Author's Notes: Sorry this update took so long I had a pain in the ass English assignment to finish this week. Anyway here is chapter four, thanks to all who have reviewed the last three chapters.
I own only my OCs.
Please enjoy and don't forget to leave a review.
Ch. 4 The Pursuit of Strength
Toushirou watched in anticipation as Alexander held out his dual Zanpakutou in front of him. His demonic eyes glowed dangerously from behind his black bangs.
"Are you sure you want to continue?" Alexander asked "I must warn you it could be very dangerous."
"Well if I'm going to become the head captain, I can't afford to be afraid of anything" Toushirou stated with firmness in his voice.
Alexander saw that Toushirou's eyes had lost much of their indecision, sadness, and fear from the past few days. Instead they radiated a strong cold resolve and Alexander could see that he was thinking of how to adapt himself to fighting against a pair of long swords instead of katana.
Alexander held Kokuhyou in front of his face before saying "very well, if we're lucky this will end it right here" suddenly the whole sword began to glow before Alexander said "take him, Kokuhyou."
"What the hell?" Toushirou asked as the black sword exploded into over a dozen black spheres and immediately raced towards him.
Toushirou immediately used a shunpo to dodge to the other side of the room but he immediately saw one of the spheres appear right in front of him. Toushirou could only watch as the sphere struck him in the chest, instead of exploding or burning his flesh Toushirou watched as the sphere appeared to be absorbed into his chest without even damaging his kimono. Toushirou was instantly filled with a deep sense of dread as the other orbs were absorbed into his body. Suddenly Toushirou's vision went completely black.
"You're mine now little boy" A dark voice called out.
Toushirou suddenly turned to see a woman with pale skin, messy black hair that stretched down to her ankles, and the same marks, fangs, claws and eyes as Alexander. She was dressed in black robes with silver linings and buckles. She then lunged towards Toushirou with a demonic grin across her face.
Toushirou's eyes shot open in terror as he suddenly realized that he was no longer holding his weapon. As the demon woman neared him he managed to instinctively grab her wrists as she forced him onto what Toushirou assumed to be the floor.
"What are you?!" Toushirou asked as he caught his breath.
"Didn't you hear your fifth seat's command?" the woman asked with amusement "here's a refresher, 'take him'…"
Suddenly Toushirou understood before he muttered "Kokuhyou…"
"I'm flattered" Kokuhyou stated "unfortunately I don't have time to chit chat."
Suddenly Toushirou saw the black marks from Kokuhyou's body making their way down his arms.
"Damn, what is this?" Toushirou asked as he tried to struggle free but to no avail, the woman on top of him was bigger and stronger than he was.
"Now, now, don't resist" Kokuhyou said happily "you'll be all mine soon, I hope Alex will let me play with you for a while…he almost never let's me have any fun."
Toushirou felt as if every ounce of strength was leaving him as the marks spread across his body, eventually they made their way to his face and Toushirou felt like he was about to lose consciousness. Kokuhyou watched with amusement as his eyes began to close, but just before they shut completely they popped back open with a strong glow.
Toushirou looked at the shocked woman before saying "get off."
"What the hell?" Kokuhyou replied as she felt ice starting to form on her arms before she was eventually thrown off by the boy's spiritual pressure. Kokuhyou looked into the boy's glowing blue-green eyes and was almost instantly struck by a number of violent and intense images that flashed through her mind. Kokuhyou's jaw dropped in sheer shock after an image of six people lying dead or mortally wounded and a seventh man who was cut from head to toe "What the hell are you?" she asked weakly as she and the darkness disappeared from Toushirou's sight.
After Toushirou blinked he found himself back in the throne room holding onto Hyourinmaru, he could tell that his heart rate had been raised considerably and that he was covered in a deep sweat.
"So Kokuhyou failed" Alexander stated simply as the black long sword reappeared in his right hand and he looked at it in curiosity for a moment before turning his attention back to Toushirou "somehow I'm not surprised that you were too much for her."
"What was she trying to do?" Toushirou asked as he tried to compose himself.
Alexander sighed before saying "that's one of her three special abilities, the very first ability she has in her shikai state is the ability to possess anyone or anything that has a spiritual pressure that's considerably weaker than mine."
"She was trying to take control of my body?!" Toushirou replied "that's sick."
"What can I say she's a real piece of work, but then again she was born of my own dark soul so it's to be expected" Alexander stated as he took his stance "my advice to you is don't get cut by Kokuhyou, trust me it won't be any fun at all for you."
