50scenes Prompt #005 -- Redeemer
Yeesh, this one took a while, didn't it? Partially because of some internet issues I had -- stupid connection problems! But more than that, I'd spent most of the past week working on a roleplay application. (Why yes Kel, I have applied for Unohana . . . :P)
Title: Absolution
Author: flowingmists
Fandom: Bleach
Characters: Unohana
Prompt: #005 - Redeemer
Word Count: 1,086
Rating: PG
Summary: It wasn't death; it was purification.
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: All characters and settings of Bleach are the property of Kubo Tite.
Absolution
"I will be along in a moment. You know how to handle matters."
Retsu watched as Isane nodded and followed the rest of their team through the Senkai gate, back to Soul Society. She was glad to see her vice-captain do so without hesitation; Isane lacked confidence in herself and would usually falter a bit when asked to take a leadership role. Perhaps she was at last coming into her own.
With soft steps, Retsu made her way to a small copse of trees near the back of the shrine grounds. She scanned the area with her eyes, but was unable to verify what her other senses were telling her. Which was hardly surprising, considering how easily the eye was fooled. She knew someone was there.
"I am aware of your presence." Her voice was quiet and gentle. "You don't need to hide from me. I am here to help you."
After a moment, a small, scruffy boy moved out from behind a particularly thick tree trunk. His eyes were wide with fear, and he did not approach. Attached to his chest was the telltale chain of fate that marked him as a recently departed soul.
Retsu offered him a sad smile and knelt down to his level. "I'm sorry if I frightened you. But we've cleared the area of the monsters, and I just wanted to assure myself of your safety. If you come closer, I can give you aid."
The boy did not move, his eyes locked upon her; he fisted his hands at his sides. When he spoke, his voice was almost inaudible. "You . . . killed them?"
"No," Retsu replied, shaking her head. "I only came to help those that were injured in the fighting."
For whatever reason, this seemed to reassure the boy a little. He took a few shaky steps forward, though still not too close, and a nervous expression continued to dominate his features. Poor child, having to witness all of that. No wonder that he was so frightened; Retsu could only hope that he was given a good living assignment in Rukongai after she performed his soul burial. Not everyone was that lucky.
"What is your name?" She needed to put the boy's mind at ease so that he would come close enough. He was mistrustful of her already; to approach him while drawing a sword would only invoke panic on his part.
The boy blinked at her, then stared as though trying to ascertain her motives. But a moment later, he answered, "I'm Itsuki." He tilted his head to one side. "Who are you, oneesan?"
Her smile widened at the way he addressed her. "You may call me Retsu. Could you please come a little closer, Itsuki-kun? I cannot help you from such a distance."
Itsuki appeared to consider this for a moment, then stepped forward cautiously. He was just out of arm's reach when he stopped, eyes narrowing slightly. "What can you even do to help me?"
She had made this explanation many times in the past; souls were curious about their fates. Thus her answer was a reflexive one, though in no way untruthful. "I will free you from this place, and send you on to where you now belong."
At this, Itsuki's gaze lowered. Retsu at first thought this was due to sadness, and reached out an arm to comfort him. But he abruptly jerked away from her, face contorted in a sudden rage. "Liar! You did so kill Mama and Papa! You did so! I see your sword; you won't get to use it on me, too!"
Retsu blinked, taken aback by the rapid shift in Itsuki's mood. Obviously, he had seen her zanpakutou and jumped to the wrong conclusion . . . but there was something more than that. Mama and Papa? Shinigami never harmed the living, so if protocol had been followed, that could only mean that . . .
"They said they needed to find people like me to eat so they could stay here!" Itsuki continued to seethe, scrambling backward as his chain of fate began to dissolve. "So I helped them find some! And now you come along and take them away from me and try to trick me into gettin' killed, too!"
She could scarcely believe what she was hearing; Itsuki's parents had become hollows, yet retained enough of their senses not to harm him in order to satiate their newfound appetites. For a second, Retsu was almost touched by this show of parental love - but then she realized that they had just used him in order to find bigger meals.
Finally, she caught sight of the shortening chain of fate, and swiftly drew Minazuki; she had only the shortest of windows before it would be too late for a soul burial. But just as she was about to press the hilt to the boy's forehead, a bright light flared up, forcing her to cover her eyes.
Retsu hopped back at the prompting of a long-honed instinct, feeling the ground tremble as she landed. She blinked rapidly to clear her vision, though she knew she would not be happy with what her eyes told her. And she could only find pity in her heart once she could see again, at the tragedy that greeted her.
Itsuki had become a hollow.
He roared in frustration of having missed her, prying his now gargantuan fist out of the ground. Snarling, he bared his teeth and made another move to crush her.
There was no helping it. Retsu leapt forward, blade poised in front of her. When Itsuki's other first rushed in her direction, she used Minazuki to knock it aside as she continued on her way. A single strike, and she cleaved through the newly formed mask.
She landed lightly, watching without satisfaction as the body dissolved. "Find peace, Itsuki-kun."
Perhaps things could still work out for him. After all, shinigami purified hollows; they didn't destroy them. Itsuki's sins as a ghost counted in the same way as those of a hollow. Whatever wrongs he had committed were wiped clean the second she had cut his mask.
