Week #223 [10th] Tashimine <Absorbitol>

[cp1983]

Week #223 [10th/Captain]
Mission Name: Absorbitol
Mission Participant: Aries Tashimine
Mission Specifics: Introspective Monologue

Solemn skies. The atmosphere is mirthless. The mood, somber. Immolating himself in his captain's quarters for the duration of the evening Aries decides to do a bit of self-reflection. "What is the meaning of this long life in which I lead? Why does it feel like it has a certain foreshadowing to it? A rather unsavory adumbration. I am 358 years old and I have no one by my side. Surely such a long life requires an equally strong companion to see this long life has an end. Does it not? I grow weary, fed up with all the times there is no one sleeping next to me. Each and everyday I awake within my quarters my disposition dull and melancholy. I am reminded of my conversation with Yonbantai's taichou during our last mission. If there is truly is someone for everyone then why I haven't I discovered this truth for myself?" Aries thought, meditating on a great deal of things as he briefly glanced out his window.

The sight was lugubrious; tenebrous. Aries often wondered if the day appeared more lethargic and apathetic then he did. There was a certain vascillation to the clouds, as gray as they were, lumbering along as they swelled with rain. Coughing into his hand, Aries blinked a few times before turning over in his bed while raking the covers across his body. With a rather despondent look on his face Aries drifted off to sleep, as though he could, crestfallen and forlorn. "It's so still. You could hear a pin drop it's so quiescent. How did it get like this? I can't even remember. Ever since my vice-captain's departure and subsequent promotion to Juusanbantai taichou, I've felt nothing but a sense of abandonment; even from the handful of new rikuru-to. Often I wonder if I should just abdicate from my current position. Though I doubt these obstinate feelings I often experience will simply not allow me to."

Rain precipitated. As each drop collided with the glass Aries could distinctly hear a certain cadence. The mood was no longer quite as somber, only amicable. An embellishing smile adorned his serene expression as Aries fell into a more comfortable respite. During such an extensive cessation (downtime) Aries' disconcerted mind could finally calm itself, no longer a stir. "I wonder if it's possible to reinvent myself, not as a shinigami, but as a human. I have an obligation to those in power, as is my duty to serve the public and uphold the law, yet we all have matters we deem as, important; or exigent. I do not wish to spend the remainder of my long life disconsolate and in perpetual solitude. Perhaps a venture to the living world is required of me. Though it has been sometime since our last encounter, and the chances of her being around are quite slim, I believe I should set out on a journey of discovery and see if I can find Minerva."

"Her conviviality left a lot to be desired though" Aries said, still deep in thought as the rain outside fell down with more vigor. As the evening progressed into nightfall Aries would often awake recurrently. Due to such intermittence Aries would often become restless and stagger out of bed. Shuffling his feet along the cold floor Aries would make his way towards the nearest window, determining if the inclement weather outside would find its way inside his warm, commodious quarters. "Minerva. There's a name I haven't thought much of since the day we first encountered each other. She did give me her number though, perhaps it is worth pursuing" Aries contemplated as he blew a breath of cold air against the glass, "I doubt I'll receive authorization to use an active Senkaimon for personal use though."

"I am anathema. My raison d'être nothing more then a malediction. Dwelling inside me, a most mercurial incubus. If only it was something that could be surgically removed. During my tenure as Juubantai taichou I have endured many hardships, enough to completely change my countenance. Just because I harbor an inner hollow I have managed to alienate myself from most. Now I am nothing more than nefarious, a rogue criminal element in the eyes of the upper echelon; disposable. So what now? Do I fight the system I have given my allegiance to? Or would it be better to be stripped of my title and authority? A transient in exile, nothing more than a vagabond with cold, tempered steel resting at his hip. They're out to get me, that much is certain. Does this mean my long life of servitude is nothing more then numbered days?"

"I have to go there. I have to see her. I have to find a way to escape from such a interminable, homogenous babylon. She could be the key to everything, she could end everything. If only love was more naturally occurring within the human body. If it was a drug then I'd absorb it all. It's hazardous to your health, purely poisonous and even fatal, but tell that to Romeo & Juliet who are a testament to human foolishness, yet they were never in the wrong. There's more meaning there then you might think. I have to go there. I have to see her. I feel compelled, as if something recondite (esoteric) has it hands around my heartstrings. Should I risk it all to be with her? Even though I don't even know if she is still alive, or has feelings for me for that matter. Hell, I don't even know if she remembers me or has moved on since then. It would be considered a fool's errand, though the question is; do I truly desire to stop feeling this way?"

