The Rule of Two: Contemplation

Memoirs of the Fallen
The bustling city of Tokyo, Japan, resembled a massive two story bee hive more than anything else. The city was divided into two sections, the "upper" section, of which was literally on top of the lower section of the city via massive towers, and the lower section, which was the other way around. On top of the upper section looked what appeared to be a large metropolis of sorts that was nearly twice the size of it's 21st century counterpart, glistening with it's gold and black hue that was reflected from the equally mesmerizing sunset. It was here that the rich and the wealthy could enjoy themselves in whatever lifestyles that they could possibly hope to indulge themselves in. Whilst the lower section was a reminiscent of the slums of New York City. Dark, damp, full of poverty and corruption, and practically radiating criminal, none could hope to survive in this part of the city...

...Except for one certain young man who laid out on a rather clean mattress that was situated on the top of a rather large apartment complex. He was sprawled out on the blue makeshift bed, his snore filled mouth wide open and comically drooling, two earphones found themselves resting within his ears, the wire of which led to an MP3 player that was within his right hand. Though it's battery was nearly dead from supposidly leaving it on for extended amounts of time, one could make out the cover to what could only be described as a Deftones album, and the song that was playing was that of "Knife Party".

Within his sleep occupated mind, his dreams seemed to correspond with the beat and flow of the music. In the beginning electric guitar strums, the black figure of a young woman with long hair and glistening green eyes stood in front of a nearly blinding light, staring straight into his soul. She reaches out her hand as if she wishes to grab his own, a bright smile barely visible on her black face. As he reaches out for her as well, the pleasant guitar strums are exchanged for the climax of the beginning parts of the song. When this happens, the light behind the woman shatters like glass, revealing a massive wave of deep blue water rushing towards them, preparing to ensnare both himself and the woman in it's wet grasp. .

When the wave of liquid impacts with the two, the song's vocalist begins to sing his introductory lyrics. The peaceful remedy was made perfect when the dreamer found himself holding the hands of the woman while under the water, seemingly unaffected by the thought of drowning as they could both breathe just fine. The woman smiles at him with gentle warmth as he does the same to her. But then, the vocalist begins to change his pleasant voice into one of slightly louder proportions and as he does so, the woman's happy expression becomes blank as a red mist begins to emerge from both corners of her mouth. The dreamer is shocked and concerned, but as he reaches out to help her, the red mist ingulfs all of the water, changing it's deep blue into a light red. The man cannot help but lose his breath from the sensation within his mouth that he could only describe as blood. Then, the woman's face becomes pained and weakened as she holds her stomach with her right hand and begins to sink to the bottom of the water. The dreamer catches her with both arms, and as he does so, the water begins to drain and sink like a bathtub's.

When the liquid all drains away, the next chorus begins as the dreamer holds the woman with both arms. They both were now in what appeared to be a ruined house in what appeared to be the Rukongai District, of which was being rained on with rain that originated from a black and purple sky, cracking with occasional bolts of lightning. Both he and the woman are soaking wet and blood poured from the corners of her mouth. He held her close as he tried to speak to her hurt and pained face, putting his left hand on what appeared to be a massive gash within her stomach area while holding her head up with his right hand. She looks into his face with tears emerging from her eyes, and slowly reaches out to his face with her left hand. He takes his hand off of her wound to grab hers, but as he does so, her eyes widen and she jerks slightly, before slowly closing her eyes and succumbing to her apparent wound. He cradles her head within his chest, but something causes him to look up briefly. When he does so, he sees a tall woman with a haori, pointing a cross like weapon directly at his face. He realizes that this woman was the cause of the death of the younger woman that now lay dead in his arms. He begins to speak, but she suddenley thrusts the sword into the middle of his forehead...

"AAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!!!"

With a loud yell, the man awakens from the dream turned nightmare and rips his headphones out, holding his head and groaning. Letting his pained face relax, the man dropped his hands and looked up slowly to see three ragidly dressed individuals with clown masks sitting on sides of the same building that he was. He looked down to see a small metal rod laying in front of him. He realized that one of these individuals had woken him up by dropping the piece of metal onto the same spot that he had supposidly been impaled...

"Hey boss are you awake now?" one of the bigger figures said. He was dressed in a wife-beater vest with dark blue jeans and a funny mask on.

