his swords as he did so. "Let me introduce to you my master: Caius Louisenbairn."

The being looked down at Evelyn and gave her a respectful nodd, before speaking. "I'm afraid that I'm going to have to borrow your client, Mrs. McTavish..." he began, his beast shaking it's head briefly. "...Lord Ultharon's last will demands his compliance."

From behind Brina and Rushifa emerged a staggering and bruised up Kafiezial, looking as if he had just emerged from a fight.

"Damn...I never expected him to be here." he said to the the duo, using his sword as a crutch.

"He defeated Kaffy...?!" Brina thought, her eyes widening as she spun around to face Kafezial for a moment before spinning around to look at the horse rider. "But... he doesn't even have a scratch on him... and from the looks of things, I don't think he even bothered getting off of his horse to fight at all...!" She spun her head back to face Kafezial, her expression showing only slight worry.

"Which one of them did that to you?" She asked immediately, her eyebrows furrowing.

Where Evelyn stood, she also furrowed her eyebrows after closing them once again. The power of his spiritual energy was quite phenomenal, outmatching that of even her own. If this was the one to have defeated Kafezial, then there was no chance of her being able to stand up to him. She took in everything about him, including the calm and polite demeanor that he seemed to display in contrast to that of Giovanni's.

"He's going to shove a thing in my butt!!!" Qilin wailed childishly. "Save me from this big, skull-faced pedophile rapist!!!"

....his words were not fitting with the tense situation, and it almost made Evelyn slap her face in embarrassment.

The Vasto Lorde simply laughed in a sinister and noble voice as Qilin spoke. "There is no need to be afraid right now Spiritsmith..."

He then looked back at his hostage with peering red eyes. "That part comes later."

Kafiezial chuckled a little bit before crouching next to Rushifa. "Caius did. I tried to protect Qilin from him, but he is too powerful for me. All I could do was blow wind at him, and even that didn't do much." he then looked up at Brina with a bit of a friendly look. "It's good to see you too, Brina."

Giovanni rested one of his swords on his shoulders and tilted his head to the right. "I suggest giving up Soul Reaper..." he began. "Lord Caius has only been defeated in battle once, and that was nearly a thousand years ago. I doubt that you would be able to do much against him."

"...Evelyn, if you pull me out of this, I will pay you double of what I was going to!" Qilin's eyes immediately diverted themselves away from his captor and onto Evelyn, his expression a mixture of anger and pleading. "I plan to live a good life, and making a sword for domination purposes is not one of my life-long goals!!!"

The statements made Evelyn clench her staff tightly, her pose defensive as she registered what was going on. She knew that despite his arrogance, Giovanni was right. Even if she fought him, she would only be beaten just like Kafezial was. As much as it pained her to do it, she would have to pull back for the time being. Qilin would have to fend for himself.

To Qilin's shock, she retracted her blades and lowered her head. "...I'm sorry, Qilin. But there's nothing I can do now..." She muttered, knowing the chances were against her.

"...you're a sucky bodyguard." Qilin muttered, a sulking expression on his face. "Why do you have to be so logical and not the overly passionate type?"

"Passion leads only to devestation, my friend." Caius added before motioning Giovanni facially.

The Arrancar bowed slightly, before turning and opening a large Garganta portal. He looked over and glared at Brina in a sinister manner, before walking through the portal himself.

Caius in the mean time let his voice get somewhat higher as his horse began to ready itself to move. "I thank you for your cooperation, Mrs. McTavish. I assure you that your client will be returned unharmed. Unless he refuses to cooperate."

His horse then let out a deep bellow as it stood itself up on it's hind legs for a few seconds, before charging through the portal at great speeds. The black hole then closed as the heroes were left to their devices.

"....is everyone all right?"

Evelyn immediately spun around to face the rest of her comrades, slight concern on her face as she slowly approached the trio. Her movements made Brina freeze immediately, her eyes expressing nervousness and anxiety as her mother came closer and closer.

Kafiezial managed to stand himself up without using his sword as a crutch as he looked over to the approaching woman. "We're fine."

