The Distant Gray (Solo)

[Nakajima Kimiko]

Rukongai, the city of wandering souls. Laid bare before the almighty Seireitei, it composes roughly more than 98% of the entirety of Soul Society, and so it houses almost the totality of the realm's residents. Its responsibility? To harbor the benevolent souls whose lives within the Living World have reached their end so as to allow them to live their afterlife in peace. Some of its 320 districts achieve this goal rather well, providing ample comfort to their populace, while others quite simply do not, allowing those festering within their borders to rot until their inevitable resurrection. Even so, though it may not be perfect, one could say that it is in a way the closest thing that Humanity may be able to identify as a form of paradise, as most Souls do not need to consume food or drink water in order to sustain themselves: they only really need a home. These homes may not contain the loved ones they knew from their previous lives, but it is a home nonetheless.

Within one of these homes was a single Soul. This one was a female, a young adult who had just been guided to Soul Society not even half a year ago. The Shinigami who guarded the entrance to this Soul Society had assigned her to a wooden household of the 25th Southern District. It was not a bad home at all. Although it had no modern technology to speak of and its insulation was rather questionable in a few areas of the home such as its ceiling, the wood upon which it was built on was of decent quality, the space was ample enough to allow for the placement of furniture such as tables, and it was located near a quiet little clearing where one could play at their leisure. It even had the members of an exemplary family: there was a young couple, the quirky little boy, and a dog who somehow found its way here. In other words, it was a typical middle class establishment of Rukongai which represented the latter's 25th districts well enough.

However, despite its quality, the Soul felt like like there was something missing in that little home. For as long as she could remember, all she had done since she had arrived in this place were chores. Cleaning, sweeping, dusting, it was all she had ever done. At times, she would feed herself and the aforementioned little boy sandwiches of her own concoction, but those times were few and far between. The things which were once so prevalent in her life as a Human of the Living World had pretty much completely evaporated. It lacked the flashes of Akihabara. It lacked the action of the arcades. It lacked the emotion of her opponents. She had become trapped in a new existence that she believed to be unfit, and as such, she soon grew bored. By the time she had realized this, four months had passed, and by then, she had become so disconnected that she could not stay any longer. The girl needed to leave, needed to become something better. So, one day, she announced her departure, and after one last dinner, she left for the great Seireitei.

The 25th District was far from the towering towers of the white fortress. According to those she would speak to along the way, going there on foot was going to take her a few days, maybe even a week depending on how fast she goes. Although she had been left a fair sum of money, her need for nourishment at times became problematic. She would spend her Ryo on meat sticks sold by vendors on the side of the road, rice bowls offered by more established sellers, and even bits of candy. It was a streak of consumption that, at the time, seemed to be endless, as no matter how long she walked forward towards the great palace, it never seemed to grow any bigger. It was like the road was stretching indefinitely into the abyss of various buildings and settlements which formed the first districts. At first, it was perhaps an awe-inspiring moment, albeit a frustrating one. After a few days when she started running low on Ryo, it started becoming a problem.

Her wallet turned empty after a week of travel. By then, the palace had still not grown any closer. She continued to meet new people throughout their endeavors, all of which were eager to talk to her. However, none of them wanted to share their food, for they had none. Unlike her, they did not need to nourish themselves to survive, and so they never bothered to keep a steady supply for themselves. She did not show hostility to them in that moment, though soon, her understanding of their situation would turn into jealousy as the hunger grew. Once distant, it was now omnipresent, eating at her insides like a worm from within. It tore her apart, leaving her weak and fragile onto the road. Every day that passed became agony, and where once she viewed the white palace with excitement, she now instead began to see it as a curse. The gleaming of hope in her eyes turned into a glare, and eventually, hate brewed within her core. It was enough so that she almost openly wished death onto the people around her.

One day, roughly almost a month later, she stopped. She had become too weak to move. The domain of the celestial guardians had yet to become bigger. Standing there famished and meager, she clenched her teeth in the middle of a road now turned dusty and abandoned. "This... isn't... real..." she muttered underneath her breath at that moment, with eyes widened almost painfully. Soon, her voice turned from that whimpering mutter to a full blown shout. "This... This isn't... real...!" A bony arm quickly held onto her stomach as, suddenly, she cried out and fell onto her knees, shivering. She could feel her very bones in her thin body now cry out from the hunger, beg for the mercy of the evil stomach they contain. The skies above, typically always so bright and so blue, had turned into a cloudy white which masked Seireitei. The people around her, typically so numerous and welcoming, had now gone elsewhere, leaving her there all alone in her suffering.

As the white of the sky became brighter and brighter, covering the buildings like an unknown invading force of nature, a feminine figure then appeared from the end of the road. Her hair was long and dark with a ponytail, covering a darkened face of which only glasses over two bright silver eyes could be seen from. She wore a Japanese school blouse with office trousers and shoes, all of which were dark as though meant to stand out in the white of the invading skies. Behind her was a gleam of sorts, like how a figure on an old photograph is somehow being swallowed by its surroundings. It looked like a whiteness that tried to hold onto her body, a part of the sky that was desperately trying to swallow her alongside the rest of this world. However, it seemed incapable of holding onto her, as before long, she stood well and true above the fallen Soul, chuckling quietly to herself. "Oh, I don't know about that, Kimiko-chan~," she hummed as her shadow loomed over the girl. "For me, it is very real."

The Soul, or rather Kimiko, clenched her teeth as she raised her head towards the figure. She could see her eyes now, her two eyes, though the rest of her face was blurry. This person... She recognized them. "You... You're that... coward...!" She spat as she continued to squirm in pain from the hunger, her eyes becoming wild with fury.

In response to this, the figure let out a high-pitched noise that sounded like a brief, yet very girly giggle. "Kimiko-chan, please~! That is not very nice," she teased before violently smashing her left foot onto Kimiko's head. "It makes me want to play with you~."

The Soul cried in pain from the kick. She hadn't expected such power, or rather hadn't, for the moment she received it, she was immediately brought to the ground. The contact of her forehead against the rock below was more painful that she had believed it would be, only perhaps rivaled by the pain which from exploded from her noise soon after once it reached it. All she heard when it happened was a sickening crunch which echoed in her mind, then followed by the splatter all around her face. It hurt, it hurt her so, but despite this, she clenched her teeth and attempted to look up so as they at least see what this figure was going to do to her. "You... piece of shit...!" She cried out with raging, hateful eyes. "I... don't know who you are... but I'm... I'm going to kill you for this!"

"So she says, and yet, she lies there powerless," the figure replied as something beamed from the blurriness of her face. Kimiko wasn't sure of what she was looking at the moment it appeared, but soon, she understood. It was a grin. It was a small grin, one that she could almost miss if her stare was just a little bit less focused, but it was there, standing proud in its enjoyment of the situation. "Besides, Kimiko-chan~... there is still so many games for us to play before that happens, if it ever will."  

The figure raised its right hand onto the whiteness that had now reached so close to them that it had swallowed the rest of the world into its light before she grasped at it. She did so with what seemed to be shocking strength as she gripped and pulled at the white, causing it all to snap and crack as though it was made of flesh. Eventually, it seemed to give a way as something came from it, causing blood to suddenly gush out like it came from a wound. That something continued to grow from the whiteness as the figure pulled, consequently making more blood gush out, until finally, it was fully out. Once she got a proper sight of the item the figure now held in her hands, Kimiko felt her whole body freeze. It was a sword. No. No, it wasn't just any sword. She could recognize its handle, its guard, the very blade connected to it. It was her sword. Her Zanpakutō. "Shizukakane...?" She found herself questioning aloud as she watched the figure raise the blade over her head. "W... What...?"

"The very same~," it said as its grin furthered a bit, growing bigger seemingly from excitement. "I just had to take it from him~." 

"Y-You... You did... What did you do to him?!"

"Ah, ah, Kimiko-chan, so many questions~! So noisy... so weak~. I believe you know what that means. It's time... to wake up."  

The sword raised above her head gleamed, and for a moment, Kimiko felt a great fear in her heart. It wasn't like last time back in Tokyo, when the figure had struck her so rapidly that she barely felt it before she had been taken away. This time, gripped at her heart, squeezing it so hard that she felt as though it was about to explode. Panic was starting to settle in as thoughts rang inside of her head. "I don't want to die", they repeated incessantly, echoing through her cranial chamber like a cruel bell. The grip tightened further once she saw the figure's hand twitch and start to descend towards her. She knew where it was going to end up, where it was going to strike. It is going to strike her in the neck, and once it does, she will die. Worse yet, she will die without even being able to move an inch. She wanted to do something about this, desperately so, and yet, all she could do was simply stand there and take it. The bit of struggling that came out of her body was just not going to cut it.

