Escort Missions are the Worst [PRIVATE]

"Uh, ma'am..." A young man approached a woman who already intimidated him. "There's... someone in your office. He... doesn't want to talk to any of us, or anyone else... just you. He said he's an old friend." When pressed, he responded again. "I... think it's best if you see him. He's already thrown three of us out of the window..." The young man, who had just gotten his armband three weeks prior, walked behind Kanna to her office. It wasn't really her office, but more along the lines of "this is the office of the right-hand of a Named Moon." He did not follow her in.

Tsubine sat in Kanna's chair, his feet resting on her desk. He had the courtesy to at least clean off the desk before doing such a thing. The large window in the office was open, and a few groans could be heard from the shrubbery below. Tsubine was mostly asleep, his eyes hidden behind his glasses. But when the door opened, he peeked out of one eye, smiled widely and returned to a normal sitting position. "Finally, someone actually had the brains to get ya instead of yelling for me to get out of here. Give that man a raise." Tsubine nodded once.

"Anyway, before we get into the 'how are you in here,' I'm going to go ahead and give you the why. It'll be a lot better for the both of us. So for one, I already had a chat with Asra because the Gotei is going on the march because that snap we felt yesterday? That was the Crimson Edge breaking. There's a hole in it. Asra's gonna get the Mikazuki out of the Gotei's way and get people in the Shōjin into shelters. But that's not the why for here," he gestured to the office.

"Kanna, I need your help again." There was a cold bluntness to his words. The light joviality he always carried was gone. This was the most serious he had probably ever spoken to Kanna, or anyone for that matter. "I'm going to cut right to the chase. My little sister is out in the middle of nowhere in the Shōjin. She's been kept hidden so Asra couldn't use her against me. I need to bring her somewhere safe, and I want someone I can rely on at my side to escort her. Normally, I could probably do it on my own. But I ran here from the Seireitei, nonstop. I haven't slept, and I could probably only use my Zanpakutō for about five minutes right now. I pushed myself here to make sure that the Mikazuki got out of the Gotei's way, because they ain't gonna play about this. So I'm beat, and I can't rely on myself to do this... so I need you to be at my side. Will you help me?" There was an exasperation in his words. He was utterly helpless on this. It was either he did it by himself in his condition or with her. There were no other choices. The fact he admitted he had family, let alone one that he cared about that much, was enough to show how completely desperate he was.

Tsubine knew every word she said was right. He had given her the shit end of this, and there wasn't anything he could say to change that. Eventually, he would like to repair this relationship, but today wasn't "let's start repenting day." No, he just wanted to get this over with so he could get to helping fight in this war. Tsubine had been planning for a war for nearly a century and a half. It just wasn't this war.

"As soon as you can be ready. It won't take too long to get to where she is. The trip to where I want to take her... that's another story. I'll tell you where once we're out of the city, but I'd say pack light. I'd rather be moving fast to get there ASAP. Once she's safe, I've gotta help with what's going on out there." Tsubine stood, popped his neck, and suppressed a yawn. "I'll warn you that she's... definitely my sister." Tsubine began to walk out. "Do you need anything from me before we set out? If not, I'll meet you at the western gate."

Tsubine once again was half-napping when Kanna came up on him at the outside of the western gate. He wasn't carrying anything. "So we're going into the mountains, but not into the mountains. There's a little village in a valley, only accessible by a mountain pass that's easy to miss. She's staying with someone I trust to keep her safe from Asra, but this is more than one guy can take. After we get her..." Tsubine inhaled deeply, seeping the words through his teeth. "I want to take her to the Seireitei. I know that might be rough for you, but I'll keep any bullshit away from ya. Any other questions, or you ready to go?"

"You'd be surprised then." Tsubine chuckled, a dry and tired one. "I spent most of my time with just random folks in bars, shops, you name it. I helped out a lot too. I wasn't there for the Seireitei or the Gotei. I'm there for the people of the Soul Society." And then, she hurt him. It was closer to death-by-a-thousand-papercuts than anything else. With each word, he winced internally. His face was starting to turn a little more jovial at first. Not anymore.

