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That Dreaded Word	By : Platinumsabr Category: Bleach > Het - Male/Female Views: 11539 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, or the characters from it. I don't make any money from the writing of this story, but I do enjoy writing it. Any Original Characters are mine however, as is the story itself, and if you see it posted elsewhere pleas

Chapter List
- 10
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- 12
Spring

As if magnetized, their lips
touched tenderly, not in the least bit inhibited by the fact they were still in
a hallway. It never increased in force, it just deepened, and the unknown had Soi-Fong melting against him as the world fell away.

So�she thought happily as his
heat poured into her from their meeting lips, this is love�

And the weeks passed�

~~~~~~~~~~

Two people lounged on the roof of
the large mansion and headquarters, looking over the backyard.

�So, ya
don�t regret not gettin� back on the road? I swear,
after they explained the situation, then they got attacked again right away, I
thought I�d be in for a bit more excitement�� the woman complained as she
twirled some of her hair around her finger.

The man beside her,
equally relaxed as the dwindling winter winds barely even chilled the air
anymore, smiled in his usual carefree manner as he shook his white hair in
amusement. �You were just hoping you�d have something to beat up on again,
Asuka,� he laughed. �And the time here hasn�t been totally pointless. Sure, Kin
and I haven�t been here very long since we got married, but Senna�s
got to know her big brother better. Still feels kinda
weird, having a sister that young��

Asuka laughed, it felt like too
long since she had last heard the mystical voice of her best friend, but they
had been able to talk more in the past few weeks than they had in years. �And
when she gets to be your age it�ll look like you were barely a year apart! I�d
say twins, but well, you and Tsuki look more alike
than you and Senna. Her attitude is just like yours
though, Kaien.�

His bi-colored eyes sparkled
amusedly. �True. She doesn�t even get to go through the wonderful angst of
finding out she�s not totally human when she gets older, lucky brat. Guess Mom
and Dad thought that wasn�t the best plan anymore.�

�After what
happened to you and your sisters!? No duh,� the bluehead
remarked as she rolled her eyes. �I hear she�s pretty good at sensing like
Tatsuki, huh?�

Errant leaves blew at the mercy
of the wind, damp from the thaw of spring, and Kaien closed his eyes as he lay
back on the roof and let himself fall into the symphony
of natural sound around him, made more potent by his extraordinary senses.
�We�ve got not freaking clue what she�s good at. She�s a scary kid.�

There were still things about him
that hadn�t changed, even after many years with only a few days every month or
so where they caught each other. She still liked this part of him, the relaxed
teen that was just as capable of ripping her to shreds as he was relaxing near
her and letting her do his hair, where she could have easily torn him to shreds
as well. It felt nice to have some time together again, and she joined him in
carefree relaxation as she pillowed her head with her hands. �Still beating the
crap out of Katsuo too?�

He smiled a smile that looked
almost too big for his striking face as he snickered, not once opening his eyes.
�Now that�s a battle for the ages. I never realized how odd Kin and I
must have looked way back, I had always wondered why our parents took us out of
the dojo, but I found out.�

�Why?� she asked curiously,
turning her head to him with a thin neon blue eyebrow arched.

Of course, he didn�t see it. �When
you see two kids barely waist-high fighting like they�re in a video game, your
sense of reality kinda flips. Senna�s
so happy all the time, seeing that girl fight like that bordered on creepy.�

�And Katsuo?�

The smirk returned. �He�s his
father�s son all right.�

Asuka shivered despite the warm
weather. �Yeah, now that�s just what I needed to hear,� she muttered
sarcastically.

�He�s got better manners than his
old man, don�t get me wrong. Kid�s reiatsu�s outta this world though.�

�Hmm?
Didn�t you say they fought pretty evenly earlier?�

He nodded blithely as he started
swaying his finger in the air, like he was conducting an orchestra only he
could see. �Yeah. That�s the weird thing about Senna,
her reiatsu�s never been the easiest to sense.
Knowing our family, the little squirt�s probably already hiding it. Mom and Dad
haven�t hid anything from her, but they haven�t started trying to train her or
anything like that either except for the martial arts stuff, so she hasn�t left
her body yet. Still, I�m sure she knows something.�

�Weird. She is the cutest
little thing ever though! How she talks, it�s just so�� Asuka squealed
girlishly, unable to finish her sentence as she clasped her arms around her
body in a hug and shook, miming her adoration of the little girl had she been
in her arms. To see his shocking eyes, one yellow and one the coldest of blue,
looking at her again when she looked over at him almost had her speechless.

�It is kind of strange though,
isn�t it? I mean, by that age Masaki and Tsuki were
just a year away from finding out about their powers. Hell, they began training
with Byakuya-sensei almost right after. It worries me a bit, to be
honest. She barely ever even makes a full sentence.�

�Lighten up Kai,� Asuka crowed as
she slapped his shoulder playfully. �Little girls are allowed to be cute,
that�s their job!�

�Oh?� He said amusedly as he
raised his eyebrow questioningly. �You�ll have to tell me about this. All I can
ever remember you doing when you came over when we were little was trying to
beat the crap outta me. What was cute about that?�

Asuka blushed as she sputtered in
exasperation and not a little bit of embarrassment. �H-Hey, I was cute when I
was little! I just had different ways of showing it!� He grinned, and Asuka
felt the urge to creep away slowly at the incredulous undertones she saw there.
�I was!�

�Oh, I�m not doubting that,� he
appeased as he held out his hands towards her acquiescingly. �I�m just
picturing you at six in complete Resurrecion. Now I
know why your mom always called you her little kitty. I wonder if she took any
pictures��

Kaien was one of the few people
that could ever turn her teasing nature against her and win, and Asuka felt the
sweat drip down the back of her neck as she gulped nervously. �Y-You see you
die!�

�So she did then? Oh-ho now I have
to see!�

�Kaien!� she yelled embarrassedly
as she ran at him, and he laughed and bounded away from her easily. Their game
of tag took a few laps around the roof of the headquarters, but eventually he
stifled his laughter and held his hands out in silent surrender as he sat back
down.

�I�m joking, Asuka. Yeesh,� he sighed as he smiled brightly, and Asuka rolled
her eyes and smiled with him.

�I knew that, you�re such a kid.
Heck, you were more of an adult when you were a kid!� she mocked
teasingly. �Sometimes what you say and the voice that says it don�t match at
all anymore!�

It was true, he knew that, but it
wasn�t like he had wanted his voice to go through the change it had. Still, he
chuckled at her observation. �I guess. Life�s too hard if you take everything
so seriously. It�s hard to stay too serious around Kin anyways, she�s so happy
all the time it�s kind of contagious.�

�Yeah,� she agreed as she chuckled
with him. �I know what you mean. Souken�s really
changed too, he�s not trying so hard to be the �calm, cool Quincy� he was all the time before,� she
continued with her best impression of Uryuu�s regular
facial expression as she said it, and Kaien laughed again.

�Yeah, then there�re those
two,� he stated with a roll of his dual-colored eyes as he thumbed down to the
two people expressionlessly sitting cross-legged on the ground with their eyes
closed.

Gwydion and Soi-Fong
were meditating in the mid-afternoon sun, doing their best impressions of
statues in their soul forms. His hands were folded in his lap as his zanpakutou
rested over them across his knees, and he looked the very pinnacle of calm. Soi-Fong was much the same, and as a bit of dark humor the
two on the roof took turns listening closely to see if they were still
breathing. It was almost unnatural, they were so still
sometimes they couldn�t even tell otherwise.

Asuka smiled mischievously before
leaning back on the roof with her hands behind her head. �I didn�t know the guy
at all until a few months ago when he came looking for Soi-Fong,
but I�m not dumb. From what the others have said, he�s changed more in these
past months then�ever. And Soi-Fong, just, wow! I
mean look at her!�

He nodded in amusement. �I know.
They make a good couple, from what I�ve seen of them. My mom trains Gwydion
almost every day now, and she says she can�t believe how far he�s come. She�s
seen more progress in these past few months than all the time he�s been here so
far.�

The panther child scratched at
the neck of her tight shirt nervously, the same as it ever was. �T-This is
Tatsuki we�re talking about though, how far is far?�

�You�re not worried, are
you Asuka?� He teased jokingly, and laughed at her sudden indignant look.
�Well, he can keep up pretty good blindfolded now. He�s even got in a couple of
hits! They�ve just starting using shinai a couple of
weeks ago, because fighting blind and fighting blind with swords are two
different things. Sill, she thought they were years away from that a few months
ago.�

�Hmph,
maybe he just got a proper dose of motivation.� She looked down again at the
two that still hadn�t moved. �How long have they been like that now?�

Kaien checked his empty wrist
exaggeratedly. �I don�t know, don�t wear a watch.�

�Helpful.�

�I try.�

�Do you think they�re even aware
of their surroundings?�

At that he smirked. �When I was
first trying to keep control of my blood, meditating was one of the few things
that calmed me down. Maybe it�s the enhanced senses, but when you really try
its like you can sense everything. You wouldn�t believe how hard it is
to get to that state, but just from looking at them I can tell you they�ve had
years of practice. I mean when I first started I could barely sit still for five
minutes, I�m sure they�ve been there for a couple of hours already.�

�Don�t you think it�s kinda strange he�s as proficient as she is at it? I mean,
Kin didn�t tell me much, but she did mention that that kind of thing is
a bit of a norm in the Second Division from what her mom�s told her. He hasn�t
moved a muscle the entire time he�s been there.�

He shrugged lackadaisically. �Meh, who knows? I can admire that though, I haven�t been
able to totally knock the habit myself. I just do it for a little while in the
morning though now. Things have been a lot easier since�� He trailed off, and
Asuka didn�t dare comment on the silence. She knew as well as anyone that that
was one topic he rarely, if ever, discussed.

�Yeah.
Never been my thing, myself. Sitting still for that long trying to do�whatever
it is they�re doing, I could never get into it.�

�You wouldn�t believe how focused
that can make you though. Sometimes a mental battle is more useful than a real
one. Visualization is amazingly helpful.�

She raised an eyebrow
unbelievingly. �So if I threw something at them right now, you think they�d be
able to catch it?�

Again, he shrugged. �I don�t
know. Like I said before, I don�t know the effects of that on a regular
Shinigami. I�ve always had enhances senses, so maybe it was just something
specific to me. One would think it would help them sense though, at least in
principle, so maybe.�

Asuka�s
trademark smirk appeared with a wicked glint to her bright blue eyes and she
took off before reappearing with a Frisbee in hand, twirling it tauntingly on
