Mizushima Taichi

Time has shown again and again that it will repeat itself, however, there is a rule that states that if a complex function is repeated eventually something must change. The tale of Taichi is not a happy story, it is one to be told on a stormy night when the sun has set and the dark has taken root. It began many years ago as a mother and father prepared for a son, their hopes had always been for a baby boy to carry on their name. They were wealthy, powerful bureaucratic that lived within the confines of a cushioned life, their wealth a way to melt away the troubles they had never experienced. All they had ever wanted was a way for their son to grow, to marry and carry on their way of life as it had been carried on for decades upon decades, dating back many centuries. Fate does not always have the same ideas as its beholder, though, as he was born they decided to take a trip to the far reaches of the world, a strange land. They met their fate within the walls of a city known as Mogadishu, a stopping point on their travels across the world to the estranged land of India, where riches were said to exist.

Their friends had told them not go, they had pleaded them to wait for the child to grow, however, the insolence of a sheltered life was not easily reasoned with. So, upon the scorching streets of this infamous city lay a baby, whom was picked up by the same man who struck his parents down. Feeling pity on it, he decided then that he had a debt to the child for killing their parents, whom he had not realised were carrying a child with them. In truth, he had not really meant to kill the parents at all but he could not seem weak among his gang, whom were a ferocious lot that would eat up weakness for breakfast. As Taichi grew, he developed with the bizarre customs of this strange tribe where almost everything was based on the power of the member. At a young age he learned that if he did not work to better himself, he would grow soft and growing soft would lead to his death.



They taught this poor child things no man should know, of death and of the ways to kill a man silently even as he detested such actions quietly. He learned to hate the blade they gave him, loathe the power he had over life and death despite his rising power. The man he had come to know tentatively as 'father' was now the leader of this gang, of sorts, and he had raised Taichi as his heir. Before it became to well known, though, he sent him on a mission that he entrusted only to his heir, which was to infiltrate an enemy of theirs and leak them information to deal with them quickly. Taichi claimed his responsibility and did as he was told, like he always did.



 It was not a quick business, as it would seem like it would have been from the very beginning, for the ranks of these monks were not so simple as they at first seemed. As soon as Taichi worked his way through one group, another would present themselves to be his superior, however, he worked fervently to make his way to at least understand and know the face of their leaders. They all fell for him quite easily, his rouse was almost perfect as he played the part of the young prodigy, starting off as a weakling and seeming to grow rapidly each day. They did not understand that his power had been there the entire time, with each passing day they grew to trust him more. He kept telling himself that the feelings he felt were just part of the rouse, that he had not grown to like them..



After a time, though, he began to deliberately slow his progress, even though he knew he could move on in fear of finding that final face, the person he would have to expose as the leader. He would tell his 'father' to wait a little longer, that he was on the verge of getting to meet him all the time, that it would just be another day. Each day he held onto his breath as he realised he was beginning to be found out on both sides, the balance he had created was cracking in the middle even as he attempted to tape it up. What happened next was something he had not anticipated, nor had he ever thought that it would happen. His 'father' took another apprentice, someone who was said to be stronger, a true prodigy that had swept up his spot.



Then something even more destructive happened, he was brought before a man, whom he could not deny, nor could he hide was the face of their leader. It was a man he had seen every day, he had become acquainted with and someone whom had pretended to be just another member of this group. It was a man he had not suspected. Most of all, it was his friend.



Taichi then heard the alarms sound, a fierce trumpet that ripped through the air like the buzz of a thousand bees as they went in for the swarm. It was no less than he expected, as two pair ran out of their meeting place to see what had caused the alarm. His 'father' had finally come to grow too impatient of his son to care about the weakness of his enemy and now he struck his fist upon their gates, in an attempt to blast the open. There was a battle, little of it was important but Taichi fought against the man he had known as father for all his life, their was a part of him that could never forget that this man had raised him, but he no longer cared. Suddenly he realised he had been the 'evil' one, infiltrating a peaceful people who wanted no more than to exist, as a rat for a man that was greedy for money. All went smoothly for them, until he came to meet his father.



"So, in the end you were just like your parents," The man sneered at him, as he pierced his stomach.



"Whuu...what do you mean?" Taichi screams as blood begins to pour from his stomach, the physical pain is nothing compared to the emotional betrayal he felt.



"Oh, took you this long to figure it out?" He laughed, his piercing eyes breaking through him. "I thought one of these blokes knew about them, and had told you in their insolence. I killed your folks, son. Sorry to burst your bubble, but you were a burden on me and it feels good to lose that weight. I never intended for you to make it out of this, anyway. Its honestly better this way, die an honourable death Taichi."



