Flashback

Mon Aug 26, 2013 12:28 am

Even though his body was in the hospital bed, which was inside the Yonbantai division's sector of the Seireitei, Tsuyo's mind was elsewhere in his soul, or being, random new wounds sprouting on him randomly during the day. The Yonbantai medical Shinigami had deducted that he was in a pseudo comatose state, and was likely engaged inside of his Zanpakutō's inner world, due to the reiatsu they were radiating with whilst sitting on his lap in the bed. Little did they know, however, what exactly was going on inside. Just what exactly Tsuyo was working for.

Two figures, Tsuyo and the Zanpakutō spirit stood upon the grey murky water which somehow allowed them to walk on it like a solid surface. At this point, they had resorted to simply using their swords to fight, a series of lunges, parries, and thrusts. Finally, as Tsuyo brought his sword diagonally to the right, held at level with his waist, the Zanpakutō spirit came in for a simple piercing jab. Tsuyo had finally had the edge, as he had anticipated this and kept the sides of his swords against those incoming, and slid up from there and brought his blades across the spirit's torso and just below the neck, near the clavicles.

As the spirit withdrew from Tsuyo, it bled just momentarily as their "flesh" turned to something akin of ice, a blue hue overtaking it as the bleeding stopped soon after. The figure held at it's wound and looked at Tsuyo in disdain, discontent with it's mistake. However, it didn't seem intent on giving up just yet, an arrogant grin revealing that he might have had something hid up his sleeve, or had been holding back.

" It's almost as if you rely on your opponent to make a mistake, and capitalize only then to prosper in a fight as the victor. Tell me, if I had aimed to clash swords, and not impale my blade through your gut, could you have still landed a hit? Let us see... "

With that, the Zanpakutō spirit, which was now 5 meters (15 feet) away from Tsuyo, had begun to dash at him wildly, a sword in each hand to his right and left sides, held at torso level, edges facing Tsuyo, who would now be forced to engage further in combat with the spirit; even though he had landed what would plausibly have been a fatal blow. Meanwhile, Tsuyo could only help but think to himself as he reacted to the charging man; Pretty reckless for a Zanpakutō spirit...but damn me if he's not right.

Tue Aug 27, 2013 12:45 am

As the spirit came in closer to Tsuyo, with each step of his foot tapping on the surface below him, the Zanpakutō in it's left hand raising forward horizontally to meet at least one, if not both of Tsuyo's Zanpakutō against it. From there he pressed forth with it to grind against one, if not both of Tsuyo's Zanpakutō, as the other one came in for a stab on Tsuyo's left (spirit's right) flank.

However, almost mimicking his Zanpakutō's spirits movements, his left sword clashed with the spirit's own left sword, and he too reached forth with a jab with the tip of his sword into the spirit's flank. Both of them landed a stab into each other's sides, and a moderate stream of blood gushed out as they pushed away and withdrew from the "draw".

With both of their wounds freezing over soon after, Tsuyo and the spirit stared at each other from 5 meters yet again, this time Tsuyo questioning his Zanpakutō spirit.

" I landed the first hit, then we had a draw. What's gonna happen next? You gonna turn the tides against me, miraculously? From what I can tell, we're not gonna get anywhere with this, until we're both frozen stiff and unable to fight. "

Continuing his speech, he remained coherent of what the spirit was doing, his movements, and any fluctuations of Reiatsu.

" Must we do this? Waste our time fighting? I already risk so much when facing Hollow and Arrancar, but now you, my own Zanpakutō, want to inflict harm upon me? That's pretty messed up, seeing as you're the one responsible for being, well, the best Zanpakutō a guy like me could ask for. Like a coach, mentor, something like that. Not my enemy. "

With that, his Zanpakutō spirit relaxed from it's tense, offensive posture as he looked at Tsuyo aggressively, as if ready to cut him to pieces. His face strained for a moment as he was puzzled how to word this to Tsuyo, but the ideal way to put it soon revealed itself to him, and was passed on to Tsuyo soon after.

" Can't you tell the intent in my swing? The emotion of my, no, our blades? Do you not understand why I swing at you? With every swing you can feel the emotion, so you learn, from my swing, the emotions within me. You need to get better, Tsuyo, and I can't help but feel like you are slacking. You are so close, Tsuyo, so close to me being able to help you. "

" ...But in order to do that, you must help yourself. I am not the source of your power, I am the source of your resolve. The power I vest in you is your own to keep, and once granted I can never take it back. That is why I must make sure of you, Tsuyo. Could you be trusted with such power? Perhaps not... "

" I can feel the doubt resonating within you, a slight tremble in your core; shivering in-place. Look, your body even indicates the same. And oh my, what's with your wound? It looks much bigger than the one you made on me. Why's that? "

Looking coldly at Tsuyo's eyes, almost as if looking into his core, or soul, he simply leered at him, waiting for an answer or response. His Zanpakutō morphed into two black swords, as he taunted Tsuyo by pointing both the curved yet still sharp tips at him and allowing the sleek blades to be displayed to the Shinigami.

