Voices in the darkness (solo)

"I'm dreaming again" Arawn said to himself. He stood once more in the seemingly endless white desert. The pale sands stretched further than his eyes could see. A black sky with a white moon that failed to give any sense of light. An odd chill it gave to the body. It was the complete opposite of a real desert in every way. But at the same time there was a strange feeling about the place. Something familiar and yet alien. Although he couldn't put his finger on why, he had a feeling he shouldn't be here. This was not the first time he had this dream, not was it the first time seeing this place. For the last four weeks he'd been plagued by this image when he slept. The very first dream had occurred when he fell asleep in his special lab. By fallen asleep he meant when his electricity displacement devices had all fired at once. To put it simply he was rendered unconscious by the energy wave they had produced. But the dream that had followed was more vivid than the current one. Arawn had remembered the pain he had experienced while it had all happened. It had all felt so real, but in the end he woke up on the floor in the converted warehouse. It didn't make any sense. Then came the second dream only a few nights later. He had thought nothing of it until another followed it the next night. And then another one the next week. Nothing else but the endless white sands. The consistency of the dream was disturbing, but he fact he was dreaming was the most troubling part. Normally Arawn would average four to six hours of sleep a night. Enough time to rest the body, but not enough time for dreams. Since the desert dreams he'd been sleeping seven to ten hours. Getting up late was disrupting his work. A one point he just avoided sleeping for two days, this did work well as now he found himself back in the sinister desert.
He stood upon a dune. There was no wind there was no warmth. Just the icy feeling all around him. This was how the dream always started; the calm before the storm. He tried his best to predict the direction it would come from. There wasn't even the faintest clue to when or where it would come from. He could try to run, but it would only come from behind. It didn't matter anyway there was nowhere to run. The ground started to rumble. Here it comes. he thought as the tremors increased. The ground suddenly cracked beneath him the sands flowed like water into the massive black opening. Normally he could walk on air, but nothing happened no matter how much he focused on his feet. Arawn fell.

Arawn awoke with a start. At least this time he wasn't screaming. Falling into the darkness was scary enough, but knowing it was a dream helped reduce the shock. That thought alone wasn't enough to keep his heart from jack-hammering inside his chest. He took several deep breaths before pulling the wet sheets from his body and sitting on the edge of the bed. The pounding had passed, but he was still shaking. Many books lay open on his desk. A multitude of dream books, tomes on psychoanalysis, and various others. None of them explained the strange landscape, a few of them questioned his sexuality, but nothing he could use. It was in the Shinigami database that he found his answer; Heuco Mundo. This was the homeland of hollows. A place filled with the terrible creatures intent on devouring all life. The question was why was he dreaming of such a place. Why did he see it all so clearly? Standing up he walked over to the computer terminal in the corner of his bedroom. His eyes fell on the clock in the corner; it was barely after 6pm. Arawn groaned, he'd been asleep for nearly twelve hours. A new record for him, but he had missed most of the day. Without bothering to shower he quickly go dressed and exited the building.

Once in awhile it's good to be the boss, this was one of them. Arawn could be late and no one could complain. Most of his work ran independent of the main lab. Aside from filing and processing his office had no effect on others' work. Still by principle Arawn wasn't too happy with his own behavior. Bryce, Simone, and the few others he commanded were already hard at work as he walked through the halls. When he opened the door he plopped down into the chair at his desk. The others glanced at him, but said nothing. Yes, good to be the boss, but the pang of guilt was still there. Paperwork was waiting for him. Rather than meet their gazes he got to work. Hours passed, and the stacks decreased. The group shared few words other than asking for files or the location of papers. Finally he felt he'd accomplished enough and took a small break.
"Bryce," he said to the hunchback hard at work beside him. "How can I get to Heuco Mundo?" The others in the group were away getting a late supper, only he and round man were present in the room. Bryce's hands froze with Arawn's words.
"Why would you want to go there!?" he turned to face his friend. "There's nothing there, but monsters."
"Perhaps." Arawn said absentmindedly. "But, I have to go there. I have to."
"Where is this coming from? Is it because you haven't come up on the patrol rotation lately? Are you itching for action?" Bryce asked quite flabbergasted. While Arawn did appreciate the concern he couldn't be dissuaded.
"Bryce." came the firm reply. "I need to go to Heuco Mundo. How can I get there?" The hunchback sighed. He turned back to his computer and did much typing. Arawn waited patiently for a reply
"There's an expeditionary group being set up to leave in a week." He finally said. "Part of our squad will be leaving to try installing a spectral relay node in Heuco Mundo. We're trying to develop an early warning system for when hollows open portals to the human world. Rather than_"
"Spare me the details." Arawn quickly interjected. "Can I sign onto the group?" The other man frowned, but shook his head.
"Yeah, you can get in no problem." Yet another privilege of being the boss. Arawn nodded and got back to work. One week. The way he's been sleeping that would pass in no time.

