HALCYON DAYS
Volume Four: Thirteen Blades

Chapter Four

"So Renji's fighting in a tournament and I'm not even invited?" Ichigo harrumphed, sitting back in his bed to fussily tie his shoelaces.

"Only seated officers can compete in the Jūsankentaikai," Rukia replied. "I share your frustration, Ichigo."

"Well, how come you're not a seated officer?"

Rukia gave him a look that made it clear she didn't want to talk about it. He decided to change the subject.

"Alright, why is Soul Society even having a tournament right now? Shouldn't you all be preparing for war against Aizen?"

"None of the captains thought it was a good idea, but the Shisonka insisted."

"Wait, so the Gotei 13 is doing all this because some nobles asked them?"

"It's the Shisonka's will," Rukia replied flatly, unsure of what part wasn't clear. "You don't just thumb your nose at them."

Ichigo made a derp face, profoundly confused.

"I thought the Old Man was like the Big Cheese in Soul Society?"

"What do you mean, cheese?"

"The top dog. The head honcho. You know, the one who makes all the decisions?"

"Genryūsai?" Rukia frowned, a little shocked by Ichigo's naïveté. "He is certainly the boss of us Shinigami, and the leader of the Gotei 13. But he still has to answer to Central 46, and both of them defer to the Shisonka."

"What gives these Shisonka guys any authority?" Ichigo mumbled. "Just because they were born with the right name?"

"Because they are the Soul King's representatives."

"The who?"

"Ichigo!"

"I have no idea who you're talking about!"

Rukia readied to chastise him some more but relented, turning pensive.

"Come to think of it, I never told you about the Soul King. I was keeping you on a need-to-know basis, after all."

"Alright, so what's a Soul King? Is he the king?"

"Correct," Rukia nodded. "He created the universe."

"ALL OF IT?!"

"Yes, and he rules all of creation from the heavens."

"Wait, so you're saying there's a God?"

"Why yes, of course."

Well that's a lot to take in on a Saturday morning. Ichigo ran a hand through his shock of orange hair, feeling a headache coming on.

Rukia snatched some paper and markers from his desk and began drawing while she explained the hierarchy of the universe.

"You see, the Soul King lives in a realm that resides above Soul Society, called the Royal Palace… the only people he is in direct contact with below are the Shisonka, who descend directly from the first Shinigami, and they rule Soul Society by his authority. The Soul King tells them what to do, and they tell us Shinigami what to do."

She finished her sketch and held it up to show Ichigo. The crinkled illustration was a jumble of bunny doodles and crowns, complete with squiggly arrows to point to who delegated authority to whom.

"Your cartoons haven't improved much," Ichigo smirked.

"This is very crucial information!" Rukia protested. "The Shisonka are the most powerful political force in Soul Society and hold great religious importance, understand?"

"Alright, yeah. Got it."

"Good," Rukia nodded, neatly folding her illustration by squares and pocketing it. "You're already well-acquainted with two Shisonka clans: the Kuchiki and the Shihōin."

"Huh?" Ichigo bleated. "You mean you and Miss Yoruichi are at the very top of the food chain?"

"I don't really count," Rukia clarified with a shake of her head. "Brother may have adopted me, but the rest of his family only see me as Rukon."

"Is that so?" Ichigo said, seeing the hint of hurt in her eyes. "So they're even bigger buttheads than him, huh?"

Rukia's eyes widened. She involuntarily let out a chortle, only to stuff it deep down.

"Yes, you could say that."


"Are you ready for more examples of gallantry?" Chiwa asked the crowd. He was met with thunderous affirmation.

"Outstanding," the emcee nodded, extending a hand towards the ring. "Brace yourselves for a treat! We have two lieutenants, rumored to be close friends, and they were both the right hands of traitors! Let us see if they can redeem themselves through the holy ritual of combat! Behold, Kira Izuru and Hisagi Shūhei!"