He then looked down at his apprentice, who was now breathing slightly better than before. Rushifa held out his right hand towards Evelyn as she approached, having a tired expression on his face. "E...Evelyn..."

"Don't speak." Evelyn abruptly cut him off, her eyebrows furrowing. "You need your rest. I didn't spare you so you could exhaust yourself to death." Her voice held a stern nature within it, holding none of the hostility she had spoken to him with before.

Rushifa let out a slight smile and coughed slightly before laying his head back down on the hard ground, letting Brina continue her work.

Kafiezial walked past Evelyn and looked out into the clearing skies. "Caius is alive. It's worse than I imagined."

"....that bit was kind of obvious from Auron's introduction of him, Kaffy." Brina said bluntly, giving a cock of her eyebrow and a slight frown at Kafezial. "And I don't think this would be a good time to talk about him. We need to move Rushifa inside." She looked down at her patient, concern and worry clear. "I for one can say the ground isn't a very comfortable place to lie on for far too long--"

TOOT!

The sound of a ship's horn could be heard in the distance, cutting off her sentence and drawing her and her mother's attention away from the group. "A ship...?" Brina stated in confusion, cocking a slight eyebrow as she peered into the distance.

Sure enough, the same cargo ship that Rushifa used to get to Okinawa was heading straight for the island, the rising sun just behind it. It was clear to Rushifa who was boarding the ship and coming their way.

Rushifa, hearing the ship horn, groaned as he tried to sit himself up from the ground. "I had...a feeling...they'd show up."

"Who?" Brina asked in confusion, keeping her eyes on the ship as it continued to come forward.

Finally sitting himself up next to his girlfriend, Rushifa chuckled as he too looked on to the ship, holding his chest with his left hand while keeping himself propped up with his right. "Three apprentices to the Spiritsmith. I got in a little scuffle with them when I arrived at Okinawa..." His words then went to a pained cough as he leaned onto Brina's shoulder as a means to keep himself from falling back down.

"Only one of them is going to be happy to see me...I'm sure..."

"From the speed that the signatures are approaching, they seem to be coming at a very fast rate..." Evelyn said smoothly.

"They are." Kafiezial added as he folded his hands behind his back and closed his eyes, tilting his head down and letting his hair flow with the breeze.

SLAM!!!

Within just a few seconds, the ship slammed into the side of the large mountain and caused it to shake slightly, comically forcing Kafiezial to lose his balance and fall on his back.

"Should have seen that coming." he said with his eyes turning into large hypnotic swirls.

"Nice job keeping balance, Kaffy..." Brina snickered.

Evelyn herself did not waste any time. After she managed to regain herself, she quickly ran over to where the ship had crashed and stood on the edge, reaching out with her senses. "...all three of them seem to be fine..." She reported. "And I sense no one else on the ship. Everyone other than Rushifa himself must've been taken care of..."

GURCH!!!!

Out of nowhere it seemed, a disturbingly large wad of blood shot out from Rushifa's mouth as he fell onto the ground backfirst, his eyes widened and his pupils dialated. His body began to jerk around and he held his chest with both hands, the only noise leaving his mouth was a blood curdiling scream of pain.

"Ggggh....aaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!"

It was the reaction that made both Brina's and Evelyn's eyes turn abruptly.

"Oh, no..." Brina whispered, horror evident on her expression as she turned her attention back to her patient. "Rushifa?!" She jerked her hands over to him once again, her palms glowing with the Kidō healing energy once more.

Rushifa looked into Brina's eyes as he continued to jerk and groan. His red eyes were slowly changing from their crimson shade to a faint grey.

Kafiezial immediatley picked himself up and Flash-Stepped over next to his fallen apprentice, hovering his hand over his head and closing his eyes, as if trying to feel something. His eyes then calmly opened themselves up to half slits.

"His Spirit Chain has been severed."

That almost cost Brina's heart to stop its beating pattern right then and there.

The spiritual chain was non-existent on spiritual beings who had already passed to the Soul Society. However, the spot where it came from was still an important asset. If it was damaged, the victim would lose their Shinigami powers and never be one again. It was something that would leave them at the mercy of their enemies, without any means of defending themselves.

