Mirror
Chapter 4: Corazón Frío
"Rangiku-san?" a tiny voice asked.
Rangiku looked down at the child beside her. "Yes?"
"Why are there two markers with the same name?"
Rangiku kneeled down next to the source of the voice. "Because she died twice."
"Rangiku-san, you can't die twice."
"Somehow, she managed to."
Rangiku placed flowers on Kyoko's grave. It had been nearly a year since Kyoko's death while on a mission in the real world. She remembered Gin's face when he's heard about it; he'd actually opened his eyes all the way. He'd also threatened to use Shinso on anyone who came within three feet of his office unless they were Kira or herself.
"Missin' Oko-chan again?"
Rangiku smiled. "I was actually remembering how you tried to kill your entire squad after you found out she was gone. At the time, it wasn't really that funny, but in retrospect you looked really silly swinging around that 'bloody knife,' as Kyoko would call it," she said as Gin stepped up next to her.
"Shinsō is not a knife. Ya should show it some respect. It's done more than ya know," Gin said cryptically. "Besides, she just thought Shinsō was scary."
Rangiku giggled a bit and glanced up at the sun. "I wonder when she'll be reincarnated; if I'll ever see her again. You think she'll become a shinigami in another life?"
Gin's smile widened. "Who knows, Ran-chan. Ya might see her sooner than ya think."
"Heh. You're right. I wouldn't be surprised if she died within twenty years of being gone. She was always so clumsy. She'd probably walk right off a building."
"The faith, Ran-chan!" Gin sounded surprised. "If we see her again, I'm tellin' her what a said." He used shunpo to get away from her.
"That's if you remember, jerk!" Rangiku chased after him.
"Why are we leaving her in the middle of the Menos Forest again, Aizen-sama?" Tousen asked.
Aizen placed Kyoko's sleeping form on the thick branch of the tree they were on. It had been nearly a full year since Kyoko had been put to sleep. With the exception of her hair growing longer, nothing had changed on her. She was still doll-faced Kyoko.
"Won't it be a lil' dangerous for Oko-chan to be out here, still asleep?" Gin asked, gazing around the area. He walked forward and placed Shinkyō near Kyoko. He stepped away from her as she unconsciously reached towards it. "She's got good senses."
Aizen stepped away from Kyoko. "Gin, that's why barriers were created. I'll just create a barrier that can only be broken from the inside. But first, I must do something else. It looks like she's about to wake up ahead of schedule," he said. He pointed at her. "Bakudo No. Four: Hainawa." Golden ropes surrounded Kyoko's small body.
"Now she's definitely gonna be pissed at ya, Aizen-taicho," Gin said, his smile widening.
Kyoko's eyes popped. She gasped and arched her back, trying to get air into her lungs. Once she found that she could indeed breathe, she blinked a few times to take in her surroundings. She turned her head to the left and was greeted with hair.
When did my hair get so long? she thought. She tried to raise her left arm to move her hair from her face but found that it was exceedingly difficult. Her body was not responding. She looked down and her eyes widened. A binding spell? How? Why? What...
"Hello, Utsuri-san," Aizen said.
Kyoko's head snapped to the right. She saw Aizen standing there with Gin to his right and Tousen to his left. The mass of black stuff she called hair was obscuring her vision once again. She managed to twist her body in order to sit up. Then she somehow got to her feet. After managing to hold her balance, she glared back up at the last person she remembered seeing.
"Where the hell am I?" she asked. "And why the hell am I under this binding spell?"
Aizen cleared his throat. "You are in Hueco Mundo; deep in the Menos Forest. This is the most dangerous area, as the most dangerous and vicious hollows roam about here," he said.
"Um, okay. All you had to do was ask me if I wanted to come. Knocking me unconscious and threatening to kill me wasn't exactly necessary," Kyoko said. "Can you let me out of this?"
Tousen cleared his throat. "That's not exactly the whole story. You are dead; at least everyone in Soul Society thinks you are. You have been dead for a year," he said.
It took a moment for Tousen's words to sink in. Kyoko stared at the 9th Division taicho. Then she glanced at Aizen, who just inclined his head slightly. She squeezed her fists together at her sides and flew towards the elder man. She slammed into a clear barrier and fell down.
"Tha's why yer under tha' bindin' spell," Gin said with a snicker. "Had ya been unbound, ya coulda easily gotten through tha'."
"Thanks for that, Gin." Kyoko made it to her feet again. She looked at Aizen. "What the fuck? Is there a method to this madness?" she asked.
