ACT 13: A Meeting Between Friends

Kai made his way towards the warehouses, reading the letter as he did so. He read over it a few times so he'd be able to read it when he arrived rather than stumbling over it as he normally would since his Japanese wasn't that great. It wasn;t long before he found himself walking between the large warehouses, their walls of metal sheets surrounding him in a claustrophobic way as he made his way to one near the back of the grouping. A warehouse he was familiar with. Walking inside, he looked around and remained silent for a few moments before calling out "Whitney?"

The woman as always when in this place was located up on a small balcony, the ceiling had been torn away so she could see the sky while she lay down on a collection of blankets and a few fur coats in which she'd never wear. "Hm?" Hearing a strange voice cal out to her left the contemplating woman in confusion, her hand reached for her blade which laid beside her and slowly, she sat up, golden hues looking down at the new comer. "Who on earth is that?" She whispered slowly getting to her feet. "Who goes there? This place is not safe for the likes of you, and how do you know my name?" She said frowning at Kai as he stood down below.

The young man stared up at her from where he was, calmly watching as she took up her weapon. "My name is.... Call me Kai." he replied. "I've come with a message from the woman called Keihime. It's a message of peace. I know you can't read it because it's in Japanese...." he looked down at the ground for a moment, seeming almost depressed as he carried on. "-but I can... I can read it to you."

"...Keihime?" The woman frowned, she had never heard of her... but of course she had encountered her once before. Whitney lowered her blade, this young man was human, so she owuld not kill him on purpose. "Very well Kai...." Leaping off of the balcony she fell to the ground rather fast, but as soon as she got close to the ground the wind beneath her slowed her down, allowing her feet to touch the ground softly. Whitney stood upright and watched him "Please read." She said lightly, her blade in her hand still but lowered. "and after that I wish to know how you know my name.."

Kai looked down and then back at Whitney for a moment. His eyes had a look of loneliness and he almost seemed hurt by her words but he held up the letter and read aloud from it the words that Keihime had written. "INSERT KEIHIME'S LETTER HERE (I have no way of knowing what it is )" Kai did not stop until he had completely finished reading the letter. He then let his arms fall to his sides. "That's... that's all of it."

"So... They wish to show us the how they live and thrive in the worlds... and how it all works into one?" Whitney whispered lightly, it did not seem like a bad request at all... but it conflicted with her fathers wishes. Her eyes stared straight ahead for a while as she thought, before her golden hues fell onto Kai. "I see..." Whitney sheathed her blade, her hand stretched towards an old table and a few chairs. "Please sit." The woman had no need to hurt him, after all he was not dead. "Now, tell me. Why are you here? This battle has nothing to do with you or your kind, nor do we knights pose a threat to you... they must've given you something in return for putting yourself in danger? And what's more interesting... I need to know how you know my name, and how you found this place." Whitney spoke clearly sitting in the free chair watching KAi intently, this guy was a mystery, one that seemed to catch her completely off guard.

Walking over to the chair indicated, Kai sat down and leaned on the table, his forearms resting on the flat surface as he sighed heavily. "I came here... because I wasn't sure if what I was doing was right anymore. I wanted to know... and I wanted you to know because I care about you and worry what will happen if things continue as they are. I wasn't given anything to deliver this message... I suggested it and delivered it of my own free will. As for your this place, I've always known about it. And... you told me your name a few hundred years ago." He looked up at her, his head still facing downward as his eyes shot up to the top of their sockets. "I'm.... well I shouldn;t be surprised that you didn't know me but..." Raising his hand up, he opened it, the flat palm facing her as it rippled slightly. Before long, a medallion, the symbol of the knights pushed its way out of his hand and rested there on its surface. "I don;t want to be a traitor Whitney.... but I just don;t know anymore. Whatever you choose... I'll go with you. But I want you to go to the meeting. I want you to see.... things I've seen before you really decide whether or not you're doing the right thing."

