Swan Song
Hisagi & Kazeshini centric
The battle is over, Shuuhei thinks, and, the battle has only just begun.
It's been awhile since Shuuhei has seen this place; but these things never change. It's just a field of brown grass and a chasm that has no end, and a full moon. It's just a silence and a slicing, raging wind; so cold it cuts right down to the bone. It's just a shadow that seems to drip upward out of the grass like some liquid taking shape. It is always iridescently bright and still so dark.
"Kazeshini?" Shuuhei calls to the shadow. It sniggers at him. It is only teeth, sharp and white. "Why am I here?"
"Why are you here, partner?" purrs Kazeshini, "you never come when I call you."
Shuuhei does not respond and the teeth curl and twist like they are smiling and the shadowy liquid approaches and wraps around Shuuhei and then slinks past Shuuhei and Shuuhei turns to it because he has learned. He has learned to never keep his back to the enemy.
"Muguruma-taichou!" the wind around them screams. The sound is so sharp it cuts Shuuhei's bicep and blood wells up and flows easily down his arm. Kazeshini sniggers again.
"Figures that it would be another taichou," he says, and here Kazeshini's voice turns mocking and pitched, "the first one says: 'fear your sword Hisagi-san!' and the second one says," Kazeshini's voice gets laughably deep, "'embrace your spirit, kid!'"
"Kazeshini-" Shuuhei warns.
"And you, dull and unimaginative, follow every order like a little puppy dog … Or a good solider? You are such a fine solider, Shuuhei, all pampered and ready for death; I'm so proud of you!"
Shuuhei can feel the bitterness of the words in the wind, but says nothing because they share no secrets. Kazeshini knows everything Shuuhei has ever thought. It makes it easier to torture him.
"And I was thinking 'swan song,'" whispers Kazeshini, "and I was thinking maybe I'll die, and I was think what could be better? And I was thinking it couldn't be worse."
Shuuhei flinches at the echo of thoughts and Kazeshini sees it and enjoys it.
"You always get so solemn in hospital beds. You really thought you would die at the hands of Tousen?" Kazeshini cackles, "Tousen-taichou!" and the sharp teeth open as if to bite and they clack together, imitating clanking bones, "You'll never die," the teeth smile. "Shuuhei, you'll live forever."
"I need you," the wind whispers, "it's just the two of us~"
"I need bankai," Shuuhei says.
"I'll give you whatever you want," says Kazeshini. His tongue slinks out of the shadows and licks his teeth, "I'll never deny you," he purrs.
"What is it?" Shuuhei asks, there's a quiver in his voice that isn't fear but is like fear.
"It's beautiful, partner," Kazeshini smiles, "everyone will die."
"And then it'll be just you and me," sings the wind.
On Tumblr last night I was feeling kind of crappy and also kind of bored so I asked followers to give me writing suggestions; and I got a couple from a friend in return. Among them was a request for Hisagi and Kazeshini to have a conversation in Hisagi's inner world. If you know nothing else about me I need you to know that I am 100% all about Hisagi and some angsty-pain in his life. So here we are.
If you know nothing about me except for that, you should probably also know that I am down for writing suggestions at literally all hours of the day and despite any feelings I may be feeling. So, you know, I'm always open for that.
Please review if you enjoyed! or if you'd like to discuss what kind of character I think Kazeshini is ... it may be obvious, I wasn't using the anime Kazeshini character profile.
Also, I'll be adding another chapter to this, but it doesn't really have anything to do with this story, i's just a ficlet I happened to have written earlier this week.