Part 1

When she reached the adjuchas, she swung at it with her blade a couple times. Each time she hit, her red eye seemed to glow. She was surprised when she saw Atsumi's hand enter the hollow. She should've taken a second! It was clear Atsumi was weakened, but the damage she dealt was still significant. The hollow's bodily fluids tore out of its body before she spun around it and pulled back its head, exposing the neck.

With great speed, Natsuki adjusted the height of her swing, weighted one end of Hou-ou against her shoulder, and sliced at the neck with all her might, her eye leaving a short trail of red light with the lurch. The serrated blade nearly cut through the entirety of the beast's neck. Will that do? Just when she was about to go back to finish the job, she collapsed, her shikai sealing after a moment.

Oh...

"Bankai."

Atsumi was relieved to not be cut but Natsuki; though, she was more relieved that the Adjuchas was knock knock knocking on heavens door. Well it was until something rather peculiar happened.

"Bankai"

T-That voice...Our lord who art in heaven hallow be thy--

The earth cracked open and lava spewed out. What was even worse was that it was heading towards all hollow in the area; which was a good thing. What wasn't a good thing was that she was still on top of one.

She had no desire to become apart of the backyard BBQ. She rolled off of the Adjuchas rather quickly. Her body collided with the ground with a thud. As anyone could have imagined it hurt like a mother fucker. But hey at least she was out of immediate danger.

Finally Kiyoko spoke, but only aloud this time. "I was gonna start calling you the red sea but lava lady seems to fit the bill better than you do...well you still beat her in your dry and baren personality.

..................................................................................................................

Her mind was just as barren and arid as the area around the red sea. It honestly shocked her.

So much for being a kind god.

Once all of the hollow were gone, the magma and lava seeped back into the earth, just as hot as it was before it exited. Yuriko was unable to stand anymore, and she decided to resort to sitting down. The Captain Commander's bankai was rather intense, and she had only seen it twice before.

Once when it was first obtained, once when she became Captain Commander. Neither were this intense, but the Captain Commander must have been getting stronger over the time that she's been in her position. Much stronger.

Why hadn't she noticed it before? This was too much of a growth. Once she got her Bankai, she excelled far too fast for any normal person.

Unless...

She would ask Ak--

She was hit hard at the thought, she hadn't let herself mourn over Akira and Kokami's death. She could now, though. All of the enemies were dead, so she could.

No.

One enemy must be left, otherwise there wouldn't still be such intense power concentrated on the area. Yuriko forced herself up and looked toward the Captain Commander. The sight sent a chill through her spine, it was so fierce and yet so elegant. The Captain Commander's hair was pure lava, and it flowed well past her feet while she was floated in the air, high above. Fire was flowing all around her in spirals as far as sixty feet away.

Yuriko's face became skeptical. Fire? But the Captain Commander's Zanpakuto is Lava themed.

The it hit her, that wasn't her ability.

That was pure reiatsu.

It was so intense that it was burning the air.

Then her eyes fell to her zanpakuto, but she didn't find it.

Lava suddenly wrapped around the Captain Commander's right arm and covered her chest, all in a thin layer. It wrapped around her back and down to her hips before stopping. Then it all hardened in an instant, and links of lava could be seen between some segments. Most likely for movement. She lifts her hand, and suddenly lava explodes from the earth and surrounds the Arrancar in front of her.

He was gone an instant before a ball of lava hardened into a twenty foot diameter sphere around him, and was instead standing twelve feet from the left edge of it, the Captain Commander in front of him with a punch straight for his face, the hit connecting and the Arrancar's face made a crunching sound as he flew out of sight faster than the eye could see, but the devastation of his wake was more than enough to point out his position; the vacuum caused by his passing put out some of the fire around her by sucking it in, but the fire quickly replenished. She flexed her hand for a second, and then shook it. Some of the rock that was on her fist crumbled off, but it was quickly replenished by a bit more lava.

