Do Me A Wrong

~ I have added this Fanfic to my Patreon. If you'd like to read advanced chapters, feel free to check it out!

~ I'm planning to increase the number of advanced chapters to +50 this weekend!

~ I've edited some of the previous chapters to remove anything you might consider "cringe" or "unnecessary." I'll continue reviewing them from time to time!

~ Very soon, we'll return to releasing two chapters daily, including bonus privileges for Power Stone contributions!

<><><><>

Souji chuckled and took a testing sip. "It is never early for our kind. Sin and debauchery is our bread and butter, yes?"

Souji pushed the tray over towards him only for Ichigo to shake his head. "Underage, remember?"

Souji gave him a teasing smile. "By human laws, yes. However…" He trailed off.

"…I'm no longer human," Ichigo sighed as he swept his soaking hair out of his eyes. He poured himself some and, tentatively, took a sip.

Ichigo coughed lightly and brought up his other arm to cover his mouth. The liquid had slipped down his throat in a fiery burn leaving a sweet yet, inversely bitter taste in his mouth. Souji clasped him on the back and laughed in earnest. "Ah…a relaxing bath, good sake and the troubles of the women in our lives far off. Such if the good fortune of few men."

Ichigo sent him a wry smile.

"Best not tell Sirzechs-sama," Souji winked at him. "He will, in all likelihood, give us great strife if it were known we found such a wonderful vacation while acting out in our official capacity."

"That's true," Ichigo chuckled. "He'd never let us live it down if he found out we left him out of something like this."

Taking another sip, Souji shook his head with a smile. "Surely our master would have done well as the Master of Envy even as he wields the Sword of Pride."

"You've lost me," Ichigo said, also taking another taste of his drink, albeit, much more carefully.

"Amongst the original Legions of Hell," Souji began, his joviality slightly lessening. "The greatest of them were those that physically embodied the Seven Deadly Sins."

"The Seven Deadly Sins?" Ichigo asked, setting down his saucer back in the tray.

'Indeed," Souji nodded gravely. "The Crown Princes they were called. Immensely powerful, from what I am told. Though all have perished long ago, leaving few in the world old enough to remember their terrible greatness."

Souji poured himself more sake. "When our Master and his fellows ascended to the positions of Lords of the Underworld, they were granted the chance to embody a Sin. Our own Master took after his namesake and was merged with Pride. The Lord Serafall took to Lust, Lord Falbium Sloth and the Lord Ajuka to Greed."

"And the other three?" Ichigo asked, slight uncertainty in his voice.

"They are vacant," Souji shrugged. "Many have tried to claim the rank for themselves, only to be consumed by the evil and left to oblivion. The fact that all four of our Lords managed to ascertain their worth through the ancient rite is what legitimized their sovereignty in the eyes of many."

Ichigo hummed in thought. He'd been a devil for less than a month now and he was just now beginning to realize how convoluted the inner workings of the Underworld were. "So what are the remaining Sins?"

"As of now," Souji tilted his head towards the ceiling in thought. "The Sins of Envy, Gluttony and Wrath remain. If my memory serves me correctly, the last attempt to embody a Sin was eighty-three years ago."

"I assume it didn't end well?" Ichigo questioned.

"Quite the tragedy, to be precise," Souji sighed. "The head of the Bathin family was killed some six years before hand, leaving only a widowed wife, a young son and an assortment of branch family members. Unfortunately, without a proper lord to take the role of Pillar, the family saw a decline in its influence."

"One of the family members attempted to take a Sin?"

The Shinsengumi nodded sadly. "The ritual is exceedingly dangerous for anyone to attempt; it is illegal in fact, to perform it without the backing of the remaining Pillars or the permission of all four Satans. The wife waited until her son was old enough to burden the ritual and endeavored in secret. The result…was gruesome to say the least."

"What happened?" Ichigo prompted, his body turned completely to face Souji.

His mouth set in a grim line, Souji let out a long draw of breath. "The entire Underworld felt the ritual take hold, regrettably, we were far too late to stop it. It was one of the few times Sirzechs-sama's peerage amassed in full."

Souji stopped, his eyes having taken on a haunted look. Having seen his fair share of blood and gore, Ichigo realized that whatever the war veteran saw, it must have truly been heinous.

"It was utter madness," Souji let out in a harsh whisper.

"The family, the servants, the animals in the vicinity," Souji shook his head and Ichigo saw the folds of skin wrinkle around his eyes. "The foolish woman brought forth the Sin of Gluttony. It found the poor boy unworthy and drove the entire estate insane in its twisted vengeance."

Souji turned to look at Ichigo, his gaze pressed into a thin line of fire. "When we arrived, Ichigo, they were all falling upon one another, like mindless beasts. Attempting to cannibalize what was once kin and comrade."

Souji shut his eyes tight, regret lining his youthful appearance and Ichigo could only drop his gaze, mind racing with horror. "Sirzechs-sama ordered everyone to vacate the premises." Souji said his eyes still sealed and face lined with sorrow. "His fury was terrible to behold and Crimson Rage and Authority drowned the Underworld that day. All that is left of the Bathin family now is a blackened wasteland that extends for miles and miles about."

The two men fell into a silence. Ichigo's face twisted in a grim visage as he was lost in imagining such a terrible fate for the simple, if not foolish, pursuit of power. Souji, had bitterness written plainly across his expression. No doubt, he was regretting such a waste of life and the extinction of an entire family because of baseless stupidity.

<><><><>

~ If you like the story, please leave a review!

~ Push the Story forward with your [Power

Stones]

~ (Soon +50) Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!

https://p-atreon.com/Radha_fanfic

(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)