Bleach Reborn: Shadows Within
Chapter 4
I couldn't sleep. Lying awake in my bed I stared up at the ceiling, a sort of melancholy filling my brain. I had no idea what to do, common sense said to just carry on as normal, but I just couldn't think like that.
I had stolen Iria's blade.
Not for the first time I looked across from my bed at the sword that now leaned, sheathed against the wall. Its pure black surface reflected the light easily, its intricate designs seeming elegant in the moon light. Once again I turned away from it, closing my eyes and tried to sleep, and once again it was to no avail.
Sighing to myself I pulled myself out of the bed, grabbing the zanpakuto I opened my door and looked out to see if there were any watches that might question what I was doing, questions I wasn't sure I could answer, as I myself didn't really know what I was doing.
I wrapped myself quickly in my trainee hakami, exited the room and moved swiftly down the hall.
The training areas were open at all times of the day and night, it was easy to gain access and not far from the trainee dorms, but the area was not generally used at night.
Strictly speaking there was no curfew or rules saying I couldn't get up and do some training, but generally it was frowned upon for a trainee to be moving about at three in the morning.
Reaching the training area's I approached a straw dummy. I looked down at the sheathed blade in my left hand, reaching with my right I wrapped my fingers and palm around the white binding of the handle, the weight of the blade becoming known to me.
I didn't want to admit it, but I felt invigorated and undeniably comfortable when holding the blade...I felt strong.
My mind wandered back to when I had spoken with the 13th and 12th division Taicho's. They had been kind and welcoming, eager to discuss the transformation, and by the time the meeting was over, I had the distinct impression that I would be closely watched, if only due to this occurrence.
Looking at the dummy in front of me I sighed, drawing my blade from its sheath. The blade itself was pure black, it was strange, elegant, and seemed like it could cut the very air itself. I felt my hands vibrate, but not uncomfortably, my arms felt tingly but also surprisingly strong.
I gazed at the dummy and focused my attention; I just wanted to see what my sword could do. Dropping my sheath to the floor, I grasped my blade with both hands, I attained a decent stance and then quickly raised the blade and slashed down with as much force as I could muster.
At first nothing happened, but then suddenly the dummy slid in half, straw spilling everywhere. I looked at the dummy with a shocked expression, and then gazed down at the blade. This sword was dangerous...and it was mine.
The days began to blend together; I tried to avoid Iria who had unfortunately decided to make my life as much hell as possible. She seemed determined to catch up with me, her kido abilities had become so much better than my own, understandable when I barely got time to practice, mainly because she was practicing her own kido on me.
There had been too many times when a golden binding of a bakudo or even the rapid blast of a hado came from out of the shadows. It was getting tiresome, and dangerous. But no matter how many times I looked around, I never actually saw her, but I knew it was her anyway, the feel of the reiatsu from the kido had told me as much.
I had tried to report her several times to the senseis but somehow she always seemed to have an alibi. It was very frustrating.
The days continued on and eventually I became adept at anticipating Iria's movements and working around her so I didn't encounter her.
This carried on for the better part of a few weeks, during that time Aroki had returned to classes, he was perfectly fine but now had a new gigai, this one had distinct cybernetic implants in the neck, I wasn't too fond of the look but at least he was happy and healthy...well, as healthy as you can get when your soul was screaming in agony at all times of the day.
Me and Aroki grew closer and closer, it was a warm summer's day that we sat down on the edge of a ridge, looking out of the Court of Pure Souls and the parts of Rukongai visible past the large white walls separating the area's within Soul Society, Aroki had always been hesitant to talk about his past, but for once he felt in a possibly sharing mood.
"So...What was Zaraki like?" I asked eagerly, Aroki drew his knees up and hugged them close, he had become increasingly more melancholy and serious over the past weeks, changing in his personality. He was becoming somewhat intimidating.
The subject of his father was a difficult one for the fellow trainee, but for once he didn't try and change the subject. "He was an animal." He said sternly before sighing softly. "Me and my brother were often battered around by him, he thought it built strength." He huffed. "Most parents use the excuse of building character, but not my father, he spent his time breaking us down in an attempt to build us up, and he wanted us to be just like him. No wonder mum did what she had to do."