Yuriko's jaw was open wide as she watched this. Why would she need help, ever?

Natsuki's eyes flutter, just managing to take in the sight of firelight. Shoot, did I... She let out a nah before she once more succumbed to the Captain Commander's reiatsu.

Atsumi was having difficulties breathing. By difficulties I mean it felt like someone put the whole squad 8 barracks onto her chest. Her breathing wasn't a series of inhales and exhales but more short and constant inhales has she gasped for oxygen. The Captain Commanders Reiatsu was a bit too much for anyone to handle. It felt like she was purposely trying to crush everyone.

The Captain Commander waited for about a minute before she spun around and grabbed the Vasto Lorde out of Sonido.

"You are now going to die." she said, and she punched him through the shoulder, her arm going straight through the hole that was already there. Without expressing any form of satisfaction of possible victory the Arrancar could have, he stabbed his sword into her armor, but it didn't pierce through.

"Destruir Todo, Escarabajo." spoke the Arrancar in a smooth, light voice. A dark burst of energy exploded across the field and suddenly what looked like a gi--

Yuriko blacked out at the intensity of the power surge that the Captain Commander let out, her armor now shattered. Lava was wrapping around the arrancar, but that was all she could remember seeing.

"Chikyū Ni Modoru, Hai Ni Mawashimasu."

They could be killed as collateral, and none of them would know.

Until they woke up, ashes raining from the sky like a black ocean. Sinthia's eyes stuttered open and the first thing she saw was Natsuki and Atsūmi. They were both passed out, and Atsūmi seemed to be fine now. Well, better than earlier. She stood up and instantly her body was riddled with pain. She fell back to the ground almost blacking out, and she found that the Captain Commander was now standing between them. She looked worn out.

Atsumi's eyes shot open. Ashe was falling from the sky. She didn't mind it at all. It was pretty and for some reason it resonated with her. She felt as though she were staring up at space.

Patches of her skin where back. There was still a lot of exposed flesh but it was becoming less painful as her new skin was slowly crawling across her body. She looked to her side to see Sinthia and Natsuki. They seemed to be more or less fine. She noticed the CC who seemed to be just as winded as the other two.

Atsumi opened her mouth to speak but decided not to. She was actually kind of enjoying the calm that was there. She wanted to relish it. However, she wasn't about to just not do anything. Her eyes locked onto the CC and she tried her best to keep them soft and warm instead of the glares she gave off earlier. She didn't really feel anything towards the CC at this point. There wasn't anything to go off of.

She struggled to sit up and stay up. She--They were all alive still and that was more than she could ask. Well not everyone was still alive; but hey, at least she wasn't dead or the only one left.

Natsuki's eyes fluttered once more, but this time her vision was clear. After taking in a deep breath, she decided to take things in. Ash fell from a black sky, and for a moment she thought she was in her zanpakuto's world. Yet, when she looked around, she saw her friends and the CC. Everyone looked tired out, but alive. The other two were already stirring.

The hollows were all gone and the air felt so light that for a second, Natsuki felt happy. Then the events of the past few hours hit her. A lot of people died, people that she should've been able to get to know better. Rubble was everywhere. She was reminded that she was weak, some sort of hollow with a weird tree on her hand she didn't even understand. The other two had markings, but they had been able to figure out theirs because they had once seen them in action.

The memory seemed sweet now. Discovering her past was traumatizing but she had come to terms with it. Everyone had been alive, happy (for the most part). Now what?

Sinthia tried to stand but simply fell back over. Atsumi was looking at the CC, no hostility detected. Natsuki reluctantly pulled herself onto her knees with a hmph, her eyes and frown somewhat droopy. Dark circles had formed under her eyes. She took in another breath and simply kept her eyes on the ground as she collected her thoughts. The excitement and strain she had gone through in however much time had passed left her mind in jumbles.

After a couple of seconds of silence, the Captain Commander spoke up. "Mitsukinori." she said, the man appearing before her in half of an instant. "You are being promoted to Captain of the 8th squad. You'll need a Lieutenant, so choose wisely..."