This was his Zanpakutō's Shikai.

Wed Aug 28, 2013 9:17 am

Standing there for a moment, Tsuyo's eyes shuttered, widening at the words his Zanpakutō had mentioned, but yet also at the one's that had yet to come, as he soon followed with his lecture.

" Because...you're naive. You don't even know my name, how you got here. Can you tell me anything? Could you ever be the "teacher", Tsuyo? Unlikely...you're the equivalent of a village idiot, thinking you have some sort of advantage over me? I don't know whether to laugh, or feel dreadful for how easily mistaken you are. "

" As my student, you will come to learn many things. Once of them, is that I hate arrogance. If your soul was truly certain you could beat me, you would swing with such feeling behind your blade. But you know what I am, the reason I am here. Is that enough for you to persevere on your own? Have you really been alone this whole time? Whose to say I haven't been the one influencing your instinct? "

With that, Tsuyo's face only seemed to stretch more in a scorned fashion, almost in complete disbelief as his Zanpakutō sorted out through all of his confidence from having the "advantage", rendering it to mere arrogance on Tsuyo's part.

" Gullible, as always. Do you really believe I influence what you do? I mean, maybe now, of course. But before now, I have been a shadow in the corner, unnoticed potential now revealed. But the same could be said, well, for you... "

Looking at Tsuyo with a deep resentment in his eyes, his next course of action was more of a dictation over Tsuyo, forcing him to attack as the Zanpakutō spirit enclosed from 5 meters away.

" Now reveal your shadows to me, Tsuyo Maboroshi! "

Fri Aug 30, 2013 7:05 pm

With his Zanpakutō spirit coming closer, Tsuyo could feel what it was that the man had been talking about. The fact that he seemed to shiver before his opponent when put into such potential risk. But what was the reason behind this shivering? Could it be that he was scared?

No, it was the idea of facing someone that he bore a connection with, as little as knowing of them and being a complete stranger himself. The concept of innocence also took play, as Tsuyo simply could not stand to see the pain beared by others; physical or the grief and pain from losing someone dear to them. It was almost too much for him.

And so it was for that reasoning that Tsuyo found it difficult to fight his Zanpakutō, even though it aimed to provoke him, and was even heading at him with it's Shikai released, ready to make it's slew of assaults upon it's "master". Simply wondering what kind of power the Zanpakutō his spirit had, Tsuyo held up his own two Zanpakutō to meet the spirit's own two blades. As they clashed for a moment, Tsuyo tried gauging the feeling behind his spirit's swing, and couldn't help but feel as though he was being looked down on.

" You don't understand me as much as you think. Yes, I am practically trembling...but that's not because I am afraid of you. "

Pushing forward into the two Zanpakutō with his own, Tsuyo allowed the force his spirit applied back to match his own to push him back, sliding on his feet just under 5 meters (10 feet exactly) back from the spirit.

" You think I wanted any of this power so I could waste it fighting you?! This here, what we're doing, it's disgusting; a grotesque use of my power- "

With his words, the Zanpakutō spirit blurted out in laughter, drowning out the noise of Tsuyo who had now completely stopped talking all-together. For a moment everything was silent, besides the spirit's obnoxiously loud cackling. Unfortunately, the sudden "whoosh" of a Shunpo caught the spirit's attention as Tsuyo brought himself into the spirit, both swords stabbing forward to stake him twice in the chest.

" I said it's disgusting! "

Driving the spirit back, who used his two Shikai Zanpkauto to defend against the charge, the spirit slid back 10 feet leaving a small trail of rippling water. However, soon after, a large wave had brought itself collapsing over the spirit. It was completely random in Tsuyo's mind, now wondering if he had some sort of subconscious abilities in this world. Maybe it was just coincidence?

Sat Aug 31, 2013 6:24 am

As Tsuyo looked at the rogue wave pass the area by, he noticed the Zanpakutō shifting up from the water. As he regained his standing position, he moved back towards Tsuyo avoid anymore of the waves from colliding into him, as Tsuyo stood with a look of pure disdain over his face, gazing over his now drenched Zanpakutō spirit.

