A Lost Garden, Amoung The Dead(open)

It was night out, the endless screeching of hollows could be heard in the air, haunting the air, cutting through the tranquility like a saw to glass. Their screeching had been ear bleeding, it would make anyone’s teeth chatter to it. It seemed, this land had been so dead, that not even the stars dared to shine down on it, as if the hollows had seemed to even suck the life out of the light, not even the moon dared to shine tonight. It was oddly warm though, like that of a summers night, even though a chilling breeze accompanied it, as if it went hand and hand.

There was a hill, that stared down on it all. A figure stood on it, and the wind picked up, tossing dead leaves and twigs around the person, dancing around the hour glass form, this was Kyoko Akiko, and she was an arrancar. Her eyes stared down towards the waste land, and she slowly sat down, it was so...so sad. Her coal eyes seemed to darken at the sight as her knee’s came to her chest, and her arms wrapped around her knee’s, in her hand, something seemed to shine, even without the light.

She looked down to her palm, blowing her purple bang out of her eyes, and brought her hand up. There, in all perfection, laying right on her palm, was a rose. Not an ordinary rose, but a crystal rose. She stared at it, then a frown played on her finely carved face, her skin tone being a type of ivory, as if the gods had made her, and casted her from the heavens. She sighed softly, she couldn’t believe, this use to be a park. She glanced around her, it was nothing. Like something leveled the ground out, then set it ablaze. She dug the rose into her palms, and a fine scarlet drop appeared, she stared at it and ran down her hand, before it stained her white arrancar uniform, it fell to the ground.

When it hit it was like water his the ground, and right there a flower began to grow, it was made out of crystal. She smiled, and gripped the rose tighter, it’s thorns digging deep into her palm, as she ran her hand, that seem to levitate over the ground, across the ground, and slowly more flowers were showing up, all crystals. She smiled softly, and they seemed to grab what little light there was, and reflected it off each other, causing the area to lighten up instantly. Kyoko smiled and then stared towards her garden, the lost garden amoung the dead land.

William had rushed into the Wasteland trying to find any survivers who had been left out here to die, by either the shinigami or Sin. Either way William had to hurry and look around, because it wouldn't take long before the Hollows come crawling around to him, and his three others. One of those being his trusted friend Chev. Who he would die to protect since he was like William's brother.

William stopped as soon as his feet touched the ground. It was weird stepping into these lands again, where he and Chev had first met, and escaped. Where the two nearly died, searching for water, and food. It brought back some bad memories as well, of Enrya. William shook his head. He had to get over her, because she might have well been over him. Or so he thought. He was really hoping she hadn't. He'd feel betrayed if she did. William dismissed all thoughts on this matter instanly, and continued on. He had to look for new members for the ever growing New Prussia. Kyle didn't even care if that person was an arrancar. As long as they didn't bring trouble to Prussia or the people.

He did have Arrancar within his Rogue army, who had been cast out by Sin to die, or had escaped before being killed. They kept to themselves, and acted like ever other rogue in the city. William knew they could be trust worthy since they still had something human left in them. Even if it was deep down, he'd just have to rip it out.

As William moved foward he found a small, or rather large garden. It reminded him of something, but he couldn't quite figure it out, or rather remember. William then senced a power soul pressure. It belonged to a Arrancar. William would have to be careful. He didn't know if he/she would attack him on site or not. He wasn't hostile so he shouldn't be. As William turned a corner he found where the pressure was coming from. William smiled, showing his "award winning smile", then moved up calmly, and cooly. Trying his best not to make himself a threat. He also lowered his spiritual pressure to make it seem as if he was just a lowly Shinigami, and not someone who could go head to head with an Espada. "Hello there my dear, what is a beautiful young woman such as yourself doing here? Oh wait I know why, beauty attracts beauty." William told the Arrancar, in a kind tone. "Oh yes, where are my manners. My name is William Siegfried." William told the woman standing before him as he bowed.

The garden had grown, it resembled that of a beautifully cut jungle to be exact. Kyoko’s coal eyes had been shut, as if they were sewn that way. The rose was deep in her palm now, dripping of blood, that hit the ground and became flowers and bushes. Most hollows stayed far away, but watched with curious eyes on the arrancar that they clearly fears. Her eyes widened, as she heard foot steps, she slowly loosened up her palm., her starch skin, seemed stained with dried blood. She paused, and her coal eyes opened, and she stood up, just when the man began to speak.