Streaking across the vociferous sky bore a weaving mesh of lightning. Placing the palm of his hand against the windowpane Aries felt the boisterous tumult of thunder flex the glass, bowing it in and out. Burdened with the pangs of simulated immortality Aries lowered his head in funereal fashion, fond, vivid memories of his former love causing him to become caliginous. "And what about her? What about Alicia? I promised her my heart and no other, so how can I just move on? Especially if it is to be without her. Do people move on so easily? Can people move on so easily? It's not so easy. It's not that easy, for me." There is something called the human condition. As human beings we are conditioned to a certain degree through life experiences, environmental stimuli, internal defenses, relations with others. We erect walls and establish ourselves behind them, while distancing ourselves from others. Why? Are we afraid that such foundations will only become unstable? Even the most impenetrable defense is said to have a weakness, if and when cracks are formed it is up to us to make them bigger.

"I can't get her out of my mind now. Minerva. Such a name is sacrosanct; pious. It is as if her birth parents deified her upon conception. I wish to consummate such a relationship if her minds remains open. Love. If love was a drug I'd absorb it all. I'd absorb it all until it reaches my heart, though I hope it be her that resuscitates it."

[1210]

[cp1983]

Reaching inside his obi, Aries withdrew his soft pack and promptly lit a cigarette while sitting on the edge of his bed. Inhaling deeply the captain let out a tuft of mentholated smoke, reticent, excogitating on a few things when he noticed the abeyance of the rain. "I already put in a request for some time-off. Whether or not it has been approved is another story" Aries thought, "Though, knowing Central they'll more than likely find a way to encumber my efforts. Of that, I am certain."

"It feels like everywhere I walk I'm only meant to meet some kind of transposition. I am, at a crossroads, wondering which direction it is that I should continue walking. When I started to crawl I embraced the future, when I learned to walk I embraced the path before me. Who would have thought such a path would be marred by devolution. Now I find myself walking a different path, one which has seen my soul blossom like the most pulchritudinous metamorphose. I guess it wasn't all bad." Inhaling deeply again Aries reached his right hand towards the right side desk drawer - then exhaled. The fumes he expelled from his mouth creating a rather nebulous screen. As he opened the drawer he removed a bottle of aged whiskey and reached even deeper inside it for a glass.

"Disseminating my true feelings to her will be quite the daunting challenge. As I previously stated, she might not even be the type of person I'm looking for anymore. And I have to consider my own vicissitude. Why? Why am I even ruminating on this? Surely too much time has passed for this to even be considered an issue anymore. I'd probably be reduced to using a mere portable-body throughout my time with her (if any). The very thought of it is excruciating. Another thing I'd have to consider is the restriction placed on my abilities. Such forbearance would only become burdensome, yet I am not entirely without compromise. Perhaps that is what it means to be human, to also (live) as a human means to always be in control of oneself; exude control over oneself and any and all situations. For without control, there is only chaos; entropy."

"If I were still the same person I was in the past, then Minerva would only see someone pathologically misanthropic. A callous, crude individual who exhibited nothing but crass, chauvinistic behavior. Though, I always thought that was what she saw in me back then. But then again, I could just be fooling myself. I really mustn't sojourn on such a subject. I'm just going to have to go there and confirm everything for myself" Aries concluded, rubbing his temples as he hoisted the glass before his lips, indulging in a generous sip as the sting of the whiskey burned all the way down his throat. "I almost completely forgot about that fifth in my desk drawer. The taste is truly palatable."

Leaning back in his chair Aries glanced out the window. There was no longer a veil of black and gray obstructing the dawn, all that remained was picturesque prominence. Glimpses of sunlight peered across the horizon along with the passing of the last few clouds. Cracking his neck Aries emptied the bottle's remaining contents into his glass then haphazardly tossed it square into the center of his trash receptacle. "I need an excuse to visit the living world" Aries pondered, "It seems I have found it. I need another carton of my favorite brand of cigarettes. Who would have thought my own idiosyncrasies would come in handy" Aries joked as he put the end of his cigarette out on the back of his hand. "I don't know. This just all seems too preposterous. Maybe I should forget about her and try and find someone here."

