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A New Window	By : Platinumsabr Category: Bleach > Het - Male/Female Views: 13905 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story. Any Original Characters are mine however, as is the story itself, and if you see it or any part of it posted elsewhere please report it

Chapter List
- 18
- 19
- 20
Pride
On The Blade

Whether it was lack of foresight
or just plain forgetfulness was up for debate, but the one thing they did know
when they stepped into the entrance of the academy was that they were all
idiots. Judging from the way tumbleweeds�of all things�seemed to dance along
their path for no apparent reason, meant one of two things. Either they were
having an Old West day�or the place was deserted.

Smart.

It was the day after Christmas
and they had thought the academy would be in session. What allowed that giant
oversight none of them really knew, but it did put a bit of a wrench into their
plans. The deadpan silence hung in the air around them as if mocking them for
their stupidity until finally, one of them broke the awkwardness around them.

�So�anyone have any other ideas?
If you don�t mind me stating the obvious, I don�t think anyone�ll
be in there today,� Masaki said, as kindly as she could without looking
disappointed�or breaking out laughing. Tsukiyomi rolled her eyes; she wasn�t
even going to dignify that statement with words.

�When you think about it though
there would still have to be people left in the dorms, right? A few may have
family, or what they call family, but a lot of them probably enrolled so they
wouldn�t have to live alone anymore. I can�t see all of them leaving for
Rukongai when their lives are so much more
comfortable in the dorms,� Kin stated after going through all the rational
conclusions in her genius mind.

It took a little while for
someone to respond after that, but eventually, �Sounds like fun, but it
wouldn�t work. Us three are girls, and there�s only
one guy. Even if there are still people in the dorms, they�d be in their
separate buildings since I don�t think Soul Society has relaxed enough for
co-ed dorms. Can�t have one person without a �buddy� now, can
we?�

Tsukiyomi smiled devilishly. �I
wouldn�t be so sure about that, Masaki. It�s the day after Christmas,
I wouldn�t be surprised if a few couples spent the night together. After all
the full-ranking Soul Reapers started going at it like there�s no tomorrow, I
don�t think too many of the recruits would pay very much attention to any rules
regarding relationships.�

Kaien laughed and rubbed under
his nose boyishly. �Ever the realist, eh Tsuki?
Of course I agree with you, but only you could sum it up so nicely!�

Tsukiyomi merely flicked some of
her brilliant white hair out of her face and smiled smugly. She really was
going to be a knockout when she grew older. Just then a butterfly as black as
the young woman�s sclera and marked with beautiful violet details landed
soundlessly on her shoulder. She stiffened for a moment just out of surprise
but soon the Hell Butterfly had fluttered back to wherever it came from.

She harrumphed in annoyance. �Guess
that explains why it�s been so quiet. That was Dad, he said he�s got some
paperwork to do for a while before he goes and wastes that screw-up. He says it�s gonna be a few days at least
with all the rest of the crap that�s been piling up.�

Her older brother whistled softly
at the information. �Geez, if I didn�t know any
better I�d think Soul Society wanted him to beat the living crap out of
that captain. Giving him paperwork of all things to do before he can do
what he really wants to? They want him angry or something?�

Masaki smiled. �It looks that
way; either that or they still don�t understand Dad.�

To their surprise, another Hell
Butterfly soon past their eyes and this time it landed on Kin�s outstretched
finger, done in anticipation of the intended target. She seemed confusedly for
all of a second before her eyes widened slightly and the silent messenger took
off again.

�What was that?�

The bronze-skinned youth
scratched her neck. �That was your mom asking me to do something with her. She
said it�ll take a few days too, so I guess I�ll be gone for a little while.�
She saw Kaien take a step forward and open his mouth, but he soon bit his
tongue. Her eyes softened. She didn�t want to be away from him any more than he
wanted to be away from her, but this was something she couldn�t refuse. �She
says you�ll be staying at the Squad Thirteen headquarters so to head there when
you�re tired and Captain Ukitake�ll show you to your
rooms. Your dad should get there too eventually, but she says not to wait up.
She and I won�t be coming back for a few days at least and under no
circumstances are you to look for us.� Kin scratched the side of her head this
time. �She also said something about �if you do, remember Kon,�
whatever that means.� She soon realized it to be a threat, because the faces of
all the Kurosaki children had turned white, or in Tsukiyomi�s case: whiter.

Even with the impressive threat,
Kaien still desperately didn�t want her to go. It was like he knew the moment
she was out of his senses he was going to die of loneliness. He had promised
himself he wouldn�t smother her though, he wasn�t going to be overbearing or
overprotective, he had to let her live outside of him. He was being selfish, he
knew that, and that was why he knew he needed to step away from this one. It
was harder than he had ever thought it would be.

Kin�s graceful form was soon
right in front of him and she tiptoed up to steal a kiss from his unprepared
lips before she hugged him just as unexpectedly and pulled away. �Thank you.
I�ll make it up to you, I promise.� And just like the wind, she was gone.

