Chapter 13: Scattered Petals
I wake to the sight of a midnight sky, lying on my back and staring into an endless sea of stars, but there is no moon. Cherry blossom petals drift on the breeze all around, reflecting the starshine on their soft faces. I hear a rush of water nearby and the fresh scent that follows the rain is all around. Storm clouds swell, slowly crawling across the sky, misting over the stars until I have been left in darkness.
How did I come to be here? What is this place? There is a sense that it should be familiar, but the clouds across the sky have confused my thoughts.
I feel that I am not alone.
"You have finally returned," says a soft male voice, "It isn't like you to keep me waiting like this. If it was anyone but you, I would have thought death was at hand…and indeed it did touch us ever so briefly, did it not?"
"Who are you?" I ask, "Where are you? I don't see you."
"No, you cannot see me yet, because you are not fully awakened. Stand."
There is a heaviness to my body as I gain my feet, a cloudiness of thought. I turn in all directions, seeking the one who speaks to me, but I am alone…and I know inside my heart that this should not be so.
"Where are you?" I ask again, "Why am I here?"
I feel the attack before he moves, but his speed is blinding. I loose the sword at my hip and bring it around, meeting the one I cannot see with a shock of metal on metal.
"I see you still have your basic reflexes, then. But do not think that such an inferior thing will enable you to defeat me. Do you see me yet?"
I do not answer.
I feel the next strike coming and block again. This time, my blocking move is a breath too slow and I feel blood cooling on my skin. My breath catches softly.
"Did you expect me to go easy on you? That has never been my way and you of all people should know that. It is not your way either."
I block three heavy strikes in quick succession.
"Your speed is improving, but you are still too slow. I am not even trying and already I have drawn your blood. Can you shatter the confusion? Can you force your eyes to see? Or are we at an end?"
"Tell me your name."
He laughs, a bitter grating assault on the night sounds.
"Tell me yours," he says softly.
Shock freezes me in my tracks as I realize that I do not know it. The hesitation is not missed and I am treated to a blinding rush of sword strikes that ends with a harsh slash and the splash of blood.
"You are unwise to lower your guard. Now, you asked me my name and I asked for yours. I can see now that you do not remember. I shall attempt to remind you. For until you remember yourself, your eyes will not see me and your lips cannot form my name."
I feel him move away.
"First, you are a man of great pride. I will test that pride. For if you are my master, then your pride will not allow you to bend in my presence."
The spiritual pressure begins to rise around me. At first it is bearable, but as it rises, the grass ripples, the trees sway, the cloud of cherry blossoms swells as more are shaken free and the ground rumbles madly beneath me. The pressure descends on me, bearing down and wrapping around me, tightening its hold until I cannot breathe.
"Well now," the voice says, "this is a surprise. Before, I could never even take hold of you. Now break free, or I will crush you. Where is your pride?"
The pressure increases around me and I feel darkness approaching.
"Come now, you don't really want to die, do you? It is there inside you, that pride. It has never failed. And it will not allow you to lose to me. If it does, you will not live to suffer the surrender of pride. Because if you do not have the pride to stand against my power, then you are truly gone from me and I will mourn your passing. Now, find your pride and do not let me kill you."
The pressure rises again and I feel my soul tremble against it. Something inside me refuses to accept this. Somewhere inside is a familiar rage breaking free. It remembers this one who faces me and it knows not to bend. The feeling swells until it can no longer be contained, and then explodes out of me with the force of a hurricane, shattering the spirit energy that binds me, and setting me free.
"That is more like you, though it took much longer than it should. But you have passed the first test. You have reawakened your pride. Look around you."
The clouds have thinned. There is a dim circle where the moon should be.
"Now then," the voice continues, "on to the second test. You are a man of honor. You will not relinquish your honor for any cause."
The spiritual abilities that have been helping me counter his moves suddenly disappear and his sword slashes. I am only able to counter at all because my ears pick up the swish of the blade on the air and I can feel warmth on the side he occupies.
"I have stolen your spiritual abilities. I attack without warning and whatever I must do to kill you, I will do. Will your honor hold?"
His sword slashes and tears at my skin. The wound is not deep, but the attack was not full power. It was a warning. He attacks again, a shattering display of a thousand swift strikes. My blocking moves are swift and even with the greater portion of my senses affected, I manage to avoid death. But the slashes that connect take their toll. My blood flows in trickles and slow streams down my body now.
"Will you relinquish your honor?" he asks.
He slashes again, without warning, tearing at my flesh again, then raises his spirit energy against mine.
"Only your honor will save you now. Tell me, what will make you relinquish your honor?"
I feel the sword descending and I am frozen in the grip of his spiritual pressure. My heart gives me the answer a moment before the blade connects.
"No threat, no power, not even death itself will make me relinquish my honor."
The sword should have connected, but there is no impact. I feel my senses returning. The clouds in the sky continue to thin and the outline of the moon shines softly. I see a shimmer in the air before me and the warmth of the spirit I face reaches me.
