The shadow and the flame (solo)

[Galihan]

It was a cold, cloudless night in the Seireitei. The silver moon shining high and bright in the black midnight sky provided minimal light in the vast darkness that was drowned out even more by the thick canopy of trees and forest that lay beneath the high plateau of the Sokyoku Hill which served as the execution grounds for those deemed unfit to live in this world of life after death. Even blacker was the world through the eyes of the vice-captain of Squad Two, Tsuno Azuka. But that was simply because of his sunglasses being practically as much a part of his face as his nose or eyes, not because of some sort of negative outlook on the world like lots of cynical people he happened to know.

To any other person, the world would be in complete darkness from his position, but he was one who had experienced what it was like to live in shadows and trained to be a part of that darkness. Now, after having lived and fought in the world of shadows he was at the point where he needed to train in order unleash hell on earth, and to wreak destruction and death to his enemies on the battlefield. He needed to achieve the climax of power one could gain from superimposing his will and dominance over his zanpakuto, bankai.

Tsuno sat cross-legged in a large clearing at the base of a small waterfall pouring down the side of the plateau high above. On his back he wore his companion blade, Lotomasa. He rose, one knee still on the dirt ground. Drawing the short blade, he stuck it's blade in the cold earth and took several large steps back. His body began to glow a bright fiery red as did the blade, and in an instant the world around Tsuno was engulfed in a massive explosion of smoke and steam. When the cloud cleared, the grass was scorched to a black crisp and in front of the lieutenant was the spirit of Lotomasa, a giant canine of ash and fire. It loomed over it's master, molten flames dripped from it's gaping maw like drool ignited small patches of dirt below into a smoldering sizzle.

"So you think you are ready for this, don't you Tsuno?" the colossal beast growled, his body glowing red hot as if you were to gently blow on a hot ember synchronized with each syllable he said.

"But of course, Lotomasa. I was born ready for all challanges, only time need decided when I shall face each one," the shinigami clad in the black uniform of the Executive Militia grinned devilishly. "My only concern is whether or not we awaken anyone by the time I'm thorugh with this!"

"Oh always the arrogant one, I assure you that that will be your least concern if and when you happen to be reduced to ash!" Lotomasa roared, flames spewing from his body in all directions. "Prepare yourself, for only death awaits you should you fail!"

[Galihan]

The wall of heat that radiated from Lotomasa's body blasted Tsuno's \with such pressure that he almost lost his balance, but he stood strong and did not as much as flinch until the hot wave of air passed him.

This is going to be absolutely incredible, the lieutenant thought to himself as he took a low crouch to the ground after leaping back a distance from the fiery beast. He watched as the giant canine slowly took a few lumbering steps towards Tsuno and lowered itself as if it was going to charge him. It suddenly began to shrink, and devide itself into several smaller flaming beasts. They began to glow brightly as their voice echoed into the night in unison.

"By the time day breaks, you must have either defeated us all or been able to evade us entirely!"

Tsuno stood still, as did the beasts before him. He decided it best not to wait for them to give chase and he disappeared into the thick trees and the cold darkness that they produced. He ran with speed and stealth, not making as much as a noise to scare a bird. He ran into the backness for quite some time, not looking back until he scaled a giant tree and rested. He then realized just how dark it actually was, and he took off his shades, seeing as he needed all of his senses to be at the top of their game if he was going to make it out of this alive. He looked on, able to see below the faint glowing body of each fiery pursuer like fireflies in the darkness.

Suddenly, they all stopped in unison and began bolting towards Tsuno's hiding spot. They were all so fast, and Tsuno knew he had to move and find somewhere else unless he be caught by his infernal pursuers. He began to slide down the side of the great tree, and kicked off of it, landing on another branch nearby. He Continued to run for a few minutes before turning back again to witness what could have been his death had he not escaped. He witness all five beasts surround the base of the tree where he had been hidden, and unite into one giant creature, easily toppling the large tree with the slightest swat of the paw. It would seem that what when as whole, Lotomasa made up for his lumbering lack of speed with amazing strength and vice-versa.

That was close, but he'll have do much better if he wants to catch me, thought the shinigami just before re remembered something, Lotomasa divided into six, not five!

Just as he came to realize that himself, he felt the heat of the sixth beast tackle him from behind, sending him tumbling towards the ground, watching as the giant hound once again separated into five smaller ones, and quickly dashed to his location, all six merging into one complete Lotomasa, which with one swat of the paw knocked Tsuno crashing several hundred feet away, crashing through trees and branches until he crashed hard into the ground below.

"Damn," he said as he staggered onto his feet, "I guess I'll have to get a little violent before the night is though."

The injury wasn't so bad, the trees in between himself and the ground and the ground itself doing more harm than the large flaming paw. From where he was he could see Lotomasa separating once again into six. Definitely six, and they all began to spread out in search of Tsuno. Once again Tsuno shook off his injuries and fell back further into the forest, in hopes of finding a spot to rest before he was discovered again.

