Part 1

There was chatter and reiteration - nothing she needed or wanted to listen to. Natsuki turned onto her side, her arm still covering her eyes. She was still tired enough that she wanted to try and fall asleep again.

She crinkled her nose when a sharp pain traveled through her head. She didn't think anything of it, her head had been aching for a while now. But then she heard the scream.

Sinthia's scream, which she had grown used to hearing as of late. Meaning she was in pain again. She heard the high-ranks scramble back into the room, and convinced herself to not ignore her. She pushed herself up slowly, her eyes ahead of her body. They met Sinthia's bloody hands and instantly widened, her body tensing well before she was fully set up. "Sinth-?"

Drip

She glanced around, horror taking hold of her as she noticed the blood - fresh, red, running - and holes covering the wall. The only noise that escaped her throat was a squeak. Am I hallucinating? Where'd all of this come from? Who?

Drip

Something plopped onto her leg that carried an unsettling moisture. She slowly tore her eyes away from the wall and checked to see what it was.

More blood...

She gulped, everything once more in slow motion. She looked up. Bloodbloodbloodblood

body

Her hand instantly clamped over her mouth, quieting a cry that made her throat raw. She jumped up, her feet windmilling her backwards towards the door. She hit the wall and slid down it. Her tired eyes were full of countless emotions. She couldn't pull them away from Akira. It was one thing she didn't want to see, the body of the ex-captain, the body of the drunk man who recruited them and welcomed them and taught them. She couldn't pull them away.

She cursed herself and burrowed her face into her lap, her hands limp on the floor. "Nonono..." It would've been better if they had just poof'd

Quiet, be you. Never seen a dead body, have you? Stuck with dramatic idiot, I am.

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.

Atsumi's light footsteps. Thuds. Noises that hinted at what she was doing. Natsuki stared at the darkness of her clothes. She hadn't cried yet, though her eyes stung. More than anything, she felt tired. Stunned. The pain of bloodshed growing numb. Hou-ou was right. It was a dead body. She'd seen plenty lately and she'll see plenty more as a shinigami. She had already mourned the death of Kokami and Akira - why do it again? She was tired of crying. She was tired of feeling sad. She would do neither ever again.

The footsteps left the building and Natsuki lifted her head. She stared at the blood blankly with eyes that looked a bit off.

Sinthia was frozen in place, her mind traveling faster than her body can react. What is going on? Why is this happening? she felt her head move upward, but she didn't do it herself. Natsuki, Mitsukinori, and everybody else was gone. However, a hand was at her chin, and she was staring into the eyes of a hollow mask.

Kokami.

The hollow roared at her and swung with all of its might toward Sinthia, and Sinthia jumped backward as fast as possible, Kokami vanishing, and she returned to her sense. She looked around, the building intact yet dark from the night. She heard the sound of steps, and her own voice, it was screaming threats at somebody.

It was screaming at Akira and Mitsukinori.

Impossible.

She then turned to her left and saw Natsuki not too far away, why was she dragged into this?

She ran toward Natsuki and wrapped herself somewhat intimately around her, covering her mouth.

"Keep quiet or we both die." she whispered into her ear just as the group entered the room. A head turned in her direction and the sound of a blade unsheathed quickly: Mitsukinori had heard her. He looked more lively, and right behind him a hand reached out to his shoulder.

"Calm down, Lieutenant, nobody will attack us in our own headquarters." said the voice of Akira, and Sinthia had mouthed it herself, and she looked at what must have been her younger self. She was staring directly back, full-clad in chains and with a devilish grin.

So that's who I saw?

Akira spoke up again.

"Anyway, we have to take this little one to the trial. The body count she created in rukongai is enough to get anyone convicted. I would rather not have that happen yet, she might be useful."

Mitsukinori grunted. He didn't like the kid much; hell, to him she wasn't even human.

They left and she let go of Natsuki.

"We have to get out of her, or something. Time is being strange, because this happened years ago."


The moment she placed Akira down, he disappeared, and light filled the area around her. It was day-time, and there was the sound of a cackling hollow behind Atsūmi, an object thrown at her feet.

It was a broken Zanpakuto, much like Sinthia's.

