Internal Strife...

The sun was just reaching the apex of it’s daily journey as Chevalier entered the Castle’s training grounds, his scarf flipped up over his head in an impromptu hood so as to somewhat conceal his appearance. All around him the sounds of battle could be heard as the soldiers went through their daily drills in preparations for the attack they hoped would never come. Despite that hope however they trained diligently at Chevalier’s request so as not to lose their edge should their new homeland ever require them to come to it’s defense.

It had been a few days since his encounter with the lords of Italy, and while the physical damage he had sustained had long since healed, the emotional and psychological damage was far from gone. With each passing day he could feel the demon Armond had unsealed within him growing stronger, ever lurking in the back of his mind just waiting for an opportunity to find a chink in his mental armor and slip in to take control. So far he’d been able to keep the manifestations down to a minimum, his darker half only making his presence known in the form of illusionary manifestations. Similar to the way Shinoyuki preferred to communicate, but he wasn’t delusional enough to think that such things would stay that way forever. Sooner or later Kuromira would become strong enough to make a bid for control, he just hoped that he was strong enough to handle the situation when the time eventually arrived.

Snapped out his internal reverie but the approach of one of the knights charged with overseeing the training grounds who had seen through his disguise, he waved the commander off with a slight gesture of his hand, preferring not to disrupt the soldier’s training over pomp and circumstance, and began making his way across the grounds for a very casual inspection. He always liked to come down here every so often to check up on things and see how the defenders were coming along, just as a way of checking the army’s pulse as it were. One could always tell how his forces were doing by the way they trained and the manner in which they acted when they thought you weren’t around.

On this particular day a specific group in particular had been brought to his attention and he wished to check and see if the reports he’d been given were accurate. It would seem that some of the newer recruits were not adjusting as well to their new lives as could be hoped for, and were thus taking out their frustrations on their fellow soldiers. Normally such matters would be the responsibility of the soldier in question’s commander, but in this particular case the commander in question, a man by the name of Gabriel, was also part of the problem and thus it had fallen on Chevalier’s shoulders to straighten the officer out. He’d prefer to handle the situation as discreetly as possible, but first he had to see with his own eyes just what it was that was going on. It wasn’t that he doubted the reliability of the reports in question, there were just some things you had to see for yourself before you could deal with them properly, and in his opinion an inappropriately behaving officer was definitely one of them.

As he approached the group in question he could already tell that there was going to be trouble. Oblivious to his presence, the Knight he had come to see and his cronies had signaled out one of the weaker ex-shinigami and were proceeding to push her around like schoolyard bullies. It seemed that some people never developed out of that stage, even after death. Clearing his throat slightly to gain their attention, he smiled up at them and awaited their response.

Gabriel was the first to take notice, “And just what do YOU want little man?”

A height crack, how original… “Sessha would suggest that you back-off from that poor young woman and return to your duties. Such conduct is unbecoming a Knight of the Realm…”

The knight paused for a second, finding Chevalier’s manner of speech familiar yet not quite connecting the dots just yet, “And what’s it to you? You gonna run and tell on us if we don’t?”

‘Seriously, where did we find this guy?’ Chevalier thought to himself, cocking his head to the side a bit before responding, “No, of course not. This One will deal with you himself.”

Gabriel laughed, “How are you planning on doing that, you barely come up to my elbow?”

What he said was true, but he obviously wasn’t very bright or else he would have remembered that in a fight size had very little to do with the outcome, “So that’s a no then?” Chevalier asked in a hushed tone.

The Knight sneered, “Here’s my answer tiny.” Cocking his fist, Gabriel hurled the giant appendage he called a fist at Chevalier’s head.

The second ranking member of the Prussian Guard didn’t bother to dodge, the attack had been so telegraphed that even an infant could have avoided it, but he had a point to make. Catching the blow full on across his left cheek he rolled with the force of the impact and took a step back, his scarf falling away in the process and revealing his identity to those in the area. A hush fell across the Training Grounds as everyone turned to see what had happened, Gabriel’s face flushing slightly as he realized what he had done. Holding up his hand to prevent any outside interference and wiping a little trickle of blood from his lips, Chevalier looked his attacker in the eye defiantly, “Again.”

The Knight’s eyes widened slightly, “Excuse me?”

Chevalier’s gaze didn’t falter, “I said again.”

It was obvious that Gabriel was confused, what was this guy thinking? He had just stepped into the middle of something potentially dangerous, but he couldn’t see any way to extricate himself without losing face in front of his flunkies so setting himself up once again he let fly with another punch. This time catching his superior on the opposite cheek and forcing him back yet another couple of steps.