"Kanna..." Tsubine shook his head. "Let's move a little further away from the gate first." It was his way of buying time. He had to think about this. It wasn't too long, just until they rounded a corner around some trees, that he broke the very awkward silence. "Truthfully, I never wanted to leave you in the first place. Maybe it was a foolish thing to do, but when everything went down with Asra I had a choice. I could get Eira, my sister, to safety, or I could bring you along. I didn't have time for both. I know Asra. By the time I could have come back, he'd have gotten to the other. Eira... she's not a fighter at all. Back then, I only had a couple of street kids I trusted to act as lookouts so she could run. Now I have someone I don't even want to tango with guarding her."

"I thought you could protect yourself and try to steer Asra on the right course. I knew that he liked you, that you would probably be the one he'd choose to replace me. There's always been that bit in my mind of 'what if I brought Kanna back instead?' And I never can get the answer right." Tsubine shrugged a little. It was a defeated shrug, as he didn't have the energy to try to prove himself right. No, that wasn't it. He didn't have the energy to lie to himself that he made a good decision back then. "I deserve every harsh word you call me, all the criticism, and your scorn. And no amount of 'I'm sorry' will ever fix that."

"That's the only other big truth I've been keeping from you. You know why I fought Asra, you know about Eira, and now that. Anything else is just... trivial little things like who I've slept with, who I drink with, my whiskey dealers, and so on." Tsubine looked up to the sky as they continued walking. "I don't want to have to disappear, Kanna. I want things to be peaceful between the people of the Shōjin and the Toryōseiku for once. That's why..." Tsubine stopped and looked at Kanna dead in the eyes. "I'm working to get an independent Division of the Gotei established, one that won't answer to the standard calls of Hollow extermination and whatnot that the Gotei normally handles. It's going to be a militia, set up in the Shōjin, for the Shōjin, and by the Shōjin. It'll be outside of the reach of the nobles, outside of persecution by the Gotei, and it'll be run by someone who is from the Shōjin. Me."

"The Mikazuki is all about independence, and I respect that. I think the Shōjin could definitely do with a lot less control from the uppity nobles in their high castles a day's gallop away. They don't know how things are out here, and they don't care. But so long as people like Asra and the radicals exist, and they will always exist, there needs to be someone who is tied to both sides acting as mediator and protector. I have a rough outline of the plan, but..." Tsubine shook his head. "If this goes through, I want you by my side. There is no one else I'd want to work with, no one else I know I could rely on to keep myself in check. ...And if you don't want to do that, then we'll just find somewhere outside of Sayamachi we can meet for drinks or something, I don't know. My life can't be in Sayamachi as long as Asra's around, but as I said, I never wanted to disappear on you in the first place."

Kanna was right again. He probably could have. But Asra... terrified him. Lilith, J., and Asra were the only three people Tsubine felt he had less than a 5% chance of ever beating. J. and Asra were tied at 1%. Out of 100 fights, Tsubine felt he'd lose 99 against his former friend. To make matters worse, he wasn't smart enough to figure out how to win that one fight. The only thing he didn't agree with was telling her about Eira. Eira was the one person who, up until recently, had been keeping him going. Sure there was duty and fun in life, but Eira was different. He sheltered her—didn't want to get her involved in the politicking in the Soul Society. But those were words he couldn't explain right now, so he decided to let the subject drop for now. "Well it's a good thing I already got his permission for you to help me out with evacuations and dealing with the breach. He just said that it was up to you and that he wouldn't interfere with it."

The trip to the mountains didn't take that long. Tsubine was tired, but his force of will was keeping him awake right now. He pointed out little villages and towns along the way, all of which he had lived or worked in before. The mountain pass looked like a deluge at first, where all the runoff from melting snow and rain would rush through. However, there was an almost-impercievable curve that one could only see when actually climbing up the mountain. From that curve a trail sprouted. It was just wider than a game trail, and it winded through the mountain's slopes to find itself a very sharp and narrow crevasse, now topped with lichen-covered boulders at the top. There were supports hammered beneath the boulders and along the path to keep it from collapsing. Once they made their way through, an un-named town sprawled before them.