Kaien stood shell-shocked for a
few seconds after that, and his sisters had the sense of mind to pity him. They
knew better than anyone how long he had waited for her, and after finally
having her, it wasn�t going to be easy for someone with Hollow blood to
relinquish that hold, however lightly. Already they could hear the gentle
whispers of Nejibana, trying to soothe the aching
heart of her partner. Without her, they didn�t think he would have even been
able to pull off the strained smile moments later.

�I think I�m heading back to the
headquarters, how about you?� he asked in a tone somewhere between kind and
forced.

�We�ll come too, more to do there
than here that�s for sure!�

Another strained smile, another
gentle whisper, and once more the three took off.

~~~~~~~~

Kin landed on the dusty ground
and looked around, slightly stunned at the resemblance to the area she had
known all her life hidden underneath her family�s store. It was just as impressive
as the one she had grown up knowing, and the idea of her being here for three
days was exhilarating, more so because of the memories she had forged in the
one that looked so like the one she was currently standing in.

Her chest constricted unexpectedly
and she put a hand to her breast without thinking. Just two nights ago she and
her fianc� had shared their first experience together, and though it wasn�t the
first time they had been apart for an extended period of time, it seemed like
every part of her ached to be back with him, even though she couldn�t have been
gone for more than ten minutes. It was both painful and invigorating.
She loved him so much it hurt, and she wasn�t bothered by that one bit.

�Don�t worry, it�ll get easier
eventually,� a voice consoled wisely, and when Kin looked over she saw Tatsuki
Kurosaki walking towards her.

She resisted the urge to shuffle
her feet. �W-What are you talking about?�

Tatsuki put a hand on the younger
woman�s shoulder. �My reiatsu sensing ability�s nothing to laugh at, I know
exactly what you�re feeling right now. Even after over twenty years together it
still gets me when I�m away from Ichigo too long. If Yoruichi hadn�t asked me
personally I don�t think he would have even allowed me to leave!� She laughed
at that, and Kin joined in, to a lesser degree. �But hey, it gives us some time
for some girl talk. It�s been a while since I�ve gotten the chance to hang
around with just another woman. I�m still Mom to my girls so it�ll be a bit
longer before I can have this kind of experience with them.�

Kin smiled fondly. Some of her
best memories of the closest two years past were the times her mother and her
trained and talked together. The time when it got to the point where she could
call her mother a mentor and possibly even a rival instead of just �Mom�
was when she truly felt like she was improving. Having that kind of
acknowledgment from a parent was indescribable. The downside was back then she
had been obsessed with hating Kaien, but that seemed so ridiculous to her now
she could hardly believe she had ever felt that way. Those five years were a painful
yet very real part of their relationship.

�We�ll start tomorrow at dawn.
You�ll want all the time you can get during the day, so today you should start
readying yourself for what�s to come. It won�t be easy; after all, this method
has only worked for two people in the entire span of its creation.�

The Shihouin heir�s eyes sparkled
dangerously. �If I want to keep up with him it�s something I�ll need, so
there�s no way I�m backing down!�

Tatsuki chuckled. �Your mother
thought as much. Take your time, and we�ll have something to eat in a couple of
hours. There�re some long days ahead.�

Of that there was no doubt. As
the two women sat down and started talking about anything and everything as Kin
tried her best to center herself, already the time ticked by.

And off to the side sat a white
doll, a golden medal with two equally gold ropes attached thrown over the
opposing shoulder, glittering from the chest of the faceless cut-out.

Day One commenced tomorrow.

~~~~~~~~~

Kin got as much sleep as she was
able to, considering she was deprived of both a soft warm bed and her
six-foot-two pillow. She was used to sleeping on the ground however, she and
her parents had gone on multiple training exercises that required overnight
stays and they had wanted her to get used to the concept. Since that was the
case, that meant her main problem had been the latter part of her two excuses.
She silently cursed, but she wasn�t about to let that hinder what she was going
to do today, and likely for the next two days after as well.

She wasn�t hopeful enough to even
think she could do it in just two.

Tatsuki was stretching over to
her right and from the corner of her eye she could see the white doll next to
her, seemingly glaring at her in anticipation. She had met her zanpakutou many
times before, but she had never gotten her to materialize. She had been too
busy perfecting Shunkou for that, but that didn�t mean she had never relied on
her before. Her zanpakutou made the use of Kidou twice as deadly as it already
was and with Shunkou activated her sword strengthened even more. It was
strange, how a close-range fighter had a long-range weapon, but it suited her
style in an oddly comfortable way. She was balanced nicely with those two
skills at her disposal, and unlike most it meant she could fight either without
any major changes to her technique. She had the feeling she was going to be
pushed to the limits of her expertise in the following days, because she was
essentially fighting someone who knew everything she did and more.

