A sliver of light, in a swarm of darkness (Felix)

The mid day sun, lay by the cirrus clouds in the sky. It was noon and lunch time. Auryuu prefered to eat alone of late, he wasn't relatable to anybody else in his squad. He only seemed to get along with a few select people, each one he trusted highly. Auryuu sat at the top of sogyoku hill, overlooking the rest of seireitei. People looked like ants in his eyes. Everybody was hustling by, in a hurry to eat, or do whatever in their breaks they had been getting. Soul society had seemed all too boring lately. No news of the rebels ever seem to hit Auryuu's ears anymore. It was the calm before the storm. It wasn't a permanent peace, but nothing was ever a permanent peace.

Sidartha Guatama had said the suffering of everyone else, was caused by the selfishness of somebody else. Auryuu had read alot of his teachings, and tons of Gandhi literature. He didn't believe in peace, but such things were stories that let him sleep at night, even when his eyes lay bloodshot, and his head lay with flashbacks, of a past he couldn't seem to remember. Weapons on war, were overused, Auryuu had come to fear his sword. The pride of the lion that lingered inside, was too obsessed with violence. Humans just seemed to brag about their guns, knifes, and muscles. Some bragged about their possesions. Auryuu had come to think Sidartha was right.

Auryuu vented as he ate out of his bento. His sword lay still against the tree at the top of the hill. Resting, waiting, hungry, and many other things. Auryuu continued to browse over soul society as he tried to savor his break, and his food. He kept the flow of food continuious, he had been hungry from skipping meals of late. The town he had arrived from, had made him slightly depressed. No one could seem to get him out of his sulking status.

Felix was out and about once more enjoying his time away from the barracks, since coming back to the Soul Society he had been first imprisoned and facing death, then ridiculed and mistrusted. Now he could come and go from the barracks as he pleased though technically he was supposed notify the captain when he left Kuro didn’t need to be bothered by the fact that he needed to get some air. Deciding to take the road less traveled Felix made his way towards the place he had spent his first days back, the Senzaikyū and Sōkyoku Hill. The wind was blowing lightly as his robes flowed around his legs giving him the appearance of simply gliding as he made his way up the winding staircase up the side of the mesa. This outcropping is vaguely familiar like I had seen something similar in my life before.

Felix was so lost in thought that he hadn’t picked up on the presence of Nurarihyon as his consciousness bled into his, Well you must remember boy that you weren’t always a shinigami nor were you always a soul. At one time all humans were souls and all souls were human. It is how the two worlds stay in balance, if the flux of beings in either world changed too much we wouldn’t be here. So déjà vu is merely remembering something from a past life. Nurarihyon paused and Felix caught the scent of opium before he continued It is to my knowledge that the humans have a word for that very belief, reincarnation, though they lack the knowledge of this world they think they are reborn into their own world again and again.

Felix could not deny the spirit’s wisdom nor fault his logic but still it was eerie being lectured by a part of yourself on something you weren’t schooled in. Suddenly Felix stopped dead, he had failed to notice that someone was here on the hill already and worse yet it was a presence he remembered from his days in the world of the living. This time however the presence was more…calm it wasn’t the same energetic fire starter that he had encountered before.

With a stealthy flash step Felix stood before the young man “I must have been mistaken surely you can’t be the same kid I nearly cleaved into a lifetime ago.” Spire was sitting looking towards the clouds enjoying his lunch. What he saw in the boy’s eyes were no longer yearning to prove himself but of someone who had forged his own path to follow.

Auryuu swallowed, as he sensed a strange nostalgic feeling. When the man appeared by him, it took him off guard, and he was a little bothered. Felix had been traveling with that hollow, or something like that. His memory wasn't too clear due to the fact that he woke up, without remembering what had exactly happened. He had saw the female hollow in London last, that's when he met the most fearsome captain he had ever come across. Kaiyo now strangely was his treasure. He was in love with her, but found it hard to admit, and also harder to display. He had displayed it before, in the garden, and the day she was going to take him to trial.

Auryuu set down his lunch calmly, slowly rising to his feet, coming from a sitting position. His legs had fallen asleep due to his stationary position. Auryuu despised the hollow, after Rens, betrayal. If Felix was back in soul society would that mean he had given up on her too? Auryuu wondered. Felix seemed to be playful, with his last sentence he outtered. Auryuu didn't feel too threatened, seperated a little bit by his sword. Auryuu began to speak to Felix, "I have I really changed that much?" Auryuu looked towards the book under the bento, he had never read any literature like it before. His whole charge in reckless attitude was now abandoned, and his skills had been tuned up. Auryuu waited for Felix's reply, for he would judge him for whatever he said next.

Felix let out a small chuckle as Auryuu took a minute or two to recognize him, “Yes you have the last time I saw you; you were still riding a skateboard around though I have to say I am not surprised that you changed. With the attitude you had last time I met you hell I bet anyone would of wanted to kill you given the chance; and to be honest you are holy standing here because Ren intervened.” He crouched down shifting most of his weight to the balls of his feet before he sat on the ground cross legged beside spire and then looked down on the rest of the Seireitei then back towards the Senzaikyū

“You know I spent the first three weeks back right up there?” He pointed up towards the top of the tower, sounding a little remorseful “I could see the entire Seireitei from up there but I had the best view of the execution grounds, though isn’t that what it’s for right?” He laughed as he looked at spire, “Oh I guess you didn’t know I was held prisoner for my deserting charge oh and the cooperating with hollows didn’t help much…” He sat and made idle conversation waiting to see how much spire really changed, if he held any hatred towards him for almost trying to cleave him in half/

"Hahahaha", Auryuu chuckled a little bit as Felix said that the only way he survived was because of the very same hollow, who stabbed him in the back. His words were hurtful for some reason, but he kept quiet about his anger towards the statement. The man sat down too close, it was sort of uncomfortable to Auryuu. The only other person he would get this close to usually was Kaiyo. Sitting next to a former enemy, sitting next to anyone was hard for him.

Auryuu kinda edged away from the man, shifting his position as he sat, moving his bento as he moved over. The man talked about his imprisonment, and Auryuu thought of his previous self. He used to aid the hollow also, but it was wrong. Kaiyo had taught him that. She oozed strength through morals, and power. She was in a way a big teacher to Auryuu, who had never really had one in the first place. She was his role model, and his love. Although he hadn't admitted it to her yet. It was more of a unspoken love.

Auryuu spoke gently, as he eyed Felix, "Do you regret aiding the hollows?, he asked curiously.