But then, in the split-second before her own Zanpakutō reached her neck, something happened. A streak of black rushed from the whiteness to directly clash with the blade. It caused it to bounce away, making the figure recoil in surprise. Soon after, Kimiko felt the white reach her body, enveloping the blood underneath her head. The sight caused the figure to frown in confusion before her grin turned into a full-blown smirk. "Well, this is new..." it noticed aloud as her body slowly distanced itself from Kimiko's view. "Ah, Kimiko-chan~... You're always so full of surprises." Eventually, the white would reach the Soul's weak wounded eyes that were once so widened by fear, and as they did, peace came to her.

The hunger was gone.

---

Kimiko's eyes slowly opened onto the ceiling of her room. They were tired, simply frozen still as they awakened appropriately from their slumber. Her body felt warm underneath her futon, and overall, she simply felt well-rested. For about a minute or two, she remained there under the sheets, gazing at the ceiling without really feeling or thinking about anything in particular. Eventually, however, she pushed herself up and sat onto the futon to instead gaze at the nearby window from which poured sunlight into the room. Almost instinctively then, she turned her head towards her left side. There it was, her sword, Shizukakane, its scabbard by her side. It rested onto the floor like it did yesterday night before she went to sleep, untouched and left safe from anyone's grasp but hers. She remained like this for a moment, staring at the scabbard with a tired gaze before she reached out for it, grabbed it, then pulled it close to her.

She couldn't understand any of what happened. Like the one before, it was another dream that she could somehow remember perfectly as though she had truly lived it. Once again, a student of some school that seemed so familiar to her had twisted a memory of hers solely to mock her in a fit of particular cruelty. However, this time, something had prevented her from being killed by the student. That streak of black... It had allowed her to wake up in peace, away from all the pain and torment that would have soon followed it. However, it also raised more questions than answers. Now, not only did she have these peaceful memories to find answers about alongside her inexplicable growth, but also the existence of that white streak. Just thinking about it all was making her hold her precious sword tighter and closer to her. Why? Why was this happening to her? Why was she having these dreams? There was no way to tell, and quite frankly, she was not sure she was ever going to get an answer for it.

"Damn it..." she muttered underneath her breath, then gazed at the window again. Whatever it was... it was over now.

Now, she just needed to wake up and go back to work.

[Nakajima Kimiko]

The swords clashed within the Fields of Tranquility, bringing forth a pause to its namesake for the first time this week. They were swung towards one another with such speed that it ripped the grass underneath their wake, and they hit each other so powerfully that they caused the air to be filled with a loud ring that grind the ears, one so strident that it made it difficult to gauge how long it echoed all around them and how far it spanned throughout the land. In fact, it was so strong that one could almost see the encompassing clouds above - so large and so grey that they almost darkened the grounds below - be pushed away by the pressure of the ringing, enough so to cause a bit of sunlight - so small, yet so bright that it was as though a pillar of gold struck the earth - to shine onto the warriors if only so briefly. However, said light disappeared as quickly as it came, vanishing to leave behind only but the gray melancholy of this present Inner World. 

As the blades smashed against one another with pride and ferocity, their owners' gaze pierced into one another. One was of a red hue bridled with youthful energy that would almost appear wild at times, while the other was instead of a wise silver left experienced by warring times that seemed most difficult. Although the both of these elements were rooted in the physical, they each possessed vast spiritual energy, so much so that it spread onto the rest of their owners' corporeal form. The amount of this mystical power fueling their being was such that it caused even the rocks nearest to them to be pressed against the ground as though pushed by an invisible force. If one not blessed with the ability to manipulate this power dared to stand near them at this point in time, it would be difficult to tell what would happen to them. Perhaps they would be blasted away by the ringing. Perhaps, instead, they would be slowly crushed by the pressure alone.

This clashing lasted for a few seconds at best. As each of these precious seconds past, yellow sparks would head towards the earth. They were but embers, yet they each represented the sheer strength that fueled these swords, or at least the physical side of it all. The spiritual energy, so powerful still, shook the ground below with unbridled power, with the nearby rocks crushed further and further down by the rising pressure. When the crushing of a normal individual was once only a possibility had now become a certainty. It was such that even the owners were affected by it, feeling the gravity attempt to force them towards the earth with strength that almost seemed shocking to them both. Yet, despite this, it almost seemed as though the sound around them kept getting quieter and quieter. If one was nearby, they would not hear anything near them but the sound of their struggle. They could not hear the rustling of the grass within their vicinity nor the complete grinding of the rocks, only the metal of their blade, the ringing of the bell.

By the time roughly five seconds had passed, the scarlet-eyed warrior made her move.

With a sharp exhale, she stepped forward and to the right, allowing her blade to slide onto her opponent's weapon. It was swift, precise, enough so to cause the ringing to become somehow even louder as further sparks flew. She lead the her blade further and further down, allowing the pressure in the air to push her down and force her to crouch low before she would return it to her scabbard and end the ringing. Once it finally was completely returned to its home, its owner then let out a loud war cry as it was then returned into the open air, all in an attempt to hit her opponent in the lower body. In total, it took her roughly less than a second and a half to reach her new position, and then less than a second to unleash her blade towards her opponent. The shocking speed of it all was such that the grass was ripped from its roots once again, something which should not have occurred due to the amazing pressure which continued to press onto the ground.

In response to this, her opponent hopped almost gracefully towards her as he returned his own weapon to its scabbard. The fact that he hopped upward despite the pressure was an astounding feat on its own that was perhaps more impressive than the grass'. During this feat, he gazed deep into his adversary before taking a deep breath and then vanishing. It came so fast that, instinctively, the red-eyed one ducked further still and pushed onward to vanish herself, though only a few meters away. She had chosen her initiative well, for in the very next moment that followed, the wiser swordsman had appeared once more where she previously stood, standing above a large scar that had been into the earth. However, by the scar had been spilled an amount of blood that was surprisingly ample, which caused the younger swordswoman to frown, look down, and wince. Upon her chest was now present a large wound that spanned the entirety of her upper body.

"Ngh...!!" She let out with clenched teeth as she battled the agony, eyes widened still. The pain was obviously overwhelming her at first, ringing through her body like a vicious and deafening bell. Blood fell from her chest down onto the ground below, staining the grass and rock in red. Her eyes then turned towards her blade, this fragment of white oozing with white "ink" whose handle she held so tightly, then frowned. Another decision had been visibly made, and upon noticing this, the older one frowned too as he made his own. In response, he vanished again only to reappear right in front of his opponent, sword raised high. The sight of seeing him dash towards her position caused the scarlet-eyed warrior's frown to then widen again, and perhaps instinctively once again, she pushed herself forward with that same vanishing technique right towards her opponent. This time, this entire process took only but a single second to be executed in its entirety.

For miles then, a path of dirt rose from warrior's struggle. They crashed into hill after hill, breaking through the ground and dirt as the red-eyed warrior roared a war cry, the tip of her sword firmly planted into her opponent's shoulder. This went on for a few miles, with each crash causing the old man to gasp milliliters of blood from his mouth. Finally, after one last hill destroyed, the two slammed against an open field, causing them to be separated from one another. The older one was clenching his teeth from the pain as he bounced a few times against the ground, but eventually, he rose, panting. When he raised his eyes, his opponent stood there with her blade ready to be unsheathed again. She was gazing at him with those same eyes of pure focus despite the pain of her large wound, so much so that they appeared bloodshot. This was her chance. She would grab onto the handle of her sword and then pull.

But then, she saw something. In the corner of her eye, in the distance, there was something dark, almost black. Instantly, her focus was broken and her momentum perturbed, and for the briefest of moments, she found herself turning her head towards it. The old man who seemed so weak from his wounds then immediately reacted and unsheathed his sword. It stopped right as it was about to cleave his opponent's head right off her neck, instead only cutting through a minuscule portion of it. Shocked, the scarlet-eyed woman balked, and once she realized what happened, she stopped and simply stood there bloodied all over. Her adversary would stare at her with a serious gaze then before he eventually let out a quiet sigh, slowly bringing his body straight up. The "ink" which surrounded his own blade then went on to enter his body, clearing him of the wound that once punctured through his shoulder. "You lacked focus, Kimiko-chan," he remarked with a gentle smile as he softly returned his blade to its scabbard. "It is a shame. You could have won this spar."