"Let me guess something to do with her other abilities, right?" Toushirou asked as he took his stance as well.
"Maybe" Alexander answered with a level of amusement "but I'll let you make the next move and to make it easier I won't use shunpo for the rest of the match."
"Damn he's screwing with me" Toushirou swore in his mind "I could try using a few more ice dragons…no I can't waste my spirit energy I need to learn what I can about his Zanpakutou and their abilities, I'll start with something simple."
Toushirou held out his left palm before muttering "Hadou 31 Shakkahou" sending a fireball racing towards Alexander.
Alexander grinned as he placed Nehan in front of him and said "protect, Nehan" moments later there was an explosion from Toushirou's fireball. Toushirou watched as the smoke disappeared revealing his squad's fifth seat to be unharmed behind a wall of light as the sword in his left hand glowed brightly.
"Great" Toushirou said clearly annoyed "how many abilities does that blade have?"
"Only three, just like Kokuhyou" Alexander answered with a grin "it's one of the few things the two of them have in common."
"Okay so his black sword has the power to possess others but that won't work on me, his white sword has the ability to create a shield strong enough to stop my kidou, and both swords still have two more special abilities that he hasn't revealed yet" Toushirou thought to himself while making sure to avoid eye contact "and I thought he was tough when they were sealed, when he releases those swords he's a force of nature."
"So Toushirou, I imagine now you're thinking that your only remaining option is to come at me with all the force you have and hope it overpowers me" Alexander thought as he watched Toushirou's spiritual pressure begin to rise sharply.
"This really is my only hope of beating him" Toushirou thought as he lifted his sword.
"Remember kid…a Zanpakutou is ultimately an extension of their wielder, the stronger the wielder's heart and soul, the stronger the attack will be" Hyourinmaru's voice echoed in Toushirou's head.
"I understand" Toushirou stated "I'll give it all I've got!" he swung his blade sending an ice dragon twice the size of his earlier ones towards Alexander.
"Not bad at all, but I'm afraid it's not enough" Alexander thought as he pointed Nehan towards the dragon and it started glowing as he began chanting "I call upon the divine light of the heavens, join upon my blade and release thy fury…Meimeikanshiki (Divine Judgment)!" suddenly a small intense white blast shot out from the tip of Nehan's blade towards the dragon.
Toushirou watched in amazement as the went right through his dragon and caused it to evaporate, Toushirou barely jumped to the side in time to avoid the blast as it dashed past him and crashed into the wall and exploded destroying all the rock within a five foot radius of the impact point. Toushirou looked back towards Alexander to see him running towards him with Kokuhyou prepared for a horizontal slice. Toushirou immediately razed Hyourinmaru to block his blade vertically, however as soon as Kokuhyou made contact with Hyourinmaru's blade it sliced through as if the boy's Zanpakutou was nothing more than child's toy. Toushirou could only watch in anticipation as the very tip of the black sword placed a shallow cut on his cheek moments before the end of Toushirou's blade fell to the ground.
"And that concludes this little sparring match" Alexander stated as he stood up "I'm sorry Toushirou."
Suddenly Toushirou felt an intense pain spread throughout his body, it felt as if his own body was trying to tear itself apart. Toushirou could hardly bare the pain when it finally disappeared and he fell to the ground unconscious.
"Poor kid, I guess that's a little too much pain for a newbie to handle" Alexander stated as he walked towards his subordinate and looked over his injuries and smiled "you did very well Toushirou, but maybe I should treat your wounds before I congratulate you" he stabbed Nehan into the ground next to Toushirou before saying "Nurture, Nehan" suddenly the sword glowed brightly for a third time before a small pool of white energy spread out to form a circle about five feet in diameter.
Toushirou felt strange as he woke up, he felt as if all his pain and suffering had been eradicated from his being, when he opened his eyes he saw Nehan sticking out from the ground next to him. He bolted up and remembered what had happened, he looked to his right to see Hyourinmaru lying sheathed on the ground.
"How are your injuries?" Alexander asked causing Toushirou to turn to his left to see Alexander standing a few feet away looking at Kokuhyou with a curious expression across his face.
Toushirou felt his cheek to notice that the cut from the sword had already disappeared and that his other wounds had all closed up "what the hell is up with that sword of yours?" Toushirou asked "I could've sworn it was just a shallow cut, but it felt like you stabbed every square inch of my body."