Aizen nodded calmly. He stepped forward to the barrier. Kyoko did the same and stared up at him. "I'm going to leave you here, in the forest. You will have to survive alone. That's all," Aizen said.
Kyoko sighed. "Stay here in the Menos Forest? Alone? Have you lost your mind?" she asked loudly. "Why?"
"You asked me to help you get stronger. You also recently achieved bankai. Nothing hones the mind and instincts better than the need to survive. As sentient beings, it is a natural response to fight for one's life when put in danger. Here in this immense forest, you will be in no short supply of that," Aizen replied.
"Practice makes perfect, Oko-chan," Gin said.
Kyoko shot him a death glare. Then she looked back up at Aizen. "I will never forgive your ass for this shit, Sosuke. You are on my shit list indefinitely."
"Watch how you speak to Aizen-sama, girl," Tousen said, stepping forward a bit.
Kyoko opened her mouth to retort, but Aizen beat her to it. "It's quite all right, Kaname. Utsuri-san is angry. Considering the circumstances, I think her fury is justified. After all, she is a woman and they tend to blow things out of proportion," he said, the smirk never leaving his face.
Kyoko chose to disregard his comments. She knew he was only trying to rile her up. He was doing a wonderful job, too. I want to desperately scratch his eyeballs out and feed them to him. Damn this fucking binding kido, she thought morbidly. A No. Four is like a No. Sixty-three coming from Sosuke. Fuck him.
"Gin, Kaname, head back. I have a few more words for Utsuri-san," Aizen said.
Gin looked back at Kyoko as Tousen opened the garganta. "Bye-bye, Oko-chan," he said. Kyoko shot him a very vulgar hand gesture and he chuckled as he stepped through the black void.
She gave Aizen her attention again. "Well? Out with it already."
"I'm leaving you here not only to help you train with your bankai. I'm also leaving you here to make you into a soldier," Aizen said.
"I already thought I made a pretty good soldier. Thanks for telling me I did a shitty job. After almost sixty years, I'm feeling really unappreciated right now," Kyoko said sarcastically. "Jerk."
Aizen shook his head. "In ten years, you'll see what I mean. I will be back for you by then." He turned to leave through the still-open void.
Kyoko inhaled. "Sosuke!" she said louder than she meant to.
Aizen stopped and turned his head to the side. He could see that she was holding her head down, no longer looking at him. "What is it, Hina?"
"Will you miss me while I am gone?"
Aizen stepped through the black void. He turned and faced her as it began to close. "How could I not miss that porcelain face?" He was gone.
Kyoko walked over to her zanpakuto and sat down roughly. She laid back, still in the kido. She stared up at ceiling of the forest for a few moments in silence. Then she closed her eyes, entering her own world. When she opened her eyes, she saw glassy eyes staring right back at her through a thin mist. Kyoko immediately recognized she was kneeling and stood up. The kido had disappeared.
Well, I'm in my inner world now. She looked at the spirit. And Shinkyō is pissed, she thought. She narrowly dodged the released zanpakuto as the spirit threw the gigantic scythe at Kyoko. The peak Kyoko had been on was destroyed and the shinigami landed on another one.
Shinkyō raised her left hand high in the air. "Kaere," she said.
Kyoko turned her head. She watched as the black scythe made a U-turn and came back to Shinkyō. The spirit caught it with ease and glared over at her mistress. Kyoko raised an eyebrow.
"How'd you do that?" she asked.
"I just told it to return. But that's not the question you should be asking," Shinkyō said.
Kyoko frowned. "WHY did you just try to cleave me in half from the waist down? I thought we were a team!" she yelled at the inverse of herself.
Shinkyō rolled her eyes. "I've been trying for the better part of a year to wake your sorry ass up. Hell, I even tried bringing you in here. But, no! That dickwad put you to sleep for a fucking year and left me alone, in this pissy mist. What do you think my mood is gonna be like?"
"Well, it's not like I really had a choice in the matter." Kyoko held out her right hand, creating her own weapon. "I don't appreciate being attacked as soon as I try to come and see my zanpakuto. I'm stranded in Hueco Mundo to work on my battle prowess. I'd appreciate a little help."
"Help? You want help?" Shinkyō let out a loud laugh. "You're in a Hainawa binding kido. I'd be surprised if you last two days in this forest," she said.
Kyoko narrowed her eyes. "We'll see about that."
