Bleach: Azashiro

***Akihiko Azashiro***

A month of rest flew by unnoticed. It felt like just yesterday that Chika-san was forcing us to take a break, and now we were already returning to work. Time had passed too quickly. A whole month—how could I not have noticed? Even though I was on vacation, I was constantly busy. Dates with Shika, training, helping Yasuko, and occasionally assisting my father with his duties. And when we moved the entire library of the Tsunayashiro family, I was completely absorbed for an entire week.

We managed to uncover quite a lot of new information. For example, I now know who was responsible for the dismemberment of the Soul King. As it turned out, the ancestor of the Tsunayashiro family was behind it. He believed the existence of such a being as the Soul King was too dangerous and insisted on taking action. As a result, all that remained of the once most powerful creature in the world was a pitiful, sealed shell.

One thing confused me about this entire story: why did the Soul King allow this to happen to himself? Were there really no other options? I couldn't believe it. A being capable of dividing the world into several parts surely had other choices. Perhaps he foresaw something in the future that compelled him to accept this fate? Maybe. But even so, I couldn't understand his decision. To doom oneself to an eternal existence as a half-corpse—it was hard to imagine why he would agree to such a thing.

The most fascinating part was that the Soul King's limbs, separated from his body, were able to live independently. They developed their own consciousness, personalities, and powers, living in peace unlike their original self. When I read about this, I was stunned. It was terrifying to imagine the abilities and strength the Soul King possessed at his peak, considering even his limbs were considered powerful enough that Shinigami feared confronting them.

There had been numerous attempts to subjugate his hands, most of which ended in disaster for the Shinigami. Now, they were left alone. Mimihagi, the right hand, had settled in the eastern regions of Rukongai, establishing a sanctuary and declaring itself a god. It was a strange situation—the hand of God had become a god. They said Mimihagi now saved those who came to pray to it, though the truth of this was unknown. Mimihagi's power, stagnation, was well-suited for such a role.

Unlike the right hand, the left hand had disappeared about a thousand years ago. No one had seen Pernida Parnkgjas since. The last time it was encountered, it had annihilated a Shinigami squad sent by the Central 46. At the time, they hadn't yet given up on trying to recruit or subdue the Soul King's limbs. It hadn't worked out—the squad was found dead, and Pernida Parnkgjas vanished. Its name was a mouthful, to say the least.

The location of the legs remained unknown. According to the Tsunayashiro family's historical records, the Soul King's feet had never been seen in the Soul Society. For some reason, I suspected they were hidden somewhere in the sands of Hueco Mundo, the world of the eternal moon. I hoped I was wrong. The thought of a Hollowified Soul King consuming its own body parts was terrifying. While the limbs were undoubtedly powerful enough to fend off Hollows, they could still be overwhelmed by sheer numbers.

The last known part of the Soul King was the heart. Gerard, as it called itself, wandered the outskirts of the Soul Society, thankfully avoiding conflicts. Its power was the ability to manifest dreams—a controversial ability. Face a crowd of weak Shinigami, and Gerard would gain terrifying strength. Face a single, powerful opponent, and it would lose.

"The Soul King truly was a monster," I whispered under my breath.

"What?" a familiar voice called from behind me.

"Just thinking out loud," I replied.

I turned to see Shika, who looked displeased. Though, I had a good idea why.

"Well, come on. We still have two recruits to train today," Shika said irritably.

"Don't be so hard on them. Not everyone is born strong," I chided.

"Oh, don't start with that! I don't need lectures from you, Mr. Genius Number One," she shot back sarcastically.

"What can I say? I was born this way," I replied with a grin.

"You're impossible," she snorted and walked toward the training grounds.

Shrugging, I followed her. As we passed servants and squad members, they quickly moved out of our way. Shika's angry expression likely had something to do with it. Personally, I thought she looked cute when she was mad.

The walk didn't take long. A few minutes later, we arrived at the training grounds. As soon as we entered, we were greeted by two Shinigami, Masayoshi and Kokichiro.

"Ready?" Shika immediately asked the pair, receiving nods in response. "Then what are we waiting for? A hundred laps around the training grounds—now!"

As soon as she finished, the two recruits took off running.

I had a feeling the training would be long, especially for them. While Shika was busy with the recruits, I decided to meditate.

Taking my usual lotus position, I placed my Zanpakutō on my lap and began meditating. A few minutes later, I found myself standing in the familiar ruins of my inner world. Nothing had changed since my last visit, so I headed straight for the church.

"You're here," Kurai's disgruntled voice greeted me at the entrance, ruining my mood.

"Yes," I replied, looking at her in confusion, trying to understand the reason for her displeasure.

The next moment, I had to dodge a barrage of dark spears flying at me at high speed.

"What—" I began, but another attack cut me off. I used Shunpo to evade.

"You came for training, right? Well, show me what you've got," Kurai said with a grin, charging at me with her sword raised.

*Clang*

I blocked her strike, and we locked blades. However, her sly smile made me uneasy. My attention was drawn to her sword, where black liquid began to gather in several spots. I used Shunpo just in time as dozens of small needles shot out from her blade.

"Are you trying to kill me?" I asked, tightening my grip on my Zanpakutō.

"That's not the point. You've lost your way. You've become fixated on an idea and blindly followed it. You think too much. What's better? This?" she said, forming a black sphere behind her.

