Pulling Out The Fear [Solo]

1. He found himself standing in the training ground with great impatience, he had already been waiting for his friend for an hour but this was normal, Carter was always on time and Landen was always late….

Even if he did set up the practice; Carter closed his eyes while he sat with his back to the wall, his Zanpakutō angled against the wall next to him. In his mind he was thinking of the night before when the two friends had gone out drinking, They used to make a good habit of it but lately both had been so focused on work they had stopped the practice completely. A grimace found its way to Carter’s mouth while he remembered dancing on a bar top in his drunken stupor before throwing up.

He liked to maintain a calm and level headed composure but with all the pent up frustration of these past few weeks the second that sake hit the bar top Carter lost control. With that he also thought of the half drunken talk he had had with the vizard, the two were talking about the battle of Malaysia. It had been ugly and both had taken so bumps and bruises. Landen had managed to put up a decent fight and hold his own until help had arrived before backing out but not Carter.
His hands turned into fists when he thought of the fight, a shinigami much like himself, one would think she might be the yin to his yang, both of them soul reapers, one light, one dark. She was infused with demonic blood and Carter thought that her blood would be his advantage but she destroyed him utterly in the fight. It was only dumb luck that he escaped with his life.

He could feel his Zanpakutō bustling next to him; she was getting sick of his behavior lately. All he did was train and mope, the training she didn’t mind but the moping needed to stop. Carter always tried listen to her but at times it was hard, how could it not be? He was one of the seven angels that the Truth had bestowed power unto and here he was fighting the good fight and getting picked up and tossed aside. Not one time had he managed to stop any evil except for minor hollows, but his loud mouth friend had, twice.
A jolt hit him, Nacuto scolding him again in his mind trying to get him to focus. He looked over at his sword and smiled, “I hear you.” he said, standing up with a rustle of his black robes and walking to the middle of the training field to stretch while he waited for his friend.

PREPARE TO EMBARK INTO LANDEN'S POST!

Landen yawned without covering his mouth when he walked through the opening into the training grounds, his brown eyes focusing on the small white haired man stretching in the middle of the ground. He blinked lazily before resting his left hand on Azai. His head was throbbing from the night before but that was something he could easily put off.
He knew his friend would scold him on being late and the little guy could have a temper from time to time so Landen figured he would avoid it by jumping right into today’s training. His friend had been down trodden for the past few months and he decided to give him something to cheer him up, to pass on a power he figured his friend could make into his own.

His hands turned to fists and slightly opened, like a child would do to look through a scope acting like a pirate. Air was sucked in rapidly when he inhaled, filling his lungs past the human capacity. His eyes closed again while he focused on the core of his being, super heating the air in his lungs and infusing it with his own energy, letting it build up and swell as long as possible before exhaling through his cupped hands. In his hands he had began a small fire from his energy, swirling it clock wise and feeding more of his spirit energy in, when the spirit charged air came forth the flame grew and rocketed out, creating a bright flash as a stream of flame licked out, his outer most hand closed just a bit to pull in the wide spread flame and make the streaming thinner, The size of the streaming thinning out to the width and length of a semi truck with a trailer attached and ending just shy of his friend.

Wisps of steam came off of his hands when he was finished the demonstration, knowing he got the man’s attention before putting up a slightly burned left hand in greeting, “Yo.” He said, trying to look cool like any teacher should in front of their would be student. This is just the startHe thought, after a moment unleashing his spirit pressure in full and drawing Azai, his form became see through almost from his speed as he came forward, aiming to slice through the small white headed man at the left shoulder to the right side hip.

He was bent over at the waist touching his finger tips to his toes when a bright light came forth, a suppressive heat licking his skin that made him topple over and back up on all fours thinking the attack was going to hit him.

It wasn’t until the after light cleared from his eyes and the heat faded that he saw his tall dark headed friend standing at the opening of the training ground with a single hand up and saying, ‘yo’. Carter stood up and felt his face go red, his friend had made an ass of him but luckily there was no one around to laugh.

“Yo?! You fucking breathe fire at me like a dragon and almost turn me to an ash pile and your happy go lucky ass says ‘yo’?!” He yelled, picking up Nacuto and stomping over to his friend.

“You call me here to train and you show up late then you get the wise idea to light me up like a log when you finally do show up, maybe I should think of who I call my friends.” He warned, his eyes burning anger into the man that he had to look up to, the small guy trying to act tough to this big man looking almost comical.

He stepped one foot closer before the spirit pressure crushed down on him from his friend and he felt his knees tremble, what the fuck is th- He began to think before he was caught off, his friend coming at him in a blur with his Zanpakutō drawn. His eyes widened and his sword came up just in time to glance off the hit, he felt he skin rip open and blood arched into the sky across his chest.