Kyoko opened her eyes outside of her inner world. She held her breath and gathered her strength. The kido surrounding her broke and she sat up, stretching her arms. She picked up Shinkyō as she stood and put it on her back. Then she walked to the wall of the barrier surrounding her.
"Breakable from the inside but not from the outside. Genius, Sosuke. Real smart," Kyoko said as she placed a hand on the barrier. She pressed on it and her hand slipped through it. Suddenly, it shattered completely. She shielded her eyes from the wind.
Or was that my reiatsu being freed from this space? she asked herself. Kyoko's answer came in the form of several wails and roars. Shit. Hollows.
You exuded far too much while being trapped in that space. I'm surprised the bubble didn't burst on its own, the spirit chastised.
"Shut up," Kyoko said. "I have to find somewhere to stay. I just can't stay out in the open like this. What's..." Something was scratching Kyoko on her chest. It was inside her kosode. She dug inside of it and pulled out a note.
An incantation? For what? She read all the way down to the bottom of the page. A garganta? How am I supp...
Kyoko glanced up and barely dodged a swipe from a hollow. She jumped to another tree as the branch she was on was destroyed. The hollow turned and looked at her. It attacked her once more. She hopped up and on its head, pushing it behind her. She turned in mid-air and held out her hand.
"Hado No. Thirty-one: Shakkaho!" she yelled. The red kido was powerful enough to destroy the hollow upon contact. When Kyoko landed, she appeared shocked at her own handiwork. "Didn't quite expect that to happen..."
What?
"I've never killed a hollow with simply kido," Kyoko mumbled.
Don't look now, but I think you've got company.
Kyoko stopped and looked around her. She indeed had a lot of company; a lot of LARGE company. "I didn't know I released that much reiatsu. Why did they all come?" she whispered. She was surrounded by Gillian Menos. "I can't handle all of these alone."
I believe it was you who said we were a team...
Kyoko smirked and drew Shinkyō from her back. She watched as several Gillian began charging ceros. "I've used my bankai once. That was a year ago. Will you allow me to use it without releasing the shikai first?"
Depends. Are you afraid of death?
"I don't think I have time to..."
Are you, Kyoko-sama?
"I don't wanna die at this moment, if that's what you're asking!" Kyoko took a step back as her zanpakuto went silent for a moment. She was not afraid of death; that was true. She was not prepared for it at the moment. She still had much to do. She was going to show Aizen that she could survive on her own. She was going to...
Call it, the spirit said.
Kyoko blinked. She gripped the tsuka of her zanpakuto and held it out horizontally. "Bankai!" The nodachi transformed into double scythe. "Zaiten Nijū Shinkyō." She jumped up and threw the scythe with all her strength. It circled around the area, beheading the large hollows and negating their ceros. "Kaere!" Kyoko called it back.
As she landed, the large weapon fell into her hands. However, Kyoko failed to notice the sneak attack another hollow had coming from her rear. By the time she turned, the red light was blinding her. It was being held back by something, though. The small shinigami blinked a few times.
"Give me a moment," an all-too-familiar voice said.
Kyoko watched as the same double scythe she wielded, albeit an inversely-colored one, reflected the cero. The only difference was that the cero was sent back directly to the hollow, destroying it. Her savior turned and faced her. Kyoko blinked a few times. Then she rubbed her eyes and blinked a few times more.
"What? How? Why? Huh?" she stammered.
Shinkyō, her zanpakuto's spirit, was standing in front of her. "Allow me to explain, Kyoko-sama," Shinkyō said. "I am indeed your zanpakuto's spirit. You are not hallucinating. I am existing outside of MYSELF even if I am 'in use.' How is this possible, you ask?"
"Yeah..." Kyoko mumbled.
"This ability is called Shinyū." Shinkyou nodded and placed a hand on Kyoko's shoulder. "You have much to learn about Zaiten Nijū Shinkyō, Kyoko-sama. The first might be the symbolism of why there are now two scythes..."
A stalemate between two enemies.
"Why do you protect me?"
"You don't feel it? You don't feel what's there?"
"You're speaking nonsense. I don't know what you're talking about."
A kind, sympathetic smile. "You feel it, yet you deny. You are that ashamed?"
A scowl. "Wouldn't you be?"