Hisagi shot a resentful scowl at the referee before returning his glare to Kira from across the ring. He listened as a mixture of boos, cheers, and even some hisses emanated from the crowd. The stink of Gin and Tōsen's treason had definitely rubbed off on them.

"Sure we can't just settle this over a game of Janken?" He hoped the jest would get a smile out of Kira. It didn't.

Instead, the blonde-haired mope was wearing that annoying, morose stare of his.

"Are both fighters ready for battle?" Chiwa asked.

Hisagi and Kira both nodded.

"Then let the third match of the Jūsankentaikai begin!"

The moment Chiwa finished his declaration, Hisagi and Kira unsheathed their Zanpakutō and launched at each other, clashing at the center of the ring like wisps of wind. Spectators with limited spiritual awareness craned their heads forward and struggled to make out the movements of the two speedy combatants.

Hisagi and Kira disappeared and reappeared across yards at a time, their clashes sending ripples of kinetic energy down against the arena floor and jostling the carefully slotted tiles.

"Interesting," Tetsuzaemon remarked while watching. "Their movements, the intensity of their strikes... this isn't a friendly contest."

"What do you mean?" Isane asked with a hint of concern. "Are you saying they want to hurt each other?"

"I'm saying they don't seem to be in agreement about the stakes of this match," Tetsuzaemon answered measuredly.

Kira brought Wabisuke down against Hisagi's Kazeshini with furious force, the two swords colliding and grating against each other's edge.

"Why am I sensing anger in your swings, Izuru?" Hisagi asked, staring searchingly into his friend's eyes while they wrestled blades.

"You're not fighting to win, Shūhei," Kira answered.

"This is just a tournament."

"It's become more than that!" Kira hissed, pushing Kazeshini away at last and swinging Wabisuke down with an underhand stroke.

Hisagi nimbly parried the swing and retreated a yard.

"You want to become a captain," he said accusingly, his patience run thin.

"Of course I do," Kira replied hoarsely. "You're a fool for not seizing the opportunity, too."

He held his katana aloft, honing his focus. With a slight nudge, he knocked Wabisuke's hilt and sent it into a rotation. The blade spun in place, suspended in the air until it whirred with the velocity of a turbine.

Hisagi watched with grim resignation while the blade began to crackle with Reiatsu.

"Hadō #58," Kira called out, catching his sword mid-spin. "Tenran!"

闐嵐 Tenran (Tornado)

A torrent of wind erupted forth, surging towards Hisagi with expanding breadth and cracking the tiles in its wake.

Hisagi answered by jutting forth his right hand.

"Bakudō #39, Enkōsen!"

円閘扇 Enkōsen (Round Lock Fan)

A torch of canary yellow emanated from his palm and twisted into a countervailing fan. The two Kidō spells collided and canceled each other out, Tenran dispersing in diverging directions. The kinetic force surged out from the ring and forked towards the audience, only to crash impotently against the Kidō Corps' barrier.

"Have you really been so easily seduced by ambition?" Hisagi cursed. He flash-stepped within a yard of Kira, his sword outstretched. Kira ducked down nearly flat on his back and dived feet first between Hisagi's outstretched legs, sliding behind him and jutting Wabisuke up for a counterstrike. Hisagi hopped up and thrust his katana down. Both their blades slid along each other's length and ignited sparks.

The audience watched in awe as the two officers traded a series of sword swings, their strikes narrowly missing flesh each time.

"Ambition?" Kira repeated while ducking Kazeshini by a hairsbreadth. "It's not ambition, Shūhei. It's duty!'

"You want to win a captain's seat like it's a game prize?" Hisagi roared between jabs and dodges. "Neither of us deserves it yet!"

"It's not a matter of what we deserve," Kira spat back, taking a bracing nick to his right cheek. "Third Division has been railroaded. My men need a leader! If I don't rise to the fill the void, who will?"