[Galihan]

It was clear to Tsuno that he'd have to fight the fiery dog spirit head-on if he were to force Lotomasa into submitting to his will. The only problem was that he had no weapons to fight the beast with asides from his own hands and feet seeing as he has never given a blade after materializing Lotomasa into the outside world, and the only hado he knew were short ranged and fire-element, which would prove unlikely to be very effective seeing as Lotomasa himself was made of fire. So, he'd have to beat a large fiery beast like Lotomasa into submission with only his hands and feet? Unlikely to happen even for the Lieutenant of Squad Two, but it wasn't impossible, he would have to use his head, and formulate a strategy in order to isolate one of the wolves from the pack, somethig that could distract the others while he defeats one of them in secret.

So far it seemed that Lotomasa was unaware of where Tsuno was hiding, which gave him the time to think back at what tricks he could use to lure one of the hunters into a trap. He sat, his dark eyes scanning for the glowing bodies of his pursuers. All six were relatively far away from him, save for one who was rather close by. That'd be the one to be terminated first, but how? He sat quietly, and thought of his first days at the Academy. His every attempt at Hado was pathetic, so he never bothered practicing the spells except for the few he'd developed himself and had mastered since then. Perhaps he could try a basic Hado spell, he thought for a few moments in order to remember the incantation and began to focus his reiatsu ilike he remembered being instructed to years ago.

"Ye Lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Inferno and pandemonium, The sea barrier surges, March on to the south! Red Flame Cannon!"

A flash of red energy surged from Tsuno's hands as a basic fireball launched from his hand. Just as it launched he dove from the tree he was hiding in and just as the fireball exploded on the beast below, Tsuno landed on it's back and grabbed it by the neck and head, and twisted it's neck back in one fluid motion. He repeated the spell again to finish it off.


"Ye Lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Inferno and pandemonium, The sea barrier surges, March on to the south! Red Flame Cannon!"

The second explosion sent Tsuno soaring into the air, injured slightly and his location now determined by the rest of the Lotomasas, but at least the first of six beasts was gone, but Tsuno wasn't sure how it would effect Lotomasa's overall being. The 5 other beasts were now closing in on Tsuno, and with a few hours aleady passed, it appeared unlikely that the Vice-Captain would get this done before sunrise.

[Galihan]

Tsuno brushed himself off, and began to continue running from the five fiery monsters giving chase. He scurried throughout the forest floor, dodging the oncoming trees with ease but still Lotomasa was able to get closer with each second. Tsuno looked back for a moment, and stopped as he had entered an open clearing. He let the cold moonlight shine on his black-clothed body as out from the trees burst the five hell hounds which proceeded to surround the shadowy shinigami.

"So you have chosen to challenge us head on?" said the five creatures in unison, their molten bodies glowing in sync with their voice. "You are either extremely bold, Tsuno, or you have came to realization that you cannot evade us like you could any hollow or fellow shinigami as we are all one and the same."

Tsuno smirked a grin as he put his shades back on his face, his eyes concealed from the word yet again. It made him feel complete again, his face naked without them. The moon glinted a silver light off of his face now, and a cool breeze rustling through his meadow before Tsuno removed his black hood and threw it to the ground below to let his black spiky hair blow freely. Cool fog of breath escaped from his mouth as he opened it to speak into the night's darkness.

"No I feel like I am at my strongest," he said as he pushed his sunglasses firmly in place on his nose. "Why don't you do the same? I'm itching to take you down before sunrise, so let's get at it!" The lieutenant called as we watched onward into the night. Much to his dismay, Lotomasa did not comply, and simply pounced at him in all directions instead of merging into one giant being.

"BE THAT WAY!" Tsuno roared as he leaped high above the ground, kicking one of the Lotomasas right in the head and grabbing another by the neck and throwing it to the earth below, his Executive Militia uniform allowing his skin to not touch the searing body of the beast directly. Nonetheless he was still slightly charred and a bit burnt but it didn't matter to Tsuno, he was in battle, and would feel no pain until afterwards. Then he'd be rather sore but for now he was all about his training.

"Hado # 45: Dragon's Breath!"

He landed ontop of the beast he had grappled and put his palms against it's head, blasting it with several simultaneous bursts of flames until it vanished into a cloud of embers and ash. That was another one done with, only four more but with the night more than halfway over by now he would have to step it up if he planned to be completing the challenge within the nighttime hours.

[Galihan]

Tsuno was lost in the heat of battle with his fiery opponents. As he straddled the back of the 3nd Lotomasa and performed his hado spell, he found himself in a tight situation as the moment he defeated his target another pounced immediately at him. The lieutenant was caught off guard for a moment, but was able to at least react in the heartbeat it took for him to thrust his arms forward, catching the beast by the jaws. The force of the lunging beast pushed Tsuno back several meters into a tree, but he managed to throw him off before it's molten saliva could burn his hands.