The black-haired woman picked up
the long rope extending from the doll and sat the doll on its feet in front of
her. �Well, I think it�s time we started. Whenever you�re
ready.�

Kin gulped one last time before
steeling herself and stabbing the point of her zanpakutou into the creation in
front of her. There was no explosion of light, no earth-shaking bang,
just a near-silent tink as the doll exploded
into a myriad of spirit particles. Tatsuki knew she shouldn�t have been
surprised by the appearance of the zanpakutou spirit, but she was nonetheless.
A voluptuous woman stood where the doll once had, her pale skin glowing in the
bright light of the artificial scenery. Her blood red hair flowed from her head
in waves and her hard crimson eyes spoke of a warrior unaffected by her
noticeable beauty. Her tight white shirt and red spandex pants left every curve
and muscle open to appreciation while her knee-high flats gave off the impression
of dominance the woman seemed to exude naturally. Zanpakutous
could be characterized by two common traits: pride and power. She was taller
than Kin by a good three inches and unlike Nejibana,
there didn�t seem to be a caring bone in her body at first glance.

The ex-tomboy gave a gulp of her
own before sitting down and settling against the rock face behind her. This
wasn�t her place to intercede, this was Kin�s battle.

Benitenchi cracked her neck and
threw some rebellious strands of hair behind her head as she walked towards her
partner. She could tell Kin was trying her best to stay relaxed�for the time
being�but she was ready to move at a moment�s notice. She inwardly applauded
her alertness, but she didn�t have attacking in mind right then. She stopped in
front of her and looked down into the bright golden eyes staring back at her
without fear. She raised her hand and saw the young girl�s facial muscles
twitch as if fighting off the urge to dodge the undoubtedly soft gesture.
Taking her lack of movement as a cue to continue, Benitenchi ran a hand down
the side of the bronze-skinned woman�s face like a mother would her daughter.

�I won�t hold back,� she warned
seriously. Zanpakutous are inescapably tied to their
partner�s very spirit, and as such when one feels an emotion the other can rarely not do the same. Like her, she too was in
love, and since Kaien was both physical and yet his very existence was a
zanpakutou, she had experienced everything Kin had. �If you want me to submit you
have to will with every fiber of your being for me to do so. You can�t be encumbered
by anything; not pride, not humility, not love or
hate. You will come at me as hard as you can, and until that time comes you
will not be able to use Shunpo or Kidou. I�ve taken
away those abilities until you wish with everything you have to be able to
defeat me.

�The will to fight is something
that has never been defined in you, and until you find that you won�t be able
to make me submit.� The taller woman backed away and entered a Karate stance,
uncaring of Kin�s shocked face at realizing her greatest assets had just been
thrown to the wind. Her soft expression hardened as her red eyes glared into
her partner. �Now come at me!!�

So the battle against the Crimson
Angel began.

~~~~~~~~~

Jyushiro
Ukitake might not have been the smartest of the
smart, but he was bright enough to realize that something was going on, especially considering half of his squad was hidden in
the foliage surrounding the training grounds of their division. When everyone
had sobered up the next day after the Kurosaki�s arrival, there had been a good
deal of disbelief and even more shock when the oldest child of that family
walked in to greet their captain.

Kiyone
had burst into tears and thrown herself at him, and the normally loud and
boisterous Sentaro had gone completely and utterly
silent taking in the sight before him. In Soul Society there were many things
beyond human comprehension, but it wasn�t often that they met something
beyond even their comprehension.

The ground rumbled beneath his
feet and it didn�t take a rocket scientist to figure out that his squad members
were watching someone train. He could hear the rustling of leaves and knew they
had become aware of his presence, and if he could hear them than there
was no doubt in his mind that whoever was down there
had already done the same. He reached the outcropping overlooking the valley
and tried not to look surprised.

Tsukiyomi and Masaki Kurosaki
were fighting like two Hollows fighting over a Whole, and had he not known them
personally he would have thought they wanted to kill each other. They were
certainly a sight to see, flashing around the valley with swords drawn and
reiatsu flaring. He had only seen it momentarily before it had called out an impossibility, but he now saw Masaki fighting in her full
Vizard mode. Some might have thought it was because
of the intensity of the battle, but Ukitake knew
better. She just wanted her other side to have a little more time out in
reality.

It was when he looked over did he
realize who everyone was looking at. Kaien Kurosaki was dancing shirtless in
the mid-morning light, but this kind of dance wasn�t meant for a wooden floor.
No, for the black-haired young man was holding a crystalline weapon in his
nimble hands. It could only be described as a dance, because there was hardly
any time between one move and the next. Even when the trident�s head struck
ground and rattled the area with yet another lake, it was easily spun back up
and quickly gained momentum again. Sweat coated his rippling muscles and
dripped down his body with every movement. He was an impressive specimen of a
male, even Jyushiro could admire that, but Kaien�s
fiercely focused face betrayed there was something haunting the young man.

Jyushiro
sighed. He was exactly like his father. If something was troubling him, if he
wanted to escape or just plain vent, he would always fight or train. It would
appear that that was a genetic trait that ran in the family. �Kiyone! Sentaro!�

Instantly, the two people he had
called were bowed behind him. �Yes sir!� they both said simultaneously.

He sighed. They followed him
around like puppies, he didn�t even need to check
anymore. �How long has he been at it?� Why would he ask such a question? That
would be because the place he was continually striking had gained the volume of
a large body of water, nothing a mere one strike could achieve. The change in
landscaping was beautiful, but that was beyond the point right then.

�Sir! He
started after lunch yesterday, sir!� Sentaro yelled,
and to Jyushiro�s surprise Kiyone
didn�t immediately get into a screaming match with him.

Instead, she seemed rather
sullen. �He hasn�t stopped once, no matter how hard I tried to get him to eat
something��

He sighed again and put his palm
to his forehead. Yes, he�s exactly like his father. �Okay Kiyone, I�ll go down and check on him. Just stay here.� It
seemed the spitting image that actually was the reincarnation of their
former superior officer was having an unexpected effect on his division. Not
that he was surprised, he had affected him too.

The captain straightened his
robes and jumped down the large cliff to the area below, and when the people
present sensed him coming they stopped their fighting. Kaien gave one last
thrust and poured even more water into the large lake before planting the
screw-like end of his trident into the ground and trying not to glare as the captain
approached. His breathing was coming in heavy gulps and his chest pumped with
each intake. He knew his body wasn�t at its limit yet, but hunger was getting
the better of him. At least it took his mind off Kin. It had taken everything
he had not to rush out in a panic when he felt her reiatsu disappear, but the
flux he had felt before that was definitely one of his mother�s many barrier Kidou. He looked at the oncoming captain with
half-interest, and Ukitake had that ever-present
happy-go-lucky smile on his face.

�Hey everyone, how�s it going?�

Tsukiyomi merely nodded her head
in greeting and Masaki dispelled her mask and waved her hand at him as if
trying to tell him to let her catch her breath before she gave a response.
Kaien shrugged as he wiped his forehead. �It�s going.�

Ukitake
gave an amused glance over at the lake behind him. �I can see that. Were you
planning on turning the training area into a vacation spot?� he joked lightly,
but Kaien didn�t seem amused, even though his sisters weren�t of the same
persuasion.

�Soul Society is lacking in their
lakes, that�s for sure!� Masaki chirped in, and Tsuki
giggled only long enough to realize she had just giggled.

�True enough,� the captain
conceded with a smile. �With a little sand even I wouldn�t mind coming
here more often.�

Something happened to Kaien�s
face at that statement, and everyone around him could see it. He grimaced
painfully as if feeling something no one else could, and then a few seconds
later he was back to normal. �Step back please.�

They did so more out of surprise
than anything else, and were even more surprised when Kaien jumped to the cliff
side and spun his foot on the dirt. His face was dazed, like even he couldn�t
understand what he was doing, and he danced along the grass ever so often
spinning his hand or foot on a particular area until he had reached the
opposing cliff side and jumped back in front of them. With no warning he went
onto one knee and slammed his hands flat down on the ground. �Sebba!�

Ukitake
recognized the unique incantation right away, and that shock was only lessened
by the shock that came from watching the ground ripple in front of them like
waves of the newly formed lake they were looking at. The ripple continued under
the water until it couldn�t be seen anymore, and it finally seemed to complete
at some point, because soon the grassy expanse in front of the water seemingly
evaporated and soft sand replaced it just like the magic it was.

Tsukiyomi and Masaki were
speechless. They had never seen or even heard of anything like that before, and
their brother had never done anything like that, ever. It seemed like
Kidou, but it definitely wasn�t, most noticeably because it had no number. What
it was then they had no idea, but they had seen what it could do firsthand. It
didn�t have many applications, but in conjunction with Kidou it could
definitely be used for battle.

And hey, Kaien had just made a
beach. They were hot and sweaty from training, and that seemed like a perfect
way to cool off. They didn�t have any responsibilities for the time being, so
they thought they might as well enjoy themselves.

�Heh,
we should�ve brought our swimsuits along.� The white-haired teen
chuckled.

Jyushiro
smiled benevolently. �Talk to Retsu, I�m sure the
Women�s Association has brought back a few items from the Living World. You
look like you could use the rest.�

�Thanks Captain Ukitake!� Masaki beamed, then took
of running for the Fourth Division.

Tsukiyomi bowed ever so slightly.
�Thank you Captain.�

The older man grinned
embarrassedly. �Don�t mention it, Ichigo asked me to keep an eye on you three
while they�re working anyways.� She simply nodded again before taking off after
her sister. Jyushiro chuckled and clucked his tongue
before turning back to Kaien, who was still staring at his hands in wonder. �I
honestly can�t see who she takes after. I�ve never seen either of your parents
so calm and composed.�

That got a reluctant laugh from
the young man he was looking at. �Believe me, you
wouldn�t like it if she wasn�t. I�m sure I don�t have to explain any further,
you should know.�

Ukitake
sighed yet again and nodded. �Sometimes I wonder how Shinji and the others were
able to survive so long. I know if that had ever happened to me before I met
your father I probably wouldn�t have been able to go through with it. How are
they by the way?�

�They�re just fine. They�re all
busy keeping Uncle Shinji and Aunt Hiyori�s little
boy occupied. He�s got some scary talent, but it�s just a matter of time before
his Hollow awakens. Hopefully he�ll be old enough to understand by then; it�s
pretty much guaranteed he�s going to be a Vizard
since both his parents are. Uncle Kensei and Aunt Mashiro finally came out about their relationship, but I
guess it was more like she kind of blurted it out in one of her excited
rambles. I swear Aunt Hiyori almost had a heart
attack!�

Jyushiro
laughed. That had been a long time coming. �And how are you?�

Kaien flinched and sheathed a now
reverted Nejibana. �I�ve been better.�

�I can see that. How about we go
get something to eat, I�m sure you�d like to know what�s happened to the squad
since our Lieutenant died, if not just to quiet your other memories�
curiosity.�

�You know�I think I�d like that.
Then maybe we can talk some people into going swimming; God knows I could use
it.�

�Kiyone�s
been worried about you, you know.�

The young man pushed his hair
back out of his eyes with a sigh. �I know.�

�She�s been trying to get you to
eat for a while.�

Another sigh.
�I know.�

�Do you mind if she comes with
us? I don�t think she�s eaten either. Sentaro�s been
following me around like always, but I couldn�t sense her until I came here. I
don�t think she�s let you out of her sight since she first saw you.�

�I know,
I could sense her too. She obviously hasn�t absorbed it all yet, heck, even I
have a hard time with it!�

�Lunch would be a good way for
her to come to that realization. Besides, you�d be lucky if you found her too
far away from Sentaro unless she�s off-duty. It�d be
a good chance to talk without them both together.�

Yellow eyes turned to regard the
captain with a mischievous sparkle. �Just promise there�ll be no sake.�

Jyushiro
laughed and patted the young man on the back. �So you do remember!� He
laughed again. �Don�t worry, she won�t be drinking
unless she wants to be on desk duty for the next two months!�

Kaien chortled. �Oh sheesh, I already feel sorry for the administrators! Trying
to read her handwriting? I guess that�s going to be two months of Squad
Thirteen history that�ll be lost forever!�

�You wouldn�t want to see the
reports for the last few decades then! She and Sentaro
had a lot of responsibility on their shoulders.�

He sobered up almost instantly.
�I don�t think I even want to hear about that. I don�t even want to think of
what the division had to put up with after Kaien�s death.�

For once, Ukitake
just shrugged and grinned. �The Past is done, no use getting all worked up over
it now. Everything worked out in the end!� Kaien�s stomach growled loudly, and
he laughed once more. �Now let�s go eat!�

Kaien put on his discarded jacket
and turned to the seemingly empty cliff. �Kiyone,
you�re coming too! Get a move on!�

Finally, some
food.

