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“Everyone, formation,” Miyabi ordered to her teammates, her hand resting on her katana. Her ears twitched, she could hear Soukaku grabbing her weapon with a little more difficulty that usually, after all, they had been in the hollow much longer than they usually spend there.
Their mission was supposed to be simple, clear out a number of ethereals that began to gather in the same place. They weren’t the most dangerous ones, but there were a lot of them, so Section 6 was chosen so that they could quickly deal with them. Miyabi, Yanagi and Soukaku all thrived when there were a lot of opponents (the first technically always thrived) and Harumasa, while it might not have been his best forte, still was efficient, so they were the obvious choice.
Section 6 was the obvious choice more often than not, but at least that was the reason the higher-ups gave Miyabi when they gave them this case.
But just as they were about to finish, the Hollow suddenly changed. It must have gone through a sudden rise in Ether activity. It grew and reformed, causing half of the team's carrots to not apply anymore. So they had to find a new exit while already exhausted after the fight.
They almost got to one, the fissure was just a few meters away. Miyabi remembered that she was running as fast as she could towards it, for once not holding her katana, because she had to carry Harumasa on her back, because he couldn’t really support his weight anymore and they needed to get out as fast as they could. She almost got there, they almost made it out.
And yet, when it seemed that they would definitely get out, another Ethereal manifested in front of them. So obviously, they had to deal with it first.
“Miyabi-“ she heard Yanagi speak, but she cut her off, eyes focused entirely on the Ethereal in front of her.
“It is the biggest one we have encountered so far today,” it was even one of the biggest ethereals they have faced so far as Section 6. It consisted of multiple arms and multiple eyes, all staring at her with the intent to kill and she refused to meet any of their gazes. Beside that, there was nothing more, nothing resembling any other part of the body. And in the centre, where all hundreds of arms met in a tangled mess, there was the core. That was her target. “I trust that Section 6 is competent enough to deal with this threat.”
With that, she charged.
In no time she passed by the smaller ethereals that got attracted here after the big one appeared. She slashed at them and dealt with a lot as she ran, but essentially left them for her teammates. They could deal with them, no problem, but the big one only she could defeat.
She ran up one of its arms, slashing at all the others that attempted to grab her and successfully avoided being shaken off. The whole being shrieked and convulsed, not yet entirely controlling its body after its formation, but still trying with all its might to eliminate the threat that Miyabi posed to it.
At some point she stepped into one of its eyes, her left heel cutting into its iris, either sprouting out of the wound immediately. The eyes were simply everywhere, so she decided not to pay them any attention and didn’t care where she stepped as long as it was on the Ethereal. But apparently, the Ethereal did care where she stepped. It trashed more violently, letting out a heart-crunching cry of pain.
It was the most horrifying and heart wrenching sound she had heard in her life and one she was sure she would never forget.
“Chief!” She heard Harumasa’s voice amidst the cries of the Ethereal and she instinctively turned to see if he didn’t need any help or was just telling her to focus on something new that she had failed to spot, but amidst all the fighting she could not see any glimpse of the striking yellow bandana. Of course she wouldn’t see him, she knew that and yet she looked there anyway. “You promised!”
In the moment where she was preoccupied with trying to locate Harumasa, her footing got just a little bit less steady. Double that with the increase in aggressiveness of the Ethereal’s movements and soon, she was no longer on its body.
She didn’t even notice when she slipped off it
She fell onto the ground, regaining her posture almost instantly and avoiding an attack from the Ethereal just in time. Where she stood just mere seconds ago was now a meter deep crater formed by its hand.
She narrowed her eyes. She had to focus. It was just an ethereal, identical to the thousands she had slain before and the thousands she would slay in the future. Slaying ethereals was easy.
And yet, she had faltered.
“Miyabi!” She heard and then saw Yanagi looking at her from across the battlefield. She was dealing with a few ethereals at the same time, but she didn’t seem to lose her chill just like her.
“Everything is well! Remain where you are!” She shouted as she saw Soukaku finish the ethereal she was dealing with and attempted to run to her. She was much closer than Yanagi but still, running all this distance would cost her precious energy, one that they were seriously lacking after all those hours.