"That's Kokuhyou's second ability, whoever she cut's in her released form is attacked by the darkness of their own soul" Alexander answered before seeing the confused look in Toushirou's eyes "we all carry negative aspects in our souls such as hatred, jealousy, greed, and other less pure aspects of our personalities; in other words every dark aspect of your soul is destabilized and turned against you whenever Kokuhyou draws blood, and the deeper the cut and the stronger these impure aspects of your soul the worse the effect."
"Wonderful" Toushirou sighed as he stood up "and I'm guessing that the blast from Nehan and this healing power are its other two abilities?"
"That's correct" Alexander answered as the light faded and he picked up Nehan and looked at it "she has a very gentle and nurturing personality, but she has quite a bite when need be, just like the person she was born from."
"The person she was born from?" Toushirou thought to himself "Interesting…"
Suddenly the room was filled with the roars of a large number of hollows.
"It would appear our little skirmish has attracted some uninvited guests" Alexander stated as they were surrounded by over a dozen hollow, Toushirou was about to leap at them before Alexander stopped him with a pat from the side of Nehan's blade "you just got treated let me handle this" he commanded as Kokuhyou began to glow "besides after that performance I think you deserve to see Kokuhyou's third ability."
"Understood" Toushirou answered as he relaxed.
"Now watch closely here's my last shikai ability" Alexander stated as he grinned widely and the hollows began to move towards them before he chanted "I call upon the deepest darkest shadows of hell, gather before me and strike my enemies…Kurohari (Dark Needle)" Alexander than thrust Kokuhyou into the ground spreading a shadow out in a circular pattern thirty yards in diameter.
Suddenly all the hollows within the shadow were pierced from several directions by black spikes coming from the ground killing them all almost instantly.
"Amazing" Toushirou stated.
"But a bit taxing I'm afraid" Alexander stated as he resealed his swords and sheathed them, Toushirou noticed that his hair had gone blonde again "despite our differences you and I do have quite a bit in common as far as our Zanpakutou are concerned."
"What would that be?" Toushirou asked.
"Thanks to them we're both able to release large amounts of energy on our enemies and we can quickly overwhelm most of them with the sheer power" Alexander explained "however neither of us can keep it up forever so we can't allow ourselves to get carried away."
"That's an interesting idea" Toushirou stated "so did I earn the Bankai pointers?"
"All you had to do was force me to release my swords, I never said you had to beat me" Alexander answered causing the boy to hide a small smile "anyway let's head back."
"Can I ask you just a couple more questions?" Toushirou asked.
"I may not answer but you may ask" Alexander answered with a gentle smile.
"Judging from the language you used after I woke up, you obtained Kokuhyou just like I obtained Hyourinmaru or anyone else with their Zanpakutou" Toushirou stated.
Alexander nodded before saying "I gained her a little earlier than most people, but that is correct."
"And judging by what you said later, Nehan actually belonged to someone else" Toushirou stated.
Alexander smiled again and answered "that's true, I must admit I'm impressed."
"Who did it belong to before you and why are you able to use a Zanpakutou that belongs to someone else?" Toushirou asked eagerly.
Alexander's eyes changed to a very solemn and sad expression before saying "I'm sorry, but it's a very personal and painful story."
Toushirou could tell that he wasn't kidding before he said "I'm sorry."
"Don't be" Alexander sighed "Anyway let's get going, I've had enough depressing memories for one day and I promised my daughter I'd help her with Bankai training as well" a small smile crept back to his face as he started walking towards the exit.
As they neared the daylight Toushirou asked "can you use Bankai yet?"
"No" Alexander answered "my Zanpakutou are handful when we're on the same side, but they're a nightmare when they both gang up on me."
"Yeah, I can imagine that" Toushirou answered as they left and Alexander resealed the entrance "after those two nearly killed me I imagine they must be hell in their true form."
"Get stronger Toushirou" Alexander commanded "you're strong, but you'll need to become much stronger if you wish to conquer your own past, surpass head captain Yamamoto, and take his place."
"I already know that" Toushirou stated "I guess my life won't be lacking in danger anytime soon."
Alexander allowed Toushirou to take the lead as they headed back to their camp before thinking "okay, tell me one more time what you saw Kokuhyou."
"Like I said, I was about to possess him when suddenly his spiritual pressure suddenly shot through the damned roof…" Kokuhyou began.