Finishing what was left ins his glass Aries wiped the brim of his mouth with his sleeve, then set the glass down on his desk. Rolling up his obi's left sleeve Aries checked the time on his watch then turned back towards the window. "It'll be morning soon. I think I'm going to go for a walk. Take in the morning air after a steady rain, such a salubrious scent is truly invigorating" Aries settled on, pushing himself away from his desk as rays of light began filtering in through his curtains. Regardless of what the day brings we are either ebullient or languid; possibly even indifferent. As he approached the sill Aries firmly pressed his hands against the glass, forcing it open while leaning out halfway.

"The hell with this. It's not like anyone here will catch on to my subterfuge. All necessary paperwork for the division has been taken care of. All members of my staff are present and accounted for. It's just a simple errand and nothing more, even though it's not so simple. How can I be so ardent? Alicia? This almost feels supernatural, as if I'm being guided back down to the living world to witness her re-embodiment." Seemingly temperamental Aries stepped away from the sill and forcefully slammed one side into the wall on his right. Blankly Aries stared at the fragments of glass as they fell upon the floor. The very sound reverberating through every cloister in his captain's quarters. As larger fragments formed smaller fragments in little to no time at all the area near his window quickly became coarse and reflective. "I guess I should probably summon someone to see to this. I wonder if Mia is working today? I usually send for her whenever I get this way."

There's nothing more we can do. We've already lost that battle. Our hearts already belong to them. In the end we chose non-violent resistance. We went out without a fight and suffered dearly for it. Such costly mistakes and yet no blood was shed. The evidence is in our scars and our oft sullen pallor. Why do we give in so easily? Our pride trampled along with our feelings. Over the course of time I wish for that heart you hold to arrest. This kind of thing is something I am sure you all can attest to. Bonds coalesce and dissolve like a combination of chemicals in a test tube. Love. It left a hole where my heart should be. She gave me hers and now we're compatible. I see through you, you see through me.

[1068]

[cp1983]

A panoramic view of his surroundings was all the motivation Aries needed to make his way out the front door. “The first step is always the hardest” Aries said, appearing somewhat perfunctory as he struggled to deal with his own necessitating. Walking the hallway leading away from his quarters, Aries found such a vacuous space to be downright placid. “I guess it’s just me. I had no idea my division leaves you with such a sequestering feeling. I have to say – I don’t really like it.” Enervated, Aries suddenly approached the end of the hall when a hell butterfly came in through an open window; alighting itself.

“I wonder if this has something to do with the leave I placed” Aries thought, “Such a message is peremptory.” With a stoic expression Aries received his answer but found it to only fuel his own dissonant, insouciance. “It is as I thought, I was denied. As much as I’d like a second opinion I think I’ll just do what I want. There’s absolutely nothing that needs doing. If they send anything important my way I’ll just tell them to add it to the pile.” The instant the messenger departed Aries made haste towards the main gate of his division’s barracks. With a flash-step the captain vanished, dead set on leaving for the living world leaving behind a rather cacophonous wake.

Already under a fair share of scrutiny Aries simply smiled, delighted by his latest display of insubordination. “I’ve already been through enough, so whatever they decide upon won’t really surprise me. No one is above reproach, especially not them. For now, I’m just going to enjoy whatever time I have remaining of my own volition” Aries said, “They say ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder’ I will return in due time. But for now, I want to explore the possibilities of such a relationship.”

We are not so easily appeased. Like all things we simply regurgitate and re-digest everything we aggregate. “I have a propensity for destitution. My mantra is to become prosperous.” Yet it’s never enough. All that we have and it’s never enough, edacious. How did we ever become so hedonistic? Why, our very lives have become sardonic. We complacently await its terminus, a painful, acerbic reminder. Knowing this, why would you ever want to return to humanity? “Why? I can honestly say I don’t have an answer to such a question. I guess ‘the jury is still out on that one’ or so they say. I guess more than anything I just want closure and peace of mind.”

Descrying several familiar spiritual wavelengths a considerable distance behind him, Aries glanced towards the ground near a partially secluded prefecture of town and quickly deviated away from his original trajectory. “They’re really pushing it” Aries thought, “I’ve honestly had enough of all of Central’s catechizing. They better not force my hand like all those other times. I’m really not in the mood.” Swiftly Aries adjusted his flexure until he was able to settle himself in a more ‘abandoned’ part of the prefecture. “I count 3 in all. God, the longer I dawdle here the more I’m going to feel compunctious” Aries remarked, “I have to throw them off long enough to leave the hell alone.” Thinking on his feet, though it was considered somewhat dangerous, Aries promptly lowered his own reiatsu until it was on par with that of a normal citizen.

