Grave mistakes (Isabelle)

Gazing at his phone's screen scowl on his face Arawn looked up to survey the area. This was the sixth time he'd lost the target. The creature had appeared and then vanished in a matter of seconds. But each time it did appear it attacked a crowd of humans. Two were injured at first Arawn barely arriving in time to stop it from finishing it grizzly work. He wasn't so lucky the other times. So far ten humans had been devoured. It seemed the creature was getting better at avoiding him.
"Did can you get another lock on it?" he spoke into the phone. It was now two hours since he had arrived. He'd circled the block too many times to count. It seemed to be moving in a slight spiral at first, now it was hard to tell where it was going next. "He as to be around here somewhere!"
There was no response as from the other end. It was a busy night, there were other cities under attack. The moon hung full in the sky. Perhaps the hollows were responding to the lunar cycle somehow. Arawn sighed, he wished there was some help, but it was a busy night. He was responsible for this area, he would have to manage.
"Sorry we can't seem to get a fix on him." the voice on the other end spoke up. "We'll call you if there's an update." as the man spoke he could hear background noise as they worked frantically to track other hollows in other areas. It was not use getting mad at them. They were doing the best they could with the few staff available. There had been an explosion in the lab injuring several people.
"Thanks, I'll keep looking." he stated and jumped to the next roof. The clouds were slowly shifting towards the moon as his form rose across the sky.

Tears were streaming down the girl's cheeks as she ran through the empty streets of Karakura. Her lungs were burning from the exertion, her breath coming out in gasps. But she had to push herself faster; she had to make it home. She had known that staying out as late as she did was a bad idea, but her parents had it in their heads that the "Youth Group" would help her deal with her problems adjusting, had thought that Jesus would make her hallucinations go away. But the man had never helped her before, what would he be able to do for her now? What made this town any different?

She couldn't believe it was happening again, that the monsters had come back. She was doing everything her father had told her to do. Seeing her therapist three times a week, getting eight hours of sleep, taking the pills that were prescribed to her. It had all been working until recently, ever since they had moved to this horrid town the visions, the night terrors, the fears had returned.

Other than your incident, have the monsters ever hurt you? She could hear her therapist's voice in her head. Everything that she had learned from Dr. Trammel had seemed to logical; everything she was seeing was the same as the creatures in children's stories. The bogeyman, the one under the bed, the bowler-hat man she used to picture in her closet; all of these things were imaginary. Have you ever confronted one of these monsters? It was common knowledge that once an irrational fear was challenged, the thing causing that fear went away. Stopping in her tracks, she turned to face the thing, willing it to disappear. Everything she had been imagining the past couple weeks, the blue arrow, the ghosts who tried to talk to her, this monster were just her way of dealing with the unfamiliar land, they had to be.

"You can't hurt me." Her voice was as steady as she could manage as she looked at the thing. She had never imagined this one before, but the bone mask was always a common factor in every variation of this fear. "You're not real. You're not real. You're not real." As she said the words she could see it coming closer, could practically feel the humidity from it's breath, the stench causing her to choke. 'Please go away. Just leave me alone.' She pleaded in her mind as more tears threatened to spill from her eyes.

"North 387 yards, he's in the open again!" his phone yelled and Arawn spun on his heel and changed direction. Somehow the creature had gotten behind him! The wind roared as he sped across the rooftops. He'd was reluctant to use shunpo. Even if it was faster he didn't want to expend all his energy. "We're picking up a human nearby!"
"Damn it!" he focused his energies and vanished. He reappeared at the next building and vanished again. Again and again Arawn flickered in and out of existence as he moved along the concrete jungle. The final flash step found him on the rooftop of a small department store. Standing on the edge he looked down from the four story building. His chest heaved as his lungs cried out for air. Multiple shunpo wasn't something he was proficient with. There wasn't time to sit and rest and he didn't waste time digging into his shirt for the phone. It only took a second to see the creature with his own eyes. The body of a new save for the webbed feet were twisted claws. It's tail had scorpion's stinger. Like the report said there was human. Already the creature had it's mouth wide as it approached the tasty morsel. The mask parted to reveal it's double rows of teeth.
"Hado #3: Crimson strike!" Arawn shouted pointing his hand down as he jumped down.