"Indeed…before he came to, his spiritual pressure shot up significantly" Alexander thought to himself as they came to the clearing "though it was only for a moment his spiritual pressure was much stronger than my own, I dare say it was a captain class."
"Yeah it was, don't interrupt me jack ass!!!" Kokuhyou hissed "anyway when his spiritual pressure spiked I saw seven people…four of them were dead, two of them appeared to be at death's door, and the last one had been cut from head to toe; I also felt an even stronger presence than the one that forced me away, but it wasn't like a shinigami's or a warlock's it was much denser, it was far darker, I'd even say it was pure evil, and without a doubt it was far stronger than anything we've ever felt before."
"Even stronger than the Vasto Lorde that attacked the Seireitei fifty years ago?" Alexander asked.
"I believe so" Kokuhyou answered weakly "my advice is to use the last of your eye abilities to see what you find out him."
"I might just do that" Alexander thought as they joined up with their comrades "but still…why the hell would you have a memory like that…not to mention such a monstrous spiritual pressure...unless you were a…"
"Fifth seat Dark-Heart?" Toushirou asked bringing Alexander back to reality "they said we're done here, we can go home now."
"Oh good" Alexander replied as he pulled a black hair-tie out of his kimono and tying his hair back into a pony-tail which was turning into a rather dark shade of brown "well this mission was fun and all but we really should head back, are you all ready?"
"Sir" the team saluted as the portal to the soul society opened before them, they each received a hell-butterfly, and then running through.
"Toushirou if I'm right about you…you'll definitely have the potential to achieve your goals, but I can't help but wonder how you'll handle the truth about what you were" Alexander thought.
When the shinigami made it through the senkaimon the group was greeted by the captains of squad nine and squad five.
"How'd it go?" Kaname asked.
"Sir, the hollow activity was high; we had one Gillian class and a few A class hollows showed up on the scene, we had half a dozen causalities…I accept responsibility sir" Alexander answered.
"Don't blame yourself" Kaname replied "this mission had a seventy percent survival rate, but you brought about ninety percent of them home, you did very well."
"Thank you sir, may I ask what captain Aizen is doing here?" Alexander asked.
"This is captain Aizen, the same captain Aizen Momo's been going on and on about for the past five years?!" Toushirou asked himself as the captain with short messy brown hair and large glasses came up to them "he doesn't look all that tough."
"I've heard a number of rumors about one of your new subordinates, in fact one of my squad's latest members has been worried sick, ever since your unit left yesterday" Aizen answered "so I told her I'd make sure you were all fine after all…Kaname put one of his best men in charge of the operation."
"Thank you sir" Alexander replied.
"I'm merely stating a fact fifth seat Dark-Heart" Aizen assured him "so this is the 'child prodigy' I've heard so much about?"
"Yes, this is Toushirou Hitsugaya and he lives up to the hype from the academy instructors" Alexander ushered him over as he made eye contact with the captain "why can't I ever shake this feeling whenever I'm around you captain Aizen?"
"Even when his life isn't on the line he has that look in his eyes, truly a formidable man" Aizen thought to himself before stretching out his hand and softly saying "were are my manners, I'm Sousuke Aizen, captain of squad five…it's a pleasure to meet you Toushirou Hitsugaya."
"He seems alright though" Hitsugaya thought to himself as he shook the older man's hand "thank you sir, please tell me that bed wetter didn't trouble you into coming here."
"Now, now" Aizen chuckled lightly "she was worried about you, you did get sent to squad four after your first mission after all."
Toushirou took a defeated expression before asking "could you please tell her to stop worrying about me?"
"I will, but I doubt that'll stop her, you are like siblings after all" Aizen stated softly "well I better get back to my squad I imagine you'll both make a name for yourselves in the years ahead" he then walked off.
"Anything else I can do for you captain?" Alexander asked Kaname.
"No that'll do" Kaname answered "go rest up and enjoy your shore-leave tomorrow."
"Yes sir" Alexander answered as he and Toushirou walked off, moments late Alexander turned to Toushirou "meet me and my daughter at the west gate tomorrow morning at six we'll be heading to a remote area just outside the west Rukongai district to avoid interruptions."
"Understood" Toushirou replied as they parted ways.
Back at the senkaimon Kaname Tousen was standing on his own before saying "so what do you think of them?"