~~~~~~~~~

�Bloody hell!!�
Kin hissed as she sunk into the gloriously hot waters of the healing spring in
the training area of Soul Society.

It was the end of Day Two and she
felt no closer to defeating her zanpakutou than she had the moment she heard
she couldn�t use Kidou or Shunpo. She had, quite
literally, just had her legs cut out from under her.

She spit blood onto the dirt and
rinsed her mouth with the medicinal liquid and sighed happily when her swollen
cheek and split lip started healing. She felt like she was one giant bruise.
Fortunately, or perhaps not, Benitenchi didn�t use swords as her way of
testing, and that meant death at the end of a blade wasn�t going to happen.

Death from blunt force trauma
however�

Kin dunked herself underwater to
completely saturate herself and ripples in the water cued her in to another
arrival. Being that there was only one other person in the entire area, it
wasn�t too large of a mystery as to who that arrival was. She rose with a gasp
of air and flipped her wet hair out of her face to see Tatsuki. They had done
this the first day too, so she was used to it now. She had to admit, the woman
had an impressive build. Her arms and legs were slim, but they held muscle that
solidly defined itself with every movement of the lithe body. Though her belly
was expanding as her womb grew to accommodate the growing life within her,
there was no doubt as to the strong sinew that resided there, though to a lesser
extent now. A little training afterwards and she would be back to full power in
no time.

She hadn�t noticed it before,
since the black shihakushou hid many a curve on any woman who so happened to
wear them, but Tatsuki certainly wasn�t lacking in the�upper areas either.
She knew many girls in her class that would kill to have a chest like that,
though the fact that they were growing larger to prepare for lactation had to
be taken into account too. The woman had a perfect balance of strength and
femininity, and Kin had to respect that in the older woman.

Once she felt like she finally
looked like herself again�which of course meant that the water had done its
work and soothed the swelling all over her body�she felt like she could start
talking again. �Was it this hard for you?� she asked as she slumped against the
warm rock of the nearest side.

Tatsuki�s relaxed chuckle made
Kin feel a moment�s urge to punch the woman, but she knew that wasn�t the best
idea, especially considering her state. �I wasn�t crazy enough to try this
method. Kouki had been put through a loop by my
Hollow from the beginning, but once she realized that we could get even
stronger if she allowed our zanpakutou to materialize she did it without a
second thought. I know, Kouki is a guy�s name, but
not too many girls are named Tatsuki either, so I think it worked out nicely. I
can assure you it wasn�t any easier, if anything I can say that it just gave me
more days to end up exactly like you at the end of each one. Kouki�s a hand-to-hand fighter too.�

Kin winced. �I just can�t figure
her requirement out! It doesn�t make any sense!�

�Sure it does,� Tatsuki
interjected immediately after, and caused Kin to sputter a little. She hadn�t
been expecting that. �Think about it; a zanpakutou is the closest person to
their partner. They know everything about us, right down to our deepest darkest
secret and our greatest weakness. For Ichigo it was resolve: base fighting
instinct, so what did Zangetsu ask him to do? Find his fighting spirit, and he
found it in the love he had for the people he held dear. Mine? It was my sight.