I was intensely interested at this point. "What happened to Kenpachi?"
Aroki sighed, seeming somewhat resigned to tell the story. "Do you remember the stories of the substitute shinigami? Ichigo Kurosaki?"
I nodded in reply.
"Well he was my father's favourite opponent. The very first time they met, Ichigo defeated him. Apparently it was close to a draw. But every time after that, Ichigo proved himself over and over again, in the end it became obvious to my father that Ichigo was just naturally stronger than himself." He turned to me at this point. "My father didn't like that. He was a man that believed that if he lost, he could come back stronger, train and be even stronger, and stronger, but he was realising that he was at his limit." Aroki sighed. "He couldn't beat Ichigo, no matter how hard he trained." Aroki turned to me and smiled. "What do you know of my father's zanpakuto?" He asked curiously.
"Erm..." I began. "Well, it was always in shikai wasn't it, always in a released state, like that Ichigo person, right?"
Aroki nodded sagely. "He couldn't control his power." Aroki sighed. "No one in our family can. Seems to be genetic, we're all too strong and also too weak. Too strong for our own good and certainly too weak to control it." He sighed. "Father realised that the only way he was going to get stronger was if he communicated with his zanpakuto." He sighed.
My eyebrows lifted as I thought of where this might be going. "Did he?"
Aroki looked at me gravely. "My father, Zaraki Kenpachi, attained Bankai 40 years ago. Took him 160 years to do it, but he managed in the end."
A shiver ran down my spine, the idea that such a monster with such power had gained Bankai was incredible.
"How, I thought he didn't know its name, and that his blade was always screaming or something, how did he do it?"
Aroki smiled slightly. "Yachiru," he said softly.
The name was familiar to me. "Wasn't she his child Lieutenant?"
Aroki nodded. "When my father first met Yachiru it was in the middle of a forest, away from anywhere local, no explanation for her being there. Unlike everyone else she didn't run from him, she apparently was able to reach out and touch the edge of my fathers' blade without cutting herself."
I sighed, this was interesting, but everyone had heard about the legendary 11th Lieutenant Yachiru. "Is it true she was on the same level of Zaraki in power?" I asked, as such a rumour was the main focus of the stories.
Aroki nodded. "She never drew her blade though, even in training, she'd defeat her opponents without ever drawing her blade." Aroki sighed. "Well, apparently it was her that was the key to my father's Bankai?"
I was confused at this part. "What you mean?"
Aroki smiled. "During the Aizen Incident there was an Arrancar named Stark, he had incredible reiatsu apparently, he was their Primera Espada. He had a Fraccion named Lillinette but they were actually one in the same, two beings, one soul, despite their different personalities. Stark's resureccion WAS Lillinette's true form. It seemed it was the same for my father."
"Wait, Yachiru was Zaraki's Bankai?"
Aroki nodded. "Yup, when he figured that out, apparently by the help of the 12th captain at the time, he learned to unlock it."
I nodded in understanding. "So what happened when he went Bankai?"
Aroki smiled grimly. "Well you, know how the court of pure souls has an almost completely different layout than it did back then, and how allot of the old captains have died over the years..."
I nodded, my eyes going wide.
"Do you remember the lesson about the Reiatsu Incident that happened about 40 years ago?" He asked curiously.
I nodded, now rather shocked and confused. "That was him?" I asked incredulously.
"Yup, He went Bankai for the first time, levelled half of Seretai with the release alone, killing over 4 Captains in the process." He said.
I shook my head, "how do you know this?"
Aroki shrugged. "I'm his son, his direct heir and descendant to the Kenpachi and Samiru Noble Family, plus mother couldn't hide it, after all, she was the one that secured his capture."
"Capture?" I said in a confused tone, how anyone could capture Zaraki was beyond me.