"Unless you know the place, you wouldn't be able to find it." Tsubine remarked. He really loved the seclusion, but he'd rather be able to get to Eira in a heartbeat. "C'mon, she's not actually in town." Tsubine took Eira down a path that led around the rim of the bowl and through the trees. At the end of the path was a large wooden cabin, not too unlike the one he currently crashed in. The difference was that this one actually had some decor to it on the outside. A large man, broader and taller than Tsubine, swung an axe down on a piece of tree, splitting it apart. "Saitaku."

The man peered up at Tsubine with his one eye, frowning. "You didn't write that you were making a visit. And you've never brought a guest..." Saitaku's stance went taut, ready to pounce upon Kanna and rip her in half. Tsubine took off his glasses, holding up his hands in a calming gesture. "Yeah, I know, man, trust me. It's an emergency. That thing that happened yesterday? I know you felt it with the Edge being so close... there's a breach. Don't know how, but I came to get her. I have somewhere far from the breach I can take her." Saitaku glared at Tsubine. "What's the phrase?" Tsubine sighed, shook his head. "The willow weeps because his wife is a birch."

Saitaku nodded. "What about the rest of the people here?" "Lead them to Gorohama, the Mikazuki is going to be escorting people there to a nearby shelter. Have them show up scattered and not as one large group. It'll make it more believable that they're just random farmers and not from a hidden town." Saitaku thought for a moment. "You're taking her to the Gotei, aren't you?" Tsubine nodded. "I'll escort the people here as you said, but then I'm going to the Seireitei myself. They may not like me much, but if a breach is going on, then they're going to need all the help they can get." And without saying a word to Eira or to Kanna, Saitaku just walked off down the same path they came down.

"He's always so pleasant to talk to." Tsubine gestured for Kanna to follow. He stopped in front of the door, took in a deep breath, and was knocked on his ass as the door slammed into him. "You always take so long opening the door when you show up, so I th—Hellllooooo." A young woman, who would have to be carded to buy alcohol even though she was the right age, stood in the doorway, hand on her hip. She and Tsubine shared the same wine-colored eyes and black hair, but that was about all they shared. Eira von Zarkonheinz was exceptionally feminine. She wasn't a model, but one of those that people would ask if she was. "White hair colored like a mountaintop's snow, steel blue eyes, curves like the letter 'S...' You must be Kanna. So did my big brother finally get the balls to apologize? Has he given you the back rub you most certainly need after everything he's done?" Eira took Kanna by the hand and attempted to lead her inside. "Come, come. We have much to discuss."

Tsubine had not been expecting that. Sure, Eira had spunk. Sure, she'd punch him a little too hard to be called "playful." But that? Man, he was tired. Tsubine shook his head as Eira tried to lead Kanna in. "Hol' up." Eira stopped, rolling her eyes. "First of all, if I had been hurt, you'd be so worried about me you'd be crying. So don't do that again." "If." Tsubine rolled his eyes this time. "Second of all... why'd you have to go and... prose-up my words?! I mean, you're not wrong, but still!" Eira just smirked back at her brother.

"Kanna, meet my little sister, Eira von Zarkonheinz. She's the biggest little shit I know, and that includes your friend in the Gotei." Eira smiled proudly at that description. "Anything else, dearest brother?" "Yeah, as a matter of fact there is. Be ready to leave first thing tomorrow morning. Something real bad has happened, and I've gotta take you somewhere safer than this." "Oh? Somewhere safer than with the retired-pirate-doctor-who-can-barely-keep-a-clean-house? Where ever could that be?" Tsubine just looked at her. Eira tightened her grip on Kanna's hand slightly. "...You're really serious. What happened?"