Not her, though. Everyone but her. She was still in her best state, prepared to take on any ethereal, no matter what.
***
Miyabi let out a tired sigh. This day’s training session was good. Not only did it allow her to improve her own skills but it also showed her what her new teammates were capable of.
Tsukishiro Yanagi came from the Defence Force, so it wasn’t a surprise that she would be strong, fierce and able to use a variety of weapons. Maybe not as much as Miyabi herself, but still enough that it was impressive.
Soukaku was a ball of almost unlimited energy and while her attacks might lack some form and rhythm, she made up for it with sheer enthusiasm. The little oni wasn’t exactly her first choice, she had only planned to take Yanagi and Harumasa into her section, but the woman told her of the little oni girl she was taking care of and it ended up with Soukaku in the team too. Though seeing her in action made Miyabi sure that it was a good decision to allow her to join.
But Harumasa wasn’t strong nor very enthusiastic. He was slacking off during the whole training, only doing what was strictly necessary. His fighting style consisted of well aimed shots, weirdly not from a gun but a bow, and if someone got close to him, he would switch to using dual blades, but he never used any of his strength, only paring someone’s blow and using the momentum to redirect it at his opponent. It was a style made to use as little energy as possible, but surprisingly effective. He won his match against both Yanagi and Soukaku and could hold his own the best against Miyabi out of the three.
His unique fighting style should mean that at the end of the session he was the least worn out, but somehow, he collapsed the moment she stated that the session was over, mumbling something about never taking a weapon ever again.
“Stop overreacting,” Yanagi send him a judging glance. She herself wasn’t faring much better, slumped against the wall and drinking from a bottle decorated with cat stickers. However, she was running and actively participating in the combat and Harumasa was almost standing in one place, barely moving. And still, she was doing better.
Miyabi knew about his poor health, of course. She had to go through her candidates with the higher-ups before Section 6 was finally established and while they had no obligations against Yanagi, Harumasa a completely different topic.
He basically failed every health test and basic stamina training. He only got accepted because he passed the Hollow Simulation Exam with flying colours, but still, they put him in the Analysis and Strategic Department. So in the end, his health didn’t really matter because he rarely went into the hollows in person.
She had to really argue, pointing out that when he did go on missions, he was the best scout, noticing things others couldn’t. Someone proposed she take him only temporarily and decide later on anything permanent. She agreed to that, but never really considered kicking him out. She wanted people she could trust and while strength definitely allowed her to rely on her teammates more, it wasn’t exactly the core charismatic.
Though, it was a nice surprise that he was actually good in combat, even if he had a bit of an unusual style.
“You’re just angry I won with you,” he sent Yanagi a charming smile. “Me, a frail executive officer from the Analysis Department with you, the strong and undefeated defence force soldier.”
Yanagi wisely chose not to answer.
“I think that you both did well,” Miyabi commented, “and you Soukaku too. I look forward to working with you.”
“Soukaku wants to play with you too!” The little girl exclaimed while jumping up and down, holding a similar water bottle to Yanagi’s. It was opened so a few droplets fell onto Harumasa’s face who was lying close to her.
Yanagi laughed seeing his shocked face, when the water hit him. He shrieked and almost instantly tried to shriek it off but it had already wetted his headband. Soukaku didn’t even seem to have noticed.
In a split second, Harumasa dashed for his bottle and poured its contents on Yanagi. She looked at him in disbelieve, but then Soukaku splashed her too, but this time she did that on purpose.
“Yeah! Water fight!” She shouted and splashed Harumasa once more. Yanagi just sighted.
It was heartwarming, really. Seeing them so normal after the training. Miyabi rarely trained with others anymore, but whenever she did, everyone was too overwhelmed by her to even speak properly. However, Section 6 was able to have the splash-battle training she once did with her mum on a sunny day.
Yes, those were the kind of people she could trust. Surely, with those kinds of elaborate trainings they would be able to overcome everything together.
