With the Captains suffering casualties and heavy injuries on their side, all hope seemed to be lost... until Shinji Hirako appeared, along with the rest of the former Shinigami. Though the aid of the Vizards certainly helped to draw the battle in their favor, it seemed Aizen's power alone proved too much for them.
Jube was in a white room, he was sitting down in a pure white room he had no idea where he was. Jube slowly rose up to his feet, looking around to examine this white room. He still had his left arm, he was confused because he clearly remembered what happened how Emiliano had torn off his arm. Jube then heard a familiar voice call out his name "Jube....Jube...Juuube" the voice echoed through out the empty white space. Jube looked around, then suddenly a figure formed in front of him, it was Aria, his eyes widened with shock "Aria?" he asked confused and yet he was relieved that she was here. Jube step forward to touch Aria when all of a sudden she deformed and turned to dust, Jube stepped back now in her place stood Emiliano with that sinister grin on his face. Jube became filled with raged and anger, he gripped the handle of his zanpaktou as he charged forward drawing his zanpaktou to swing at Emiliano but as he did the Arrancar seemed to move farther and farther away. Jube chased after him but he couldn't catch up, Emiliano chuckled and then began to laugh manically as he saw Jube desperately trying to reach him. Suddenly the ground under Jube, fell part and Jube fell into a black abyss and endless fall.....
Jube jumped up from his bed sitting up, his vision was blurry at first, but it cleared up. He looked around he was in one of squad fours recovery rooms. Jube, looked around his zanpaktou was there at his side leaning against the wall, he wore the typical all white patients uniform. His wounds were bandaged up, and yes his arm was gone. Jube looked at the empty space now were his limb once was, he looked away tightening his right hand into a closed fist. 'I would have much rather died, then have to live with such shame!' he thought to himself angrily. Jube sat there in silence, quietly insulting himself for his incompetence and weakness, all his training had been for nothing.
Karel walked into Jube's room without uttering a word. He was fully recovered, he had suffered much physical damage in the first place. He was wearing a new Captain's haori that matched the rest of the white room they were in, though eventually it would be soaked with blood.
He slowly approached Jube's bed, his footsteps were the only thing breaking the silence of the room. Karel stared coldly at the injured shinigami on the bed, he could sense the conflict in him, it was apparent. "Your resolve is weak" Karel stated harshly. "You shouldn't throw away your life because of a loss, the fact that you still live means that you still have the chance to cut down the one who did this to you"
Suddenly the silence inside the room was broken, by the squeaking of wood under someones footsteps. Jube didn't look up he stayed quiet, then suddenly heard a voice when Jube heard what the captain said he looked up slowly. Staring at the captain, "What would a barbaric person such as yourself know of honor?' Jube said staring coldly at the harsh captain. "Someone like you wouldn't understand, what it means to live by the code of the sword. To you its just about killing your enemies and the enjoyment you get some blood shed" Jube said just as harshly to the captain. His hazel eyes gave the captain a cold stare as he sat there armless and defeated, his pride had been stepped all over and trampled.
Karel did not respond to Jube's comments with any anger. Anger was just another thing that was useless in battle. "I have lived by the sword my entire life, those who do, eventually become exactly like the weapons they use. The only purpose a blade has is to kill, nothing else. Your honor, your pride, they mean nothing to the enemy, only the bite of steel against their flesh will. The way of the sword is on of bloodshed, that much is inevitable. But until your life ends, you will continue to kill. You live for now, so the time for you to fall is not now." Karel said all of this calmly, his stare remained as cold and peircing as ever.
"Those who give up so easily are cowards, you would know this if you truly lived by the sword"
Jube quietly listened to the captain speak, as much as he hated to admit it. The captain was right, Jube was letting himself give up to easily, this wasn't the way Jube was. He sat here in silence staring at the captain "Captain, forgive my weakness" Jube said to the captain in a serious tone, he had to admit when someone was right and when he was wrong. He wasn't an ignorant person or a proud person who denied the truth and blinded themselves from it. Jube admitted things and the world the way it was, even if he was on the bad side of things. "Captain, do you know the feeling of loss?" he asked as he paused for a minute "The feeling of losing something you hold dear?" Jube added as he waited now in silence for the captain to speak. The silence in the room was only interrupted by the gust of wind outside, that made the bushes rustle and move.