Tsubine sighed, then decided to be blunt. "Crimson Edge has a hole in it; Hollows are pouring in. Everyone in town is going to a Mikazuki shelter, but you're coming with me to the Seireitei." Tsubine walked up to Eira and did something no one would have ever predicted. He kissed her on the forehead. "I've been up for about thirty hours now. I need to sleep before we get underway or else I'll be dead weight. Don't take anything too heavy or big. We're going to need to move, and if we need to fight... then we need to be as quick as possible. I don't want to be weighed down by your wine collection." Eira was trying to show a brave face, but she didn't have her brother's skill in that. She nodded, and Tsubine turned to Kanna. "Make yourself at home. We're leaving at dawn, so be sure to get some rest." Tsubine found the spare bedroom and quite literally collapsed into the bed. He had just enough mental strength to set his glasses down first, but that was it. He began to snore, shoes still on and all.

Eira regained herself, looked up to Kanna. "So, where were we? Right. Come in, come in." Eira took Kanna into the home and sat her down on the couch. "Tea?" She grabbed the kettle off of the stove, pouring herself a cup and one for Kanna if she accepted. Eira also did a small leap to grab a bottle from a higher shelf. She poured a little into her tea, then put it on the counter. "So you're the Kanna my brother has told me about." Eira took a seat across from Kanna in a nice armchair that was definitely too big for her. "Don't worry, it's all good. Well, good about you. About him in relation to you? That's..."

Eira shook her head, shifting those thoughts out of her head. "Well, I'm glad that Tsu told me why you two were here. He told me that he'd only show up with someone else if he were getting married, having a kid, or this place wasn't safe anymore." Eira took another sip. "I think I prefer this than to being called 'auntie.'"

Eira froze for a moment, then continued to take a sip. She really had not meant to say that. "Well, he was right about me 'prosing' his words up. He gave me a basic description of you and said you were one of the two people he'd send to tell me if something happened to him. The other was some rich guy from the Gotei with a haircut that cost more than a house." Eira waved it off. "But he's spoken about you in other ways too. Ways that... I know how to read them as he intended."

"Tsu sends me a letter once a month, and I send him one in return. He visits me on my birthday every year, and sometimes he'll come for his too. We don't actually talk that much. That's why I know what he means with his words. How, yes, he does think that your hair is the same color as a snowy mountaintop. And yes, he does think you are very..." Eira eyed her up and down, "womanly. He's told me how you two worked together, and that there was no one he'd rather have covering his blind spot."

Eira sat the cup on a saucer on a small end table stacked with magazines. "Look, my brother is an idiot. He doesn't really know how to communicate and express his inner desires. It frustrates him because he's always second-guessing himself in the end, and it's hard to get him to be satisfied with an outcome." Eira breathed in deeply. "Especially when it comes to what he had to do when he left the Mikazuki. When he told me what happened, I hit him. Hard. He needed it because... I know he's probably apologized to you, and that might be the only reason you're with him right now, but he hurts because he had to leave you behind. Because of what our family is, he can regenerate nearly any wound he's got. Pain hurts like with a normal person, but he can shrug it off as he regenerates. This," she tapped at her heart, "he can't shrug off. It's been weighing on him since that night."

"If you never forgive him, never become friends with him again... just know this. He never wanted to hurt you. Oh, and he definitely needs to give you a backrub to at least repay you for some of the trouble he's caused. And not just what we were talking about" Eira shook her head. "His sense of direction has gotten him so lost. After our parents died, I was lucky that he would listen to me for directions. I think what he didn't inherit, I did." Eira picked up up the tea again. "I doubt he's told you, or anyone, about this... those goofy sunglasses he wears? Those were our dad's. It's the only physical thing we have left of him and Mom. Our mom hated those things, but Dad loved them... and because Dad did, Tsu did."

Eira sat up a little straighter, trying to change her mood for the better. "Even though this is the third-to-worst scenario that we could meet in, I'm glad that we have met. You really are as gorgeous as Tsu implied. Sure, he's told me about people he's met... and some of the ones although he doesn't say he's slept with, he's definitely slept with... but you are one of the few from that already-small list I wanted to meet. I gotta ask you something..." Eira leaned in, lowering her voice. "What's he like? You know, when he's working? He hides some parts of himself from me, so... I'd like to know more about that side of him."