Kyoko opened her eyes, shaking off the odd dream. It was dark in the little cave she had made her home for the past ten years. The past ten years of nonstop training and killing. She had killed well over one thousand hollows and counting. Her bankai's ability allowed for such a thing to occur if used right. She sat up slowly. There was a nasty cut on her right arm, but Kyoko could not feel the pain anymore. After the first 18 months, she had stopped feeling pain altogether.
Shinkyō had seen to that.
You have no need of pain. Pain means you feel. Pain means your skin is not thick enough. The more you feel, the more I'll beat it out of you.
Those were the times Kyoko hated having a zanpakuto that could emit such powerful reiatsu and draw hollows by itself. Then she would be forced to do the dirty work in order to stay alive. Shinkyō had definitely rid her of pain and every other emotion. The only emotion Kyoko was sure she felt anymore was...
"Am I capable of that anymore?" she mused aloud.
I'm sure you are. You just have to have someone to incite the emotion in you. Perhaps when you see your dear "Sosuke" again, he'll incite an emotion in you worth dealing with, the spirit said to her.
Kyoko rolled her eyes and leaned against the stone wall. She had only closed her eyes for a moment when she felt something enter her space. She immediately disappeared from her spot and tackled whatever it was that had trespassed. She held Shinkyō to the back of their neck, ready to deal the final strike. Then she noticed the hair.
"Tousen?" she whispered.
Tousen pushed Kyoko off of him. He stood up quickly and faced the girl. "Yes, it is I, Utsuri-san. Aizen-sama has sent me to take you from here. He believes your solitude is up and that it is time for you to come to Las Noches and wait for us there," he said while straightening his haori.
Kyoko eyed him suspiciously. She knew he could not see exactly WHAT she looked like. She was in no condition to be traveling anywhere with her torn, bloody clothes. She did not even know what this "Las Noches" was.
"What the hell is Las Noches?" she asked.
Tousen sighed; the girl was so uncouth. "It is Aizen-sama's residence in Hueco Mundo. Now come. I don't have time to waste standing here." he began to walk off.
Kyoko watched him go for a moment. Then she started to follow slowly. She was actually going to miss the forest. In an odd, sadistic way. I sound like Gin-kun.
Having never been above the roof of the forest in all ten of the years she'd been in Hueco Mundo, suddenly breathing new air was totally different for Kyoko. She felt like she was in a brand new world. Her ears even popped a few times. She continued to follow Tousen silently until they finally came to a white palace of some sort. Kyoko stared up at it and she suddenly felt very small.
"So this is Las Noches, huh? Nice," she muttered as she followed Tousen inside.
It was white. Everything was painfully white. Kyoko could not help but roll her eyes.
I would expect nothing less from a guy with a serious god-complex, she thought. You never fail to disappoint, Sosuke.
Tousen took her to what appeared to be some sort of bathroom with huge columns lining it. There was a huge bath and the water was already drawn. Kyoko's eyes lit up; she had not had a bath in what seemed like centuries. She was not even sure Hueco Mundo had water and she was not about to question where this water came from. All she wanted was for Tousen to leave so she could bathe.
"You may bathe here. There are clothes in the next room that you may wear. After that, wait in the room past that room for Aizen-sama. He will be with you shortly," Tousen said.
Kyoko barely heard him. She nodded and waited for him to leave. Once she heard the door shut, she stripped and practically fell into the tub/pool. A long sigh escaped her lips as ten years worth of dirt, sand, and grime rinsed away from her skin. She stood up, seeing that the water came just above her hips. She searched around for something to wash her hair with. She found it and immediately began washing it. Then she leaned back to rinse it out and stood up again.
"I think I've died and gone to heaven," she said quietly.
"Technically, you've already been to heaven."
Kyoko cut her eyes to her left. Aizen had just entered the room. He walked slowly past each column, staring at her. For the moment, it completely escaped Kyoko's mind that her entire upper half was bared to him. But, it wasn't anything he had not seen before.
"My, my, Hina. You certainly have," Aizen cleared his throat, "filled out," he said.
Kyoko looked down. "Really? I always thought I was shaped funny; kind of like my tsuba," she said sarcastically. She glared back up at Aizen. "Like a teardrop."
"I see." Aizen walked closer to the edge of the bath and looked down at her as she continued looking down at him.
"You couldn't wait to see me again, could you? That or you seriously wanted to see me naked." Kyoko turned and faced him. "Are you going to just stand there or are you going to hand me a towel?" she asked.
Aizen smirked and moved to hand Kyoko a towel as she stepped out of the bath. She snatched it away from him and wrapped it around her body. She picked up Shinkyō and flounced past Aizen to the next room to get dressed. He followed her at his own pace.