her index finger. �It might not be a knife, but hey, wouldn�t want to hurt them
if it doesn�t work, neh?�

I gotta
wonder just what makes her come up with these things sometimes� He rolled
his eyes. �You know, people don�t usually appreciate being disturbed when
they�re meditating. Kinda defeats the purpose ya know? Then there�s the fact that it�s Soi-Fong, she really might try to kill you,� he added with
a grin that wasn�t totally unperturbed.

�Gotta make something happen somehow!� With that and
another devilishly bright grin, Asuka threw the disc with otherworldly speed at
the two that for all intents looked like they were sleeping.

What happened next was so fast
even the two on the roof�who were almost as fast as their parents in the own
right and by no means slow�had trouble seeing it. The Frisbee was almost at Soi-Fong�s chest, and the next second a blur of black had
swiped it from the air and the other body that had once been sitting beside her
was up, before with a spin of his own the plastic disc was flying back towards
Asuka with twice the velocity. Had she not been so surprised she would have
been able to easily dodge the attack, as it was the hybrid just barely
managed to avoid the projectile flying rather angrily towards her face by
leaning back in the nick of time, but as she righted herself suddenly the disc
hit her right in the back of the head.

�Ow, damn
that burns!� she complained as she rubbed her sore head before turning around
to see what had made the Frisbee change direction so quickly.

Of course, it came as no surprise
then that Soi-Fong was standing in the air behind
her, a rather amused look on her face, or at least that�s what she thought. The
scowl wasn�t totally deadly at least, and over the past few months she had
actually started using more than just that one facial expression.

She made a face at her and turned
around, and jumped when she saw Gwydion right in front of her, his piercing
violet gaze more amused than his girlfriend�s. �Thank you for playing, try
again next time.�

�Har har,� she muttered as she sat back down on the roof.

�Hey, you deserved it,� Kaien
retorted with a muffled snicker, unmoved by the woman�s subsequent glare.

Soi-Fong
walked by Asuka over to the tall black-haired man in front of her, but not
before giving her a rap on the head as she went by. �Try doing that to me again
and it�ll be a kunai flying back at you instead.� The unsettling thing was it
couldn�t be seen whether or not that was a joke. When she stopped in front of
them, she looked Gwydion over in an analytical way. �You�ve gotten faster.
There�s no doubt in my mind you�re above lieutenant class now.�

�Wouldn�t call him captain class
yet,� Asuka mumbled bitterly, because of the blow to her head then anything
else really.

Gwydion took the hit in stride,
but not without a certain disappointed wry grin. �There�s always room for
improvement, Asuka. I won�t allow myself to be compared to captains until I
think I don�t do their skill and title shame either, so you needn�t worry about
that.�

Asuka couldn�t help but grin in
pained amusement. �Good thing I�ve got this bump on my head, otherwise I�d be
thinking I lost my sense of humor. Lighten up buddy,
you talk like an old man.�

He offered her his lopsided grin
at the irony of her words. �There aren�t many Shinigami that aren�t
older than you, or some of your parents in some cases. Not all of us are
blessed with bloodlines like yours, to most of us hearing our names in the same
sentence as �captain class� isn�t something likely to happen in our
lifetimes.�

She shrugged in digression. �True
enough.�

Soi-Fong
glared at her. �Effort can make up for anything! I�ve only seen a few other
people grow as fast as he�s grown in the past months!�

Kaien laughed. �Yeah: our
parents, right? My dad probably had something to do with how fast they got
stronger too, even if just for motivation. He awakened a lot of things in a lot
of people, so no surprise there. You�re right though, most of the reason we�re
so strong is because of our heritage. I�ve had to work hard, yeah; I�d bet I�ve
even had to work harder than most of those Soul Reapers that enlist just to
live in Seireitei and never see any action and I�ve had my fair share of hell
in my life already, but I have to admit sometimes I feel sorry for seated
officers that I�ve seen have worked their ass off to get where they are and I
know I�m stronger than them.�

Gwydion chuckled and took a set
beside Kaien as he patted him on the shoulder. �I think it�s safe to say that
anyone who has ever heard stories of the Vizard, or what you and your
family have gone through to attain the strength you�re all known for, feels the
slightest bit bitter. I�ll be the first to say I respect you for the power
you�ve worked to gain; I know it came with strings attached. It�s usually the
case of those with great power.�

The white-haired man smiled
embarrassedly as he rubbed the back of his head, a trait that seemed to be
hereditary. �From what my mom�s told me you�re not lacking a scary amount of
power yourself. You�re either more humble then anyone I�ve ever met or you�ve
got no self-esteem at all.�

He swept his hand over his
styled-back hair as he grinned, but it wasn�t without a slight twinge of
regret. �Interesting thought. I suppose you might be right, but its all the
more reason for me to work harder.�

Asuka looked at him curiously. �You a masochist or something? I�ve seen a couple of your
bouts with Tatsuki, you�re landing more hits with the
same handicap as her than most of her regular challengers with everything.�

He laughed and Soi-Fong grimaced, though the other two just looked
confused. �No, I�m merely trying to make up for my handicap. Don�t let us
intrude anymore, I�m sure you�d much rather talk to each other than waste time
with a couple of people that �don�t move a muscle the entire time they�ve been
there.��

Asuka turned red against her
protests. �Y-You heard me?�

He grinned again before turning
around and walking down the roof with Soi-Fong at his
side. �Enhanced senses or not, you two weren�t exactly the quietest people
around.�

They jumped off the roof and
disappeared from sight, and Kaien laughed at the look on Asuka�s
face.

�I guess they got us there.�

The blue-haired hybrid rubbed the
back of her head sorely again. �Yeah, that�s not the only place they got me.�

That started them into laughter
again, and everything else was forgotten.

But under them, Soi-Fong was looking at her significant other worriedly.
�You okay?�

As much as it was relatively new
that he try to put aside his past, it always amused him how she was more
worried about the little things than he was. Maybe it was just that after
hundreds of years of regretting everything, all he had really had to do was make the decision not to. He smiled tenderly and put his
arm around her shoulders, an act that no matter how many times he had done it,
never ceased to make her warm inside. That didn�t stop her from turning beet
red, but at least she had gotten used to it by now. �I�m fine. There�s no point
feeling bitter over something I can�t change. The only thing I can do is
compensate for it, so that�s what I�ll do.�

Watching him change over the past
few months had been an interesting experience. Every time she thought something
would affect him it never did, but there was the odd time where she could see
that look in his eyes, a remnant of pain too poignant to ignore. He was
becoming stronger, both emotionally and physically, and when she did think
about her own growth she was surprised to find how she had changed as well. Not
the smallest example of which would have to be how easy it had become to touch
him, and for him to touch her.

Smiling back at yet another
illustration of his growth, she turned in his hold and pressed herself against his chest, boldly hugging his torso lovingly
as she placed her head on his chest. �Just don�t hurt yourself, alright?� You�re improving so much sometimes I forget
how long we�ve been together. I try to tell myself there�s no rush, but it�s
been months and there�s barely been a sign of any of those things since our first
date. I never thought they�d give us so much time, when I�m not paranoid
they�ll come for you I almost forget about them completely.�

There wasn�t a second that went
by that he didn�t think the same thing, and it made his training all the more
desperate. He sighed as he held her against him, completely calmed by her
warmth. It had taken a while to get up the nerve to touch her, but after
kissing as intensely as they did, she had taken the initiative herself and
hadn�t looked back since. He certainly wasn�t complaining about that. �I�m
working so hard so you won�t need to worry about me, remember? When they come,
I�ll be ready.�

Why do you have to act so
strong? Am I the only one scared for your life? She chuckled into his chest
wearily. �We�ve been together for months now, and everything�s only gotten
stronger. I thought it would fade the longer we were together, but it�s just
gotten more intense. I�m not used to thinking my strength�s not enough, but
I�ve felt just as compelled to train as you have! I�m�I�m terrified of losing
you, I can�t stand the thought��

His purple gaze warmed as it
finally struck him. He kissed the top of her head lovingly, and she shivered
against him as heat blasted through her at the soft gesture. Even after all the
time she had spent with him, she was still unused to the sweet nothings that
had never before been directed at her until he came into her life. She was
still afraid to take that last step, but with every soft touch she craved him
more, and she knew it was only a matter of time. Knowing even she of all people
had a breaking point was even more frightening.

�I�m not going anywhere.�

�You can�t possibly know that,�
she whispered quietly.

�But I can believe it,� he
responded simply. �Even if something were to happen, I�ve never been more sure in my life that I would drag myself back with
everything I had. You�ve affected parts of me I�ve never let anyone see, and
I�ll never forget that no matter where I am. Looks like I�m not the only one
lacking in self-confidence, eh?�

She smacked his shoulder before
settling back into his warmth. �You be quiet.�

He nodded and rested his cheek on
her head as they held each other securely, as if the fear of being apart was
more than the other could handle. �Yes ma�am.�

You jerk� His sense of
humor always had a way of making her laugh, no matter where they were or who
they were around, and it certainly didn�t help when his playful remarks were
said like this. Even if she had been able to get used to a number of things
since they had begun dating, she was still unnerved sometimes at how easily he
could disarm her usually strict and cold self. She couldn�t describe what it
felt like to be held as she was, not even the gradually warming air could make
her feel as warm and secure as she did right then. She was stronger than him,
she knew that, but in that moment if felt like only he was supporting her, and
she found she didn�t mind the feeling. The past few months had been nothing but
new experiences, and just like all the ones before it, this one only succeeded
in making her fall in love with him even more.

�Is it alright to stay like
this?�

She felt his relaxed chuckle in
her hair, and the unusual sensation sent tingles over her skin. �The only thing
that could make me let go is your request.�

Whatever worries might have been
plaguing her mind were gone under the amnesiac effect he could have on her
train of thought. She smiled again, perfectly content with breathing in the
scent she had become attuned to almost as much as his reiatsu. �Good to know.
Stay.�

Gwydion took a tranquil breath as
he reveled in her presence, and smiled before kissing the top of her head
again. �As you command.�

~~~~~~~~~

The next day was even sunnier
than the last, and the spring warmth was becoming all the more prominent. Buds
were on every tree in the growing greenery of the soon-to-be lush landscape,
and winter was but a forgotten memory. Any cold that may have lingered on the
ground was quickly disappearing, and Soi-Fong found
herself in the same place Kaien and Asuka had been the day before.

All of her clothes were worn-in
by now, and she enjoyed staying in her gigai just as
much as her real form, something that was just as surprising to her as to the
people that still weren�t used to seeing her growth, let alone in admittedly
revealing clothes. That wasn�t saying much, considering her shihakushou was
more revealing than any of them when the sleeves and captain�s haori had been
removed, but the unfamiliarity of the Living World clothing on her physique had
much the same effect to those that knew her.

It felt strange, to be able to
relax. She could never truly relax, not with the threat looming over her loved
one, but before she had started dating him she would have never even considered
the concept. The Association outings were supposed to be fun, but they rarely
were to her; now since she had met him she had gained an appreciation for
sitting down and doing�nothing. That wasn�t exactly true in this case; she had
sat down to watch something.

Yesterday they had meditated together
in a time that would have usually been used for what was happening before her
now.

Gwydion and Tatsuki were
sparring, blindfolds over their eyes as per usual, yet the fight looked as if
those weren�t even there. He was still as entrancing to watch as he had been
before even with the shorter hair. The swept-back look of his obsidian mane was
impossible to hold dodging as he was, but the way it flew around his head and
seemed to fall over his face like a waterfall of ink whenever he was still for
any amount of time was just as eye-catching as when it had been long.
Naturally, even if he had taken to wearing button-ups more often than anything
else over the past months, he only wore his robe-sleeved shirts when he fought.
She could understand why.

He was trying his best, she could
see that more than anyone, but with that came the knowledge that he wasn�t
fighting to the fullest of his ability either. The blindfold was making him
more cautious than he was normally, and with it on he was limiting his movements
to that of any regular swordsman, and not the acrobatic fighter she knew him to
be. He was doing well, she wasn�t about to deny that, especially being that he
was fighting Tatsuki Kurosaki of all people, but she knew he could do better.
He had to be able to.

�Interesting to watch, aren�t
they?�

She almost jumped, but she wasn�t
about to show anyone she could be surprised, particularly the one who had just
walked up behind her. Yoruichi Shihouin stretched lazily before taking a seat
beside her old friend and settling in to continue watching the training
session.

Instead of answering, she just
shrugged noncommittally and resumed staring, to which Yoruichi laughed. �Not
feeling like talking today?�

That caused her to hesitate,
though even when she answered she never took her eyes off the two below.
�It�s�not that. I�m just trying to make sure I�ve got every move down. I can�t
give him advice on how to improve if I�m not watching.�

�Are you even in a position to
offer advice?� Yoruichi watched the muscles of her former subordinate tighten
before she relaxed again, clearly unappreciative of the remark. �I mean, have
you even tried doing what they�re doing? Sensing reiatsu is one thing, but
sensing the direct movements of that source without being able to see it
visually is another. Trust me, even I wouldn�t
use it in a straight confrontation.�

Soi-Fong
paused with a hateful frown that anyone could see was directed inward. ��I
know. When I�ve even thought of the process doing something like that
would involve�gah, I nearly got a headache. He�s at
such an unfair disadvantage compared to Tatsuki, not counting his already
enormous handicap. It�s second nature to Tatsuki, hell, it�s more than that!
Every facet of her spiritual self has always
been attuned to sensing the presences of others, neither Gwydion nor his
zanpakutou can claim that!