The eyes of scarlet looked upon the elder then with a light chuckle. "M-Maybe..." she said as she winced again, then took a deep breath herself as she allowed the "ink" from her weapon to flow into her. As the magical substance would enter her skin, the large wound on her chest would be rapidly repaired, and after the fact, all that would be left would be a damaged robe. Although she was relieved that she wasn't experiencing the pain anymore, the sight of her damaged robes left her staring at it with a bit of a blush. It was a good thing that the damage done to them here does not translate in the real world, else her squadmates would most likely able to see some of her skin. "I... didn't think I would end up like this," she admitted as she sighed once more. "I'm glad they regenerate quickly..."

The old man made no comment on that. It was clearly of no importance to him. Rather, he look towards where the woman was previously staring in silence. This caused the woman to stare at him in confusion. "You saw it too, didn't you?" She asked as her gaze turned towards that same place. "That weird dark spot."

"I have," he answered then not with his usual softer tone, instead appearing perhaps unsettled. "How strange..."

Kimiko looked on towards the spot then with shock and a bit of awe. Never before had she seen that black spot, at least not in here within her Inner World. Worse yet, it seemed that not even the spirit of her blade had an answer for it. This old man who usually was always so wise and knowledgeable now instead appeared just as confused as she was. In this confusion, she could not help but stay quiet and recall her last terrible dream. The dash of black, that figure's own surprise towards its existence... Was this... that dash trying to take form, somehow? No. No, that doesn't make sense. That absolutely does not make any sense. That was just a dream. Just a horrible, terrible, awful dream with no meaning to it. Even if she can remember them so clearly, dreams cannot be real and there is nothing to be depicted from them. Yet, as she recalled it, her gaze deepened into the horizon, her confusion gradually starting to turn into curiosity.

Just another question to add to the pile.

[Nakajima Kimiko]

Despite the coincidence between the black dash she saw in her terrible dream and the black spot that she had seen from the corner of her eye during her spar with Shizukakane, Kimiko believed that this would be the last time something this strange would occur within her Inner World. Although she always understood it as a place which could change rapidly depending on her emotions at the time, she also saw it as a safe haven in which nothing abnormal could happen if she didn't want something abnormal to happen. It is not normal, after all, for one's Inner World to suddenly showcase such supernatural events: even the elder who was so much more knowledgeable in the subject promised her so when they last spoke of it a few years ago. However, this wishful line of thinking unfortunately did not do anything to stop this black spot from appearing. On the contrary, it almost seemed as though the matter worsened over time.

At first, the black spot was only seen once per month. It was an annoying thing to deal with, though given how little she and her Zanpakutō spirit noticed it, they eventually grew used to its appearance. Then, suddenly, this rate of appearance increased to once per two weeks. At the time, the Shinigami admittedly started to grow anxious. She had yet to find any answers for what the spot was supposed to be, and worse yet, she had no idea if it was something normal somehow associated to her Inner World or something abnormal, which completely prevented her from the subject to her peers. Her anxiety then slowly started to grow into frustration once that rate then increased again, this time to once per week... then twice per week. She was seeing it so often that it constantly broke her focus, causing her to not be capable of fully sparring or training with Shizukakane. Once mysterious, the event had now turned from odd to downright infuriating.

Perhaps the oddest part of it all was how detailed it started becoming. The first time she had seen it, it was simply a black spot in the distance, something that could not be described even if she tried her best to do so. However, as time went on, it became bigger and more defined. The spot grew in shape, becoming larger, taller. Eventually, she could almost identify it for what it was: a forest. More specifically, a forest with enormous trees so tall that they reached the heavens. Even so, these trees never were visible to her beyond the corner of her eye. They remained firmly there not-so-hidden, as though trying to catch her attention without wanting to be seen. The feeling associated with that happening was so maddening for the Shinigami that it felt as though the forest she believed to see was not just located far away from her position within the Inner World, but rather instead growing in that very same corner of her eye.

Finally, by the time that rate had increased again to once per day, the maddening sensation had reached a boiling point. She could no longer stand it, no longer tolerate its pseudo-existence, and so, one day, she sought aid.

Her closest peers of the Eleventh Division did not grant her much of that aforementioned aid. Although they too had started gaining access to an Inner World of their own making, none of them had experienced such an issue or something that resembled it. In fact, despite the fact that only a select few of them had been able to unlock their Shikai, they too had found it strange that Shizukakane had no idea of what was going on, as most changes to the Inner World are typically immediately known by the Zanpakutō spirit. Not even Siegfried had seen such a thing occur before. This eventually coerced her to look elsewhere, namely in the other squads of the Gotei 13. She had attempted to talk to Celes about this, but ever since she was able to attain Captaincy, she unfortunately had become very difficult to reach, and so she was not able to speak to her about it for the most part, which mean that she was also unable to talk to Yunorashi about it. She had tried to reach out for the people of Squad 6, those of Squad 12, and even those annoying Squad 5 twins, all to no avail. Finally, she gave up in trying to find answers from others, and so, she headed towards the one place she knew would most likely have a good amount of information for her to find: Shin'ō Academy.

The school had yet to lose any of its splendor ever since she had graduated from it. Even now as she headed towards the library she has previously visited oh-so-many times in order to pass her exams, there was a sense of nostalgia that temporarily quietened the frustration generated by the trees in her brain. The bustling hallways, the busy classes, the chatty cafeteria... Almost none of the things she had experienced here as a student had changed. The only difference was the amount of soldiers staring at her due to the event that she participated in with Siegfried some time ago, and even then, people kept staring at her back then too for her prodigious swordsmanship. It was a nice feeling, like she was somehow returning to a place that was once her home. It made her feel warm all over, maybe even happy. If it wasn't for the task at hand, she would have perhaps taken more of her time to wander about the halls. However, she eventually reached the library, and by then, the warmth was gone.

Those who were responsible for keeping the library in place did nothing to stop Kimiko as she went on to ask them access to the place. The most of them were aware of who she was, what she had done as a student and officer both, and how fast she has grown as an officer, and so they respected her enough to let her through without bother aside from one Squad 11 joke that the girl feigned to ignore. All remarks about her position within the Eleventh Division and the general lack of intellect within it have long lost their effect on her. She took book after book after book from the many shelves available to her. They ranged greatly in content, from Inner Worlds, Zanpakutō spirits and the history of the Gotei 13. In fact, she had taken so many so many that a great pile of tomes was starting to form upon the desk she had chosen for today. By the time she was done picking them and went on to read, a fortress of books had formed around her at the desk. Needless to say, nobody is going to bother her from here on out.

And indeed, nobody did for the duration of her stay at the library, leaving her ample time to do research for the next few hours up until closure. As to be expected, there were a lot of these books and tomes that were downright useless, enough so to cause the swordswoman to discard them immediately upon skimming through their table of contents; in fact, much of the first hour was mostly composed of book discarding. It wasn't until the second hour that she would finally start reaching some interesting information. Apparently, throughout the history of the Gotei 13, there have been instances in which a Shinigami's weapon happened to evolve into two weapons after its Asauchi phase. In hindsight, this information is rather useless as it presents no solution to her case in the slightest, though the fact that these instances were mostly few and far between pushed her to read about this subject a little bit further out of sheer curiosity alone. Among these instances was one that caught much of her eye: the case of Fujiwara Masashi.

A long time ago, roughly about almost three millenniums ago from now, Fujiwara Masashi joined the Gotei 13 under the banner of the Tenth Division. For the first few years following his official registration as a Shinigami, he was primarily seen as a nuisance, someone who talked loudly and brashly without any code of conduct. In other words, his performance as an officer of the law was genuinely regarded as being very poor. For some, this would have been more than enough to banish him from the celestial forces, but there was one thing that prevented those who were at the top of the line back then to from doing such a thing: the sheer potency of his soul. Somehow, the man's spirit was such that it constantly beamed with an almost-limitless amount of reiatsu... and yet, he never realized this, continuing to act as immaturely and childishly without care. It was only once he witnessed an invasion of Soul Society that he finally grew conscious of that fact, and from that point on, he became obsessed with the idea of achieving greater strength to protect his friends and family.