The fact that Rushifa looked like he was dead didn't help matters.

"No... nonononono...." She whispered, her hands cupping her mouth as she leaned back from his body. Tears were brimming from the edges, threatening to spill down her face.

Rushifa then exhaled, his body now going into a disturbing relaxed state as he tilted his head over to look at Brina.

"B...Brina..."

He lifted up his trembling hand and placed it on her face once more gently, a weak smile on one side of his face. His now grey eyes looked into her brown ones with a strange sense of happiness, despite all that had happened, he was full of joy that he had finally found someone that could fill the gaping hole in his chest. He was happy that his rivalry and hatred for Evelyn was gone forever, he could die knowing that his regrets would be gone from his mind. His regrets for the slaughters he had commited in the past vanished from his head, as did the memories of them as well. All in all, he felt...

...complete.

He uttered three words.

"...I...love you..."

His hand then fell onto her shoulder, and then onto the ground, presumidibly lifeless.

Any other woman would have given up at that very moment.

For when Rushifa dropped his hand from her and to the ground, Brina's eyes dilated. The dam that she had always thought to be so strong and steady broke, her tears streaming from her eyes. She gritted her teeth, grief and sorrow clear on her face. Her shoulders began to shake, and it became harder and harder to keep herself from breaking down completely. If she wanted to know if it was okay to cry... she had to make sure.

With a shaking hand, she lifted two fingers and placed them on his neck for a pulse.

......

......

......

......

....pump

......

......

......

......

....pump

The pulse was weak, but it was still there. Rushifa was merely unconcsious, but it didn't mean that he wasn't in bad shape. He could still die at any moment.

This pulse was enough to lift the unforgiving burden from Brina's shoulders, a smile breaking through her grieved demeanor. She jerked her head downward, her hands moving up to her face to wipe her tears away. "H...he's in pretty bad shape..." She said hoarsely. "He won't make it, and I don't think my healing prowess is enough to get him through this...."

"He'll make it."

The elder Visored, breaking his silence, then picked Rushifa up from the ground and slung him over his massive shoulder as he began to walk away from the others. "Come. We have little time and I'm going to need both of you." he said as he jumped off the mountain, his apprentice still in tow.

The Visored's lack of speech caused Brina to look up in comical disdain as he disappeared, one of her cheeks puffing out in annoyance. "No, don't check to see if we're even following you or not, you jerk..." She grumbled, slowly bringing herself to her feet. Kafezial's lack of social grace irked her as much as her perkiness irked him. It made her wonder just how exactly they became friends...

"Brina."

That was when she once again froze in her tracks, her comical demeanor fading into her more tense one. Even when her mother's footsteps sounded behind her, she could not bring herself to look. She was seriously expecting Evelyn to give her a severe tongue-lashing, a berating on the past. It was only logical; she had literally stabbed her mother in the back and left her to die.

But instead of a verbal assault, she felt the elder woman's hand rest on her shoulder. That gave her the courage to look and see that her mother's eyes were shut once again, and that a neutral frown was on her face. "We can talk about what has happened on the way, if we can." She said calmly. "I'm sure we both have a lot to say to each other...." There was no hostility in her words, nor was there any bitterness. It was as if she had overlooked the betrayal completely. It shocked Brina completely, her eyes widening and eyes dilating slightly.

"Y-yes...!"

With that being said, Brina quickly stepped away from her mother and jumped off the mountain in order to follow Kafezial. Evelyn was not too far behind her.

Recaping Fragile Memories
....Fuck....

Deep within Rushifa's mind, the pain from the stab wound had all but gone, leaving only a sore chest that prevented him from moving. He lay in a white bed within a rather large room with various pieces of medical equipment and a few sofas for guests to sit in. His mentor, Kafiezial was no where in sight, but it didn't stop Rushifa from barely cracking one of his eyes open to see who all else was in the room with him.

"I see you're finally awake. Sleep well?"

The first voice to greet him was that of Evelyn's voice. She stood over him, her eyes closed once again but her face directed so that she was "looking" down on him. She had her arms folded across her chest, having abandoned her staff for the time being. The staff, however, was leaning against the wall right beside his bed.