Whitney blinked lightly as the man spoke, her face holding no emotion with it currently. "You care about me?" Raising a brow the woman let her hands rest on the table this was strange indeed she did not know this man... did she? sitting straight and silent she listened to him continue. "Hmmm..." He was delivering the message of his own free will, then he must have some connection to her, eve if she did not know it at the time. "I told you?" Her eyes seemed to narrow somewhat, he was a spiritual human no? How could he ever hope to live that long and not age and die? This was confusing, there was no logical reason unless... unless he was a knight himself? Her speculations that came into being were completely spun around and pushed out the door when she gazed at his hand, watching the medallion reveal itself. "......" Her face went quite pale, fingers curling under her palms as she slid her hands back only to fall and rest on her lap. ".....Galahad?" She whispered looking at him, staring at him... unable to believe this to be true. He never had a body while she had known him, and he never spoke to her once out of all those decades of friendship. "....What are you saying?... Are you telling me to stop? for us to cease our quest of peace?.... Meeting...." Her head lowered somewhat golden eyes going quite dull and solemn. She had felt so sad for nothing, he wasn't even dead... "But I... I promised my father... I swore an oath on his death bed. To finish his work..."

"I know. I'm not asking you to just up and quit. That's why I think..... you should go to the meeting. After that, you can.... you can make a choice." he told her. "And whatever that choice is... I'll follow you. "I'm conflicted on this as well... but i know I'll only follow you. You have to go. You have to go... and see.... and make this decision for yourself and for me." He closed his hand and the medallion disappeared. "If you quit then I'll quit too. But if you want to keep fighting... then I will be a weapon." He scratched at his head, his blond hair moving about delicately as he did so. "When... when that arrancar crawled into my armor... when he controlled me.... he showed me things. He showed me other ways to deal with dark spirits... and Keihime.... she made me think that not all spirits are evil. But I don't know. I'm not asking you to stop, just to allow yourself to see the alternative before you continue any further."

Whitney breathed in and then out, her eyes closing, remembering a time which was long forgotten in these ages. She saw herself standing in a field, farmers and commoners alongside her, throwing rocks and fruit, screaming as loud as they could as they watched a figure be burnt alive... her screams the most horrible that Whitney had ever heard.... it was her mothers cries... The scene faded with her mothers cries for help, and a man stood in front of her... the man she would later call her father.... and with him, she would be raised as a noble. He was her idol, her rescuerer, her knight in shining armour.... He had saved her from everything. Her eyes opened as she looked over at Galahad and came to stand on her own two feet. "I will go to this supposed meeting. But I cannot promise you anything... Only that I will leave you with these words. I will not kill you Galahad. If you do not wish to fight this way, then leave... and do not show yourself to us again. Or then I would be forced to end you..." She clenched her fists. "I don't want you fighting if you do not truly wish to. You have a body now? ... you can fit in with the crowds. Be a human once more. After all our years as comrades, You have never let me down. If you do not wish to fight any longer... then flee." Whitney sighed lightly and looked away to the side. Thinking on how the others would react once she returned from this meeting.

Galahad shook his head. "I'm glad you've decided to go, but no matter what you decide I will still follow you." he looekd up at her. "This isn;t a matter of whether or not I want to fight. I want to be with you. I was alone for a long time before I met you. Shield is... it gave me a purpose. It's the best thing that ever happened to me." he sighed. "I admit I am conflicted but only because I want to remain at your side. After the meeting... whatever you decide to do, I will follow. It makes me happy that you trust me, that you feel I've given enough service to leave but I won't. I swore an oath of fealty... I will always be your knight. I just might not be in shining armor anymore..." he smiled very slightly at the statement but there was still sadness in his eyes. After a moment's pause the emotion drained away from his face once more.

The woman seemed to sigh lightly, lowering her gaze before giving a slight nod. "I had a feeling you'd still stay... even if I threatened you in the cruelest of manners." Whitney looked up at Galahad, pursing her lips for a moment, listening to his words. "Well, if you want to be with me, and the others I can't stop you. But I'd rather have you fighting with your heart in it, with a desire to fight, not just to be with us." Her golden hues remained unblinking for awhile, hands crossed underneath her breasts. "Of course I trust you, you were one of the first to join me, and have never let me down." She stated lightly. Looking away from him. "You know... Do not think I have not thought about this... even from the start of our pilgrimage I had no true desire to live my life out like this. Back when my soul was my own, all I wanted was to live a life in peace, and die by my beloveds side. That's what little girls dreamt of.... what I dreamt of. But my own oath... foolish promise got in my way, and now I will never have my dream come true. But it matters not.. I took on my fathers dream." Whitney closed her eyes and sighed lightly. "We have each sworn oaths which were meant to be for humans.. but you must know there can be no way for all of us to just change sides and live to tell the tale." Whitney's face looked slightly strained. "We are bound to the medallion it keeps us replenished. With out it, our bodies would turn to dust... to change sides is to die." she said simply looking over at him. "And since I cannot have my dream. I will die in battle, fighting for someone elses dream." The woman opened her eyes once more and shook her head. "If we attempt to change sides, we will die. because we need those souls to sustain us. I can either fight... or I can let us all die. I do not want to let our friends down in that... " looking over at Galahad all she could do was smile lightly. "A very loyal knight indeed, one that will always be in my heart." Her hands fell from her chest and sat behind her back. "I'll go to this meeting... but I cannot choose what they and you want. I will not kill my friends."