The creature took another step forward then jerked it's head up when it heard a shout. A red light tore through it's hind leg and it let out a screech of pain. It's meal forgotten it jumped up and over the trembling mortal and ran down the street. Arawn landed a second later sweating and looking in the direction the creature went. It was fast. Way too fast. Already he lost sight on the dark street. He cursed his bad luck. He hoped the shot had wounded the creature enough to slow it down, but it hadn't. All that flash stepping had not only drained him, but fouled his aim. Looking at the ground he noticed a small pool of a dark substance. Even with the moon hidden by clouds he knew it was blood. Perhaps finding it wasn't going to be so hard. He took a step and his knees buckled. The shinigami staggered and caught himself by leaning against the wall. Perhaps not. He needed to rest, but this may be his only chance at catching the creature. The young woman was still there in the street.
"I need to wipe her memory." he muttered rummaging into his shirt for the memory chikan. Wobbling he walked over to her. "Don't worry this was all just a dream." he spoke holding up the small device.

When the thing didn't disappear, she didn't know what to do. Despite everything she knew, everything her therapist said, everything her parents had taught her, it was still in front of her. She could run, but the thing would chase her and this time, she knew it would catch her. The worst part was she could swear she could hear the distorted sound of what she could only assume to be laughter coming from it. It had probably only let her live this long because it enjoyed the chase. She could pictyre herself giving one of her monsters that quality.

'I've completely lost it this time.' She was hyperventilating for the most part, a tear rolling down her cheek as she heard it scratch it's feet against the pavement. It was going to eat her and she was powerless to stop it. Hearing it screech, her body instinctively curled in on itself, her long arms wrapping themselves arounf her knees, her eyes closed tightly; trying to make herself as small as she possibly could.

Hearing the thing rush forward, feeling the ground shake beneath her, her entire body trembled. But instead oof feeling the teeth of that thing sink into her flesh, she heard it jump over her, hearing it's footsteps disappear behind her.

Opening her eyes she saw a man approaching her, something gleaming in his hand. From his appearance alone, she knew he wasn't normal. As he lifted the object in her direction, she lifted her own hand to smack it out of his; her body shuffling back to try and put a bit of distance between herself and him. Feeling her hand pass into something wet, she glanced at it for a moment; dark fluid staining her pale skin. "A dream. You expect me to believe that I dreamed that thing was about to eat me? That I've been dreaming my entire life. . . Those monsters. . ." Her voice broke off as she felt anger welling up inside of her, she couldn't help but glare at the man. No one would believe her, for all she knew this really was a dream, but never had she produced a human. Never had she created another human to try an make her think she was crazy.

Arawn could only stand flabbergasted as the young woman knocked the mechanism from his hand. It was one thing for a human to be spiritual away and yet another to touch spiritual beings. I think the term used was called "Type 3" or something along those lines. The fact she has stood there terrified by the monster should have been a hint. But at that time other things were on Arawn's mind. He didn't have the time or energy to deal with this.
"Listen." he said holding his empty hands up "My job is to hunt those things down. I chased that thing away wen it tried to attack you." he bent over to retrieve the device. "I really don't mean you any harm. I don't think you want to remember this night." Something like this would haunt someone at night even their waking hours. The device was made for situations like this. Protecting the innocents life was a shinigami's job, as well as protecting their state of mind.

As the words left the man's mouth, Isabelle couldn't help but admit to herself that she didn't want to remember anything about the thing that had just attacked her. She didn't want its memory plaguing her mind, didn't want its image showing up in her dreams, like all the other ones. This was far from the first time she had been attacked. Closing her eys for a moment, the girl took a few deep breaths, this wasn't her; she couldn't let the fear control her; it just wasn't a viable option.

Wiping the blood onto her jeans, the girl pushed herself up from the ground, returning her gaze to the man. He was offering her a reprieve from the events that just happened, but she couldn't allow herself to trust him. What if he was just like every other figment she had created and was actually hellbent on destroying her? This man, this thing, claimed that it was his job to fight these things, but if it was his job, then where was he all the other times she ran into them?

"You're right. I would love to forget what happened tonight, but what's the point? It'll just happen again." Her delusions seemed to be getting more and more interesting. From the day that the monster seemed to vanish into thin air, to the shosts, to tonight. . . But nothing could compare to when one of them had managed to touch her. Without her realizing it, her hand moved to run over her shoulder. Even through the material of her shirt, she could feel the scar. 'If I start believing they're real; I'll just get hurt.' Her eyes averted to the ground as the thought passed through her mind. She shouldn't even be speaking to it, but what if it was able to give her answers?

