Chapter 29: The Imitation
Rangiku's cries awoke Gin; Hisagi's death took its toll on the family. Gin grabbed his zanpakuto, which was lying next to him as he slept. He trudged slowly into his mother's room. Rangiku heard his footsteps and quickly wiped away her tears. She looked at him, trying to force a smile.
"How are you feeling Gin?" She sniffled.
"Not great, I can still clearly see dad," he paused, and started breathing faster, "getting bitten and battered by Kenpachi Orochi." Gin dropped to his knees, "I remember him looking at me the way he looked at dad before hit bit him."
"How did he see you?" She panicked.
"I clashed zanpakuto's with him," he said, his face devoid of colour.
She stood up angrily, tears streamed from her face. "Why would you do that? You watched him murder your father!" she screamed.
"It was dads dying order, I had to fulfil it. I had to make him proud one last time."
Rangiku kneeled next to Gin; she put her arms around him and held him tightly.
"Your father would be proud of you, no matter what you do," she kissed him on the cheek. Gin held back his tears. Rangiku noticed that he was gripping his zanpakuto tightly. She softly touched his hand, "Gin, let go. You're safe with me here."
He dropped his zanpakuto into her hand; it felt slightly heavier than she remembered. Bewildered, she realised the shape of the hilt, her son had finally used his shikai. A shikai which was meant to be kept a secret.
"Gin, what were the exact orders your dad gave you?" She said seriously.
"He said, use your shikai and cross blades with Kenpachi Orochi." Gin said sadly.
What were you thinking Shuhei! She thought.
Rangiku inspected the glass ovoid that was centred in the hilt of Gin's shikai. A 3D image of Kenpachi Orochi's bankai, Kinreboro Unmeisu, could be seen in the ovoid.
"Gin, do you realise the power you hold?" Rangiku said fiercely.
"I do and it was always dads wish for me to become a powerful shinigami."
"Gin, when the enemies eventually come to attack us, only use your shikai as a last resort. A shikai that copies any bankai is unheard of, if they find out you have exactly this they will hunt you until you end up like your father."
Gin looked fearful, Rangiku's warning struck a nerve. He knew he wielded a powerful weapon, but lacked the knowledge to use it effectively. Using it now would be careless and attract unwanted attention.
Rangiku put on her fourteenth division armour and picked up Haineko.
"Gin we'll go deep into the desert of Hueco Mundo, and I will train you to battle mercilessly." She sighed sadly. "It's what Shuhei would have done."
Stark was perched on the roof of the second division, he watched Lilynette in the distance happily playing with a small hollow. He yawned, stretching lazily, he lied back gazing at the unchanging nights sky.
The fourteenth division, or the second division, either one would be fine. Stark smiled. Loneliness is a thing of the past.
"You're looking strangely happy Stark."
Stark slowly turned, he wiped any trace of happy emotion from his face.
"What do you want Grimmjow?"
"Nothing, I just came to sit with you," he said calmly.
"Really?" Shocked, Stark sat up. "Is something bothering you, former Espada number 6?"
"Don't call me that, we are no longer Espada!" Grimmjow shouted, remembering his distaste for Aizen.
Stark closed his eyes and lied back; he couldn't be bothered to empathise with Grimmjow. Breaking through Grimmjow's fearsome exterior was no easy task.
"The old man has gone to the human world," Grimmjow said.
"How do you know that," Stark said quietly.
"Mai told me, after she found me trying to hound him down. Apparently he's trying to find an old captain."
"Who might that be?"
"Jushiro Ukitake," Grimmjow said.
Stark shot up, that name.
"Captain Ukitake, I fought him in that past, along with captain Kyoraku. They made an excellent duo, an extremely powerful one. Personally I found Ukitake to be more fascinating; he has the qualities of a pacifist but the skillset of a fierce warrior." Stark reminisced on his battle in fake Karakura town.
Grimmjow listened, then looked at Lilynette. "How could he leave us now when we're so open to attack."
"Captain Hintao tends to act instantly then think later. It's a careless flaw to have," Stark looked at Grimmjow. "It's a flaw you both have in common."
For the first time in years Grimmjow kept silent.
"Grimmjow, let me ask you this. If we are attacked without captain Hinato here, will you willingly sacrifice yourself for the shinigami?"
Stark watched Grimmjow closely, he seemed conflicted.
"I would give my life for sake of everyone under this roof," Grimmjow said solemnly.
"Why?" Stark said, attempting to dig deeper into Grimmjow's ideals.