Lieutenant Azuka gave a snarling scowl as he brushed his hands clean of the boiling drool that has gotten on him. Tsuno leaped high into the air, preparing to land a crushing blow with his bare hands to the skull of the 4th Lotomasa who he had just wrestled with, but was intercepted in the form of the 2nd Lotomasa sinking his fangs into Tsuno's leg. A swift kick to the head of the large canine did not loosen it's grip on him, only make it tighter. It's sharp canine teeth sinking deep into Tsuno's leg was painful enough, but the fiery saliva oozing from it's mouth put Tsuno in quite a world of hurt. He continued kicking again and again with his free leg until finally shaking loose from the fiery jaws.

Tsuno growled as he landed hard on the ground, his leg swollen with abundant pain. He stood up, his stance a bit shaky but he'd manage. Tsuno picked up his discarded hood, and tore into strips and tightly wrapped his wounds in a makeshift bandage. He hobbled on the spot for a moment, adjusting to the painful burning. He waited and glared coldly into the sky as four sets of glowing eyes stared at him eagerly, waiting for the wounded prey to make a move.

We can stop, Tsuno, the pack said in unison. If you are prepared to admit defeat for now, you may live to try again tomorrow night.

Tsuno's dark eyes glared towards the cold dark sky with emotionless pain. He refused to admit defeat to himself, but he knew that death was never an option. He'd have to die someday, but hopefully not anytime and definitely not like this. He wanted to die in the line of duty, a worthy death of any member of Squad 2 and the upmost responsibility of it's lieutenant to uphold that ideal. To die here would be a disgrace to everything Tsuno was. He had no choice.

"Damn."

Tsuno sat down on the cold ground, and took off his shades again for a moment before he fell on his back and looked up at the sky. It was almost dawn, and Tsuno knew he'd have to try again the next night. And the night after that. And the night after that. And so on, until he could obtain the Bankai release.

"You win tonight, Lotomasa." Tsuno scoffed, beginning to cringe in pain as the adrenaline wore off and the pain hit him hard. He ought to check into the Squad 4 barracks to get some of his wounds tended, namely his leg, or at least return to Squad 2 in case he actually had work to do as the lieutenant. The four Lotomasas merged together into one again, but not the giant monster he had been before, just a dog no larger than Tsuno himself.

"You didn't do that bad." Lotomasa growled as he approached his master, laying down next to him and beginning to dissipate into a cloud of steam until all that remained was the short sword that was the zanpakuto's sealed form. Tsuno rubbed his hand along the steel blade, still hot but rapidly cooling down until it could be sheathed.

"Not tonight," Tsuno said aloud to himself. "You better watch out though, because I'm going to do this soon, I can feel it."

The sun began to lighten up the horizon of the dawn sky, and Tsuno got up on his feet. He'd be back the next evening at the same spot to resume his training.

(End of 1st Night)

[Galihan]

Tsuno slowly made his way back to the place he had began his training session at the beginning of the night prior as the sun made it's way into the morning sky, revealing the world around him with it's warm glowing rays of light. He wasn't a fan of the brightness the sun brought compared to the pale solemnity of the nighttime, but the warmth was very enjoyable and comforting after spending all night in the cold forest. He found himself removing the tight shirt designating him a member of the Special Forces, and slowly dipped into the pool of water at the base of the waterfall pouring out the side of the cliff below the execution grounds. It looked as if it would be cold, but much to the surprize of Tsuno it was in fact rather mild, even lukewarm.

Looking up, Tsuno noticed that the top of the waterfall was in fact steamy with heat, perhaps a this water was runoff of a natural hot spring? Tsuno slowly sank into the warm pool until only his face remained above the surface of water. It felt very relaxing and soothing, and within about an hour his body felt as if was completely relaxed and the pains of the night prior seemed to be slowly repairing themselves though mysterious forces beyond the knowledge of the Vice-Captain. He felt lethargic, and had begun to doze into a comfortable sleep until his entire being ended up being submerged and water quickly rushed into his lungs.

Overtaken by surprise, Tsuno began flailing in panic and in an urgent effort had shot out of the water and onto dry land. Gagging up water and gasping for air, Tsuno quickly collected himself and dried off as if nothing had happened, pretending that he had not just nearly drowned himself.

"Why the hell does stuff like this happen to me?," the Lieutenant-ranked shinigami pondered aloud, thankful that nobody was there to see the pathetic event, especially not the captain. Oh how Kyuettaru Kisho would reel in laughter if he ever found out! This event would never be mentioned ever again!