Mitsukinori opened his mouth, but the Captain Commander cut him off yet again. "Neither Natsuki nor Sinthia are allowed to be higher than a 5th seat rank, ever." Sinthia's eyes widened, anger swelling into every pore of her body. Ever? So she wouldn't be able to become captain? Why? This nameless woman, she'd kill her whenever she got the chance. In an effort, she tried to stand and retaliate, but she fell hard yet again. Why couldn't she move?

"The seals on your body are powerful, but when one is broken it takes a huge amount of strain on your body." Mitsukinori then turned to Atsūmi and took a moment to think about it.


"Atsūmi will be my lieutenant."

The Captain Commander nodded. "Mitsukinori, you are to train Sinthia in hand to hand combat."

Mitsukinori's face expressed sudden annoyance. He didn't want to train a kid. Sinthia didn't move as of the moment, and just stayed motionless. Why should she try? Every time she got up, she would fall anyway.

Then it was just four, the Captain Commander having left.

"So..." Mitsukinori spoke, looking around at the group.

The Captain Commander's voice broke the silence. Natsuki glanced up. "Mitsukinori. You are being promoted to Captain of the 8th squad. You'll need a Lieutenant, so choose wisely..."

Did any of them really have what it took to be a lieutenant this early on? She sighed. Despite knowing that she definitely didn't have what it took, the hope that maybe she'd be selected weighed in her stomach.

Mitsukinori began to speak, but the Captain Commander interrupted him. "Neither Natsuki nor Sinthia are allowed to be higher than a 5th seat rank, ever."

"...hah?" Natsuki whined, that hope in her stomach dropping. An expression of horror crossed her face. "W-why?" She had the whole afterlife to live and she wouldn't be able to get past a 5th seat rank? Was it because of the hollow thing? That must be it. Sinthia also had it inside her?

What happened when Natsuki died? How exactly did she get better?

Sinthia didn't seem too pleased, either. She attempted to stand, only to fall over again. Natsuki reached out a dark hand and placed it on the girl's shoulder. She wasn't physically the Sinthia she knew just a couple hours ago, but she must be the same on the inside, right? Hopefully she wouldn't attack her because of the physical contact.

"The seals on your body are powerful, but when one is broken it takes a huge amount of strain on your body."

Natsuki patted her on the shoulder. A moment passed in silence. All the while, Natsuki took in the fact that Death wasn't lying when he called her a monster. Anger bubbled within her.

"Atsūmi will be my lieutenant." Mitsukinori said.

"Congrats, Kiyoizumi." Natsuki said, putting on a smile that didn't fully reflect in her eyes. She was super proud that Atsumi was the new lieutenant, and she was mad at herself that she couldn't conjure a good smile. Hopefully she couldn't see it.

Then, from the Captain Commander, "Mitsukinori, you are to train Sinthia in hand to hand combat."

She was surprised to see a look of annoyance on Mitsukinori's face. The Captain Commander took her leave. Funny, how the she once looked like a superstar to Natsuki. Now, she was happy to see her go. The blow of information sort of made her dislike the white-haired woman.

"So..."

Natsuki rose to her feet and exhaled sharply. Her shinigami robes were fixed, so she unwrapped the white scarf from around her chest and put it around her neck. She glanced at Atsumi and then to Sinthia. "Want me to carry you?" Natsuki offered, shifting her weight onto one foot.

Atsumi was sad that the CC broke the silence. She talked about how Sinthia and Natsuki are never to be higher than 5th seat. Mitsukinori was promoted to Captain and needed a lieutenant. He said that she would fill that spot. Atsumi's eyes widened.

He's fucking joking...right?

She was so shocked by the sudden news. She completely missed everything else.

When she snapped back into it Mitsukinori spoke.

"So..."