"Admirable…much more like you. You have passed the second test. You are beginning to see again…but there is more. You are ready for the third test."
Without warning, darkness envelops me and slowly the most basic of my senses are removed. There in the darkness, bereft of sight, sound, taste, smell and touch, I am suspended. Frozen and alone, I contemplate what this new test must be. He has tested my pride and my honor. What is he testing by isolating me here? Is this a test of some skill needed to break free, or perhaps a test of some kind of resolve to keep me from going mad from this loss of connection with my surroundings? I know he won't help me figure this out. He would have to violate the conventions of the test to do so. No, I am going to have to figure this out on my own. What is tested with numbness, with loss of taste and smell, with the loneliness of silence and impenetrable darkness? I feel the answer forming, then suddenly I sense a presence nearby…he is here. He will attack. And without my senses, I will not be able to stop him. For how can I raise a sword when I cannot feel my body to call it into action? How can I block an attack, I cannot see, hear, or feel?
-I do not fear pain nor even death.-
The sword descends and power explodes around me. I am thrown to the ground and dust and cherry blossoms dance in the dusty air all around me. My senses have returned. The dust slowly clears. I am lying on my back and I can see the shine of all of the stars again. The full moon reigns over them, its brightness restored. The clouds are gone now.
"Impressive," says the voice, "Rise, now, and tell me your name."
I climb to my feet and turn. A masked warrior stands facing me, holding a sword that looks like mine. Recognition flares in my mind. I know this warrior. I know him like I know my own soul.
"Tell me your name," he says again, raising his weapon.
Suddenly, I know the answer.
"I am Byakuya Kuchiki."
I feel the smile behind the mask.
"Byakuya Kuchiki, you have fought well and you have reawakened your pride, honor and fearlessness. You have relearned your name. But if you wish to be my master again, you must defeat me in battle to force me to tell you my name. Only the return of your full power and strength will allow you to defeat me."
The spiritual pressure begins to rise and I raise mine to counter it. It tears the trees and the very grass from the ground, and then sends the broken earth spinning away as well. The stars and moon spiral out of control and disappear into the distance. We are suspended in darkness…but I refuse to let it envelop me. My body glows with white light and I see pink light form in the darkness ahead of me.
"Now Byakuya Kuchiki, you will remember me or you will lose a part of yourself you could not bear to be without!"
I feel the flash step before he moves and counter his blade, then swiftly force his sword down and slash at him. His flash step carries him out of my range, then mine brings me close to him again. He gasps softly at the crash of our blades against each other. We move into a blizzard of steel strikes and parries, of slashes and blocks, of cuts and sprays of blood. The spirit laughs.
"Very well, you are strong. I'll give you that. But can you withstand my Shikai? Scatter!"
His sword dissolves into a sea of pink petals that spin and dance on the air, moving to strike me. I watch as they approach, listening to his laughter and feeling the promise of death if they are not countered.
"Hado #33, Soukatsui!"
The forces meet and shatter each other, driving us backwards. His laughter has stopped and I feel his frown behind the mask.
"Child's play for you Byakuya Kuchiki, is it not? But I have not even begun. You know what comes next. "
He is correct. I do remember now.
"Ban Kai, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."
Steel swords rise all around him now, dissolving into millions of tiny blades that rise into the air and follow as I flash step away.
"Hado #4, Byakurai!"
The sudden bolt of lightning forces him to halt his attack for a moment, giving me time to flash step inside his guard and strike. Blood flies and he gasps harshly. His anger raises the spiritual pressure and his return strike connects sending me tumbling backwards, blood exploding all around us.
"Foolish," he says, panting with pain, "You reached me, but you paid a heavy price. You will not defeat me this way, but feel free to try."
A sea of petal blades rises and swells, wrapping itself around me with deadly speed. It closes around me as my kido shield rises and my sword slashes. Pink and white light clash and break against each other, causing a deep vibration in the air all around. Slowly, he reappears before me.
"Adequately defended, but can you defend against endless blades attacking from every direction at once? Let's see you try!"
His eyes flash with power.
"Gokei, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."
The blades close around me again in a huge pink sphere. There are too many and even with the flash step, I won't have the speed to counter all of them. The sphere begins to collapse and time slows all around me. As the blades slash, I unleash a rotating volley of blue fire. It is not enough to spare me from the whole of the attack, but enough that although I am thrown down and cut, the strike does not kill me. The spirit laughs again.
"Nicely done. But can you live through this?"
"Senkei, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi!"
A thousand pink swords rise and close around us. He inhales sharply when he sees I am smiling. I remember this now…and I know how to defeat it. Seeing the recognition, he tries to shatter my focus by calling two swords down into his hands and attacking immediately.
"You are foolish to drop your defenses with me," I tell him.