For years, the man trained so as to refine his spiritual energy. He'd learn Zanjutsu techniques and create some of his own, understand the intricate technicalities of Hakuda, master the arts of Hohō, and learn countless Kidō spells. Every day, every year, he became stronger and stronger, and with it, his reiatsu grew. Soon, he achieved Shikai, and thereafter, he was capable of unleashing his Bankai. Still, something was amiss. After all these years of training and mastery, he still felt as though he was incomplete and therefore incapable of acting as the protector of Soul Society. So, in an attempt to learn more, he went on a pilgrimage to the wild lands beyond, battling the beasts and the Hollows within. Five years later, he returned with newfound power and a second Zanpakutō. From that point on, the man defended the heavenly realm for almost an entire millenia as the longest-lasting Captain of the Tenth Division until his age coerced him to bring an end to his duty. He then went on to serve as a teacher of Shin'ō Academy for a few more centuries before age finally brought an end to his plentiful life. Although his skills are now long lost to time, Masashi himself is still remembered to this day by Shinigami historians as a hero who deserves to be treated with great respect.

It was a nice bit of history. At least, Kimiko believed it as such. It was a real shame that she was unable to meet this person now like countless others she has read about. However, she couldn't shake off the fact that he returned with two Zanpakutō. It wasn't just some random sword he found or made like the one she has crafted for herself with Vice-Captain Kawada's help: it was a full-blown Soul Cutter. The way the book was written, it almost seemed as though he used his own power to create this second blade, which probably meant he utilized his own spiritual energy more than anything else to create it. Is that... even possible? From what she can remember from her academic years, there have been no recorded instances of a Shinigami creating another Zanpakutō after their first blade has passed its Asauchi state. It sounded like that specific part of Masashi's story had been completely made up or poorly reconstructed over the course of time. Even so, there was something about it that seemed oddly fitting to her current situation.

She always has had a lot of spiritual energy at her disposal. That much was now nothing new. For some reason she really could not explain even if she tried to, her spirit was blessed with the ability to channel an incredible amount of reiatsu to the point that she has grown powerful in a very short amount of time despite being still relatively new to the Gotei 13. It was just a theory for now, and a rather farfetched one at that, but maybe the forest she keeps seeing in the corner of her eye while she is within her Inner World was a sort of sign created by the excessive amount of power exhumed by her soul. If this is true, then perhaps this also means that this power is attempting to manifest somehow, but has no conduit to achieve that goal, hence why she cannot fully see it. Again, it was extremely farfetched, something that she just made up on the spot without any concrete proof. However, that was the only lead that she had so far, so she might as well follow it and see where it goes.

So, a conduit... What could qualify as a conduit of spiritual energy in this world? There are a few things that can technically conduit spiritual energy. When it comes to the more casual side of things, there are trinkets that she has seen on the market which are meant to be used for training purposes by Shinigami or people who can just use small amounts of reiatsu in Rukongai, such as small lamps. Obviously, that wouldn't be enough to cover an excessive amount of spiritual energy; at best, they would just self-destruct once they become overwhelmed by such a great amount. So then, is there a conduit that is sturdier? Well, technically, Zanpakutō themselves qualify as conduits, seeing as they require spiritual energy in order to be released. Without spiritual energy, a Zanpakutō would practically just be a fancy sword, nothing more, nothing less. If a Zanpakutō is a conduit... then an Asauchi is also a conduit, for it is itself molded by the energy of the user over time.

Conclusion: she needs an Asauchi. It looks like she will have to take a trip to the armory.

[Nakajima Kimiko]

All members of the Gotei 13, be they past or current, are required to wield a Zanpakutō by law. That much was ascertained a good number of millenniums ago. They are powerful tools that are shaped solely for their user, and can be utilized in a variety of ways. Some can bring aid to an entire arm by healing the wounded and the sick, others can destroy an entire city in the matter of a few minutes, and there are a few which can even do ludicrous things such as creating illusory realities or stopping time itself. So then, by hearing, one could consider these divine weapons as being among the most powerful ever created in this world. That much is theoretically is true. However, as unfortunate as it may seem to many, such power is not granted easily. In fact, the grand majority of Shinigami will never be able to wield the sacred powers that are meant for them, as they require not only acute training, but also loyalty from the blade itself. In a way, the Asauchi stage could then be considered as being part of the beginning of this loyalty.

Before their proper use for combat, Zanpakutō are not Zanpakutō. They do not immediately bestow abilities onto the people who wield them and, perhaps surprisingly, they technically do not exist at all. Rather, what is in their place is the Asauchi. A crude way to describe this tool would be to discern it as the very infancy of the divine weapon. It sports no physical features unique to its composition, simply resembling a normal sword you would have commonly seen during the many feudal eras which has shaped Japan as it is known today, and does not harbor any kind of spiritual power. They cannot be communicated with as the spirit within them as yet to become realized, and thus they cannot be released, for it does not even possess a name for itself. In other words, they are almost completely normal. However, there is one clear difference which separates them from the blades of the Living World: their ability to become molded by their user over time. After a certain amount of time has passed, they start changing, becoming closer to their true selves, and eventually, they become the Zanpakutō they were always meant to be.

Considering both their historical and valuable importance to those who protect the heavenly realm, such a poetic weapon is thus handled with care, and so they are kept relatively well-guarded. Over the course of time, their base forms which are still unassigned to any Shinigami to this day were assigned protectors. Anitta, Ka-ha, Achilleus Andino, Sigmund Olllivand, Aldrich Hatt... Although these specific individuals are no longer there to protect the blades today, their spirits have moved on to their apprentices, which to this day continue to guard the divine weaponry in the very same spot in which their ancestors and past masters all stood. This aforementioned spot has taken many forms: a gate in which piles of Asauchi were stored behind, a mere shack in which they were still merely left on the ground, a proper foundation within which they were displayed onto the walls as though as a sign of pride for the Shinigami, etc. All of these would be protected by great warriors who would not hesitate to cut down any intruders, even their fellow officers. Of course, the form which it possesses today and the guardian which has been assigned to it are both rather different.

The Asauchi warehouse, as it is typically referred to, is located underneath Shin'ō Academy. Officially, it is part of the school's armory, a facility which stores many spiritual weapons that are not Asauchi or Zanpakutō so as to bring them about in times of absolute need, such as for protecting the Soul Society against an invading force or tending to a full-blown revolt in the higher districts of Rukongai. The warehouse itself unsurprisingly forms the grand majority of this facility, however, as the number of weapons stored within this armory is limited and can only be accessed by certain Shinigami officers due to their incredible potency, something which could become incredibly dangerous if left in the wrong hands. The Twelfth Division has made sure that this rule would be respected with locked doors that can only be opened with cards and other kinds of modern technology that is still steadily being integrated into the daily life of the heavenly realm's inhabitants.

With this advanced description of the area surrounding the warehouse and the warehouse's history aside, it would then be common sense to believe the area would look rather impressive. Unfortunately, that is a bit of an overstatement. No, perhaps treating it as such is an overstatement in of itself. For such a prestigious place, it is today most popularly regarded as a very boring area to go to even for the most aspiring students of the scholarly institution. It is a grey collection of lifeless steel walls with many shelves, drawers and crates filled to the brim with Asauchi. If anything, it resembles less a warehouse and more so a full-blown factory, and not the good kind filled with impressive machinery that would work it out all on its own. No, all of the warehouse's stocking operations and manipulations were instead handled by its one single guardian: Claire Neal. Somehow, in some way, the guardian of this place fitted this boring and almost-hopeless place to a tee.

Like many others, Kimiko met Claire when she first received her Asauchi, and like those others, she did not like her. Even now as she descended the flight of stairs down into the basement towards the armory, she dreaded the moment she would reach the warehouse and have to speak to her. A long time ago, the girl was known to be a very bright icon who filled the Academy with brimming positive light that made her quite popular, though over time as she was given her duties and more or less told to guard the place forever despite her position within the Eight Division, she steadily started to lose that light of hers instead she instead simply became a completely different person. Instead of a bright sun bringing motivation and excitement to all, she now was instead a black hole which sucked all nearby hopes and dreams until there was nothing left. At least that's what the swordswoman believed her current iteration to be, and it was what brought her to stop in front of the door that would lead her to the entrance hall of the warehouse for a brief moment. Eventually, though, she sighed and pushed forward through the door.

