[Group.PG-13] Theories in the Night

It was chilly, and Kyousuke was eating ice cream. It was odd enough that he wasn't cursing the cold, and even odder still that he was compounding it by eating ice cream, and yet he was smiling, eagerly wolfing it down. The coldness was worth it, so very worth it. He had been milling about in Karakura the entire day, pondering his next step in the scheme that was unfolding in his mind. He had to find the two missing captains. The run-in with Jake Duriel the other day had made Kyousuke reconsider his approach; he no longer went about his business as a Shinigami, he resorted to hiding in the custom gigai he had taken with him from Soul Society, exuding only enough reiatsu to pass as an average spiritually gifted human—for all intents and purposes, to anyone who saw him, that's what he would be.

The slim, charcoal-grey suit he was wearing was tailored to perfection, the jacket unbuttoned and flapping in the gentle breeze, revealing the plain white dress shirt underneath. His black leather brogues were making no noise on the pavement as he walked through the city streets, lost in thought and absentmindedly scooping the ice cream into his mouth. His zanpakutō was nowhere to be seen, but to get at it was as simple as exiting the gigai, and it would appear in his hand. Kyousuke rather liked the setup, especially considering the gigai was fitted with several subtle enhancements, one of which was the ability to convert food into spiritual energy, so that whenever it wasn't being worn, it would self-repair any damages it had sustained. It also matched whatever Kyousuke was wearing as a spiritual being, so he didn't have to hunt around for clothing. It was all incredibly convenient.

But all that was uninteresting, because in his hands was chili-chocolate ice cream. The name alone had interested Kyousuke greatly, and he had purchased a small quantity to taste. He had then walked out of the late-evening ice cream parlor with a veritable bucket of the stuff, enraptured by the soft, rich flavor that quickly gave way to a spicy, burning sensation. It was delicious, there was no other word for it. He had taken his ice cream and wandered off through the early evening, and his steps had taken him to the industrial side of town, where abandoned factories and warehouses lined the broad streets. Granted, his wandering had not been entirely aimless, there was some purpose to it. He was scouting locations. He wanted somewhere he could call a base of operations on Earth, somewhere away from Hueco Mundo. His feet had brought him here, and here is where he would start looking.

The spaciousness and seclusion of a warehouse suited his needs best, and he figured he'd start looking right away. There was no hurry, though, so he set out at a leisurely pace. Peering in at the empty alleys as he passed, movement further down the street caught his attention, and he glanced at a corner of one of the warehouses. A diminutive figure was emerging from the alley, wearing a long, flowing, white garment. A lab coat? No, that was something else. Something familiar.

It was a captain's haori, and if he wasn't entirely mistaken, that was the Second Division's emblem on it. For a split second he thought he had found one of the people he was looking for, and then he remembered that there was no way she'd still be wearing it. So who, then, was this? He increased his pace, staying on the opposite side of the street. The distance between them closed, and the figure, who he could now see was a girl who looked no more than fifteen, seemed to be searching for something. He called out to her, ignoring the significant spiritual pressure she was exuding.

"Have you lost something, miss? Need any help finding it?"

Kasumi glanced to the left with a light look for a moment, before staring towards the cracked ground. Litter lay about on the ground, which annoyed the small taicho. Didn't people have enough sense not to throw shit on the ground, but the garbage? It wasn't that hard to pick up the trash and throw it out. Eying it for a moment, she paused hearing footsteps over the ground in the direction she was heading. Her aquamarine eyes held a lazy look to them for a moment before shaking her head. It wasn't anything really, her mind was tripping over various ideas and ploys that she didn't know what to do. Peering towards the human she looked curious her eyes assessing him, before she turned her gaze away.

Normal humans couldn't see her, so it wasn't her concern. Although she was kind of worried over the fact that he was in this part of town. It seemed off slightly, but she merely continued walking, her thoughts jumbled. Her theory on Kyousuke was the death was fake, but she had no hard data, it just slightly reminded her of the report she got of Satine's death. The two of them were different, but alike in ways. She let her hands clench inside the white sleeves of her hoari, while a song came to her mind. The melody played softly with in the depths of her mind as she walked down the road, her black hair swaying, and gray scarf fluttering. Was it going to be a long night? She hoped not, at least it had been calm during the day. Musing what she'd do when she got home, the girl grinned to herself before pausing, the human had spoken...

