The following 2 weeks seemed like a moment and an eternity simultaneously. Considering the amount of pain the 6th Division Captain had gone through, it was no surprise that each day had posed a more significant challenge to keep going, to muster enough strength to crawl out of bed and follow the rigorous schedule. Yet, strangely enough, Byakuya's pride kept him going no matter what he had gone through.
The most unfortunate realisation of that period was how the nobleman perceived time. It would not have been an overstatement if he had said that he could no longer distinguish one day from another. Still, Kuchiki was willing to make this sacrifice if he had become stronger. In his mind, it was a bargain worth making.
Nonetheless, the raven-haired man was not someone who would openly complain. Hence, he endured whatever was thrown at him silently.
But sadly, this morning was no different. The nobleman woke up from a dreamless slumber, feeling a burning sensation spreading rapidly throughout his body. At first, the captain dismissed it as an unpleasant nuisance, but he was soon forced to change his mind. The man's initial attempt to stand up was utterly fruitless as he found his muscles too stiff and weak to support his weight. It felt miserable not to be able to stand up on his own.
It took Byakuya the better part of the next 5 minutes to raise his upper body to a sitting position. Finally, with this partial success, he decided to literally crawl out of bed, looking for something to support him. It is worth mentioning that this decision was only taken as he was alone in his own room. Otherwise, he would have never allowed anyone to see him in such a weak and pathetic state. But, nonetheless, all of this felt like a battle against his own body.
Another 10 minutes had passed before the nobleman found the strength to stand up. Though he had achieved his temporary goal, he felt exhausted, as if he had already been through his sparring session with Unohana. But that was yet to come.
Sadly, there was a seed of doubt residing in the man. Given his current state, he feared he might not be up to the challenge. After all, he did not want to waste his fellow captain's time. But, yet again, admitting his weaknesses was out of the question. So, in the end, he changed into his usual uniform before leaving the manor. Perhaps, it was just him, but the man felt like he was moving three times slower than normal. Nonetheless, the nobleman pressed forward despite all of these, readying himself to face whatever the first Kenpachi had planned for him.
Kuchiki arrived earlier, just like Unohana had asked him to. However, when he entered their sparring ground, it turned out that the 4th Division Captain was not there. That supposedly minor fact surprised the man. Even though he considered himself obsessed with perfection and punctuality, some of these cases could be freely translated to Retsu Unohana. As far as the man's memory could reach, he did not remember a single time the 4th Division leader would have been late. But, apparently, there always must be that first time. Hence, without any obvious alternative, Byakuya started fighting against his shadow. In the nobleman's head, there were two reasons for such a decision. First and foremost, there was absolutely no reason for him to waste any time even though his teacher was not there. Secondly, considering his current condition, it would be wise to warm up before confronting someone with such prowess as the first Kenpachi.
"I see you started already," Retsu's voice immediately filled the cold, empty cavern. "Are you ready?" she questioned after a few moments of pause. Although the precise question he had in mind was never uttered, Kuchiki noticed the subtle hesitation in the otherwise stoic woman.
"Yes," the raven-haired man responded quietly, nodding slightly. "Let's begin."
Unohana said nothing, instead unsheathing her sword and starting the onslaught.
After a few seconds, the nobleman realised that his opponent was much faster than during their past sessions. Whether that change had anything to do with his weakened state or not was a question for another time, as he needed everything he could muster to defend himself. There was a slim possibility that Retsu simply sped up as a countermeasure to his progress. But, in all honesty, the man did not believe in that.
Still, it was inevitable for Kuchiki to lose. The first Kenpachi seemingly gained speed and strength with every blow she dealt. So, the nobleman was forced into constant defence, but it was not as effective as he would have wanted. Moreover, the longer the fight continued, the more blurry Unahara's visage became, making it nearly impossible to predict her next move.
At some point, Byakuya became so desperate that he released his sword's first form without noticing it. But, of course, it contradicted what he told the 4th Division Captain; still, currently, it mattered little. Everything that mattered was to survive. But even that vague goal could not be achieved.
Soon enough, the woman's curved blade tore through his chest, ending the round immediately. As Byakya choked upon his own blood, his vision remained relatively unaffected, at least briefly, allowing him to spot the apparent dissatisfaction on his peer's face. That single glance was far more painful and embarrassing than the suffered defeat.
For a moment, a doubtful idea crossed the man's mind. Would it not be better if he simply died now? If he could not get any stronger, then perhaps it was a fitting moment to step aside, to sink into the shadows.