The entrance hall was small and just as uninteresting as this rendition of the Asauchi's resting place. It had clean white floors which almost looked sterile, a leather couch that probably was ten times older than Kimiko, and a few posters here and there placed onto the walls. A lot of them were either motivational posters that probably were just as old as the leather couch or papers that displayed the daily news. Among all of them, the one sheet of paper which described Shinkawa Hamanai's promotion from teacher to a position within the Central 46 almost caused the swordswoman to throw up right then and there. Aside from the posters were issues of the Seireitei Communication magazine settled right by the couch, a small table placed right in front of it, and a carpet placed underneath it. The fact that so much attention was given to that couch was concerning, to say the least, but the fact that the whole place resembled more what you would see in a hospital waiting room than a prestigious warehouse was perhaps even more so. Even the modern clock on the northern-most wall opposite to the door seemed boring.

Then, there was the desk placed right in front of it all. It too looked boring and sterile with a glass window and some pamphlets here and there. There was a computer with a keyboard placed underneath it, but it wasn't modern. Instead, it resembled one of those designs you would see in office spaces before the second modern millenia: a beige box that looked like it wanted to die. The only thing remotely distinguished about it was the wallpaper displayed onto its desktop, a drawing of several kittens dancing around a campfire. However, Kimiko could not see this. Instead, she saw Claire, the supposed "guardian" of the place who was currently sitting on a chair just gazing at the ceiling. Her hair was a mess of unkempt black that covered one of her green tired eyes, and her facial features were sharp and bored. She was small, small enough to be at difficult to spot behind the desk if it wasn't for the fact she literally was putting her feet onto it at the moment. Her Shihakusho was completely out of place and seemingly just as unkempt as her hair, so much so that half of it simply lied onto her back, revealing a white shirt underneath that displayed the word "LIFE" in big bold black letters from top to bottom.

At first, nothing was said between the both of them. The girl hasn't paid any attention to her at all and it did not even seem as though she wanted to converse with her in the slightest, which made Kimiko almost sigh awkwardly. In such a depressing atmosphere, it was rather difficult to start a conversation. Somehow, there seemed to be more pressure applied to her body in this very room than back when Shizukakane was showcasing to her how to use spiritual energy to manipulate the gravity around her. Eventually, however, she found inside herself the ability to push her body forward towards the desk. Whether it was through her sheer strength of will or plain impatience, she really honestly could not tell by that point. "Uh, hello," she let out in an attempt to get Claire's attention. There was no response, not even a single motion from the smaller girl's eyes. Upon noticing this, the swordswoman would continue. "I'm... here to ask if I could get an Asauchi."

"You already got one," a response finally came from the girl upon hearing Kimiko's request, which admittedly caught her off-guard. It came so fast and so clearly in that droning tone that she had no time to expect it. However, once she did hear it, she lightly frowned. Right. She probably should be more specific.

"No, I... want another one," she precised. In response, Claire finally decided to turn her gaze away from the ceiling and instead towards her. It displayed no emotions other boredom, yet Kimiko could tell that she was annoyed. It was rather bothersome.

"Uh-huh. That's what they all say. I'm gonna be nice: getting another Asauchi won't give you another Soul Cutter," she warned right away as she continued to gaze at the Third Seat of the Eleventh, seemingly without a care in the world about that particular position. "Trust me, it won't."

The way she ended her sentence there almost made it seem as though she wanted this conversation to end right away, like she wanted Kimiko to leave now that their business was concluded. This was enough to cause a mark of anger to comically appear on Kimiko's head, the first time it occurred in a long while. Why you...! Who the hell talks like that to a seated officer? She mentally scorned as she stood there gazing down at the girl with a deeper frown. If this girl was going to be so impolite, then she will have to be even more direct with her request. "Just please go get me an Asauchi," she almost downright ordered the girl. It was a bit of an abuse of her position as a higher officer of the Eleventh, but she was not going to take this lightly, especially not in front of such a pathetic sight of a girl. Claire, meanwhile, still continued to display absolutely no emotions at all, though eventually, she sighed, groaned, then pushed herself off of her office chair.

"Wait here," the girl only said as she moved behind a door which was located away from her desk. After that, Kimiko would indeed wait as demanded. She was just glad that she finally was able to get the biggest hurdle out of the way and technically did not have to deal with her for much longer after that. So, she waited. Surprisingly, it did not take long at all for Claire to come back, as after not even a minute, she would push herself against the door in which she had left the room from with a sword-sized box in her arms. She'd put the box onto her desk with a light exhale, push against a special compartment that would allow it to be safely delivered to the other side, then sat back in her chair with crossed arms. "There, a standard Asauchi. Be careful with it. If you don't like it, just bring it back in good condition," she would tell Kimiko, now truly feeling as though business was completed, then simply stared at her as though now demanding that she leaves.

Kimiko's frustration about that gaze aside, she was glad that she finally got what she wanted. Nevertheless, she made sure to bring the box away from the desk and instead onto the couch so as to open it and examine its contents, just to make sure that Asauchi was there. As to be expected, it was. The very moment she opened the box, the swordswoman's eyes gazed upon the featureless blade that Shizukakane once was so long ago. It was still resting within its scabbard, which was also rather unoriginal. Even so, despite the blade's lack of originality, it was a rather unique experience to behold one from so up-close once again. In fact, she found herself compelled to raise it from the box and unsheathe it to give it an even-closer look, something which made Claire stare at her with that same annoyed tone. "Don't unsheathe it here. This is still Academy grounds," she reminded aloud. In no way was she going to allow this officer to put her in trouble, after all.

However, there was no response from Kimiko this time around. She did not flinch from her voice nor moved at all, which caused the guardian to simply stare at her for a bit longer like she wasn't aware of what to do by that point. "Hey, did you hear me? Put it back in the box. You can't swing it around here," she reminded again, but still, no response. The complete lack of answer from the Shinigami was now starting to bother her, though not in the conventional way where she was just annoyed. Now, she was instead started to be slightly worried. The swordswoman wasn't doing anything with the sword: she was just standing there with the sword raised in front of her. Slowly, she brought herself out of her chair and grabbed her Zanpakutō which she had left under the desk. She was not planning to use it, but it was just in case. It was not the first time she has had to deal with strange students trying to get whatever they wanted from her. "Nakajima," she called again as she crossed the small door which delimited the desk and the entrance hall, then approached Kimiko. "Nakajima. Hey."

Once she was close enough and had a proper look at the officer, she heard something coming from her. It was very faint and almost inaudible, but she had definitely said something. What she had said, however, never came to Claire, as before she was able to guess what was told, her eyes widened as she suddenly felt an immense of pressure crash against her body. The couch whined and cried as it was smashed by the invisible force, and the posters on the walls were ripped from them before smacking right against the floor. The glass which was located in front of her desk vibrated incessantly from the pressure, slowly starting to crack and fall apart, though luckily, the computer held on. During that time, Claire held on with clenched teeth as she resisted the effects. It would take much more spiritual energy to take her down with pressure alone... but this was unprecedented. It was like an explosion of energy suddenly boomed from Kimiko. More importantly, something had happened to the blade. "What the hell...?" She muttered, almost frozen at the sight given to her.

The Asauchi... was changing. What was once a featureless blade was now starting to morph into something different, something new which exhumed a sort of energy that Claire could only describe as drawn darkness, as though something was painting trails around Kimiko with "ink". It was like seeing a Zanpakutō come to life at an accelerated pace, and it left her almost completely paralyzed in awe. That was not the only thing that occurred, however, as meanwhile, the color of the entire room was slowly disappearing, leaving behind its wake nothing but gray. "That's... impossible..." the guardian simply said as the colors of her body were starting to be stolen away too, leaving here simply gray and and perhaps as lifeless as her outward personality. Somehow, this wasn't just the accelerated birth of a new Zanpakutō: it was also its accelerated release. It was simply bestowing Kimiko with way too much spiritual power for a simple sealed blade. What she had muttered back then must have been its name.

Then, almost as suddenly as it all began, the event ended and Kimiko's body simply crashed back-first against the cracked floor, falling unconscious with the blade in her hand with blood dripping from underneath her robes. Shaking, the guardian remained there shocked by all that's happened. It took her about a full minute for her to finally decide to bring the swordswoman to the Fourth Division barracks.

For Kimiko herself, it took her even longer to properly remember all that's happened.