Glancing over she wondered who he was talking to. Was someone else there? She didn't see anyone, and he did say miss. Stopping in her walking the shinigami looked surprised. "No, sorry, thank you for asking. I'm merely thinking, and pondering over which move to make. I have a hunch someone faked a death." She said lightly. She was joking though, and winked slightly, before tipping her head back, pulling the gray scarf down from her face, her lean form leaning forward for a moment. He was well dressed, she was slightly envious that humans had leeway when dressing. They could wear what looked good on them. Glancing at her own wear, she looked down cast for a moment. It wasn't glamorus or anything of the likes, just another work uniform.

Kasumi stared at Kyousuke for a moment, he seemed familiar. But, maybe he just had one of those faces, she rummaged in the deep pockets of her hoari for a moment. There was one thing that was left on the crime scene. Glasses from the shinigami. She mused this as she grabbed a pack of gum, and took out a stick of spearmint gum. Placing the piece of gum in her mouth she peered over to the sky for a moment.

"So, you can see me. Which means you're either human with powers, or something more"
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There was no doubt about it now, this little girl was indeed one of the captains of the Gotei 6. She hadn't been expecting his question; the gigai was doing its job well. To the Shinigami, Kyousuke had passed for an ordinary human. Either the disguise is better than I thought, or the new Captain-Commander's standards are significantly lower, he thought, smiling warmly. What she had said was clearly a joke, but it perturbed him all the same: he had faked his death, and this girl could have been searching for him. Still, he didn't let it show, he had to keep up the act.

"I have powers, yes. I've been able to see ghosts since I was a little boy," he lied, spreading his hands in a light shrug. "Don't see you people quite as often, though. You're a Shinigami, right? Your uniform is different from the others."

It was important that he kept things believable, the fact that this girl was the captain of the Second Division made the situation risky—they may have met once, long ago. They may have been seated officers together. Lucky for him, the members of the Second were loners; outside your hit team you seldom got the chance to talk to anyone. Kyousuke certainly couldn't remember the girl, so it was doubtful that he remembered him. He had never really made a name for himself in Second; he had been very good at his job, but managed to avoid promotions like the plague.

Kyousuke considered the situation he was in for a moment. On the one hand, as captain of the Second, this girl was a goldmine of information. On the other, he stood to lose his anonymity if he handled himself poorly. It was worth a try, he concluded. Information was power, and he was looking for someone, after all.

"Oh my, where are my manners? My name is Koyomi Minamimoto. Pleasure to meet you, miss..." His voice trailed off, waiting for an answer.

Kasumi eyed the human before her with a keen gaze wondering why she had never sensed him before. Then again, it wasn't like she really paid attention, humans were the least of her concern. But this one seemed a little off compared to other humans she had met before, maybe it was the look in his eyes. She didn't trust him at all, but there was no point in worrying at the moment. Her raven hair swayed slightly, as she took a step in Kyousuke's direction, her eyes narrowing to eye him for a moment in a curious manner. The fact he was smiling at her small joke made her curious, after all, most people would have commented on it, at least asking what she meant. But he let it slip, she was picking up on little facts about him, while he did the same to her. A normal human that could see spirits huh? Was this a joke? She knew they were rare, but to run into one when she was looking for a strange source of reiatsu. What a coincidence. It seemed like the gods were having their amusement that night, allowing Kyousuke to meet the captain that suspected he was not even dead. She didn't think he was dead until they had hard proof of some form, but for now it was an open case that was left for her to look into.

As he told her a sugary lie, Kasumi glanced toward the sky, emotion slipping from her eyes. It was hard to keep up the facade that she cared when her weapon's spirit continued to consume her emotions, steadily turning her into a sociopath. She wasn't against turning and slitting a team mate's throat if they lost their use. She couldn't even recognize herself at times. As he asked about the uniform she wore, the taicho merely nodded her head. He was right, she was a shinigami. A protector of the plus souls, helping them pass on to the other side. Staring silently towards the human she didn't know what to say, tension seemed to be rising in the air about them before she offered a weary smile. Looks were much more deceiving than she enjoyed.

She hadn't personally known Kyousuke, but Satine, her former teacher had. She had mentioned the shinigami, making her aware of the strange man who kept to himself. It had only made the petite girl curious more than anything, and then, suddenly one day he vanished. It was saddening for her, she very much had wanted to meet him. She wasn't a part of the second squad originally, she started off working in the Kido Core for awhile as a sixth seat, enjoying her time. Until the day she went to visit her younger brother in the human world, he had been slaughtered before her very eyes like a pig at winter.