***
“Maybe we should call for reinforcements,” Soukaku said, in what was much too serious of a tone for the girl. She had disregarded Miyabi’s orders and made her way towards the main threat. She managed to avoid its attacks almost as swiftly as Miyabi and was now standing next to her, countering one of its attacks so that Miyabi could once again climb up one of its arms.
To no avail. It was moving too fast and retreated the hand before she could jump on it.
“There is no time,” Miyabi answered. “We must defeat it ourselves.”
“But-“ the girl protested, but she blocked her off. So what if they couldn’t kill it alone and they would just get killed themselves? They were Section 6, they might be exhausted after the prolonged mission, but they still were the best. Reinforcements weren’t necessary. What’s more, they would only make their job harder.
“We cannot allow it to wander in the hollow,” she simply stated, dashing off to avoid another attack while simultaneously trying to slash the Ethereal’s fist. She even managed to cut it, but when it fell off, the multiple eyes locked on her, it almost instantly disintegrated and a new hand formed in its former place right after.
She narrowed her eyes and she could see the Ethereal do so too, with hundreds of sickening, blue orbs. She would have never expected to be underbid so much by eyes, but under their cricked gaze she could feel something stirring inside of her. Apparently it was time for the not-looking-at-the-blue-eyes training.
Yanagi was dealing with the smaller ones away of them. Her naginata pierced one after another, striking them with lighting, not allowing any of the small flies to disturb Saukaku and Miyabi, who tried to stop one arm of the main Ethereal for long enough so that the latter could jump onto it.
Tried was a good word, for so far they weren’t able to do it. Sometimes Miyabi just cut its limbs off in an attempt to at least do something, but it was all pointless.
What’s worse, there were no other structures she could use to get closer to the core nearby. It was a weird hollow, almost desolate, with ether induced wind blowing through it unbothered. Harumasa actually liked it when they entered, but now its lack of almost anything was making things all the more difficult. So climbing the Ethereal itself was their only option.
Moreover, her eye-avoiding-training wasn’t a success. The eyes were simply everywhere, not allowing her to focus on anything else, like slaying the ethereal.
***
“I’m glad we’re doing something else than just slaying ethereals,” Harumasa stated, dawning four round, white pills in one go without any water. “I mean, working is obviously so much fun, but if you ask me, joined slacking off beats it every time.”
“What are you doing?!” Yanagi shouted so loud she could probably be heard in the whole restaurant. They all stared at her in shock, but she onlg looked at Harumasa as if she was deciding between killing him or killing someone for him. “Spit it out!”
The guy just laughed, “Deputy Chief, did you forget that I have to take this medicine each afternoon, preferably before eating? Wasn’t it you who insisted I do as the doctor says and not just take my meds when I remember about them?”
“That’s not it, you took too much,” she argued. “You’re supposed to take three and you took four.”
“What? Tsukishiro, you must be mistaken. I have to take four,” Yanagi relaxed a little, not worried that he might overdose anymore, but then her brows furrowed.
“I remember you took three,” she pulled out her phone and started searching for something. “I wrote down how much you have to take in case of an emergency.”
“You did?” He looked a little sheepishly to the side. “When?”
“About half a year ago when you fell asleep. You had your prescription on the desk so I just took it and copied,” the woman answered matter of factly, completely unbothered by Harumasa’s offended face. “Here it is!” She stopped her search and then pursed her lips together. “Wait… But that’s…”
“Is something wrong?” Miyabi put down her chopstick. Across from her Saukaku still was taking mouthfuls of anything she dumped into the hotpot, but she leaned to the side ever so slightly to see Yanagi’s phone.
“Nothing’s wrong it’s just-“ Harumasa started but was soon cut off.
“It says two,” Yanagi deadpanned. “It says you have to take two pills before meal each afternoon.”
They all fell into complete silence, not even disturbed by Soukaku’s munching. The three of them stared at Harumasa who tried not to lock eyes with any of them.
Miyabi could see a mix of emotions in those golden orbs- a bit of shame, despair, anger. Eventually he sighed in defeat. “My doctor had me change the dosage, first from two to three and now from three to four.”