"I understand that changing sides means death.... but I've seen things.... death isn;t the end. We've seen other spirits... I've seen...." he sighed. "My heart will always be in it. My heart was only ever in it because you wished it to be. If you fight then I go with you. If we die fighting, I die with you." He looked very firm at this point, staring back across the table at her now. "I know it would take a lot to convince you... but I need to know that you're willing to let people try to convince you. Even if they fail, i will respect you enough for allowing them to try that I will follow you to the end. We will all die eventually... there's no way for us to absolutely live forever. But these other people... these vizards and arrancar and shinigami... they all live lives after death. Maybe we might too... or maybe not. But maybe if we do give up... maybe you can still live that dream. Not your father's dream, but the dream of that little girl that grew up in England that loved her father enough to give her life and afterlife away."

"Death isn't the end.... " she repeated his words and shrugged lightly. "I am not so sure... Are we even considered living anymore? If so I will surely be sent to hell." Whitney bit her lip lightly, she had indeed tarnished her life. "Then fight..." She whispered lightly, scoffing at his words. "I have listened to every single person, but in the end I don't see how it can bring about peace. They will still fight amongst one another, still attack and devour those in which are lost and waiting to be helped. We die, the world is overrun with countless souls... it would disrupt this so called balance either way. If I look at it from their point of view, we are nothing but meddlers. Too warped in our own ideological to step aside. Galahad, either way we have disrupted their balance. Whether we live or die... it will take a long time for them to bring this world under order. Those hollows would be drawn to the huge amount of souls, and feed off of them." The woman sighed lowering her head. "Either side... all I know is that. We do not belong." resting her elbows on the table, her hands encased her face as she sighed. "When was this meeting?" she asked lightly. Her fingers seemed to no longer lay soft along her face but digging her nails along her skin as he spoke. "I wont be able to have that dream come true." she whispered, still waiting for his reply as to when the meeting would take place.

"I know... but it's their problem to resolve isn;t it? If we die hollows will be attracted but.... I'm sure if we tried we could find a way around it. I... well, LEt's just go to the meeting." he sighed. "If you're interested afterward, we can try and.... think of something. If not... then we will fight." He stood up and moved the chair out of his way. "The meeting is in two days' time." He walked around the table, moving slowly as he drew a bit closer to her. "If we're only interfering... then maybe we should trust them to carry on as they are, and do what they're doing. My worry is that the heaven's hoard can only take so many spirits... if we carry on... it might burst anyway. Maybe if we made a sort of... I don't know, limited release pact with them, letting them out slowly or something... but again. It's all up to you." He moved as though he was going to hug her but shuddered, pulling away and thinking better of it. Instead he just put a hand on her shoulder, gripping it lightly. "Maybe you'd go to hell... maybe you wouldn;t. But if you did... I'd follow you there and back." His head hanging a bit, he turned and walked away. As he walked off to his little corner of the room he said "Dreams are the one thing.... that can never die. They only die if you let them."