Riding out the blow again, Chevalier relocked his gaze on Gabriel, “So was there any difference?” Gabriel looked at him in confusion but he continued on, “Was your first attack any more satisfying then the second? Did it bring you any more pleasure or make you any stronger? If not then you may have your sights set on the wrong opponent. You should be focusing your attention on fighting Hollows, not picking on those weaker then you and whom you should be considering your companions. We are too few now and too scattered to be fighting amongst ourselves like this.”

The Knight’s eyes narrowed, was this guy mocking him? What the heck was he babbling on about? He was still talking as if they were in the old Seireitei, this was a new world now and in times like these strength was what prevailed not idealistic nonsense like companionship. Problem was that he really couldn’t come up with the proper response for what his opponent had just said without coming off like a complete idiot in front of his men. All of them hailed from the old 11th Division, where strength was valued above all else, not debate skills. So in true Squad 11 fashion he went with the only viable option he saw and attacked, drawing his sword with quick precision and taking a swipe intent on splitting his accuser in two at the waist.

‘So predictable,’ Chevalier thought to himself as he watched the oncoming charge.

Quickly shifting his weight slightly, he leaned forward and drew his zanpakuto with blinding speed, knocking Gabriel’s weapon harmlessly out of the way and then slamming his sheath into his opponent’s kidney region in an attempt to end things quickly. Not wanting to be out done so quickly, Gabriel let loose with a shunpo and reappeared behind Chevalier, attempting to bisect him once again.

Time seemed to pause momentarily as Kuromira appeared in front of him, “Kill him, you have the power. You’re not going to be able to reason your way out of this one.”

Kuromira’s sudden appearance had distracted Chevalier to the point that he’d failed to realize that time had resumed. He felt his body begin to give as the weight of his opponent began pressing him towards the ground, but for some reason the blade was not penetrating his shinigami robe. Capitalizing on this strange event, he spun on his heel and drove the base of Shinoyuki’s hilt into Gabriel’s solar plexus. Turning to look at his fallen foe as he gasped for breath, he felt nothing but a slight sense of pity for the man. He had never learned the difference between strength and skill, and now it had cost him both his dignity and most likely his rank as well once William heard about this little incident.

He then heard Kuromira’s voice again, “Pathetic… you show mercy even to those who would wish you dead. Fine then, I guess I’ll just have to handle this myself.” A searing pain flared up inside of his head and then he watched as his arm began to rise in preparation for a killing blow. Had anyone been looking they would have noticed that his eyes had become blacker then pitch, but everyone’s attention was too intently focused on his blade to note the change. Which was probably for the best given the situation, as he still didn’t want anyone to know about the change he was currently undergoing.

Kuromira appeared in front of him again and shook his head in disgust, “Still fighting me are you? Your willpower is commendable but we both know who’s going to win out in the end.”

Chevalier glared at his inner hollow, “You may be becoming stronger by the day, but that doesn’t mean that you are free to consume This One’s soul. This body already has a rightful owner and it’s not you. Your time has passed…”

Kuromira shrugged, “If that is what you believe… but we’ll see how things play out in the end.”

Chevalier’s glare intensified as he reasserted his will and began focusing on banishing Kuromira back to the depths, “Yes we will… now return to the darkness where you belong.”

The specter shook his head as he began to dissolve again, he would concede the point for now as he had learned all he needed to for the moment. He could take control at any time now; the cracks in Chevalier’s psyche were his for the taking. Now it was just a waiting game until their final confrontation.

After what had seemed like an eternity Chevalier finally lowered his sword and walked away from the scene of the confrontation. He’d worry about damage control for the situation later, now he just had to get away from others before he lost himself again. Ducking into a nearby hallway he slumped back against the wall and placed his hand against his forehead, finding it to be drenched with sweat. When had that happened, was it during the battle of wills? Had reasserting his control taken that much effort? Reaching into his robe to check his wound he paused and then pulled a Hollow mask from the area where he'd been hit. His eyes widened slightly as the realization of what he was holding hit him, this manifestation was yet further proof of what he'd begun to notice. The beast that was sleeping within him was getting stronger, stronger it seemed then even he had initially realized. This was beginning to get out of hand, if things were going to continue on like this then he was going to end up a danger to himself and others. It was time to seek help from those who knew what he was going through; maybe they would have some technique for helping him learn more control before things got out of hand. Regardless, he couldn’t stay in Prussia any longer… not when he could lose control like he just had and possibly end up killing someone. It was time to move on, maybe he could return once he had the situation back under control, even if it was just to collect his things…