That's when Natsuki rose to her feet and offered them a hand. Atsumi shook her head and also got up. It was becoming less painful with the patches of skin she was regaining. Immediately after she locked eyes with the new Captain. She spoke without emotion behind her words. "Why choose me? I'm a new recruit who just joined the squad a couple of days ago and you want to make me lieutenant? There has to be someone stronger and more experienced in the squad." The decision had to have been rushed.

She looked and Sinthia and Natsuki with a slight smirk. She spoke again. "Though I don't mind taking the job if these two are 5th and 4th seat."

She knew the chances of him actually doing this were slim to none. Honestly, she was hoping that he'd go find someone else to be lieutenant. She joined the squad cause she heard there wasn't a lot of work to be had; she definitely didn't want a job that would give her more work. She also didn't like this just being thrown into her lap. She disliked it as much as she hated people making decisions for her.

Mitsukinori sighed, and turned his back on Atsūmi.

"Our squad doesn't do much unless there is a threat going on, and no matter what your position is, you will have to help out in Seireitei due to the amount of destruction that there is. I cannot make Sinthia a seated officer as, if you haven't noticed, she has no reiatsu, and she can't even wield her own Zanpakuto. Natsuki can be 5th seat." he then looked at Sinthia, somewhat discomforted by her appearance. She was slightly curled up, unmoving and lifeless. When they had asked if she needed help, she just shook her head.

What was the point of living if she was unable to do anything?

Both Sinthia and Atsumi shook their heads. She stepped back, and crossed her arms, her gaze slightly downcast. Atsumi got to her feet.

"Why choose me? I'm a new recruit who just joined the squad a couple of days ago and you want to make me lieutenant? There has to be someone stronger and more experienced in the squad." Natsuki turned her gaze up at them once more, waiting to see what happened. There was a pause as Atsumi smiled at her and Sinthia. "Though I don't mind taking the job if these two are 5th and 4th seat."

Natsuki's mouth opened in surprise. A good friend, Atsumi was. But... Let's just fill the ranks with weaklings, eh? Would Mitsukinori do it? It'd be sort of silly.

"Our squad doesn't do much unless there is a threat going on, and no matter what your position is, you will have to help out in Seireitei due to the amount of destruction that there is. I cannot make Sinthia a seated officer as, if you haven't noticed, she has no reiatsu, and she can't even wield her own Zanpakuto." Natsuki felt a pang of sadness. What happened to Sinthia? "Natsuki can be 5th seat." He finished.

"Woo." She said, her voice lacking enthusiasm. Natsuki facepalm'd mentally, though she was too tired to do anything physically. She'd be excited and thankful later. She gathered the energy to do one thing. She closed the distance between herself and Sinthia and in one movement pulled the kid into her arms. She was a lot heavier than she used to be, but whatever. She may not have wanted the help, but she sort of needed it. "Can we relocate?" She mumbled wearily.

Atsumi was surprised by his response. She didn't think he'd actually do that.

Is this guy serious?

Natsuki replied with a "Woo." It was evident that she was tired. Everyone was in one way or another. Still she lifted Sinthia off of her feet. "Can we relocate?" It wasn't a bad idea to be perfectly honest.

"Yeah lets do that."

She walked hobbled towards a safer area. The building was in poor She looked at Mitsukinori. "How long until we're gonna have to help rebuild?" It was an important question.

Now that she thought about it how many injured were there? How long until squad 4 began healing those who needed it? How long would it take to rebuild? There were too many questions with a lack of definite answers.

Sinthia felt her body being moved from where she left it, but she didn't fight back at all. She just curled herself together even more, not wanting to move at all. Pathetic, that's what she was. There's nothing I can do anymore. What's the point of defending yourself from vulnerability if she was still vulnerable? It's not like she had a reason to continue fighting and existing. If she were to disappear, it's not like anybody would care, and it wouldn't be that much of a blow on military ability. Mitsukinori watched with an eyebrow raised, and he turned to answer Atsūmi.