Some people say a watched pot never boils, the same could be said for Arawn's week. Knowing he would depart soon he figured to cram as much work as possible into the coming days. This proved fruitless as even with the increased workload the time didn't go by any quicker. He took all of the first day to pack and prepare. The remaining days after that continued to drag. Arawn moved from lab to lab looking for things to do. He was setting records and making quiet a stir as he hopped from project to project. Maybe it was all coincidence that all of the current works suddenly going so well. Filing and computations finished in hours rather than days, maintenance taking only minutes instead of hours. It was if the fates themselves were conspiring against him to keep him. When not at the 12th division he went to his own private lab located in a warehouse in Seireitei. Unlike the Research Bureau things there weren't going as swimmingly. Inside the handmade work area everything that could wrong had gone wrong.

ROVER was in bad shape. Both literally and figuratively. They had performed several fire tests wrecking the outer shell with a thermite fueled blast. The new armor wasn't binding well to the frame, and some of the joints were seizing up. Not only that, but the battle droid had blown several anima relays, something Arawn knew nothing about. According to Bryce they helped convert and suppress the ambient energy from the robot's fusion hybrid engine. The short of it; it had blow several fuses. It would seem to be a growing trend as Arawn without stun grenades. The incident from not long ago, where all of them had detonated together, had apparently burned out his stock of frequency modulating chips used in making the bomb. Thankfully he did find two working units.He wanted to bring extra on his trip and made an order fro more circuits. Due to the current workload it would take two weeks for them to be complete. His flash bombs were numerous, so he was sure to pack some for later. The repairs on Rover would take twice that. They would also need to send him to the steel works to refit the armor properly. No matter what he tried things were at a standstill. Even with the odds against him his continued to try and make some progress even in the face of adversity. But there was nothing to be done. Within in the hour he completed the housing for the stun grenades and had to stop since he was missing the crucial ingredient. Arawn would spend the remainder of his time trying to come up with new projects, but nothing came to him. In the hour and a half he stayed in the warehouse he mainly paced the floor and spun in the chair by the desk. Another sigh escaped his lips. He really had nothing to do.

Before going on his trip he had sought out Master Sung and asked permission. It felt silly, he a grown man asking if he could go on a trip. Call it old fashion, but Arawn kinda liked the 'Master, teacher' relationship. The old man really did fill like a parent at times, other times a harsh taskmaster. Despite what he thought of the man, the skill that he imparted were real enough that he didn't want to anger him. Master Sung was more than happy to give Arawn leave for his journey, but now the shinigami was regretting it. With nothing to do, he could have sought more lessons with the old man. His attempt to tie up loose ends now left him at a dead end. It was already late when he got up from the desk. The day had been wasted without much effort on his part. Now he had only the bed to look forward to. With another sigh he left the lab and moved toward his quarters. It didn't take long to reach his home, but he wasn't tired. Or more precisely he didn't want to sleep. Only the dream awaited him, not restful slumber. Still despite his bet efforts he found himself in the bedroom reading a book. With a grunt of disgust he tossed the book away and got of his chair. The book went sailing through the air and hit against the shelf on the opposite wall.
"Look at me, I'm afraid of my bed!" talking aloud seemed to make him feel slightly better, but not by much. Rubbing his temples he moved over to where he'd flung the book. It was on the floor with many of the items that once occupied the shelf. To his dismay his zanpukto was now on the floor after the small tantrum. Arawn was quick to retrieve the weapon. Holding the smooth sheath in his left hand he grabbed the handle with his right. The golden tsuba and metal sheath were both cold to the touch. Ever so slowly he pulled the blade free. The light caught the sliver edge and reflected it against the wall. It was beautiful. Finally Arawn's eyes drew away from the sword and back to the ground. His sword maintenance kit had also been knocked down. Thankfully the kit was locked, and it's contents hadn't spilled to the floor. Sword already in hand he decided he might as well take care of his weapon. Sitting the naked blade on the bed Arawn picked up the wooden box. Very carefully he pulled the weapon off the bed and sat cross legged at the foot of mattress.

The blade was in perfect shape, but he went through the motions of polishing it and sharpening it. Arawn had been told that a zanpukto would restore itself if broken, perhaps that's why it never really needed sharpening either. Did the weapon keep itself honed to a fine edge? Would it always reform to that perfect shape each time? He could only guess yes, and finish buffing the zanpukto's shiny metal. That brought up another strange thing about his sword; what was it made of? It couldn't be steel, nor was it iron. The blade felt so light, yet solid. It was magnetic, but that's the only clue that it wasn't a completely foreign material. As these thoughts assailed him, the task was completed. He took his time polishing the golden tsuba for abit. His fingers felt every ridge of the dragon depicted. He was done. Arawn looked over the weapon one more time. Again he was mesmerized by the way the light caught it's surface. He stifled a yawn. If he slept he'd see the dream again, which prevented him from sleeping. It was a rather vicious cycle. He groaned as he continued to look over the sword.
"I wonder if he's awake." Arawn muttered. Closing his eyes he placed the weapon against his lap. His right hand lightly grasped the handle while the flat of his left lay against the naked blade. As his breathing became slower he could feel the point where he transitioned into lair of the golden dragon.