With her un-tainted hand(in a way of putting things) she brushed her purple bang out of the front of her eyes, with her hand, unharmed and unstained. As he began to speak, the garden seemed to implode, into beautiful shards of crystal, like snow, he was unharmed, because the crystals had been such small pieces. She listened to him speak, then crushed the rose within her palm, turning to him, her hand curled into a tight fist, not as sign of aggression, but just to have it that way, he wouldn’t know, but Kyoko was just trying to hide the blood, so he wouldn’t fear it.

She placed her hand behind her, and her other arm went with it, grabbing the wrist of the curled up fist. She stared at him, her coal eyes staring deep into his own eyes, as if she was scanning his very soul, it was quiet for a long while, and that annoying awkward silence came in. Then she bowed politely, her hair falling off her shoulders, cascading into an onyx water fall. ”I am Kyoko, Akiko. Solitude brings me to this depressive waste-land.” her voice had been soft; but he hadn’t known it, but Kyoko had always been a soft spoken girl.

She straightened her back, then stared towards him. Her eyes held a type of wisdom , it was a sad, ancient wisdom, that would make him feel as if he lost the one he loved most. She smiled softly, and it seemed to make everything better, was this arrancar simply toying with him, to catch him off guard or was Kyoko really like that, she tilted her head to him. ”You shouldn’t be here, you could be hurt.” She spoke, ignoring his flattery.

William watched as she began to hide her wounds. She cleary didn't want anything to seen. William chuckled to himself. A beutiful rose in a place like this. Sort of reminded him of Enrya in Egypt. William walked over to her, ignoring the crystals, that kept the hollows out. William had no need to kill them since they hadn't attacked or had gone near him. They just looked, and watched the woman standing infront of him. William smiled as she curled his hand into a fist. He wasn't afraid, and had no reason to be. She wasn't meaning to try to scare him anyways. She was just trying to hide the blood on her hand that William had quickly noticed before she closed her hand into a fist.

William heard her introduce herself as Kyoko, Akiko. William smiled as he walked over towards her. He then stopped standing only 5 feet away from her. He smiled as she warned him he shouldn't be here. He wasn't afraid, more so interested more then anything. "Really now?" William asked in a kind tone. William then placed his palm out facing towards the sky. He then walked close to her. "Let me see you're hand. I want to know how bad the wound is Kyoko." William said in a kind, and caring tone, with a gentle smile still across his face. He wasn't at all trying to threaten her, he wanted to help her. He didn't want her to feel as if he was a enemy. That was the last thing he wanted. He'd seen enough killing. William knew that as soon as she felt, his hand she'd feel his spiritual pressure, and know who he was, but that didn't matter to him. He just wanted her trust.

She paused, and then sighed softly. Just as she figured, he was very observatory, to notice her palm that quickly, perhaps he saw her palm before she clenched it tightly. She decided she wouldn’t want to worry him. Besides in times like these, no one should worry. Worrying should have been the last thing anyone could have done. She seemed to zone out as she went deep in thought, her eyes glancing towards the sides, towards the hollows. A wind blew again, and she didn’t shudder to it, she paused. People only worried, it was rather depressive, she remembered a time, when the grass was green.

When there wasn’t war. She paused, she didn’t even know who started the war, it was quiet sad that she didn’t even know the leader of the arrancars. She bite on her lower lip, then blinked. Oh, she had forgot, she pulled her arm from behind her, then uncurling her fist to him, her wound wasn’t that deep, but laying within her blood was no longer a crumpled rose, but a group of crystallized butterflies with wings fluttering, she blinked, and they flew off, into the night sky, she smiled softly to him, trying to lighten up the mood in this dark place.

The hollows, began creeping in, at-least some of the braver ones. ”Don’t worry about my wound.” she spoke softly, then tilted her hand towards the ground, a stream of blood racing down her palm, and hitting the ground, as it hit he saw it travel among the ground and it lay under the closest hollow, which had started to growl at them. She glanced to it, and in that instant he saw her soft eyes grow distant and cold, and then he saw it a crystallize spike going up into the air and impaling the hollow’s head. She then looked back to him. ”Do you understand?” She questioned him quietly.

William smiled to her gently, and in a kind manner. He saw what she was talking about, but he just nodded. "I see that s quite the move you have there." William complemented Kyoko, still smiling. He kept hiding who he was, he knew she was quite strong, but just how strong. William wondered this as he kept his ruby red eyes focused on her. He wondered why she wanted him to leave so badly he could tell she didn't like to fight. He could also tell she didn't like war, when the rose pedals went flying from her hands.