Tsuno waited a few minutes for himself to dry off and collect his scattered articles of clothing that lay across the forest floor. His appearance was very disheveled and he looked like a mess but still he proceeded back to the barracks of Squad Two and prepared himself for the labors of the day until he could return to the forest come nightfall. Traveling along the streets of Seireitei in the early morning, he earned himself looks of puzzlement from few fellow squad members but he paid little notice to their dumbfounded stares, as if to say "You think this is bad, you should see the captain drunk," but didn't bother. He changed into a clean uniform, and began his daily activities.

At 7am he entered the sleeping quarters of some of the unseated recruits, and started the day off with some intense training exercises in hopes of whipping the grunts into shape suitable for members of Squad Two. At eight o'clock, breakfast in the mess hall. He was feeling generous and decided to make the mourning meal himself for all the seated officers present. At 8:30. Time to tackle a mountain of paperwork with utmost deadly ninja-deadliness. Perhaps another day maybe, not in the mood today. 8:32 am, more intensive training for the no-good bums, having the weakest members in the squad race a lap around Seireitei. 11:55 am, Lunchtime! This time he cooked for the rookies he nearly worked to death for the last three and a half hours. Half past noon and the mountain of paperwork only keeps growing larger and more imposing, might as well slay the beast now before it could grow larger still.

The grueling, backbreaking process of completing the paperwork took a giant portion of time, it being well past 6 pm before being finished. Finally finishing off the last paper, he made himself a hearty meal for supper and left some in the office for the captain should he happen to walk in and see that the paperwork happened to magically file itself.

Tsuno had snuck outside as the sun began to set, and he began to hurry back to the forest below the Sokyoku Hill so he could restart his training and hopefully obtain Bankai this time around. The sky was starting to slowly turn golden as the sun made its way towards the western horizon. Tsuno was becoming rather anxious to make his way back to the forest and continue his training from last night.

He held a tight grip on the hilt of his zanpakuto, eagerly preparing himself to face off against the manifested form of Lotomasa a second time. The vice-captain could hear the echoy voice of the blade's canine spirit call out to its master.

You seem to be in a good mood, Tsuno.

You'd better damn well believe it I'm in a good mood! Can't you tell?

Nevermind.

Fine then, be that way! Just for that I'm going to definitely beat you this time round, you'll see...

Tsuno felt a sense of deep confidence build up inside him as he swiftly traversed Seireitei's near-empty streets towards the place below the execution grounds he had chosen for his bankai training. Reaching the dense forest of giant trees, he traversed the high branches and traced his way to one of the spots of he had encountered his zanpakuto's manifestation earlier, where he had been smashed up and sent plummeting to the ground below through the trees.

"You won't be so lucky tonight," Tsuno smirked as he drew the short blade from his back.

That isn't happening again this time round.

We'll see.[/i][/color]

Tsuno ignored that remark, and looked on in awe as he inspected the collateral of the damage he caused in the darkness of the night prior. He was simply astonished seeing how powerfully Lotomasa must have swatted him to send him flying like he did. He couldn't help but smile, and waited for the sun to drape a heavy golden shine over the entire world, casting magnificent shadows of epic proportions amongst the trees. He still had some time to wait before he would begin, as soon as the sun would set, this entire forest would surely become a magnificent battlefield of ashes and flames.

[Galihan]

Time seemed to be slowed to a halt, the few minutes Tsuno took to observe the wreckage of his training session last night felt as if it were at least two months of nothingness. Tsuno of Squad Two took a heavy breath of the evening air, a deep sense of determination flooding his mind as if anticipating the power awaiting him by the time his eyes set upon the next sunrise. Tonight, he would surely be able to overcome his weaknesses and force his zanpakuto into submission.

"it's about time we begin, isn't it?" The shadowy shinigami said out loud, although directed at he blade on his back and also to himself as if ensuring he'd hear it for certain. It was time to begin.

He leaped down from his perch high in the trees, landing on lower branches and leaping again all the way till he reached the forest floor. The cold dirt and fallen leaves made for a soft landing, silent to the untrained ear. Tsuno made haste, sprinting with utmost speed and stealth along the ground, between the massive trunks, under the occasional low branch and over the large roots which would easily dispatch a careless person running at such speeds as was being ran by this vice-captain. It wasn't long at all before he made his way to the very clearing he was in at the beginning of the day. Before he began his training session, he moved towards the waterfall and took a look at himself in the pool below.

Staring back at him was the face of one determined to succeed no matter the cost. He grinned at his own reflection and performed a large back flip, landing in the middle of the meadow with his zanpakuto drawn in hand. Stabbing it into the ground, he stepped back as him and the sword began to glow and he sat down softly before a explosion of heat and steam burst from the short blade swept past him like a breeze. Tsuno looked up at Lotomasa's large canine form, and rose to his feet promptly taking an aggressive stance.

"What are you doing?" Lotomasa asked, his echoing voice filled with strong dumbfounded overtones.

"What do you mean, 'what am I doing?' We're about to fight, right?" Tsuno replied confusedly, loosening his body and relaxing his stance to one more casual and less implying prepare to die at my hands.

