A Nightmarish Experience (Solo)

This is directly after The Precursor

Tatsuya had been walking for some time now as the sun was well over the horizon. He couldn’t shake the nightmare he had been having recently. It would reoccur every night for the past few nights. That is the reason why he invited Sumiko to accompany him for the night. He figured her presence would calm the mental uneasiness he was experience. He was wrong; it was something deeper and he knew that now. He was so lost in thought that he failed to realize he was walking towards the opposite direction of Seireitei. Even unaware that he was being followed by two men hiding in the shadows of buildings. One man whispered to the other and pointed at Tatsuya before giving him small pouch and inconspicuously walking away, leaving the man on his own to follow. Tatsuya was walking on autopilot, completely oblivious to everything around him as he tried to dissect the meaning behind his nightmare. Tatsuya wondered around for hours without knowing where his feet would take him. Eventually he was in the middle of a dense dark forest. It wasn’t until he heard the cackling laugh of a high pitched man that he snapped out of his trance like state and realized where he was.

*Seireitei*
“Finished,” Sumiko sighed as she closed her report book, stood up, and stretched. The hours seemed to drag on at the 4th squad healing center when there wasn’t any type of incidents going on, but it did provide a chance to catch up on paperwork. Though for Sumiko it wouldn’t have made a difference, considering how the day started out. Sumiko had been worrying about Tatsuya all day, though the majority of it had faded away with the passing hours. Still, Sumiko couldn’t help but worry a little. A knock at the door jarred her back to reality. “Come in,” she pleasantly called out and looked towards the door as a young man entered. “Third Seat Sumiko Miyamoto-sama, I have checked the log and have administered the medication to the current patients as ordered. I await further instructions.” The young man spoke rigidly making Sumiko giggle. “The new ones are always so uptight. You need to relax. Just call me Sumiko.” She smiled to the startled young man. “But, Third Se…” He was interrupted by a cheerful Sumiko. “Look, we’re not like the other squads. Unless your given an order you can layoff the formalities. Okay?” She continued smiling. “Of course, Sumiko-sama.” She just rolled her eyes. “That’s a little better. Now…” She was cut off by the loud rumbling of her stomach, making her blush and slightly giggle. “I guess it’s lunch time. Go ahead and take a little break,” She didn’t give the young man anytime to answer as she reached for a basket full of food and darted out the door. Sumiko walked through Seireitei with the food she had made in the morning. Usually her and Tatsuya would go somewhere to eat, but she wanted to brighten up his day with something a little different. As she made her way to the second squad barracks she was stopped by the guards at the front gates, which was very unusual since she had been showing up almost every day without any problems. “Ha ha, very funny guys. Now let me through.” She looked up at one of the guards and spoke politely. “We’re sorry ma’am, but since Eleventh Seat Tatsuya Okibi is not present today there is no reason to let you pass. We hope you understand.” A look of concern formed across Sumiko’s face. “What do you mean he’s not here?” There was nervousness in her voice as the words fell out. “No one has seen him all day, not to mention he is in charge of our morning inspection, but he failed to show.” The guard calmly answered her question. “Oh…uh…thank you. Sorry to bother you,” she began to leave the area. “Tatsuya, where are you?” She dropped the basket and began to run to Rukongai.

*The Forest*
Tatsuya could not pinpoint the origin of the laugh as he grasped the hilt of his zanpakuto. “Show yourself.” He demanded, looking in every direction to find the man. “Ho ho. Demanding you are.. yes yes, very demanding. But will not show myself, no no, will not show.” The man spoke weirdly and then started to cackle again. “Argh. I don’t have time for games” Tatsuya stated in annoyance before turning back around and walking. “Ho ho. Giant goes wrong way, yes yes, wrong way indeed. Death waits that way, yes yes, instant death that way brings.” The man began to cackle once more. “I think I can handle myself.” Tatsuya replied as he continued walking. “Ho ho. Not so smart you are, no no, not so smart. Death for other, yes yes, death for other.” Tatsuya stopped in his tracks as the cackling continued. “What ‘other,’ I came here alone.” He shouted, wanting a direct answer. Then, the cackling stopped and all was silent for mere moments. In the midst of that silence a deafening horrific scream of a girl was heard from behind Tatsuya. Tatsuya instinctively bolted towards the direction of the scream and the cackling resumed. “Ho ho. Not fast enough, no no, not fast enough. Girl will die, yes yes, girl will die.” Tatsuya ran into a small clearing that housed a worn down, but big cottage in the middle, under a large full moon. “I’m coming, hold on.” Tatsuya shouted trying to win over the screaming and the cackling. He kicked down the door and barged in without thinking, the screaming and cackling finally stopped.