She turned from the human, he was no longer of her interest. Her thoughts were an inner turmoil, a battle of wills against the sword and owner, the two conflicting with one another. The haori swayed as she turned from Kyousuke for a moment, then paused her hand brushing the blade at her side. She dressed in all monotones, because she enjoyed them, but they allowed her to meld in perfectly. Reds, and other bright colours that her sister wore stood out too much, but the simple blacks, grays and browns were the things that allowed her to camouflage. Pausing mid-stride as the human spoke to her once more, she glanced over her shoulder in his direction.

"Is that so? Well hello Koyomi-san. I prefer to leave my name a mystery, after all we have no connections, nor do I have any reason to involve a human in my matters."
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Ugh, he thought silently to himself. What a detestable woman. he would have called her young, but looks were often deceiving in Seireitei; those who donned the black were often much older than they looked. Kyousuke himself was nearing 100, young by Shinigami standards. The odds of this girl being younger than him weren't exactly high—especially if she was a captain, no matter how newly-appointed she was.

What bothered him most wasn't any of that, though. It was the fact that the charm that so usually opened people up to him was accomplishing absolutely nothing with this girl. She remained cold, distant, uncaring. It was an uncanny reminder of himself, but he hid it—this girl was practically flaunting it. To say it annoyed him would have been an exaggeration, but it was jarring, he was certainly prepared to admit that much.

It wasn't enough to make him drop his facade, though. He had the good sense to at least look crestfallen at her blunt refusal to conform to the social contract, but as always, it wasn't exactly an accurate representation of what he was feeling. She would be difficult to get any information out of, but Kyousuke was determined. If anything, she would he a challenge, and overcoming challenges were good sport.

She turned, giving him a good angle of approach. A normal human wouldn't run into a captain altogether too often, and they wouldn't be very familiar with the structure of the Gotei 6, so any little detail would be new. The large symbol for the Second Division was a perfect example of one such detail. If she responded, it would be a perfect way to move on to the matter that Kyousuke was interested in: the rumors of the missing captains.

He pretended to pretend to have not have heard the last part of her reply; selective hearing was a common phenomenon among humans and despite the fact that Kyousuke normally heard, saw, and accounted for everything, feigning some classic ignorance was a wonderful way to divert suspicion and strengthen his cover. The girl was wary, and Kyousuke suspected that she knew a great deal more than she was letting on—he had to make sure she discontinued whatever train of thought she was currently engaged in and make her think what he wanted her to think.

Given what he had seen so far, that might turn out to be easier said than done. "That big number on your back, what does that mean? Are you the second of something? How high does it go? Are you some kind of officer?"

He bombarded her with questions, hoping that by doing so she'd forget whatever questions of her own were floating around in her mind. He was acting vapid, he knew—it almost pained him to admit it to himself—but he had always gone to great lengths for information, and lies were his speciality. They always had been. No reason to start being honest now, this wasn't Tova. This girl wasn't an equal, she had just been blessed by the same grace that had taken Kyousuke's emotions from him. That didn't automatically make her immune to manipulation. Kyousuke would get what he wanted.

He always did.

She was in no mood to talk to the human, after all she thought she had made it clear when she started to walk away. Her black hair swayed for a moment, before she paused to catch her breath in a thoughtful manner. If he knew she was a shinigami then he should’ve known what the white coat meant, was he truly playing stupid with her? Her eyes narrowed for a moment, the deep blue depths showing a dark lace of anger within their depths. Was it that hard to understand that the one’s that held the badges on their forearms were vice-captains while those that adorned the white garment where captains. Although the question of what he asked made her smile ever so slightly, was she the second of something? Why should she play with this human, pivoting slightly, her raven hair billowed around her, her reaitsu flickering about them, seeming tainted for a shinigami.

“Has no one told you that curiosity killed the cat?”

Her reply was a subtle hint that she did not want to have this conversation, not when she thought she might have a clue on the unsolved death. Although maybe it wasn’t a very good clue, peering towards the human her haunting eyes flashed with a look of anger for a moment, her blade was chiding her silently within the small woman’s mind.

“I don’t know what you’re playing at - None of these questions seem relevant. Please continue to ruin my other thoughts by asking silly questions. What comes before two? One.
All Shinigami are officers, or exiled. The exiled are hunted down although.”