"We can probably get away with not helping for a week, but after that it will most likely be mandatory. Atsūmi, if you could please find any survivors that need help, that would be the first step to rebuilding this city, and most likely the least amount of work. Natsuki, tend to Sinthia. She'll need to start training by tomorrow."

Sinthia shook her head slightly and closed her eyes. Mitsukinori, however, was gone before he could see.

Natsuki followed sluggishly behind Atsumi as she led them all to a safer place. Sinthia was a heavy ball in her arms. It was almost as though she was carrying a corpse. To be honest, she was a little worried about whatever was going on with her. Once they went inside, Atsumi spoke up. "How long until we're gonna have to help rebuild?"

"We can probably get away with not helping for a week, but after that it will most likely be mandatory. Atsūmi, if you could please find any survivors that need help, that would be the first step to rebuilding this city, and most likely the least amount of work. Mitsukinori replied, sounding like a true captain. "Natsuki, tend to Sinthia. She'll need to start training by tomorrow."

"Will do..." Natsuki whispered. She just barely felt the movement of Sinthia's head as she carried her over to the far corner. As carefully as she could, she lay her down on the floor. What are the chances I could find some food around here?

She unwrapped the scarf from her neck, bundled it up, and put it under the girl's head to act as a pillow. Then, she stood up straight and scanned the room with tired eyes. Foodfoodfood... With a noise of acknowledgement, she trudged over to a broken table who's contents were spilled all over the floor. A couple rolls of some type had managed to stay on a plate, so she picked up those and returned to Sinthia's side.

"Eat, stranger." She said before putting one in her own mouth, holding onto it with her teeth, and then breaking apart another roll. She held a small piece over Sinthia's mouth, waiting for her to open it so she could drop it in.

"We can probably get away with not helping for a week, but after that it will most likely be mandatory. Atsūmi, if you could please find any survivors that need help, that would be the first step to rebuilding this city, and most likely the least amount of work. Natsuki, tend to Sinthia. She'll need to start training by tomorrow."

Atsumi let out a soft sigh. Mitsukinori disappeared an she stuck around until she was sure Sinthia and Natsuki would be alright. They were eating some bread when she pushed herself back onto he feet. She began to walk away before speaking aloud. "Don't push yourselves too hard yeah?"

She decided to work hard now to be able to be lazy later. She also had to follow Mitsukinori's orders to the letter for a bit to show thanks for giving them a week to recover.

She tried her best to seem like she was put back together. At least until she was out of sight of the other two. She wasn't going to make them worry about her when they need to worry about themselves. She walked around looking for those who were injured. When she found one she would plop Yuuwa on them long enough for them to be able to get themselves to actual medics.

While she was "healing" them she would take time to think back on all that happened. At moments throughout the day she made people an anchor. It wasn't completely her fault that they died. She would need to move on; especially if he was serious about her being a lieutenant. It wasn't just her who would need to move on though. Everyone would. A week is a short amount of time to get over a loss but it would need to be done. The stress of rebuilding on top of the stress caused from a battle with that many causalities would be enough to throw people over the edge.

I should keep an eye on those three.

Sinthia shook her head at the food, not wanting any. She was hungry, but she wouldn't be able to eat. Not at the moment, at least. She looked at the remains of her zanpakuto. At first, she hoped that it would be there, not broken and looking brand new, but when she looked she was filled with pain and a sense of loss. This is all her fault. she thought to herself, cursing the white haired woman. Her temper was rising and her desire to lash out was increasing. If it wasn't for her, I would be fine.

Her anger was short-lived as she remembered everything. She couldn't save Lucy; Lucy had died twice in front of her. Sinthia had to witness Lucy's death again. Why? She closed her eyes, pushed herself close to the wall, and hid her face. She did not want to be seen at the time. She didn't want to be seen ever.

"Don't push yourselves too hard yeah?" Atsumi called as she walked out of the building.