“I’ve never lowered it this far before. I have to get it down to at least recruit level strength for them to be lured by this deception. If I don’t, I fear they will find me for sure.” Aries’ own discomfiture caused him to actively grind his teeth. Truly desiring a cigarette, Aries slowly reached inside his obi for his soft pack but found he couldn’t find his dragon’s head lighter. “Oh come on! Not now of all times” Aries complained, moaning and groaning as he tried to stay focused on the men which were making their way over the village he was hiding in. “It better be nothing more than a routine fly-by, a quick assessment of overall activity in the general vicinity. God, I hope it’s nothing more than that. If they decide to take it upon themselves to patrol the ground on foot, I’m screwed. I’d rather not resort to pernicious acts of sedition. That’s not who I am anymore” Aries concluded, gazing out a hole in the roof while the men in question moved across the sky, disappearing in a flash-step having obtained their official report. “Someone out there must really like me.”

Aries was in a state of disquietude. Despite his ability to curb the sheer amount of his own reiatsu to such a degree, Aries also experienced times when his lack of focus turned problematic for such curtailment. “Being able to centralize such a tremendous amount of power is proving quite difficult. I don’t know how long much longer I’ll be able to keep it indentured. Please, just go away already. The damn Senkaimon isn’t even anywhere near this location to” Aries said, “I’ll give them another 45 seconds before their completely out of my range. Then, and only then, will I make my move and head towards that ensconced alcove. I need to get the hell out of here already.”

No longer able to sense their presence Aries gradually began to bring his reiatsu back to its original state. Such a process was rather arduous, though with the help of his spirit Aries soon found himself back in proper form. Exasperated, Aries heaved a sigh until he noticed a dusty, worn-out piece of furniture in the background and decided to rest for a moment. Warming him from above was a wide array of lambent light. Like the spotlight upon a cynosure, Aries basked in such coruscation needing to shelter his eyes from such ambient scintillation.

“It’s a new dawn and a new day” Aries whispered, stretching out on the ragged couch, kicking his sandals off his feet while watching them land on a pile of fetid, squalid sheets. The air was acrid. The building he took temporary refuge in was decrepit and dilapidated. Still, Aries found he could take comfort in such an antediluvian dwelling. Despite its primeval appearance, Aries seemed contented with it for the time being and expeditiously fell asleep. “Whoever lived here last really let this place go, deplorable” Aries said, mumbling to himself as he shifted his eyes around the room, “Even the spiders are packing up their cobwebs. I should probably exercise celerity, but, once again, I’m kind of not in the mood right now.”

[1106]

[cp1983]

Waking up abruptly Aries hacked and coughed on arenaceous silt. Tiny particulate matter which prostrated downward from the hole in the ceiling. The residue from his sinus cavity was spewed onto the rotted floor as he threw his back behind him in paroxysm. "How long have I been asleep?" Aries thought. Frantically looking around the room the sun had almost entirely cascaded down from the sky. "Shit! What the hell! Why didn't my watch alarm sound?"

Exercising prudence as he stood near the battered archway of the front entrance, Aries glanced outside. "Coast is clear." Feeling his heart palpitate aggressively he leapt in a shunpo into the distance, all the while maintaining an eye of vigilance on his surroundings. "This isn't over. No. Not by a long shot. I know they're somewhere out here lying in wait." Expeditiously he moved through the clouds, weaving his way over the barren landscape until a thick patch of forest; segregated from the rest of the land, jutted out in front of him like a flagger on the tarmac. "So it's here. Senkai Lazaretto."

Placing his feet firmly in the foliage Aries ventured deeper into the hearty brush. After a lengthy and exhausting hike Aries finally stumbled upon it. It was a fairly well-made, well-hidden gate concealed in a rather eclipsing umbrage. "It appears to be fairly operational. This is it, my ticket back to the living world. God, I hope she looks as gothic and furtive as the day we met. If anything she's sure to have aged. But as long as she's retained some of that youthful, trademark exuberant wit of hers. Then I'll gladly call that a concession." Benighted, Aries continued to survey the area around him and - sensing nobody - descended the granite steps before an eerie pylon of light surrounded by an arc. "I can't help but seem nescient. I'm sure even my zanpakuto spirit thinks my actions are licentious wantonness. Oh well. She'll get over it like she always does."