�When I tried the only thing I
knew I would be able to focus on was the next movement of the enemy. To be
completely sealed in darkness, I�d focus desperately on their movements so I
would be able to know what to do to keep myself alive, and I wasn�t even taking
attacking into account. I can�t imagine how fast his thoughts are moving right
now to be fighting as evenly as he is now, but just look at him�he�s stiff, sharp.
This isn�t how he moves, he flows between attacks and reads when�s best to
counterattack or attack. He unnerves his opponents with his appearance and
movements and strikes only when it�s opportune. He doesn�t put himself in
danger, but he�s never this careful.�

Yoruichi contemplated that for a
second. �You�ve really thought about this, haven�t you? When you put it that
way he looks like a rookie at the academy trying to keep form for an
instructor.�

�Exactly!
This is supposed to help him compensate for his blind spot, but as it is it�ll
do nothing for him because it�s not how he moves! If he tries to use it in real
battle he�ll fail horribly because he�ll fall back into these rigid
forms, and he�s not a rigid fighter in any sense of the word!�

�Why haven�t you told him this?�

The braided captain bit her
bottom lip cutely as she kept staring at the fight. �He�s been improving so
much, everyone knows that. Even if I was to compare him to the man he was when
I met him, he�s so much stronger it�s ridiculous! He just can�t seem to get it
into his head that he has been improving and�and I�m afraid that if I
tell him he�ll lose whatever confidence he has.�

Yoruichi looked at her in
disbelief before poking her head to the side with a slender finger pointedly. Soi-Fong yelped and held the sore spot on her head
defensively as she stared in confusion at her idol, finally tearing her eyes
away from her boyfriend�s sparring match.

�What was that for!?�

�For being
stupid! If you really want him to improve you have to tell these things
to him straight out. What�ll pass in repetitive fights against the same person
just won�t cut it when he tries to use it in actual combat, you know that! You
just said it! If he doesn�t adapt it to how he fights then he might as
well quit now! Confidence be damned, imagine how much
worse it would be if he found it out in a real fight instead of being told by
someone who actually cared!?�

Damn it all, it made sense, and
she knew it. �But he�s worked so hard! I�m just a spectator here, I�ve tried it
once out of curiosity to see what�s all involved in it, I�m
by no means an expert!�

�But you�re an expert on him
aren�t you?�

That caused the other
woman to turn a rather outrageous shade of red. �E-Excuse
me!?�

Yoruichi was nonplussed, but that
was probably because had she meant it in any other way she would have been the
first to pounce on the possible misinterpretation. Right then she was
completely serious. �You know him, don�t you? You know how he thinks, how he
fights, you probably even know some of his habits by now. I know how he fights
too, but it would mean a lot more coming from you. You�re not just a random
bystander making a blind accusation, you�re giving an
informed evaluation to someone important to you. You�re allowed to feel scared,
but if you care about him you�re going to have to say it.�

The silence was only broken by
the sounds of wooden swords clashing as Soi-Fong let
that sink in. She�s right, as usual. She didn�t
say it aloud, but the change in her demeanor showed the agreement on the topic.
�I don�t know why Tatsuki hasn�t caught that yet though,� she said as she
sighed heavily.

The bronze-skinned woman didn�t
hang on her victory, she wasn�t there to gloat after
all. She might have, but when Soi-Fong was really
serious like she was she didn�t think it right to do that. A teacher�s job was
to teach, and she was basically the only one Soi-Fong
would ever turn to for instruction on anything. �Gwydion may have been here for
a few years already, but before you came along he didn�t really take his training
with Tatsuki seriously, hell, I think he had only been doing it for a couple of
months before you showed up! And to my knowledge, before that he never once
fought with them even close by. He was assigned here, then
he�s been self-sufficient pretty much.

�I�m guessing Tatsuki was just as
surprised by his fighting style as you were when you saw him jumping around
that night. And like you said, he�s been improving by leaps and bounds, it
probably hasn�t even occurred to her. She�s a fighter, not a teacher, but she�s
been doing the best she can. This is like blinking to her,
she doesn�t even need to think about it, so seeing even a glaring flaw like
this would be hard.�

The switch flicked on in Soi-Fong�s mind and her angular eyes widened as the
epiphany hit her. Yoruichi saw the change immediately, and was instantly
curious. �What�s up?�

�You�re right�� the braided woman
muttered as her eyes darted around sporadically like she was reading a complex
book none but she could see. �You�re absolutely right!�

~~~~~~~~~~

Fighting blind, why the hell
did I think such a stupid idea could help me??

That was the only thought running
through the mind of one Gwydion Torisuna, and it was
a compliment to his intelligence that he was even able to make one stray
thought during the flurry of information he was receiving and sending.

To an untrained�to most
that didn�t need to give the smallest cent of a damn�Shinigami, reiatsu
only appeared as a bright blue flame on the edge of their consciousnesses. What
he had to do was condense that encompassing sense into a smaller radius
with his own spiritual power, paint a screen over the landscape around him to �see�
the objects around him as well as the person in front of him. He could barely
focus on Tatsuki, let alone figure out where on earth he was at the moment so
he could dodge with any degree of skill. Pressing that burning flame into the
form of the person containing it was no easy task, and more often than not he
was only getting vague images of forward movements, never anything
overly-specific�like he needed, like what the training was supposed to
give him apparently.

It was impossible to deny that he
had gotten better at reading what that shaky blue flame meant in its movements,
but from what Tatsuki described he was nowhere near what he was supposed to be.
It was all he could do to parry the attacks she sent him, dodging was something
he was anything but confident in, and it was a miracle the few attacks he sent
her way ever connected at all. If Tatsuki knew the times she was being hit were
mostly dumb luck he didn�t know what she�d do to him, but he was sure it
wouldn�t be pretty.

It did have its uses though; it
made him all the more aware of the other pressures around him if nothing else,
even if it was supposed to help him in the more�immediate
vicinity of his person. The comforting flame of his girlfriend could be felt on
the roof to the side, as well as another he knew very well. It still felt kind
of peculiar to be referring to a captain of the Gotei
Thirteen as his girlfriend. He shouldn�t have been focusing on anything else
than the woman currently in front of him at that point in time however,
and he felt stinging pain shoot through his body as her shinai
smacked him solidly in the shoulder before he swung his out defensively and
pushed her back again.

He muttered a curse as he shook
his head back into the game. Fighting this way required every cell his brain
could spare, and every one was used to no less than its maximum potential. He
had to read movements, vague at best, and decide in that split second what he
was going to do to either counteract it or�dare he even try at this
point�dodge. Standing his ground wasn�t a lost concept to him by any means, but
it had never been so literal to him before. He would never run away from his
opponents per se, but he never stood right in front of them and either parried
or dodged in the manner such a way of fighting required. It was infuriating to
fight the way he was, but he didn�t have time to think on those things too
much, he couldn�t afford to with the amount of analyzing this technique took.

The praise of others had indeed
taken its toll, and by this point in time he had practically forgotten
altogether that how he was fighting wasn�t how he fought. Then again, it
could be said that he didn�t have the mental capacity to perceive the
difference, because truthfully, he didn�t at the moment. The only thing he
could focus on was the speckles of clarity he could �see� through the
extrasensory ability that was inherent in all Soul Reapers, and it took all he
had to be able to do that.

What happened next wasn�t
something he would have usually noticed then, but when he felt one of the
familiar energies on the roof leave before the one he knew better rose, then shot
towards them in the next second, he reacted without thinking. Both he and
Tatsuki jumped away from each other as she struck earth, and he felt
more than saw the foot flying towards his face. Before he knew what he was
doing he had reacted, jumping away in a back handspring twisted just right for
his one-handed use before throwing away his shinai
and pulling down his blindfold to stare in abject mystification at the woman he
trusted more than any other person.

�What in the unholy levels of
hell do you think you�re doing!?� Tatsuki shouted angrily as she pulled down
her blindfold and stomped towards the woman paying her no attention at all.
Before she could reach her and yank on her shoulder as it was all too apparent
she was going to do, Soi-Fong had whirled around in a
crouch and shot her foot at Gwydion�s face again, to
which he instantly flipped away from with the same hopelessly confused
expression still on his face.

�I�m sorry, I just couldn�t watch
anymore.�

Tatsuki laughed so hard she
almost fell over. �Is that all!??! Ya scared the crap
outta me, bustin� in like
that!� Her laughter died a slow and worried death when she caught sight of the
other woman�s glare, and it was none too friendly, or amused.

It wasn�t seen by just her
either. �I take it you aren�t here to join in?� Gwydion asked in near-serious
sarcasm. The joke did nothing to lighten the mood, and to his continued
confusion she reentered her fighting stance.

�What did you just do?� she asked
in a tone he hadn�t heard in so many months he had almost forgotten it. It was
there though, he recognized it instantly. It was the tone of the captain of the
Second Division, and of the woman he had watched rise through its ranks.

�I believe it�s called dodging. I
think anyone else would have done the same had they been in my position. What�s
going on here Soi-Fong�?�

The fierce steel-grey eyes of his
beloved were focused solely on his vivid violet, and honestly he felt sweat
drip down his neck, and it wasn�t because of the previous fight�s exertion.

�Then would you care to enlighten
me as to what exactly you were doing before then?� His bewildered
expression conveyed both his and Tatsuki�s confusion perfectly, and that look
alone told her she was right in her earlier assumption. He had absolutely no
idea what he was doing wouldn�t work.

�Wha�what?�

Another kick was soon directed at
his face, and he twisted away from it easily as he reached unconsciously for a
sword that wasn't there being that he was still in his gigai.

�What was that??� She commanded
again, more into her captain persona than she had been in months.

Now he wasn�t stupid, and he was
able to sense that change in her. She wasn�t talking to him as his girlfriend anymore, she was talking to him as a captain of the Thirteen
Squads. �Again: a dodge, Captain.�

Though she was still a good deal
shorter than him, her presence was nothing but intimidating when she walked
towards him stonily, and he almost gulped when she stood right in front of him,
mere inches from his body. �If you know that, then why, pray tell,
are you moving like an academy rookie?�

At that he opened his mouth to
reply defensively, but more quickly than that she had already reached up and
put a finger over his lips, the change in her instantaneous. His thoughts were
once again thrown into disorder as he looked down into her eyes, yet they
weren�t the eyes of moments before. They were the same kind eyes he had been
privy to for weeks on end, and they were concerned more than anything else.
This was the gaze of the one he cared for, not the fa�ade she showed her men.

And just like her gaze, the voice
that came next was softer as well. �Don�t you see what I�m getting at? Think,
Gwydion, you don�t move like that. When I came down here you sprung away in a
move no man would do normally, and with a shinai in
your hand no less! You don�t fight like most Shinigami do, you never
have. Sometimes watching you fight I forget just how difficult moving like that
is! You don�t rely on brute strength, you glide
through attack patterns so it looks like they�re swinging at air! You flip the
same way others sidestep! The whole time I�ve been watching you train like
this, I haven�t been seeing what I know you
to be in your movements. You�ve improved dramatically, I can�t even begin to
understand how you got so much better using a style that�s not even your own,
but if you want to get better you have to move as you, not what you
think Tatsuki expects.�

His wide eyes were all the answer
she needed that that had been in no uncertain terms, the last thing he had ever
expected. Again, as she predicted, his appearance soon started to morph into
that of scowling disapproval at the perceived unfairness of her evaluation.
However, once again, she stopped him with a cautioning finger.

�Let me finish, please,� she
asked, silent entreaty in her eyes. The indignation gradually melted off his
scowl, and he nodded begrudgingly. Her small, grateful smile made any remaining
resentment disappear instantly, and she had no idea how hard it was not to kiss
her right then. �You�re stiff, rigid.
You�re overanalyzing, over-thinking each move to the point where you don�t have
any time left for anything else.�

The indignation did come back
slightly at that. �Do you know how hard it is to��

�Yes,� she cut in instantly. �I
wouldn�t dare say any of this if I hadn�t tried it at least once. Something
occurred to me though as I watched the difference between you and Tatsuki as
you fought. Lieutenant, if I may have your cooperation?�

Now Tatsuki was as intrigued,
probably more so than Gwydion even, and she stepped forward with a nod of her
head. It was mostly expected�but not totally�when the captain spun around with
her fist at the ready, prepared to strike her on the spot. She reacted
instinctively then, years of experience and training honed into her basic
movements. The cross-guard she made with her arms in front of her blocked the
initial blow, and she had already crouched down, readying herself for a charge
of repayment at the other captain before she remembered it was only an
exercise.

�That was perfect�� she hesitated
for only a couple of seconds as she played with the next words on her tongue.
She still wasn�t used to saying them to a lot of people other than three very
specific ones. ��thank you. Could you put your blindfold on now?�

What she was getting at came to
Tatsuki all at once and a small smile curled her lips as she pulled her
blindfold back up from around her neck. She maybe had a second of complete
darkness before her world was alight in reiatsu, the residual particles from
her overabundant spirit energy lighting up the landscape around her as the
flames of existence flared from the two beings standing in front of her before
flickering out into their bodily forms. It didn�t even take her conscious
concentration anymore, it just happened.

She was calm, ready, and when Soi-Fong struck out again, from the opposite side this time,
she reacted much the same as she had before. She knocked the punch to the side
with a moving guard as she lashed out with a punch of her own, aimed straight
at her face even blindfolded. Soi-Fong caught the
attack with one hand as she motioned to stop, and again, even blindfolded
Tatsuki reacted to the unspoken gesture and relaxed as she pulled the cloth
from her eyes again.

�Did you see any difference
between the first time and the second?�

Gwydion�s
eyebrow rose questioningly. �No�I saw Tatsuki fighting how she always fights.�

The grin that appeared on Soi-Fong�s face was triumphant. �Exactly!
This is a habit. It�s instinct. While I was watching you I
noticed that Tatsuki�s technique never changed, blindfolded or not! She�s not
thinking about what she�s doing, she�s feeling!
I know it may sound strange coming from me, but you have to stop thinking so
hard! It�s because you�re always analyzing everything that you�re forgetting
your roots, how you fight. It�s not
your instinct to parry, it�s your instinct to jump, to
sidestep in a slide that puts others to shame! You�re speed-based, anyone can
see that, and truthfully, more of a counterattack type than a forward attacker.
Even if you make the first move, you rely on their actions to help your attacks
and psychologically you always throw enemies off with your exaggerated clothing
and uncanny movements in them! You�ve perfected a style entirely suited for you
and your special circumstances alone, trying to change that will only hurt
yourself!�

Tatsuki rubbed the back of her
head embarrassedly. �When I hear her say it out loud, I think she�s right. I
guess I haven�t spent enough time with you to know the difference.�

Right in front of them, Gwydion
palmed his forehead in his hand and started laughing. That alone might not have
been much to worry about, but Tatsuki and Soi-Fong
exchanged anxious glances when his laughter rose into a fit of hysterics that