" Took a quick dip, did we? Now, can you put those things away for fucks sake? Why does everything I have to do revolve around fighting for no reason? I train and push myself against my friends, my comrades, only to watch some, if not all of them die in the field. And all you could think is to fight me, and further burden the weight on my shoulders? It's you who has no idea. Maybe I don't know your name, but that doesn't mean I am lacking. An honorable fighter would reveal his name, but you seem to be missing something- "

" Tsūkōnin, Kanashi Tsūkōnin. I am your Zanpakutō...now, will you quit babbling and fight me? You're being quite obnoxious with all this chatter, for the grubworm that you are. "

Tsuyo, who was simply looking in the direction of his spirit, had dropped his jaw slightly, eyes peeling open once again, his right eyebrow creasing slightly in agitation.

" You said that you could feel the emotion in our swings. Tell me, Tsūkōnin, what do you feel NOW! "

Making another powerful dash at his Zanpakutō spirit, this time there was a hint of confidence, assuredness even, in his stride. Even the swing of his swords was mighty and filled with intent to collide with the spirit, at least once more. As their bodies and blades met, Tsuyo slid his up against the edges of Tsūkōnin's hook swords, this time aiming for his swords to catch on the "hook" part of the sword, continuing the striking motion and aiming to disarm the spirit.

Within that moment, just after Tsuyo's maneuver had disconnected the spirit's grip on the dual-wielded hook swords of the Zanpakutō's Shikai, it seemed that another rogue wave had collapsed down over the both of them, effectively putting an abrupt, halting end to their little "fight" (if you could call it that). After a few moments, their bodies arrived on top of the presently calm and still water surface, washing up next to each other.

Coughing up water as he had been breathing whilst the second rogue wave hit the both of them unexpectedly, Tsūkōnin seemed to be in need of ridding his lungs and mouth of the water too, Tsuyo now noticing just how cold the water actually was, as it draped and drenched over him in this lying down position. His body shivered heavily now, and his teeth even clattered at random when he couldn't keep them from doing so.

" Hehe, it's colder than you thought, isn't it Tsuyo? Yes, I understand what you mean now. But you have no idea what this type of power does to people, the temptation, the freedom they already possess. Tell me, Tsuyo, what do you plan to do with our power? "

Looking at his two Zanpakutō, which were still clenched in both of his hands, Tsuyo used them to prop himself up into a seated position, soon after sheathing them into their respective sheaths.

" I'm going to make sure no more of my allies die on my watch. If I am there, and one more person dies in my sight... "

Tsuyo's hands gripped into the water of which he sat upon, causing it to ripple slightly as it almost seemed to give him a burning sensation with it's coldness. Still shivering, almost that of a tremble now, Tsuyo exclaimed his feelings to his spirit, uncertain of how he would take it.

" I won't be able to let them see me in the halls! I wouldn't be able to face their friends, their family! I've already seen so much regret, resentment in the eyes of the parents, let alone the siblings.

Us Shinigami? We're supposed to be a good thing, Tsūkōnin! But I don't feel good, not at all! All I can feel and see is a world filled with sorrow, mourning, and grief. Why would I want to be a part of something so dreadful? "

His Zanpakutō spirit, noticing that he was now shivering uncontrollably, patted Tsuyo on the head, soothing him and easing his worries with an answer that would hopefully boost his spirits, and charisma about life as a Shinigami.

" Because, you're one of the few people with any rectitude. You know when it is right to swing your blade, and also when it is wrong. Thus, you also know when to kill who you are fighting, and when to hold back.

We need something to push off of to get any higher. That's why you have me, Tsuyo. I was only ever here to help you. Now, it's time for you to go back. You've finally been able to be vested with the power of your Zanpakutō.

When you need me, just call out in any tone;

-- Strip them of their remorse, Kanashi Tsūkōnin. --

I hope to see you use it well, and keep our friends safe for me. Goodbye for now, Tsuyo. "

Struggling in place, Tsuyo aimed to resist the hand which was on his head, soon noticing that it was a means of him sending Tsuyo back. Before he could stop the man, however, his mind had sunken back into reality, his eyes waking up within the Yonbantai hospital bed. Under the warm covers of his hospital bed, the idea of having his Shikai finally had been successful enough for him to call it a day.

Looking at the Zanpakutō resting before him, he thought about how the Zanpakutō had referred to them as "their" friends. It seemed he did know a fair portion about Tsuyo, and his feelings. But he was right when he said Tsuyo knew nothing about him. That would need to change, and fast.

There was still much for Tsuyo to be doing, even though he had just finally been gifted with his Shikai, albeit with little to no knowledge of it's abilities. At least, by the outcome of their battle, it seemed to have similar, if not better freezing potential. Allowing his eyes to gaze out of the Yonbantai's hospital window, he noticed black robes alike shuffling around, pacing through their normal day-to-day activities, while Tsuyo sat back and "enjoyed" himself.

I can't wait to get back out there...

End Of Thread.

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