Natsuki let out another noise of acknowledgement, though she probably wouldn't have been able to hear it. Sinthia refused the food and stared at her zanpakuto for a while before pulling herself to the wall and hiding her face. "...Sinthia." Natsuki mumbled, her voice gentle but her eyes expressing annoyance.

There was no reply, which made her huff a little. She dropped the food on the ground, picked back up her scarf, wrapped it around her neck again, and lowered herself to the ground a bit too fast. The pain was temporary and she lay back, her limbs outstretched. "I don't know what to do for you..." Natsuki murmured, her eyes closed. "Eat when you can. It should help a little." Despite her exhaustion, the movie that played on the back of her eyelids made her cling to consciousness. "If I manage to fall asleep, wake me up if you need anything." After a moment, she also added, "Sorry about your zanpakuto..."

Atsumi wandered around almost aimlessly trying to help where she could. Before she knew it a 4 hours had passed. At most two thirds of her skin was back and she was finding less and less people who were alive. There was no way to tell if they had passed away from the battle or from waiting for help. She was getting tired.

She made her way slowly to where she had left Sinthia and Natsuki. On the way she wondered if she did enough to please Mitsukinori. She was able to save maybe 20 lives... assuming they all got to the medics. Her healing process was much slower out of battle for some odd reason.

She was hoping that they would be sleeping by the time she got back.

Sinthia had fallen asleep where she was originally, but she was still alert from old habits. The moment Atsūmi entered the room she woke up, almost in a defensive stance. However, she didn't feel like moving and closed her eyes. Almost as if on cue, Mitsukinori appeared a couple of seconds after his Lieutenant. He leaned against one of the walls and slowly slid down, looking at his group.

In a voice that was just loud enough for the room, he relayed information.

"Three Divisions were entirely decimated, and we four are the only remaining members of the 8th Division." he said. He sounded tired, and looked even more so. "We don't know the full effects of Akira's abilities, as it is something that nobody understands, so we're having a lookout search constantly for the next month in case... In case something shows up."

He sighed and leaned his head back, eyes closed. He needed to go over all that has happened today.

Natsuki had managed to fall into a half-sleep state. It felt like one of those slumbers where, if she had a bed, she'd be tossing and turning all night. However, she didn't, so she just stayed flat.

She didn't hear Atsumi enter, nor the stirring of Sinthia. Only when the silence was broken by a voice did she become fully conscious. She stayed on the floor as she listened.

"Three Divisions were entirely decimated, and we four are the only remaining members of the 8th Division." Had she fallen asleep finally? Was this a dream? She placed her forearm over her eyes when more tears threatened to fall. Three divisions, the rest of ours... She saw her friends walking to join other squads - had they chosen wisely? She saw the boy that joined the 8th squad when they did. Dead. She saw all those people she conversed with when she first arrived. Dead. She saw Akira. Gone. She saw a Kokami that... died?... hating her. "We don't know the full effects of Akira's abilities, as it is something that nobody understands, so we're having a lookout search constantly for the next month in case... In case something shows up."

"They could be alive?" She whispered, more to herself than anyone. But then she saw the marking on her hand and remembered how Atsumi and Sinthia got theirs. Any hope flew out the window as she quietly shook her head. She wanted to positive. Who knew what his powers did, exactly? Not her. But she had a pretty good feeling she saw exactly what they did. Poof.

Not even a minute had passed since Atsumi entered the room and Sinthia was already stirring. Natsuki was still asleep. Well she was still asleep until the Newly appointed Captain entered the room and began speaking.

"Three Divisions were entirely decimated, and we four are the only remaining members of the 8th Division." he said. He sounded tired, and looked even more so. "We don't know the full effects of Akira's abilities, as it is something that nobody understands, so we're having a lookout search constantly for the next month in case... In case something shows up."

Atsumi spoke out "Which squads got stomped?"

They needed as much information as they could get. She didn't bother to ask questions about why they were looking. Sure the Captain previous Captain could control time, but could he die and then come back? The fact that her and Sinthia had the marks were proof that they died. She didn't want to be rude or disrespectful but she felt like the chances of them being alive were around zero.