The captain looked calm and collected, she knew exiles were hunted seeing as how she was the one that went after them, ready to kill. The small female did not want to be subjected to such a dull conversation.

Hunting them down, ahhh~ Such fun, like a wolf among the sheep, when do you plan on allowing your superior to figure out your true nature? Or will you ever? You know I never went away fully...

The cool words slipped into Kasumi’s mind, her eyes looking like they were changing for a moment to a strange amber colours the whites turning black. But with a slight shrug of the shoulders everything returned to the normal. She needed to focus if she did not want bad things to happen. Was she scared that the girl from her so called dream seemed to be haunting her reality? Not at all. So she merely stared down the human for a moment before stepping back, leaning against the rough stone of the building.

Should she play with him and see what he wanted from her in the end? She did not know, she obviously did not want to be there though. Not when she knew how close that other half of her was. She gently bit down on her lip nicking the skin.

“ I have the feeling the name you gave me is a lie, why would a stranger hand something over so easy? I may look young but I’m not a total moron, feel like imparting with your real one?” Kasumi asked, her eyes narrowing.

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Kyousuke sighed inwardly. This was going nowhere fast. She wasn't falling for it, and he suspected this captain was onto him. That alone deserved a fair share of praise, and if Kyousuke had been the type of person capable of pity , he might even have felt some for this girl. Not because she was pitiful, but because of her situation. Anyone bright enough to see past his falsities didn't belong in the Gotei 6. Not as captain of the Second Division, anyway.

What a waste, he thought to himself, disappointed in the squandered potential. This girl could accomplish so much more if she wasn't restricted by the arbitrary rules and regulations imposed on her by an ineffectual governing body. he wasn't quite sure how he wanted to proceed, the charade was accomplishing very little besides annoying her. That, and playing dumb tired him out; there was an almost physical pain involved. He longed for stimulating conversation, and he was finding none here.

He was presented with a choice, to press further using more direct means—and for a brief moment, he thought he could hear Hazuki's laughter echoing in the recesses of his mind—or to give up and return home to the desert sands of Hueco Mundo. He didn't really want to do either, though. On the one hand, he was strangely reluctant to harm this girl, despite her standoffish manner, and on the other, he was loath to leave empty-handed. He needed to find the missing captains. If his suspicions were turned out to be correct, they would be valuable allies in the coming months.

He let the cat comment pass without remark, and his reaction to her rather pointed remark concerning exiled Shinigami remained neutral. When she asked for his real name under the pretense that he had given it too easily, he shrugged and smiled softly. "Introducing oneself is common courtesy among humans, to not give your name is considered impolite. I assure you, my name is—"

Then he felt it. That sickly-sweet feeling, the lurking menace, the unseen demon under the surface. A reiatsu signature laced with hunger.

Hollow reiatsu.

Detecting reiatsu had never been one of Kyousuke's strong suits, but he was absolutely sure the source of this hauntingly familiar feeling was the petite young woman in front of him. His breath caught short mid-sentence and the blood in his veins turned to ice. Surely she wasn't—she couldn't—but the feeling was unmistakeable. She was tainted.

He shed his facade like a snake shedding skin, his grey eyes steely, piercing. He met the girl's gaze head-on, no longer playing games. "Shinigami. Have you been having nightmares?"

Her eyes held a little emotion to them for a moment before she shifted slightly letting a hand lift in front of her face peering at it, with almost a child like naivety. Before she clenched it tightly the pale silken flesh whitening more for a moment before she lowered her hand. She was playing with a fox, someone whom was sly in all rights, he was more off than she was it seemed. She was never good at sensing another persons reiatsu, but at the moment she could faintly feel Kyousuke’s to know that what ever his facade was trying to get him it was not going well. Her own reiatsu once more spiked as she caught her breath, colour flickered across her form for only a brief second, the strange colour seemingly a threat from the gods above. But Kasumi merely frowned at this passing it off for a moment before stepping forward, her cold voice suddenly becoming haughty.

“And what is it to you? A mere human, or are you done playing snake?”

The words came with a wide smirk the eyes no longer blue but a frightening amber, akin to that of a demon from stories of the old. Looking towards the sky for a moment, a shadow passed over them, a thick cloud rolling over the moon. When the shadows hit Kasumi stumbled forward slightly before letting out a sigh.

“Please ignore the previous comment, and nightmares? Well, a few here or there. Unless you mean something more dreadful than that. I uhm...”