"Would you like to die like your friends?" asked Kokami, but something was off. Was she her? "I found them entirely too boring, and even my inner hollow agrees."

Has she gone insane?

Suddenly, Atsūmi is spun around and pinned against the wall, Kokami pressing against. Her hand was to Atsūmi's face as she scratched the surface, blood pulsing out. "Though I think I can find more... Pleasing uses for you."

She then flung Atsūmi into the wall next to two more bodies, one being Sinthia and the other being Mitsukinori. Sinthia was lifeless, a hole clean through her head about the size of a nickel. Mitsukinori was breathing heavily, though missing an arm. His wound seemed to be covered in ice, but he didn't look as though he could keep at it much longer.

"Where the hell have you been?" he asked through gritted teeth, and then he fell forward and unconscious, his wound re-opening and blood flowing out; he would be dead within minutes.

In a split second, everything looked... different. Natsuki's blank eyes shot around the room. What the hell?

Sinthia - the old one, small and childish - was screaming threats in the middle of the room. Natsuki raised an eyebrow and slowly began to push herself onto her feet. "Sinthi-" Suddenly, another figure ran towards her, wrapped herself around her (a little uncomfortably), and clamped a hand over her mouth. Only after a moment did she realize that it was the new Sinthia. Huh?

"Keep quiet or we both die." How? Her eyes drifted to the doorway. Was there someone outside? Had she fallen asleep? A dream? Why were there two Sinthias?

A figure entered the room, weapon unsheathed, the darkness making it hard to realize who it was at first. Her brain felt like mush at the moment. She'd hold herself together, though.  Mitsukinori? Why were they trying to hide from Mitsuki-

"Calm down, Lieutenant, nobody will attack us in our own headquarters." Her heart dropped at the voice, confused joy filling her. She wanted to jump up and run, but Sinthia was still wrapped around her. "Anyway, we have to take this little one to the trial. The body count she created in rukongai is enough to get anyone convicted. I would rather not have that happen yet, she might be useful." Mitsukinori's eyes were fastened on the old Sinthia, disgust evident on his face. He hadn't seen the new Sinthia or the smothered Natsuki. She didn't know whether to feel relieved or not. The old Sinthia's smile was a bit unnerving, though.

Natsuki glanced at new Sinthia, her eyes begging for explanation. They ushered old Sinthia out of the building, the grunt of Mitsukinori marking the moment before departure. The Sinthia on top of her backed off and Natsuki straightened. "Wha-Akira? Body co-?"

"We have to get out of here, or something. Time is being strange, because this happened years ago."

"Years ago..." She repeated sheepishly. Her head cocked to the side as a fake-sounding, tired, and almost creepy giggle escaped her throat. The smile on her face didn't match the rest of her countenance. Akira's words echoed in her head, a reminder that things were going to get worse and worse.

"How?"

Atsumi was spun around and then pinned against a wall. The entire situation slightly reminded her of when they were training. Smooth move operator. Her body was pressing against her own. The warmth and squishy bits were tempting Atsumi to move in. If you add on the fact that one of her legs had parted Atsumi's...well lets just say her mind and body were agreeing on something. Suddenly Kokami scratched the surface of her face; blood began to surface as she spoke.

"Though I think I can find more... Pleasing uses for you."

Pleasant images flooded into Atsumi's head; as did a wall. Kokami had flung into a wall next to two others. Atsumi looked at them and wasn't exactly comforted by what she saw. Sinthia had a literal hole in her head and Mitsukinori was missing and arm. He spoke between heavy breaths.

"Where the hell have you been?

He fell forwards and passed out. What was with this kid and passing out? Was he narcoleptic? Still things were bad. She wasn't sure if Yuu could save Sinthia, she didn't exactly know how healing would affect the brain, and Kiyo was the only efficient way to keeping Mitsukinori alive. She made a rushed decision and didn't know how it would turn out. She slowly dragged her eyes over all of Kokmi. "As much as I love whips and chains I can't take you up on that 'dance' just yet. You see I'm not into masks." As she said this she flung Yuu onto Sinthia and Kiyo onto Mitsuki. They would help them...hopefully. Atsumi's jacket fell off of her shoulders and she took her stance.