"Yeah we was trying to wake you up without hurting you! But it doesn't look like we could! So we used that little metal thingy there!" a smaller petite female figure said, pointing at the piece of metal with rabbit like energy. She was wearing a much higher class dress with a tie, as well as having long yellow hair braids that emerged on the sides of her equally ridiculous mask.

The other individual remained silent as he awaited his "Bosses" reply.

The man rubbed his forehead and closed his eyes, speaking in a drowsy voice. "God you guys are such pricks." He then stood all the way up and stretched slightly before turning off his music player and wrapping his earphone cord around it, and then placing it in one of his jeans pockets. In full view, the man wore a dark blue t-shirt, with black leather pants and equally dark shoes. His hair was short and black, and his eyes were a bloodish red, both of them staring menacingly into those of his comrades.

The bigger figure then pulled out a brown paper back and reached into it to pull out an oval shaped hasbrown, before tossing it to his leader, who caught it without looking, giving the man a nod as he took a bite out of the potato product. As he ate it, he looked out into the rising sun, speaking as he swallowed his first bite. "Are we all set for this evening?"

The third individual spoke finally, his voice british sounding, which matched with his casual attire. "Yes sir, the explosives have been successfully placed onto the train tracks. Our target is scheduled to arrive around 4:30."

The train that he referred to was on the upper section of the city. Their target was a retired Soul Reaper from an unknown division of the Gotei 13.

Finishing his hashbrown, the man then turned around and walked towards a wall on top of the building that was revealed to be the entrance to the building itself. On it's side was a coat rack that held a black leather coat that matched his pants. He took it and put it around his back, letting it's neck frill come around the bottom of his head. He then turned towards the three. "Then proceed as normal. Do nothing until I give you the order to. Understood?" he said, his voice commanding and stern.

All three of them nodded in response and then left the building, the female one giggling as she did so. "Heh, bye Rushifa!" she said with a loud giggle. Clearly she had a disorder of sorts.

As they left, the man now known as Rushifa gave a sigh as he pulled a wallet out of his back pocket. He opened it to reveal a few stolen credit cards and pulled out a picture behind where his driver's liscence was. In the picture stood a younger version of himself with the young woman from his dreams. He was kissing her on her cheek and she was smiling with blushing red cheeks. He smiled slightly before putting it back in his wallet and then putting the wallet back in his pocket. He then looked up towards the black and gold city before him, before Flash Stepping away from view...

By 4:15, the scenery between the upper city and the lower city was like the concept of yin and yang. In contrast to it's lower counterpart's dark and depressing shade, the upper section of the city was bright and beautiful, practically gleaming with life. The noise was louder here though, as cars and trains zoomed across the rails and roads in hasty speeds.

One such train of more advance proportions was going through a track that was in the middle of the city via upper levels, meaning that the track for the train was above the road that held one of the larger roads. This train was black on the exterior, matching the color of the city, while the interior was more golden. Despite being a normal train, the accomodations within it would suggest that it was an upper class train by 21st century standards. The seats were shaped like booths that all faced the same direction as where the train was going. Passengers could only see the back of the heads of the passengers in front of them. The floor had a black carpet, and the seats had red leather to them to provide a form of comfort to the passengers...

In one of the seats was a young woman in a kimono-like attire. She had one leg shifted over the other, her hands folded within her lap. Her eyes were closed, her tied hair resting on the leather head of the seat. Leaning beside the window was a walking stick - one which would be normally associated with the blind. To anyone, it would've looked as if she had been sleeping. However, her mind and body were fully aware of their surroundings, even the small talk going around in the areas farther away from her. However, her mind was not concerned with such thoughts. Instead, she was focused on events that she had went through, before this journey to nowhere...

Her name was Evelyn McTavish.... and as far as anyone else was concerned, she was a nobody.

At least, to simple humans.

"Excuse me."

A swedish sounding voice broke through her trail of thought in the form of a younger man sitting in the seat that was before her. He was rather well built, with short blonde hair and brown eyes. He wore a green hoodie with black pants as he turned his sitting position to where he was looking at her partially. "Are you feelin okay? You don't look so good."

"I'm fine..."

Even as she spoke, Evelyn did not bother to open her eyes. Her tone was serene, peaceful, and yet held an extent of formality she would only extend to the hands of strangers. The only thing that broke what would've been otherwise a still body was the slight bumps that the train went through as it traveled. Her own tone held an American accent, despite her appearance. "But, thank you for your concern." She continued to speak, lapsing into silence and allowing him to speak.

"What division are you from?"