Sousuke Aizen walked out from the shadows before saying "there's no doubt that they're both strong and will likely achieve captain class levels of power within the next decade or so, however…"
"You have concerns?" Kaname half asked half stated.
"Correct, I don't believe that this fifth seat of yours is the kind of man to follow along with our plans…he's far too free-minded" Aizen answered "as for this child prodigy you just received, I'll keep an eye on him for the next year or so before I decide; in the mean time I'd like you to continue sending them on high profile missions and pushing them both up the chain of command if you can, give the priority to Toushirou Hitsugaya if you can't promote them both."
"Understood" Kaname answered "they're going to head out for Bankai training tomorrow so that may be a good time to watch them and my fifth seat's daughter."
"Indeed, just remember I want the focus on Toushirou Hitsugaya; I wasted too much time with squad six's Youmei Rammyaku and I fear we'll have similar results with the Dark-Hearts" Aizen stated as he and Kaname went their separate ways.
As the sun rose the next morning most of the shinigami within the seireitei were happily sleeping in whether it was from exhaustion or the sheer amount of alcohol they had consumed the previous night. Toushirou however was waiting patiently by the west gate as he saw his fifth seat and his daughter approaching.
"Damn kid, you're early" Elaina stated lightly.
"It would seem he's quite eager for the training" Alexander stated.
"So am I" Elaina replied before she used a shunpo to get behind Toushirou and placed her right hand on top of his head causing the boy's face to contort with rage "but are you sure it's a good idea let a kid do Bankai training, if half the rumors I've heard about it are true it could seriously wind up killing the squirt."
"Did you just call me a squirt?!" Toushirou hissed as he turned to the woman behind him with a clearly annoyed expression.
Elaina showed no signs of fear as she lowered herself to his level and stretched his mouth into a smile with her fingers before saying "you're adorable when you're angry kid."
That was the last straw; Toushirou quickly drew his blade before saying "bitch."
Elaina drew her Zanpakutou out half-way with her left hand to catch Toushirou's blade before landing a solid shove to his chest with her right hand causing him to roll back about six feet.
"Okay that's enough" Alexander stated "the idea of this exercise is to put you both on the road to achieving Bankai, fight each other on your own time."
"Alright you win dad" Elaina stated as she helped Toushirou off the ground "I'll have to introduce him to a friend of mine when I get the chance, I bet she'll love him" she thought evilly.
Alexander gave her a look that basically read 'whatever your planning please keep me out of it' as the gate opened and the three shinigami all disappeared in a series of shunpo as they headed west. A few minutes after going beyond the last district of western Rukongai the group found them selves at the bottom of a series of waterfalls that fed into a river which undoubtedly led back to Rukongai district they had just left. The river itself flowed through a simple grassy meadow with only a few trees and some six inch tall grass.
"Why did we come here?" Toushirou asked.
"You'll understand in a minute" Alexander answered as he drew both his swords "as I'm sure you're both well aware of, the Bankai release requires the shinigami to force his or hers Zanpakutou into submission; however to do that you first have to manifest your Zanpakutou into our world."
"And how do we do that?" Toushirou asked as he drew his blade and Elaina did the same, Toushirou saw that her Zanpakutou had a six pointed star shaped guard and that the handle was wrapped in a red-orange pattern.
"That's where this setting comes into play" Alexander answered "you see materialization requires a shinigami to strengthen their harmony with their Zanpakutou to an incredibly high level; this meadow's calmly flowing river and soothing atmosphere can help you communicate more effectively with your Zanpakutou and thus make it easier to manifest them into our world."
"He's right Elaina" A distant voice called in Elaina's mind making her smirk.
"Eventually you should be able to manifest your Zanpakutou at will wherever and whenever you wish to train, after that your Zanpakutou will lay down the rules of the challenge to achieve the release; the specifics can vary but in general you should expect it to be incredibly dangerous" Alexander finished "so any questions?"
"I have one" Elaina stated "are you going to show us what your Zanpakutou look like manifested?"
Alexander sighed lightly before saying "very well…come out."
Suddenly both Katana glowed before shooting back a couple of feet behind their owner revealing a pair of women, one of them Toushirou recognized as the one that had tried to take over his mind a little over a day ago. The other however couldn't have looked more different she had long snow white hair that reached halfway down her back and it was very well kept, her eyes were pure white and seemed to emit a feeling of gentleness, she was dressed in a simple white robe, and she had a pair of angel wings on her back with three golden rings floating behind them.