With that, his father left him. The only person in his life walked away as he bled upon the ground, the past 20 years of his life nothing more than a momentary flash, a moment that would wash away with the blood on these rocks. Finally, he felt someone pick him up, it was a pair of guards as he realised the sounds of the fight were over, the day was coming to a close as they brought him to the tent of their leader. There, he told the man everything about what had happened from the very beginning, how he had planned to have him killed from the very beginning. He also spoke of the revelation he had experienced before the fight.



"Spare your strength, friend," The leader said, as he placed a hand on his chest, "You will need it in order to survive."



Taichi chuckled, "There is no hope for me, I only have one last request, sir. Please, forgive me. Forgive me of all that I have done. If I hear it from your lips, then I will no longer have any reason to fear. I know that simple words can not save my soul, but I fear what lies in wait for me. I fear what is beyond. I have seen spirits, chained to this world by their fear and regret. I do not want to be like those."



He had never told anyone about his ability to see spirits, for he feared it might be taken as some kind of witch craft, however, the had always been there to talk to him. He had been given a cigarette, which he now smoked as the pain tried to blind him out, he could feel himself slipping.



"I am afraid I can not forgive you, Taichi," His voice quivered. "I can not forgive someone so pure as yourself, someone so followed by pain and suffering. Do not fear, for the universe would truly be a terrible place if it did not reward you for your life."



That was all he heard, it was strange. Even as he slipped away, even at the last moments of his life, all he could think was how disappointing it would be that he could not finish his cigarette. He hated letting a good thing go to waste.

He awoke, it was like taking a breath for the first time as the world seemed to spin itself back to life before his eyes, a million moments passed by. Thus, he came to be within the world of the dead in the fabled Rukongai, where he found himself born with little more with the clothes on his back, however, he found himself happy. This world was not a hell, it was something that he could reclaim a life for himself, this time he promised he would not break his will, he would make something of this second chance.

When he found himself in this new world, he was alone with no person by his side, instead he roamed to find one place to another as he tried to feed himself. It was a long time before he was able to sustain himself, he was a straggler as he drifted around without any sort of bearing on where he should go for now. He always saw the great gates of Seireitei, it seemed as though only the elite got to go there but he was not sure at this point of what they were, or who they were. Occasionally he would see people move in and out, however, he often stayed away from the central parts of the Soul Society, preferring the rougher outskirts. His life was a meaningless at this point as he struggled to find himself in this new world.

Then he came, an old man that seemed to have some sort of compassion in his heart. From the moment he first met this wandering vagabond, the old man took him in as one of his own; the ringleader of a small group of people who stuck together. Perhaps he was not a ringleader, more like a farmer tending to his stock. He deeply cared for each of them. In the living world his 'father' had named him 'Solomon', however, he shirked his old name for the one they had given him. They gave him the name, Taichi, purification. It fit him, looking for redemption from a former life he had come to beg for so far and it seemed as though through this, he could find this sort of a purity.

Shortly after becoming their friends he met a young woman named Mitsuko, whom he came to befriend almost within minutes of a conversation. They fought against each other, they ran and worked together as if they had known each other their entire life. There was this kind of a connection that they created, becoming so in touch with one another it was almost as if they were the same soul. Throughout the next years they learned to love each other, he gave her his heart and she returned it with her own. Perhaps it was a kind of love that was impossible to believe in, because it was so picturesque. Others whispered about them, they said the pair was destined, their souls more intertwined than any two souls could become without spending their eternity with each other.

After some time, they decided to get married, it was a humble affair for they were still quite poor. They moved into a small cottage on the outskirts of the districts, where they planned out a life for each other. They wanted children, they wanted a life with a picket fence and a happily ever after; that was all they wanted.

Their first child was a young woman, her eyes full of wonder for this world, her feet ready to explore what has been lost. She looked like her mother but had the strength of their father, he had taken on the old man’s name of Mizushima as a memoir of the help he gave him. Besides, he had no desire to remember that man whom had made his living life a nightmare, and even now the memories of his real life seemed to fade away. As he and Mitsuko created a family, which developed into a second child, this time a strong boy. He was also beautiful like his mother, his eyes more amber like hers were. Time pressed on, years faded away slowly and they were a happy family.

Not all stories are allowed a happy ending, however. It began with a scream.

His children had been playing outside, a ways from the house he had known that much, however the scream came to surprise him. Without any hesitation, he threw down what he was doing at the time, which now seemed of little importance to him. He could hear his wife dashing towards the door as well, they ran out into the road at the same time. Their faces were both alive with fear as on the edge of the woods surrounding the city, there stood the younger of the two children, blood on his face as he stood screaming. Something seemed to want hold him there as they both ran towards him.