"Who ever said you were going to fight me now?"

"Last night you yourself said if I admitted defeat for now I could try again tonight!"

"I said 'If you are prepared to admit defeat for now, you may live to try again tomorrow night.'"

"That's what I just said you retarded freak!"

"Last time you began at midnight. It isn't even nighttime yet, it's still only sunset. There'd be no point if you had a few more hours extra this time round."

Tsuno wasn't pleased at all at what he just heard his zanpakuto say to him. No pleased at all. He felt his temper begin to rise fast, his reiatsu starting to skyrocket with dangerous intent.

"No point," he began. "No fucking point! I'll tell you whats the damn point! I don't care how long I trained last night, hell, most of last night was me running and hiding from you like a deer escaping wolves. This time, you may be the wolves, but I'm the human whose going to take you all on with all my being even if it costs me my life!"

He paused, the power of his own words sinking into his own words sinking into his head.

You hear me! No more hiding in the darkness, I already can do that! This is so I can fight, so I can unleash your power on my enemies, and win! No more running from an inescapable foe! I will fight you head on, and defeat you so I can then defeat anyone in my way! Do you hear me, Lotomasa? I intend to defeat you, no, tonight I will defeat you with my every ounce of being! Tonight, you will submit to my will, my resolve to fight!"

Tsuno stared at the fiery spirit of his zanpakuto angrily, focusing his determination into rage. He raised his hands like claws, his predatory instincts bringing out the beast in his soul and extending that to his body. Lotomasa stared back, his own body glowing hotter and brighter as he crouched low, ready to pounce.

"Good," the flaming canine growled in a deep tone. "Let me see your rage, and turn that rage into strength, don't let your anger blind your senses, only let it sharpen your claws, empower your soul, prove to me that you are worthy of my power!"

Lotomasa roared, a massive howl filling the air for miles as the moon began to rise in the evening sky while the shinigami began his ultimate training against his zanpakuto.

(Beginning of 2nd night)

[Galihan]

The man roared as if a beast himself, channeling his energies into his fist as he lunged at the zanpakuto spirit with a burst of speed and power, causing a raise in reiatsu that could probably be felt all throughout Seireitei itself, especially at this hour when most people were settling down. His punch hit empty air as the Lotomasa effortlessly leaped out of harms way, but Tsunō didn't let his momentum stop, he leaped backwards and threw a powerful kick that also nothing and another punch that only hit a tree, breaking it into hundreds of wooden splinters. He looked back at the fiery spirit which now stood exactly where it had before having avoided the first attack of the evening.

In the golden light of the evening, Lotomasa looked brilliantly magnificent, a fiery being made of flames and ember that appeared to melt into the dimming sunset itself. It's powerful voice echoed throughout the clearing,

"Are you deaf, stupid, or both," It chastised. "What part of not blinding your senses did you not understand? Am I speaking in riddles? S h o u l d . I . S p e a k . S l o w e r . F o r . Y o u ? Pathetic, and to think that you fancy yourself worthy of wielding my power as your own! If that's your best than give up now, I don't have time to play with a pup who fancies himself the king of the pack! I can see you're determined, but effort alone isn't strength by itself."

Tsunō stared at the canine, his fist loosening and he let out a frustrated sigh. He knew that at this rate he'd tire himself out despite having just started the night's training and that Lotomasa was right, this wouldn't get him any closer to achieving bankai. He was already one of the greatest shinigami in all of Soul Society to fight unarmed, but that alone wasn't enough and he damn well knew it from the very beginning.

"I guess you're right," Tsunō chuckled lightly. "It really is impossible for a shinigami to beat down his own zanpakuto with only his fists, isn't it?"

Tsunō vanished using shunpo and appeared right next to Lotomasa and shoved his hand into the beast's chest, performing a kick off of it's head to get away after ripping out a chunk of the zanpakuto's actual body itself, which materialized into the form of it's sealed sword form. He landed gracefully and silently, a swish of the blade through the air shaking off the remaining ash and ember. His glare was serious and calm, and he launched himself at Lotomasa again, this time only missing it's fiery body with his blade because at that moment Lotomasa had slit up into six separate smaller versions. Well only five because one of them was struck down and reduced to a flash of fire that was sucked into the blade itself.

"Do not underestimate my willpower," he stated strongly. "I am not delusional nor a lair."

"That's good," Lotomasa replied after a brief pause of appreciation. "This is what you must be in order to defeat me!" The smoldering canines' bodies ignited into bright, flames all charging at Tsunō from five angles.

He leaped high above and they merged back together as a single large being, who followed him skyward. Tsunō sheathed the blade onto his back and held his hands down at the incoming beast.

"Almighty serpent of destruction! Soar above the heavens and earth, judge our actions as benign or wretched and punish us accordingly. Deem us worthy of your divine presence, rain catastrophe on the wicked! Hadō Number Fifty, Dragon's Wrath!"