"During the sternritter attack on the Seireitei, I allied myself with the shinigami. I felt like an equal, despite some minor discrimination. I could work independently, and freely, especially if you compare it to the way Aizen ruled over us." Grimmjow paused to compose his thoughts. "After the Sternritter were defeated I came back to the ruins of Hueco Mundo and lived in isolation for a few decades. When I was offered the position as joint lieutenant for the second division, I jumped at the opportunity to be part of a new fair system."
"You partially share my logic there. I still remember our first meeting with captain Hintao, immediately I felt foreign, his words were so cold and abrasive." Stark said cheerfully.
"He was probably worried about trusting us," Grimmjow smiled. "After a few months."
"And a few harsh words from lieutenant Amekou," Stark interrupted.
"We all stood as equals." Grimmjow continued. Grimmjow stood up and walked off, "enough of all this mushy shit, it's time to win a war!"
The sounds of a ferocious battle roared throughout the second division's hexagonal multi-environment sparring arena. Two-exhausted shinigami in the midst of the rocky terrain had their zanpakuto locked together. Zanjiro forced his lieutenant, Tsubaki Ito, back. Water poured in from pumps attached to the sides of the arena, the water was ankle deep.
"Lieutenant, take advantage of your surroundings." Zanjiro said.
Tsubaki faced her palm towards the water and uttered a few words, a red orb fired into the water. A wall of steam enveloped Zanjiro, clouding his vision. He could hear her footsteps splashing against the water; he directed the tip of his blade to the source of the sound. The tip drew a circle in the steam, as Tsubaki revolved around him. He heard the splashes trail off, and pounced in that direction impaling the source of the sound. Zanjiro was stunned as his blade ran through a large rock. The steam cleared revealing Tsubaki, who was crouched on a huge boulder. She leapt at him, ready to strike mercilessly.
Zanjiro drove his blade through the air with immense velocity; the rock it impaled flew off and shattered against her blade. Tsubaki withdrew her attack. Cracks appeared in the rocky terrain, draining the water, several pockets of scalding hot air surfaced from the cracks. Sections of the rock started to superheat.
Zanjiro stabbed his blade into the rock. "Quake the heavens, Chijo no Gekisaru!" He ripped a jagged sombre blade from the ground.
"Morph heavily Chijo no Gekisaru," Zanjiro's zanpakuto's hilt merged with the blade, the jagged form became longer and darker, roughly becoming a bit shorter than his body, a hammerhead formed at the tip of the blade. The head had a wide face and a long spike opposite it. The hammer had a metallic sheen to it.
"This isn't one of your typical sparring sessions." Tsubaki said, she felt worried; Zanjiro had been difficult to read ever since Byakuya died.
"We're in the middle of a war lieutenant, we need to prepare for all scenarios no matter how harsh they may be." He readied his hammer, "brace yourself properly and fight me like your life depends on it."
Zanjiro charged at her, swinging the hammer wildly. Tsubaki athletically weaved between his attacks, he lunged the long spike at her. She intercepted the attack, by blocking with her blade. Zanjiro applied pressure to the spike; Tsubaki was slowly being pushed downwards, she noticed the ground around her was becoming viscous, and lava like. She quickly arced her blade towards the ground, Zanjiro slid forward. Tsubaki dug her blade into the ground and flicked some of the viscous rock at him.
Zanjiro hit the rock away, and jumped into the air, he put all of his weight behind one swing and came crashing down. The impact of the hammer smashing against the ground sent a salvo of sharp fragments and lava flying in all directions.
Tsubaki used her arms to protect her face, fragments of rock ripped through her sleeves cutting her skin. A small amount of lava landed on her shoulders, in an instant she could feel the heat burning through the fabric. With no hesitation she tore off the outer layer of her uniform, and discarded it onto the battlefield.
"We should stop this captain, the conditions are getting too dangerous." Tsubaki pleaded.
"As your captain, I order you to fight me. I am doing this for your own good." He said sternly.
Tsubaki sighed. "Magnetise, Jishakunomi." Her zanpakuto's blade became thicker then cracked into seven pieces and fell to onto the viscous rock. The hilt became larger and covered most of Tsubaki's hand. In the centre of the hilt a small bar formed, half of it was black and the other half yellow. The blade segments on the ground immediately reacted and were attracted to the hilt. They floated above it, in the exact same position.
"I do admire your shikai lieutenant!" Zanjiro shouted as he charged at her.