“Mom! Dad” He screamed, his face flush with fear, “Help me!”

As he went to pick up his boy, Mitsuko kept running. He lifted him up over his shoulder and kept following, his course set to overtake her if possible. It was too late, something came out of the trees. It jumped down on his wife, her shriek wrenched through his heart.

“Oh, lookssss like I have one left alive,” The thing shrilled as it looked at Taichi, he tried to turn and run.

“Run Taci! Take him and get out of here,” Mitsuko screamed as the hollow hopped off her and swiped his hand to toss Taichi to the ground. It then had no trouble taking the child from his arms.

“Such a big fuss, for such a small thing,” It hissed, as he held it like a small baby. His eyes gleamed with joyful delight as it ate the boy in front of their eyes.

Taichi ran at him, ready to die to try to stop the creature as a flash of black came out of nowhere, a blade slashed upwards to smash through the creature. He stumbled forward as the creature turned to dust, his feet didn’t seem to want to respond. Behind him he could hear the man scream for someone to get a healer as he was not very skilled, and this was beyond his power. Still, he stumbled on until he stood above his wife, tears streamed down his face as he fell down upon his knees, a cry escaping his lips.

One of his hands went to run through her hair, as the other touched the side of her now chilling face. Her smile broke open, through a spurt of blood.

“Did he survive?” She asked, seeming to cling onto life for just a moment.

He didn’t speak for a second, he couldn’t tell the truth, “Yes, he’s being healed by the man that killed that thing right now.”

“Good... I love you, Taichi. Do not mourn me, you have made me the happiest woman in soul society and on earth. Looking at your face as I die, is all I could hope for,” She whispers, as her eyes clothes for what he knows as the last time.

A cry escaped his mouth. The world seemed to break down as his cries echoed throughout the valley.

“Hey, kid you going to sit there and cry all day?” The man who had saved him barked.

“Be nice, Hai, “ A woman next to him whispered to him, “He’s just been through something terrible. Show some respect.”

“You know what. No, I won’t,” Went on, as he walked towards Taichi, “What do you plan to do? Use your tears to bring her back to life? Get up, kid.”

His voice broke his gaze upon her face, he look over at him with a terrible scowled look on his face. He was in all black, a sword in his hand. He must be a Shinigami, someone who was supposed to help him out. Why was his saviour such an ass, though. Anger pent up inside of him as he began to stand up.

“That’s right, get up. Get mad, because there is nothing you can do sitting there,” He yells at me, a passion in his eyes that Tai could not understand. This was not the face he expected.

“What would you want me to do?! What can I do! She’s dead,” He screamed back as he pulled his hands to hit him.

“Go ahead hit me! Hit me! Because that is going to do just as much as lying there. You can’t fix this, but you can make a change. You can help stop this from happening in the future. You are weak, but the Shinigami can make you strong!” His voice was full of passion too, now. Not some fake anger he had put on before.

Thus was the beginning of his long road, as he had put that man’s words to practice as he had tried out to become a Shinigami. He was allowed in by a shallow margin, perhaps only out of some sort of favour that man had given him. It only took a few months before he pulled a head of the rest of his class, not due to natural or innate skill, but instead due to his vigilant training. Every second he pushed himself, every day he got back up from his wounds and continued on till there was nothing left. Taichi devoted his entirety to this, knowing that after all that was left this was all he had.

Like some estranged machine he moved up in power, not caring to take a rest or be complacent on his progress. It was not a race against those around him, or any person in particular but a struggle against himself as he found power that he never believed existed.

For once in his life he had the power to control his destiny. For once he could destroy his enemies, not be quashed under their foot. It was through this desperation he pushed on, with full hopes to become powerful enough that he'd never be stopped again.

Throughout much of his training, Taichi was not considered to be the most powerful, or exceptional to start with, the trainers just assumed he was another scrap that had been thrown on their plate. In a way he never truly learned to connect with the instructors, either, as he moved from one place of training he just saw it all as a semi-blur, still stricken from the loss of his family. However, after some time there was a person that came forward to change this passive relationship he had, it was a man named Heiatsu, a man that he met in passing.

Heiatsu, at the time when Tai met him was the fifth seat of the First Division, and he took a particular interest in the young new Shinigami. It was not for aspirations to garner him into some bargaining chip, or use him, but instead he saw in this new recruit something no one else had; passion. There was a fire that burned within this new person, a power that no one could see but him, and he would take it into his hands to hone this until it took to bloom.

Therefore, he began to train Taichi, as he taught him how to communicate with his inner self, and with this he brought him power. There was never a moment where Taichi found himself with lack of drive, he never relented, he only sought to make himself better. This was before he accessed his Shikai, when he was still training as a recruit, however, after some time he was allowed to follow Heiatsu on a mission to the human world. He had been training with his Zanpakuto for some quite time, however, his first Hollow left sweat on the palms of his hands.