"Do you really think anyone could have killed him when he went Bankai?" Aroki asked with a chuckle. "No, they had to capture. My mother calmed him down first; distracted him, it was then that he was placed in a Kin and Bankin level 99 kido by the current Captain Commander of the time. He was then bound within about 8 other binding kido. But due to his power, they doubted even that would contain him for long. So they sealed it completely, the Captain of the 5th division, the Captain Commander of the time, and the Captain of the 6th division cast the most forbidden of kido, the level 101 binding kido Nenpaihan Issen no Arano."
(A/N: ((The level 101 binding Nenpaihan Issen no Arano.)) Probably done wrong, but supposed to translate into '1000 Years of Wasteland')
"I've never heard of it." I said feeling confused. Admittedly, my abilities with kido were basic at standard and average at best, but I'd certainly have recognised the kido if it had of been a well known one.
"It's the most forbidden technique, I shouldn't know about it, but my mother was there, remember, she watched it being cast and told me about it. It needs three people of high level reiatsu to cast effectively, has a three part chant and uses almost all the reiatsu of the casters, apparently even the Captain Commander feinted once it was done. The result of the kido is that the person is sealed within a massive block of dry ice that can't be melted, or broken out of. Apparently it's not that tough to break into, but impossible to break from the inside, at least, impossible without shattering your soul." He said with a tone of admiration.
The idea for a kido to take more than one person, multiple chants and generally having such a powerful effect was disconcerting.
"So where's he know?" She asked curiously.
"He was placed in Avici." He smiled. "It's the 8th and lowest level prison in Seretai, far below the maggots nest, it's also where Aizen is currently kept. He apparently has Royal Guard guarding him."
A chill went up my spine, so it wasn't enough to bind him with over 10 kido, he needed the most forbidden and powerful binding technique known to shinigami AND to be placed in the lowest levels of Seretai prison available. It seemed a bit extreme, but if what Aroki had said was true, and the very release of him going Bankai had in itself level half of Seretai and killed 4 captains, then it was understandable. Even if he was supposed to be on our side, the risks of wielding such power were incredible. Perhaps they'd done the right thing.
"So what happened to you and your brother?" I asked, I had yet to question him about his sibling, he'd never mentioned him before, but it didn't feel important.
Aroki sighed. "Me and Devon went separate ways. He idolised our father and kept the Kenpachi name." His voice now developed an atmosphere of disgust. "I don't want anything to do with my father, he did nothing but bring me misery, and if it weren't for him I'd at least be able to see the world through my own eyes, not the eyes of this fuckin' gigai." He said venomously. "It's why I took my mother's name; I'll never be a Kenpachi." His voice was resolute now, and I couldn't help but admire him a little because of it.
Aroki smiled, holding up his arms, I looked at them, adorning his wrists where a pair of intricate shackles, their surface glinting in the sunlight. "This is the first part of our noble family's dress code, there's a second part, that's attained when I become the head of the family." He smiled. "The shackles are meant to represent doing no evil, to have restraint." He smiled. "We do nothing without thinking it through, we do no act of violence to anyone undeserving, and we do no wrong either by action, or inaction on our own behalf." He smiled, turning to me. "That's the Samiru family code, to be honest; it's just us trying to be as far from what Kenpachi was as possible."
I stayed quiet, not sure if I should really say anything. He looked at me for a moment before suddenly laughing loudly at my face.
"Dear lord women, you're really something." He chuckled. I was taken aback by this, staring at him with wide eyes.
"What did I do?" I asked incredulously.
"Well for one that serious look on your mug certainly doesn't suit you. You have a beautiful smile; you should use it more often." His face suddenly straightened as I began to blush.
"Erm, you think I'm, beautiful?" I asked my cheeks burning from flush.
"Erm...well, erm...when I said that I meant...erm..." he began, stuttering and stumbling over himself, I didn't think it was possible for gigai's to blush but Aroki's gigai was certainly managing it.
I grinned and took his hand quickly. "Come on; let's go get some training done." I grinned, standing up and pulling him with me.
He grinned and followed, probably thankful for the change in conversation, but despite the change, I kept running it through my mind.
He thought I was beautiful.
Finished Chapter
A/N: sorry for the slow update, hope you like this chapter people. READ AND REVIEW PLEASE! Critics welcome.
