THREE BLADES
Chapter Leitmotif- House of Cards (Audiomachine)-part 2
Aakash Gandhi- Eyes of Glory – part 1 (the sparring match)
POV- Fireheart, about 4pm
The clash of swords rang through the empty hallways of the 11th division, punctuated by an occasional growl or grunt as the blunt edges of the training swords hit a body instead of each other. Both warriors had their fair share of bruises and welts, but neither swordsman was prepared to give an inch.
"Why would some pansy-ass sculpture get your fundoshi in a twist?" was the quickly fired off question from Kenpachi, as he sidestepped Fireheart's thrust. For seven seconds, Fireheart didn't answer, save for a sharp growl when Kenpachi caught him in the side, before answering, "Because there's something about it that's just…off. Not 'cause of Isane's intentions, mind you, but, it connects to something, something relating to a war, in my past life."
Rolling under Kenpachi's slash, Fireheart brought up his sword in a vicious diagonal strike which, had it been with a real sword, would have taken half of Kenpachi's arm with it had the older man not leapt back at the last second. "I still can't figure out what it is, but it involves either a weapon of some sort, or a name." he added, catching Kenpachi's blade on his own before countering with a solid kick to Kenpachi's left shoulder.
As both warriors prepared to launch into their next exchange, Fireheart suddenly paused, raising a hand to stop Kenpachi as well.
The surge in Reiatsu was massive, as the air filled with the smell of ozone, as if a storm was coming.
"Sasakibe-san…", whispered the awed Fireheart, as a towering white-gold dome rose into the sky just beyond the eastern walls of the Sereitei, punctuated by the occasional crack of thunder.
Fireheart had discarded his training sword in an instant, his hand reaching for the hilt of the sheathed Yurusanai on the bench next to him, "That reiatsu, it's Bankai level. In fact, I daresay it's stronger by far than what even Renji gives off!" Then a sudden realization hit him, "Sasakibe-san hasn't…" he started, as the dome of Koko Gonryo Rikyu vanished, followed shortly by all trace of Sasakibe's Reiatsu. "Fuck, now…", Fireheart started again, only to be interrupted as Yumichika rushed in, a Hell Butterfly fluttering over his head. "Report!" bellowed Kenpachi, as the panting fifth seat skidded to a stop in front of the two. "Zaraki- Taichou! Yamamoto Soutaichou wants all the captains to assemble in the first division immediately!" yelled the fifth seat, only to be shouldered aside by a bloodied and panting Ikkaku, "Lieutenant Sasakibe, he's dead! Some white-robed guys shooting arrows the size of Komamura-Taichou shot him through the wall of the Soutaichou's barracks!"
The two Shinigami were gone the next instant.
Isane POV, earlier that day
"There is something off, Hisagi-san. I don't know what it is, but ever since his birthday, he has been increasingly worried, and even if he doesn't admit it, he's hurting somewhere deep inside, even if he does not admit it to anyone. Just, watch out for him, please!"
Fireheart POV, Present Day, around 5 pm
"Nine days, huh?" came the guttural growl of Kenpachi, a smirk creeping up across his lips, "Those dumbasses gave us way too long to prepare for a fight!"
Fireheart didn't reply. The taller Shinigami was silent, his zanpakuto drawn and his hood pulled up, casting the upper half of his face into shadow.
Kenpachi elbowed him, causing Fireheart to turn towards him with a somewhat annoyed expression. "We are being watched. I can't pinpoint exactly from where, but I can feel eyes on us."
Kenpachi smirked. The two men were as close as brothers, yet they could not be less alike- one a boisterious warrior demon of a man who lived for little else but battle, his little girl and his beloved lady, while the other was a quieter lone wolf who, while terrifying on the battlefield, would rather spend his time helping out with writing newsletters and helping Captain Unohana of the Fourth with her healing of the wounded.
Suddenly, Fireheart stopped. With a deep, low moan, he put a hand to his forehead, before staggering and stabbing the point of Yurusanai into the ground in order to steady himself. The long black blade flared blue-white for a second, before the overwhelming force of Fireheart's colossal Reiatsu smashed into Kenpachi with the force of a waterfall, after which everything faded back to normal.
Getting up from his knee, Fireheart muttered, "So now it makes its presence felt," before suddenly vanishing in a burst of Shunpo.
"Hey! You didn't tell me shit! What the hell made its presence felt?!" yelled Kenpachi, but the younger Soul Reaper was long gone, leaving one very confused 11th Division Captain in his wake.
"Why do I keep reminiscing about three fucking swords? There's literally no sense to these goddamned flashbacks anymore!" grumbled Fireheart to himself, as he furiously racked his brain to find out whatever memories of his past life were repressed where there were any references to any of the weapons he had wielded over his long, long life. All he could remember were his original greatsword and the two Odachis that he had wielded alongside a plethora of firearms, explosives and others, with the last one literally being what Yurusanai modeled his unreleased appearance after.
"Why in the world would three blades have any-"
The world went black. Fireheart's last sensation was the taste of blood in his mouth and the cobblestones under his cheek.
Several Centuries Earlier, about 4 pm.
A roar cut through the air as the Zorvus knight raised his sword to defend against Fireheart, who, having foregone heavy armour in favour of his signature black cloak and vambraces, was currently in the air, his odachi poised to thrust through his opponent's neck. A flash of black and the crunch of breaking armour preceded the knight's collapse, 3 precise slashes- one across the chest, one up the side and a third slanting from the shoulder to a deep cut halfway through the neck, marking his ornate armour.
"Blocking won't do shit to save someone from the kind of strength and speed your technique requires," came a deep, raspy voice from behind Fireheart, a tall figure dropping into the clearing. The older man smirked, throwing an arm around the other's shoulder as he came up beside him, as a second figure, this one a woman, stepped out from behind the rocky outcrop jutting from the ground nearby, sheathing a bloody wakizashi.
"You know, you should clean that blade up first," was Fireheart's quietly amused admonition. The cousins shared a grin at that, with Fireheart being the first to return to full seriousness as he scanned the surrounding trees for threats.
"What, just because you can hit someone thrice before they're even prepared to block your first strike, you can't just always be paranoid that there are 5 times the number of guys we get in our reports!" laughed Ryan, his grey eyes crinkling around their corners, quickly followed up by Anna- "Yeah, it's almost as if you're wielding three swords, not just the Odachi you carry around everywhere."
The sound of someone snapping their fingers hit their ears, Fireheart and Anna turning immediately towards a grinning Ryan, "I think I got a name for that, old man!"
"You and your fucking nicknames!" laughed Anna, punching her younger brother in the arm. "Yeah, just ask ol' Three Blades here to quit being such a damned badass all the time and leave some of them for us to take on! Then maybe, just MAYBE, I'll stop popping off nicknames for all of our friends and family!"
Fireheart smirked, his eyes slipping down to the sword in his hands, before, in a gesture unnoticed by the others, rolling the hilt over in his hand to reveal the telltale stains of blood on his sword hilt and the palm of his hand. While his technique always required significant strength and dexterity with a blade, few would know the pain he sometimes still had to endure as he evolved it over the several centuries the three of them had lived.
After all, the title "Three Blades" was one earned in blood.
"Surrender now, Shinigami! We have you four to one, and there is no way for you to escape!"