[Nakajima Kimiko]

Darkness was the first thing that Kimiko saw once she unsheathed the Asauchi. Her vision had become black and void, rendered suddenly empty. The terrible couch, the magazines by its side, even the blade that she was holding in her hand... All gone. Then, shortly after her vision was stripped away from her, so was her connection to the ground and the air, and shortly after, all her senses were also stolen from her. The feeling was familiar; after all, she had experienced it countless times while moving in and out of her Inner World. However, this was more intense, like the entirety of her soul floated from reality to another world beyond mortal comprehension. There was no physical pain, but the theft of her senses was among the greatest she felt in a while. It was less so like the feeling she felt during her entry into the fields in which Shizukakane was located into, and more so instead like the one she felt during the time she stepped into Celes' Inner World to meet with Yunorashi.

Slowly, but ever so surely, however, the darkness would change. It was a slow process from which she formerly experienced in a corporeal fashion. Her soul was first given a physical anchor from which she could interact with the world. Bone, muscle and skin formed around the immaterial thing, then feeling, permitting her to feel the air of this new realm. As though itself unsure of what to make of it, it changed many times. Hard, soft, smooth, wet... Finally, it eventually settled for something that felt closer to fresh air, something that she could not touch yet you could feel and move on through without any difficulties. In terms of temperature, one could assume it to be near twelve or thirteen degrees Celsius, the feeling of autumn. Then, after the conditions of the air itself was decided, she was given a platform to stand on, something from which she can could use to move. After that, her sight was returned to her in combination with her hearing, and finally, as though finalized, the world decided to take shape all around her.

The swordswoman watched in both shock and awe as the darkness which once plagued her vision cracked and then spread away like tree branches swept away by the wind. They were pushed away to first reveal ground and dirt, then great spreads of wood that reached far and wide before her. Once she realized that the spreads were roots, she frowned and found herself stepping back as she looked up. There was barely any sky to speak of, only darkness. It boomed loudly like a storm in a bottle, enough so to cause her at first to wince and clench her teeth from the noise they would make. Confused, she clenched her teeth as she tried to understand what was truly happening to her and her surroundings, so taken aback by it all by she found herself briefly putting her hands against her ears. Eventually, however, understanding came to her overwhelmed mind as light beamed from some parts of the darkness and her memories scrambled by the loss of feeling returned to her. By grabbing the Asauchi the guardian had given to her, she had somehow brought herself in her Inner World... or rather, she has witnessed the very birth of a new, presently unknown part of it.

Through this realization, she would carefully remove her hands from her ears and calm down in an attempt to analyze the area. Her eyes looked all around her, taking into account every piece of information she could find. Even now fully awake from her transfer to this new world, everything was darker than it should be. The darkness blocked the sun, preventing almost any light from breaching through, and the grass which sprouted from the flat ground was gray and dead, preventing the small amount of sun rays that reached the ground to illuminate it well. Only the light fog which was seemingly omnipresent across the forest allowed the forest to be illuminated, basking it in a shade of white that hid the furthest details of the forest which remained in the distance. As she analyzed the area just a bit further, she would come to the realization that the darkness above was not actually darkness at all, but rather leaves, and that the noise they created were their rustling. Upon coming to this conclusion, she looked back down towards not the ground entirely, but rather simply her front, and from there on, she paused.

There were many pillars of wood scattered about the area, a numerous amount which formed a sea of dark within the fog. Well, at least she had believed them to be pillars; rather, they were actually trees. They were large, incredibly so, and they were tall, enough so that she could not at all discern their summit in the darkness above. Perhaps they outright passed by their leaves itself, with their summit reaching for the very heavens. Never before had she seen trees of such an enormous size; in fact, she firmly believed that such trees simply do not exist outside of this place, not unless they were somehow fueled with spiritual energy during their growth. If she would dare to stand by their side, she would probably be the size of an ant in comparison to them. She could not even see their roots at their base, hinting at the fact that they were lodged so deep underground that they could not affect the flat surface. No wonder she simply mistook them for pillars beforehand.

It took Kimiko about a minute or so of total analysis before she would be tempted to slowly bring herself forward into the sea of trees. Marching onward, her judgement of the place continued as her eyes wandered from one end to another. She had to admit that the place was a bit intimidating. Unlike the charming brightness of the peaceful fields in which Shizukakane is located into, the one place in which she truly felt at peace, this place was instead cold and threatening. There were signs of softness, bits and pieces of the aforementioned brightness she could form from the sunlight breaching between the leaves, but their effect was noticeably underwhelming in comparison to their source. It didn't help that the entire area - even those trees which could be theorized as being hundreds if not thousands of years old - had no color whatsoever, causing it to appear rather joyless. If it was not for the intense rustling of the leaves above, she would have almost seen this place as being somehow just as lifeless as the entrance hall to the Asauchi warehouse.

Then, as she walked forward into the unknown, she saw something in the distance that stood out from the rest. It was faint at first, as though a wisp, and so she believed it as being yet another spot of light beaming from above. However, as she looked again, it seemed to become closer and closer from her. It reached from tree to tree at the same speed as she did, slowly walking past them. Yet, in comparison to her, it appeared just a bit faster. By the time it was about three trees away from her, its figure became clearer. It was not a wisp, but a pale man wearing a gray coat which blended it with the rest of the environment. His hair was of a messy white pulled towards the back of his head, and his eyes was of a cruel silver which stared towards the direction of the swordswoman. Even though they presently stood far away from one another, she could not help but gaze at him with a frown. This man was... familiar... Why did it feel as though she met him before?

Another tree was crossed once more, and once again, he grew closer. She was starting to understand that this was supposed to be the spirit of the Asauchi; after all, who else it could be? An Inner World can only be inhabited by herself and the spirits. If that was the case, however, she did not feel Shizukakane's warmth from him in the slightest. In fact, even now as he grew closer and closer to her, his eyes kept scowling at her in an almost violent fashion. Unlike Shizukakane, he also held his scabbard in his left hand, one that seemed to be clenched very tightly around it. The sheer atmosphere that surrounded the man was slowly starting to build up, and the more it did, the more Kimiko's started to focus onto him. Her step became louder and just a bit faster as they passed another tree, progressively becoming faster still. Finally, as they pass the very last tree, she would clench her teeth as she held her hand near her blade's handle. "What, you want to fight?! Then, come face me!" She called, her voice powerful enough boom against the rustling of the leaves above.

In response to this, the figure did not appear in front of her as they passed the last tree. Instead, he appeared behind her with his sword ready to strike. Only the sound of it rushing for her neck was able to alert the swordswoman of his presence.

It took her roughly a full half-second for her to react as her instincts kicked in. Like a flash flood of cold water, they warned her of the incoming weapon and the consequences she would suffer from its impact, and so, her body automatically dodged and turned around. Her widened eyes were at first shocked by what just happened, though as emotion and adrenaline both coursed through her veins, her visage would slowly twist. The shock disappeared, and behind it was a left of visage of anger and hatred gazing right back at a man who still dared to sport the exact same expression as before. This man attempted do finish her from behind. He used trickery to fool her into a sense of habit with the trees, and once he got her accustomed to it, he believed there was nothing more to do than to rob her of her pride. The familiarity that once was in that man's eyes had by then vanished. Now, there was no one standing before her but a coward with dainty little tricks.

With a red mist clouding her eyes, she replied in kind by grabbing the handle of her blade and viciously unleashing it onto her new opponent as a flurry of sword slices. Her sword sang through the air violently, pushing the mist away with cruel speed and precision that prompted the man to dodge immediately. He succeeded in dodging the slashes by rapidly dashing away from it every time it would reach for his body, kicking the ground powerfully enough to blast the grass underneath them away, though Kimiko did not care; in response to it at all, she continued to slice at him. The speed at which he went in order to strike him once was uneven, but shockingly accurate, as her fury allowed her to strike at him continuously with almost next to no present exhaustion. Unfortunately for her, none of these strikes would connect, and by the time she was about to land yet another slash, the man would hit back at it with a violent swing that left her wide open. The sight was enough to cause the man's scowled to deepen, though he said nothing. Instead, he let out a loud war-cry of his own before pushing forward onto the young woman to slice at her chest twice.