Whitney looked at Galahad with rather dull eyes. "Perhaps..." She muttered listening to him continue. "I'll be listening for suggestions then... " Whitney's hands rested on the table, all that was in her mind was sadness... She had lost people that she cared about, and only ruined things more by trying to accomplish one of their dreams... it was sad really. She didn't seem to do anything right.. and now with even Galahad pointing it out to her... it was time for her to accept it all. Whitney shrugged "It has survived this long... taking souls out a bit at a time... would indeed be a safe option" Gazing up at him her body stiffened, as he touched her. "Galahad. You sound just like a stubborn child that would not leave its mother..... besides. I do not think there is a 'back' from hell.." Watching him walk away and to his own corner of the room she sighed lightly. Whitney had let that dream go so very long ago. She knew death was coming for her, and there was nothing she could do about that. She did not know how most things worked... but, this meeting would show her.... and only confirm it, that she would be gone from this world. forever.

At her words, Galahad trembled a bit, not bothering to turn around as he walked back to his corner. "I'm not trying to be stubborn... I just.... I wish you could see yourself the way I do." Walking to the corner he sat down on a crate as he always had, even as the suit of armor and just stared blankly ahead, his face devoid of emotion, and his body rigid. "But we'll go to the meeting. Thank you for your time... I'm glad we... talked." Once he finished talking, he sat rigidly, still like a statue. He was unable to put the organic movement into himself. He was after all, only human in apapearance at this point. He was still only a metal man.

"The way you do?" She asked quizzically. "You see me as a warrior." She said lightly looking over at him as he spoke once more. "I am also very glad that we talked... I have never heard your voice, and now I can say that I have" She said lightly. "Although, perhaps we can talk without needs for business." Whitney got to her feet slowly and sighed. "I wonder though... how were you able to accomplish such a thing?"

"I see you as more than a warrior." he replied quietly. "I think you could be more than that if you let yourself." He stared at his feet. "I only managed to talk once before... I said.... it's not important." He looked up. "But when Pluto beat me... I almost died. I... wanted to be able to talk to you... Before I was just a weapon. i was an object... I wanted to be a person. I'm still not... but at least I look like one right?" he looked across at her. If one had been paying attention, it could be noticed that Galahad never blinked. He also never inhaled or exhaled truly, and he made none of the subtle movements most people did. "When I rebuilt my body... I alchemically converted the metal I used into Mercury. It's liquid at room temperature so I was... I was able to mold it more properly and build.... myself, rather than just my armor."

"I don't see what you see though, that is what is disturbing. I don't know what I should let myself be..." Her golden hues looked over at Galahad with slight sadness, and curiosity. "I think, it would be very important. If you managed to talk just once in your Armour." She whispered. "But I will not force you to tell me if you do not wish to." Whitney suddenly frowned at his words. "I have always thought of you as human. You may not have looked like one, but you still have a soul. It's something that a weapon or an object could never hope to hold." She gave a light nod. "However... I have always wanted to share a conversation with you. Now I am grateful to be able to do so. It has never bothered me what you looked like Galahad." Whitney of course blinked, unlike him, but she didn't find it weird at all. "That's quite an amazing feat in which you have accomplished. So you say, you still have Armour, but beneath you?" She seemed to smile lightly, watching him.

"I... yeah. I'll tell you what I said... but not today. It was when the espada fought me... I said... somethign angry and then something because I was frightened... but just two words." he shook hie head. "I'm glad you thought of me as human... I was never sure if you did, but it makes me really happy. And as for what i see you as... I see you as a young woman, and a good friend... someone who could still be anything she'd ever wanted to be." Then he looked at his hand, raising it up as the colour fades away from it and it was revealed to be a shining and shifting liquid mass of metal. "This.... is all I am."

"Very well then. I shall wait for you to tell me." She said lightly, her face seemed to be slightly constrained, Galahad was frightened? The woman could never see him afraid, but then again, he could show little emotion as a suit of armour. It made her regret leaving that day... she was supposed to protect her comrades, but here... she couldn't help him when he needed her. Raising her head to him she smiled softly, it was a nice thing to know that she was able to make Galahad feel happy. "This woman does not know any other path to walk on and be though..." she said lightly, watching his hand and the liquid metal in which he now was. "I see. But you are more then that. And you know it." She said lightly.

"Well... maybe you'll... maybe you'll be able to find another path someday." he smiled. "You just need to know there's more out there... and if you want I think... you could walk any of them." The colour returned to his hand as he altered the pigmentation back to a flesh tone. "But I.... I want you to know that whichever one you pick, I'll go with you. I wouldn't have you go it alone." After speakign, Galahad blinked. It seemed a bit forced, but he did it, beginning to pick up slowly on normal habits. "And I know I'm more than just metal... but without the metal... I'd just be a spirit right? A drifting soul... Really I might as well be dead already. What would the difference be? If I ran into myself I'd probably have sent myself to the hoard." he joked.