Only when he was certain there were no lingering spiritual pressures on the fringe of the forest; or within it, did Aries proceed inside where the gate enfolded around him almost consuming his visage. By the last light he had vanished and gate closed behind him. Unbeknownst to him 'Senkai Lazaretto' had been closely monitored by CC46 - especially those from the 3rd Division - yet it probably wouldn't faze Aries in the slightest. With a swift umai shunpo the 10th Division Captain touched the edge of the Dangai's egress, then watched as the gateway doors opened up around him like a chinese paper puzzle. "It's been far too long. It'll only take a moment to recognize her spiritual wavelength from here." Meditating on such a faint pulse of energy wound up becoming a rather egregious affair. "I can't seem to locate it. I know for certain this is it yet it doesn't seem to be anywhere out here. I wonder - did I get the coordinates wrong?"

Apace with movement and resembling a blur in the sky Aries moved along the horizon scouring the Earth below for a woman he had only met once in his entire life. "Where is she?" Aries wondered. Before his eyes he began to witness the daylights exit. A most portentous crucible. "I've always had my damn suspicions about using 'Senkai Lazaretto'. But I've come all this way to turn back now. I'll have to reflect on the consequences of my actions later" Aries thought, deeply. "Wait a minute! That was her just now. But where exactly? I can't hang around just to circumnavigate the entire ****ing planet looking for this woman. Wait a minute, there it is again. It's faint but that's definitely her spiritual energy somewhere down there."

Like a stoked ember in a hearth Aries began to see his aura darken slightly as his heart was stricken with malaise. Left with nothing but the vexation of his debaucherous endeavor Aries finally managed to single out Minerva's spiritual energy. "There she is. Hm, she seems to be traveling somewhere in a hurry. Her vehicle must be pushing 75 MPH at the least. If she doesn't ease off the accelerator some she's either going to get pulled over - or worse - she's going to die. At the rate she's going it looks like a head-on collision with the nearest guard rail. This isn't like her. I never knew her (even from that brief encounter) that she was a weak spirit, capable of committing suicide." From a safe distance Aries could see into the driver's side window of her car door. Languishing. Evidence of alcohol and drug abuse. "Even self-inflicted wounds? Dammit, I can feel her spiritual wavelength getting weaker with each passing second! She must be bleeding out behind the wheel. She's going to exsanguinate at this rate! Her heart is going to fail!"

Directly behind her speeding vehicle which was careening out of control - were several police squad cars - sirens flaring like a chorus of cannon fire. From their rolled-down windows Aries could hear the blaring of megaphones and loud speakers. Each officer hanging out the window practically scrapped against the edge of the vehicle beside them. Forcing himself not to get involved until he knew what in the hell was going on, Aries found his solidarity shattered like sugar glass from the sounds of rampant gunfire. High-velocity rounds which caused nothing but momentous ricochets against the highway walls blew through burning rubber. Screeching tires skidded like a figure skater against the emblazoned asphalt, revealing fatally injured civilians caught in the hellish crossfire. "The **** are they trying to do down there?! Goddammit! They're doing more harm than good!"

A stray bullet struck the back glass of Minerva's car causing her to swerve head-on into a busy intersection. Aries painfully watched as her car slid along an embankment only to slam into several cars coming in north and southbound. In an instant he watched a 10 car pile-up with the final car - a black, bulky and massive SUV - collide with Minerva's drivers side door crumbling it like tinfoil, blowing the window out vertically directly into the left side of her face and head. By the time her car stopped the radiator was fuming like an active volcano; and her undercarriage was leaking gasoline profusely. Aries looked on in horror at the spectacle. Yet found himself fixated on the exasperated looks on each of the police officers as they exited their squad cars. Then, a single spark came into existence. Hovering in the foreground like a candle atop a windowsill spawned from a serrated front bumper connecting with the fuel line.

And then nothing but a flash of light swept through the devastation and appeared directly in its path. "Hell is no place for angels, even if this angel belongs in hell. She definitely doesn't belong to you" Aries said. Focusing his spiritual pressure along the length of his right leg he slammed it deep into the asphalt forcing it upward like an outcropping. The projected blacktop with the flaming fuel line spilled out over the edge, harmlessly into a ditch carved out by several collisions. Making his way to Minerva's side, Aries had to curb his nausea as the sight of blood was virtually everywhere. As soon as he laid eyes upon her frail, fragile, whimpering body in a pile in the passengers seat, Aries cradled her - shaking from the shock - and suddenly began to panic when he didn't see a single ambulance.

"Why isn't there any help coming? Quit being so goddamn fascinated with what you just saw and get me some goddamn help - now!" Aries shouted. Yet his cries fell on deaf ears. "What the hell. What the hell's wrong with you people? Are you just going to stand around, bewildered? Dammit, if you're not going to help me then I'm going to help her. Get the hell out of my way, all of you. I'm getting her to a ****ing hospital."