�Kouki
knew the whole reason I had so much pride was because I could see everything
coming a mile away, so she took away my eyesight and made me rely on the
sensing abilities my Hollow and her gave me. I had been taught to go on my
might, on what I could see and what I could physically do to stop it. I
couldn�t do Shunpo consciously for the longest time
because she knew deep down I didn�t believe something like that was possible,
even when I became a Soul Reaper myself. The only other person who knows this
is Ichigo, but there were more than a few days where I cried myself to sleep
because I was so frustrated. For being a blind woman herself, she sure loved
beating the hell out of me.�

She chuckled at the memory, and
Kin gave an uneasy laugh. What the hell had the woman in front of her gone
through??

�Her Ban release gives me a full
suit of her armor, and that includes the head. I can�t see a damn thing through
my eyes when I use it, but it amplifies my reiatsu sensing abilities to levels
that make it possible for me to sense presences in general, and no
amount of training can hide that. By taking away my sight she helped me change
the way I thought about strengths and weaknesses, and when it was finally done
she gave me something better in return. Even when I was in my Soul Reaper body,
I still thought of everything through how I knew everything growing up. She
forced me to change my thinking to the new reality I had gone into and only
then, when I could rely on what I couldn�t see and what I had once
thought to be impossible, was I able to make her submit. It may seem tough now,
but it�ll be worth it in the end.�

�But I�ve only got one more day!!
If I don�t get it tomorrow than I probably won�t be able to get it at all!!
That�s why it�s dangerous to continue after three days!� Frustration had set in,
and desperation was close behind.

Tatsuki �humph�ed
lightly and readjusted her seating. �What do you want me to say? Give up? Stop
now and save yourself the trouble? What good would that do? It�s exactly like
Benitenchi said: you haven�t defined your will to fight. You trained relentlessly
for five years because you had something pushing you, but once that was taken
away you had no reason to fight anymore, didn�t you? You and Kaien grew up
thinking you were perfectly normal, and you fell in love under the same pretense.
You would be perfectly fine living a normal life in your human
body as long as he was with you.

�The reason you trained your soul
wasn�t because you wanted to protect helpless Wholes or even for the sake of
destroying Hollows, you trained because you wanted to show the person you had
trained with for most of your life that you could be even better than he could
be. It wouldn�t have mattered if we had moved for him to pursue martial arts
training elsewhere while normal; you probably would�ve done the same thing,
just in your physical body. It just happened to be an aspect of you with
supernatural powers because you weren�t entirely normal to begin with.�

�But�� Kin�s protests died on her
tongue. What had she been fighting for?

�Even now, Kaien�s reason for
fighting hasn�t changed. From the moment you were hurt in that first encounter
with a Hollow, I can guarantee you that he promised himself he was never going
to allow that to happen again, he�s his father�s son after all. As long as
you�re alive it�ll remain like that, set in stone. In my opinion, the reason
his body required him to have complete control over it in order to gain Bankai
was because of his greatest weakness: his blood. Instinctively he knew without
that it was going to be impossible to have any kind of relationship with you so
that�s why he had to do what he did.

�But say, just for the sake of argument, that you two broke up.� Kin�s face turned ghost white and her glare
would have made Ogihci proud, but Tatsuki just laughed.
�For the sake of argument,� she emphasized, �that you two broke up. If
that happened his will to fight wouldn�t exist anymore, would it? What defined
it would be gone. Since he already has Bankai he can�t lose it, but say it
happened while he was still training to get it. That would change everything
wouldn�t it?�

Kin nodded slowly. What she was
meaning was finally dawning on her. Her frustration must have made her normally
quick mind slow down. �So she�s saying� that my fighting doesn�t have a reason.
It did, but now it doesn�t. For me to wish that I could defeat her with
everything I have would require a reason that stretched beyond just these three
days�so that�s why!�

Tatsuki nodded. �Now that you
have that down, you just need to find it.�

Easier said
than done.

~~~~~~~~~

The next day came all too soon in
Kin�s opinion, and she still had no better idea of what she was fighting for
than she had after she had finished talking with Tatsuki last night. What was
she fighting for? To get stronger, yes. To keep up with Kaien, yes. Pride
explained those easily, and she knew Benitenchi had told her that pride
couldn�t be involved. What else was there? What other reason could she have for
wanting the Ban release?

She stabbed her zanpakutou into
the doll for the last time and watched as the physical form of her zanpakutou�s spirit replaced the white husk. The exotic
redhead stared her down once again with those piercing wine-colored eyes, and
her luscious lips still found the ability to look serious even though she must
have been feeling rather smug after beating the crap out of her for the past
two days. �I see you�ve started to understand. Only when you have a purpose
that can truly define what you wish to fight for will your fist be able to
defeat me.�

�But how can I have that without
pride!? Or love, or hate, or anything else for that matter!?� she cried
desperately, hoping to get one last clue before the last day began.

�You will know when you find your
reason. Your heart is confused, but you will find the needle in the
surrounding chaos. You will have to�otherwise I will kill you.�

Kin�s eyes widened and her blood
ran cold. Unlike her parents, there was no doubt that what this woman said was
true. She would kill her. If she died, she�d never be able to see any of
her friends again. If she died, she�d never be able to see her Mom and Dad�s
faces again. If she died, she would never be�

Realization hit her in the face
worse than any of Benitenchi�s punches.

If she died�she would never be
able to be with Kaien again.

She would never get to see his
idiotically grinning face, or hear his hushed voice whispering words of love
into her ear as they joined their bodies in a physical manifestation of their
love. She wouldn�t be able to touch him again, kiss him again, love him again. She...

Her breath caught. She wouldn�t
be able to keep her promise. She had promised herself that she would never be
afraid of him again, that she would stop him if he ever lost control and that
she would stay by his side no matter what happened.

If she died here�she wouldn�t be
able to do that.

The air seemed to crackle with
power as Kin�s hands balled into fists and she glared heatedly at the woman who
had threatened her life, threatened everything she held dear. She was proud of her love, humbled by it, and hated
anything that would stand in its way. It was impossible to define in the
singular what bubbled up in her, just the overwhelming resolve that
burned in her eyes. She took no notice of the white-blue light as it gathered
around her, the only thing she saw was the beautiful redhead that had so
casually said she would separate her from a vow she had made to the only man
she had ever loved. The air around her exploded in a vibrant display of
lightning as it sparked from her back and her reiatsu burst out of her body
uninhibitedly.

She would defeat her. She would
go back to him. She would not let herself die here.

Benitenchi�s
eyes glowed with warmth and near paternal pride as she watched her partner. She
found it. No�she didn�t find it, she always had it, she
only needed to remember. The platinum-blonde hair of her partner was
flailing wildly about her head in the chaotic force created by Shunkou, and the
reiatsu in the air was more powerful than she had ever felt it before. Finally,
she had awakened. Her purpose couldn�t be defined by pride, or humility, or
love, or even hatred. No, everything she had had to be involved in her
sole wish to defeat her. Not just one, but all.

At last, her partner understood
that. She needed a purpose that involved everything.

�Today�s your last chance. Either
make me submit, or die.�

She charged at the young woman
glaring at her in classic stance, and before even she knew what had happened three punches had landed and she was
thrown back into a nearby mountain punctuated by a blast of dust. Pain shot
through her body as she pulled herself out of the hole she had created on
impact but the only thing the spirit found she could do was smile. She could
give her full power to this girl, of that she was now sure.

�Never��

Her hypersensitive ears picked up
the whispered words from her host without trouble, and she arched an eyebrow as
she cautiously moved back into a fighting stance.

�I don�t care who or what
you are, I won�t let anything threaten that!!!� Kin screamed angrily,
and in the next fraction of a second she had disappeared.

Benitenchi was immediately on the
defensive, trying to fend off any of the magic-enhanced strikes that she could.
However, in the face of what she had been hoping to awaken, she stood no
chance. Just like she had her for the last two days, she was battered left and
right with nary a single blow let in against her. She was so angry her attacks
didn�t relent for a second, and with Shunkou, a second can be as long as an
eternity.

Yes, she was trustworthy.

After Kin had given one last
punch to the red-haired beauty that had once again launched her into a painful
meeting with the side of a cliff, she had to stop to try a catch her breath.
She hunched over with her hands on her knees as she tried to gulp in as much air
as she could. She couldn�t remember feeling this tired before, and she wasn�t
even allowed to use Shunpo or Kidou. How much time
had passed already? She watched, horrified, as out of the dust Benitenchi
walked confidently while smiling softly, no injury marring her clothes or
flesh.

�How�?� Kin could only gasp out
breathlessly.

Then, to her utmost surprise, her
zanpakutou�s spirit walked up and bent down on one
knee in front of her as magnificent red wings flared out of her back in an indescribable
shower of glowing crimson feathers. She raised her right hand over her chest in
the gesture of fealty and smiled up warmly at the confused face looking down on
her.

�Kin Urahara-Shihouin,
I submit to your resolve. From this day forth you will be able to call out the
full extent of my power and I will answer without fail. I too, love him just
like you. Keep our promise, I will always be there to
lend you strength.�

Kin tried, but was unable to
fight the tears now trailing down her happy face. �I promise. Thank you.�

The Crimson Angel nodded, as if
saying �you�re welcome,� before she bowed her head and her fiery wings enveloped
her. The feathers dissolved around her and when they all dispersed the only thing
left in her place was the Tenshintai, which fell to
the ground lifelessly as the zanpakutou it had materialized returned to her
hand. Kin could feel the overwhelming power flow through her as she held her
partner in her hand and she tightened her grip. Thank you. Thank you so
much.

She had found her resolve, her pride
on the blade.

Tatsuki applauded her loudly as
she stood from her place sitting off to the side. �Incredible. What say we take
one last dip in the hot springs
before we try it out?�

As she wiped the sweat and grime
from her forehead, Kin only had one choice. �That sounds great, I�m exhausted.�

She would keep her promise.

