The Darkness In Our Hearts (TDiOH Bk1)

Chapter 26: Weakling

A sword appeared in my hand – no, her hand – a broad sword with a thick hilt and guard, pieced together with hollow liquid, a length of chain coiling down and around her arm. Fully formed and glowing an eerie dark blue, she pointed the tip at Urahara.

"No! Stop it!" I screamed, throwing my arms out, reaching somehow for my own limbs. "You're supposed to be my zanpakuto spirit! You're supposed to listen to me!" But nothing happened.

"I'm no more your zanpakuto spirit than you are real, Kera. Your only purpose in this world was to exist so I could carry out my plans," she replied, before jumping forward and attacking Urahara.

I couldn't feel the movement; my body didn't shake with exertion as sword clashed against cane, my feet didn't grind against the ground as she braced herself for Urahara's down swing. They fought viciously and all the while, I was trapped to watch it all unfold.

"I can't wait to defeat you, Kisuke!" she snarled, a small chuckle leaving her lips. "Your soul looks so damn tasty!" I heard her lips smack together and I struggled harder.

But I wasn't making any headway. Instead, I seemed to be going backwards.

It was the coldness, spreading over me, seeping deep within my skin, that frightened me the most. My lungs constricted, each breath harder than the one before, my heart thumping wildly. My vision was beginning to tunnel and the conversation the dragon had initiated was muffled.

This can't be the end; this truly can't. I haven't – I haven't fulfilled my promises, haven't made amends. I haven't lived!

But my desire to fight was snuffed and my world went dark.

I was floating.

It felt so nice, the air wrapped around my limbs, comforting me, soothing me.

There was darkness, but it was punctured by a glow, dark blue. Pretty. It was the colour of the sky at midnight, a colour I would watch from my roof perch in the soul society. I had no need to be afraid of it.

My heart had stopped beating, my lungs no longer fighting for air. This should have concerned me but the thought was fleeting, my mind jumbled, drifting lazily.

I didn't want to leave. I wished to float in this dark blue light for all eternity.

But why?

A nagging thought, wanting to be heard, no matter how many times I pushed it away.

'Go away,' I pleaded silently. 'Please don't disturb this peace.'

Laughter, happy but at the same time menacing. "Oh, you are so weak, Kera," crowed a voice, barely louder than a whisper, but it cut through me like a knife. "It's only taken three minutes to almost completely devour your soul." The laughter twisted my insides and the world began to grow dark, creeping in around the edges.

The chill of fear found it's way into my limbs. The pretty light had gone and I was no longer floating.

I was sinking. Thrashing, I scrabbled upwards, but the darkness had become tendrils, wrapping around my arms, legs, torso, one even around my forehead. Dragging me deeper, away from the voices calling my name, both past and present.

"I don't know why that man put me in your pathetic body; he should have known you wouldn't be able to handle it when I made myself known."

My mouth was opened in a silent scream of terror and disbelief, because the reality of my situation came crashing back down on me.

I was trapped, my soul being devoured. And now, the blue dragon would have my body and the worlds would crumble. But struggle was futile and the laughter of the dragon was chipping away at my resolve.

"Your hopeless, Kera. Absolutely hopeless. One of the worst soul reapers I have ever met!" she screeched, and the voices of my memories screamed at me, hurling insult after insult.

Defeated, I let the tendrils drag me deeper and closed my eyes, feeling a single tear track down my cheek.

"You're really going to give up?"

That voice.

"Man, you're just like all the others, aren't you? Weak."

He called me weak before too. Guess he was true.

"This is no fun. You've already accepted defeat."

I could almost imagine him shouldering his brute of a sword, his back to me.

"I thought you wanted a true fight, Kera."

"I do, I just don't know how to fight this one," I whimpered back.

"I thought you told me you were strong. But maybe you were put into the wrong Squad. Only the strongest are in Squad 11. You should have gone to Squad 4."

Those words should have shattered me, but it seemed to strengthen me. An anger was building deep within me.

Squad 4. Squad 4?! How dare he?! I'll show him, I'll show them all!

Fire coursed through my veins and the tendrils' holds released me, burned by the anger in me. The dark blue light filled my surroundings again, getting lighter and lighter, until all I could see was white light.

"I'll show you all how strong I am!" I screamed, this time my lips forming the words and my hand grabbing the sword.

Just in time too, for it was arching down towards Kisuke's neck.

With a jerk of my arm, I sent the blade flying. 

A/N: 

A bit short, so let me know what you guys think. Any feedback is accepted.