"We can't let you do that son" said a rather old, stocky senior officer with a thin mustache and receding hairline. "You've got no idea how much trouble that woman your carrying has caused this entire city. No end of trouble, that's what. Now this here may be our fault, in which we take full blame and will suffer to the end of our miserable days over - but I'm afraid she's going to have to come with us son. We thank you for miraculously stopping that gas fire explosion from happening but this isn't your business. So kindly put her down, step away, and let us handle our business. That woman is under arrest, and she's coming with us."

[1456]

[cp1983]

Aries' fingers started to become benumbed. Minerva's fingers were pale and gelid. "Dammit, I don't have time for this" Aries said. "We're not having this discussion right now. I don't even know why we're having it in the first place." She wasn't breathing. Minerva's chest wasn't insufflating and Aries bit his lower lip while being stricken with trepidation. "You can shoot me if you want. Although, I think you'll find yourselves wishing for something other than standard police-issue Beretta." Moods weren't the only thing growing restless and tempestuous at that moment. The azure gave way to gray and soon the sky resembled soot. "Don't force our hand son."

"Go **** yourself!" Aries cursed. "If I don't do something right now she's not going to make it! Take it from someone who knows a thing or two about souls. Hers is so faint right now it's hardly salient." Like a waterfall a claret fluid collected along his skin until it spilled over in rivulets of red. Becoming a viscid resin Aries had to situate Minerva's body just so to prevent her heart from arresting. "I can't keep her conscious and attentive for much longer" he thought. "Get the hell away from that woman right now! This is official police business son! We don't take kindly to vagrancy around these parts. You hear!" the officer mouthed, "If you don't leave her on the ground right now then we're going to place you under arrest. We've been authorized to use force - if necessary. Now comply."

"Damn. Clean shot. The bullet penetrated through her back, perforating her skin and puncturing her right lung just below the 5th and 6th rib. Goodbye." Aries thought. "Do what you want." In evanescence Aries vanished leaving bystanders and passersby - especially the police, slack-jawed and staring around in a panorama. "Send men out to all the local hospitals in town, pronto! She's bound to turn up at one of them and when she does - we'll have her in our custody. Inform your men that she's traveling with an unknown individual - about 29 years of age, over 6 feet in height, approximately 190 in weight; and strong as all hell. That boy just made the biggest mistake of his life, whoever he was."

Does your life ever feel preordained? It should. For every action there is an equal or opposite reaction. Before you even decide what you're going to do or where you want to go - your thought is a sort of 'predetermination.' It is only when you change the scale and scope of your direction that things are no longer commensurate. Prejudice; bias, narrow-mindedness, traduce, invidiousness. Everything can seem so disparaging and yet we have conditioned ourselves to only progress and evolve. It's impossible to withhold thought. Our misfortune manifests into a kind of nativity. A painful parturition heralding nothing but darkly precursors. There are such people desperately wishing for cessation; closure, yet never find it. Why? Because we're meant to be imbalanced. This is what we call 'humanity.'

The atmosphere all around him was obstreperous. Winds were robust as they slammed into his body - sheltering Minerva's body. "Dammit. It better not rain. That's all I need right now" Aries muttered. "Where the hell is the nearest hospital?! Dammit!" A trickle soon became a thin sheet of ulterior rain. As visibility remained poor Aries felt his grip - viscous, as it was oleaginous from Minerva's blood - sliding off of her forearm and shoulder. The dampness of the rain had reduced the agglutinative substance into a thickening residue. "Man. I'm really running out of time here! I thought I saw a hospital on my way here - so where is it?!" he said disconcerted. "This can't be happening! God, why in the hell is this happening to her?! Dammit Minerva! What the hell happened to you since I last saw you?!"

Locating a local hospital nearby Aries breathed a sigh of relief while wiping the rainwater from his eyes. A mantilla practically encumbered his efforts as he surged ahead through the incessant downpour. Touching down on the rather unctuous helipad Aries raised his right leg and drove it straight through the concrete base, abrasively opening a hole directly into a wing of the hospital. Rain from the night sky exuded downward lightly as if misting the freshly polished linoleum. From above the granulated, triturating ceiling Aries stared at nurses, doctors, patients, and visitors staring right back at him. "I didn't really have time for the door."

"You really should have made an effort" responded a short nurse, clad in scrubs with short cut brown hair that fell across the back of her ears. "We've already called the police and they'll be here shortly."