neither of them had ever seen. He eyed them incredulously as he tried to calm
down, and the look in his eyes didn�t seem completely rational. �Wow, now that is a kick in the teeth. I almost
don�t know how to respond to that! Should I be flattered at the incredible
compliment given to my skills, or depressed beyond reason at finding out that
everything I�ve worked so hard for the past few months
amounts to nothing?? You know I just
don�t know!� He laughed again as he kept his sleeved hand over his forehead,
but she saw it, the brokenness in his eyes that wanted him to collapse to the
ground in disbelief.

This wasn�t going anywhere good
fast, and Soi-Fong rushed over to him and put her
hand on his chest as she looked up worriedly into his eyes. �I�m not saying
anything like that. You still have everything you need to make it work, the
only thing you need to make it yours. Don�t think, feel.�

He smiled weakly at her in
genuine amusement this time. �You were the last person I ever thought would say
something like that. As easy as that sounds, how?�

�Try being the person saying it,�
she whispered to him, and the shared laughter felt much purer than what he had
been doing previously. �But seriously, I think it�s just like yesterday. You
didn�t see the Frisbee coming, but
you reacted exactly how you usually would. That wasn�t a rigid movement, that was your freakishly gymnastic self. It�s just
like meditating. Move how your body wants you to move to the situations you
sense, don�t think about what they�re going to do next, you should sense it.�

As she was finished talking he
reached forward and pulled her to him, leaning down into unexpected contact
with her lips. The kiss was hot and fierce, and she stood dazed as he pulled
away with his handsome smirk gracing his features once more. �I�m sorry, I moved how my body wanted me to move.�

Regaining her faculties took her
longer than normal. �Smartass,� she rasped feebly, and he laughed again, a
crisp sound that made her tingle.

The grin stayed on his face as he
picked up his shinai and refitted the blindfold over
his eyes before fixing his stance towards Tatsuki. There had been a shift in
his confidence, it could be seen in his demeanor, and there was something new
in the air that made her palms sweaty. �Thank you for telling me Soi-Fong, you�re probably the only one that would have. Let�s
begin Tatsuki-san, here goes nothing.�

The makeshift sensei that was
Tatsuki smiled as she put her blindfold back in place. He was already sounding
more like himself, but she could see he was fighting to keep his body calm and
loose, forcing his breathing to slow so he didn�t instantly fall back into the
firm katas of what he had been doing. Her sense
expanded around her again, and this time the energy she felt from his body was
much brighter than she remembered it being, sending his own reiko around the surroundings without his conscious
decision she would wager. If anyone was capable of flipping his switch, it
would have to be Soi-Fong, and she gulped lightly as
she readied herself. She wouldn�t hold back no matter what, he wouldn�t grow if
she did.

The charge happened in a split-second
and the slash she aimed at his head moments after that, but he showed no sign
of moving at all until her kendo stick was inches away from his head. Like a
tree in a strong wind he bowed backwards and her stick hit nothing but air, and
it wasn�t until she realized she had overextended herself because of the
momentum gained in the charge before that that she saw he wasn�t done moving
yet. He used the fall he had initiated and spun until his hand was firmly
planted on the ground over his weapon as he kicked upwards, delivering a kick
right to the bottom of her chin that sent her sprawling as he sprung himself
back to his feet.

It took him a second to realize
what he had done, but when he did his lopsided grin was proud and victorious.
He could do it. He could make it his
own, and he would. The entire process had felt different than what he had been
doing, he knew she would be there,
knew her speed would throw her off if she didn�t hit something as she intended,
and his body had reacted before he had even told it to do anything. They were
his moves, moves he had spent years hammering into his body and mind. They were
his instinctive moves now, things he didn�t need to think about, and though it
was still not totally in focus, he could sense the basic surroundings as well.

Tatsuki couldn�t even find it in
herself to be mad, she was stunned too much for that.
That was the cleanest hit he had ever gotten in on her, and as the person that
had been personally teaching him for the nearly the whole past year, she was
actually overjoyed. Stunned beyond belief that she had let
herself get hit like that, but overjoyed all the same. �Nice, Gwydion! Really nice! Keep it up!�

Hoisting herself to her feet she
rocketed forward with both feet, taking her fight from the ground to the air.
The connection of their two shinai cracked through
the air like glass shattering before he loosened his grip and deliberately sent
his shinai spinning, once more giving her nothing to
change her center of balance to to continue her
attack trail. Instead it was he who flipped up and stomped on her back, sending
her hard and fast right into the ground just a few feet below her as he
snatched his spinning kendo stick out of the air and landed with his feet on
either side of her body while pressing the end of his stick against the back of
her neck, keeping her head against the ground. She was only thankful he hadn�t
chosen to land on her back, as he probably would have done in any real battle
situation. That could have ended very painfully for her.

She just couldn�t stop grinning
as she picked herself off the ground when they retook their stances. �Absolutely amazing! That�s it!�

Watching the
next bout was numbing. Tatsuki was by no means a slow fighter, but they
both used a different kind of agility that made for a fight like nothing they
had ever been in before. Her unique blend of Karate, hakuda
in general, with zanjutsu�swordsmanship�was what made her such a threat in the first place, and it
was only multiplied with every addition of power she had available to her. A
zanpakutou that gave mere fists a range unknown before then and an amplified
sense of detection that made escape from her impossible; and a Hollow with more
reiatsu detection abilities than its zanpakutou counterpart, along with an atypical
amount of Hollow power and speed.

However, he wasn�t trying to escape, in fact whether or not he was using Shunpo at all could be questioned. His agility was in the
form of unusual movements that put him between all of her combinations, flips
that he could use to redirect her strikes while still keeping his arm open for
attacking. He read movements, that was what he had
always done. There was no appearance to be afraid of, no glare to be wary of,
just the spiritual energy the two emitted as they fought to keep their health.
This time they were both fighting blind, and they were
both reading so many steps ahead that not one hit connected cleanly the entire
time.

The months of training hadn�t
been in vain, he could feel everything, and he had a lifetime of experience
with his own fighting style. He had never imagined combining the two could be
so simple, but after meditating as much as he did every day the natural sense
was so easy to slip into he was amazed he had had so much trouble before. It
felt spectacular, his mind felt blank yet full,
following every movement and telling him what to do without any cognizant
thought on his part. She was fast; very, very fast, but he wasn�t the slowest
around either, and he had almost seven or eight of her lifetimes more
experience, even if not all of them were as a Shinigami. Then again, that could
be said about both of them.

The former tomboy hadn�t had this
much fun in a long time. There were few people that could dodge her so
completely that she was thrown off balance, and using her own skill to boot! Soi-Fong was absolutely right in her assessment of him, he
was very much a counterattack type, and being that she herself was more of an
attacker than a counter-attacker, he was putting her through the paces rather embarrassingly
being that she was supposed to be the teacher. She threw a punch,
he�d twirl away from it. She�d kick into the path of his twirl,
he�d spin into it purposefully and throw her attack to the side while launching
a kick of his own that she�d have to dodge if she wanted to keep the volley
going.

For only having one arm, his
throws were deadly, almost as much so as his kicks. She counted herself lucky
she had so much experience rolling and redirecting throws, otherwise she knew
she would have been slammed against the ground hard enough to knock the wind
out of her without fail. That was the thing, he only had one arm yet he wasn�t
afraid to drop his shinai, in fact he did it often to
throw her off before starting another series of feints and counters that
allowed him to effortlessly retrieve the lost weapon with minimal injury. It
was intense, it was infuriating, it was amazing. She
hadn�t had a fight like this in so long, one based only on skill and almost
entirely lacking power that she found herself on the losing end. She hadn�t
called upon her Hollow power, but in terms of sheer skill it seemed like she
was actually on the lower end of the spectrum this time.

It was surprising how good that
felt. Most of the Arrancars she fought relied on pure
strength with their own instinctual twist to their fighting. The surviving Espada were exceptions, as their rank was comparable to
captains in some senses of the classification, though not all. She wasn�t used
to a battle that threw power out the window, even though she knew he had a
large amount of it at his disposal, she had felt it once before. He used her
own strength against her and made precision strikes that she was honestly
surprised he could make seeing as how he was just trying out this new way of doing
her technique. It wasn�t that surprising when she thought about it, he had just
gone down from one eye to no eyes, but still, he had
finally caught on. However, knowing even she could still be taught a few things
after making easy work of so many others was so refreshing she didn�t realize
she was increasing her power.

They started into a series of
hits that had their shinai blurring in the air, and
to those watching it couldn�t have been stranger, seeing an attack by a sword
being held by two hands connecting to a receiving attack held only by one. It
was like watching a fencer face off against a kendo fighter with the same
weapon, and though Tatsuki was always gaining ground that was only because
Gwydion was giving it to her. He didn�t expect to be able to completely block
her slashes with his one-handed grip, but he slowed her enough for her to have
to try again as he stepped back and let the process repeat
with ever-increasing speed.

Something happened, something was
breached and the next strike came too fast for him to do anything but send his
full strength back at her. The kendo sticks shattered in an explosion of wood
fragments as he was blown back by the residual force of her slash and he rolled
to a stop on his back, sweat pouring from his body. He reached up with a numb
hand to pull his blindfold from his eyes to see Tatsuki and Soi-Fong
running towards him worriedly, the last remnants of black ink edging out of
Tatsuki�s sclera. Heh, so that�s what it was. No wonder.

�Are you okay!?� The former tomboy
cried anxiously as she crouched beside him, Soi-Fong
by her.

Her flexed his hand
experimentally, still numb from the wood stick shattering in his grip, and
smiled proudly. �I think I can say I�ve never felt better. I haven�t had a
fight like that in�wow�I haven�t had so much fun in a long time.�

Both women sighed in relief as
Tatsuki wiped the sweat from her own brow with her blindfold. �Well shit, I
should have had Soi try teaching you a while ago if
you can do that right after! I think
you�ve got my technique down Gwydion, I�ve never fought against someone who
fights like you do.�

�The worlds are big places,
Tatsuki-san. I don�t expect to be the last you�ll find that is like that.� He
pushed himself up until he was sitting on the ground and rolled his shoulders
before cracking his neck with an audible snap.
�Ah, much better.�

Soi-Fong
chuckled cheerily before hugging him unexpectedly, but he wasn�t about to start
complaining. �I told you you could do it! That fight
was great, I enjoyed it and I wasn�t even part of it!� It was a compliment
coming from her, and it was a good thing he knew that. �Though I have to admit,
watching a guy move like that still kind of gets me.�

Tatsuki nodded with her trademark
proud smile splitting her face. �And really, to fight on par with me even with
your body like that! God, that�s incredible!�

His grin softened, turning both