I don't know how I can use it without Yuu keeping me together.

With this she charged in launching a flurry of attack only they weren't exactly attacks. You see, Atsumi hasn't perfected her style yet. She can only be strong and slow or fast and weak. She could reach speeds that the untrained eye wouldn't be able to see coming at the cost of them feeling like slaps. On the flip side she could shatter the ground a goo bit but she'd miss strikes like that on faster targets. Fast was the only way to go for right now.

The attacks came at blistering speeds. She made sure to only strike with her left. All she wanted to do was disorient her long enough to land a sold blow with her right. But how much damage would that do? Natsuki was able to do some pretty gnarly shit with a mask on so she could only imagine what a Captain could do. Still, doing nothing wasn't an option. She landed blows everywhere. Why wasn't she dodging? Did she know her hits were weak?

Alright then.

Atsumi began to aim for more "delicate" areas. Lips, breasts, sides, waist, pelvis, and when she was close enough even her ass. She was deriving a small amount of pleasure from it but the main goal was to fluster her. She glanced back and realized something.

Where is Natsuki?

Sinthia didn't answer, she didn't know anything more than what Natsuki could probably guess at. Without hesitation she grabbed Natsuki's hand and pulled her up, ready to go.

"Listen, I need you to go to the Captain's office, but don't get caught. If you are caught, you're dead."

Turning she continued forward, only to appear in a brightly lit room. Her eyes closed quickly as they didn't adjust to the light, and she turned back to Natsuki only to find she wasn't there. She turned her attention back to the room, and she realized where she was.

"Dang." she said, and she quickly left the room and made her way to the Captain's office. If Natsuki listened, everything would go accordi--it's dark again.

She pressed against the wall and listened. A man she had never seen before entered the hallway, and she quickly gave him an up and down glance.

His hand caught her eye.

"E-excuse me." she said in the most sheepish, shy voice she could manage. Lucy was the better actor, but some things she knew. The man turned to her and smiled gently, though she didn't see.

"Yes, how may I help you?" he asked, Sinthia was caught off guard. His voice was smooth and lithe, it was a very charming attribute.

"A-are you C-captain Natsune?" she continued, her hands behind her back and her eyes to the floor. Natsune, for that is who he was, answered as though he knew the question were coming.

"Yes, I am indeed. Do you need something from me?"

"I..." a genuine stutter, she hadn't thought this far through. "I was w-wondering i-if you could tell me wh-where I can find Captain A-Akira." she said, and Natsune gave a slight jump.

"The Captain Commander definitely wouldn't be located in this barracks! My you are lost."

Sinthia startled and looked up.

"Captain Commander?" she said in surprise, this was the past.

Her disguise was also in the past, Natsune's brow furrowed in thought for a second, and she finally absorbed his image in her mind.

Not bad.


Natsuki would be found just where she was standing before, nothing having changed. Sinthia, however, just vanished into thin air, no sign or trace of her anywhere else. Awkward.


As Atsūmi did this, Kokami just laughed at her. Kokami turned around just as Atsūmi hesitated, but just as quickly Atsūmi disappeared and entered into the fray before Mitsukinori or Sinthia had died. Something was holding onto Atsūmi's shoulder, though, and was pressing in.

Kokami's hand.

It seemed to still have function and be attached to Kokami, but something was strange about it.

Suddenly, another Sinthia appeared out of thin air in front of the other Kokami, the one that hadn't met Atsūmi yet, or thrown her into a wall. The newly appeared Sinthia turned and a nickel sized Cero blasted through her head, flinging her back and killing her instantaneously, a spark of energy traveling from the skull tattoo on her hand and into the hole in her head, then back down to the skull tattoo.

The Sinthia that was originally there, however, vanished. To Mitsukinori, all he could tell is that Sinthia had died, and didn't notice the swap that had happened.

At first, there was no answer. Sinthia pulled her to her feet and she stumbled a bit on her feet. "Listen, I need you to go to the Captain's office, but don't get caught. If you are caught, you're dead."

Then she turned. Then little Sinthia disappeared. Natsuki blinked at the space where her body had once been and then groaned internally. Guess I'm on my own now. Off to the Captain's office. She poked her head out of the door at a low angle and, seeing nobody, snuck out of it. She didn't know what to expect at the Captain's office, but she didn't know what else to do but follow Sinthia's orders.