The completely weightlessness of his body was proof that he had arrived. When he opened his eyes he was greeted by the usual dark plane. A sea of stars as far as the eyes could see and floating rocks. The asteroids moved about him as if on invisible strings. Occasionally they would collide with one another and then go back the way they had came. Arawn ignored all of this as he moved toward the center of this rocky field. It was like swimming without water as he pushed off the empty space propelling himself onward. Already the grand planetoid that made up the center of this dimension came into view. It was hard to miss the huge rock, it was if several mountains had be forced together and stayed that way. It wasn't until he landed that he noticed something was wrong. The sole occupant of this world, the self proclaimed ruler, was missing. Normally he'd see the large gold serpent wrapped around the large rock, but he was nowhere to be seen. In all the time he'd seen the zanpukto spirit it was never away from it's perch. He took a moment to navigate the rocky terrain. It wasn't like there was many places for the beast to hide. It was almost as large as the stone. Arawn's eyed darted through the asteroid field in hopes of catching a glimpse of the dragon. Nothing. He stood there for a moment before finally crying out to the spirit.
"Huang Long!?" he shouted, his voice carried real well. As the minutes ticked by he sat down. Where could he be? The area he had taken his seat was smooth and flat from where the dragon had been. Did zanpukto spirits hide from their masters? Well according to Huang Long, he wasn't exactly the master in their relationship. Sighing he leaned back and laid on his back resting his head on his arms. All around him the other rocks drifted by among the twinkling stars. "Where are you!?" he shouted.
"You"
"You"
"You"
"You"
As the last of the echos fade his closed his eyes. He had thought to come here to rest when the nightmare started. The few times he had rested here were always dreamless slumbers. The problem is that Huang Long would always kick him out. Cradling his head took a deep breath and relaxed. Seconds ticked by and gradually he began to nod off.
"...o.." A hiss
Arawn's right eye fluttered open. For a second he thought it was his echo, but it had sounded differently. Looking around he closed his eye and tried to relax.
"_ere_"
This time it was stronger, deeper than before. Both eyes opened and he scanned the dark horizon. Everything was as it was before he had closed them. "Huang Long!?" Arawn cried as he sat up. There was no reply. Shaking his head as if to clear it he leaned back and held his head. Perhaps all the sleeplessness was having some effect on him. Rubbing his eyes tried to relax once more. His eyes had only closed for a moment when it came again, this time much clearer.
"Free me"
"Let me out"
"Release us."
"Let us go"
"Freedom."
"Free us."
In one motion he was off the ground and standing. His eyes darted from each cardinal direction and then finally he spun in a tight circle looking for the source of the sound. This nothing, but Arawn's wasn't about to sit back down and relax. Something was terribly wrong here, but he wasn't sure what. He focused his mind and willed himself from the barren landscape. Everything went dark as he found himself back in the sitting position by the bed. The red haired shiningami looked down at the weapon in his lap. What was that? Who was that voice? Here he was trying to relax and now he found himself all worked up. His heart was pounding away in his ears. Sighing he stood up and walked back to the wall. Arawn bent over and picked up the sheath. He had placed the tip of the zanpukto in the sheath and froze. Pulling the weapon free he looked at the blade once more. Holding the weapon away from he spun the handle across his hand. "Drift, Huang Long."
The blade spun over his knuckles then fell to the floor like a butter knife from a dinner table. A cold feeling gripped his chest as he hastily recovered the weapon and tried again. "Drift, Huang Long!" he said it abit firmer, but the weapon didn't complete the first part of the flip without dropping. Arawn could only stare utterly perplexed by what he saw. Huang Long had been missing from his inner world, and now his weapon didn't transform.

No, it wasn't possible. Once more the picked up the weapon and held it horizontal in front of himself. Arawn locked his arm as his eyes stayed upon the blade itself. His physical focus was on the zanpukto, but his mental focus was elsewhere. Little by little he gathered his reiryoku within his body. Every cell, every fiber of power he could muster he drew it out. A faint golden light appeared around him as the power continued to build. The faint light grew into a solid pulse and the air started to quiver. He could feel the power build up higher as papers on the floor were pushed away. Figured he'd gathered more than enough he now channeled that energy into his zanpukto. The golden glow that shrouded him and started to flow into the weapon. At first it was rather easy; the weapon began to glow as if being heated by a intense flame. Progress suddenly screeched to a halt, the spiritual power refused to flow. Arawn strained to fill the weapons into the weapon, but it was like trying to push a watermelon through a straw. The aura of light that covered both he and the sword had yet to fade. They shined like a light bulb. "Drift, Huang Long." he spun the weapon over his hand. The cool metal tapped against his knuckles as on it's trip. Flipping his hand he caught the spinning weapon, but it didn't change. His heart sank and the light faded. In a matter of seconds the light around them completely vanished. Arawn's mouth felt dry. Silently he slumped to the floor wondering what was going on.