His movements were slowed down because of the pressure pushing on him from all angles, his counter only let him knock the hit off course but not stop it fully. He was confused as to why his only friend would attack him but he didn’t have the luxury of asking why, blood flowing from his chest and soaking his robes.

His legs felt heavy before he collapsed and fell on all fours, holding himself up with his hands while still holding Nacuto.

PREPARE TO EMBARK INTO LANDEN'S POST!

He stopped just past Carter, his eyes cast over, hearing blood splash onto the pavement below. The cut was countered and Landen knew it was a shallow hit, he heard his friend collapse behind him and he turned around to face him. His sandals clacked against the ground while he walked over to his friend who was barely staying on all fours, the tip of Azai flashed in the light as the blade found itself against the boy’s neck.

“I told you I was going to train you and I am, the only thing is this training might kill you if you don’t put your all into it and come at me with everything you have.” He said coldly, no joke in his voice. He brought his right leg back before coming forward with it and kicking the man in the ribs, when it connected he pumped his leg again and lifted the man up into the air with the force, aiming to slice at his back to cripple him again.

“Dodge me or die.” He warned, holding nothing back.

Carter’s eyes went wide as Landen explained the purpose of attacking his friend, He’s insane… He thought, just as he was about to look up a blast of pain exploded before his eyes before he found himself coming up into the air from the kick, a flash of light telling him the sword that had touched against his neck was now coming down on his back.

Anger welled over in his mind and he kicked off of the man standing there to attack him, spinning in the air and brining Nacuto up to block the attack. His right hand on the flat of the sword’s back to support the defense against the blow.

The power and speed behind the hit forced him back onto the ground, cracking it and making him forcefully cough up and splash of blood.

I have to fight back, he isn’t kidding…. He thought in a panic, feeling his sword hum inside his mind, the face of the rabbit ear woman appearing behind his eyes, “He’s doing this for our own good but you need to fight back or it’s all pointless” She said.”Time to make me proud of choosing you.” Her face stern before fading and bringing Carter back to reality.

His eyes opened, almost glowing blue when he unleashed his spirit pressure. “Nacuto time to burn” He whispered, the air around him thickening when he let his energy out and went Shikai, his sword glowing and changing, the handle growing and turning a burnt gold color, etchings of rose petals carving themselves into the metal, the blade growing half a foot longer and turning into a clear crystal, a red drop of blood coming from Carter’s right index finger and soaking into the metal of the blade turning the clear metal into a deep swirling vortex of scarlet. A golden chain attached to the pummel with a silver and gold bell at the end.

“ If you want me to come at you with all I have then fine, I will. ” He said, getting up and rushing his friend, his speed picking up despite the spirit pressure pushing down on him. His legs ached with each step but he kept moving, knowing he had to go faster if he was going to survive.

The small white haired boy rushed his friend, his right hand up and palm pointed out towards the man’s chest while mumbling a quick kido chant under his breath to throw Landen off, knowing the vizard was a master of kido he had to take advantage of something his friend probably wasn’t expecting him to do.

“ Hadō 29!” He yelled, noticing the look of surprise on Landen’s smug face, the man not thinking Carter capable of any decent kido since Carter rarely used them. A dark pulsating beam of energy erupted from his hand, blue electricity crackling throughout the black beam while it shot like an arrow straight at Landen, even with his speed it would be hard to dodge it.

Once that was done he wasted no time coming at his friend from the left, knowing the blast would make it so he had to dodge that way, being that they were both left handed that meant Landen would be prepared but Carter had another trick up his sleeve. Within the blink of an eye his speed became enhanced even with the pressure weighing him down, solely because it was day time outside and his angelic light step ability made him faster than most in well lit areas. He vanished leaving an after image of himself winking at Landen and reappeared behind him aiming for a leg sweep with Nacuto. After his leg swept around He came back up to his full height of five foot eight. His right index finger flicked a bell on the end of his Zanpakutō’s handle infusing it with his energy the bell let out a wicked blast, the power of it cracking the ground at his feet and making the air vibrate, if his friend was hit by it blood would come from his ears as his ear drums ruptured and his inner balance would be thrown off.

PREPARE TO EMBARK INTO LANDEN'S POST!

Landen watched as Carter activated his Shikai powers, his speeding increasing because the Shikai almost brought him to Landen’s own power that is in his unreleased form. The ground trembled just a touch as the energy seeped out, Landen feeling a holy aura that always accompanied his friend’s power. He knew even though he was more powerful the angel side of Carter would bring this fight close to even but he didn’t care, he needed to pound a lesson into the boy so he wouldn’t drop his guard anymore, so he was fully committed to what needed to be done.