Kyoko rummaged through the clothes. She sighed and shook her head. "Is EVERYTHING white? You don't have to wear white. Why do I have to wear white? Why can't I wear light blue? This fucking sucks," she said. She pulled out something and threw it on the chair behind her. Then she got rid of the towel and glanced at Aizen. "What is it you wanted?"
"I'll be returning to Soul Society..."
Kyoko glared at him. "Again? Then why did you even come here?"
"Wait before you start your senseless rant. I have a job for you, Hina," Aizen said. "It involves my escape route from Soul Society."
"Escape route?" Kyoko raised an eyebrow. "Escape to where?" She started tying her kimono on.
Aizen smirked. "Escape to here. I have something to show you as well." He looked her outfit over. "That outfit is most becoming on you. You have such beautiful legs."
Kyoko frowned. "Shut up."
Aizen took Kyoko to the bottom of Las Noches. There, he showed her something very large and very frightening to the common man. Kyoko stared at it with a disinterested eye. The... thing opened its mouth, breathing a foul stench over Aizen and Kyoko. That was when Kyoko reacted.
"Holy fuck! That thing reeks! What the hell is it?" she screeched, holding her nose.
"Kyoko, meet Fura. Fura, meet Kyoko." Aizen walked forward a bit towards the large... thing. "Fura here can produce Gillian Menos just like that." He snapped.
"Produce? You mean he keeps them in that big mouth of his?" Kyoko watched Aizen nod. "That's just gross. I've fought about three hundred of those things and I never want to see another one. This Fura thing is just asking to get killed."
"Now, now, Hina. We mustn't go killing the help. Leave Fura alone. Have you practiced the garganta?" Aizen asked, walking back towards her.
"Practiced?" Kyoko turned away from him. She squinted and took a deep breath. Then she opened a garganta without the incantation. She turned and looked back at Aizen as the gateway closed behind her. "It's still shaky, but I can get through it. You need me to get you through it from Soul Society?"
Aizen nodded. "That is the idea." He started to walk away. Then he turned and looked at Kyoko again. "I would also like to see your bankai when I get back, Hina. I daresay you have it mastered by now, hm?"
Kyoko glared after him as he left.
See? Anger. You can still feel.
"I can't stand him. Him with his perfect teeth, perfect hair, perfect eyes, perfect clothes... My god, he's unappealing." Kyoko crossed her arms and looked down at her legs.
Oh, yes. Anyone with THAT much perfect is completely disgusting. Get over yourself. You totally want him, the spirit of Shinkyō said.
"Bite it, sword." Kyoko started following after Aizen, keeping her distance.
Before she could go back inside, she had Shinkyō drawn and was blocking a strike from an extended blade. Her eyes narrowed. Shinsō, she thought. She jumped up, searching for the offending reiatsu.
Gin watched as Kyoko disappeared. Clearly not expecting her to move so fast, he narrowly avoided her attack on him as she released her zanpakuto without the command. He faced her from atop a red pillar, smiling down at her.
"Hiya, Oko-chan. I've missed ya!" he yelled down to her.
Kyoko smirked. "Why don't you come down here and say that, Gin-kun?"
Gin's smile wilted for a moment as he took note of the significant difference in the sound of her voice. Whereas previously Kyoko had always sounded somewhat sinister in a carefree way, she now sounded hard and cold-hearted. He managed to put the smile back on his face and shook his head.
"Then I'll just send Shinkyō to you!" Kyoko twirled the scythe. "With love, Gin-kun!" She sent it towards him.
Gin watched the scythe for a moment. If his memory served him correctly, she had never been able to throw it like that before; at least not with one hand. He fended it off with little difficulty, as it had no type of force behind it. It went flying off in an odd direction. He watched it for a moment, wondering how she was going to get it back if it went all the way to the dome.
"Kaere!" Kyoko called.
The scythe made a U-turn. Gin immediately ducked to avoid getting beheaded. He watched Kyoko effortlessly catch it. It transformed back into a nodachi and she sheathed it on her back. Gin went down towards her.
"Someone's gotten better," Gin said.
"I believe it was YOU who said practice makes perfect, Gin-kun," Kyoko said.
"Tha' I did, Oko-chan. Tha' I did."
AN: Kaere means "come back" or "return." Shinyū means "divine help." You'll learn all about Kyoko's zanpakuto in the next chapter. Don't worry.