The woman's meretricious comments didn't faze him as he lowered himself through the ceiling like a descending angel. Moonlight irradiated downward as the nurse quickly called for help the instant Minerva's body came into view. Light illumine. It hung around her quivering frame like a monochromatic, ambient emanation. Aries was more fixated on that which hung over the top of her dark, dripping hair. "Is that a halo? I must be hallucinating. If such a thing is even possible for someone like me" Aries commented. Quietly acquiescing while several nurses and doctors retrieved Minerva's helpless body from his blood-soaked tatters, Aries broke down and was taken aback while watching them try to stabilize her on a gurney. By then she had lost so much blood nurses were already prepping her for transfusions, others were scrambling to discover her actual blood-type. A man had inserted a small air chamber inside her lung to keep her breathing while others were removing her sopping shirt with surgical scissors.

Looking at the corybantic pace of the hospital staff as they tended to Minerva, Aries suddenly found himself facing a male doctor with a crimson sheen attached to a light binding latex around his hands. "Whether or not she lives through the night is entirely dependent on whether or not we have her blood-type in stock. Such an onerous task will prove quite arduous for our night staff. She's extremely fortunate anyone was there for her" he continued, pausing periodically to assist the nurses as they moved with him behind a closed door leading into an examination room. "If you hadn't been there for this woman she wouldn't have lasted as long as she had. It's a miracle she's as stable as she was when you brought her in in that condition."

Shouting in his general direction was a nurse who seemed exuberant as she rushed down a narrow hall towards the examination room. "You're in luck! We have this woman's blood in stock" she said elated, "Why don't you go grab some coffee and wait in the waiting room around the corner. I know you've probably heard this before but at the moment, there's nothing more you can do for her. You understand." "I'm grateful for whatever aid you can bring to her. I should hope the sincerity in my voice is more than enough for you to believe me." Assiduously the doctor made his way back inside the examination room with the white metal door subsequently closing behind him.

"...please save her" Aries said softly. "I wanted us to have a future together. But right now - I just want her to have a future."

[1223]

[cp1983]

Feeling rather perturbed all Aries did was pace the length of the hall. His clothes were macerated with water as he rung them dry over a steel drain. "It's really coming down out there" he said, observant. A prolapse of rain continued downward in a furious descent with gravitating droplets streaking down the window to his right. Day had turned to a cimmerian nightshade while Aries contemplated having a cigarette. "Lord knows I could really use one right now."

Phosphorescent bulbs above hummed and vibrated as he rested himself in a rather uncomfortable chair. Staring at the ceiling seemingly in a trance-like state his ears perked to the resonant tone of an alarm blaring throughout the hospital. "I recognize that waning spiritual pressure. What the hell? What the hell! That's too sharp of a decline. What is going on in there? Her spiritual wavelength is becoming far too erratic" Aries thought. "Did I not arrive in time?"

The efflorescent alert subsided after awhile, yet Aries could only stare at the ceiling while suffering from a sudden consternation. "I'm going in there. Let them try and stop me" Aries said dissatisfied, "I'm afraid we can't let you do that son" said a familiar voice behind him. "Lucky for us you picked the closest hospital to our precinct. Come along quietly" the officer added, "Don't make things harder on yourself then they already are." Bemoaning as he stared the senior officer down Aries glanced around the narrow room to see 3 other officers blocking the entrance - guns already drawn and trained on him. "Don't even think about it. We've covered all the entrances and exits, even the stairwells. No matter how you look at it this doesn't end well for either of you."

Rigidly Aries gripped his fingers. Beyond those who opposed him he could make out several surgeons clambering into the examination room. Masks drawn across their face with a look of stupefaction on their face. Sweat was copiously flowing down the backs of their necks as Aries suddenly became brusque with vehemence. "I can feel her spiritual wavelength from here. It is constantly in a state of flux - oscillating up and down. Just what did Minerva do to incite the wrath of this city's entire police force?" Aries wondered. "Get the hell out of my way." Shaking their heads from side to side Aries heard a voice from a rather young, lanky officer with thin eyebrows and eyes set close to his nose. "You're under arrest mister! For aiding and abetting a local fugitive of the law. That woman in there is responsible for the deaths of many innocent people! Her recklessness - including that recent car chase and pile-up, only further adds to an entire count of felonious crimes!"

