The Gift(Open)

Yuki was touched as she watched the small tear fall down his face at her words, and what Ish said about their capacity for love... It was an emotion that she had always stayed away from so she wouldn't have to be hurt, and she didn't truly know what it felt like to love somebody.

She used to think that she'd been in love with Okashii, but being around Tomix she could see that she had been wrong because he had never made her feel this way; it was more of a brotherly thing, now that she thought about it. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't hear the rest of their conversation until Tomix said "You're right," in a quiet voice; so quiet she almost missed it.

Looking at Tomix she knew that even if her mind wasn't ready to open her heart to someone else her heart definitely was, and it had been open for a while.

"This gift is... it's too kind Ish." Her voice broke slightly at the emotions she was trying to keep back at her little revelation, but she knew that she wanted Tomix to accept this offer; to be with him forever... Hopefully they wouldn't have a fight! She smiled slightly at her own black humour, and she knew she must look strange to the other two present but she didn't care.

Tomix was quiet for a long time, coming to peace with his feelings. And at last, he accepted it:
I'm in love with Yuki, a captain of Soul Society.
When Yuki said Ish's gift was too kind, Tomix at last spoke.
"Yuki...I'm not sure if I want this gift or not...But I don't want you to automatically do the same as I do...I don't want you to..." He paused. "I-I care about you, Yuki." He said this with a red tinge on his face.
He wanted so badly to confess the full extent of his feelings towards Yuki...But he was too nervous..
"Damm my nerves..." He murmed quietly.

Ish smiled as Tomix admitted his feelings, reluctant and hesitant as it was.. if he decided to accept his gift, he would learn how pointless it was to keep such things inside. He noticed that Yuki had a smile on her face after she called his gift "kind", although he couldn't really place why. She seemed to be willing to accept his gift, as did Tomix. Ish figured that it would only be a few moments before he recieved his answer, so he decided to speak before they did. Let me just say, this gift is anything but "kind". Yes, you will live forever, but you will also be subject to everything that comes with it, such as seeing nations rise and fall and feeling the sting of losing loved ones millions of times.... luckily, you two have each other, and that will make eternity much better for you both, if you accept it.

Tomix's hands were shaking: He was incredibly nervous. Sure- He had just sort addmidted his feelings abou Yuki. But he hadn't said everything. He hdn't said that he loved her, that he wanted to spend every second of everyday holding her hand...
As if through a daze, he heard Ish's next words.
"Ish...I don't know if I want this gift...The only loved one I really have is...is Yuki. I do't know if I want th gift...but I want to know what Yuki will say to it."

Even though Tomix said he didn't want her to just do what he does, she knew she would anyway - why live forever if she was alone, and why live for a short time knowing that the person you... like lived on forever? Either way would be hard - way too difficult for her weak self to be able to handle. She smiled shyly at his confession, though she already knew that. Ish was also right to some extent that the 'gift' wasn't actually a 'gift'; when he out it that way she didn't feel as inclined to take it. But after Tomix spoke indecisively and put the decision on her shoulders she knew that she would have to finally make a decision.

She remembered back to when she had first met Ishpaleum, and that conversation so long ago, how they'd talked about how he'd seen so much - seen the town changing - and she had commented on how amazing it would be to be able to witness that.

At the memory she knew what her mind wanted her to say - what it had wanted her to say ever since first hearing of the gift - though she knew she would change her mind should Tomix not agree.

"I think... I would like to accept this gift... Maybe." She had never been so indecisive in her life before - what if she made the wrong choice?

Tomix sat down in his earth chair, thinking. He would do the same as she did...either they would be friends until they died...or they were together...forever.
When he heard her decision (or, lack of) he gave a sigh, and sat up.
"Ish...I've thought it over. I will accept your gift...but only if Yuki decides to as well, because I don't want to spend eternity by myself."

Ish nodded, all remnants of his smile gone and replaced by a serious, calm expression. Good... looks like you have both accepted then. He closed his eyes for a moment, placing his hands together in front of himself, then smiled as he reopened them. So, how does it feel to be immortal? He knew that it wouldn't feel any different, because they were the same as they had always been... and always would be, but it was always a fun question to ask. Feels the same, doesn't it? You still feel... vulnerable, like the world could snuff you out at any instant. This feeling will pass eventually, if you let it... I would not suggest doing so however, since immortality tends to come with a sense of overconfidence that feeling vulnerable can counter. His smile grew for about an instant before returning. Oh, and this is just the beginning of what's in store for you two...

