Lets try to Learn Something new! [Private/Mirja]

Peace, in and of itself, was something which often alluded those who were foolish enough to chase it. While the idea was noble, in and of itself, it was not something which could be relied upon; life in and of itself was not something that supported peace so readily. Life was confrontational, it was something which pitted multiple species up against each other in a brawl to survive; those who could not survive died, those that did were able to prosper. This was what plagued Eiji’s mind when he had heard her request; he was in need of having achieved inner peace to learn this technique. With a slight sigh he simply scratched the back of his head, what was he to do? It was not as though he was going to simply admit defeat and move on; why forfeit an objective that is very much plausible. Why admit defeat before even attempting to conquer the challenge? Being the man he was he saw no other option; he had to find inner peace. Closing his eyes, still listening to what Mirja had to say, he had decided that this was the best course of action. By now Mirja had concluded her speech on what was necessary in order to begin this training, and Eiji had already began to focus on his own breathing. The steady inhale, and the necessary exhale, were the only things Eiji found himself focusing on. The noise that plagued the city could not penetrate his mind; he had gone through this many times before. For eight hundred years he had found himself lost in meditation, searching for the other half of his Zanpakutō’s spirit. Although he had failed, never even seeing the apparition. Even after those eight hundred years, however, he had yet to completely explore the central portion of his inner world.

Tokyo, a place many only ever thought of to be a city, was a very large space to search. The Tokyo metropolitan area was 2.77 times larger than that of New York City, and as such, was rather difficult to explore. In all his time he was able to thoroughly search most, if not all, of the rural areas. A more accurate, but equally as truthful, name for the area would be the Greater Tokyo Region. While this was the general basis for his inner world, it was not an identical copy of this area. No, things were not quite as simple as one would hope. His inner world was one which was desolate. Tokyo, the city that hosts the largest population, was quiet; traffic was non existent in his world; the only beings that occupied this space was his Zanpakutō’s spirits; although Susanoo’s personality was one which would bring about a rather rowdy atmosphere he was rather tame when alone; it was when he was alone that he was able to contemplate on what progress had been made, or what progress was lacking. This was something that, in his mind, allowed him the ability to act so wildly; it was the fact that he was able to prioritize work when alone. This spirit would often be found meditating atop the Tokyo Skytree; it was this view which allowed him to focus so intently on his meditation. Susanoo was a very different existence compared to Takeru. Although Susanoo took up a majority of Eiji’s soul there was another side to this coin; a side which was burnt long ago. It was from these ashes that Takeru was able to come into existence. Takeru, a being forged from the negative emotions that consumed Eiji right before death, had slowly changed and evolved with Eiji; as Eiji grew as a shinigami and his goals changed as did Takeru. In the most recent years he has come to represent Eiji’s own lust for power. It was due to this lust which Eiji found himself in this situation.

The new found silence of the room was one which allowed for Eiji to enter a calmed trance; it was with this trance that he could now feel the two blades at his side beginning to throb, it was as though they were calling for him; each throb radiated up his body in the same fashion that lightning struck; it moved instantly and disappeared almost as quickly. Each pulse drew him deeper and deeper into his own body until he felt nothing other than the energy that his Zanpakutō emitted. It was as though the energy was wrapping itself around his ankles and dragging him inwards; into that chaotic world of his. Was this meant to be the inner peace she wanted him to achieve? The closest sensation to this was drowning; the energy flowing through his body as it slowly suffocated his consciousness; it would wash re-emerge in his inner world.

With a slight sigh he simply turned his head, examining the area in which he found himself. It seemed he as at the edge of Tokyo; the skyline was still visible, though it was quickly being filled by the metropolis’s many buildings. “Inner peace huh…. Why the fuck do I need to do this now?” Rubbing his temple he simply decided that he might as well take the time and attempt this once more; while he doubted that this would provide any sort of useful outcomes he could not simply quit; if he quit it would be as though he was submitting to that female. Who would do that? It was with this resolve that he began to walk the streets of Tokyo; how long had it been since he had last found himself walking these streets? What silly questions, he knew he shouldn’t bother thinking about something as trivial as his past. It was as he walked through these streets that he began to sense a difference; there was a new presence in the area that he had been unable to sense before. Come to think of it I do not believe I’ve been in this area before… With a raised eyebrow he began to search for the source of this strange presence.