She moved with great speed, her feet silent as she ran in a half-crouched stance. She made sure she was ready to dive at any moment out of anyone's vision, but she didn't know where to expect eyes. For a second or two, she recognized how cool it was that she was in the past. It wasn't like in the movies though. Sinthia had said her life was on the line.

It's probably better to run so I can get there quicker... but I may look a little more suspicious. But I probably wouldn't be recognized if I walked and then get caught... She pulled the scarf up so that it covered her face and continued her trip to the Captain's office. Akira's office. Let's not mess up, Natsuki.

She was getting into the groove of things and her hits were slowly but surely hitting harder while keeping the same speed. Her rhythmic, methodical breathing pattern was slowly approaching her mark. However, this was all disrupted by Kokami's sudden laughter.

Suddenly she felt a sense of deja vu but something was different. There was a pressure on her shoulder. She looked at it...a hand? Her attention shifted as she felt a power building. She looked just in time to see Sinthia get her brains blasted.

So...that's how that happened.

After the event Atsumi knocked the hand off of her shoulder and went back into the fray. She came to Kokami full sprint before bending her legs into a semi-crouched position. The second she stopped going farther down she launched herself upwards; her fist racing towards the mask. She didn't know if it'd hit or not but maybe she'd catch her off guard. If it did manage to hit she was pretty sure she'd break a little bit more than the mask, which she didn't mind.

But what the fuck was going on? Why were things out of order? Nothing was making sense. Was this Akira's doing?

Sinthia made a quick thought, and then she closed her eyes. If only she were as bright as Lucy, she might be able to figure something out. Her eyes opened quickly and she pulled out her broken zanpakuto, a part of the blade slightly sticking out of the sheath, and jabbed it into her chin.

"I need help with this." she said as the markings lit up around her body and the blade stopped before piercing the skin. Natsune's brow furrowed clearly now, and he stood there for a couple of seconds before Sinthia turned and ran toward the Captain's office. She felt a sudden swing into her back, but no wound, just an impact. Sinthia fell forward and collapsed on the floor screaming, her voice echoing through the corridor. She started to pull herself forward before Natsune picked her up and stared at her in confusion.

"You should be dead." he said, and she was panting in pain from the amount of damage she took.

"I'm not." she managed in a pained voice. Without another word, she kicked straight for Natsune's throat, but he was fast enough to throw her down the corridor, and she disappeared out of his sight. She looked up and saw ruins, but it looked more destroyed than anything she ever saw. In her mind, she heard counting in a voice other than her own. She continued forward with her own thought, crawl. Continue!

Suddenly, it was bright around her. Day time. She pushed herself to her feet and stared at the ground, then a couple seconds of walking later it changed again. Without looking up she continued to walk, the counting not going away no matter how much she tried to make it go away.

She stopped in front of the Captain's office, it looked to be under construction.

"Hello, Natsuki." Sinthia said, though she knew not why. Her hand lifted on it's own and grabbed into the future, pulling hard as a seal or two broke from a mass of reiatsu.

Meanwhile, as Natsuki made her way through the office, time didn't affect her too much. She would occasionally jump from one place in time to another. She had safe passage up until a hand reached out and grabbed her back at the office, pulling her hard. Sinthia was staring at her wide-eyed, confused as to what happened.

*   *   *

Atsūmi did this, she vanished into another time and punched Sinthia in the face. Sinthia looked at her in confusion.

"Who the hell were you just fighting?!" she asked, a hand in her own. It was Natsuki's tattooed hand, and it looked as though it were there, but not there. (At the present time, this is a Sinthia and Natsuki that are ahead in their own timeline than the current.) "Better yet, don't move or you might go through time. Any information you can give me?"

There!

Natsuki raced towards the Captain's office, still undiscovered. She wondered if she was even at the same point in time she was when she left old-Sinthia's room. As she ran to her destination, she had been surrounded by glitching buildings and skies. If she was shifting uncontrollably through time, who knew where she was right now?

What was normal anymore?