They twirled around each other like synchronized dancers, their katanas clanging and missing each other intermittently. Hisagi lunged backwards, only for Kira to catch him by the collar of his Shihakushō and yank him forward, thrusting Wabisuke to meet him. Hisagi artfully diverted the blade with a chop, sacrificing the edge of his hand. His blood splashed onto the tiles at his feet.

"Your men won't look up to a leader who hasn't earned the rank," he grit, a deep slice carved into his palm.

"They will look up to whoever does what's necessary!" Kira roared back, his temper finally frayed.

He lunged forward, only for Hisagi to launch himself above. Kira gave chase, leaping up after him.

"You're deluding yourself." Hisagi unfastened the bands wrapped around his right bicep and batted them down with his katana in a single fluid motion. Kira's eyes widened, knowing all too well the bands weren't mere adornment. The links landed against his chest, glowed bright red and exploded like a grenade.

Kira landed flat on his back, throwing up chunks of tile upon impact. He blurted out a splash of blood and phlegm and clutched at his chest, his Shihakushō singed across the abdomen.

Hisagi landed two yards away, glaring down at Kira with disdain.

"Renounce your ambition. Before I think less of you."

Kira seemed to forget his agonizing pain, his eyes snapping back open and seeming to glow with indignation. He backflipped into a crouch, his sword extended threateningly.

"Raise Your Head, Wabisuke!"

Hisagi's eyes flickered with disappointment while watching the katana remold into a 90 degree hook. Kira rose back to his full height and brandished the true face of his Zanpakutō.

"Unseal Kazeshini, Shūhei."

"I will not." Hisagi assumed a Tachi no Tori stance and shook his head.

"Then you've chosen selfishness," Kira jeered before flash-stepping forth and cleaving his hook down. Hisagi dived aside, narrowly missing Wabisuke's swipe. He skid away, his sandals digging smoke trails into the arena tiles before coming to a stop at a distance of six yards from Kira.

They stared each other down, both equal parts frustrated and winded. Hisagi clenched his jaw until he couldn't repress his agitation any longer.

"How the hell am I the selfish one here?"

"You're letting your pride get in the way."

"What're you talking about?" Hisagi sighed, exasperated.

"Your division has been disgraced, Shūhei!" Kira roared. "The only one who can restore its honor is you."

"I'm not a damn captain!" Hisagi cried back, thoroughly provoked. He swiped two fingers across the air. "Hadō #10, Enban!"

円盤 Enban (Discus)

A buzzsaw comprised of crimson light materialized before him and sailed forth. Kira, not missing a beat, dashed towards the incoming Kidō and jumped up, stepping over the disk and using it as a springboard to somersault over his opponent.

While the Enban flew out from the stage and smashed against the encircling Kidō barrier, Wabisuke shined as it landed a thwack on Hisagi's shoulder.

Hisagi tumbled over and spilled across the ground before springing back unsteadily onto his feet.

So that's what double the weight feels like, he grimaced while nursing his weighted-down limb. It was as if his arm had been filled with lead.

Yūshirō leaned forward in his seat, cocking an inquisitive eyebrow. "How come that Hisagi guy isn't fighting back with his Shikai? Is he saving it for a big finale?"

"Perhaps he's just a fool," Tokinada mused.

"Lieutenant Hisagi has a distaste for his own Zanpakutō," Komamura interjected with a hint of wistful understanding. "He will not release Kazeshini unless the circumstances are a matter of life and death."

"I see," Tokinada hummed. "Well at least you're good for some color commentary, dog."

They watched as Kira made a slow approach, his hook held low.

"Unseal your Shikai, Shūhei," he warned. "You can't beat me without it."

"I'd sooner lose!" Hisagi shot back.

"What's wrong with you?" Kira whispered, wide-eyed. "Somebody is going to win this tournament. Why are you so afraid it's going to be you?"