The house was dark, too dark to see things clearly, but he was able to make out a female figure being held up by thick vines coming from the cottage, latched on to her ankles, wrists, and neck. She was quiet and her head hung low, probably already dead. Dim lights started to become visible, circling the girl, gradually becoming brighter. “Ho ho. Now you see, yes yes, now you see. A lovely one she is, yes yes, very lovely.” He stated, this time without cackling. “A Shinigami!” He took one step forward in shock as the lights got brighter. The girl began to move at the sound of his voice. “Help… me” She weakly spoke, trying to raise her head. Tatsuya was going to approach her and get her down but was warned. “Ho ho. Must not help, no no, must not help. Not time yet, no no, not time yet.” Tatsuya wanted to help but was unsure of what may happen. He was doubting himself. “Ple..ease..help..me..Tat...suya.” She manage to raise her head before passing out again, making Tatsuya stare in wide eyed disbelief. “SUMIKO!!!” He didn’t hesitate for a second as he unsheathed his zanpakuto and dashed forward with shunpo to cut the ropes. However he was unfortunately stopped only inches away from Sumiko by entangling vines that took hold of his wrists, ankles and neck. “AAAHHHH. I’LL KILL YOU. YOU HERE ME, I’LL KILL YOU.” Tatsuya screamed in rage as he struggled to get free. The vines slowly tightened around his neck, cutting off his air supply. It wasn’t long before he passed out and dropped his zanpakuto in front of Sumiko. “Ho ho. Like fly in web, yes yes, fly in web. Now must sleep, yes yes, must sleep.” He said and then continued to cackle.

Tatsuya groggily began to wake up in the same position he was caught in, only know he didn’t have his zanpaktou. He tried to get free, but that caused the vines to constrict around his throat again causing him to stop struggling. “Sumiko…Sumiko. Wake up.” He whispered causing Sumiko to stir awake. “Huh..where am…” She was interrupted by Tatsuya. “Shh. You were captured by something or someone, but don’t worry, I’ll…”Tatsuya was cut short. “Ho ho. Awake you are, yes yes, awake. Now time to watch, yes yes, time to watch.” Spoke a lanky man in the shadows behind Sumiko. “What do you want? What do you want us to watch? You’d better pray I don’t get out of this.” Tatsuya angrily glared at the man in the shadows. “Ho ho, want you to watch, not us, no no, not us, just you.” He waved a jeweled dagger that caused the vines around Sumiko’s neck to tighten. Sumiko began to scream and struggle as the vines tightened. “STOP IT…QUIT IT.” Tatsuya shouted at the man to no avail. The man in the shadows began to sing and rhyme as the vines tightened. “Round and round the mulberry bush.” Sumiko couldn’t scream anymore. “NOOO STOP IT!!!” “The monkey chased the weasel.” She was quickly turning blue. “LET HER GO!!!" “The monkey stopped to pull up his socks” “SUMIKO!!!” “And Pop goes the weasel.” A loud snap could be heard as her neck was broken. “NOOOOOOO SUMIKO!!!” The man waved the dagger around causing the vines to throw Sumiko’s lifeless body aside and recede back from where they came. Tatsuya was screaming and crying in rage at the heinous act that had occurred before him.