~~~~~~~~~

Three days.

THREE. DAYS.

He hadn�t known it would hurt so
much to be away from her for so long. It hadn�t been that large of a problem
before, as even if he wanted to, he didn�t want to run the risk of burning out.
Overindulgence risked later disinterest, and that was the last thing he wanted.
Still, this hurt. Had he been given
the choice of this or getting cut by a twin zanpakutou again, he would have
gladly chosen getting cut. This pain dwarfed that like a mountain to an
anthill.

He wanted to see her, he wanted to see her so badly.

Not only was he selfish, it was becoming
vastly apparent that he was also increasingly needy. He hated using the term to
describe himself, but being in medicine and psychology, he knew the designation
when he saw it. She was amazing, was it so wrong? He sighed. He already knew
the answer to that question. He was plain disgraceful.

He thumped backwards onto the sand and watched the sun set down the
lake�s horizon, and it was absolutely spectacular. Pinks and oranges painted
themselves over the remaining clouds as dark blue hues stained the backdrop of
the falling night. The calm waters gently rippled in the evening breeze and the
remaining light from the sun danced on the waves in a beautiful mirror image of
the sky above. It was a dazzling end to the equally impressive day, but he
couldn�t help but wish Kin was there with him.

He was so lost in the scenery and
his own thoughts that he didn�t hear the soft rustle of sand squishing around
bare feet approaching him. Leaned back as he was, with his head pillowed in his
hands, his peripheral vision was effectively cut down to nothing, so even when
he was finally alerted to the other presence near him he couldn�t see anything
until that presence had leaned down and crawled up his body like a playful
kitten stalking it�s prey.

He found himself staring into the
most entrancing pair of golden eyes he had ever seen, set against the perfectly
sculpted background of tanned flesh and framed by pale yellow silken tresses.
She had planted both hands under his armpits and was smiling down on him with
the same mischievous grin he had come to know throughout his childhood. God, at
that moment her lips had never looked more irresistible.

�Hey,� she whispered softly. �Long
time no see.�

His slim eyes must have been
three times their natural size.

Houston, we have a problem.

To Hell with
it. He didn�t care that he knew he was needy, he didn�t care that he
knew he was selfish. The only thing he cared about was that she was back with
him. Before his mind had even completed all those thoughts, his arms had
already acted on their own and wound around her body, one on her back and one
firmly behind the scarf still wrapped so lovingly around her neck. He pushed
their lips together with crushing force as he was at last able to taste her
again after three and a half days of torment. Her moan as her tongue
snaked between their open mouths made everything melt away, and just like that
he was lost in her.

God he had missed her.

His blood was boiling within him,
but right then he couldn�t find enough free brain-cells to care. He had missed
her, and now she was back. When their feverish kisses finished before with one
last peck she pulled away, Kaien felt infinitely better. She lay down on his
chest and the feel of her soft breasts melded against his bare chest was something
he would always enjoy, though having her head so comfortably under his chin
wasn�t anything he would ever complain about either. He wrapped his arms around
her and it finally seemed to click that she was back. He never wanted to let
go.

�I missed you,� he rasped after
enjoying the sound of the waves clash with her deep breathing. It was�reassuring.

�I can tell. I missed you too.�

He felt like a jerk. He had her
love, wholly and unconditionally, and he could barely last four days. He had made it through though, and he knew
in order to give her back the same thing he would simply have to bear through
it. There was no use putting restrictions on a love like this, otherwise it
wouldn�t be what it was. When it all boiled down, he wanted her heart more than
her body. He wished he knew how to do it like she did, he couldn�t even think
of one example of her acting selfish.

He didn�t know how she made it
look so easy if she was.

He kissed the top of her head
that he could reach, hoping he wasn�t acting weird. He just wanted to hold her
forever.

She made a small sound from the
back of her throat and put a hand over his. �You know, I�m sure you remember I said
I�d make it up to you��

He looked over to her upturned
face and saw the sun setting low in the distance, though it seemed right beside
her from his perspective. The vibrant colors were setting the lake aglow and
casting the last remnants of light into flickering flames on her platinum-blonde
hair as the twin suns that were her eyes looked at him with just as much warmth
as the one now falling behind the hills.

Yes, now the sunset was perfect.

His grip around
her tightened.

�You are, Kin. You are.�

~~~~~~~~~~

Author�s Notes: Sorry for the long wait
everyone. I bought Persona 3 FES and it was one of the greatest games I�ve
played in a long time, so I was obsessed with finishing it before I got on to
writing. It�ll definitely have to be a project I work on after I�m done this story, the character development gives people like me so much to work with! Well, I�m excited
anyways.

I�ve come
to look forward to the feedback my readers give me so I hope even after the
long wait you�ll still give me your thoughts. I�m hoping for at least five
reviews, but I guess not a lot happens in this chapter that can really be
commented on. Wait, why did I say that? I liked this chapter, so I hope you did
too.

Thanks for
your patience and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!
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