…
The session did not get any better for Byakuya after his first `death`. Taking aside the fatigue, the man felt weird, as if something was waging a battle inside him. Still, it was not a valid reason for the sparring to conclude prematurely. Hence, the nobleman stood up time after time, readying himself just to fall again. But, after the subsequent 3 `deaths`, it was his last chance to show that he had made any progress and that these sessions were not a waste of time.
Kuchiki was weak currently. There was no point in denying the apparent truth. Moreover, considering today's record, this round would be swift. No matter the man's determination, his body could not handle the pressure. It felt as if he was utterly empty, without an ounce of spiritual pressure to spare. As a result, he sealed his sword to preserve what he had left.
As expected, the initial exchange of blows did not go the nobleman's way, forcing him to defend against a virtual whirlwind of attacks. Step after step, the raven-haired man was losing the ground, forced to head toward the nearest wall.
It was only a matter of time before the man's back hit the solid surface. It was a clear sign that his already limited options for retreat had been exhausted. Furthermore, it left him with nothing more than to stand his ground right here, right now. A pitful situation, as Byakuya described his current occupation.
Still, no respite was allowed. Unohana continued her onslaught, striking seemingly effortlessly. Block after block, parry after parry, there was no end to the assault. Yet, the current setting gave a slight opening to the struggling nobleman. As the fight went on, Yachiru became somewhat sloppy. Even though each attack remained powerful and swift, the same could not be said about the precision. After the next 10 strikes, Kuchiki leapt left as the woman's curved blade carved through the solid rock, crumbling it partially.
Even though Byakuya was at his limits, he recognised the situation as a perfect moment to counter. The slash was quite slow and carried little to no strength, but at the very least, it reached its target. Unfortunately, it did not cause anything severe but a scratch. Still, it seemingly had a side effect, as the first Kempachi acknowledged his effort, potentially even welcomed it.
Nonetheless, it changed nothing. The duel was still carried in the same exact manner, just as one-sided as it had begun. The nobleman could hardly breathe. Piece by piece, the exhaustion was taking the better of him, condemning him to failure. Of course, Byakuya was not delusional in thinking that the weakened state was the difference between victory and defeat. There was a gap between them, and it would be disrespectful not to mention it. Yet, Kuchiki felt betrayed by his own body. It was one thing to fight against Retsu. But, the entirely different thing was continuing the session while struggling to stand.
"I have survived longer than I had thought possible," Kuchiki acknowledged deep inside his mind. "But… I do not have anything more to carry on. This fight will be over soon."
The nobleman's quite grim expectations were not far from reality. In the next 5 minutes, Unohana pushed him back to the defence. Her attacks were no longer sloppy, making blocking or dodging increasingly challenging. But, as with everything, there must have been an end to that state.
Once Kuchiki fell to his knees, he knew it was all over. The wost to-the-date session would have been concluded, yet the shame would last much longer.
…
Retsu Unohana's POV
Watching a seasoned warrior like Byakuya Kuchiki struggle like this was painful. The 4th Division Captain knew something was evidently off as soon as she had seen the man. Her peer usually carried himself with pride and grade. However, today none of these could be spotted. Instead, the nobleman looked like a shadow of his former self, struggling to remain conscious. Unfortunately, the problem was the previously mentioned pride. Byakuya would have never allowed someone to pity him. And… he would not have accepted if she had offered the session to be easier than normal. That painful fact left Retsu with no good options. Quite frankly, the woman could do was finish the encounters as soon as possible.
With a grimace of dissatisfaction, Yachiru leapt forward to finish the confrontation. Byakuya was on his knees, having problems catching a breath. With his head down, there was virtually nothing he could do to prevent the first Kempachi from killing him. As her blade swept through the air, the time slowed down. An awful emptiness resided in Unohana as she struggled to convince herself what she wanted to achieve through this fight.
But, in the end, it was not a time or place for such an internal conversation. Unohana was given an order, and it must be seen done. Then, however, something truly unexpected happened. The slash was deflected as her curved blade was about to end the man's life.
"How?" the 4th Division Captain grunted.
Momentarily, the first Kempachi backed off, trying to understand what happened. Considering that the man still held his sword firmly, it could not have been Senbonzakura. So… what was that? Then, after a few moments of close observation, she saw it. The man's right side was entirely covered in tiny crimson-red scale-like plates. No, these were not scales but petals similar to his sword's released state.