The younger man was quite the curious one, but he did so in good intentions. But somehow, he was capable of telling whether or not someone was a Soul Reaper. Was he a Soul Reaper as well?

Evelyn slowly opened one of her eyes to a half-lidded position, tilting her head to the side slightly as she did so. She remained silent for a moment, regarding him with what seemed like tension. Yet, she did not show any sign of sudden reaction or anything else. It would be questionable that she knew anything of what he was talking about. If she was genuine in her reaction, then it was normal. But if she was not, then she was certainly a master of hiding her true intentions from the ones that wished to pry.

"I'm afraid I don't follow you, sir. I've never served in any kind of military." She said smoothly, lifting a finger to point up at her eye. "They wouldn't dare let a blind woman like me into anyone's ranks." She lowered her hand to her lap again in its folded position, once again lapsing into silence.

The younger man looked kind of confused. "Oh well...I thought you were part of the Gotei 13, based on the feeling of your presence. And the Gotei 13 has had blind members in it before." He then smiled somewhat, letting his teeth show. "You're a Soul Reaper like me, aren't you?"

Slowly, Evelyn closed her eye and thought for a moment. Anyone else would have thought him to be insane from what his claims were. But she knew. She understood it, as direct and obvious his words were to her. With her eyes still closed, she leaned forward a little to close her voice to him. "You lack tact, young man...." She said in a lightly scolding tone. "You should be more careful when using such terms in the presence of them...." She lightly nodded her head towards the rest of the car, her words referring to the presence of the other passengers.

He looked on at the other passengers, most of whom were too busy handling their own affairs and only a couple glanced in their direction.

But he still should have thought that one through a little more.

"Ah, forgive me. Sometimes my curiosity gets the better of me." he said in a modest tone while closing his eyes somewhat. After a few more seconds, he resumed his conversation. "So what brings you to Tokyo, hm? Trying to escape the life of violence like me?"

"If only for a moment...." Evelyn answered, allowing herself to lean back in her chair once more. "There's really no escape from violence. It's going to be with all of us until our very end. The only thing I can really do.... is sit and allow myself to drift away, every time it starts to come close to me." She directed her closed eyes towards the window that had a good view of the city blocks passing by. "What exactly happened to you to make you feel the same?"

He then sat to where his knees were sitting on the couch and he was facing towards her, his arms folded on the top of the chair as he gave a slight sigh. "I just couldn't handle all of the rules and stuff you know? Like, we would get punished for even the dumbest of things. Like one time I stepped into the 11th Division's barracks, believing it to belong to the 3rds, which was my division. They forced me into temporary seclusion for a week! I just couldn't take it any more." he finished, looking out the window like she had.

This revelation brought a smile to Evelyn's face, although she didn't chuckle (even if she found it to be somewhat humorous). "So you're just looking to work without such rules in effect...." She summarized. "I understand. The life of a military soldier can be quite grueling for most, and it only takes the most hardened of individuals to truly rise to the top. Tell me, what rank were you?"

"4th Seat of the 3rd Division." he replied with a friendlier voice than normal. "They had that old saying where the 3rd Division was disturbed or depressing. Definatley not my type, which you've probably figured that out by now." he said, looking back at Evelyn.

The woman, in turn, moved her head so that her closed eyes would look back at the young man. "Your seated position shows in how you act." She commented. "I was Captain of the 8th Division, after the previous Captain had been killed."

The younger Soul Reaper widened his eyes before bowing his head slightly. "Oh forgive me, ma'am. I knew that you were a Soul Reaper, but I had no idea..."

"Don't bother bowing to me now...." Evelyn warned him, though still retaining her calm tone. "We're both in the same boat. I'm just a wandering woman, and you're just a wandering man. We're people with names, nothing more...." She placed a hand to the center of her chest. "And my name, before we talk any further, is Evelyn McTavish. What about yours?"

A sparkle came into the younger man's eyes. "My name is Fyodor Milkov. It's my honor to meet you Mrs. McTavish."

"Not honor, Fyodor.... a pleasure." Evelyn corrected, lowering her hand back to its folded position within her lap. "There's really nothing honorable about me. I'm far too damaged for such titles...." She raised a pinky finger to scratch the side of her cheek idly before lowering it back down.

Fyodor simply nodded his head. "I understand, I don't know what you may be referring to, but I won't ask further." As he looked out the window, a slight hint of dread came across his face. "Well, I hope that we really are in the same boat, because with the Black Wolf running rampant around here, people like us aren't safe. I'm actually heading to the airport to leave the country." He then turned to look at Evelyn, his face somewhat bored. "Have you ever heard of him? The Black Wolf?"