William knew it was better not to hide anymore. He wanted her trust. He didn't want her to attack, or feel as if he was trying to get anything. He had his Zan yes but he kept his hands far from it. He was off guard; or looked that way. He really didn't want to put any fear into the woman standing before him. William relesed his spiritual pressure that sent a lot of the hollows away.

William just stood there smiling. "I'm sorry I hid who I was... I'm guessing you already knew though hey?" William asked in a kind and friendly tone.

She looked to him, her coal eyes stared into his ruby ones, as if she was searching for what he wanted, she could tell he wasn’t going to attack, he would have now. She turned from him, then her body curled back to the ground, her back was towards him, had she trusted him? Or did this woman just not care for her life? Perhaps it was a little bit of both. Kyoko’s coal eyes stared out into the horizon, it was nothing, but unmarked cemetaries and forgotten men. She felt saddened. ” This use to be a park; when I was alive.” She spoke softly, as she leaned on her feet, her knees to her chest.

She brought her ‘tainted’ hand and ran her hand through her hair, it felt like silk, she softly sighed. She stared out, and at the very moment, the sadness she remembered, she wanted to cry. She didn’t. The purple bang covered her face, she looked to him. She stared out to the horizon that matched her own coal eyes. She glanced towards him, ”Tell me William, Why do you stay?” She questioned softly, and turned to him, he couldn’t see most of her face, which was obscured in a shade of liliac.

She didn’t know why, this shinigami. She never answered his question, maybe she thought if she didn’t answer it, maybe it wouldn’t mean the two race’s were sword enemies? Heh, what was Kyoko thinking? The shinigami and the Arrancar’s were just cat and mice. The hunter and the hunted, so this left Kyoko to question.Who was the cat and who was the mouse right now?

William chuckled a bit as he saw Kyoko turn her back away from him. Was this a sign of trust? William hoped so, as that was what he aimed for. He didn't want to fight, nor did he want to kill. He wanted peace right now, since that was what he was aiming for in creating Prussia. When she told him how the area around them was a park William felt sad, and sorry for Kyoko. He placed his hand gently on her shoulder, and then sat down beside her.

William looked out at the sky. He was quite happy to see that there was actually peace for a moment. William then heard her ask her question. William gave her a smile before moving a strand of her hair away from her face. "I stay because I'm trying to make peace. I'm here because I'm trying to help, that and I know I can trust you." William told her. He wasn't going to lie, it was the truth, right now he wasn't out for blood and he wanted to keep it that way.

William looked at her then back up to were she had been looking before. "You want to know something? I started a city, or nation now, called New Prussia. Its a place all races can live together without hate, fear, or death. Everyone is welcome." William told Kyoko. He knew he could trust her. "One of the reasons I'm out here is so I can find people who need my help. I don't want to see any more people get killed... I don't want another day like when this place was raised to the ground." William finished his smile now gone.

Kyoko paused, then looked to him as he placed his hand on her shoulder. She stayed quit as he sat down next to her, she looked back to the horizon. Listening to each of his words.Peace? Was what she did in her past life..did she deserve peace? She let her hair fall in front of her, becoming a curtain from him, a dark curtain. She closed her eyes and smiled softly. Then he said something causing her whole body to become rigid, and her eyes to shoot open, they seemed to echo within her head. It was noticeable how rigid she became over those simple words.

”.....I know I can trust you.”

She paused, she turned to him. Then her body became relaxed, she closed her eyes. ”I was a heartless thief, in my past life. My two friends died for me, and I didn’t even care, my only friends. “ She glanced to him then smiled. ”I deserve to be here, alone. But...” Kyoko faded off, as if some thing caught her eyes in the distance. The butterflies. She smiled, softly. ”I’ll direct people in your direction if I see them.” she spoke quietly.

She remebered when she was younger, her grandmother told her of a place. Heaven and hell. She was a sinner, and she died one, this is her hell and now, she under stood that. She stared off, this was her punishment, all the treasures she stole, all the lives she ruined. She tilted her head up towards the sky. The silence went by, and this would be one of the memories she’d keep.

” You have a friend here, William. Along with your people. But I am afraid, this is my punishment. I must suffer through it.” With that Kyoko stood up, and stared down to him. Then she walked away, where she sat at, a butterfly. It stayed there, as if it was for him to pick up, as if it was a promise. She walked away. Until Next time, my friend she thought to herself, as she let the darkness consume her, she soon felt his presence fade away.

((thread end))