Driven by curiosity, the first Kempachi stepped forward to investigate the strange barrier. However, apparently, she was not allowed to. As soon as she took the first step, the petals retracted, then formed a cone, flying toward the woman without hesitation. Instinctively, the woman slashed the cone. But, it did not work exactly as she had planned. Even though the petals scattered before her blade, they swiftly reformed to continue the attack.
Retsu flash-stepped backwards, but she did not manage to evade the tiny blades. At the very least, not entirely. Her right sleeve was partially gone, with the forearm area shredded to little pieces. Furthermore, more than a dozen small, shallow cuts marked her skin. A little pain shivered throughout her frame, but the woman disregarded it and surpassed it.
"Byakuya!" the first Kempachi called her peer with subtle rage carried in her voice. "What's it? Can you control it?" she questioned, demanding the answers.
"Senbonzakura," the woman heard Kuchiki whispering.
Then, momentarily the over-aggressive petals backed down, flying toward the nobleman's hand. Once they reached it, they formed a new sword, identical to the one Byakuya still held in his right hand.
"What happened?" Unohana asked after a long pause, trying to control her tone.
"I can not say with certainty," the raven-haired man started quietly. "But… I suspect I might not have known my blade as well as I had thought."
…
Byakuya Kuchiki's POV (2 hours later):
Even though he and Unohana had agreed not to prolong the session, questions lingered from both sides. It seemed that his sword had evolved. The revelation itself was thrilling, no, incredible. However, the fact that he had not seen any sign of it was a considerable problem. How could something so personal have changed significantly, yet one failed to see it? Even though the question was so simple, naïve even, the answer was elusive and foremost bothering. However, it was neither time nor a place to focus on the matter. The contemplation could be resumed once the day would be concluded and the man returned to his estate. But now, the confusion must be put aside, for there was much to be done.
Life in Soul Society seemed awfully slow and boring compared to the times following Aizen's betrayal. Back then, an indescribable sense of pending doom had encouraged all the captains to train, to live their lives as if tomorrow would not have been granted. There was a clear goal for everyone to strive to reach, making the passing time near-instant. But, currently, if not for the rigorous sessions with Captain Unohana and his own aspiration to become stronger, Byakuya saw the passing days as a boring, repetitive collection of memories. The saddest part was that most of these memories could be literally dumped into oblivion, and nothing of essence would have been lost. Life without the thrill of being constantly challenged would be a pitful, monotonous collection of images frozen in time.
In times like this, the nobleman could understand the brute of the 11th Division, Zaraki Kempachi. The thrill of battle was undeniably appealing when one wrong move could make a difference between life and death. Strangely enough, Kuchiki seemed to slowly descend into that path. There was some sort of comfort when blood rushed through his veins whilst his body moved mostly on its own, carried by sheer instinct and muscle memory. It was a trance of sorts, but it erased other problems. Only the current fight matter in the given moment. And… would Byakuya dare to say he found it relaxing and appealing?
Nonetheless, the man could not be a slave to his desires. No matter how much comfort the 6ht Division Captain found in his, he still had a duty to carry on. But with some pre-planning, the long list of things to care for did not seem as troubling as one might have thought. But, if considered for a brief moment, it was nothing new for the nobleman. For as long as he could remember, his schedule had always been packed, leaving only two options. He would have somehow optimised the plan or struggled to find time for anything. Even though the first option was obvious, it had taken years to polish the pre-planning method. Yet, at some point, it had started bearing fruits.
The raven-haired man sighed with relief once he sat beside his office desk. Even though he did not stray from physical activities, the possibility of sitting down for a while was appealing, especially considering the painful and exhausting session he had endured earlier that day. Kuchiki allowed himself to get lost in his thought briefly before proceeding with the paperwork.
Unfortunately, that moment of respite did not last all that long. After all, the nobleman was known as a rather strict captain who strived for perfection in everything. And even though going through bureaucracy was not something he enjoyed, it must be done. To some extent, Kuchiki wanted to represent systematicity and serve as an example that everything could be done with one put in the effort and time. But, it still did not mean that the nobleman considered signing various documents and reports a thrilling experience. It was quite the opposite, actually.
As Byakuya liked his work organised, he kept the processed documents on his right whilst those still awaiting his attention were neatly sorted on his left. Sheet after sheet, the pile on his left decreased, but overall the process was quite slow. Unfortunately, the documents the man was forced to deal with today were rather lengthy and detailed, further slowing down his pace.