shy and embarrassed at the same time. Soi-Fong hadn�t
seen him blush very many times, and it was just as endearing as it always was,
making him look so much younger than he really was. �On par?
Hardly.�

�What are you talking about?? You
were playing with me most of the time! I�d call that �on par.��

He eyed her skeptically. �Three
words Tatsuki-san. Shikai, Bankai, Hollowization. I would have been annihilated in a heartbeat,
look how well I fared against just a second of your Hollow power.�

There was a point to be seen
there, but Tatsuki knew better. �You do realize that I have to hit something to be any threat with both
my Shikai and
Bankai right? Even throwing around wind does nothing if it doesn�t hit
anything! And I am looking at you, for the record, you�ve barely got a scratch on your body! You�re my worst kind of opponent, you barely ever try to block my attacks, you redirect them! Even when you were evading me you were never keeping yourself within the line of my attack
except for a few times! That means not even Kouki�s
ability would have hit you! Face it Gwen, if you were fighting someone without
Hollow powers you�d be able to take out a lieutenant easily.�

A strange sound that can�t be
made voluntarily came from his throat as he just about choked he started
laughing so abruptly. �Thank you for your kindness, Tatsuki-san. I realize I
still have a long way to go however, and I would be honored if you continued to
train me.�

She sighed heavily as she rolled
her eyes. This guy had a head harder than Soi-Fong�s
when it came to some things. �No prob! Heck, if you
wanted to stop here I might have
asked you to keep going. Skill battles definitely aren�t my area of expertise, you won�t be the only one learning something!�

Another chuckle came from him. �You
really do flatter me more than you need to. I think Ai will be in for a
surprise nonetheless if she does show up again.�

�You�re the one they�re after?? Why was I expecting some major
badass, you�re just another unseated punk! Having fun playing in the dirt?�

The voice was unknown to all but
one, and unheard for months before that. She knew she was right though when the
familiar sound of chips crunching noisily hit her ears,
and the pig actually had the audacity to let crumbs fall on her.

Soi-Fong
looked behind herself in annoyance to see that yes, after however many glorious
months of not seeing him, her lieutenant had made the trip to the Living World.
Marechiyo Oomaeda was a sad
excuse for a lieutenant, for a Soul Reaper or human being in general, and as
always, he was stuffing his face with some snack that just had to sound
disgusting and leave crumbs to fall from his open mouth as he bit down the next
time just as loudly as the last.

She wasn�t going to dignify him
with her first action being words, so she went with what she wanted to do
anyways. A quick jump and twist later and her leather boot had left a solid
imprint on his face, dropping him to the ground like a fly. She would have
continued, but she wanted to hear why he was here before she did that. �Just
what are you doing here, Oomaeda!?� She ordered
harshly, and as he pulled himself off the ground she could see the stunned look
coming over his face as he viewed her standing tall in front of him in the
dimming light of the day.

�T-T-T-The r-rumors were true!? You grew!!� He shrieked, none too manly for his giant size.

Being victim to her glares was a
fate no one wanted to have, but he definitely got it�before she kicked him in
the gut. �Are you telling me you came here just to see if a rumor was true!?�

�W-W-Well�no, not entirely�� The
man could take a beating, that was certain. Maybe she
had just been a bit too soft with her kicks though. �T-There�s another one
going around as well.�

The coward in front of her was
making her skin crawl. Why do I have to
put up with this when Gwydion would be so much better!? �So
not one, but two rumors!? You
think that�s any better!? What about the possible threat!?�

She was winding up to kick him again when he ducked with his hands over his
head spinelessly and shouted, �There hasn�t been an attack since that last one
months ago! Is it true that the only reason you�ve been here so long after is
that you found a man!?�

That derailed her completely and
had her face burning as she fell back to her feet numbly and looked over at
Tatsuki in confusion. The other woman only held out her hands defensively. �Hey
don�t look at me, I live here. Wouldn�t surprise me if the
Association couldn�t keep their mouths shut though.�

Her embarrassment was dying
quickly, and in its place was anger. �As long as there�s possibility of an
attack I�ll stay here, but besides that, it�s my life you moron!�

The large lieutenant retreated
farther away from her hastily. �I-I just couldn�t believe you found a man! I-I mean I can understand now but�!�

If he was trying to get killed,
he was well on his way, and the tick developing in her eyebrow couldn�t have
been good for her. Before she could make sure he never poisoned the gene pool with his genetics, a taller figure
stepped in front of her and stopped any of her possible actions.

She leaned over to the side to
look at his face with a comment at the ready, but decided it would probably be
better to stay quiet after seeing him. Hoo-boy, he seems mad�

Gwydion ran his hand through his
hair to sweep it back into place, something that hadn�t been done when Oomaeda had first seen him obviously, and the tall fat man
laughed boisterously. �Don�t tell me it�s you!? What, did the little officer
need protection from the big bad Hollows? All pretty no power?� His belly shook with laughter, and both women behind the purple-eyed man winced as they saw tendons start showing on his neck.

And Soi-Fong wasn�t about to stop him either, in fact she wanted to see just how badly her boyfriend
could beat on her lieutenant. Maybe then he would believe that he could, but
then again Marechiyo wasn�t exactly the best one to
choose for that.

�I couldn�t believe it when I
heard you had been made lieutenant, Oomaeda. Looking
at you now I still have trouble with that. I didn�t think lieutenants could
possibly be that rude to their superiors.�

The giant of a man scoffed at the
slender physique of the man in front of him, clearly not seeing the muscles he
had underneath nor caring about the good amount of reiatsu he was still
exuding. �Yeah right! You�re just jealous I made it to
lieutenant and you didn�t, whoever-you-are, haw!� He snorted as he flicked
something off his nose, and Gwydion resisted the urge to cringe in open
disgust.

�No, but I do feel pity for Soi-Fong. Having to put up with you as
her second-in-command must be torture.�

For every insult being thrown his
way, he wasn�t reacting near as much as the tall Second Division lieutenant,
but that was pretty normal. He reacted more than anyone, to both extremes of
cowardice and arrogance. �H-Hey! She�s a captain! What
gives you that right!?�

Gwydion looked innocently over at
Soi-Fong, playful fire in his eyes, and she almost
blushed again under that gaze. He turned back to Oomaeda
with a small grin. �As you said, I am
her boyfriend. I perfectly respect her status, but I also respect what she
wants. She told me a long time ago she wanted me to call her by her name, so I
abide by that. I can�t help but think you�re here a bit late though, don�t tell
me you only heard this rumor now? The
Shinigami Women�s Association practically joined our first date, are you really
that out of the loop or does no one care to tell you things?�

His face was getting
progressively redder with every straightforward insult, and Soi-Fong was muffling laughter behind him. The look on her lieutenant�s face was
priceless. Maybe I should take up
insulting him more casually instead of kicking him�nah.

�N-No!� The giant defended
quickly. �I-I knew!�

One of Gwydion�s
fine black eyebrows arched. �Really? If that�s the
case then it took you this many months to get up the courage to ask her about
it? I�d prefer the route of the uninformed to that of the coward, but that�s
just me.�

�Pfft!�
Tatsuki was just barely able to suppress her giggles at his latest barrage of
unassuming insults. He approached arguing much the same as he approached
fighting, but Oomaeda for one seemed unimpressed.

�What,
still don�t believe me?�

With that he turned around and in
the few seconds before he did it, Soi-Fong saw the
question in his eyes. Her only answer was a sexy smirk that only he saw, and right after he was kissing her. It was a rush she
hadn�t felt before, to show off so blatantly, and all too soon she forgot why
they had started and simply began winding her fingers into his hair. He really was
an amazing kisser.

When they pulled away from each
other he gave one last peck to her lips before turning back to face the now
almost blue-faced man. �Do you believe me now?�

�You�!!!!�
He didn�t even finish his sentence, the lunk of a man just rushed him with his fist drawn back.

Only Soi-Fong
saw Gwydion�s almost imperceptible smirk.

The giant was almost right to him
before he grabbed his haori and jumped into the air, seemingly impossibly
carrying the excessively large man along for the ride. With a twist he was
thrown off balance and with a thundering crack he was shot into the ground. Gwydion lithely flipped onto the now unconscious man�s fat stomach before landing on the ground and dusting himself off.

�What a buffoon. And don�t�� he
said quickly as he spun to face Tatsuki. ��say I would be able to defeat any
lieutenant with the same amount of difficulty. Even if he did deserve his post,
he waits far too long to reveal whatever skills he might have. I�m surprised he
hasn�t died already.�

Soi-Fong
smiled blandly. �My thoughts exactly. You didn�t have
to do that you know, I usually get some relief from his idiocy when I kick
him.�

�Ah, that would be no good for me
though,� he said with a scorching grin, obviously remembering their kiss of
moments earlier. �I�m allowed to fight for my lady�s honor am I not? Honestly I�m
surprised I haven�t had to do it more.�

She sputtered as she blushed
lightly and Tatsuki snickered. �H-Huh?�

Both women felt another blush rising though when Gwydion stood in
front of her and leaned down to her ear, so close to her she could feel his hot
breath. �I just wanted you to know you�re worth fighting for.� She shivered
unwittingly, both because of the content of his whisper and the sensation of it
against her skin. �Besides, I can�t let you fight all our battles, now can I?�

Her body was doing that strange
thing to her again, and she could feel herself heating up even before he moved
away, but not before planting a soft kiss on her cheek. She had to admit, it
had felt pretty nice to have someone that wanted to stand up for her not
because she was a captain or even a comrade, but because she was special to
him. Her feminine feelings had stayed too long under her stony fa�ade, now when
she felt them she felt them with a vengeance, and usually he had some part, if
not all the part, in making them surface.

The sun was fading in the spring
sky, and Gwydion turned to Tatsuki and bowed gratefully. �Thank you for your
assistance again Tatsuki-san. Today has been quite the learning experience.�

Tatsuki grinned at his formality
and humored him for once, bowing to him too. �For me too.
I guess I�ll see you around. Just come by tomorrow if you want to, you know I�m
pretty open most of the time. Kaien and Kin don�t mind taking care of Senna at all. Heck, it�s probably good practice for them!� She
laughed at that. �Besides, Ichigo should be home any minute. It was good to
spend the day training with you.� It was funny, because it was after she said
that that Ichigo�s reiatsu could be felt approaching the house, and she smiled.
�Well, talk about timing!� And she ran into the house to go greet her husband,
leaving the two alone outside, well, alone with once unconscious person.

The violet eyed man smirked before
turning back to his girlfriend. �Would you like to do
something this evening? I know watching me fight can�t have been that
much fun.�

She pursed her lips to keep the
smile inside. Watching him fight hadn�t been much of a chore at all. Then
again, lots of things weren�t too bad to her anymore as long as it involved him.
�I�d like that.�

�I need to have a shower, but
after that we can go anywhere you like.�

The heat of before still hadn�t
left her, and God he looked so beautiful looking at her like he was it wasn�t
going away. She just didn�t want to be away from him, and even that was pushing
it, her body actually wanted her to get so much closer. �W-Well let�s go then. I can listen to some music while I
wait. We�re still not all the way through your collection.�

He laughed. �That sounds fine to
me. What about him?�

She scoffed as she waved her hand
dismissively. �Leave him, if he knows what�s good for him he�ll find his way
back. Let�s go.�

~~~~~~~~~~

It wasn�t the first time she had
been in his house-like apartment, in fact she had
spent quite a lot of time over the past few months within its walls. Why then
wouldn�t her heart stop beating so quickly? She was in her favorite chair in
his living room area, surrounded by peaceful music floating down from the small
speakers mounted on every wall, and yet she still felt inexplicably hot, nervous
even.

There hadn�t been an ulterior
motive to following him to his house at the time, but why did the bed she could
see through the crack in his bedroom door look so appealing to her all of a
sudden? They hadn�t eaten yet, she thought she would feel more
hungry than anything else, but she didn�t fell that at all. He had been
more than patient with the growth of their relationship, and she could feel the
same tension in him she felt in herself every time they kissed.

Why she was feeling this way right
then didn�t make sense. Had she really been that affected by his show of possessiveness
earlier? Yes, she realized somewhat
sourly. She knew she had been
affected. Everything over the past few months
had been affecting her, with growing force every time. The way he would hold
her, kiss her, comfort her, defend her. He was just there for her and after so many years of
relying only on herself the small crack she had opened
on the door to her heart had swung wider with every passing action.

She hadn�t even told him she loved
him yet. She knew he could probably tell from the way she acted, and she knew
he loved her too for the same reasons, but that single word had yet to pass her
lips. For some reason it wanted out badly, and it wanted out tonight.

The frightening thing was she had
nothing left to stop it anymore, she didn�t even want
to stop it. What was more, other things wanted out too. Her feminine feelings,
growing ever stronger every day, didn�t want to be denied anymore. God help her
she wanted him, and he had proven
time and again that he wasn�t going to push her into anything. This wasn�t a
crush, she knew what this was, she had known a long time ago. It was like
giving voice to that would make it real, would be giving up a battle she had
never wanted to win in the first place. She�she wanted this to last, she knew
that now.

He emerged from his bedroom,
fully dressed in a dark red button-up with the standard tribal design on its
left sleeve and black jeans, and she hadn�t even noticed the water had stopped
running. He walked to her with a small grin on his face, and she trembled for
reasons unknown when he leaned down over her chair and softly ran his hand
along the side of her face as he gave her a tender kiss in greeting.

�Where do you want to go tonight?�

He had no idea how good he
smelled at that moment. That crisp air scent, his unique one of trees, nature
and his own unique aroma was mixed with the humidity of the shower and a faint
trace of cologne, and right then it was like she was breathing in a drug. She
felt dizzy, unfocused, but mostly she just felt very, very hot. The next words out of her mouth surprised them both, but
she couldn�t have cared less.

�Could�could we just spend the
night here?�

It was the first part of that
last step, she knew it. But�she wasn�t afraid anymore.

She could admit it to him, and
everything that entailed.

She loved him.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Author�s Notes: Well, this chapter kinda
took off on me. It�s pretty much two chapters in one, so I hope you enjoyed the
lengthy installment. It actually came out a lot faster than I figured, and by
the time I was done it it was double the length of my
usual chapters!

But seriously, I do have
something I�d like to ask. Are people still liking
this story? I mean I love writing it, but it�s been getting really discouraging
lately, especially after the last couple chapters. The continued reviewers are
awesome, don�t get me wrong, and on that note I�ll admit I�m probably a bit
embarrassingly impatient waiting for what you have to say. Still, I can�t help
but notice the lack of other reviewers though, or even rates and hits for that
matter, and that kinda�well, sucks. I love writing,
but as I�ve said before, I don�t want to be writing a story no one wants to
read. I�d appreciate reviews on this, because honestly it�s a question I�d like
answered.

I hope I�ve made the transition Soi-Fong has underwent through the chapters realistic and
believable though, I�d like to think I�ve tried hard in that respect.

Thank you to everyone that has reviewed, the question is nothing
against you, like I said, I�m just discouraged. And thank you Agoraphobe, it was really nice to see
a new person commenting on my story. I hope to hear from everyone on this
chapter!

At the risk of sounding pretentious, I hope you rate and
review, but most of all I just hope you enjoyed the chapter!
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That Dreaded Word