And a mix of emotions swarmed inside of them as well. They had promised not to have any secrets anymore, to be open with each other not just to improve their working performance, but first and foremost, because they were friends. They cared about each other. But did Harumasa have to tell them about each update of his illness? They probably could all deduce that his dosage would increase with time and he technically didn’t lie, just didn’t tell the truth.
But he most likely didn’t tell them, because it would make them react like they did now. They might try their best to treat him as they did before, but when met with this tangible proof that his state was never getting better, just worse, it was hard not to think how he could die the next day.
“You should have told us, Asaba,” Yanagi said as gently as she could, which was a rarity when it came to Harumasa, “so that if we ever saw you actually overdose by mistake we would notice or-“ she got cut off by the man in question.
“As if I’d ever do that. Tsukishiro, you forget that no one values this body more than I.”
“Well, sometimes it is hard to see when you try to prevent people from actually helping you!” She shouted a little too loudly, it even made Soukaku jump and the people in nearby tables turn to them once again.
“Perhaps,” Harumasa gritted, “I wouldn’t be so reluctant if you stopped acting as if I couldn’t take care of myself every time my illness comes up. I swear, you would have me sit through the whole night doing reports just half a year ago, but now, if I only as much as mention being tired, you start asking if I’m feeling unusual tired or just normal tired. I could even misuse it and you wouldn’t bat an eye.”
“Because perhaps I, contrary to someone, actually am and want to believe that people are genuinely truthful.”
“But that’s besides the point.”
“Nagi, Masa, please stop fighting,” little Soukaku tried to pacify them, but they both didn’t listen. They kept on throwing accusations at each other, at first making valid points, but later spiraling down the path to complete nonsense.
At some point they both stood up, which caused an even bigger commotion. Someone took a photo, Miyabi could already see the internet discussions about unresolved tensions between the members of Section 6, even if no one could actually understand what the two were talking about - they talked too fast and changed topics too quickly for anyone who wasn’t used to it to follow.
Seeing no other option, Miyabi put her hands on the table, “Harumasa, Yanagi,” she said,” this really is not the place for conversations like this.”
And it worked, they both sat down, took their chopsticks and started eating whatever was closest to them. Soukaku, who had been restricting herself this whole time, gladly joined them and after some time Miyabi also began to eat.
She gave them some time to calm themselves before she spoke again, “I chose all of you because I thought you to be both trustworthy and the best in your area of expertise and so far I have not been disappointed even once. Over time, I started seeing you more like friends and family than reliable collages. That being said, I know what Yanagi feels. We worry, because we care, not because we think you are less valuable or anything, Harumasa. You don’t have to tell us anything, but if you don’t want to trouble us, then you shouldn’t. We want to be troubled, because we care.”
“I- Well, you told me that already, I know that,” Harumasa stuttered. “It’s just that- you know-“
“You’re like sister,” Saoukaku suddenly chiped in. At her words, Harumasa looked at Yanagi a little offended, but at the same time curious why the girl would make such a connection. For her part Tsukishiro is confused at first, before something like a realisation gnaws over her.
“I beg to differ?” The man asked. “From what side?”
“Not like Nagi,” she corrected. Her hand reached for Yanagi’s which the woman took into her own, squeezing it gently. “When sister first got sick she didn’t tell me. She did everything the same. Even when she couldn’t stand anymore and everyone saw that she was sick, she didn’t tell. I asked auntie about it once, if sister didn’t trust me, but she told me it wasn’t it. She trusted us all, but she was afraid that saying she felt bad would only make it more real. You’re like that.”
Miyabi knew that Soukaku came from the Oni Clan, unlike Harumasa’s EAR syndrome it was hard to miss, and she knew that her sister was its leader, although it was unknown to the public, because of some weird political reasons. But she never knew that her sister was ill, just that she died.
Soukaku was a little shaken after her confession, but she pushed it aside and looked at Harumasa with all of her determination. “It won’t make it worse. It will help. We will help.” They had never heard Soukaku quite so serious before. Yanagi looked at her with soft eyes, every once in a while glancing at Harumasa, waiting for confirmation. Miyabi found herself looking at him too , desperate to solve the last puzzles of him.