The dream, there was no fire there only coldness, just like the one that crept along her very body feel as if it were submerged in ice. She had wondered over that nightmare, knowing there was a lingering pain in her eye for awhile. Sometimes she’d lose sight in it all together, while other times she was perfectly fine. No sign of illness gripping at her body. For that she was grateful. But as the cloud started to roll away she swore for a moment she was looking at the picture of Kyousuke, but that was impossible. Her hands remained steady and calm as she stood near the warehouse ready to spring into action at any moment.

Duty comes before ones own pleasures, maybe when I no longer have a job I can be selfish. But at the moment that duty binds me more than any chains could...

Her thoughts cut through the confusion she felt for a moment. Her raven hair swayed around her as she wondered if she should attempt an arrest. She had no solid proof that it was him, so staring into the dark gray eyes of the snake before her, the captain merely nodded her head.

“I assume you speak of the dream fighting my own demon, or, something of those likes...”

She said this with a thoughtful look.
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Kyousuke made a snap decision. He wouldn't be needing the gigai anymore, not after this. If anything, it was a disadvantage. He frowned, and stepped forward toward the girl, stepping out of the body as he did so. It fell limp behind him and dissolved into a fine dust that swirled in the wind, condensing into a small orb in Kyousuke's hand. He slipped it deftly into his pocket before eyeing the girl once more. The ice cream lay forgotten on the pavement. Unfettered by the gigai, his reiatsu flared, and he didn't bother trying to suppress it. She had lapsed into a different tone for a moment, and the light had made it look as though her eyes had changed colors.

Except Kyousuke knew that wasn't the case. She hadn't lapsed into a different tone, she had lost control. The change of eye color hadn't been a trick of the light, it had been a primal urge fighting to get to the surface. She was in worse condition than he had first imagined. How had this happened? He and Tova had agreed never to inflict it on anyone else, for fear of them losing control. Had this girl encountered the Arrancar? Had he made a mistake? Between the two of them, Tova had been the one most unwilling to ever do it again—it was highly unlikely he had gone and done it again on purpose. It could have formed naturally, like Kyousuke's own, but even then, it was greatly accelerated by Tova piercing the saketsu.

He took another step closer, trapping the girl between himself and the wall, his eyes still boring into hers, looking for the madness, the hunger that would be lurking underneath. Her eyes were beautiful, a deep and soulful blue, but he didn't have time to admire them.

"Your dreams," he said, still searching her eyes, mindful of the sword at her waist, "are the beginning of an irreversible process. You are probably hearing voices that don't belong to your zanpakutō. The dreams are typically violent, uncharacteristically so. You feel uncomfortable remembering them. Stop me if I'm wrong." Kyousuke could only really list the psychological symptoms, he had never had a chance to experience any significant physical symptoms—Tova had seen to that on top of the Las Noches dome. He only remembered the forming of the mask and the excruciating pain that accompanied it, and even then, he was only in control long enough to be aware of the beginning of that particular stage. After that, it had been a matter of psychological conquest of self.

In spite of himself, Kyousuke caught himself thinking that now was perhaps as good a time as any to learn about the physical symptoms. Another step closer, stooping slightly to keep eye contact, their faces mere inches apart now. His suit jacket fluttered slightly in the breeze, matching the motion of her long black hair, but it barely registered. "Are you experiencing any physical changes? Do you feel different from before?" He was letting urgency slip into his voice, not entirely on purpose.

Kasumi watched Kyousuke for a moment her eyes held a tired look to them, her shift of work was supposed to be over now. She hadn't found what she had been after, so maybe it was time to go home, and sleep...But she tensed watching the human walk closer to her. The body and soul had split, blinking the small female looked unsure of what just happened. Kasumi knew at that moment she should be making the arrest, he wasn't any shinigami she knew of, and he had been playing stupid with her the whole time on the matter. That slightly irked her, maybe she'd knock his head against the wall for that one. She really did dislike having useless conversations when she was in this mood. The sharp reiatsu that swelled up instantly from Kyousuke made her step back slightly. It reminded her of a captains. The petite captain's lean form was once more against the wall as she tried to steady herself, she didn't want to go now. Not when this was the source of her report, the shinigami who seemed different than most she had met.

As Kyousuke stepped closer, the petite woman realized her escape routes were cut off. So she merely stared back into the dark gray eyes that reminded her of storm clouds for a moment. Her own eyes reflected nothing for a moment before a flash on animal like hunger flashed in them, cold and dangerous.