Eira listened with stunned fascination. As Kanna spoke, a smaller, gentler smile bloomed from her normal confident one. "That sounds like him. He started doing this for me, you know?" Eira chuckled lightly. "Back when he first joined, it wasn't because of some sense of honor or duty. He just wanted to make a world where we felt like we could belong and be free. When we had shown up in the Rukongai, we were shunned and tossed out even as kids. All because of who we were. So, Tsubine went to the other side to try to get independence from those guys—all for the sake of me at first. But he learned that there were many others who wanted the same sense of belonging, and so he began loving the entire Shōjin."

Eira was not shocked by that question. It's one she had been waiting for. "Two reasons, really. One is for my 'protection.' He knows I'm not some porcelain doll to sit on a shelf, but what he's been fighting against has been more dangerous than most people can handle. When he was with the Mikazuki, it was the Gotei. Now, it's the Mikazuki. At least when he was in the Mikazuki he visited me more often..." Eira muttered that last bit under her breath. "I guess he doesn't trust anyone but himself or someone completely uninvolved like Señor Grumpycakes out there to protect me. Honestly, you're the only other person I've seen him with."

"The second... is more of a family problem. We have..." Eira struggled on how to explain this. "We have a sort-of curse in our bloodline. It's not terribly bad most of the time, as both of us can keep it under control... and it even provides us with some nifty boons. However, there's always a risk of it going haywire. Tsu can better explain it, since he's done a lot more research on it." Eira took another, longer sip of her tea. Her insides warmed as the brandy began kicking in.

"You are right though... I really want to get out of here." Eira shook her head. "Although I met one of them today, there's still so many more pretty men and women I've yet to meet." Although that was meant more as a jest, there was an underlying truth to it. Eira then shook her head. "How much do you like my brother, Kanna?" There it was. Not the question, per se. No, it was that look on Eira's face. It was a look Tsubine hated, if only because it meant Eira had pried out another secret. It was the kind of smugness that only someone who had worked out a hidden truth could have.

"Of course." Eira listened patiently, noting how Kanna spoke about her brother. The fact was, Kanna was right. It was hard to trust someone who'd just leave like that. Even if the person had legitimate reasons, it didn't matter unless they tried to repair the relationship. Tsubine... he hadn't. "Thank you for answering that. I know it might be hard or awkward because I'm his sister, but..." I think you two could still work out. I'd love to have you as a sister-in-law. Eira shook her head before she continued that sentence. "I only ask one thing. Please just understand that he really didn't mean to hurt you. He's just... an idiot. Perhaps spending more time around civilized women like us will change that."

Eira agreed, and brought Kanna some pillows, blankets, and even another cup of tea before heading to her room. She began to pack. Despite the well-taken-care of house filled with doilies, curtains, and nick-nacks, Eira's room was almost spartan. The only piece of furniture outside of the standard dresser-nightstand-bed combo was a large cabinet. She packed only a few things, mostly clothes. She decided to shower before going to bed. And soon, she slept. It was a hard night's sleep, but it wasn't unpleasant.

The next morning, Eira awoke first. She prepared a very light breakfast, something Tsubine complained about because he had planned on making the travel food. Eira, thankfully, prevented that. Once everyone had eaten, Eira showed Kanna the shower if she needed it. Once the preparation was done, Tsubine left Saitaku a note and the three headed back out the mountain pass.

"So how long is this going to take?" Tsubine shrugged. "If we make good time, two days. If we go at the pace we're going, we'll stop in a small town in the late afternoon and can get a couple of rooms at an inn or somethin'." "A 'couple' of rooms, huh? What, so you can have Kanna all to yourself, hmm?" Eira teased her brother, then grabbed onto Kanna's arm. "Well, too bad because she'll be in my room."

Both of them chuckled a little, eerily similar to one another. "Well, there are two other reasons..." Eira smiled, and Tsubine actually reached around Kanna to lightly smack his sister on the back of her head. Eira just let out the same chuckle. "I'm not wrooooong." Tsubine shook his head. "Even if you're not wrong..."