“I am dying,” Harumasa wasn’t looking at any of them when he finally spoke up. He was quiet, so that only they could hear him and not anyone else at the restaurant. “I’ve been dying for as long as I remember. I accepted it. I thought I did. But I want to live and most of all, I want to live with you. And it’s not that telling you will make it anymore real. It’s always been real. But when I have to tell you I can clearly see the clock ticking and see that you know it too.”
She wanted to say something, that he still had a lot of time or that the cure they started working on would be complete before he died, but she wasn’t sure of neither of these. They were empty words and they promised to avoid those like fire. So instead she said nothing, just grabbed his hand and squeezed gently, just like Yanagi did just a minute ago.
She felt him flinch before he realised what she was doing and then he returned her squeeze and finally looked up to look her into the eyes. Her ruby eyes met his golden and she could see a little of the weariness and fear that he usually hid leave him. Not entirely, they hardly graced the top of the iceberg that were his problems, but they were getting there.
She squeezed once more, he returned the gesture and then they finally properly got to the hot pot.
***
It appeared that the Ethereal grew tired of them constantly avoiding its attacks. It started changing. Alongside its arms grew blue cracks running from its fingers almost to the very core. Its eyes glowed, some of them closed and then disappeared in its flesh, but new ones formed instead in new places. Miyabi could swear that there were even more of them now.
When it was finished some of its arms reformed into what looked like bows. It charged, but without an arrow. That wasn’t a problem, however, because as it let go of the string, it cut off one of its own fingers and used it as a substitute.
The ‘arrow’ hit the ground between Miyabi and Soukaku, but they managed to jump from it in time. Then, an eye opened at it, that sickly blue colour looking at her, before the whole finger exploded in a little Hollow-like sphere.
After that, it opted for its new form of attack, completely disregarding the previous one. Apparently, throwing hands was too tiring for it.
How fitting, a part of Miyabi’s mind commented, while the other noticed that now some of its arms were unoccupied, neither a bow nor an arrow, and she could try and finally climb it.
With a clear new step in mind, she rushed as fast as she could, avoiding the countless finger-arrows along the way. One would think that at some point, the Ethereal would run out of ammunition that way, but it just regrew its fingers, completely unbothered.
Soukaku was left behind, unable to catch up to Miyabi, so she once more engaged with the smaller ones. Good, with the arrows Yanagi had more trouble dealing with them, so she could use some help. They both complemented each other's weaknesses, making sure that no small fry would go unnoticed, while also distracting the big one from the main threat.
And Miyabi ran.
Was it just her, or did the arm get longer? Perhaps the Hollow was once again playing tricks on her perception. Or perhaps the time slowed? Even that was possible inside a Hollow, especially near such highly ether concentrated Ethereal.
No matter what it was, it didn’t matter. She would give it her all to slay that ethereal. One look at Tailless at her side and the little ball also understood. They would be unleashing their true power soon, once they got close enough to the core.
Being occupied with Yanagi and Soukaku didn’t mean that the Ethereal completely ignored her, but its attempts to throw her off were helpless at best. It couldn’t shoot her, so it resorted to its previous tacking and tried to punch or grab her, but with so many of its arms transformed, there were only a few left to do it. So avoiding them was child’s play, especially for Miyabi.
She almost stepped into one of its eyes again, but she turned to avoid it, not wanting it to react so aggressively like before. But just as she was about to pass it, the blue orb turned golden.
Miyabi almost faltered once more. Almost fell off the arm just like before, yet this time not because of the Ethereal directly, but just because of that one eye. Its colour, so different from the rest, sparked in her all of the emotions she hid throughout the entire fight.
She felt like a little girl again, her mother looking at her lovingly and telling her to kill her and just like back then, she didn’t really want to do it. Even if she knew deep down that it was the right thing to do. She fought against it, because it shouldn’t be something anyone had to do. No one should be forced to kill those they held dead, no matter what they’ve become.
But it was impossible to look away from that golden eye and after the moment of hesitation the same eye helped her regain her posture.