Listening to such acerbic words Aries' selective-hearing heard nothing but provocation. His thoughts returning to dissonance Aries contested those in front of them by merely imposing his will on the weaker class. Nonchalantly he walked slightly elevating his spiritual pressure which was steadily felt by each officer in the room. Glowering at the men as he focused it tighter and tighter Aries began to see them gripping their chests. "What the hell is this?! Is he using some kind of nerve agent Baker?! It's almost mephitic I can't even taste it on my tongue!" the senior officer uttered, sprawling to the floor while Aries watched him clutch his stomach. "I know right now that that woman you're pursuing is in the other room. I know what her condition is and don't think I didn't see those officers slipping in after everyone else."

"How - how could you possibly know all that?" Baker remarked. "It's not humanly possible to be able to tell all that. You'd have to have x-ray vision to be able to see behind us and through that metal door. You'd also have to have some kind of technologically advanced device to accurately read the human body that closely." Pushing his way past the senior officer at first Aries saw him staring deeply into his eyes as he collapsed to the floor. Hardly any utterance of a word. Only thin streams of salivating foam forming in the corners of his mouth as the other officers looked on in disbelief. Petrified with horror Baker opened fire and ordered the other officers to do the same. "What I can do [...] is the least of your worries" Aries said. "Now stand aside." Internalizing his spiritual pressure Aries moved himself in between each bullet with unparalleled speed. Appearing like an optical illusion muzzle flashes erupted from their barrels reducing the waiting room to discordant pandemonium. The boisterous shouts and screams from the officers only fell silent as Aries brushed past them - leaving them still and stagnant; asleep and unconscious on the floor.

"You can't come in here - whoever the hell you are!" screamed another officer as he then began to open fire on Aries' proximity. The very instant the first shot was fired Aries was already facing the officer on his left side. Terrified as he quickly tried to maneuver himself around Aries grabbed the man by his wrist, then forcefully shattered it causing the officer to drop his gun. "What the **** is wrong with you people?! This is a goddamn hospital and the woman I care about - while you may not - is in that room behind you fighting for her life!" Aries said adamant, striking the man across his left cheekbone with the back of his right hand. The resulting force fractured the officer's cheekbone, as well as upper mandible - sending him careening into a nearby office bleeding through his broken nasal bone and teeth.

"Stop! You can't come in here during surgery!" shouted another nurse, blond and ravishing as her words came out garbled through her surgical mask. "That woman is in a very critical state! What exactly is going on out - oh my god! Daniel! Get the other police officers over here! Hurry! What did you do to them?" the nurse said, yet Aries could tell she was trying to stall for time as he lowered his eyes towards her right hand going for the door handle. "Would you like me to show you?" Aries said. "Release your hand off that door handle or I will do much, much worse."

By now the nurse's body was in retrograde. Aries slowly saw her opening her lips as she backpedaled and moved aside. "But you can't [...] go in there."

"I know. If she stands to survive she'll suffer a fate worse than death. My kind has a kind of extraordinary clarity when it comes to these kinds of things. And before you open your mouth to speak - no, I'm not what you're thinking" Aries continued. "That woman's soul is about to achieve a perfect gestalt. I thank you all for everything that you've done for her but I already know what's happening in there." "But [...] how could you possibly know? Who exactly are you? What are you?" the nurse replied, "I know you're not a doctor or anything. Yet, I know you're speaking the truth right now and there's simply no explanation for it. I think I need to lie down." Moving past the nurse he watched as she fainted then entered the clamorous and frenetic examination room. "Who [...] who are you?" said several surgeons in stereo, "That's none of your business" Aries responded, "Damn! Look at her. I've seen sides of beef with cleaner cuts. All of you are a ****ing mockery of your profession. Just answer one question - did she suffer?"

To which they all answered, "No" which relieved Aries in a way as he walked over towards Minerva's peaceful body complete with shroud yet without sutures. Removing his saya from his waist Aries unsheathed it as he leaned over her body and rested the base of the tsuba over her forehead. "I guess I'll see you on the other side love [...] Konsou" Aries whispered, enlivening the room as he channeled his spiritual energy into the deceased. A small crowd had gathered along with those in attendance. Each one simply stood by in sheer discountenance, confuting what they saw as a heavenly light released Minerva's soul. Throes of unconsolability. Aries heard prayer as those surrounding him truly believed what he did was an act of God.

Cleansed of taint Minerva's body - already limp and lifeless - fell loosely against the operating table while a thin, white blanket fell gracefully across her angelic complexion. Smiling while holding back his grief he opened a Senkai Gate not far from Minerva's body and departed. A single tear which fell from his eye and onto the floor leaving that world breathless.

[1457/RFG]