The sound had long since stopped. Kori didn't know what it meant, but it couldn't be good. She was certain the sound was her means of escaping this barren, cold, dark, dessert.

She sat down in the sand. Kori could feel the warm tears trailing down her face. She watched as they fell into the sand. Taking a few deep breaths she leaned back a bit, resting on her hands. She used her one hand to pick up handfuls of sand, and watched as it all slipped through her fingers. In an odd way it almost resembled how her chance of leaving slipped though her fingers. It seems like everything in Kori's life never lasted, even when she was good at it. She was good at school and threw that away for popularity; she was extremely skilled as a shinigami and died before making a name for herself, and even as the third espada she had failed. Was there anything that she good at? That question continued to surge through her brain as she stared off into the eternal black sky. She fell back so that she was laying in the sand staring at the blue and black sky.

-X-

Hours passed, or what felt like hours, after all she was in a timeless realm. Kori hadn't moved at all, not even the slightest twitch of a finger. All her will at this point was gone. There was nothing here; there was nobody that cared for her, so why should she care?

Slowly Kori's hand crept up to the massive scar on her forehead. It was another symbol of her failures. She had the upper hand the entire battle, and yet here she was in hell. Was she really so weak that she was killed in one strike? If she had been more careful she wouldn't have lost a large portion of her mask. Thinking about it, she wondered what made her fight Shizuka. Yes, she had simply been following orders, but why? Did their years of friendship really mean nothing to her? Was Kori simply a monster? Kori knew good and well that she would never have survived on a solo mission in the Hollow Forest, so why did she go? Did she want to die, or was it that she was hoping to come back a hero? Maybe it was Toshiro, she had been in love with him, maybe she couldn't say no to him. She mentally laughed at the thought of loving someone; those feelings had long since been broken.

She closed her eyes for a moment, to imagine what her life could have been like had she not been such a failure.

Her thoughts were all shattered in a matter of moments when she heard someone call out her name. She quickly sat up and opened her eyes, scanning the area around her. There wasn't a soul in sight for miles in every direction. Naturally, she assumed that she was hearing things, and she lay back down and closed her eyes. Much to her surprise, Kori found that even when dead she could still dream, or rather still have nightmares.

-X-

In her dream she was alone with Shizuka. They were in a plain grassy field. There were no trees or other forms of living creatures and for miles. Not even a soul was with them. Shizuka was on her knees with her head down. Her hand clutched her side to stop the massive blood flow that poured from it. Kori took a step toward Shizuka and extended her hand to her. Shizuka looked up and Kori could clearly see the tears that streaked her face.

"Kori… why…" She barely managed to choke out the sound, "I-I thought… we were… friends."

Her expression was clearly overridden with pain, but it wasn't pain from the wound. Kori's head began to throb from all the confusion. There was no way she did that to her best friend, or at least that was what she wanted to believe.

"I'm so sorry Shizuka. I don't know why I hurt you." Kori was having a harder time each moment holding back her tears.

She took a few more steps towards Shizuka. Kori reached to hug her when suddenly the world began to shake. Kori closed her eyes in fear and when she opened them Shizuka was gone. The ground shook harder and harder until it split. Massive pieces of the earth began to fall into the newly formed black abyss. Kori wanted to run but she found herself unable to move. It wasn't even a moment later when she felt herself fall.

-X-

Kori woke with a sudden jolt. She took a deep breath and moved her hand to her face to brush away the stray hairs. It was then she noticed that her face was wet with tears. Did I cry in my sleep? What did that mean? Usually Kori would have taken these questions into deep thought and try to interpret the dream, but her thoughts were broken by a sound. This time the words were clear, somebody had been calling out her name all along.

Kori practically jumped to her feet and took off in a sprint towards the sound, not even bothering to dust herself off. She knew that this was a sign that there was someone out there that cared for her. The voice calling her name was getting clearer and she could swear that she knew who was calling her. Kori smiled slightly, for she knew soon she would find the caller.

Sorry it has been taking us so long… but we're both busy high school students. Now that summer is nearing we hope to be updating more regularly… but hey the wait wasn't too long this time only a week or so right. So just a question, what do you think of our story? Do you think it's getting to plot less? Please let us know! We would love to hear any ideas you may have to make our story better. Feel free to comment or PM us your ideas any time. ^^

~Kirin (Author of Kori's Chapters)