She was right. Even if he erased this horrible memory she would forever be a target by these creatures. She had an abundance of energy, it would attract many of a hollow. She would be an eternal damsel in distress. And they sure as hell couldn't have a shinigami keep watch on her every day. But she wasn't the only one. There were so many humans in the exact same situation as she was. All shinigami made it their duty to protect such people from harm, and yet even they couldn't save everyone. How long until she gets eaten due to a late arrival of a shinigami? Arawn thought back to the humans the current hollow had successfully devoured. But there were other humans with high spiritual power that actually hunted the grotesque monsters. With help she could join the ranks of such soldiers. He eyed the young woman. How could such a frail person face off against strange monsters? Just having energy wasn't enough, one needed the will to fight. He sighed. Arawn had no right to tell the girl to face such a life, but the alternate wasn't much better. He reached into his pack with his right hand and pulled out the softball shaped orb.
"This is an invention of mine, it's a stun grenade that works against hollows." as he spoke his thumb pointed a the yellow button on the top. "Press the button and throw it. Once it detonates it can render the target unconscious." He gave a small grin. "It's not much, but with it you delay an enemy until someone comes to vanquish it."
It his left he held out the memory chickan. The small lighter shone in the lamplight. His left thumb pointed a the switch on the back of the silver cartridge.
"This is the memory chikan, press the switch and your memory will be erased and you'll wake up thinking it all a dream." he stated and held both hands out towards her.

"I'm giving you the choice." he said. "Do you want to fight, or do you want to run?" It sounded so simple, and yet he knew wasn't an easy descion. "If you choose to fight you'll face creatures more horrible than the ones you just saw. This thing might save you, but you'll need to find a way to truly combat these beasts. If you wish to fight them, know that not just your life will be on the line, but the lives of others. Should you fail others will die." he was being cruel, but he didn't want to sugar coat it. Everyday of being a shinigami was a life or death battle. For a human hunter even more so. "Or you can choose to run away. You don't have to fight, you don't have to thanklessly risk yourself. You'll be protected from the shadows for the rest of your life." He held two items out towards her, "Choose."

The girl could only stare at him as he explained what the two objects were and what they did. 'Fight or flee. Take a stand against those monsters or continue to run away from them. Those are the two options he's giving me.' She thought, not making any move to grab either one. She knew that deep down she didn't want to do either of the two things. She wanted to be normal. She didn't want to fight, she didn't want to run. She just wanted them to disappear, she just wanted to be a regular girl who didn't see monsters or the people claiming to vanquish them. She had never been the girl who would want to live in ignorance of what was happening around her, but there was always something that crossed the line. Something that made a person wish they could forget everything and move on with their life. Something that made a person truly belive that ignorance is the definition of bliss.

"No person in their right mind would choose to fight." Her words sounded a bit distant, her mind still trying to turn her jumbled thoughts into sentences. With each passong moment, the memory device was looking better abd better. To wake up and think that this night was a dream would be a nice change, but could she count on someone to rescue her from those things? No. They had already been able to touch her, if she chose to run, then how long would she have before she was attacked again? Ever since she moved here, the attacks were happening more often, it was only a matter of time before one of them succeeded in killing her.

Lifting her hand from her shoulder, the girl reached out to take the grenade, her hand pausing for a moment before grabbing it. "You aren't something from my imagination. . . Are you?" The words came out as a question, but she already knew the answer. She wasn't. Creative enough for this. Monsters, nightmares, masks, those she could do. But this, creating another human that had more knowledge than her, wasn't a possibility. Staring at him, she knew her eyes were still rimmed with angry pink lines from her tears, she still had dried blood on her hand, her entire appearance still completely disheveled, but she wanted to understand. "What are you?" She asked as she pulled the object close to her chest.

He watched as the woman hesitantly reached out for the grenade. Her hand grasped the device as Arawn's closed over the memory erasing tool. She's had made her choice, now she had to live with it. The choice of words brought a grim smile to his face.
"Honestly I'm surprised." he said eying the device in his left hand. "If someone would of asked me I would probably chosen the other path." He was such a simple man before this shinigami lifestyle. Had someone approached him with the same offer he knew he would call that person crazy and walk away. How a man could change. And now a young girl had taken her first step towards a life battle. "Despite my looks I'm not human like you. I'm soul of someone who has died. Like you I possess a power, and it's with training I use that power to fight these creatures." Putting the lighter away his left hand rested on the zanpukto on his hip. "It make look like a simple blade, but with it I'm able to destroy those horrors that plague humanity and feed off people." He cocked his head to the side as he examined the woman once again. He wasn't sure how humans powers developed. "With training you'll harness your own power to fight against them."