Blood was spilled into the air mercilessly as the girl was struck by her opponent's weapon. It was not the first time she had felt her body been torn asunder in such a way; after all, she had fought Shizukakane countless times in many spars, and every time she did, they both struck one another with their weapon. They did this in order to grow accustomed to pain, to build the mind against it, and to consequently become stronger through it. However, though they released blood lust in their spars, they never once attempted to kill one another. Every time such a thing would happen, they would both stop, use their abilities to heal their body, and then leave it at that. This was different. This man, this new spirit which was born from the Asauchi, did not want to simply spar with. No, he wanted to kill her. This was especially proven by how, after she received those slashes, she was delivered a powerful kick to the stomach that sent her flying towards one of the trees. Her body had crashed loudly and powerfully into it, causing it to crack as she was lodged into its base. Should she had fought Shizukakane, he would not have done this... and, in a way, this made her blood boil even further.

"You... COWARD! HOW DARE YOU!" She screamed from the tree as she raised her from it bloodied left with a massive bruise on stomach. The sheer burst of spiritual energy that then was exhumed from her caused her opponent to wince as he felt the pressure, causing him to clench his teeth furiously as he watched the scene unfold. Meanwhile, the woman raised her blade and released a powerful cry. "QUIETEN, SHIZUKAKANE!" With her voice would be raised the familiar white "ink" from her body. its release was enough to cause the area around them to start becoming quieter. Yet, Kimiko was not going to allow herself to do something like that. Oh, no, she was just getting started with this opponent. She was going to cut him down to shreds for the sheer cowardice he just displayed before her, and all he shall hear during that time is the song of her sword and her voice, whether he wants to hear those things or not.

In her anger then, she pushed herself from the tree towards her waiting opponent with the aid of Shunpo. The speed at which she reached for her opponent was unprecedented, the blast of which was powerful enough to cause another crack to form onto the tree she was just launched into. In fact, the pressure alone of that blast not only did such a thing, but also blasted both the grass on the ground with savage wind that hurled around them, all the while the "ink" grew from her blade. It was like witnessing a demon ripping itself away from its own painting. To this, the grey swordsman unleashed his own spiritual pressure, and once Kimiko reached his position, he then violently swung his blade against hers. The steel rang powerfully alongside the ringing of her blade, though strangely, black "ink" now started to surge from his body. His blade was starting to be covered by it as much as Kimiko's own, though it was of a clear and definite opposite color. "How dare you call me a coward, woman," he growled to her as they gazed at one another face to face, their blades grinding against one another with violent sparks. "I will reduce you and your pathetic blade to dust!"

The "ink" of darkness expanded from him with power, filling the air with the dark energy. It pulsed against Shizukakane's white "ink" energy, coiling itself with it akin to a snake attempting to battle with another of its kind. Meanwhile, the sheer amount of reiatsu being released from the area was absolutely unprecedented, causing the both of them to feel the pressure onto their bodies as they both physically and spiritually clashed against one another. The sound was leaving the area to be swallowed by Shizukakane, while somehow, the color was being ripped away from the lights from above, leaving nothing but a blank lifeless canvas behind. They were strangely both not affected by their opponent's ability, as though they worked in conjunction despite their mutual hatred. However, none of them cared about this particular detail for the moment. All they wanted was to take down the other in a spectacular battle that they planned to end in their own way.

What followed was a series of slashes banging against one another throughout the forest. Two bells fighting for dominance, two warriors fighting for their lives. It was the very first time the forest would witness such a battle underneath its leaves, and considering the context at hand, it did not seem as though it would be the last. They raged on and on for hour-long minutes, the energy of their blades pulsing all around them as they leeched the lifeblood of the Inner World. Blood was spilled from both sides, as the warrior found himself damaged by the battle, though it remained predominantly Kimiko's. At one point, it was only her rage that fueled her resistance to anger, her sheer and utter contempt for the man that caused her to go further and further beyond. During all this time, she absolutely refused to be taken down by a man who seemingly had no conscience of the word "honor". If it was not for that, she would have fallen unconscious sooner.

But no battle lasts forever. Eventually, Kimiko's body started to falter. She was becoming slower from the blood loss, sluggish. Her consciousness was starting to fade away. Anger kept her moving on, sure, but it had long since passed its warranty. She was of course also exhausted altogether. Shizukakane had brought her aid several times over with increase to her speed, the formation of armor around herself and the healing of many wounds, but every time she did call for that aid, her stamina lessened. It was not surprising; after all, all of these maneuvers required an ample dose of reiatsu each. This would lead the woman to cause a few mistakes during the battle, and by the time she attempted to strike her opponent again with yet another slash, her blade was struck again in an attempt to deviate it. The difference compared to before was that, this time around, it was launched across the area far away from her. She tried to continue the battle nonetheless by using Shunpo Karin to boost her fist towards the man's face, though it failed to reach him. Instead, it was dodged, and she received the man's scabbard straight into the stomach, causing her to keel over. She didn't have the time to fall onto the ground before she was stricken twice in the face, then raised by the neck.

The ghost-like spirit stared right into the scarlet eyes of the girl as she held her in such a merciless way. Like her, his body too was left bleeding in a few places, though he did not have the advantage to heal it instantly like Kimiko. Instead, he had endured the slashes and the scars with absolute conviction alone. Perhaps that was why he stood now victorious. Even so, something was keeping him from finishing her. Rather than outright planting that blade of his in her stomach, he simply stood there and stared at her with a lighter frown, as though one of understanding. It caused the gasping swordswoman to give him a sight of bloodied clenched teeth. She wanted to say something, yet nothing came out of her choked throat. Before anything had time to come, his own words instead came. "You're not ready to face her," he said then, prompting Kimiko to gaze at him questioningly as he continued. "Even with her strength, you wouldn't last a minute."

In her position, it was difficult for the swordswoman to understand what he was talking about. She had no idea who this "her" was supposed to be, and also had no idea as to why he spoke as though she was granted "her strength". However, as she started losing consciousness fully, she something clicked in her mind. "Her strength". A power that was not her own. She wanted to ask more about this "her", wanted to find out more about her, but her consciousness prevented her from staying awake for much longer. At least, the man gave her a promise, as risky as it seemed at the moment. "For your own pathetic safety, I will from now on make you my responsibility. As weak as you are now, I refuse to grant her any more victories. You may give attention to the old man, but it shall be equal to the attention given to me. Are we clear?" He asked directly to her, which caused Kimiko to clench her teeth almost angrily. In response, the choking became more powerful, causing her to gasp louder. She couldn't last any longer, and so, she nodded. To this, he grunted and then dropped her onto the ground, causing her to lie there immobile. "Very well. Then, listen, woman! I am the greatest blade you shall ever witness, the most powerful sword you shall ever have the permission to wield! My name is Taishokukane! Remember it well."

"Tai...shoku...kane..." Kimiko could only mutter as she lied there, unable to move any longer. By the time she had finished repeating his name, darkness came to her, and she was thus dragged away from the Inner World.

[Nakajima Kimiko]

When Kimiko's consciousness returned to her and she woke from her slumber, she was no longer within her Inner World. With her focus stripped from her, there was no more spiritual energy to convey to the sword, and so this unprompted session of Jinzen ended right then and there. She had left the forest as peacefully as she could've when taking into consideration all the elements surrounding her entry into it, and in so doing, she returned to the Soul Society. However, she returned to it injured, perhaps even more so than ever before. No Hollow had ever delivered such damage to her body as of yet, or at least none that came to her mind as of then. In so doing, she was seemingly transported to a a familiar place. More specifically, as she always did every time she got herself injured to the point of being unable to heal her body on her own with Shizukakane's energy, she ended up in the one area that always welcomed her whenever she required its facilities as quickly as possible: the barracks of the Fourth Division.

The medical team that was assigned to heal her injuries were rather shocked, to say the least. In total, the swordswoman had acquired an estimated number of about more than twenty different injuries, ranging from great slashing wounds that left her bleeding all over her Shihakusho, broken bones that have been hit so badly that they punctured into other parts of the body and caused internal bleeding, cuts to the wrists and ankles that were clearly meant to weaken Kimiko during a battle via further bleeding, and finally, bruises in many areas of the body, including choke marks. Some of the elements of this terrible list seemed to have been taken care of more so than others by Shizukakane's healing technique, though it was clear that it eventually became not powerful enough to take care of all of them at once. Perhaps because of this detail, a lot of the spiritual energy had also been used, causing some areas of the body to be damaged quite a fair bit.