Tomix felt no diffrent after Ish bestowed him with immortaity. He now had a question for Ish:
"Ish...now that I'm immortal, I have a question. I have met your son, and he told me you have a habit of manipulating people. Did you give me and Yuki immortality because it would further your own ends?"
He looked over at Yuki, wondering how she was taking the gift...

Yuki looked at her hand - the same hand she had had all her life, unchanged; in fact everything felt unchanged. It was so strange how such a thing could happen to her, but she could still feel the same way. She looked up at Ishpaleum, right as Tomix asked his question, but she doubted that the man before her would do that kind of thing - he didn't seem like that sort of person. She waited to hear his response - especially since she had defended him against his son.

Ish's smile became softer as Tomix posed his question. It was not one that he had expected, and so he paused a moment before he spoke. So you met Domon huh? He's a great kid... always caring about others. Doesn't trust me though, and with good reason... I wiped his memories and sealed him away for millions of years, trying to keep him safe from a world that would use him. To answer your question, let me ask you one: when you are talking with someone and they happen to say something that makes you reconsider your viewpoint on a subject, is it manipulation, or is it simply conversation? You cannot interact with someone without influencing them somehow... a prime example would be what happened between you and my son. He said a few words, and they led you to doubt me, which led you to ask me this question. He placed a hand on the back of his neck. Life is a set of dominoes, and yes, I have toppled a few and set some things in motion, but you are the ones who make the choices, not me. Now, I would be lying if I said that I didn't have other reasons for giving you two immortality, but I assure you that they aren't for my gain at all... quite the opposite, in fact.

Tomix's head buzzed slightly when Ish gave him a rather...longwinded answer. He wondered if what Ish was saying was true...but he trusted him, and he would accept his answer.
"I understand what you mean...I didn't mean to be rude, it sorta slipped out, it came back into my mind."
Tomix flexed a hand. He felt no change...nothing. Was he really Immortal?

Her face gave nothing away with his response, but inside she was smiling at the intelligent and well-thought out response; there was a reason why she respected this man so much. Though she didn't know what to make of the end part of his speech. For the first time in so many minutes Yuki spoke.

"What do you mean by you would be lying to say that you didn't have other reasons for making us immortal? While I believe you when you say those reasons aren't in your own personal interests, I am still curious as to now what they are."

Ish paused again before speaking. Guess the cat's out of the bag now... He smiled, deciding to take a moment to think about his response, and to respond to Tomix. It's perfectly fine... those who do not question people are most often the ones who end up dead. He then sighed, deciding to be up front with them. One of the reasons that I gave you immortality is because something is coming... something from the past, that never should have been allowed to exist in the first place... but before I get to that, I must ask... do you know what I did before I came back to this world?

Tomix agreed with Yuki.
"I agree with Yuki, I would like to know some of your reasons for why you gave us this...gift."
He listened to Ish, wondering what he meant from somthing from the past.
"No...I don't know what you were doing."

Yuki decided to remain silent in order hear what he had to say; his comment about something from the past was coming her interest was piqued - though it had already been present to start with. What was he referring to? She was about to answer to his question, but Tomix beat her to it and so she decided to remain silent, her brown, almost black eyes piercing into him with an intense gaze.

Ish sighed before speaking, holding two fingers against his forehead. All right.. now how do I explain this... I suppose I should start at the beginning. Wait, no... that would take much too long. I'll start from a few months ago, and work my way back. I'm going to assume that you've each stared up into the heavens at one point, wondering if there was someone up there, watching you. Well, there was... in fact, there were thousands of people. Dieties and their servants exist, and I'm one of them... of course, I'm also a little different.

He paused for a moment, letting a somewhat embarrased grin cross his face. This is one of the many points at which I'm going to have to backtrack to get where I'm going, so I apologize in advance. He resumed speaking. You see, as with anywhere else there is a hierarchy up there, with beings recieving power mostly from the being they were born from. I was born from Shinnok, who had been chosen to be the chief diety of this world. Basically, he was supposed to have full authority over all the beings that inhabited it and all the dieties that would visit it... which was good, considering that he was the strongest of the ones who could. However, while the Earth was still being made there was a debate over what beings would actually live here. I'll spare you the details, and simply give you the result: humanity, and to protect them, the Shinigami. These two races were to be the beings that ruled the Earth, and guided its destiny... of course, as our dear friend Tomix here proves, this clearly didn't happen as planned, and I'm afraid that that's partially my fault... but that is a story for another day. I'll save you the rest of this particular history lesson, and tell you that I now have his job, and all of the powers and responsibilities that come with it.

He smiled, placing a hand on the back of his neck. Before I continue, do you have any questions? Also, I need to know if you've heard of something called 'The Great War'.