Regardless of her own thoughts someone did think it was worth a shot. Then it hit her. She didn't really know much about the Akira. She didn't know how close or the distance between him and the other captains. Maybe they were all desperately hoping that he and Kokami were still alive.

Atsumi decided to step outside for a bit. She'd wait for Mitsukinori to come out and try to get what she could. Sinthia and Natsuki needed to rest. She also didn't want them to hear what she was about to ask. Might crush their hopes.

Wait what if he falls asleep in there?

Assuming she had a bit of time before she went out she decided to try and talk to Yuuwa and Kiyoko.

She closed her eyes and slowed her breathing. Basically she went into a meditative state. Whe n she opened her eyes she was in her Zanpakuto realm. Things were drastically different though. There weren't any waves. In fact the water was completely still as though it was a piece of paper. Deciding to test it she stuck her hand in...still nothing. Even ripples didn't form.

"Weird."

She looked towards the sky now and it was pitch black. In fact the only light was from a crescent moon. The stars were hidden by clouds but the crescent moon's brightness broke through them. "Yuuwa Kiyoko when did this happen?"

There was no answer.

She looked behind her and saw them. They were sleeping on either side of the debris.

Is this why they weren't talking?

Deciding to leave them be she left. The lieutenant still wasn't out; though, she didn't know h long she was gone.

Guess i'll still wait.

Mitsukinori shook his head. He got up to follow Atsūmi and answer her questions, but unlike his posture and air that he held before, he now looked as though the world were falling around him, which it technically was. After a pause, he spoke loud enough so that she could hear, and not the others. Some information was only meant for Captains and Lieutenants.

"Squads Three, Six, Seven, Nine, Eleven, and Thirteen. While the Vasto Lordes were being defeated, the Arrancar appeared and wiped out the Seventh Squad." an air of breath, and then he speak loud enough for the rest to hear. "If it weren't for the Captain Commander, my guess it that we'd likely all be dead." he waited a couple of seconds so that it could sink in.

"Lieutenant, get a good nights rest and report to the Captain Commander's headquarters. Sinthia, tomorrow you will need to be ready to train. It won't be easy, but all you care about is prey, huh?"

He was looking disdainfully at Sinthia, and only she knew why. Rukongai South incident, three-hundred-seventy-two deaths. In response, she buried her head and sunk deeper into her mind.

All she saw was a blank canvas of black, but the skull burned bright in her mind. She tried to imagine it away, but it just wouldn't leave.

Then she felt a pang shoot down her spine and her eyes opened wide, a glow coming from her hand, and she could feel something pressing into her skin. Suddenly the seal on her body lit up and shattered, and she did everything in her power not to move.

Two layers down, eighteen left.

The skull tattoo was more dominant than ever, and she just stared at the more defined lines and the light glow coming from it. What is going on?

Suddenly, everybody felt a slight headache. Sinthia was unable to remember the last ten seconds, and she lifted her arm, pain firing through her body.

What the hell? She screamed and reached out for something to grab onto. She caught onto something and pulled herself up, the pain still resounding through her body, but she was becoming used to it. She looked in front of her to see what she was holding on to, but found nothing.

How did I stand up? She looked at her hands and they were soaked in fresh blood. In shock her eyes rushed around the room, but nobody seemed to be hurt. Suddenly, a large amount of blood was plastered on the wall around Natsuki, and what looked to be a couple of holes. Among that, there was something stuck in one of the holes--though it was more of a scratch--closer to Sinthia than Natsuki. Sinthia made her way to it and, though clumsily and painfully, she grabbed onto it and pulled it out, her eyes widened in fear, confusion, and who knows what else.

It was the symbol for the Eighth Squad on a white cloth.

This was part of Akira's Haori. She turned to Mitsukinori who was staring at the ceiling in horror.