A powerful explosion of fire erupted from his palm that lasted half a minute while he kept raising into the air. When it subsided, Lotomasa still came at him but was met head on with a powerful kick to the head which send it falling into the forest. Tsunō began to fall and soared towards the fire spirit, drawing the blade and landing in a tree that wasn't destroyed by the meteor-like projectile that was Lotomasa's falling body. Lotomasa again split into a group of 5 and began to run vertically up the trunk of the tree that Tsunō was in. The vice-captain hopped off and began to slide down the vertical trunk, eventually running and he cut through another one of the Lotomasas, sucking it's fiery form into the sword.

Something isn't right, he thought to himself. This is being too easy to be actual bankai training, it's almost as if he's letting me think I'm winning to catch me off guard for some sort of trick. So it won't work on me, I'll be ready for whatever nasty surprises he has for me.

[Galihan]

Four to go, but it seemed not much of a challenge now that Tsuno was able to use his zanpakuto against itself. Domination of Lotomasa was was required reach the all-important bankai release, and he was a third of the way there at this pace. A bit of sweat forming on the shinigami's forehead was quickly wiped away with the back of this hand that gripped the short blade tightly, and he noticed that after absorbing the 2nd canine spirit, the hilt itself was warm to the touch. An interesting change, perhaps it would get hotter as the battle ensued and more of the beasts were taken in. Tsuno pushed off the trunk with his powerful legs and landed in the middle of a group of younger trees that resembled a hall of pillars in the dark. It was nearly impossible to see in the darkness of the night, so he lifted the black lenses off his eyes and onto his forehead, giving him a considerably greater amount of light than with the shades on. He stood still eagerly for a few seconds, awaiting confrontation any moment.

Around him dropped the four remaining spirits, having merged together into two large, powerful, yet still very mobile adversaries. They began circling the man, appearing and disappearing constantly as they passed the slender trees, the crackle and snap of their burning bodies in the silent night added to the drama until their voice surrounded the vice-captain in unison.

"If you think you can defeat us, then show us your strength!"

Tsuno bolted at the one to his left, weaving back and forth, dodging trees and blade raised intently. He swung at the creature, but only skimmed it as it managed to leap away harmlessly . A bright flare of embers flying into the night as the blade brushed the fiery target but no major damage was inflicted. In fact, the second of the two Lotomasa ran at him and tried clinging to him from behind with his large fangs and claws but only met blade as Tsuno spun around, thrusting the sword into the shoulder of the pouncing spirit. Lotomasa jumped back and roared at Tsuno, sending a stream of blazing heat and ashes that would easily burn and blind him if hit. Luckily he managed to jump high above the volcanic cloud, but doing so left him open for the first Lotomasa whom he tried attacking to tackle him midair and pin him to the forest floor under his fiery paws.

Tsuno managed to curl his legs up and kick Lotomasa square in the jaw as he came down with his fangs, forcing the spirit off of the shinigami and was left open for a counter attack. Tsuno ran up to Lotomasa, and while gettign clawed at viscously he still managed to run the blade along the beast's underbelly, causing it to erupt in flames and be drawn into the sword. Instantaneously, the weapon in hand became much hotter to hold to the point that it almost warranted its wielder to drop it in surprise. All that was left was two of the original six, together formed into a single large behemoth, it's body a raging inferno of spewing ashes and dripping embers. With a single roar, the surrounding area was demolished as the trees shattered and left a large clearing of burnt stumps, plumes of billowing smoke blotting out the moonlit sky, the two opponents stared each other eye-to-eye.

Burning blade held in both hands, Tsuno called its name and roared himself,

"Whistle, Lotomasa!"

In a flash of fiery light the short blade curved into a sickle, and an identical copy of the sickle rest in Tsuno's other hand, both weapons connected by a thin metal chain at the base of the handles. With a flick of his wrists, the single blade in each hand triplicated, now resembling a pair of sharp claws similar to the ones on the paws of its own spirit form. Man vs beast, intellect vs instinct, shinigami vs zanpakuto. The amount of reiatsu being thrown into the air as the two clashed must have been phenominal, despite being for far deep into the forest below the Sokyoku hill, there must have been dozens of people inside Seireitei that could feel the battle raging on into the night. It would be no surprise when some of those people would investigate that they'd discover a small portion of this entire forest destroyed in the process of the vice-captain doing what was needed to become even greater in rank, to transcend his power and join the ranks of the captains of the Gotei 13.

He was always a quick learner, (as long as it wasn't kido that had to be learned, but given his increase of power and self-control of his energy since joining the Second Squad, if he did try he'd probably be pretty good at demon magic) once bankai was at his disposal he'd have no troubles mastering it in battle against the strongest of opponents. Not again would arrancar prove a challenging foe with their resurreccion release, as his own power would be improved by at least a factor of ten, a power gap so great that the difference between one with and without the release could be worlds apart. That great power was what Tsuno craved, the incredible might of bankai so he could become captain and lead Squad Two to victory.