"What's up…do I get to beat the crap out of you yet?" the black clad woman asked as she licked her lips and grabbed Alexander's kimono with her hands.
Suddenly the other woman placed a hand on her shoulder and said "Kokuhyou, he's trying to teach his daughter and his subordinate…can't you control yourself for even a moment?"
"Ah shove it Nehan" Kokuhyou replied "you know how I am, I absolutely love it when he tries to achieve the Bankai release…I get to utterly kick his ass and it's all in the name of training; how can you not enjoy it?"
"You're seriously messed up" Nehan replied.
"Regrettably that little fact is not the point of why I brought you two out into the open" Alexander stated as Kokuhyou let him go and he turned to Toushirou and Elaina "remember once you manifest your Zanpakutou they decide the conditions for your battle against them, Kokuhyou and Nehan if you would, just like when we began."
"Gladly" Nehan stated.
"Fine but let's hurry it up" Kokuhyou pouted as she and Nehan leapt about fifty yards away from Alexander in opposite directions before they started glowing their respective colors.
Toushirou and Elaina watched in amazement as the sky directly above Alexander began to turn a mixture of black and white energy, moments later countless black swords and white swords started flowing through the air next to one another.
"Do you see these blades Alexander?" Nehan asked as she pulled out a sword just like her own shikai form and opened her wings stretching them out to reveal a six foot wing span and her rings began to glow brightly.
"You must find the blade that is the true us" Kokuhyou stated as her eyes began to glow and she pulled an exact replica of her own shikai state as well "for it is the only blade that can kill us and allow you to wield the Bankai release."
"I'm sure you two get the basic idea now" Alexander stated and both Toushirou and Elaina nodded in understandment "I advise you to find somewhere peaceful and far away from here, but not too far I don't want to lose you two when it's time to head back."
"Yeah, yeah, I know dad, you can trust me" Elaina stated as she started to walk towards the edge of the field and it allowed her to pass through as she said "be careful dad."
"Good luck" Toushirou stated as he ran off after Elaina.
"You didn't tell either of them did you?" Nehan asked as she flew towards Alexander and swiped at him before he jumped to the side.
"About what?" Alexander asked.
"Don't be stupid" Kokuhyou stated as she teleported right above him and tried to impale him "you didn't tell them that you can't use your warlock abilities during this training."
"Slipped my mind" Alexander stated as he leapt into the air and grabbed a pair of black and white swords shaped like Arabian long swords "besides that's only so long as Kokuhyou remains standing."
"You're an over-confident bastard, you know that?" Kokuhyou asked as she licked her lips and glared him down with her demonic eyes "that's why I love this."
"Let's go" Alexander stated as he charged Kokuhyou and Nehan quickly perused him.
Elaina and Toushirou had used shunpo to put about a quarter of a mile between them and Alexander's training, it was nothing more than a quite meadow with a gentle breeze running through the grass.
"You think he'll be alright?" Toushirou asked.
"Please my dad doesn't die that easily" Elaina replied bluntly before thinking "you better stay alive dad or I swear I'll kill you myself."
Toushirou saw another waterfall off in the distance before saying "I'll let you have this meadow, I'm going to take that waterfall off in the distance."
"Fine by me" Elaina stated as planted her Zanpakutou in the ground in front of her and sat Indian style before Toushirou disappeared with a simple shunpo.
"You're going to let the boy go on his own?" a voice asked in Elaina's mind.
"If he can't handle a little meditation on his own he has no right to call himself a shinigami and even less of a right to the power of a captain" Elaina replied.
"I guess you're right" the voice replied.
"Of course I am" Elaina told the voice as she smiled "now let's talk about you coming into our world, personally I'd rather skip to the part where I kick your ass and acquire the release."
"Be careful what you wish for" the voice warned.
Toushirou appeared in front of the waterfall and couldn't help but stare at its natural beauty, it was a lot larger up close about twenty yards wide and it appeared to be about a hundred feet tall.
"Focus Toushirou" Hyourinmaru commanded.
"Right" Toushirou replied as he took a seat close to the bank of the river the waterfall fed into and took a deep breath as he listened to the water "So any chance of you materializing?"
"If you wish for me to come out into your world you must harmonize your soul to my existence" Hyourinmaru stated "in other words you must be like ice yourself."
"I'd prefer if you didn't phrase it that way" Toushirou replied thinking back to the many people he knew back home who would always say that he was 'just like ice'.
