He was surrounded by darkness. He felt nothing. He was nothing. Shane merely floated in the dark void, unsure of everything.
Where am I? he asked himself. A faint light appeared in the distance and Shane felt the sensation of falling toward the light. The light grew bigger and bigger, but never grew any brighter. Soon, the darkness was replaced by the soft light and Shane was strangely comforted by it.
He felt a tingling all over and realized he could feel his body again. Shane looked up and saw he was gently coming to rest on a vast dark grey plain. His feet sank several inches in the soft powdery surface and he looked around. Off in the distance, Shane saw hills and mountains that were the same grey color as the place he was standing. He looked up and saw the black sky with many brilliant stars. There was no air, there was no movement of any kind. The sight of it all took Shane's breath away.
A light appeared on the horizon and slowly rose into the sky. Shane watched as the sun rose, bathing everything in its brilliant light, turning the landscape from dark grey to soft white. Even though the bright sun reflected off the white surface, Shane didn't feel the need to shield his eyes.
Off in the distance, Shane could make out a faint blinking light. At first, he wasn't sure if he had imagined it or if it was another star, but the light blinked again. Strangely, Shane was drawn to the light, and he couldn't stop himself from walking to the light. He glanced behind him and saw his footprints stretching out behind him, undisturbed.
He had no sensation of time, so Shane had no idea how long or how far he had walked. Finally he arrived at the lip of a large crater. The crater wall sloped gently downward and Shane could see an object in the center. He jumped down and bounced lightly to the crater floor. As he drew closer, Shane could see the object begin to take the form of a large tomb. It was made of white marble and inlaid with silver. There were carvings on the tomb, but Shane had no idea what they meant. He walked around the tomb and noticed it seemed very plain and he began to wonder why a tomb was in such a place. He reached out and placed his hand on the tomb. Immediately, Shane was whisked skyward at an incredible rate. Within seconds, the Moon seemed small enough to hold in his hands, and he reached out, as if to touch it.
Shane heard a low rumbling sound that quickly grew louder. He became confused by this. How can I hear anything if there is no air? he thought. The rumbling stopped and a loud voice cried out, "I am Tsukuyomi."
The Moon began to spin toward the dark side. It then stopped spinning, so half the moon was illuminated and the other half was dark. The Moon started to spin again. This time, the light and dark seemed to mix together until the Moon had become a Yin-Yang symbol.
Shane looked around and saw the stars had disappeared and the only thing he could see was the Yin-Yang. He felt like he was falling toward the symbol, but it never grew any larger. Soon, he was standing on the boundary between the light and dark halves. The same voice Shane heard earlier spoke again. "Who are you?"
Shane opened his mouth to reply, but the voice said, "Silence!" Shane shut his mouth and waited. When nothing happened, Shane opened his mouth to speak, but was again interrupted. "Quiet!" the voice commanded.
Shane was very confused and had no idea what was going on, or where he was. He wanted to ask many questions, but decided it wasn't worth getting yelled at by the powerful voice.
"A wise decision," the voice said.
So, the voice can read my mind, Shane thought.
"Yes," the voice replied. "Quiet your mind."
Shane did as he was told, but found it difficult. He kept thinking of random things. After a while, Shane grew frustrated with himself. Finally, Shane thought to himself, "Where is all this going?"
"The Yin and Yang of your soul is out of balance," the voice said. "You must restore the balance."
As if on cue, everything disappeared and Shane was floating in the formless void. He somehow found his footing, but could see nothing. A bright light appeared overhead and shone down on him. Shane blinked his eyes and put his hand up to shield the light. A figure stepped out of the darkness and Shane realized he was looking at a copy of himself. He stared speechless for a few moments and realized his other self had a hole in his chest that slowly oozed a pale green liquid.
"Is that the stuff Akuma put in me?" Shane asked aloud. The other Shane said nothing, but reached out and put his hands on Shane's face. Shane was instantly bombarded with feelings of pain, anger, determination, hatred, self loathing, and desire, to name a few, mixed with a kaleidoscope of bright colors. Shane gasped and fell to his knees. His eyes rolled up in his head and he made a feeble attempt to pry the hands off his face. "Please, stop," he squeaked. Just when Shane felt he was going to lose his mind, copy Shane pulled his hands away and Shane fell over gasping. He shakily rose to his feet and turned to face his copy, who's eyes were wide and glassed over.
Shane suddenly saw stars and stumbled back as the copy Shane landed a vicious haymaker. Shane was still reeling as his copy began to beat him to a pulp.
Such power and ferocity, Shane noted. His glasses shattered and his nose was bleeding freely. This must be what Akuma told me about, Shane realized. Copy Shane became more wild and reckless, showing no regard for his own safety. Is this what happens when we let our instincts and feelings take over? he wondered. Deep down, are we all simply savage monsters driven by our primal urges?
Shane stumbled back a distance and tried to collect himself. As he looked at his raving self, he began to feel pity. "I think I get it now," he said. Copy Shane merely stared back. "We shouldn't be afraid of our emotions. We all have desires and we are driven to succeed," Shane said, stepping forward. He was now standing in front of himself. "But we shouldn't let our emotions and desires control us. To control our feelings, the will to live when all hope is lost, is what makes us powerful." Shane reached out and embraced himself. "And we must step up and face the future with our heads held high, no matter what happens," he said. There was a bright light and an explosion, but no sound, as Shane merged with himself. He felt lighter, as if a heavy burden had been removed. When the light cleared, he was standing on the mountain top, ankle deep in snow. The sky was overcast and grey. Across from him stood two shadows.