Nevertheless, the peaceful setting was not allowed to last more than an hour. Despite Byakuya's overall exhaustion, he sensed the demon's arrival long before the demoness materialised.
"What bring you here, master?" the raven-haired man politely asked, not averting his gaze off the document before him.
"How about we have a race now, Byakuya-boy?" Yoruichi asked teasingly, omitting any pleasantries. "I'm already bored with all these pieces of trash," she swiftly changed the topic, complaining. "In my times, we didn't have that much bureaucracy to deal with. It's boring and counterproductive," she continued.
"I am truly sorry, master. But, I am spent after my training session," the nobleman replied after quite a long pause. "I do not think I could keep up with you. However, I should be ready for it by midnight," he offered the alternative. "Would it satisfy you, master?" he asked, finally focusing on the woman.
He noticed that his ex-master started to wear her captain's uniform. The black-grey fitted robes could be spotted underneath the long-sleeved, white cloak. Kuchiki caught a glimpse of a sword attached to the woman's belt. If he were to speak honestly, it would be rather surprising to see the demoness with any kind of weapon. But then again, she regained her status as captain. Perhaps, the General wanted her to carry the sword regardless of whether she would need it or not. Still, it was no time or place to question that unexpected change.
"Deal," the demoness replied momentarily. "However, I'm still bored now. How about something less intensive, for example, walking? After all, I wouldn't want our rematch to be a one-sided affair. Not to mention, I wouldn't want you to have an excuse when we face off. And… when you're as old as you, maybe the less intensity, the better," she teased the man.
"I know you are provoking me, master," Byakuya commented. "But, shall we get rid of the mockery? If you want us to face off now, so be it," he added whilst standing up. "Let the best of us win."
"I like your spirit, but you're going to lose," the dark-skinned woman stated. "And I haven't forgotten about your proposition. So, if you lose, the matter will be closed. I hope you're aware of that."
"Even if I am destined to lose, it will be an honour to race against you one last time, master," Kuchiki responded somewhat robotically.
Author's notes section:
[2023-04-26]: Hey, here is a preview of the story's next chapter. Please, bear in mind that it is, as mentioned, a preview. Some parts of it might not be included in the final release. I will try to finish this chapter as soon as possible. I would like to clean up some of the tasks in my schedule, and right now, there are many chapters queued there.
[2023-05-03]: Hey, I have a minor update for you guys.
[2023-05-15]: Hey, I have a major update for you guys. I think that I should be able to finish the chapter tomorrow.
[2023-05-20]: Hey, I can finally announce that this chapter is concluded. It took more time than it should have, though.
Don't forget to comment. I really appreciate your feedback.
Note that the dialogues written in italic are thoughts.
As always, I would like to thank you for everything. See you soon :)
Changelog:
[2023-04-26]: A preview has been released.
[2023-05-03]: A minor update.
[2023-05-15]: A major update.
[2023-05-20]: The piece is concluded.
Info: I have included more stories in the schedule as I'm not 100% certain what I want to write next. Please, keep in mind that I might add or remove positions from the list. I might rewrite some of the older stories or extract some of the longer stories from `The story of one lost soul`.
Schedule:
- Lifetime of war (finish the WIP)
- The broken heart (finish the WIP)
- My home is where my heart lies (finish the WIP)
- Will you look past my mistakes? (finish the WIP)
- Exiled you say? (new chapter)
- The shadows can be deceiving (new chapter)
- Hidden in the mountain's shadow (new chapter)
- The war call (new chapter)
- Life is full of surprises (new chapter)
- The rise of the Blood Moons' servants (new chapter)
- Black Diamond (new chapter)
- The heart not so cold (move to the separate story)
- When the clock is ticking (Warhammer 40k new story)
- Sometimes it's just better not to know (new chapter)
Bonuses' section:
A new story taking place in the Warhammer 40k universe.
Story of one lost soul: The war call: rewrite.
An entirely new story (possibly Akali x [Irelia, Syndra, Katarina]).
A new short story (Vi x Cait).
An entirely original story (possibly even two stories, one taking place in medieval times, the other in the far future)
Bleach story. (Byakuya x Yoruichi / ?)
Naruto story. (Neji x Hinata / Neji x TenTen / Nagato x Konan)
Fairy Tail story. (most likely Erza x Mira)
Maybe some Star Wars?
References:
- Disturbed - Enough
*bonuses will be worked on when I don't feel like writing the chapters pointed out in the schedule :D
End of the author's notes section.