Kasumi listened to each word, each thing he shouldn't have known about her. She couldn't stop him, because he wasn't wrong. So she merely stared in silence for a moment before wishing she could sink through walls, maybe then she wouldn't be stuck in a situation where it appeared she was being questioned. The voice at this point had went silent as if it felt no need to talk when the shinigami was speaking, which was fine with Kasumi. She merely nodded her head in response to what he said before looking away from him all together. She couldn't do this, there was still room between them, she could easily dart away. So she slowly edged along her raven hair swaying, she looked like a cornered prey. Merely because how would a stranger know things she hadn't shared with anyone? The dark feeling of her reiatsu stopped her fleeing short, her body twitched ever so slightly as pain washed over her from her left eye where the other version of herself had torn the eye out. Kasumi's heart heat accelerated as she stared towards Kyousuke, her left eyes vision fading slightly.

He was once more advancing closer to her, always taking small steps closer and closer to her like she was a shy frightened animal. She heard the tone in his voice, her breath caught in her throat before a low growl escaped it. Hell at the moment she was no better than an animal. Until she learned how to control the thing fully she'd never be sure if she was safe to have around. The deep aquamarine eyes tinged amber, while her hand moved silently for Kyousuke's neck before stopping short, just barely any distance between the tips of her hands to where his neck was. Her eyes held a calmer look to them before she blinked, and then smiled.

"Do you think shinigami naturally act like this? Of course there's changes! There's pain, nightmares, my vision seems to worsen at times. I..."

Kasumi looked angry, her hand dropping back to her side. No apology came from her mouth from the attack that almost happened. It was not her fault that the demon like thing inside her felt cornered and tried to act out. Kasumi had reigned it back quick enough that he had not been injured, maybe, she was a risk to her people. Noting that, she wondered if maybe she would have to renounce her rank.

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There were physical symptoms. The involuntary twitch for his throat and the reported loss of vision was just more evidence that supported his theory; a Hollow inside ones mind meant gradual loss of control even physically. Luckily, Kyousuke had managed to sidestep that entire stage, if you chose to disregard his brief transformation into a Vasto Lorde atop the great domed roof of Las Noches. It had taken two of his closest companions and strongest allies just to jeep him from demolishing the castle and himself in the process, and the internal struggle had been considerable. He wondered if this girl would go though the same stages, when and where it would happen. In Soul Society, she would have time to decimate her headquarters and half the Shinigami in it before she was swiftly eradicated from existence by the Captain-Commander's dogs, she wouldn't have a chance.

On Earth, the resulting destruction would make Kyousuke's own feigned death struggle look like a friendly game of tag, the entire city would undoubtedly end up consumed by the flames. Should he warn her, or let the infection run its course unhindered? In both cases, she would end up dead sooner or later. Betrayed by her companions for becoming a monster against her will. There was another solution, however. He could abduct her, bring her to Hueco Mundo where she would be safe from everyone but herself, at least for the time being.

No, the choice would have to be hers. He could only tell her what was coming, she would have to make up her mind by herself. "Listen very carefully to me. You have been infected with a disease, but it's not a bacteria or virus, it's a parasite of the mind, a entity within your subconscious. Every emotion you suppress, every action you decide against, every single thing you hate about yourself has grown a will of its own and is fighting to take control. There is a Hollow in your mind, Shinigami, and unless you tread very carefully, you will very soon lose your already tenuous grip on sanity and become a monster." As he spoke, he considered killing her then and there, a merciful execution to save her the pain of having her already fractured soul ripped into three parts, to save her the pain of being trapped inside her mind as thoughtless hunger took hold of her. For the briefest of moments, Hazuki surfaced, her cruel, beautiful face echoing in his mind, and Kyousuke's left hand shot forward, his long, slim fingers gripping the girl by the throat, lifting her, pushing her against the wall. His reiatsu flared, the edges tinged with an icy ferocity. His eyes betrayed no emotion, still as cold as ever. He may as well have been wearing his Hollow mask, his own expression wasn't entirely unlike it.

"I cannot even begin to describe the pain you will suffer and the atrocities you will commit if you let this run its course. You will lose everything dear to you, everything you ever cherished, and those who once stood by your side will turn on you, eager to end your life. There exist only two ways out of this: one, I kill you right here and now and save you the pain; and two, you become an outcast and struggle to maintain your sense of self and to retain your sanity. You will be hunted by your peers, they will condemn your very existence. The choice is one that only you can make, and it will never be easy."