Her hands fumbled with the device that the man had given her, questions running through her mind. What would she tell her parents? Her therapist? Would she be able to use the weapon? Would she be able to fight? Was she strong enough to destroy these monsters that wanted to make her into a snack? What would happen if she failed? Shaking her head a bit, she did her best to clear her mind, to just pay attention to what he was saying. She couldn't begin to picture herself failing, if a person wasn't sure of the path they had chosen then the path would only be more unpleasant than in its natural state.

"The other path is more appealing, easier in almost all aspects." Pausing for a moment, the girl tried to take in what the man had told her, her eyes falling to the blade at his side. 'He is the soul of a dead human. He has powers that help him destroy monsters. With training, I could destroy them as well.' Doing her best to keep her thoughts simple, her eyes flickered back up to his face. "But if I'm not willing to try and fight myself, then what gives me the right to expect protection from another?" Her hand holding the orb clutched it a bit tighter as she said the words, a new resolve obvious on her face. 'This type of pressure could consume a person of a healthy mind state; let alone someone who's already accepted being half-mad.' She would have to be strong enough.

"When you were alive, you probably hadn't gone through what I've been through." At least, she hoped that he hadn't gone through a life similar to her own. To have to constantly watch her back from monsters only she could see. To be convinced she was crazy everyday for years. To have to put on a play for her parents that she couldn't escape. To see the way her parents looked at her, knowing they couldn't help. He had given her an option other than running and believing her mental state to be nothing more than a crumbled mess. . . How could she not take that offer? "How do I start training?"

"Well that's the hard part." he said rubbing his chin. "I really don't have any connections with humans that are spiritually aware." Shinigami, humans, and quincies may be united in their mission to fight hollows, but there was little to no intercommunication between them. At best they avoided one another. He recalled being given instruction to not engage anyone other than hollows in combat. His own recent attack would have erupted into quite the political incident if he'd been more vocal. He claimed it was a hollow, but he suspected those of the 4th squad figured the truth based on the wounds.
"I'm sure there are people you can talk to, people like yourself." he stated. "Like I said I look human, but I'm a soul. The training I had to undergo differs from what a living being might have to take to gain more strength." He felt bad for telling here that, but it was the truth. After saying choose to fight, Arawn had no other information to give her on how to fight.

Find other people. Was that really what this man was suggesting she did? Was there even a way to go about looking for other people like her? A half-laugh could be heard from the girl as she pictured seeking out people like herself. The conversation that would take place was hardly one that seemed plausible in her current world. Perhaps she could try to search for those monsters herself and hope that by some miracle, a himan like herself would be around fighting it. 'Searching them out; what an absurd thought that is.' She thought, shaking her head a bit.

Letting out a breath that she didn't realize she was holding; Isabelle looked at him for a moment. This man, this soul, had saved her. He had given her the option of fighting back, given her the option of thinking herself somewhat sane. "Then I guess this is it. It wasn't a question. The man probably didn't have anything else to say to her. If she really though about it, he had probably already told her too much.

"I should go. My parents-" Her voice cut off as she looked behind her in the direction of her house. She didn't know how long she had been talking to him and her parents were the type of people that would worry over the smallest thing. "I don't suppose I'll be seeing you around." Pausing for a moment, she took a breath before straightening herself out. She was a Marchant and had a reputation to uphold, even if it were for someone she would never see again. "Thank you." Holding up the sphere in her hand, she smiled for a moment before turning her back to him and continuing her journey home. If she ever crossed paths with him again, she would be a stronger person.

With a heavy heart Arawn watched the girl go. Had he made the right choice? Had she? Still he felt some ease in knowing that she made the choice. He shook his head and turned to his phone.
"Set a search North West North of my present location." he said, his eyes still locked on the direction the girl had just gone. There was only darkness now, he could no longer make out her form in the distance. He didn't have time to think about her safety, she would have to do that for herself. But if he did his job properly maybe it would make things just a little bit easier.
"We have a faint reading in that direction." the voice on the other end of the phone replied. "I think it's the one you've been following."
After that attack the creature's ability to hide itself must have been compromised. It would only be a matter time before it healed and was lost. Arawn took a deep breath and felt his reiatsu radiate out of his body. Talking with young woman had given him some time to rest. There would be time for regrets later, there was still much to do. With a leap he landed on top of the building and comfirmed the direction on his phone, the creature was turning back East now. He looked back once more and shunpo'd away.