"I mean, there are..." Tsubine counted in his head. "Four gates. I guess we'll just go through them." Tsubine shrugged. "I've made friends with the gatekeepers, plus I can name-drop a few names and we'll get in without an issue. As for where we go, the place I've been staying at should be good. Ain't no one gonna mess with that place. It's one of the Captain's homes. I crash there time to time, and shouldn't be a hard convincin' of 'yo my sister needs some help.'" Eira rolled her eyes in actual annoyance.

"So you're just going to sequester me away again. Lock the princess in a tower, surrounded by yet another dragon." Eira's voice leaked more venom than before. There wasn't a joking undertone. She was tired of this. "Eira, this time—" Eira darted in front, stared her brother in the eye. "'This time will be different' That what you were going to say, hm? That the other three times we've had to hide have been 'different?' I know I can't fight like you, but god damn it, I'm tired of being hidden like I'm a fragile heirloom. When I was younger, I get it. But Tsu, I can make some decisions by myself. I'm not a little girl anymore. I'm a woman. I might be a young woman, but a woman nonetheless."

"I... was going to say this time was going to be different because I am tired of having to keep you hidden too. Seeing you int—" Eira held up a hand. "Tsu. Please just shut up. I'm going to tell you how this is going to be, because I get a say in what happens to me. I was too young to argue before, but I've got every right now. I'm going to whatever hideyhole you have for me because what you said back there terrifies me. I'll stay there until that's safe. But after that? I'm going to find my own place. You're welcome to live there too, but... it's not going to be some secret den. I want to mingle. I want to meet all these interesting people you've told me about! I want to see what a house-priced haircut looks like! I want a boyfriend or a girlfriend or whatever! I'm tired of the only people I see being you, the few villagers, and old guys!"

Tsubine was proud of Eira for sticking up for herself. He wouldn't say it, because that would undermine his own position here. He just sighed and nodded. "If that's what you want." Kanna then stole away his sister before he could continue. The two of them pulled ahead of him, and he just listened. Tsubine had a hard time letting go of his sister being the little girl he had to protect. Only about fifty years ago did he give in and stopped scolding her for drinking wine. So her living alone... he'd live with that eventually.

Eira, on the other hand, was still fuming until Kanna changed the subject. She has a similar opinion of me that my brother does. She's just a little more open to changing that opinion. Kanna was good people, and Eira was definitely going to like her. Even if Eira's now-forming plans didn't succeed, Kanna would always be a lifelong friend now. When Kanna made a Freudian slip, Eira raised an eyebrow and smirked. You're learning who I am though... Eira didn't know Kanna had once been in the Seireitei, so her offer to help was surprising. But the opinion shared was, again, wrong. "Oh honey, just because I've been locked away doesn't mean I haven't had my chance at fun and love."

"Judging by what I can guess about your taste in men, I can trust your judgement on them. Truthfully, I think I'd like someone who I can probably push out of their comfort zone. Someone who might've been sheltered or shy that I can bring out into the world. Not entirely out though because that'd change who they are. Just enough that they're comfortable taking me out to a nice dinner so we can show each other off—even subconsciously—without prompting from me." Eira shrugged. "Helps if they're hung too." Tsubine froze mid-step and fell. Literally.

"Well he better get used to it." That was Eira's only response to what Kanna said initially. Then she began talking about what kind of man she wanted physically. She didn't want someone brawny like Saitaku, but she also wouldn't want someone skinny. Fat was a definite no-go, as she wanted someone fit enough to keep up with her. But overall, she didn't have too much of a type physically. She liked eyes that'd make her weak to her knees, but that was it. Tsubine stayed silent during all of it, only giving brief "turn" and "let's rest" commands.

That was until it was evening. They were about a mile or two out of the town they were supposed to be at. They hadn't made the best time, but Eira wasn't used to traveling this much. She'd been complaining until it became evident it wasn't going to get her a piggyback ride so her feet could rest. She just sucked it up and continued walking, using Kanna as a distraction from the pain in her feet. All of a sudden, Eira stopped. She was wincing hard, like she just got a headache. "...Tsu." Her voice quivered slightly.

