There was a shudder of power that raced through the small confined spaces Kazeshini was in. He flicked his tongue out, tasting the air. Shuuhei was finally letting go. It took a lot for the Shinigami to just release his Shikai. He knew the next word before Shuuhei could even think it.

"Bankai." Kazeshini whispered.

The chains that wound their way around his torso shattered, disappearing in a cloud of ash. The man rose to his feet, shuddering with power. The dual swords that lay on the ground before him glowed; a white light encompassed them before it faded away, leaving a longer hilt adorned with a scythe on the very end. From toe to heel, the blade itself was a massive six feet long, almost two feet wide. The pole itself stood taller than Kazeshini. If Shuuhei did not ready himself for what he would become when he uttered that fateful word now, he never would be.

Scream for me. He thought, closing his eyes.


Shuuhei cried out, his body clenching and doubling over. A surge of reiatsu exploded from his body, paralyzing him. Dust kicked up around him, burst skyward and enveloped a solid ten-foot radius around him. He dropped to his knees, gripping the earth beneath him.

"Look at me."

Kazeshini. Shuuhei dragged his gaze up to meet the blazing blue eyes of his Zanpakuto.

"You let me out." Gleaming white teeth were bared, the corners of the spirit's mouth curled up wickedly. "That… may have been a mistake on your part."

"What?" Shuuhei tried to push himself up. Kazeshini stepped on his back, forcing the man back down.

"See… there's a reason why you couldn't release me before. I'm just too damn strong for a weakling like you. You can't control me, Shinigami." Kazeshini rested the middle of the pole across his shoulders, holding the bottom of it with his left hand. His right hand went down to lift Shuuhei completely off the ground with little effort. "Once you're dead, I'll gain control of all your power." Malice dripped through his voice, but he sounded excited.

Before Shuuhei knew what happened, he found himself launched through the air, his back slamming into the large trunk of the tree behind him. The breath left his lungs in a rush, causing him to double over and fall to the ground with a disappointing thud.

"My, my. How the hell did I get paired up with somebody like you?" Kazeshini mocked him, dragging Shuuhei up by his neck, slamming him backwards once more to press his hand into the Shinigami's windpipe. "You're nothing. Less than nothing. You're fucking pathetic!"

Shuuhei grabbed at Kazeshini's wrists, nails digging into abnormally colored flesh. His teeth ground together fighting off the panic rising in his chest. If he gave up, he would die, and how dishonorable would it be to fall at your own Zanpakuto's hand? If he fought… well… He didn't really know. The outcome could be the same, or drastically different. Twisting his body, Shuuhei kicked his foot up, landing a solid blow to the side of Kazeshini's head, knocking the spirit sideways. Shuuhei dropped to the ground, wincing when he slid his hand over his rapidly bruising neck.

"You finally grow a pair, Shini—"

"Shuuhei." He growled, standing up against the tree. "I said your damn name, now you can address me like you should."

Kazeshini snorted, turning his head defiantly off to the side. "For fucks sake. You think I'm gonna do that?"

"Yes. You'll say it when I've got my sword at your throat." Shuuhei withdrew his blade, something Kazeshini hadn't seen before sparked behind the Soul Reaper's eyes. In a fraction of a second Shuuhei was in front of him, swinging his blade from the left. Kazeshini tilted his scythe-like sword off his shoulder, blocking just in time, sparks flying around them.

Their battle had commenced. Shuuhei matched Kazeshini step for step, countering his every attack, swinging with everything he had at every defense. A little flicker of pride made its way through Kazeshini's head. Finally Shuuhei had broken down those barriers and let loose. He was fighting for something, not for anyone but himself. All the years of building stress, betrayal and anguish were unleashed. The dark-haired Shinigami had spirit left in him yet.

Thoughts clouded the spirits' mind, so much so that he narrowly missed blocking Shuuhei's attack. Shuuhei slammed his blade into the pole of Kazeshini's weapon, crouching down to collide his calf into Kazeshini's legs, swinging them out from beneath the spirit. Jumping up, he swung his sword over his head, using both arms to ram his blade into his Zanpakuto's weapon to pin Kazeshini to the ground with the pole of his sword pinning his chest.

Cold blue eyes looked up and met hardened gray ones. For what it was worth, the short fight between them was turning out a lot different than Kazeshini had anticipated.
"You understand now." The Zanpakuto mused aloud, eyeing the young man above him. What a compromising situation. Had any of the other Zanpakuto's – or their masters, for that matter – come along to see what was going on, this would be very embarrassing indeed.

"Understand what? That my Zanpakuto, part of my soul, mind you, is a complete arrogant asshole hell bent on destroying everything?"

There was a very distinct eye-roll. "Tch, if that's all you have to say about me, I'm doin' pretty damn good." Kazeshini shifted, tested how strongly Shuuhei had him pinned. He couldn't move. "But no. You understand how to fight me."

"It's not difficult, I've fought with you long enough out here."

"Dammit, you're a fuckin' pain in the ass, you know that? Gods! I'm not gonna always give you the damn answers, so listen up!" Kazeshini was pissed now, his body actually glowing red. "You don't let go enough. You bottle every little fuckin' thing up until this happens. Until I come out, and I terrorize you and wreak hell on your life – do you seriously think this all would happen if you didn't just spar with somebody once in a while? When you get pissed off, you don't get angry, you bottle it up and here I am!" When he felt Shuuhei slacken and back up just the tiniest bit, Kazeshini thrust his arms forward, sending the man backwards. "I'm not yer damn enemy, but you sure make it seem that way. Yes, Shuuhei Hisagi, your Bankai has something to do with killin', and with dyin'. Unlike the rest of those pansy-ass fools, you gotta live up to the Reaper part of your title."

Shuuhei pushed a hand through his hair, glaring at the other man. "That's not who I am."

With a growl of frustration, Kazeshini bolted forward, dodging Shuuhei's counter attack to slam a hand against his throat, whirling Shuuhei around to throw him against the large tree trunk again. "You. Piss. Me. Off! This is exactly who you are Shuuhei because I. Am. You." Enunciation was supposed to get the point across, but it damn well wasn't working this time. "You have absolutely no idea what kind of power I possess because you're too much of a pussy to find out!"

Piece of wood flew out from every direction around him, splinters tore into his skin, he felt the scalp on the back of his head split open on impact. He was having trouble breathing; most likely from too many shots to the throat. But everything sank in. Every word was getting through to him, whether he showed it or not. How the hell was he supposed to just abandon his fears and trust somebody like Kazeshini? In the beginning he hardly touched his blade until every Captain and their Vice started calling him out on it. So he wore it on his hip or his back, mentally steeling himself against the shudder he would feel race down his spine from being in contact with the blade itself.

Then came time when he actually had to use it. He could hear the praise; the silent Thank Gods that he finally had enough courage to just release its Shikai form. But they didn't see how his hands trembled violently as he stood before Findor Carias; they couldn't feel his heart beating it's way out of his chest.

Call him a coward.

He knew it.

"Is any of this getting' through to you or do you need another ass whoopin'?"

Shuuhei stood up once more, wincing when he tried to put weight on his left leg. Two fractures in his ankle, just great. "It's through."

"Say it. One more time."

Cold, distant orbs regarded the spirit.

Call him a coward.

No more.

"Bankai."


A/N: Cookiesssss :D Please no flames!