The younger Soul Reaper let a weak smile come onto his face as he heard and saw the woman in front of him, his eye widening a bit. "Well....I feel...a helluva lot better than I did earlier....How long...have I been out?"

"At the very least? Probably for four hours." Evelyn admitted. "I never did keep track of time..."

He then closed his eye and let his mouth go into a neutral frown as he let out a deep breath, before speaking to her again. "Where is...Brina?...Is she....alright?"

"She was..." Evelyn paused for a moment, as if unsure of her next words. "...quite anxious about your condition. She's waiting outside of the room. If you want to talk to her..." She trailed off, unfolding her arms across her chest. "I can go fetch her for you."

"Actually..."

He then used his left hand to reach for a green button on the left side of his bed away from Evelyn without changing his head's pose. After finding it and pressing it, his bed began to tilt itself up to where it looked as if Rushifa was sitting up, albeit still leaned back on the beds upper half as he looked over to her.

"...I would rather...talk to you...while we've got some time..."

The tone of his voice was impossible to question. Evelyn gave a nod of her head in acknowledgement as well as the statement, "Of course." Her own tone was serene, gentle, and complacent. She maneuvered herself over to a conveniently placed chair and sat down in it, shifting one leg over the other.

He then looked over to her and gave a slight exhale before scoffing and looking away towards the left wall. "Man, I don't even know where to begin..."

Evelyn smiled a little, folding her hands within her lap. "There is always the part where you're most comfortable with." She said, trying to encourage him on. It wasn't that she was overly curious of what he had to say, but rather she wanted him to say what he wanted to without forcing himself.

Rushifa looked back at her and gave a similar, albeit still weakened, smile, his now grey eyes half lidded as he looked over to her. "Yeah...I do feel kind of...comfortable right here in this spot."

His smile then went into a neutral frown as he went on, his voice getting slightly stronger, and even had a hint of resolve within it. "Evelyn....everything that I've done...I know that there is no salvation for me now. I know that...I'll never be forgiven for what I've done to all of these people, innocent and guilty alike. I let a bastard Arrancar fool with my head just to further his own goals. Hell the Spiritsmith is gone now and is going to be used for god knows what, because of me..."

A small tear welled up within his left eye as he continued. "And I've made your life a living hell for the past few days, and you deserved none of it."

He turned his head back to where it was looking straight ahead, the right side facing her. "...I won't ask you to forgive me. I know that it's out of my reach.....I just want you to know...."

"...I'm sorry.....for everything."

For a moment, Evelyn was silent. She turned her head away from him and lowered it slightly, contemplating what he just said. To tell the truth, she felt that he never really needed to apologize in the first place. After all, he had found his way from the path of self-destruction to a better one. He had made a love out of her daughter - someone who she had thought abandoned her emotions upon committing the act of betrayal on her person. To her, he had seen the error of his ways and was ready for her forgiveness - even if he thought he didn't deserve it.

So, with a gentle hand, she reached out and let her palm rest on his cheek. She turned her head back in his direction, the small smile returning. "I understand. For years, I thought you would've never spoke to me in such a manner. I always assumed that one of us would end up killing the other. But now that we have, I'm glad to see this conflict end with both of us unharmed. For that... I forgive you."

Rushifa's eyes widened a little bit, not in surprise, but in happiness. He hadn't expected her to forgive him right then, but rather later on. But he was content with this decision, and closed his eyes in comfort as her hand touched his cheek, his smile slightly showing his teeth as he spoke. "Thank you Evelyn....Thank you..."

"Remember what I told you concerning my daughter." Evelyn warned him, slowly taking her hand off of his cheek and returning it to her lap.

He let out a slight chuckle as he heard her parting statement. "Hey, I'm in this position because I...kept my promise." he said in a light-hearted, non hostile voice.

"Speaking of which, we should...probably let her in to...let her know I'm alright.." he finished.

"Of course..." The woman answered, allowing herself to stand back up. She reached over to grab her staff before walking away, placing the tip out in front of her like any blindness-inflicted person would do. It was obvious that she wasn't trying to use her spiritual senses like she was before - a move made to conserve her energy. She hated to admit it, but even she was getting old despite her appearance as a young woman. Plus, she had gotten out of two fights, so it wasn't as if she got off unscathed - at least, to a physical degree.

