Part 3 - Recovery 1.0

Confused the man looking out the door looks up and down the street for signs of any kind of hollow before he speaks. "You don't remember? You were the one to do it." The man closes the door behind him.

"No I know I started the fire but I don't know what happened after that. Did they get away?" The man stares at Gage for a bit before continuing.

"You really don't know? You killed over half of them. The others that were too hurt from the fire all running into the woods. After you finished off the last one you knelt down and didn't move till morning. I don't know whats going on here but what ever it is they are after you and what ever it is that you have." The man looks extremely worried being out on the street and appeared to want nothing more than to go back inside his house and hide behind his door.

"Alright. Just...Stay inside and if anyone tries to come outside tell them to get inside. If they really are after me then they can come and get some. I am not going anywhere."

Gage sits, alone and quietly in the middle of the square, his stomach grumbling from the lack of food for breakfast. A young voice behind him gets his attention. The young boy, eyes still swollen from cying stands with a massive loaf of bread in his arms. "My auntie says that you are trying to stop the bad wolves from getting everyone and that you are tired. She says that if you are going to stop the dogs from coming back you have to eat and rest so I took this from the baker in town. Sitting in front of Gage he holds out the loaf and smiles at him like he had no real grasp on what was going on.

After a few more minuets of talking Gage sends the boy away, telling him that it is just not safe for a child in the streets right now. If he wants to help he needs to hide when something happens so that Gage does not have to stop what he is doing to go and help him. The boy is more than happy to do what he can to help, even if it means staying out of trouble and hiding when it comes time to draw blades and fighting.

While Gage sits and waits he enters a calm stance, legs crossed with his Zanpakto in his lap and hand resting gently on the sheath, using his Soul Communication to enter the inner world of his Zanpakto. Settling down on to the ground Gage feels the cold air of the mountaintop blowing though his robes and across his skin. Above him a rolling cloud seems to constantly crack with thunder and lightning as it moves across the sky. "Tatsuo, why is always storming here?"

Tatsuo steps out from behind Gage and laughs,"How do you know its always storming here? You have only ever been here twice. For all you know it only storms when you show up." Putting one hand on Gages shoulder he pulls him closer and smiles.

"Well Doyoko, why don't you tell me. It is your world after all, everything here is under your control. Well my control but it seems to be under your control too," Tatsuo turns and faces the sky overhead when a few drops of water start to sprinkle down on his face, a small smile forming in the rain.

"Its under my control?" Gage thinks about it. If he was able to dispel the fog maybe he would be able to get rid of this storm and make it sunny, something more pleasant to look at and maybe a bit more bright. Concentrating Gage closes his eyes and focuses on the thought of clear skies, blue air and the warm sun. Feeling something warm on his face he cracks one eye open slightly.

Standing there in front of him is Tatsuo, his face inches away, the warmth of his breath being the heat. Startled and jumping backwards Gage hops away before another crack of lightning goes off, striking the rod behind him with the decibels that would put a battle ship horn to shame. Jumping again from the sound Gage falls flat on his butt, his face to the sky, Ao standing still bound and chained in his peripheral vision. Walking over Tatsuo looks down at Gage's face.

"Well maybe I don't care for the lightning too much. It seemes to be rather depressing and I have only ever been here like...twice now," Gage finally takes the time to look over Tatsuo, the outfit matching his own. Black shinigami robes with a white under layer. His hear, black and metal is slightly longer, pulled back into a pony tail and tied. The only difference is that he seems to be wearing a white overcoat with an interesting symbol on it. It seemed to be a mix between the Fullbringer symbol and some kind of diamond with a skull in it. Over all the outfit was very reminiscent to that of a Shinigami, save for the odd symbol.

"You should get used to it. Its your head," Tatsuo walks over to Ao and sits against the pillar. "So what brings you here? You have something out there that you need to be focusing on right now. Unless of course you have a real question for me."

Gage clears his throat and walks over, sitting against the pillar next to him. Stopping and looking up Gage asks," Is this safe? This thing is getting struck by lightning like every few minuets."

Gage stops for a moment. He did not care for others being condescending to him, especially when he does not really know them or they happen to be a physical manifestation of his own mind. "Its not for me, I wouldn't be involving myself in anything that I can't get myself out of but right now I need to make sure that the people out there have every possible chance to survive what is coming."

Tatsuo does not respond, he watches the dark skyline as several more bolts of lightning cross and weave. Striking down it arches straight at the town before making a near right degree turn towards the mountain top where they sit. Gage covers his head and tucks forward as the bolt strikes the top of the rod, following the metal down and into the ground where it dissipates into the earth leaving Gage with a massive ringing in his ears. By the time that Gage looks up Tatsuo is standing, walking towards the mountains edge,"I am not saying that your choice in goals is wrong. I personally believe that you do it out of the goodness of your heart but one day you will see another side to your actions."