The dark, damp, eerie cave emanated a slightly musky scent, and a faint dim light flickered and shook with the soft chill of wind that blew in and out. The sky was a deep indigo, dotted with the bright stars that illuminated the darkness. The crescent moon, faded, and hidden behind a gray, feathery cloud, peeked out and gave off a soft glow. The trickling drops of water falling from the roof of the cave casting a reflection from the moon, sparkling like diamonds in the dark depths of the cave.
I tightened my hand on the grip of my sword, my palms sweaty and clammy, the fabric of the hilt becoming colder and colder from the soft chills of the wind. My eyes darted around, my instinct on high alert, the adrenaline rushing through my veins. Soft whispers blew in with the breeze, where they came from, I did not know.
A loud crash sounded off the wall of the cave. The muscles in my arms tightened, my hand's grip on my sword grew tighter. I cautiously made my way into the menacing mouth of the cave, the light 'click' of my sandals grew silent as I stepped inside, I took one last deep breath before being swallowed by the black abyss.
My sword gave off a soft green glow, illuminating the caverns. The soft rustle of my robes and my very footsteps were the only noise that could be heard within the deadly silence of the cave. I brushed a lock of my wavy black hair from my face, and my breathing grew heavier. I descended down the rocky pathway that led me deeper into the cave. Stacks of rocks and stalagmites jutted from the ground, sharp and prickly, like the teeth of a monster.
As I climbed through a small opening in the pathway, climbed onto a small opening, only a small pillar of light peered through a crack in the ceiling. The floor I stood on was smooth and even, there we no flaws in the rocky ground. The place was quiet; a place of peace, my sword dimmed itself, giving off less of a green glow. I slowly sat on the ground, my robes soft and comfortable. I closed my eyes and breathed in the fresh air that drew in through the ceiling, much better than the musky air at the entrance of the cave.
I was calm. I finally had the silence I needed to communicate with my zanpakutou. I called out with my mind… A faint voice that whispered out two names…
"Hisui… Emerarudo…" (Jade… Emerald…) were the two names of the conjoined spirits of his zanpakutou. They poured out from the motionless sword that lay on the ground, reflecting the light of the moon, its glow fading as the spirits exit the sword. I sat there, my mind tickling with thoughts as I prepared to communicate with my spirit.
Two spirits arose, two robed figures, one male, one female. The male, Hisui (Jade), had short, shoulder length pale hair, the color of the moonlight. His skin was pale and glowing, shadows masked his eyes, which were sunken in deep. His grin was creepy and wide; much more wide than the typical human's mouth. The female, Emerarudo (Emerald), had long black, raven hair, which flowed with invisible wind, and cascaded down her shoulders in beautiful swirls. Her eyes, also sunken into her white, pale skin, were halfway hidden by the long lengths of her hair. She too, wore a long flowing white robe, and her bright red lips were serious and straightforward. The most interesting feature about these two spirits was that one of their arms were connected, by the male's right arm, and by the female's left arm. A faint green ring of mist swirled around the area where the arms were conjoined, as if they led into a different realm.
I opened my eyes, facing the two spirits that stood before me….
"Hisui… Emerarudo…" I whispered. Their heads turned to me, and they smiled faintly at me.
"You summoned us?" They responded in unison. I stood up, pushing another lock of wavy black hair from my face.
"Erhm… Yes I did… I felt I needed to practice more with bonding, y'know, strengthening out attacks through relationship." I scratched the back of my neck.
They looked to each other and nodded. Within that instant, their connected arm pulled out from the alternative dimension, and they separated, each drawing the same zanpakutou. I picked up my zanpakutou from the ground.
"Very well Raine… We shall now show you more techniques when wielding us, as perfected and exceptional as your skills are; it is always necessary to polish up a bit every once in a while." They both smiled.
The grip of the sword I held was no longer cold, but it glowed with the warmth of life…
The two spirits raised their sword, suddenly flashing brightly with a green plasma coating, glowing brightly and reflecting off the tiny droplets of water within the cave. It seemed as if daylight was pouring into the cave from a tiny sun…
I raised my sword in defense… "Blind the Enemy!" I shouted, as my sword, too flashed brightly.