He growls with fury and unleashes a heavy barrage of cuts and slashes. We spin around, crashing against the barrier and shaking it with our combined spirit energy. As he brings the two swords down, I twist mine and lock all three blades together. The spirit growls with anger and strains to pull free. I place one hand where the blades are joined.
"Hado # 4, Byakurai!"
The blast destroys the two blades he holds. He laughs again and calls two more blades into his hands. This time he flashes towards me instantly, twisting as he reaches me and striking out with one blade, then the other. I block them, but they do damage.
"You see, Byakuya," he says calmly, "I do not need defenses to defeat you."
"So you say," I reply, panting softly, "but you have not defeated me yet. What you have done…is to underestimate me!"
I grab the two swords with my bare hands and blast them with spirit energy. They shatter in his hands. Raising my spirit energy again, I unleash a brutal assault on the blades that surround us. He stares in surprise as the pink blades shiver at the rush of my power against them.
"No!" he cries, the first sign of weakness, as my spiritual pressure shatters the cage that surrounds us.
Pink fragments float on the air all around us. He stares at me, speechless.
"Have you nothing left?" I ask him, "Have you not one last attack you can use to defeat me? Bring it forth. I welcome it. Do not keep me waiting…"
"Very well," he says softly, his expression hidden behind the mask.
"Shukei, Hakuteiken."
I smile, finally remembering the full beauty of the white emperor sword as it rises over me. He gazes down at me for a moment and I feel warmth in his words.
"If you survive this strike, you will earn the right to wield me, to know my name, to be my master."
As he descends, I remember that victory will not be found in flash steps or kido…or even in the slash of my blade. Calmly, I lower all of my defenses, meeting his attack with only the truth of who I am, Byakuya Kuchiki, 6th Division Captain and master of the thousand sword. Spiritual pressure surrounds me and as the spirit reaches me, I suddenly remember the name I had forgotten.
"Senbonzakura…" I breathe.
The sound of that name on the breeze captures the falling sword and surrounds sword and spirit with my power. I hold the surprised eyes for a moment, and then blast the white emperor sword into nothingness, reaching out to steady the defeated spirit that tumbles free. He lands on his feet in front of me, his palm rested against mine. Slowly, the regal head bows.
"Byakuya Kuchiki, I welcome your return. Come, much has happened while you were gone."
He releases my hand and turns. I follow him into the trees, down a misted trail to a waterfall that descends thousands of feet into an endless sea. We rest quietly at the edge, with the moon and stars lighting the night sky above us. The feeling of home that has always been with me in this place has finally returned.
"There is a battle that must take place soon and we must be there to play an important role. Already, the young wolf has gone to brace his enemy, but he cannot win while he is faced with one who fights without honor…who uses base means to gain dominance. You are a keeper of peace, a defender of laws and just practices. You must go and find him before his enemy strikes him down."
I look out over the sea and a face appears on the water.
"Takeo…" I whisper, "You mean Takeo."
Senbonzakura nods.
"His fate hangs in the balance. We must go to him and play our rightful part," he says, locking his eyes on mine, "no more and no less…Do you understand?"
"I understand."
He holds my gaze for a moment longer.
"Do not believe those who say we cannot yet fight together. We are recovering still, but our resolve will carry us through this battle. Just be aware of the power you expend. We are not yet fully restored."
He turns back to look out over the sea. His next words are soft, nearly a whisper on the breeze.
"I am pleased you have returned. Your absence was…alarming."
I touch him on the shoulder and his head bows.
"It is time for you to go," he says, "I will await your return with anticipation."
Before I can answer, the world around me begins to grow brighter as a new sun rises. Our eyes lock one last time before that place fades away and I am left in darkness. I feel heaviness return to my body and I feel a touch on my arm.
"Captain Kuchiki," Kisuke Urahara says softly, "Welcome back to the land of the living."
I turn my head and find that the two of us are alone. I remember that Renji was here before. Now he has gone and I do not sense his reiatsu.
"Where is Renji?" I ask.
"Ah…he and Rikichi have gone after Takeo. It seems that our young friend was incensed with Raiden's actions…against Kasumi, against Renji, and against you. While the rest of us were focused on you, he slipped away. He went looking for Raiden. He wants revenge. And if I have Raiden pegged right, he'll let the boy find him. He doesn't stand a chance. That bastard has no honor, no moral code."
"The boy can win…but not alone."
"That's why they went. Now, you rest here. I'll be back with tea…that is, if I can find a cup that wasn't shattered when you lost control of your power and decimated the place."
"My apologies, Kisuke Urahara," I say, blinking slowly, "however the loss of control was a function of the overdose of counteragent…if I remember correctly."
"Yeah…you're right about that. Anyway, rest here and I'll be back with tea. Just try not to go golden-eyed again. I can't afford for this place to take any more damage."
He pushes the broken door aside and steps out into the hallway. I wait until his steps have faded away, and then slip out of bed and head for the opening where the window used to be. I hear his footsteps returning and flash step away before he enters the room.