He was thrown off when Carter used a kido because after all their times hunting hollows and such together he had never seen the boy use a single one. The speed of the attack coupled with his shock made it so he couldn’t fully dodge the attack, feeling the dark energy wash over his right arm and lightning crackle through his body tensing up muscles while at the same time draining his power. He felt weakened from the blast. The boy’s power over kido was impressive and while he thought that Carter appeared to become transparent with a smug look on his face before vanishing in the air completely, usually Landen would be shocked but he knew of Carter’s angelic flash step ability and was prepared for a stab from behind, spinning with his eyes shut he slam Azai downward, the blade impaling the ground.

The Zanpakutō vibrated as a leg was deflected off of it and Landen smiled, opening his eyes just in time to see Carter flick the bell on his Zanpakutō. He rapidly inhaled air and forcibly exhaled it, combining his energies with the wind so it would meet the concussive blast and force a stalemate, the two canceling out.

He panted and felt his right arm hanging limply at his side, a burn mark on his rib cage, his robes scorched. He wanted to give praise to his friend but felt that it was time to show him what he had in store for him for using a kido against the kido master.

“ This was never a fight baka, this was a beating.” he spit, “ Seeping crest of turbidity. Arrogant vessel of lunacy! Boil forth and deny! Grow numb and flicker! Disrupt sleep! Crawling queen of iron! Eternally self-destructing doll of mud! Unite! Repulse! Fill with soil and know your own powerlessness! Hadō 90!” He yelled as the air over Carter became heavy, the ground cracking and caving in, a large box of black energy descending over the white haired boy, with openings for the black spears hovering over it to stab in and impale the boy in his arms, legs, and torso. Landen stood tall and withdrew Azai from the ground, watching with a sheen of sweat on his face, if he survives this he will become strong. He thought as he watched, silently praying.

Carter was surprised as all of his attacks except for the kido were deflected, less so when Landen returned the favor until he heard the incantation that he uttered. The air crashed down on him forcing him to a knee as the world went dark around him, it was all he could do not to collapse and drop Nacuto.

In the abyss time seemed to make no sense as all of his senses were cut off, he could feel his heart flutter knowing that this could very well be the end of him. He could almost feel tears well up before a stern shock over took him, Nacuto pulling him into her inner world.

The rabbit eared woman sat on her dark wooden throne, a black cloak draped over her otherwise naked form, a long smoke pipe in her slender right hand. Her red eyes would stare hard at him from behind her black and white hair. Without a word she exhaled from the pipe, smoke in the shape of ivory skulls billowing out and dissipating.

“Never once have I thought I chose the wrong shinigami to wield me until this moment, you’re crying like a new born who needs a changing. It’s disgusting.” She scolded, her voice beautiful like fire but her tone sharp and cold, the whole experience contradicting.

“I should let you die, you’ve failed me but not just me, you’ve failed yourself, you’ve failed Landen, just like you failed in Malaysia. You doubt yourself so you doubt me, my power comes from your faith and you question it, making us fall out of sync.”

He looked up at her to see a sad look on her face, like a woman who’s lover left her, who abused her, and in that moment he knew she was right, everything he had ever done had come from her, her choosing him, she always chose him and yet when the times came to chose her back and become more powerful he chose to doubt her, to put his faith somewhere else and that was why he always failed.
It pained him to see the look on her face, his Zanpakutō had always been his other half, like a lover in a way, but he always chose to neglect the one person who always helped him stand. “ Lend me your power once more and I won’t let you be ashamed anymore, I won’t make you feel alone, I won’t let you be here in the dark.” He said, looking at the woman and seeing a sad smile before she vanished along with her world bringing him back to the darkness around him.

“Okay…” The world echoed in his soul as a flame of energy lit his soul, he chose to pull from Nacuto and leave his faith in her, feeling a red light swell in his chest his sword began to hum and he found the gravity in the kido was gone, a spear came into the box and effortlessly he moved out of the way, within seconds a flurry of them pierced the box and he simply side stepped them all, like one would when they moved out of someone’s way.

After a moment he exhaled and slashed outward with Nacuto seeing light cut through the darkness. The black box shattered around him and turned into nothingness, Carter stepping forward and facing his friend. The man hardly standing up right from the earlier kido attack. Carter merely nodded to him and walked forward, helping his friend to stand, it was a long time coming but finally he understood his Zanpakutō, finally he had become strong and it was because of Landen, pushing him to become more than he could become on his own.

“[color=#0099ff0 That’s enough, let’s go get some sake[/color]” he said with a soft smile, the two hobbling off the training ground together.