Without further word, she stepped out of sight.

Rushifa then leaned his head back on his pillow, closing his eyes as his mind drifted off into deep thought, reflecting on how he felt suddenley alone.

...Puraimaru Gansuringa.....I can't feel you anymore....

Sure enough, his Zanpakuto that had helped him carry out his slaughter for so many years was now gone, vanished as soon as his mind drifted into unconcsiousness. In a way, he felt kind of happy. Maybe now that his bloodlust for Soul Reapers was gone, he could restart. Find a new Zanpakuto that could help overcome his weakness....

During the mist of thoughts he was in, he was greeted by a set of arms wrapping around his shoulders, a body pressing itself against him, and a hoarse, sobbing voice reaching his eardrums.

"R-Rushifa...!"

It was Brina, having buried her face into his shoulder and crying her eyes out.

"O-oh, god... I was so sure that blow was going to kill you!" She said, clearly upset by his near-demise. "But you made it, you made it, you made it..." She stopped herself, her tearful voice unable to continue speaking words.

Needless to say, he was completley taken aback by the move.

A slight groan of pain emerged from his mouth as he felt the woman's arms wrap around his shoulders, clearly he was still sore from the blow he had taken. Had it been anyone else, he would have probably attacked them with a barrage of curse words and angry condensed words...

...but he knew by her voice that she couldn't help it. She loved him, just like he loved her. It actually made him happy that she was this concerned for his safety, made him feel wanted and loved, a feeling he hadn't felt in years.

With a low and weak exhale, he wrapped both arms around her upper back gently, and spoke to her in a calm and reassuring voice. "Shh....It's alright...It's alright Brina....I'm fine..."

"I swear to God... if I had only allowed myself to see it coming, I could've saved you from this..." Brina sobbed, her hands grabbing the front of his shirt out of a desire to express frustration. "This was all my fault, and I swear I'll make up for it in any way I can...I'm not going to let you get hurt like this again...!!" Her words, although shaken, held a strong resolve overshadowed by her emotions. It was the result of the attachment she had gained towards him and the mutual bond.

Rushifa himself could feel torn by the words the woman spoke.

Gently stroking her hair, the man spoke to her in his reassuring voice. "You never could have...seen it coming. He caught me off guard too. And there's nothing to make up....as long as you're safe, I'm happy."

His words rendered her silent for the time being, save for the sobs. But it only took several seconds for her to stop, her sobbing reduced to hiccups and then back to mostly steady, but still shaky breathing. For a moment, she remained silent and even allowed herself to coo at the fingers running through her scalp. His touch always relaxed her in moments like this, and because of that, she didn't let go of him.

"I.." She whispered, after the moment of silence had passed. "I would've never thought that I would act this way about anyone but my family... I must be farther away from my old days than I thought, huh?" The last part of the sentence was said in a joking tone, although her voice was still weak.

"Or maybe I'm just that charming." he said to her in an equally jocular manner, still smiling towards her.

"Or that..." She said, laughing a little afterwards. Reluctantly, she allowed herself to part ways with him in order to sit in the chair that her mother had sat in before. Inwardly, she really wanted to sit on the bed with him, but of course, that would've been quite awkward. So, she settled for folding her hands in her lap and shifting one leg over the other. "I..." She blushed a little. "I really am not sure what to say here..."

He looked over to her as well, slightly reluctant that she left from his proximity, but unfazed otherwise, his voice feeling somewhat awkward and nervous.

"I uh....about what I said...before I conked out...." he began.

"You loved me?"

Brina allowed herself to look up, her eyes squinted shut and a smile on her face. With the light blush, she was presenting herself with a bit of a cute flair. "It's funny..." She commented. "Because it feels like you already said that to me long before..."

"Maybe I did..."

He then managed to sit himself up a little more, albeit grasping his stomach and groaning slightly as he did so. "...but I meant it on both occasions."

He couldn't help but admire the expression that she was giving him. Truly, he was a lucky guy.