He began twirling the sickles by the chain, whistling in the air, as flames and embers leaked out from the access energy being stored inside it, but only by taking down this last creature would Lotomasa be complete and be able to unleash its full power.

[Galihan]

Several weeks later, and he continued to train like such but could never actually finish off the last one, this night was different. Now Captain Kyuettaro had been killed in Hueco Mundo during the horribly coordinated attack on Las Noches, and Tsuno had failed to kill the Arrancar named Gramica. He was more focused than ever to obtain bankai. He was only able to manifest his shikai after defeating a few of the lesser Lotomasa avatars, and here was where he usually had to call it quits, but this time he had plenty of time to continue.

Tsuno threw one of his chained sickles at the large creature ahead of him, its overloading spirit energy causing it to generate a small blast of flames and heat against the spirit's shoulder, but not seeming to impede the beast in the least despite digging into its ashy body. It tugged strongly and pulled the shinigami towards him little effort, given the humanoid spirit's small stature compared to the massive canine one. Despite the difference in size, Tsuno was unphased and used the motion for his own attack, he was overcoming his own tendency to over think and was also letting the instinct of his other half come togehter with his intellect, completing him as a deadly force.

As he drew near, Lotomasa threw his large muzzle at the vice-captain in hopes to pulverize him with brute force, but the smaller being was able to to swing down his other weapon in hand to strike the nose of the beast, vaulting himself overtop and pulling the lodged sickle free. As he came down behind Lotomasa, he went down and slashed at his hind legs, but was struck hard with a strong hind kick that threw him against the cold ground. Springing back up onto his feet, Tsuno ran low to the ground, slashing and swiping at the legs of his large zanpakuto spirit, knocking him off balance and causing him to topple over onto his side for a moment. Tsuno threw the sickle into the underbelly of the beast, but as it lodged into its target Lotomasa began to roll to his feet, wrapping the chain around himself and pulling the second sickle from Tsuno's hands, disarming him for the moment.

Roaring, the flames of Lotomasa's body began to skyrocket causing the chains to began disintegrating as the shikai was being reabsorbed into the zanpakuto. Tsuno knew isntantly that if he was to let the process complete than he'd have to start from scratch and subdue the spirit from the very beginning all over again, like hell that was going to happen. Using shunpo to instantly close the distance, Tsuno landed on beside Lotomasa and took hold of the hilts of his sickles and let his own reiatsu match the power of the zanpakuto, generating a massive wave of heat that would generate a magnificent pillar of cleansing flames. The heat was close to unbearable, Tsuno's body was being pushed harder than ever before, and finally he broke free, sword in hand.

The nature of the shikai was that when too much energy overflowed into the chain, it could break and reseal itself to conserve its strength and repair the damage, so all that Tsuno was left with was the sealed blade. Still, it was nonetheless overflowing with massive amounts of spirit energy that no sealed sword was able to handle, so the blade itself was transformed into a much larger version of its usual shape. Normally taking the form of a wakazashi, compressing Tsuno's amount of reiatsu into a compact form, it was now several times its usual size, resembling a large nodachi nearly as tall as himself, a testament of the power flowing in him that could not be contained, the power reaching near that of bankai without the means to release. To do so, Tsuno had to defeat Lotomasa and make its full power his own.

"Do you truly believe you have the strength to handle this power?" The large infernal hound growled, staring down the man before him, wielding a ridiculously massive blade unfit for any assassin in both hands.

"Of course not," Tsuno jeered.

"On my own, I could never hope to contain all of our combined power, if I'm myself alone then I have no right to the power of our entire soul! Together, we can be united, together we can share even greater power that eclipses both of use on our own. That is what it means for you to be my zanpakuto, and I your shinigami, both together as a single soul! Together we are unstoppable, allow me to take your power as my own and in return trust me as the master to overcome all obstacles!"

"Then come at me! Defeat me and let our power become one and your own!"

That is what it truly meant to obtain bankai, for the shinigami to assume total control over the zanpakuto's massive power and take responsibility over his own completed soul instead of depending on the zanpakuto lend out a bit of power and then holding the shinigami's hand along the way. Full reign over ones power, and the knowledge of how to use it to the point of killing perfection, that was what it meant to learn bankai. Tsuno crouched low and launched himself at the manifested zanpakuto spirit, spewing large bursts of flames and reiatsu every which way to disperse his presence, and using shunpo to surround the target and attack it from every which way, cleaving large gashes into Lotomasa's flame body, each strike generating increasingly devastating bursts of ember and smoke that would render this a race between Tsuno's endurance, willpower and determination versus the pain, strain and injury. He could not die here afer coming so far, he had to keep pushing himself to achieve his. Squad Two needed a new leader and Tsuno knew that only he could take on that burden, so that's why he didn't back down, but he knew he had an even greater reason to not give up. If he were to die, how would he be able to ever rest easy knowing that he'd be leaving his wife alone in the world, leaving an unborn child without a father. The last time Tsuno was able to visit Korin, he was able to read her reiatsu and could sense something pure and loving, he could sense deep within her traces of a brand new being that whose soul was a union of them both. It was all he needed to know, he was not allowed to die on his family yet.