And this evening had started out so well, he thought.

Kyousuke began to explain to Kasumi what was happening to her, a part of her mind seemed to rebut it, this couldn't be true in the least. Why would such a creature exist within her? That was wrong, no, he had to be lying to her. But she had been trained to tell the difference between a lie, be it the slightest movements. An entity in her mind, what the hell was this? It was like she had fallen into some cheap novel of some child hoping to make it big with a sci fi story.The only difference was this was reality. Or so it seemed, maybe this was another nightmare, she could've fallen asleep on the roof? But, she knew he was right.She could feel it there, a sick being who wanted nothing more than to see all the shinigami around her fall to their knees either begging for mercy, or seeking death. She wanted that race to be destroyed, eradicated from existence. They always played the arrancar and hollows as the bad creatures, then hurt their own people without a second thought on the matter at all. That other half of her craved to see the world fall into a dark abyss. She could care less about their wants and needs. Maybe she was a ranked officer, but at the same time she had a choice to make, be a dangerous beast like this man was warning her and have her friends cut her down. Or...

She could escape. But, where would she go? It wasn't like the human world would be much safer with her around unless she decided to go some where with a low population. These options looked her dead in the face as Kyousuke spoke to her, his words honest, harsh but truthful.

His pale hand shot forward through the night, but Kasumi did not flinch or shy away from it. She was lifted with mere ease as if she were a rag doll, her crystalline blue eyes held a placid emotion. She was not afraid at the moment, either way it seemed like the road ended with death, one more prolonged than the other. She felt the harsh stone on her back through the material of the uniform she wore, her face not slipping a single emotion to the vaizard that held her pinned to the wall. Which fate did she pick? Would she fight Kyousuke to survive, to go on another day, or would she give up right here? He spoke once more, his word cold, keen, but once more truthful, she would lose everything she loved at this point. She wouldn't be able to turn back if she allowed the beast to continue its mayhem on her soul, but at the same time she did not want to die. She felt that she could be strong enough to fight against the beast that wanted to win control of the body, to be the ruler of the soul. She cherished her own soul, would she lose that in the end too?

Then his choices, there was two of them. Either she allow herself to be slain or she leave the Soul Society. Her friends... Musing this for a moment, she only truly considered Hikari a friend. If Hikari wanted to hunt her down, and taking the breath from this body Kasumi did not mind, being an exile... It seemed much better than death, specially when she'd no longer be tied to her duty. She could make choices that she had picked because she wanted to, not because duty depicted it so.

Her hand lifted to touch Kyousuke's lightly, pulling away from her throat. Dropping back to her throat the shinigami merely looked toward the night sky before pulling the haori off from her shoulders. "Want to show me how you fabricated your own death so well?"Kasumi asked. She looked fine the white haori fluttered in her hand as she held it like that. This was crazy, she couldn't think of going exile, she had no solid proof of what was happening. But it felt so right to her, she could give up the whole world right then and there, start over where no one knew her. She didn't have to be stuck to a duty where people depended on her.

So, she took the craziest of the options, she'd live somewhere else after finishing this task.
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[740/50=14]

Kyousuke had to fight back a smile, this girl wasn't about to give in to the internal struggle. He let his hand drop harmlessly to his side at her touch, setting his jaw as he did so. The haori came off, a symbolic gesture for a captain, and Kyousuke knew that she would be forsaking her rank, her friends, her allegiances. "That's the easy part," he replied, letting the smile he had fought down earlier creep onto his face. He took the hand she was clutching the haori in, looking her in the eyes, trying to keep her concentration on him and not on he was doing. "This might hurt a bit, though." He put his hand out and Kannaduki materialized from thin air. Reversing his grip, he stabbed through her haori, through her hand. The blood seeped into it, but the wound was harmless; it would be fully healed in a week at most, given the accelerated healing of Shinigami. "We can only progress through making sacrifices, and this will be the first of a long line of painful choices you will have to make. You will persevere. You are strong. You will become stronger. There are places you can hide, people you can talk to. From now on, the forces of Soul Society are your enemies. You will find new allies." He pulled Kannaduki free and she vanished into thin air.

He scanned the area, taking the haori from her and tossing it to the ground, but not before tearing off a strip of it and using it as a makeshift bandage for the wound in her hand. "You may want to release your zanpakutō and cause a little bit of destruction after I leave to make the scene more believable, captains don't just up and get stabbed. Make it look like you fought here, and then disappear. It's as simple as that. Leave the haori. Leave anything else you feel would strengthen the illusion that you're dead. Before I go, there's something I need to ask you, though."