Tomix's face changed to a slightly confused frown as Ish told his tale...It was all so complicated...and it didn't make that much sense to him.

"So...what you're saying is...You're some kind of man from a diffrent world...who took over the job of some kind of 'chief deity'...and these deities...had somthing to do with the creation of the earth...and were responsable for the creation of the humans and Shinigami, and ultimately, the Arrancar. And now you're trying to fix the problem?"

Tomix thought for a second before posing his next question.
"But...that doesn't fully explain why you gave us this gift.."

Yuki didn't know what to believe as he started explaining; it put her way of thinking on its head to believe that there were beings other than shinigami out there looking after humans and shinigami; beings whom created the earth, much like the human's 'God'. She had never been one for any type of religious ties - how could she when she herself was considered a 'death god'? So to comprehend that there may be some truth to the stories told was hard.

However, she allowed him to finish without commenting, as she figured it would probably be a long story. As soon as he mentioned the 'Great War' a frown passed over her face - she had read a good many books in the library in Seireitei, something only a person of her status can have any claim to, and she had read almost all the accounts of war and conflict in Soul Society's history, yet she had never heard of that war before, and that puzzled her.

"No, I've never heard of the Great War - were the shinigami involved?" If they weren't then that would make a lot more sense.

Ish sighed. He had known that it would be a bit to take, and would sound ridiculous. Luckily, it seemed that they were at least willing to listen to his tale. He hadn't really expected them to have heard of the Great War, since it had been so long ago, but it would have made his tale much shorter. I know, it sounds ridiculous... of course, you're only getting the most basic parts of the story. I'll give the details later... it'll take a few hundred years though. He smiled, knowing that he would have to tread carefully from here. He turned to Yuki, speaking in a sad tone. It is sad that the Shinigami don't keep records from that far back...of course, you were still in tribes then. I hadn't even formed the I.D.F. at that point! But listen to me ramble.. the Great War was a war between the Shinigami and another creation, one of my father's favorites: the demons. Vile creatures, they sought nothing but the destruction of the Shinigami and the conquest of both the Earth and the Spiritual Realm. They came from a pit called Hell, and that's where they were sent after a long struggle. He paused, smiling for a moment. I had some of my most fun battles in that war... in any case, eventually a very powerful man decided to use a forbidden Kido to seal the remaining demons off in their own realm. The reason I gave you this gift is because they are coming back, and they are beyond anything you've ever seen.

Tomix nodded as Ish continued his story. His eyes widened at his next words:
Demons!
"I wouldn't think the Shinigami would have such old records, this must have been tens of thousands years ago!" He said this with an interested tone.
He remained silent throughout the rest of Ish's tale. He took a deep breath when he finished.

"So...The Demons are ceatures from a long time ago, and you gave us the gift so we can fight them?"

Everything was sounding... reasonably sound and explainable, right up until the word 'demons' was mentioned. Unconsciously the smallest of smiles tugged at the corners of her lips in a small twitch. Demons were featured in stories told to little children to make them behave, but there was no truth in the tales... or so she had thought, it would seem.

She didn't really know how to take the news - the information about the deities had been enough as it was, but to have this curve ball thrown into the mix? It would take a little time for it to sink in. Now, Yuki considered herself an intelligent person - most people did - and so it was going against what she already knew of the world to be able to accept all this. Tomix, on the other hand, looked as though he believed every word. If only it were that easy.

"How powerful are these... creatures, and what kind of threat do they pose to Soul Society?" Even if they seemed to fantastical to be real, her first and foremost duty was to Seireitei, and so she would gather what information she could on these creatures.

Ish smiled, noting the difference in their reactions. Tomix seemed much more willing to accept what he was saying than Yuki, and thtat was understandable. After all, he was probably challenging beliefs that had been established in the Seiretei for centuries... they always did have a habit of hiding the important things until it was almost too late. He allowed his smile remain as he spoke, first to Tomix. The Shinigami have records that go back further than anyone knows... after all, I wrote a few myself. The trick is finding them. You're half right though, they are the reason I gave the gift to you.... but not so that you could fight them. It's so you can survive if they win... He then turned to Yuki, responding to her. There are only eight left from what I remember, but they have more than enough power inbetween them to fight off both your Soul Society and the Espada. They are as dangerous as any opponents that I've faced.

Tomix nodded to Ish when he stated if the demons win, they will be around to suvuive.
"But...are we still able to die from wounds?"
Tomix put an arm down to rest on his ribs -where a permenent scar rested. He had come so close to death after his battle with Avon...
"At least I'll have company this time while I run from enemies."