In one final stoke, a massive explosion engulfed Tsuno's body, letting his mind drift away into a vast nothingness that was the inner chambers of Lotomasa's spirit world, a volcanic plain of dry grasses on stony brimstone, all below a gorgeous giant moon that rested hidden in the sooty ashes that bellowed forth from the fiery peak below. The ashes, after many visits to this domain, were finally cleared away, and standing on that moon was Tsuno himself, upside down, head facing the world below. He kick off, free falling towards the crater below, plunging headfirst towards the pool of infernal magma that from deep within shone a magnificent light, the doorway to his ultimate reward. From drawing the zanpakuto into the physical realm he found the key, and down within the deepest, darkest depths of his inner world, Tsuno would unlock the final doorway. He entered the white light, and was in a blank, empty space with nothing for eternity but himself, blade in hand, facing the massive spirit of that blade charging at him. The closer and closer the roaring beast drew, the hotter that intense flames spewed from the hilt, burning his hand. To combine and become one's own master, Tsuno had to combine intellect with instinct. Instinct is basic, if something burns then let it go. Tsuno released the blade, throwing it at the oncoming attacker where it exploded, being reabsorbed, combining with Lotomasa, completing it as a single being at full stength. As it came within pouncing range, it compressed into a single small stream of flames, colliding with Tsuno's open palm and stopping dead in its tracks, forming the weapon he had work hard to obtain, readying himself as he began to return to the outside world, weapon in hand to finish off proving his dominance over this colossal beast that was the zanpakuto spirit Lotomasa.

Completing his final stoke, Tsuno cleaved thorugh the body of Lotomasa, the massive blade that was in his hands no longer so, instead it was its usual sealed form, a short sword that was the result of high power all being collected and concentrated into a compact blade. As Tsuno stepped away from the collapsed spirit, its began to burn alight and was assimilated by the blade in hand, causing it to change ever so slightly in shape, the guard's prongs widening so as to very vaguely resemble an animal's paw. The power that was overflowing and spewing amok prior was now all contained securely and without any strain. Tsuno felt all the power that had been thrown about recklessly snugly secured within his blade now, and at his disposal. This must have been what he had been training for, right here. He decided he'd best test out this newfound level of power all on his own now.

He closed his eyes, relaxed, and for the last time let his high reitasu build back up, engulfing Tsuno's body a fiery red aura. The Air was thick and filled with heavy reiatsu, causing that static-effect in the atmosphere. His zanpakuto held in both hands, and glowed a bright red light in a flash of energy, Tsuno howled at the moon.

"Bankai!"

The ground around him erupted in flames and spewed reiatsu at such a high concentration that nobody would be able to recognize as his own. The smoke resided and there stood the vice-captain of Squad Two, fully released zanpakuto in both hands. A pair of large metal kanabo, one in each hand and tipped with a trio of large curved blades, connected by a heavy thick chain at the other end. Being an extension of his own soul, this massive and unwieldy weapon so unlike his usual stealthy and sleek shikai had no problem being swung around with only a single arm each. Reading his instinct on how to properly master this weapon, with a swing of one club, the blades reached out and reached out into the forest, easily toppling the massive old-growth tree that stood in its path, and then returned by retracting chains that bound the blades to the club. He then extended the blades forward, pointing into the forest ahead and let his reiatsu skyrocket, causing the blades to shoot off one at a time like missiles, so much spirit energy flowing into them that the chains would met and let the bladed projectiles fly away, causing large explosions upon impact.

With the last of the sixth and last of the blades gone, the release expired, and the reiatsu faded to normal levels, only holding his shikai, which then he resealed into a sword, finding its beloved resting place in the sheath on Tsuno's back. Tsuno looked onward to witness the destruction of upon the forest and he was impressed, several of the ancient trees completely toppled over or demolished completely. Not bad, but he he was completely famished of any stamina and stumbled to where he had ended his training last night, the clearing with the healing spring that ran off from the Sokyoku Hill. It couldnt have been any past midnight at this rate, but Tsuno only let himself collapse next to the soothing waters, soaking his feet in the pool and drifting away into sleep. He would regain conciousness in the morning and return to his own house, and spend time with his wife and the kid that was still developing inside of her, and then proceed to the Squad Two headquarters to finish up any unfishished business there before continuing his training here to make more efficient use of his new power in order to prove his worth as the person who would one day become a captain.