Tsubine reached behind his back, putting his hand the hilt of his Zanpakutō. "How many?" Eira closed her eyes. "It's hard to tell... Seven... probably. There's a larger miasma that's making it hard to find them." Tsubine nodded. Then he remembered Kanna wasn't aware of what was going on. "Hollows. They haven't made themselves known yet. Get ready to run with Eira to the village. It's straight ahead. I'll hold them off and be a distraction. You get her there, and keep her from fighting at all costs. If she does right now, things could go bad. Got it? When I move, you move."

"Ready... Now." Tsubine darted to the left with a Shunpo that knocked down a few trees where he landed. And immediately, the telltale signs of combat began as a choir of Hollows screamed in unison. The sound of metal against hardened bone rang out through the evening air. But there was something else in the night air. As soon as Tsubine took off, the general feel of the area changed. It became difficult to tell his aura from a Hollow's, but that was surely due to the battle, right?

Eira was lugged up like a sack of potatoes. She tried to protest, but Tsubine didn't let her get a word in before they were off. Eira knew not to worry about her brother. She knew he'd be fine. Kanna, on the other hand, she knew next-to-little about combat-wise. Tsubine neglected that kind of stuff in his letters. "I'd rather us just get out of here before anything else gets clo—" Eira winced, holding her head above her left eye. "From the left!" Kanna began to move in the wrong direction. "No, my left!" Eira directed Kanna just out of the way of a Hollow's arm as it shot out of the darkened forest.

Eira could feel a thrumming, one she knew too well. "Kanna, it's keeping up with us... About... fifty yards to your right." Eira didn't want to have a mistake like before. "The thing is... I don't think it got any closer when it attacked us. I think its arm ca—" Like a familiar piece of gummy candy, the arm slammed down from above and ahead. It created a crater, but the initial impact was enough to send Eira's head spinning. The Hollow pulled itself by its arm, retracting like an elastic cord. Although it had massive hands, its actual arms were short. Upon closer inspection, they were instead just folded up like a rope. "I'm gonna get a good meal out of you two..." It smirked and raised its right hand, preparing to send it out at Kanna and Eira again.

Tsubine, on the other hand, was just finishing up with his third Hollow. He had drawn them all away. The remaining Hollows began to encircle him. This was going well. A little too well, and he noticed that something was different... He pointed to each one with the tip of his sword. "Okay, so I killed three, there's one, two, three... Hey... Wasn't there another one? He had kinda short arms, but big-ass hands? I said they made him look like a chicken?" One of the Hollows sneered. "You Shinigami think we're just all so dumb, thinking that we'll all fall for you being bait. We didn't."

Tsubine cursed, then sighed. "Man, y'all are dumb. I probably should have paid better attention, sure, but you got something wrong..." His Zanpakutō no longer had its hilt, and its shape had changed to something smoother. Tsubine held his hand in front of his face, smiling. "I'm not a Shinigami."

Eira was hoping Kanna would be faster than that, but Kidō skill was good too she supposed. Kanna predicted mostly right, destroying what remained of the Hollow's left arm as it pulled itself towards them with its now-outstretched right arm. It retracted its oversized hand, revealing its full self before the two women. The Hollow was oddly-shaped. Its limbs seemed too long and warped to be able to hold it upright for very long. "You're a fiesty one, aren't you?" It leered at Kanna as its stump of a left arm slowly stopped bleeding.

It eyed Eira for a brief moment before returning to Kanna. "I think I'll get you out of the way first." Its remaining arm shot back to its body, coiling up. With a sound like wet leather, the arm shot forward again. This time, it was directly at Kanna. The Hollow had made a gamble. Either Kanna would fire another Kidō at the arm, she'd attack with her Zanpakutō, or she'd dodge. All of these were good choices for him, as Kanna wasn't his target. As the hand neared Kanna, the Hollow's trap sprung.

