Verschaffelt Manor {where the blood suckers dwell}

Call it curiosity or something more, whilst he awaited for Claire's return from her invasion of Soul Society Hanzo walked up the hill of the looming mansion before him. Something about this place didn't sit right in his stomach and his stomach turned the closer he got to the mansion. Maybe it was the guilt of not helping Soul Society battle their foes, however it was not his fight, he had no business with that place anymore, he was here just doing a favour for an old friend as well as finding out answers to what had happened with the whole Hueco Arca incident. Why could he not remember anything after the opening of the gate, why had his fellow vizards powers vanished forever, why was his inner hollow stronger than ever, all these questions and more were driving him mad. Claire may have had the answers however Hueco Mundo was a large realm maybe somebody else knew something too.

Kyouga's words also rattled in his head... so she was alive out there still, would she even recognise him in his worn out and broken state. Maybe it was not the presecence of the eerie mansion before him that caused his stomach to turn but all these lingering thoughts constantly crossing his mind. Regardless he pressed on for answers.

"Someone is entering the Forrest area, Monsieur Lucielli" An old hunchback servant said.

He payed very little attention to the very little person who spoke to him yet, he was amused that someone was crazy enough to try.

"You know the drill" he gave a fake laugh with a matching smile, he was always disinterested in everything now a days.

As he neared the mansion Hanzo felt a chill down his spine

"Am i being watched..." he said outloud as he neared the mansion hoping to catch the attention of the peeking toms, he put his hand over the hilt of his zanpakuto, an empty threat as he did not risk to cause trouble in this realm through the fear of being forceablly expelled from it. He began to Miss the days when soul society would ruthlessly slaughter the hollows without a seconds thought now they had allowed them to build their very own almost civillised society, and what do you know an ambitious Shinigami with a thirst for power had rallied them together and began an attack on the soul society itself which was now currently underway. He felt little sympathy for their state rather he sighed out loud and gazed around the people or creatures that were watching him

Ciel was disinterested until he was shaken by a familiar aura. He Glared over at hunchback servant who trembled in fear of making mistakes.

"Its... its a shinigami Monsieur Lucielli" The servant begged, he was already kneeling down the floor, insanity was spilling like blood on water, Ciel was infuriated.

He disappeared from the shadows within a flash, seemingly heading out of the manor as quickly as he could.

Thick fog slowly rose from the ground covering almost the entire area, it's nearly impossible to see anything yet there was a gentleness from it, it was kind and luring Hanzo to follow the only visible path, it almost seemed like if he went else where, he would end up on the same path, or in the face of greater danger.

"This way... aro... follow my voice" the winds were almost seemingly whispering the name of Hanzo inner hollow, could this be the answer he was looking for?

Kyouga was pleasantly drinking what appeared to be a Marlot wine from a wine glass, but it was really blood from a Shigami that he had slain. "Oh? So Hanzo is coming to pay a visit... How nice of him!" Kyouga said happily as he let the last drops of blood trickle down his throat, and he sighed with great pleasure. He then sat he glass down on the table he was sitting at, and licked the blood that was still on his lips. Kyouga finally arrived at the foyer, and sat on a step as he patiently waited for Hanzo to arrive. Strangely, Kyouga's body was radiating with a black aura.

Ciel sped right out of the front door passing by Kyouga. "Ah, so your here, my sincerest apologies for not greeting you earlier." Ciel ran. "And sorry for running off like this, but i have business to attend to."


Ciel, who had been missing in action years, spotted running towards the Vampire manor woods. By the looks of it, He and Kyouga were well acquainted, or was it just him?

With so many years down the drain, and the hueco arca incident, what could to old foes have in common in the present?

"Don't worry about it Luciel. We both know that you're a very busy man, and I'm rather glad that we've become close friends since 'The Incident'." Kyouga said calmly in a polite tone towards Luciel before he left. After the Hueco Arca incident, Luciel had taught Kyouga how to survive as a hollow. Ever since that incident many years ago, they had been really good friends and looked after each other. Not to mention that this mansion was his new home away from Las Noches.

Ciel wanted to comment about being called Luciel, but in much excitement, he didn't do so. He only wanted to stress the point, that only servants call him that these days, and they're mostly suck-ups, but he tolerated them non the less, but kyouga was different.

Kyouga was Ruru's son, her last blood relative whom he sworn to look after.

The other son died, and left a shadow of a lost soul, Ira Asolear, just the person Ciel was looking for.

He would've found her, but she wanted nothing to do with him after the Hueco arca incident. The fog was so thick that even he was having a hard time tracking her.

As the winds began to howl Hanzo clutched his head in pain, whispering voices going through his head compelling him to give in and follow the path before him. "What are you..." he breathed heavily as he stuggled to continue his walk, a manic deep laughter now echoed through his head

"You dare keep me locked in this cage and ignore me you little worm" the voice roared with laughter deafening Hanzo as he continued his sluggish walk up to the mansion and his gradual descent into madness

"That's right Aro, claim the body that is rightfully yours." Kyouga said calmly as he walked over to the doors and opened them. "Hanzo! So glad you could make it, but it seems that I was correct about Aro too. Besides, I eagerly wish to meet Aro-San." Kyouga said in a happy tone as Hanzo's body neared his doorstep.

The fog yet again flooded the area leading hanzo astray, far away from the mansion.