Just as she was about to enter the office, someone grabbed her. WasIcaughtnononoWho She stifled a screech when she spun her head around and saw new-Sinthia again. All that came out was a jagged exhale of relief. "Hello there." Natsuki whispered, putting a hand over her heart to express her surprise. Step one complete.

She turned around to face the wide-eyed girl, her face neutral.

"We're here. What now?"

Atsumi was yanked through time like its little bitch and decked Sinthia in the face. The punch literally hurt Atsumi more than it hurt Sinthia. "Who the hell were you just fighting?! Better yet, don't move or you might go through time. Any information you can give me?"

Atsumi ran her hands claws through her hair quickly and repeatedly with letting out an angered grumble. When she answered her voice gave more than obvious hints that she was annoyed.

"I was fighting Kokami in her mask form thing then she killed you and popped off Mitsukinori's arm. Natsuki isn't anywhere to be seen and then there was some weird ass disembodied hand."

Sinthia heard the counting more clearly now, but she shook her head to clear it out. Within a second she was holding Natsuki's hand. "We have to move, now."

She started to walk, but suddenly she broke out in pain and fell to the floor, her hand crushing Natsuki's.

She couldn't let go, not now.

"Get up Sinthia, we need to move forward."

We? If she were speaking to herself, she would normally refer to herself as you.

"Sinthia, forward."

She felt an enormous amount of reiatsu press down on her, but she was unaffected. With a bit of effort, she stood up against the pain she felt.

"What's going on?" she asked to the air, more than anything.

More than you can imagine. her mind responded.

* * *

"Dead? Me?" she took a couple of seconds. "Good, tell me where my body is."

"We have to move, now." Natsuki's tanned hand was in Sinthia's, and she prepared herself to get dragged in the direction that would get them wherever they needed to go. One step, two step, "Agh!"

Her face contorted when Sinthia fell and held onto her hand with crushing pressure. "Letgoletgo!" She hissed, plopping onto her knee beside her to try and release the pressure. Her hair fell onto her face, which was decorated with wide eyes and bared teeth.

"Get up Sinthia, we need to move forward." Sinthia said suddenly, her voice not exactly matching her condition. "Sinthia, forward."

While Sinthia gave herself a pep-talk, Natsuki felt the pressure relieve slightly and took in a deep breath. Then, Sinthia stood back up and Natsuki followed suit, her jawline tight with tension.

"What's going on?" Sinthia asked.

"What?" Natsuki responded, unsure what goings-on she was talking about. Weird time thingy? How she fell? Was she feeling weird? Although she wanted to ensure that she was okay, there was still the feeling that they needed to get going and rushrushrush. "You okay?" She asked quickly, taking a couple steps forward in the direction she had been heading, hoping to give her the reminder they needed to 'move, now.'

"Good, tell me where my body is."

That's a weird way to react to you getting murdered.

"The outside of the building where we found Captain's body" she said with just a tad bit of passive aggression.

She would probably need a bit longer to calm down.

Sinthia pulled Natsuki with her suddenly and they felt as though they were ripped from time, and Sinthia felt agonizing pain as seals started to break one by one, time unraveling them quickly. She looked at Natsuki, and then she felt power flood into her body. Instinct was pulling at her mind, one of her most known.

Suddenly, she felt a tug as what looked to be Akira grabbed her, and she flew through a dozen walls while dragging Natsuki with her.

"It's your fault." his voice followed them, and she then felt herself come out of whatever they were just in, her hand holding onto Natsuki.

She was keeping her safe.

Then she saw it. A young girl, about as young as she used to be not too long ago, was standing over what looked to be Sinthia's body. Her skin was pale, her hair long and white, a little messy but reaching to her ankles. She turned to Sinthia and smiled.

"Hello darling, remember me?" she says, her teeth as sharp as the air around them. Sinthia took in a deep breath as she realized who it was in front of her, everything rushing back. The red eyes she stared in were gleaming with laughter.

"Death..."

Kokami suddenly appeared behind Sinthia and Natsuki.

"I thought I killed you, you brat!"

Suddenly, the girl was in front of Sinthia and jumped up, hugging her. The next second and her free hand was reaching over her shoulder.

Kokami froze in the air, dead.