The woman nodded slowly. "I think I'd be quite scared to follow a new path though." She pursed her lips, this was nice, it felt rather natural, talking to him and for him to finally reply. "Thank you. I think that I would be able to walk a path, if you were there alongside me. But shouldn't you try to find your own path?" She asked looking over at him with a smile, noting that he finally blinked. "See, you are slowly adjusting quite well. you have the speech mastered already." Whitney nodded and laughed lightly. "yes...." She thought for a moment, here she was sending souls to the hoard when here right infront of her there was another... But she would never be able to raise her blade against him. "I will not allow you to be sent to the hoard Galahad." She said clearly and smiled lightly. She wonderred if the shinigami sent him... would he still need to create bodies out of metal? you didn't need a body in the soul society didn't you? That was something she would have to ask when she arrived at this meeting.

"Well... I dunno..." he replied, thinking about her question. He looked down quietly, picking at the surface of the crate for a bit. "I'd like to think that my path is alongside yours. If I think about things that way then I found it a long time ago right?" he smiled and then looked away, grateful that he didn;t know how to blush yet. "And I know you'd never send me to the hoard but if you did I think I'd forgive you.... eventually." he joked.

"I see. Well if you think your path is with me, then so be it. I am very happy." She replied lightly smiling at him, however she had that slight crimson tinge to her cheeks. There wasn't much she could say other then that she was grateful to have such a friend as Galahad. "If I did that, I do not think I'd forgive myself." She whispered looking at him. "So how does it feel to be able to walk the streets without worrying about drawing attention to yourself? it must be alot better then being stuck at base until needed."

"I dunno... It's nice I suppose... I've been learning a lot more about Japan. But mostly... I'm really more glad about finally being able to talk to you. I've known you for... for dozens of life times. I just feel like I have so much to say and now I can finally say it to you and.... well it makes me happy." he told her. "I never thought... that we'd get to talk like this. There's still a lot of stuff I'd like to say to you but... I think it's like what I said when I was armor. I'm just not ready yet." he admitted. "But... Eventually. Maybe after the meeting." This time, he changed the pigment in his face very slightly, managing a small blush on his cheeks as he'd seen on her.

Whitney nodded and gave him a smile, she too found it joyful to finally be able to talk to him. "I am glad that we can talk also." She replied continuing to nod her cheeks remaining flushed while she heard him speak, and laughed lightly as she saw him change the pigmentation of his facial skin. "Very well then. I shall wait until you are ready to tell me." she said softly.

"Yeah." he replied. "I'll tell you before it's all over I think... When the time feels good." he nodded. "For now... I think I'm going to practice sleeping." he told her. "I did it yesterday on a bench... but my eyes were open and people kept looking at me so I don;t think I'm doing it right. It's.... been a long time since I slept. Well, for real I mean... although I'm not... really sleeping now... Things seem more complicated now that I have a body." he admitted. Then he looked over at her. "But... I think it's worth it." He laid back on the crates and closed his eyes. He was quiet for a while before mumbling "This is harder than I thought it would be..."

"Very well." She said giving a nod. Whitney seemed to smile lightly and incline her head. "Well, yes. People would indeed think it strange if you slept with your eyes open. It is a smart thing to watch how people do things if you are not so sure, then you might indeed do it correctly the first time." She wondered what he meant by its worth it. There was of course benefit in sleeping with ones eyes closed to be sure. "Heh.. You will get used to it Galahad." She sat there for a while, just watching him as he slept, it was still hard to believe that he was able do accomplish such a feat as make a body like that... and be able to talk.

Galahad curled up on the boxes, laying on his side with his eyes screwed shut. "I guess you're right. I'll figure stuff out eventually. I just have to remember what it's like having a body... It'll come back. Maybe living's like riding a bike." he smiled. Rolling over to face the wall he said "Goodnight Whitney... Two sleeps until the meeting."

"Yes..." Whitney whispered giving a nod. "Hopefully yes." she said standing up. "Good night Galahad." And with that Whitney made her way to her little balcony and retired for the night.