"not that way, this way." the voice eagerly whispered "Ciel will do you no good... aro..."

Like in a loop, hanzo was sent back where he started, the area was protected by a mysterious fog, choosing who to let in and who to let out.

"Shut up!" Hanzo growled smacking his head hard as the laughter continued, whispers in the wind and fog poured around him, shaking his head to his senses he found he was still down the bottom of the hill.

"Well this is a bit of a cliche..." he grumbled looking up at the mansion that was so near yet so far

Ciel completely ignored hanzo, het it seemed like the fog was attracted to him, the fog always had the essence of Ira, this somewhat made Ciel smirk in annoyance. "We have to get him here, Kyouga" Ciel grumbled. "Ira wants him, we need to get him first."

The mansion looming before him, the eerie voices in the fog wanting him to go in another direction, Hanzo scratched his head wondering what to do "I do not appreciate being toyed around with" he grumbles as he places his hand over the hilt of his zanpakuto as a fair warning to those who were watching him

The whispers from the fog turned into a dark laughter. "My my, darling, you cant cut fog even if you wanted to."

"I just wanna talk to you Aro, i know you have questions, you can ask me.

I am... your friend."

"Ok then friend riddle me this... who exactly is this claire that is so facinated with me? and why has she suddenly decided to just go and spontaniously attack Soul Society?" He says as he looks around the swirling fog not exactly sure who he is talking to

"And my names not Aro its Hanzo... adress me correctly"

"Aro... Hanzo, whoever which part is, you're both just pieces of the same pie. What difference does it make if i call you one or the other?"

The white fog sent them to a small garden like area with a koi pond in the middle, a small bridge bridges what seemed to be Hueco Mundo and the one beyond that, there the wihte fog materialized as pale looking lady with white hair, she was wearing a white kimono with flower patterns.

Spoiler:

"As you came to this point, its clear to me that you really seek for answers." She gave a faint smile and continued. "I'm Ira Asolear as a whole, although Minamoto Suzaku died, i somewhat became whole even without his sin."

She walked on water and studied Hanzo. "You look way different from when i last saw you, you really dont remember us? Claire and the rest?"

"Ira, you're getting in the way. I won't let you have him!" Kyouga growled at Ira as he appeared next to Hanzo, and attempted to pull him away from her. "Come on Hanzo, she won't give you the answers that you seek." Kyouga said in a polite manner as he tried his best to get him away from her. Ira, why can't you just leave Hanzo alone? he asked in his head, hoping that Hanzo would come with him.

Appearing what seemed to be nowhere, Cross stood against a wall with his arms crossed. "Why did I come here?" He asked himself. Smoke from his cigarette was filling the air.

"Wait" Ciel stopped Kyouga before he could touch Hanzo any further, as Ciel's suspicion was correct, it was indeed an ilussion of the fog. "They're not here or anywhere else near Hueco Mundo or Ween town for that matter, They're on Ira's Room." Ciels arm absorbed the damage which Kyouga couldve gotten, it appears half frozen.

"I think its about time i tell you... what happened to Ira, your brothers half a soul." Ciel started as he released a long sigh. "I'm called a demon, but its not a brand, its the real deal, i am the demon lord its self, trapped in human figure and flesh."

"I cant say everything in detail now, but the Minamoto Lineage, is a demon lineage, and Ruru is beginning to feel the after effects as of the moment, but Minamoto Suzaku's other half succeeded it.

Ira Asolear, is no longer a hollow, nor soul for that matter, shes a demon.

And so will you, in time."

It was at this that Kyouga lowered his head. "So that's why my family is so cursed... At first, I thought that the form of the Darkness Demon was only a manifestation of my Ressurreccion. Unfortunately, it's something so much more and it gets harder to control. I might just become more of the monster that try to keep locked away..." Kyouga said quietly as he started to be beside himself. "Ciel, has my habit of drinking the blood of the rightious and innocent contributed to my ascent into demondom?" Kyouga asked calmly as he rose his head. It was rather stressful for Kyouga to take in that he was born as a fallen one, a demon. Accepting it however, was very simple for him to do. "Based upon what I am now, could you predict what form I would take upon full maturity?" Kyouga asked Ciel as he turned to face him. There was intense fear in his eyes, and Kyouga feared himself more than anything in the universe.

"First you feast on carnage of blood driven insanity.

You would not sleep, you would not eat, you will starve your self nothing will satisfy you, not souls, not hollows nor shinigami, you will feast on human flesh.

You will most likely hurt your self inside and out, but you cannot fight the transfiguration.

Your reflection will neither be kind nor the opposite, neither beutiful nor ugly.

You will look like nothing anyone has seen, your unique new self, but nothing as different from the outside. You will just know when you awaken, i wouldnt be to anxious if i were you.

You still have to brew a few years of humanity, no demon is deemed worthy a day.

What you feel now, you should cherish, when you are named a demon, nothings worth anything. No time, no sadness no joy. Just an empty eternity ahead of you, filled with sin which you will rejoice in."

Ciel went on with a sermon without actually revealing anything significant.

" You have a choice... you can turn away if you want to, like your Mother did."

Hanzo tilts his head as Ciel begins to chant some sort of bizarre poem

"Ciel whilst i'm here i have a question... are you behind the assault on Soul Society?"

He said as he looked at him with his sword drawn