"No." Evelyn admitted. "Who is he?"

His look became somewhat more concerned. "He's a Soul Reaper, like you and me. He used to be part of the 5th Division, that's where he learned how to fight you know." He then looked back out the window, the same look in his eye. "He's a terrorist who camps out in big cities like Tokyo, hunting both retired and non-retired Gotei 13 members like us." He leaned forward slightly. "No one knows why he does it. Some say his whole family was slaughtered by one of the Gotei 13 squads, but no one knows for sure. There was a recent case where a retired Captain was brutally murdered outside of his own home. The Black Wolf is the only one capable of doing so."

"I see...." Evelyn took in a deep breath and exhaled, leaning her head back on the seat and tilting her head slightly upwards. "I don't suppose no one ever happened to pick up his true name?"

He shook his head somewhat. "No. The only real details that anyone has on him is that he always has a form of black on him, and his eyes are a blood red color." he sighed somewhat. "They say if you look into his face directly, you can see a black wolf instead of a humanoid one. Hence his name."

"Ah, a title for his traits...." Evelyn smiled a little. "I myself had my own title created by the populace. I never really paid much attention to it or truly accepted it as my own, but I still do remember. "Tiger Snake", it was."

Fyodor's face became somewhat happier. "Oh yeah! I remember some of my squadmates referring to one of the Captains with that name. I didn't stay around long enough to see most of them in person though." He then leaned back a little bit. "Why did they call you that name?"

"A tiger snake has rather ferocious accuracy when striking down its prey." The woman explained. "My fighting style focused on swift, unpredictable, and flexible moves in order to quickly kill any enemy I was facing. My swordsmanship skills even intimidated the 11th Division Captain at that time. Although even now I don't really consider it.... I still find it a rather close metaphor..."

Fyodor chuckled somewhat. "Remind me never to get on your bad side then." Turning his attention back to the city, he sighed again. "I'm glad you still find it appropriate. Those skills will come in handy should the Black Wolf ever find you."

"How skilled is he in combat, this Black Wolf?" Evelyn questioned.

His face then became almost dead serious. "Very. Based on reports from investigators, nearly 3 Captain level Soul Reapers have died by his hands. The thing is he doesn't utilize traditional combat with them most of the time. He usually uses a terrorist method to either kill them, or catch them alone. That's why he's wanted in nearly 5 countries. Including Japan."

"That doesn't sound like one who is skilled in the art of fighting more than it would sound like someone skilled in the art of tactical warfare." Evelyn said. "One usually utilizes such violent methods against their enemies because they are unable to fight their targets directly. To those with a passion for direct combat, he would be considered a coward, at best."

"Well...that's for most cases. I remember a few coherts of mine recalling how he challenged one of those former Captains in one on one combat and the Black Wolf one." He shivered somewhat. "From what they described...the Captain was mutilated and he was full of holes, as if he was fighting with both a sword and a gun at the same time." He looked out the window of the other side of the train. "But can't decide whether or not that's true based on a few rumors can we?"

"If it is...." A small smile came across the woman's face. "Then I wouldn't mind facing him in direct combat myself. Although I don't intend to purposely wander into trouble, I have been wanting to put my skills to good use for quite some time. It's just another excuse to raise a sword, sadly... but it's something I can't lie about."

Fyodor smiled while still looking outside. "Yeah. Fighting with a Zanpaktou always was fun to do. Sucks that we couldn't release them within..."

His eyes widened and horror flashed upon his young face. Outside of the train's window, on the top of a building that seemed level with the train, stood a youthful man looking directly into Fyodor's eyes. The red within them reminded him of the view of blood. The young man looked at him with a casual smile, before pressing a button on what looked like a cell phone.

"No..."

BOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

With a great shaking sensation, the front end of the train began to glow with a bright orange light and then black smoke made it's way towards the outer end of the train.

Needless to say, Evelyn was surprised.

Her blank eyes finally opened in shock, and she involuntarily lurched forward as the vicious explosion knocked her out of her seat. She felt the train de-rail itself with a moan, control lost and its body forcibly splitting from the tracks. She accidentally fell against Fyodor, but she couldn't find the balance in order to raise herself back up again. All she could hear in her ears was the screeching of the wheels against the track, the sparks flying outside with a violent flair....