"Or this?" she added, as countless black needles materialized around her.

"As soon as you learned about my ability, you limited yourself. Why create all these constructs when you can simply strike and destroy everything in your path? At least you thought to use it for defense, but the rest? Do you think throwing needles and spears at your opponent is the best way to use it?" she finished, then disappeared.

I sensed danger behind me and used Shunpo to evade. Landing a few meters away, I turned and barely managed to keep my jaw from dropping.

*Boom*

The sight was astonishing. Kurai had struck the spot where I had been standing, and from her blade erupted a torrent of black energy that obliterated everything in its path before retracting.

I had known my Zanpakutō's ability from the start, but in Kurai's hands, it took on a completely different form. Energy—not liquid, not smoke, but pure energy. Why there was such a stark difference between us was unclear.

"That's what you should be aiming for. Control. Your problem isn't control. You don't understand the essence of your power. From the moment you first used Shikai, you convinced yourself that your power was water, liquid, smoke. Smoke?" she said the last word with skepticism. "You mistook unrefined, unconcentrated energy for smoke!?"

"Then I don't understand. Shikai abilities can't change. They can be mastered, used with incomplete force, but they can't change. How is this possible?" I asked calmly, drawing my Zanpakutō, from which black liquid flowed.

"How do you give your Reiatsu properties when you use Kido? Reiatsu reproduces a pre-set pattern, taking on specific properties, often with an elemental basis. You believed so strongly in your idea that your Shikai took on this form. But who said that's all there is? You accidentally skipped the first steps and went straight to the third. Aki, do you really think destruction has a form? Think about it—the very essence of this force doesn't accept any form. It can change temporarily, but it never takes a permanent form," she explained patiently, like a teacher addressing a slow student.

Before my eyes, dark energy flowed from her sword. At first, I was wary, but then I froze in shock. The energy smoothly transformed into liquid, then into a flame that consumed the water, growing larger and larger until it condensed into a ring of black lightning. Water, fire, lightning.

"Impossible," I muttered.

Such an ability couldn't exist. My Zanpakutō's power wasn't elemental. It simply couldn't be.

"Who said so? Don't you know how absurd some Zanpakutō abilities are? Kyōraku, Urahara, Ichigo, Ichibē, Sōya, Zaraki, Kuruyashiki, Hirako, Aizen—should I go on?" Kurai asked mockingly.

Had I wasted so many years? Training, trying to master my power, coming up with various ways to use it—all for nothing? It was disappointing to realize my own stupidity. But it was good that this had come to light now, rather than decades later.

"And you never said anything," I said, calming down.

"You never asked. Until recently, I wasn't planning to say anything at all," she replied, arms crossed.

"What changed?" I asked curiously.

"You almost died," she said, giving me a judgmental look.

"Thank you," I said sincerely.

Her expression softened, and a gentle smile appeared. Her eyes no longer glared at me but instead reflected sadness and a hint of resentment. She must have disliked being ignored. It made me feel guilty.

"Just ask. I'll help," Kurai said sadly.

"I know," I replied calmly, promising myself to make up for lost time. "And please, help me."

"Gladly."

---

Evening came, and I lay on my bed with my eyes closed, lost in thought. After training with Kurai, I wanted to bang my head against the wall. Why hadn't I turned to her for help earlier? So many problems could have been avoided. I felt like an idiot.

Thankfully, she had opened my eyes. It was terrifying to imagine how long it would have taken me to reach this point on my own. Probably a long time—if I ever did.

However, my Zanpakutō's abilities turned out to be even stronger than I had thought. I now had access to three elements, in addition to the core ability—energy or Reiatsu with destructive properties. I hadn't fully grasped it yet. Kurai assured me that my Reiatsu was gradually adopting the properties of the ability, primarily affecting my spiritual pressure and enhancing my Hado. She didn't know if there would be further changes.

The energy of destruction, as Kurai called it, was incredibly versatile. It could mimic the properties of three elements without fully becoming them. In essence, these were just forms or stages of my power. In some ways, it reminded me of Ichigo's Getsuga Tenshō, though more variable and without Reiatsu multiplication. A better comparison might be Urahara's Benihime, which could take on different forms (slashes, waves, beams). In my case, it went even further.

Now, I had to relearn how to use my Shikai. Fortunately, Kurai assured me it would be much easier than mastering the liquid form.

Most of our training was spent on refining the energy into its original form, as Kurai called it. Experimentally, it became clear that the energy couldn't exist outside my blade for long, so I couldn't use it as I had before.

Honestly, I was glad about this. Previously, my power had been more suited for long-range attacks, but Kidō was better for that. Using it in close combat had been risky, as I could easily harm myself. Only now did I begin to understand how to use my Zanpakutō correctly.

Energy attacks at close range, unlike those using water, didn't pose the same risk. Water could be deflected back at me with a strong burst of Reiatsu, but energy couldn't be redirected in the same way. It could be diverted, but not sent back at me.

It was a shame I hadn't managed to create fire or lightning yet. But considering how much I was training, it wasn't surprising.

I needed to sleep, or I'd be up all night ruminating.

I made a mental note to thank Shika tomorrow. We had agreed to take turns training Masayoshi and Kokichiro, but because of me, she had to handle them alone all day.

With these thoughts, I drifted off to sleep.