Eira realized too late that its arms weren't the only thing that were capable of coiling up. The outstretched claws shot forward and past Kanna—headed straight for Eira. She dodged, avoiding most of its six-digited hand. However, two fingers cut through her right side, half an inch of skin and muscle missing. The Hollow snarled, then retracted what was likely left of its arm in a single, uncontrollable motion. It began to howl loudly. This was unlike the normal call of a Hollow. This was a wounded beast, not knowing what to do. The creature's spindly muscles writhed within its skin before ripping through as they grew beyond what was normal. It bashed its mask against trees and the ground. The Hollow's claws grew cancerous spikes, mutating its shape. Most terrifyingly, the nub of an arm began sprouting an arm-like tumor, much too grotesque and uncontrolled to be called anything less than an abomination. It again howled with a thousand voices and charged at both Eira and Kanna—behaving even more like an animal.

Eira, from the moment the Hollow had touched her, had crawled into a fetal position. She held her head—not the wound at her side. She muttered to herself, only things such as "stay out," and "go away." But the more she spoke, the more distorted her voice became. Like dye into water, Eira's eyes began shifting from a beautiful vermilion to the same gold as a Hollow. And sure enough... tiny black spots began forming around her, signalling what was about to happen...

"What the fuck are y—" Tsubine shook white flakes from his face as he sliced the last Hollow's mask in twain. He did not give the dead creature a reply. He turned in the direction he thought Eira and Kanna would be in—only to be spun around by a surge in Reiatsu and that Hollow's cry. Tsubine felt a cold bead of sweat run down the side of his face. "Shit." He spoke quietly, as if talking to the silence between the trees. There was even a bit of panic in his voice. "Shit." Tsubine repeated it, this time with more emotion and emphasis. "Shit." Tsubine repeated again, this time running full-speed towards the cries and sounds of battle. Tsubine repeated the swear all the time he was running...

Tsubine felt it happen. He felt a snap, much like when the Edge was broken. He barreled through branches, eventually finding the clearing. The Hollow was fading into the Soul Cycle. Blue reishi rose like a snowstorm in reverse. Eira sat on her knees, blood streaking her cheek. Her eyes faded back to pink from the eerie yellow they had been. They were wide, panic draped over her. She had gone paler somehow. And in front of her, Kanna lie on the ground. There was blood pooling around her. It came from a gaping hole beneath her heart. Tsubine could see grass and dirt stained crimson through the hole in her chest.

Tsubine was upon Kanna in a flash. He knelt down beside her. She was still alive—for now. He kept repeating "no," as he examined her. There was nothing that could be done. Instictively, he knew it. He didn't believe it, but he knew it. Just because he was correct didn't mean he was right, right? "Kanna, no... Don't go. Please, don't. You can't die on me. I still haven't made amends for what I put you through." Tsubine begged to everyone and no one in particular. He couldn't lose her.

A weak, trembling hand raised up. It almost was a slap, though Kanna didn't have the strength to follow through. She was smiling lightly, the kind that only someone who had truly accepted their circumstances could do. The hand went down the side of his face, staining it crimson. Tsubine's tears mucked the blood she was spitting up. "I'm sorry, Kanna. Please, please don't go..." She tried that same move again, but her arm didn't even get three inches off of the ground.

Tsubine saw her edges go fuzzy. He knew this was final. Without a further word, Tsubine darted down and kissed the dying woman. He reached under her, bringing her close. She grew lighter in his arms, and that only made him hold her closer. Tsubine held her until the only thing he felt was her Zanpakutō's scabbard falling down to the ground, hitting his knee. There were only two in the forest now.

Tsubine howled. Anger. Pain. Regret. Terror. Tsubine threw the kaleidoscope of emotions out into the world with a yell that sent the remaining birds fleeing. His reiatsu flared to its peak. He didn't care about controlling it. Two hundred yards' worth of forest were suddenly frozen solid after being pushed away by his reiatsu. Tsubine just sat there, yelling mostly at himself. No words were part of this primal grieving.

It seemed like an eternity before he stood. His eyes were bloodshot, no tears came anymore. He gently sheathed the now-inert Zanpakutō and slid it beside his own. He looked at Eira, who was still stunned. He knew what had happened. He didn't want to blame her, but he did. That almost hurt as much as losing the woman he loved. With a motion, Eira was on Tsubine's back. The two walked back to the Seireitei in silence. Tsubine von Zarkonheinz has failed to protect one of the two people he loved. It was that thought that drove him as he returned.