"Why have you come here?" they asked.
"I have come to reclaim what is mine," Shane said. The shadows moved closer, but Shane stood his ground, unafraid.
"What makes you think we will give it to you?" the shadows asked. Their posture became menacing.
"I don't expect to be given anything," Shane replied. "I'm going to take it."
The shadows laughed menacingly. "You think you can come to this place where you are not welcome and take what doesn't belong to you?"
Shane stepped toward the shadows and narrowed his eyes. "I think we are done talking," he said.
Shane stood tall and refused to be intimidated by the shadows. He clenched his fists and the air became thick with tension. The light breeze that had been blowing suddenly paused and for a heart beat nothing happened, and there was an explosion of motion.
Both shadows moved on Shane and began to attack. Shane fought back with a dazzling display of hand-to-hand combat and flash steps. He stopped thinking about what to do and let his instincts control his actions. He read his opponents and his body reacted accordingly. Shane felt like he was moving in a carefully choreographed, slow motion dance. His heart was light and he felt free of any burden.
The shadows jumped back a short distance away and raised a hand. A ball of blue energy began to grow and rotate in the palm. When the energy was the size of a softball, it shot forth and headed right for Shane. Without thinking, Shane raised a hand and he heard himself say, "Reflection Technique."
The balls of energy exploded around him with tremendous force, with a portion of the blast redirected back at the shadows. The shadows merely stepped aside and were unaffected by the blast. When the smoke cleared, Shane was unharmed and he lowered his hand, a stern expression on his face.
"What do you want?" the shadows asked.
"I want to become stronger than I am now," Shane replied without hesitation.
"Why do you want power?" was the next question.
"To protect others," Shane said, "and to learn more about myself. I want to master the power of my soul."
The clouds broke, allowing the moonlight to shine though. The shadows cleared and Shane realized his opponents were Light and Dark Tsukuyomi. The three of them stared at each other. Shane bowed slightly and took a stance. Light and Dark Tsukuyomi did the same. With a deep breath and careful, deliberate movements, Shane started to do Tai Chi. Light and Dark Tsukuyomi followed Shane's movements. The three of them practiced Tai Chi under the night sky, the moon shining brightly. Shane closed his eyes and breathed a sigh of content.
"I am glad your heart is whole again," Light Tsukuyomi said. Shane opened his eyes and glanced at Light Tsukuyomi.
"About time you got your act together," Dark Tsukuyomi chided. A smile appeared on Shane's face. "It makes me happy that we are together again," he said.
"What is our name?" both Tsukuyomis asked with a loud voice.
"Tsukuyomi!" Shane shouted. His voiced echoed across the distance and the ground began to shake.
Back in the Real World, Urahara was keeping a lazy eye on Shane's unconscious body. He felt a slight rumble and watched as Shane's body began to glow a faint silver color. The light grew in intensity until Urahara could no longer look directly at the light.
"Oh boy, here it comes," he said and stepped behind a large boulder. There was a massive explosion of spirit power and the entire area was filled with light and smoke. As the dust settled, Urahara stepped out from behind his noticeably smaller boulder. Shane stood at the center of a large crater, determination in his eyes. Urahara clapped his hands. "Welcome back," he said.
Shane took a deep breath and looked around. "Sorry about your place," he said.
"Don't worry about it," Urahara said, waving him off. "You should have seen what Ichigo did when he was here."
"How long was I out?" Shane asked. He stepped out of the crater and stood next to Urahara.
"About five days or so," Urahara replied. Shane yawned and stretched. "I'm hungry." Without waiting, Shane turned and walked to the ladder that led up to the shop. Urahara pulled out a small box. "I guess I don't need this after all," he said, playing with it.
Shane went to Urahara's spare room and ate a piece of Soul Candy. As his faux body fell to the floor, Shane went to his bag and pulled out a clean uniform. As he adjusted the robes, he reached back into the bag and pulled out a wooden badge about the size of his hand. Engraved on its surface was a flower symbol and the number 13. Shane slid it up his left arm and adjusted it so it would stay. He briefly looked himself in the mirror and the lieutenant of Squad 13 walked out of the room.
Captain Hitsugaya and the others were lounging about the front of Urahara's shop. Shane stopped in the doorway, mentally collected himself, and walked in. Hitsugaya was seated at the table with his lieutenant and Urahara. Shane stood in front of the table. Hitsugaya lazily looked up at him. "What is it?"
Shane bowed and said, "Please forgive me for my actions here in the Real World. I realize my conduct was unbecoming for a lieutenant of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. I have brought shame upon my squad, my captain, and myself. I will accept any punishment you deem necessary."
Hitsugaya sighed and rolled his eyes. Urahara gazed at him intently. "You are the superior ranking officer here," he said. "What will you do?"
"Very well. I accept your apology," Hitsugaya said and waved him away. Shane stood up and left. When Shane was out of hearing, Hitsugaya said, "About time he got his act together."
"Most fortunate indeed," Urahara agreed.
Shane went back to the room and found Yoruichi laying in the window in cat form. Shane walked up from behind and began to scratch her behind the ears. He was rewarded with a purr.
"If you're not too busy, I have a request of you," Shane said.
"Do I look like I'm busy?" Yoruichi asked. Shane shrugged. "That depends."
"Well, what is it?" she asked.