That didn't make the ordeal any less saddening. With a sigh, Retsu reopened the Senkai gate and began the walk back home.
Title: Absolution
Author: flowingmists
Fandom: Bleach
Characters: Unohana
Prompt: #005 - Redeemer
Word Count: 1,086
Rating: PG
Summary: It wasn't death; it was purification.
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: All characters and settings of Bleach are the property of Kubo Tite.
Absolution
"I will be along in a moment. You know how to handle matters."
Retsu watched as Isane nodded and followed the rest of their team through the Senkai gate, back to Soul Society. She was glad to see her vice-captain do so without hesitation; Isane lacked confidence in herself and would usually falter a bit when asked to take a leadership role. Perhaps she was at last coming into her own.
With soft steps, Retsu made her way to a small copse of trees near the back of the shrine grounds. She scanned the area with her eyes, but was unable to verify what her other senses were telling her. Which was hardly surprising, considering how easily the eye was fooled. She knew someone was there.
"I am aware of your presence." Her voice was quiet and gentle. "You don't need to hide from me. I am here to help you."
After a moment, a small, scruffy boy moved out from behind a particularly thick tree trunk. His eyes were wide with fear, and he did not approach. Attached to his chest was the telltale chain of fate that marked him as a recently departed soul.
Retsu offered him a sad smile and knelt down to his level. "I'm sorry if I frightened you. But we've cleared the area of the monsters, and I just wanted to assure myself of your safety. If you come closer, I can give you aid."
The boy did not move, his eyes locked upon her; he fisted his hands at his sides. When he spoke, his voice was almost inaudible. "You . . . killed them?"
"No," Retsu replied, shaking her head. "I only came to help those that were injured in the fighting."
For whatever reason, this seemed to reassure the boy a little. He took a few shaky steps forward, though still not too close, and a nervous expression continued to dominate his features. Poor child, having to witness all of that. No wonder that he was so frightened; Retsu could only hope that he was given a good living assignment in Rukongai after she performed his soul burial. Not everyone was that lucky.
"What is your name?" She needed to put the boy's mind at ease so that he would come close enough. He was mistrustful of her already; to approach him while drawing a sword would only invoke panic on his part.
The boy blinked at her, then stared as though trying to ascertain her motives. But a moment later, he answered, "I'm Itsuki." He tilted his head to one side. "Who are you, oneesan?"
Her smile widened at the way he addressed her. "You may call me Retsu. Could you please come a little closer, Itsuki-kun? I cannot help you from such a distance."
Itsuki appeared to consider this for a moment, then stepped forward cautiously. He was just out of arm's reach when he stopped, eyes narrowing slightly. "What can you even do to help me?"
She had made this explanation many times in the past; souls were curious about their fates. Thus her answer was a reflexive one, though in no way untruthful. "I will free you from this place, and send you on to where you now belong."
At this, Itsuki's gaze lowered. Retsu at first thought this was due to sadness, and reached out an arm to comfort him. But he abruptly jerked away from her, face contorted in a sudden rage. "Liar! You did so kill Mama and Papa! You did so! I see your sword; you won't get to use it on me, too!"
Retsu blinked, taken aback by the rapid shift in Itsuki's mood. Obviously, he had seen her zanpakutou and jumped to the wrong conclusion . . . but there was something more than that. Mama and Papa? Shinigami never harmed the living, so if protocol had been followed, that could only mean that . . .
"They said they needed to find people like me to eat so they could stay here!" Itsuki continued to seethe, scrambling backward as his chain of fate began to dissolve. "So I helped them find some! And now you come along and take them away from me and try to trick me into gettin' killed, too!"
She could scarcely believe what she was hearing; Itsuki's parents had become hollows, yet retained enough of their senses not to harm him in order to satiate their newfound appetites. For a second, Retsu was almost touched by this show of parental love - but then she realized that they had just used him in order to find bigger meals.
Finally, she caught sight of the shortening chain of fate, and swiftly drew Minazuki; she had only the shortest of windows before it would be too late for a soul burial. But just as she was about to press the hilt to the boy's forehead, a bright light flared up, forcing her to cover her eyes.
Retsu hopped back at the prompting of a long-honed instinct, feeling the ground tremble as she landed. She blinked rapidly to clear her vision, though she knew she would not be happy with what her eyes told her. And she could only find pity in her heart once she could see again, at the tragedy that greeted her.
Itsuki had become a hollow.
He roared in frustration of having missed her, prying his now gargantuan fist out of the ground. Snarling, he bared his teeth and made another move to crush her.
There was no helping it. Retsu leapt forward, blade poised in front of her. When Itsuki's other first rushed in her direction, she used Minazuki to knock it aside as she continued on her way. A single strike, and she cleaved through the newly formed mask.
She landed lightly, watching without satisfaction as the body dissolved. "Find peace, Itsuki-kun."
Perhaps things could still work out for him. After all, shinigami purified hollows; they didn't destroy them. Itsuki's sins as a ghost counted in the same way as those of a hollow. Whatever wrongs he had committed were wiped clean the second she had cut his mask.
That didn't make the ordeal any less saddening. With a sigh, Retsu reopened the Senkai gate and began the walk back home.