"I don't care about those vermin you knew back in Rukongai!" Hyourinmaru roared "if you want the Bankai release you must first master your own emotions before you can hope to truly control our power!!!"
"Does this mean I must become heartless, like the central forty six?" Toushirou asked.
Hyourinmaru chuckled before stating "theres a big difference between mastering your emotions and completely killing them off to the point where you feel no shame and no remorse."
"I'm listening" Toushirou replied.
"Good now listen closely" Hyourinmaru answered.
Toushirou and Elaina continued conversing with their Zanpakutou for several hours as Alexander fought against the tag team of Kokuhyou and Nehan. As Toushirou continued communicating with Hyourinmaru he could've sworn he saw the faint outline of a humongous dragon with incredible wings appear over the river in front of him and that the sky seemed a little too dark for it simply to be do to the passage of time. Elaina noticed that some of the grass in front of her was being pressed against the ground before she looked up and noticed the faint outline of a humanoid shaped figure, causing her to smirk. Alexander was having a hell of time just trying to avoid being cut down by an angel and a demon as he went through pair after pair of swords trying to find one that would actually hurt them. Elaina and Toushirou ate their lunches on their own while continuing the dialogue with their Zanpakutou and eventually Alexander took a lunch break in order to avoid dying of starvation before the three resumed training.
"I think that'll be it for today Toushirou" Hyourinmaru stated causing Toushirou to raise an eyebrow as he saw a kidou spell shoot up into the sky at Alexander's location when it faded Toushirou noticed that the sun appeared to be going down and that it'd be time to get something to eat soon.
"Damn" Elaina cursed "time flies I guess."
"We'll have to pick this up some other time Elaina" her Zanpakutou stated calmly as she used a shunpo to meet up with her father.
"Holy Hell" Elaina swore as she saw her father and Toushirou appeared as well, both seemed amazed by the injuries Alexander had acquired while fighting against his own weapons.
Alexander had several cuts on his chest and face, he had lost both sleeves of his kimono during his fight, his hair was down again, and all four limbs appeared to be covered in scrapes and bruises.
"I said it was dangerous didn't I?" Alexander asked lightly as he moved his hair out of his face to reveal a cut on his forehead with blood pouring out threatening to cover his left eye.
"Oh can it" Elaina stated as she made her way over to him and began to use healing kidou on his injuries.
Toushirou watched in amazement as Alexander's wounds slowly began to close and disappear "that's incredible" he stated.
"You don't study under captain Unohana for about thirty years without learning a few tricks" Elaina stated proudly "that's why you don't want to mess with squad four, because when your lying somewhere a mere inch away from death the last thing you want is to be on bad terms with the person who's going to be on the other end of the syringe as they say in the world of the living."
"So everyone in squad four can do this?" Toushirou asked.
"No" Alexander replied "most of them can't heal at Elaina's level."
"And regrettably I'm nowhere near as good as captain Unohana" Elaina stated "I swear I've seen her heal patients who would've died on the table in my care like it was nothing, she's amazing to say the least."
"She sounds like quite the individual" Toushirou stated.
"Just don't make her angry" Alexander stated as he thought back to the times he had seen her scare off shinigami twice her size with just her voice.
"Yeah, she has a dark side" Elaina added with a chuckle "but she's really nice."
"Are all the captains as much fun as her and captain Tousen?" Toushirou asked sarcastically remembering the few encounters he had over the past few days.
"All thirteen have their own personalities" Alexander answered "so pretty much."
When Elaina was done healing her father's wounds they prepared to head back to the Seireitei, Elaina went off ahead with a shunpo after saying her good byes. Toushirou was about to do the same before he felt Alexander grip his shoulder.
"Toushirou I need to ask something of you" Alexander stated.
"What is it?" Toushirou asked not liking the sounds of what his officer was saying.
"Remember when Kokuhyou tried to possess you back in the castle?" Alexander asked.
"Yeah" Toushirou stated as he felt a slight chill "why?"
"As you may have noticed she has the same eyes as I do when I'm fighting and when she tried to take you over she saw some interesting images in your soul" Alexander.
"Does he know about Kusaka?" Toushirou thought before asking "what kind of images?"
"Very old and violent images" Alexander answered "anyway could you meet me in the squad nine training court tonight at midnight, I'd like to discuss this with you."