"I know." The girl tilted her head to the side a little as she spoke. "And... I bet you could've already seen it due to our moments together. But I want to make sure that you're completely assured. I love you, and that's something that won't change for a long time..."

"I love you....."

Those three words were in a statement that he had never heard before. Not from Temari, not from his friends, not even his own parents. The only lovable gesture his father had given him was a hand on his shoulder, which in itself said the same thing, but still it was reassuring to hear the words, especially from Brina. So he let a weakened smile come across his face and a slight nod.

No words were needed.

And even if there were, he wouldn't be able to speak them.

The door to the room opened to reveal Kafiezial, no longer bruised from his apparant confrontation with Caius, and his tattered outfit still the same.

"I see you've finally decided to join us. Feeling alright?" he said, crossing his arms as he leaned his right shoulder against the wall.

"Been better. Certainly better than the crap you put me through, master." Rushifa replied in a jocular tone.

"You'll never feel worse than that, won't you?" the Vizard replied in an equally jocular manner.

"What will we do...?" Brina asked, her voice quiet upon remembering the situation Qilin was in. "About the Spiritsmith person, I mean...."

"We?"

Kafiezial turned his head slightly over to Brina, retaining his position. "Your mother and I have been talking, and we think it's best that you and Evelyn go to find him first, while Rushifa and I remain here to get him freshened up and back on his feet. Hopefully with a new Zanpakuto. The time chamber is a perfect place to do so."

"Time chamber?" Rushifa asked, slightly puzzled at what his former mentor meant.

Kafiezial looked back at the younger Soul Reaper. "Long story. The short version is, Qilin and I invented a chamber within Surebachi for situations like this. You can do 10 years worth of training within about three hours."

Rushifa gave a comically whining tone as he began to cry an anime of waterfall tears. "Ten years? In a big rock? C'mon even you couldn't handle that!"

The conversation immediately threw Brina into thought.

She wasn't new to the concept of halting time within a specific area. It had been introduced to her in the archives of the Winter War in its later stages. So, she knew what to expect. In a total of three hours, Rushifa would re-gain his Zanpakutō as well as his power - something that would relieve her somewhat of her concern of him. However...

"Ten years?" She puffed out her cheeks in comical annoyance, folding her arms in a pouting manner. "So Rushifa'll be ten years older than me? That's not fair..."

"Relax..." Rushifa stated, now somewhat stronger than he was before. "...In Soul Reaper years, I'm already at least forty years older than you. Ten more shouldn't make much of a difference." he said in a lighthearted, reassuring manner.

"Oh, that's even better!!" Brina mocked, throwing her hands up in the air in frustration. However, it was clear that her gestures were out of humor and mirth more than anything else.

After chuckling a little with his girlfriend and her antics, Rushifa looked back at his mentor, a curious look in his eye.

"I can't help but feel that there is another Spiritual prescence around here that I haven't felt before..." he began.

Kafiezial then stood straight up and unfolded his arms. "You felt right. Akira?"

Out of the open doorway, a figure roughly the same height as Rushifa casually walked into the room. He wore a torn and ragged black cloak with a hood and white boots. The right sleeve on his outfit was torn off, with the only attire on it being a white glove on his respective hand. His barely visible face revealed a young appearing man with blue eyes and neck length, white hair, his face holding a serious expression.

"This is a friend of mine, Akira Uchiha. He's going to assist you on your mission." Kafiezial said as the young man gave the duo a respectful nod.

"Hm?"

Brina immediately directed her attention to the newcomer, her eyes looking him over. "You seem to have a lot of friends, don't you, Kaffy-chan?" She commented, directing her tone to Kafezial while still keeping her gaze locked on Akira.

"The life of a nomad such as myself tends to leave one more connected with the world." the Vizard remarked.

"Friend, as in I owe him a favor." Akira added, glancing over to Brina before turning his gaze back to Rushifa.

"You must be the Black Wolf Kafiezial has told me so much about." he said to the other man.

Rushifa himself sighed reluctuantly. If it wasn't a girl, he wasn't very good at making conversation with strangers. "Please, that name is behind me. My name is Rushifa Sureiya. I want to leave all of that Black Wolf crap behind me."