"Wakey wakey." she says, kissing Sinthia. The seals on her body shattered as Death fell backward, dancing with herself. The other Sinthia woke up, the tattoo on her hand vanishing and re-appearing on the other girls hand, what looked to be a sword stabbed through it. She pulled it out, looking up in silence.

"I'll get yours back another time, Natsuki. I still have things I want you to do." Death said, her eyes mesmerizing. Suddenly, the other Sinthia jumped up and swung her blade at Death, it passing through the clothing and cutting straight through her skin. Death tried jumping back in time, but the blade made it from the center of her ribs and up through the neck and jaw, ending at her cheek as Death finally came off the blade.

Interestingly, Death was smiling as this happened, the tattoo appearing back on Sinthia's hand.

Then, Death was gone. Time took her away, and it was at this moment that Sinthia walked toward herself with anger.

And vanished.

Natsuki stuck behind.

A punch to the face.

The outside of the building where we found Captain's body.

Sinthia thought for a couple of more seconds.

"Okay, listen." she says in response. "I am going to die, but not for long. What I need to know is this... What would entice me to attack Death?"

*   *   *

"I still don't know why I did that..." Sinthia said, and she nodded to her hand in Natsuki's. "When that one let's go, she's dead. Things happen, too lazy to explain right now. For now, I nap."

And so she did.

Sinthia pulled at her and a weird feeling came over her. Time was unraveling. She glanced around quickly before looking at Sinthia, whose unfamiliar eyes were already locked on hers and carried what seemed like ill intent. Natsuki gulped, her eyes narrowing as she tried to free her hand from the girl's grip. Not now, please.

And then they were soaring through walls. She couldn't make much sense out of the rapidly changing states of being, not at her current state of mind. She squeezed her eyes shut, protecting her face with her free hand and letting out a weak shout. Then, they were still.

Slowly, Natsuki peeled her hand from her face and examined her new surroundings. She saw an albino child standing over... well, a body that belonged to Sinthia. The girl turned to them, her eyes meeting Sinthia's. Sinthia's response to her smile was a deep sigh and a look in her eye that screamed 'caught off-guard.'

"Hello darling, remember me?" Her teeth were sharp. Natsuki stared, wide-eyed, at the monster before them.

"Death..."

Death? What stood before her didn't exactly match the black beast that haunted the void of her afterlife.

"I thought I killed you, you brat!" A familiar voice shouted from behind them. Her head shot to the side and she could see Kokami, ready to attack. Then, she saw a flurry of white as "Death" hugged Sinthia. A hand reached and up and suddenly, the blonde froze mid-air, her eyes blank and lifeless.

Who exactly was the enemy here?

"Wakey wakey." Death said. Her lips met with Sinthia's, and Sinthia's skin came to life with shattering seals. Once more, Natsuki attempted to pull her hand free.

Death spun away, and just as she did the sign of Death appeared on her hand and the dead Sinthia awoke. "I'll get yours back another time, Natsuki. I still have things I want you to do."

A chill ran through her. Death wanted the marks back? What did Death want her to do? To be perfectly honest, she felt a little afraid.

Then, the other Sinthia cut Death up and disappeared. The mark reappeared on the other Sinthia's hand.  Her body relaxed a little bit and she almost instantly looked to Sinthia, waiting for more direction. All she found was an angry Sinthia who dragged her forward as she angrily stomped towards her other self. "S-Sinthia-?"

Then she, too, was gone. Natsuki stopped in her tracks and blinked at her hand, which still held the phantom of Sinthia's hand. Slowly, she looked up at the other Sinthia. What was she supposed to do? She glanced at the bloody blade in her hand and took a step back. "Um... hi."

"I still don't know why I did that..." The other Sinthia said. "When that one let's go, she's dead. Things happen, too lazy to explain right now. For now, I nap."

And then she was laying down.

Natsuki stared at her for a second, and then rolled her eyes, her dark eyebrows furrowing. "Why not nap after you tell me!?" She said, her voice raised in an attempt to wake her from whatever form of doze she was in. Though her tone nor posture expressed her anger, her eyes were fiery. "Now's not the time!"

"Probably cause you're you."

GOT EM!