Hisagi huffed and launched forward in a blitz of Shunpo, only for Kira to intercept him.

My arm! Hisagi realized. His arm was weighing him down just enough to slow his Shunpo by mere milliseconds. That was more than enough. Before he could adjust, Wabisuke was within inches of reaching his abdomen. He broke into a cartwheel and kicked the hook away, sacrificing his foot. There was a hollow clang as his ankle connected against the flat-faced blade.

Kira watched Hisagi spin out and land with a painful splat.

"I don't want to win only because you held out on me," he sighed.

Hisagi grunted and awkwardly hobbled back up. He spat and wiped a blood trickle off from his nose.

"That's my business. Why do you care so much?"

Kira looked wounded. He lowered Wabisuke.

"Because you'd make for a fine captain."

"The Ninth Division already has a captain!" Hisagi cursed.

Kira gasped, his already pallid face draining of color until it took on a positively ghostly pallor.

"Are you telling me that… somewhere in your heart, you're holding onto hope for Tōsen's return?"

Hisagi flinched at the accusation. All he could do was bristle in response.

"Of course not!"

"He still holds a place of respect in your heart, doesn't he?" Kira intuited, his expression gaunt with disgust. "Shūhei… he was nothing but a mirage. A jape at your expense – "

Hisagi, in a fit of rage, flash-stepped right beside Kira and swiped up with his katana, only for Wabisuke to catch his strike. They were locked in a standstill for an agonizing moment. Hisagi sweated profusely, his arms growing wobbly. It felt like he was holding a bucket being filled with the ocean.

"Don't you know it's unwise to cross blades with Wabisuke?" Kira queried pitilessly. "With each passing second, it is doubling the weight of Kazeshini until – "

The katana slipped through Hisagi's raw fingers and landed onto the tiles with a sickening crunch, indenting a pockmark into the arena.

Hisagi bounded back in retreat, only for Wabisuke to catch his right leg with another swipe. He fell back awkwardly and rolled along the ground until finishing face-first against the tile. He was on his stomach, his joints aching from strain.

Before he could struggle back up to his feet, he felt something hover along his throat.

"No," Rangiku gasped. "Kira wouldn't…!"

Hisagi gulped, his adam's apple bobbing within a hairsbreadth of Wabisuke's edge. Kira was hanging his Shikai around him like a noose.

"Concede."

Hisagi's face scrunched up in defiance.

"You feel like a big man, threatening me like this?"

Kira was perfectly still for a moment, then withdrew the noose.

"Fine, then."

Wabisuke's face smacked against Hisagi's shoulder one time, two times, three times. He collapsed in a full-body flop, pinned to the ground.

"Bastard," he hissed.

Kira reached down, grasped the scruff of Hisagi's Shihakushō, and began dragging him across the stage. Their fellow lieutenants watched from the stands with horrified fascination.

There's no need to humiliate him like that, Rangiku thought disapprovingly.

Kira stared straight on while he heaved his comrade like an anchor, slowly but surely bringing him to the arena's edge.

"I already told you," he whispered somberly. "Everything changed the moment they announced the prize. This was no longer a game. It was a battle. Battles are terrible things. Friendship cannot survive a battle."

Hisagi's face twisted with irrepressible fury. All he could do was stare down at the moving ground while it ground his face like sandpaper.

"I don't know if I can ever forgive you for this."

Kira had no response until they were finally at the ledge.

"I pray you never forgive me."

Hisagi felt himself lifted up, and then he was thrown into the dirt.


"So what's this mission of yours?" Ichigo asked after finally being brought up to speed about the goings on at Soul Society.

"There have been disturbing reports coming from neighboring districts here in the Material World," Rukia explained. "We have reason to believe that a great menace has become stronger than ever before and is on a rampage."

"Who?"

She hesitated to answer, knowing full well she was about to prick at a painful wound in Ichigo's heart. With a short breath, she finally blurted it out.

"Grand Fisher."