“You’re weak Tatsuya.” A new familiar voice came from behind Tatsuya. “Captain Kuro!!!” He tried to turn his head to get a better view with no luck. “You’re weak.” Captain Kuro repeated. “You allowed a weak man who relies on trickery to kill the woman you love. You’re not the man I thought you would be come. And I’ve come to rectify the mistake I made by letting you join the second division.” Tatsuya could only look through the corner of his blurry, tear covered eyes in horror. “What are you talking about?!” Tatsuya’s expression stuck on his face. “You can read between the lines. I’m gonna kill you.” He drew his zanpakuto and slashed at Tatsuya’s back making him scream in pain. Captain Kuro walked around in front of Tatsuya and jabbed his sword into Tatsuya’s left arm. Captain Kuro kept up the torture for a while, cutting and stabbing Tatsuya in a way that would make him suffer more. It wasn’t until he was stabbed in his gut that he looked at the captain. “Why are you doing this?” Tatsuya asked in pain and sadness. “Because. We can’t have weakness in my squad.” Captain Kuro laughed evilly. At that moment Tatsuya began to laugh, first softly and then maniacally causing Captain Kuro to stop and question him. “Why are you laughing? You are about to die.” Tatsuya’s laughter slowly died down. “It’s because I’m an idiot and you are not my Captain.” He looked seriously at the imposter with fire filled eyes. “Heh, What are you talking about?” The imposter began to get a bit nervous. “First, not once since I’ve been in the second division has Captain Kuro EVER referred to it as ‘MY squad’.” The imposter didn’t want to hear any of it and turned the blade that was embedded in Tatsuya gut, making him cough up some blood. “Second, even if you were Captain Kuro and you wanted to kill me, it would have been a quick and merciful death. That is the way MY captain is.” Tatsuya smiled greedily just before the imposter removed the blade from his gut, causing him to grunt in pain. The imposter wanted to end it quickly and aimed for Tatsuya’s heart, but was stopped by Tatsuya who grabbed his wrist and then punched him in the face, stunning him. “Third and this is the most important one of them. Even though my girlfriend’s body lies dead over there, in the corner of my mind I can still sense her. But whether it’s because you’re getting weaker or she is getting closer I’m not sure. I just know I started to feel her presence only a few moments ago and if that thing over there is fake, then this whole thing is fake.” The imposter stared up in horror at Tatsuya’s realization. “But how? You were restrained?!” He tried to get loose of Tatsuya’s grip by punching him, only to fail and receive a knee to the groin and falling to the ground. “No I wasn’t. You just wanted me to think that. I know now that that is your zanpakuto’s ability. The ability to enter people’s minds and make them believe things that aren’t real. A powerful ability, yes, but flawed. It was sheer luck that Sumiko got close enough so that I could detect her reiatsu and find everything out. Once I figured it out everything else came easy.” Tatsuya explained and then kick the imposter through the air having him drop his zanpakuto. Tatsuya picked it up and looked it over. “Give…it…back… NOO!” The imposter shouted when Tatsuya grabbed it at both ends and snapped it in two. Suddenly everything around them began to vanish; the cottage, the clearing, the forest, and even the dark sky. Tatsuya looked around at the new surroundings, open meadow and bright sunlight. “Well, you’re something to look at, or maybe not.” Tatsuya saw a lanky man with buck teeth and afro hair. “Remember how I told you to pray that I didn’t get free? Well, time’s up.” Tatsuya stomped on the very tip of his blade causing it to spin up into the air and catching it. Tatsuya approached the imposter, ready to cut off his head. “Bakudo no 21- Sekienton.” The imposter chanted and released a big cloud of red smoke. “Maybe next time shinigami.” He shouted from inside the smoke as Tatsuya tried to find him. “Argh. Get back here.” Tatsuya shouted in anger as the smoke cleared revealing an empty field.Tatsuya stayed on guard for a few moments just in case the imposter decided to try and finish the job. After feeling that the coast was clear he began to drag his blood covered body back to the populated areas of Rukongai. On his way back the adrenaline rush faded and the blood loss continued, causing Tatsuya to collapse and pass out in the middle of the road.

*Elsewhere*
The imposter sat in a bar in Rukongai having a drink for his narrow escape when in came a hooded man. “Did you get it done?” The hooded man inquired after taking a seat in front of the imposter. The imposter just sighed in failure. “No, he is stronger than you think and he is only going to get stronger.” He said intimidated by the man. “Then what about the payment I gave you?” The hooded man softly questioned. The imposter reached into his coat pocket and retrieved the small pouch he had received earlier in the day. “Right here,” he slides it across the table to the hooded man. The Hooded man then orders a drink and hands it over to the imposter after undetectably spiking it with a poison. “This one is on me. We’ll find you when we need you again.” The hooded man got up from the table and paid for the drink. “Thank you,” the imposter said with relief as the hooded man left the bar.

*Fourth Division*
Tatsuya woke up covered in bandages after being unconscious for a few hours in the healing center, completely unaware of how he made it there. That is until he looked to his left and found Sumiko asleep in the chair next to his bed. Tatsuya then remembered everything that happened and that he passed out. He raised his left hand and caressed it gently across Sumiko’s face. “Wake up sleepy head.” He whispered from his bed. Sumiko stirred in the chair and slowly opened her eyes. “Tatsuya…you’re awake!” She excitedly stated before beginning to cry. “You lost a lot of blood when I found you. Any later and you wouldn’t be here.” She grabbed his hand and wouldn’t let go, rubbing her face against it. “Any later is right.” Tatsuya smiled up at Sumiko, “What do you mean?” She asked as Tatsuya began to close his eyes. “I…*yawn*…promise to tell you everything. I just need to sleep a bit longer. Okay?” Tatsuya was too tired to talk at this moment, but would if she wanted to. “Okay. Later we can talk.” She smiled and gave him a kiss. She stayed next to him all night holding his hand. And he had the most peaceful night sleep he has had in a long time.