After a few minutes of searching the area Eiji was able to stumble upon the entrance to a subway; it was from this hole in the ground that he could feel the presence increasing in volume; it overflowed from the place and seemed to only get thicker the deeper one dove. Having found this location he saw no need to think about this; he had come here in an attempt to find inner peace, and he was pretty damn sure this was where he was meant to be heading. With this goal in mind he began his descent into darkness. With each step into this new terrain he could feel a new sensation; it was as though he had just ate and felt oddly filled. Having reached the bottom of the stairway, feeling strangely sated, he began to look around. The area was awfully desolate for what was once a subway terminal, though that was not what was bothering him. The main issue was the fact there there was no actual terminal; no, in fact it was simply a room in and of itself. With no other entries, or exits, there were but four stone pillars in the center of the room; from each pillar hung a chain. It seemed that something, or someone, was chained in this spot at some point. “What the Hell?” Eiji muttered, a bit baffled by the scene; it was not as though he was known for holding back any part of his personality. This scene made no sense to him. What was meant to be chained here?
It was as he approached these pillars that the chains themselves shot forward; binding his arms in place his legs quickly followed; it seemed that he was not alone in this place. Tugging at the chains they would not give; looking around the room he attempted to find any sort of reason for this sudden assault. What could have caused this? It was as he looked around that he was finally able to see the outline of a body. “You sure did take your time finding this place, Eiji.” The man spoke with a sense of familiarity; he acted as though the two were supposed to have known each other. “You couldn’t have forgotten about me already, have you? Oh come on boy, you spend such a large amount of time trying to find me and yet you forget my name so quickly? How am I meant to feel?” He chuckled, taking a step toward Eiji. “So, what brings you here today? Do you need power? Are you here to offer me another meal; the last one was very delicious~.” He spoke rather calmly, taking yet another step toward Eiji. “Could it be you are finally going to let me express myself? Are you finally ready to accept who you are, Eiji?” It was with this step that the man halted; it seemed he did not intend to make any more advancements.

Having stayed quiet, allowing the man his turn to speak, Eiji simply looked up. “Takeru? Is this where you’ve hidden yourself? It’s as though you are a cockroach, simply hiding to save its own existence. You think I would come to such a being for power?” He chuckled, looking around the room. “It seems I’ve started quite a mess by showing my face here. Well, in any case, I simply came here to find what could only be described as ‘Inner Peace.’ Are you able to help me find this?” He asked, skepticism clear in his voice.

“Why should I? What reason do I have to help a man who is unable to accept who he really is? To accept how he truly feels. Who are you to come here and ask me for assistance?” It was with this that the chains around Eiji’s extremities seemed to tighten; perhaps this request angered the man. “Tell me, what do you desire? Why are you really here? How does helping you improve my conditions? Confined here, as though I was a wild animal. Tell me, how are you going to repay my kindness?” Takeru spoke in a cold and emotionless manner; he seemed to think that he had some sort of place to speak here. “What am I to give you? Are you serious?” Eiji let out a laugh. “I allow your existence, is that not enough?” “You allow my existence? Eiji, dear, please try to evaluate your situation. I do not believe you are in a situation to speak to me in such a way. Simply open that door.” Takeru pointed towards the stairwell in which he had entered. “You do want this power, don’t you? You can’t lie to me Eiji, I know of what you dream. I know how you truly feel. Why hide yourself away?” Eiji was sure the two of them were on a different wavelength at the moment, but saw no reason in trying to correct it. “Well, I do suppose we should have some form of communication. You are a part of me, or so it seems. Why else would you be here?” He chuckled, rolling his head. “I knew we would get along.” He chuckled, waving his hands; it was with this motion that the chains fell. “Well, shall we?” It was with this that Takeru offered Eiji his hand. Pulling himself up, with the help of Takeru, he would take the lead. Perhaps this would be an interesting chance to experiment. It was as they ascended the stairs that Eiji could feel something changing within himself. Perhaps Takeru was not simply bullshitting him; perhaps this was going to be an interesting time.

It was with this that Eiji’s consciousness began to fade; his body slowly dissolving into air it seemed that he was being pulled out of his little world; it was with this that his own body felt odd. It was as though a foreign substance had infiltrated his body. Was this what Takeru claimed he had been hiding away? “I do believe I am ready, Mirja. Shall we?”