He had decided to get what he had come for in the first place. If anyone knew, it would be this girl. The question had been at the forefront of his mind for some time now, and he had to know. "Where are the missing captains? Where is Satine Purpureo, where is Artix von Creg? Don't give me the 'they're dead' line, they're about as dead as I am." He had a hunch—it almost felt like he knew the answer already, but he had to confirm it. The circumstances had been too convenient, the information he had gleaned from when he was the lieutenant of the Fourth corroborated his theory. Whatever test they had been part of had been concluded a failure, until they had disappeared. Their disappearance had evoked the phrase "test success" in Kyousuke's mind in a way that nothing ever had before. Were they the same as he was? His peers? If so, that brought the total to three, soon four. Vaizard, Tova had called him. Were they the Vaizards? Would they know what had happened to them to the same extent that Kyousuke knew? He really couldn't imagine that they would, all details in the reports had stated that the test subjects had known nothing about what they were subject to. At this point, it felt like this little girl knew more about it than they did.

She was going to lose everything that made sense if she stayed in the shinigmai realm. If she remained no better than a dog tugging at its chain. Although thinking of that, it did not seem like a bad thing in the least. After all, if an old hunting dog lost its purpose then why was it left alive? There was no point to it because it was using up food, water, and space. So why would she be left alive? After all, Kasumi wasn't useful if she was infected like Kyousuke was telling her. It had to be true. Merely staring upward at the gray eyed man, a slow smile touched her face, maybe her world would change for the better. With freedom always came fear of the unknown, also the feeling of knowing she was no longer a sheep following the shepards commands. That thought made the pace of her heart start to pick up, excitment thrumming through her small form.

As she was warned that the blade piercing her hand might hurt a bit, the petite taicho looked at the vaizard. He was supposed to be dead, someone who faked his own death to be away from the monsters of the government called the central 46. Although it didn't change the fact he had pretended to be dead, and now here she was following every word he said. The cool metal sliced through the flesh as if it were butter, allowing blood to pool from the wound. Watching the snow white material stain red from the wound a sigh escaped her mouth. This was the path of a self exile, pretending to be dead to protect all her friends. She wanted to keep all those close to her safe but at the same time she didn't know if she could. What if the monster seemed to be gaining control over her?

The way he said she'd find new allies made her ponder if he did not include himself. From the way he had spoke it to her it felt like she was truly alone. Just like living in the Rukon. Starting some where new was a frightening thing although she had to do it. To keep those she cared for safe she had to leave. "Alright I suppose I will. Thank you for the help Kyousuke." Kasumi used his name, before looking at her bandaged hand. Lowering it, she pulled out the wakizashi that hung from her hip. She had nothing more to say, it was clear that to go any where Kasumi would have to depend on herself from now on. If the virus was going to try and beat ehr, she would squish. There was no time, nor room for such vile creatures wanting to exist in another beings soul. To have two people in one body seemed a little cramped, but it did paint a clear picture on a split personality.

As Kyousuke asked another question from her, Kasumi narrowed her eyes into an unsettling glare for a moment. Why did he want information on her former taicho and the taicho's love interest? That seemed a tad suspicious to her, the shinigami merely stepped back, her raven hair fluttering about her from a cold burst of wind. What was she going to do? Tell him what she knew of the pair, say where they were hiding? Hell she didn't know where the pair was just reports of sightings that had reached her desk. Staring the gray eyed man down for a moment, Kasumi peered to the side for a moment before looking a tad disappointed in being probbed for information. That wasn't something she willingly shared with another person, nor was she going to with Kyousuke. But, he had been help enough as he was at the moment so she sighed softly, her shoulders ever so slightly slumping.

"I only know what reports have said, but they've been spotted in the industrial area of town around the old warehouse there."

That being answered, the shinigami knew Kyousuke had no use for her. Not bothering to utter the shikai's release phrase it automaitcally altered without a command, a technique she was able to do well enough. The rapier shone with elegant flames licking about it. She just glanced to Kyousuke in a bored manner, waiting for his exit. After all, she'd need to find allies and someone that used her for information then made her very aware he was leaving did not seem like the best one. But she didn't mind, this was her new start. Like a forest fire, her whole life was being engulfed in flames.

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[778/50= 15]