Akira smirked slightly, before closing his eyes and looking down slightly. "You've got alot of running to do then, if you don't want it to catch up with you in the future."

"May I ask what you are capable of?" Brina asked suddenly, allowing herself to stand up and fold her hands in front of her. "I mean no offense, but I wish to know so that we'll all know what to work with. It wouldn't be right if we ended up with abilities and skill-sets that clashed with each other in any way..."

The young man then turned his head to look at Brina briefly, before putting it back in it's same position, eyes closed and all. "I don't mean to sound arrogant, but my abilities are focused primarily on defense and protection. I prefer to let my enemies attack me first, so that I can see how they work. My Zanpakuto, while focused mainly on defensive properties, is capable of destructive power. It's much better to know about when it's done in person."

He then looked back over to her. "I assure you, I won't be getting in your way during this confrontation. I trust your abilities are just as adequate?"

Brina replied to this with a curt nod and a small smile. "Of course. My skills rely on the use of stealth, infiltration, and assassination. I trust that with partners like you, this will go smoothly."

This time, Akira looked back at her and gave her a slight, friendly smile as well. So they knew now that he wasn't just the strong, silent type.

"Alright. So that makes me and you and your mother, presumidibly. Who all else is going with us?" he asked to no one in particular.

"Wish I could go..." Rushifa said, laying back down on the bed and staring at the ceiling.

What he recieved was a light punch to the face, courtesy of Brina. "You've got the best job of all..." She remarked, her grin a mile wide. "You get to stay behind and power up, wait till the last minute, and then come straight in when we're all in trouble. Don't look so glum!"

He comically rubbed the spot in which she hit him. "Ow...maybe for that I won't come at all!" he said in good humor.

"Oh, don't be such a wimp." Brina answered readily, folding her arms across her chest and tilting her head to the side while maintaining her amused grin. "You've had worse!"

Rushifa grinned back at her and chuckled. "Yeah I guess I have."

Akira simply looked back at Kafiezial with his head, keeping his body facing the other direction. "I'll bet you've had fun these past few days, eh?"

The elder scoffed slightly in response. "You don't have a clue."

Arrival, Remembrance of the Fallen King
Hueco Mundo's sky was a light grey as the sands stretched for miles upon miles. Several ruined pillars representing the buildings that once stood there littered the distance.

Just another typical day in the world of the Hollow race.

A rather large Hollow riding an even bigger horse like Hollow creature slowly ran across the desert, a smaller Arrancar followed close by, albeit floating in the air next to him. On the back of the horse was another leaned over figure, seemingly the larger Hollow's prisoner.

The prisoner was sitting back-to-back with the rider, his legs crossed Indian-style and his cuffed hands were folded in his lap. He had his eyes closed, remaining silent during the entirety of the ride. His tied up hair and clothing billowed in the soft breeze created in the wake of the ride. All-in-all, he looked quite peaceful and calm despite the situation he was in.

But the Spiritsmith was inwardly disliking his situation.

A powerful being had kidnapped him with the hopes of making a blade for him so that he could go dominate some landscape or populace with its power. He did not like the idea of even doing that. He preferred to keep things on a neutral level, to keep himself from taking side and in turn have an unbiased view of the world around him. It might have been considered cowardly to some. But that was the only way he could ever hope to do work.

And now this man wanted him to go against that principle.

"Being a prisoner sucks."

The Arrancar floated around the Spiritsmith, his hands in his pockets and his face giving a slight mocking expression, despite being fully masked.

"Master." he began, directing his words to the larger Hollow while keeping his gaze on the prisoner. "What do you believe will happen to our friend when the weapon is complete?"

"I'm not sure." the elder replied. "Since he isn't a Hollow, nor has he been chosen as it's king, my best prediction would be that he would be vaporized. It was designed to kill Soul Reapers after all."

The Arrancar couldn't help but chuckle slightly, rearing back as he did so while still looking at the captive. "Think about it this way: If you die, you will have done so for a better cause. If you live, you will get to witness Soberana Absoluta's full potential."