Chapter Four- Reacquainting

Enthusiasm was not a word that would properly describe Soi Fon as she awoke each morning, but that never stopped her from getting out of bed, getting herself organised and setting out in as fast a time as possible while at the same time maintaining her usual calm demeanour.

That next morning though Soi Fon awoke internally enthused but due to the speedy nature of her morning routine it seemed like any other day.

She readied herself, tied Suzumebachi to her back and with a swift stride stepped out of her room and closed the door behind her before making her way to the prisoners room. While she did walk it was at a brisk pace wanting to reach her destination as fast as possible while of course maintaining her calm demeanour.

When she finally reached his door she knocked immediately only to realise that he was already awake and in the courtyard practicing sequences with a Zanpakuto, his Zanpakuto.

When the prisoner was first arrested she assumed that his Zanpakuto would have been confiscated and handed in to the Second Decision for safe keeping but it was never received nor found and yet here it was in the prisoners hands, she was sure of it.

In its sealed form two distinct features set it apart from other Zanpakuto, one was quite unique while other was very odd indeed. Its unique trait was that the hilt was a pale white creamy colour while at the same time boasting a slightly longer length, she had felt the pressure of his swings when this was put to use as it allowed for more erratic and powerful strikes when wielded with the users hands further apart. On the other hand the odd trait was that his Zanpakuto lacked a guard, instead it seamlessly transitioned between hilt and blade.

She approached with caution not wanting to startle him while also maintaining a slight uneasiness at the reacquiring of his Zanpakuto. As she approached confusion began to seep through her as she realised that she could feel no spiritual pressure emitting from him despite his prolonged removal from the spirit reducing stone that made up the walls of The Nest Of Maggots.

Spiritual pressure leaked out of all beings subconsciously, with a conscious effort and proper application however this could be reduced to minuscule levels. As the Commander-in-Chief of the Covert Ops Soi Fon took pride in mastering such a tool of restraint that was an unspoken requirement of her position. She had perfected the ability to the point where she was absolutely confident that her application of it surpassed the other twelve Captains, yet here in front of her stood an individual that had only known a prison cell while she had undergone excruciating training for skills that were in constant application and she was without doubt that he was beyond her in this aspect of their strength.

She had assumed that his behaviour yesterday had been influenced by his removal from the spirit reducing stone and that he was simply unable to cope with the spiritual pressure present in the outside world but this was obviously not the case. With all her heart she wanted to blame it on the spirit reducing stone but she was sure of it, the lack of his spiritual pressure was a conscious effort on his behalf.

As she got closer her attention moved from his Zanpakuto to his left shoulder blade, her hornets crest was still there and with it was an abundance of scars across his back and arms. She had failed to notice them last night in the darkness of his room, but in the morning sun they were blatant.

As she neared he noticed the miniscule spiritual pressure emitting from her and turned to face her revealing a plethora of scars across his chest to match those on his back, Soi Fon once again marvelled at how distracted she must have been to not notice them last night. With her presence he flipped his Zanpakuto over so as not to face the blade towards her while offering a bow.

'Good morning Captain Soi Fon' he said greeting her in a playful tone that gave no impression of the sorrow that had plagued him the night before.

She ignored his greeting and got straight to the issue at hand.

'How did you reacquire your Zanpakuto?!'

'What this? Why my Zanpakuto has always been by my side' he confessed with a playful smile.

It was the same as yesterday, confliction coursed through her, his word defied logic.

'How is such a thing possible?'

He placed the tip of the blade in one hand and the pommel in the other.

'Like this.'

In an abrupt moment the prisoner slammed his hands together, instead of his Zanpakuto slicing through them though it disappeared. She stood there stunned for a couple of seconds before requiring herself.

'I see, you must have learnt your Zanpakuto's name shortly before your arrest, its release employs quite a peculiar power.'

The prisoner offered his smile before responding.

'Not as peculiar as yours my Captain.'

She allowed her lips to curve slightly if only for a moment before remembering that she had more to ask of him.

'Another question, why can't I feel your spiritual pressure? You can't possibly still be under the effects of the Nest's spirit reducing stone.'

'Perhaps your abilities have become dull in my absence' he teased as he drew his Zanpakuto out of thin air.

'If you like I can bring you up to scratch, my Captain.'

'You couldn't fight me as you are, without any spiritual pressure you'd only hurt yourself if you struck me...if you did manage to strike me by some miracle that is.'

In response he let loose a small slither of his spiritual pressure proving to her that he wasn't powerless. It rushed passed her but it wasn't menacing, it was accommodating and gently caressed her before dissipating into the atmosphere.

This time Soi Fon wore her smile proudly as she began to draw Suzumebachi.

However before she could draw a figure appeared between them, his Zanpakuto drawn and his eyes fixed on the prisoner.

'What do you think you are doing!?' he shouted with authority.

The prisoner stood stunned and heavily disappointed with the timing of the interruption.