"Am I in some kind of trouble?" Toushirou asked "if they're old they can't be about Kusaka, but would could they be there hasn't been anything violent in my past besides what happened at the Central forty six and the past couple of missions."
Alexander chuckled loudly before saying "of course not I'm just curious is all."
"Okay" Toushirou stated getting the feeling that he wasn't going to enjoy this as he and Alexander followed after Elaina with a shunpo.
"Very interesting" Aizen thought as he appeared out of thin air only a foot or two from where Toushirou and the Dark-Hearts had been before "there appears to be quite a bit to you Toushirou Hitsugaya."
Author's notes: hope you enjoyed that. Stay tuned to learn what was up with those freaky images Kokuhyou saw when she tried to take over Toushirou's body. If anyone notices an incorrect translation please tell me so I can rectify it. I hope to have the next chapter up within the next ten days. Until then please leave a review.
Zanpakutou Profile: Kokuhyou and Nehan
Kokuhyou: Damnation
Materialized form-a young woman in her late teens with messy black hair that reaches half-way down her back. She has fangs, claws, demonic eyes, and the marks of the warlock clan like Alexander. She wears a pair of dark black robes with silver clips and linings on the button line, cuffs, and other spots. On a personality front she is best described as rude, crude, foul mouthed, sadistic, and overly aggressive.
Shikai: Kokuhyou changes from a Katana into a long sword with a pronged guard and an emblem with a demonic eye design towards the center.
1st ability- Kokuhyou bursts into over a dozen black spheres which can take control of anyone with a spiritual pressure significantly lower than Alexander's. However this technique leaves Alexander short a blade, thus significantly lower both his offensive and defensive abilities. Activation command "Take him/her…Kokuhyou."
2nd ability- Anyone cut by Kokuhyou in her released state is literally attacked by the evil of their own soul. The effects range from a sudden surge of pain to a crippling pain that leaves them unconscious. The severity depends on three facts; the depth of the cut, the amount of evil in the victim's soul, and how strong the victim's spiritual pressure is.
3rd ability- Kurohari (Dark Needle). All shadow's with thirty yards of Alexander is turned into a spike and used to impale all enemy's within the thirty yards. The fewer enemies it's focused on and the more shadow's within the thirty yards the more powerful the attack. Chant "I call upon the darkest shadows of hell, gather before me and strike my enemies…Kurohari." Unlike a Kidou spell, Alexander can't skip the spirit chant for a less powerful attack, with this attack it's all or nothing.
Nehan: Salvation
Materialized form- a young woman around the same age as Kokuhyou with long snow white hair that reaches half-way down her legs, her eyes are also snow white and have a soft glow, she wears simple white robes, and on her back she has a pair of angel wings with a six foot wing span and three golden rings about three feet in diameter floating behind her. Nehan's personality is very kind and nuturing, however she holds a deep hatred for evil and is more than happy to send them to hell.
Shikai: Nehan also changes from a katana to a long sword with a blue handle, and an angel wing shaped guard with a sapphire oval gem in the center of the guard.
1st ability- Nehan generates a powerful shield capable of withstanding a wide variety of attacks. Activation command "Protect, Nehan." While the shield itself is powerful it also prevents Alexander from moving do to the sheer strain it places on him while it's active.
2nd ability- Nehan generates a small pool of healing energy in a five foot radius of the blade. Activation Command "Nurture Nehan." Unfortunately for Alexander this ability doesn't measure up to having a competent member of squad four on hand for treating injuries, however having even limited medical attention after a fight is a blessing in of itself.
3rd ability- Meimeikanshiki (Divine Judgment). Alexander's spiritual pressure focuses on the tip of the blade and is fired off in a very small but powerful blast that can blow through almost anything in its path. Like the Kurohari Alexander is unable to scrape the spirit chant in exchange for a weakened version, again it's all or nothing. Spirit chant "I call upon the divine light of the heavens, join upon my blade and release thy fury… Meimeikanshiki."
Strengths: Having two blades each with three unique special abilities allow Alexander to adjust his style to the opponent he's facing. The sheer power of the two blades allow him to release large amounts of spirit energy and to overpower must of his enemies and quickly gang the advantage at either close quarters or at a distance.
Weakness: while the sheer power of the two blades and their special abilities make him a nearly unstoppable force capable of adapting to almost any opponent, the sheer amount of spirit energy they drain make it impossible for Alexander to maintain his full fighting ability for long before he runs out of spirit energy.