It wasn’t looking at her like all the other ones, with mindless hatred and desire to kill. It was staring at her pleadingly, piercing through her soul with an intensity she had never witnessed before. It wasn’t malicious, it wasn’t evil, it just wanted her to finish what she had to do.
***
The wind in Port Elpis gently blew through her hair. It felt relaxing, she could understand why Harumasa liked it so much and looking at him from the corner of her eye, she could certainly see that he was enjoying himself.
Yanagi and Soukaku went for some more food, after the girl ate everything they packed for the day, leaving Miyabi and Harumasa alone. So far they hadn’t talked since the two left, but none of them minded. It was nice to unwind like this from time to time and they both needed some peace and quiet.
They stayed like that for a while longer, until Harumasa broke the silence, “Chief, there is something I need to ask you.”
She raised a brow ever so slightly. After all, outside of work he hardly called her chief anymore. “Ask away.”
“I have a request,” he took a deep breath, while fiddling with the hem of his shirt. “I’ve already asked the Proxies, but I’d rather be safe than sorry.”
“That is understandable,” she nodded, “I will do my best to fulfil your request, once I hear what it is.”
“Right, you need to hear it,” he laughed nervously. Then his expression turned serious, his golden gaze downcast. He clenched his fist, took a deep breath, then relaxed it.
Miyabi suddenly started to worry what this request would be if he acted like that about it. “Harumasa?” She took his hand, squeezing it softly. It was a neat trick to comfort him that she had been doing a lot recently, whenever a situation called for it. She once did it during one of their meetings with fans and the reactions were quite wild.
“Chief, promise me,” he turned to look at her, golden eyes piercing through her very soul and she found herself unable to look away. “When I turn into an Ethereal, don’t hesitate to strike me down. Before I even get the chance to cause any damage and definitely before I kill anymore. Promise me you’ll kill me.”
She wanted to hope that he would be cured. That he’ll be healed once and for all. But with his constantly worsening condition and no real progress on the cure she couldn’t deny it. However, “I can’t do that,” she said and could see Harumasa’s expression instantly falter, but before he could say anything, she corrected herself. “I can’t promise to kill you, but I promise to kill the thing that becomes your body after your demise.”
He relaxed and a small smile appeared on his face. “Thank you, Miyabi.”
***
Harumasa begged her to kill him with the last of his remaining humanity, reminding her of the promise she had made.
Miyabi regained her posture.
With her eyes focused solely on the core, she made her way up the arm. She reached for her katana, Tailless answered her call and engulfed the weapon with its blue fire. The Ethereal desperately tried to stop her, but it was of no use. She would not allow it to tarnish his body any longer.
Her hand moved in a swift fluid motion and in a matter of seconds the core shattered.
The Ethereal vanished just as quickly as it appeared. Miyabi fell to the ground.
Once her feet touched the ground, she looked up, not seeing any remnants of the Ethereal, after all, those monsters didn’t leave any traces behind once they were killed.
A part of her heart pained at that. There would be nothing to bury, nothing to burn. Harumasa always wanted his ashes to be thrown into the wind at sea, but it seemed that they wouldn’t be able to do that.
There was nothing, like he was never there to begin with. Only an empty space in her heart at the thought of that.
Was it raining? She felt something wet ran down her cheek and the weather could be unpredictable inside the hollows. No, it wasn’t that, she was looking up, after all, and there was no water.
Miyabi closed her eyes and more tears fell down her cheeks. She took shaky breaths in, trying to concentrate on her surroundings. She heard two pairs of footsteps approaching her, no doubt the remaining members of her Section. She opened her eyes again.
There was something new. Something was falling. The woman extended her hand and caught it, its soft texture registering in her brain before she could even process what exactly it was.
She could feel some more tears falling down as well as hear Soukaku and Yanagi say something to her, but Miyabi ignored them. She was only focused on the yellow bandana in her hands.
By all accords, it shouldn’t be here. It should had been destroyed alongside Harumasa during his transformation or at the very least when the Ethereal fell. But somehow it was and Miyabi didn’t really care how it was possible.
She raised it to her face and whispered softly. “Farewell, Harumasa. May you rest in peace.”