About three days of rest were required for the officer to fully recover, during which she remained unconscious and unaware of all that was happening during that time. By the time she finally awakened from her slumber, she was in the same room that welcomed her after she had fought against Siegfried, which was right before she had officially joined the Gotei 13. There, she saw the same wooden ceiling, the same walls, the same beds, and the same window which basked it all in sunlight. Unlike that time, however, to the damnation of her comrades, nobody was allowed to see her and she could not leave right away. They did not tell her why, but of course, she was totally aware of the reason behind it: they wanted to get full reports and statistics of her body and spiritual energy before letting her leave. Somehow, in some way, she had quite literally achieved that hasn't been done in a long while, so they were definitely not going to just let her leave like nothing happened. Not only that, but she had also done it right in front of the Asauchi warehouse. For all she knows, the news is probably going all around the Academy as of yet.

Eventually, however, she was allowed to leave. They told her that she could resume her duties, but that she should lay off on the training for at least a week, as she had spent a significant amount of reiatsu in suddenly transforming another Asauchi into a released Zanpakutō. Additionally, it was also advised that she eat a lot of red meat in order to lessen the effects of the impressive blood loss she has gone through, such as beef and boar. That was about it. Although she was happy to hear that she had not suffered any permanent damage for all that's happened, she was a bit worried about the fact that she was told nothing about the Asauchi warehouse. She could not remember anything that had happened then as she was stuck in her Inner World the moment she grabbed that Asauchi, but all the energy that she had released then must have spilled from the release of the sword must have caused some damage to the more fragile utilities there. So it was with this thought in mind that she left her room within the barracks and headed for the main hall where Shizukakane and hew new blade were now located.

Like before, it did not take too long to reach the entrance, roughly about a few minutes at best. She passed by corridor after corridor of medical rooms in which other officers of the Gotei 13 were being treated, and as usual, she tried not to pay too much attention to them or the fact that this all reminded her of the hospital that had employed her father. At the end of these many corridors was the counter in which was stored the weapons of the aforementioned officers, including her own. She could see their scabbards from where she was. There was a girl at the counter this time around instead of the man from before. That was surprising enough. However, what was perhaps more surprising was the person she saw conversing with, a certain black-haired woman with unkempt hair, a rather-disheveled robe, and a silly bunny shirt underneath. Claire...? The swordswoman's thoughts rang as she witnessed the presence of guardian of the Asauchi warehouse outside of her usual spot. It was rather surreal to see her here, all things considered. Well, not as her surreal as the fact she hasn't even bothered to present herself correctly even outside of the Academy, but that was beside the point. 

The girl, of course, noticed Kimiko's presence alongside the girl behind the counter. She would gaze at her in confusion at first, almost as if she wasn't quite sure of if she was staring at the real thing, though she eventually was able to confirm that she was. With a calm step, she pushed herself towards the superior officer and hummed. "Good. You're okay," she would say as she looked at the officer from head to toe. The tone of her voice had not changed in the slightest, something which caused Kimiko to stare at her with an annoyed gaze.

"Good morning to you too," she sighed with a bit of frustration coming to her by the complete lack of etiquette displayed by the girl, though the frustration left her once she realized that she was standing in front of the person who most likely brought her here in the first place. The fact that she was even here to begin with was a bit heartwarming, all things considered. "Did you... come here to visit?"

"They told me you were being let go today," she explained in her own way, which more or less confirmed the fact that she did indeed wanted to visit Kimiko. It also seemingly confirmed that she wanted her beforehand, albeit indirectly, which made the scarlet-eyed warrior smile a bit.

"Yeah, they are," she confirmed, then went to the counter to speak to the lady behind it to ask her if she could retrieve her blades. Although the lady seemed a bit hesitant at first, she nodded and went to get get them after a few seconds. The swordswoman would take a hold of them, put Shizukakane in her obi sash, then simply hold Taishokukane's scabbard in her right hand as she tried to figure out how she would sheathe it in that same sash. "I'll most likely be stuck on paperwork for a week... but it's better than being stuck in a bed, I guess."

Claire would not respond to that, not even with the briefest of nods. Instead, she would simply stare at Taishokukane in silence. Her eyes were almost fixated on the sword, like she was desperately trying to understand its existence. With a step forward, suddenly, she would approach the swordswoman and give it a closer look. She made no attempts to grab the sword for an even closer inspection, though that was probably because Kimiko was taller than her. That would have been extra effort from her part for no real reason. "I came here because I wanted to ask you something," she let out as she stared at the sword, then turned her gaze to Kimiko. By the time it reached the scarlet-eyed warrior, her hopeless gaze had instead turned more serious. "Do you realize what you have just done?"

The question made Kimiko blink confusingly for a moment, enough so to stare back at the girl. "What do you mean?" She asked as honestly as she could, to which Claire responded to as seriously as she possibly could once again.

"That Asauchi was a sword I picked up from the warehouse. There was nothing special about it," she spoke with that serious tone of hers as she stood there, her expression slowly changing from its perpetual bored state to instead something that was more akin to shock or awe, "and yet you turned it into a Zanpakutō by just touching it. You even released it."

"I... just followed the story of Fujiwara Masashi. That's all."

Hearing this was enough to make Claire frown even more seriously. "Do you know how long it took him to get his second sword?"

"Five years."

"No. That was a mistake that was corrected a few years ago by one of our historians after they realized they had mistranslated some of his reports." Her gaze focused onto the sword again. "It took him a hundred years to get his second blade. You did what took someone a century to accomplish under a minute."

Kimiko's eyes widened upon hearing this, and for a moment, she felt her heart stop. It was like an enormous boulder was suddenly dropped onto her shoulders. She had believed the feat to already be quite impressive to accomplish in five years, and in all honesty, she somewhat believed that it would take her that long if her theory about the Asauchi was correct. But a hundred years? She had accomplished something that was meant to be done in a century in the matter of a couple of seconds? It seemed impossible when put that way, like something out of a dream. Without any understanding of how she did it, she just performed something that probably was so unusual that it could be considered as being legendary... and she felt absolutely undeserving of that achievement in every sense of the word. It was too fast. She was being given power way too quickly, and now, even the guardian of the Asauchi warehouse believed that she was a strange case.

She did not know what to say in this moment. In a way, she wanted to tell Claire about what has been happening in her Inner World and in her dreams. She wanted to tell her about how she didn't feel as though this power she owned was hers, that there was something inside of her that was somehow responsible for this sudden, absolute growth. Even in the many records and history books kept in the library of the Academy, there has not been a great amount of Shinigami officers who have grown so quickly in power. If they did, it was always because they had already fought against people or Hollows in deep Rukongai prior to their recruitment in the Gotei 13, or they had died as Fullbringers in the Living World. However, she was none of those things! About a decade ago, she was just a Human! A normal young woman who just went to school and played video games during the evening! She was no Fullbringer, no Quincy, nothing like that! She wasn't even an amazing fighter! Sure, she did some Kendō on the side, but that wasn't remotely similar to what she does now!

Why is she so strong? Why can she just do things others cannot do as quickly? Why is she the way she is?

Her body winced. The amount of questions that were pilling on in her head was starting to overwhelm her. It seemed as though the more she lived here in this Soul Society, the more she realized how much of an anomaly she was, and somehow, she couldn't express that even when some people are thinking of her as such. Instead of trying to directly ask for help, to directly ask Claire what was wrong with her so as to perhaps find answers from others, all she could do was stare at her new sword. This new, dark, black blade. "I... I see..." she said then, unsure of what else to say. Her brain was trying to formulate other words to perhaps throw out on a whim, but none of them came out of her mouth. In other words, all of its attempts to ask more questions to Claire failed absolutely. In this failure, it instead decided to find where she would place in her obi sash, then would guide it towards the location. Once it was lodged onto the left side of her sash, she looked back to the guardian, then attempted to smile proudly. "I guess that's pretty cool."

And with that, she told her goodbyes to Claire and parted ways, leaving the guardian there as she took her leave. There was nothing more to say, or rather nothing she found the power to say. She felt shame, embarrassment and great anger against herself for walking away in such a way, especially given how flimsy her response was to it all, but she couldn't do anything about it. The weight of her many questions prevented her to do it. It suffocated her, prevented her from opening her mouth in the most crucial of times. So, she did the only thing she could do from that point: walk away, return to her quarters for the day, and try to continue living with her problems. Hopefully, amidst all the things that is currently occurring in her life, she will be able to solve these questions on her own without succumbing to the stress.

Until then, she has another sword to in her arsenal now. Whether it is for the better or for the worse, only time will tell.

[ E N D ]

[Kitai Yoru]

90 Paragraphs, 450 TP awarded