On the roof of the building was even more blood, some of it dripping down, with a hole in it and Akira's dead body hanging upside-down. It was as though somebody had torn out his insides. One of his arms looked as though it were ripped off and impaled through a board that stuck out, and his skull seemed to be crushed inward. One of his legs seemed to be sticking straight up, and upon closer inspection the knee could be obviously seen bent the wrong way, the bottom half of the leg slight spun at an angle and the foot hanging on by sinew and skin. The other leg looked butchered by a knife, but still held together from the bone.

A message was pounding on her mind, on all of their minds.

Time goes on and on, but it's non-existent really. Perception is all it is, and what happens when the one who changes how time is perceived dies? I eradicated the boundaries of time in an effort to stop Kokami, but now that time has no boundaries who knows what it will do? Good luck, everybody, my next fight will determine if I succeed or I fail.

Sinthia shook her head, unable to figure out when she heard it. Her head was pounding even more.

And then the pain was gone. How did I get there? I got up and walked, right? Didn't I pick something up?

She looked at her hands, and below it she sees a hollow mask, Kokami's hollow mask.

Just as quickly, though, it was gone.

What is going on?!

The Lieutenant Captain came around. He was speaking in a low tone of voice so that only she would hear.

"Squads Three, Six, Seven, Nine, Eleven, and Thirteen. While the Vasto Lordes were being defeated, the Arrancar appeared and wiped out the Seventh Squad." He paused and then spoke so they could all hear. "If it weren't for the Captain Commander, my guess it that we'd likely all be dead. There was another pause before he spoke again. He informed her that she would need to go to the Captain Commanders place and then kinda teased Sinthia about training.

Oh joy...I knew it would end up with me over there eventually, but this is a bit soon.

Atsumi was going to actually follow his orders and rest. Well, she was going to but then she had a headache. Then Sinthia began screaming. Within three seconds she was back in the room. Sinthia's hands and the wall were coated in blood.

What the fuck did she do?

Then she saw it. From a hole in the ceiling came droplets of blood. She followed them up to the source; her eyes shot wide open to the point she thought her eyes would pop out. Her vision was shaking even though she wasn't. Her eyes shot around trying to look at other things. Everyone had seen it; that much was for certain. At this very moment a message was forced into her head.

Time goes on and on, but it's non-existent really. Perception is all it is, and what happens when the one who changes how time is perceived dies? I eradicated the boundaries of time in an effort to stop Kokami, but now that time has no boundaries who knows what it will do? Good luck, everybody, my next fight will determine if I succeed or I fail.

After this she made a split second decision. Out of the four in the room she thought that she and the Captain were the most mentally stable. Natsuki might still be recovering from her rediscovered past and the recent events. Sinthia had her zanpakuto sealed then broken after watching Atsumi kill someone from her past. Most of Atsumi's trauma was physical and not mental. She had already prepared herself for the news of Akira being dead. She was ready.

Atsumi jumped and managed to wrap her arms around him. She managed to remove him from the hole and onto the ground. Next she used his blood to her advantage by draining just enough so that if he was alive he wouldn't go into shock or die. As she did this she the thumb bit of her palm and draining blood out of that as well. Afterwards she formed two domes. One would block any noise and the other would make it difficult to see what she was doing. The whole process was done in 5 seconds. This took a toll on her.

I have to--no need to be the vanguard right now.

Breathing heavily, she got to work twisting and setting everything back in place while removing the bits that didn't belong. Although accepting a person's death is easy it's much harder to touch their cold, limp yet stiff, dead body. Tears began to blur her vision. She forced them back and wiped the few that managed to stay before they left her eye lids. When she finished she siphoned the domes back into their respective bodies and lifted his body off of the ground. She was holding him like a newly wed couple. As she passed by Mitsukinori she bumped against him as a "follow me" and left the building once more.

They don't need to see or hear what's going to happen.

The longer she held him the harder it was to try to seem calm. Once outside again she sat Akira against the wall. She would await orders before doing anything else.