They zoomed towards me, swords at the ready, from either side of me. In defense I parried both strikes, and I ducked the second attack. Using shunpo, I was able to dodge a surprise strike from behind, the blade of Hisui's sword whistling behind me as it sliced through the air. Emerarudo held the sword out towards me, causing a giant mass of green plasma-material that rushed towards me like a wave of flowing emerald water.
I was smacked against the opposite wall by the overwhelming wave of green energy. Coughing from the dust that flew, distilled, throughout the air, I moved my crumpled body and stood back up, panting from the amount of training.
The spirits smiled at me cheekily… "What's the matter? Is our master getting too tired to fight now?"
I knew the game they were trying to play, swiftly, I brought down my sword and yelled "Domu Raito! (Dome of Light)" causing a giant dome to expand around the two spirits, and as it spewed bright light, nearly blinding me, it grew smaller and smaller and smaller, causing the cave to rumble violently as the dome collapsed upon the two unsuspecting spirits. As the dust settled and as the blinding light faded, I noticed my two spirits standing there unharmed, untouched.
"Hisui… Emerarudo…" I managed to say.
"I do hope you would expect us to survive our own attack, however had that attack been done on anyone else, they would have been finished," the both of them stated blankly in unison.
I smiled. Count on my spirits to make my day.
They lashed at me once again. I was caught off-guard, their blade barely slicing the skin of my cheek as a small drop of blood scattered in the air.
I blocked their next hit, and I roundhouse kicked them, causing them to spiral backwards.
They unleashed another beam of green energy towards me, using shunpo, I was able to dodge it in time…
"You guys don't cut me a break do ya?" I asked, wiping sweat from my forehead.
They smiled, as if they were content with their performance… I began to walk towards them… sheathing my sword.
"Good jo-" I was cut off by a loud howl that rang from the outside…
In an instant, a giant hollow, a Menos Grande smashed in through the wall of the cave.
"What the hell is that doing here!?" I pulled out my sword once more and charged at it at full speed. It watched me closely, observing my every move. It's deep, black eyes gazing at me through its white pointed mask.
As I neared it to strike it directly in the face, it opened its mouth to a fearfully giant size, its teeth spread wide apart as A red glowing sphere began to form.
Shots of lightning connected to the red sphere, and It grew larger and larger, collecting more energy as it went, draining me with its energy. My Zanpakutou spirits watched in fear from the side as they realized what it was about to do… That Menos Grande was preparing a Cero.
I watched, dazed and confused as the red sphere grew nearly to the size of my entire body…
In a second, the Menos Grande shot the Cero, a beam of red light charged straight towards me, faster than any shunpo I'd ever seen…
"Holy…" I managed to say, and as the red beam nearly struck me, I heard a distant scream…
"NO!" Hisui and Emerarudo jumped in my way, taking the full blast of the oversized red Cero.
I watched as their fragile robes tore with the energy, the fiery light crushing their very skulls and their skin ripping apart and peeling back like paper under flame. Their hair was singed off in a second, and they were nearly reduced to dust.
"HISUI! EMERARUDO!" I yelled helplessly as I watched the deaths of my Zanpakutou spirits…
Their heads turned to me, their eyes tearing with sadness, their skin charred black, as the flame devoured their entire body…
I reached out, tumbling through the air, but all I could feel was their last dying breath… My heart thudded, and nearly stopped. I could not survive without them… I was nothing… They were my soul… I watched as my skin began to peel apart… I turned to the Menos Grande, who began to transform into a human-sized figure… He stepped towards me, chuckling in amusement. His brown hair fell was brushed back, and he wore long white robes… With every step he took, my heart jumped. He held out his hand…
My eyes widened as I recognized the figure right away. I reached out in anger, as pressure slowly began to build upon me. My spine cracking and crushing, I spat out a glob of blood, my nose bleeding uncontrollably. I fell to the ground; I clenched the rocky surface with dirt-encrusted fingernails… My eyes grew blurry, and my ears crushed so I could no longer hear my screams of pain. I clenched my fists, tears pouring down my cheeks, and with the last final blow of extreme pressure, I began to crumble… Before I was reduced to nothingness. I screamed the name of the man who had caused my spirits and me this much pain. The name burned within my throat as I roared it with my last breath…
"AIZEEENNNN!!!"
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