Karel's eyes widened at this question, it was unexpected. Karel remained silent for several minutes beofre answering the question. "All of my family was killed when I was still young" he replied simply. "So I suppose I should know that feeling, yet I never dwell on it, it's pointless to do so.". Karel felt conflicted inside, this was something he had never looked back on, there was much more to it then what Karel had told Jube. Karel had never regretted what had happened before, why would it bother him now? Karel had nearly forgotten about Jube's presence there in the room, he was beggining to lose himself in his thoughts.
Jube was staring at the captain, as his eyes widened he knew he had hit a sensitive subject now. Jube listened quietly to the captain speak of his families death, although he was trying to act as if it didn't hurt him anymore, he seemed to be having some trouble doing so. 'Perhaps this man isn't that much of a barbarian' Jube thought in his mind as he quietly sat there. "Captain, it seems that though you pretend to not care, what happened to your family seems to still hurt you" Jube's voice broke the gloomy silence in the room. "The Arrancar who took my arm, he also took the woman I loved almost one hundred years have past since that day. I know that as long as that Arrancar lives, I will not be at peace" he explained to the captain, although it was a sensitive subject Jube still used a cold tone of voice. The years had made the shinigami very cold and insensitive to an extent.
Karel regained his composure, his usual cold stare remained present. "If you seek revenge against the person who killed your family, you will certianly become stronger through his death. Yet at the same time, you will also find peace. To find peace through killing, no such thing exist in my path."
Karel became silent once more. He then drew his zanpaktou, the sound of the metal sliding eerily broke the silence. He continued to stare at the blade, which shined brightly in the white room. After shedding so much blood, it still remained so pure? For a moment, Karel thought he saw an image of a young girl who looked very similar to him, reflected in his own sword, staring at him. Her eyes were blank and listless, they seemed to be drain of life, yet they seemed sad and compassionate. Karel rubbed his eyes and then looked back into the sword. He only saw himself in it, a weary looking man who was devoid of human emotion.
"I cannnot say I have experienced the same thing as you have" Karel replied quietly after he stared at his own reflection for so long, as if he were searching his sword. "Our losses are not the same, your pain is far greater than mine could ever be"
Jube sat there quietly listening to the captain, speak then once again a gloomy silence fell upon the room as the two stood quiet thinking. Jube thought about how he had failed, but also of the captains words if he had not died that means that he still had a chance to take out the Arrancar. Then a member of the squad 4 medical team walked in his sudden opening of the door caught Jube's attention as he stared at the shinigami walk in. He made his way to the two shinigami "Sorry, to interrupt" he said with a bow of respect both shinigami before him were seated higher then he was. "Um...captain now that your better and fully healed you have to return to your office and follow protocol, you must fill out a report on everything that took place at the city" he then turned to Jube. The shinigami checked Jube's arm, "Well, its been two days and you seem fine, if you feel no more pain. Then your free to go, and you to have to fill out a report" with that the shinigami bowed again and left the room.
Jube had an annoyed look on his face "Report..." he said letting out a sigh. The shinigami stood from his bed and walked into the rooms restroom. Minutes later he emerged wearing a new fresh uniform, with his sleeveless hooded cloak over it. Jube moved his arm around it was a bit stiff, then he looked over were his other arm was supposed to be he let out a slight sigh. "Captain, I believe this is where we go our separate ways" he said to the captain with a bow of the head as he prepared to leave by strapping his zanpaktou to his waist firmly.
"I see" Karel replied simply to the 4th division member. Karel took a long look at the shinigami in front of him. Beaten down and having lost his self proclaimed honor, he would still find the strength to stand on his own again. "In understand" Karel replied to Jube in a low and serious voice. "May the next time we meet be on the battlefield. Karel then abruptly spun around and walked out the door, his haori trailing behind him, his unsheathed zanpaktou in his hand. Karel did intend to fight Jube someday, but it would have to wait until Jube managed to defeat his own enemy, and became stronger through doing so. Karel disappeared from view, along with the smell of blood that always followed.