A lightning bolt flashed as the creature stuck its an unusually large head from an alley around the corner, his eyes large as the moon light glanced off them. The thing was covered in slime, its figure distorted and grotesque. The thing seemed to have a conscious understanding of what it was doing, though, for as soon as it saw the two Shinigami, it seemed to smile precariously. The thing slunk away, as if it was daring them to follow it. A shiver ran down Taichi's spine as he laid a hand upon the hilt of his sword.

"Should we follow?" Taichi whispered.

"We have no choice, I suppose," The older man responded wearily.

They followed it into its den, the labyrinth of the city lay burden to a dark side, wherein they found themselves face to face with the creature. It looked at them quizzically, as he moved forward, one timid hand pressed to the wall, this was not how Tai had been expecting this situation to turn out. He had expected the thing to be nonsensical, he wanted to destroy it, send it to wherever it belonged and smash whatever remained of it. One hand on the hilt of his blade, he carefully drew it, as the other Shinigami took a step back. The thing hissed, it jumped as the flash of steal caught the dim light from a nearby window.

The thing flew backwards from the impact, he smashed the blade into its mask as the pale figurine of its soul fragmented a bit. It took a step back, it grunted as it did so before Taichi once again smashed the blade into its gut, the thing piercing him as he did so. The thing looked surprised, as he remembered this had once been a human too, it seemed almost sad as it disappeared.

"Does it feel as you expected? To know you have this power..." Heiatsu asked, his eyes somewhat filled with concern.

Tai hesitated for a second, "To which power do you speak?"

"The power to kill."

It felt good.

Heiatsu at this point recognised that there something more to the sensation that existed within Tai, there was some sort of tangibility in it existence. It began as the timbre of something awakening, weak and somewhat distant. However, as time went along he felt as though whatever was hiding there was just on the cusp of being let out. Taichi at this point had still not mastered his Shikai, however, after quite some time in the academy, he had been given a spot as an unseated officer of the Tenth Division deciding against a seat with his mentor and friend. This had been a big step in his life, however, he now had the drive to truly find out what the name of his sword was.

For some reason he felt as though he was living in a dream, he knew it was a dream but he couldn't wake up. He spent his night meditating, trying to roam his inner spirit to find an access to a more personal relationship with his sword.

Occasionally he felt as though he was just one step away from pulling away the cover, to see what lay beneath. However, each day he'd still have to shoulder his way through soul society to a new task, never once any closer than where he had left off. It felt like he was trying to walk up an avalanche, however, he took solace in the times when he was sent to fight off hollows. Something brought him to life when he fought them and he felt if he just tapped into that sensation he would be able to figure out the secrets his zanpakuto hid. For a long while he fell into the belief.

Finally, he became frustrated as he attempted to give up, Heiatsu took him to sit upon the outskirts of Rukongai to a small fire that he had set up. There he sat him down, and told him to focus on the flame, to pour his ambitions, his lust and loves into that fire until there was nothing else, till not even his thoughts remained. He instructed Tai to meditate on that, and only once he had reached that state should he enter his inner spirit.

There, among the grasses that tickled his legs as he sat there, he emptied all his emotions as he thought about the shifting of the fire. Eventually, the fire grew as it created a vision of the world to which he now knew to be his inner spirit, the sky still dark and full of omens. There a long line of torches paved his path, as he took each stride figures danced around him, almost like they might strike out at him, however, he kept moving. There seemed to be a figure following him but he never turned around, he never lost sight of the torches that lay beyond. The man walked for what seemed like days, he walked till his feet bled, and his eyes ached from the strain, yet still he moved on. In the distance rose, like a banner in the middle of an open field what seemed to be a tall mountain.

For hours he walked on wards, his breath ragged, his hands black from soot, until he faced the foot of the mountain where there was a large gate. The doors opened for him, as if they had been expecting him all this time, then finally he saw the face of a woman. Her eyes gleamed with a dreadful fire, they seemed to consume all around them as she sat upon her throne. Those eyes haunted him, even as he went to meet her.

She was wreathed in fire, a fire that he had known all too well at this point and one that had consumed him for some time. It was not a part of him anymore, but instead he came to realise it was something that he had to accept.

The woman was the owner of this place, she controlled it, there was no struggle in here, instead he took with him knowledge that changed his existence. Her name was Tomiraka, he bore her name upon his shoulders as he took up the mark she left on him.

As he sat there by the fire, it was said that the ashes came alive and surrounded him, as they seemed to try to consume him, instead they took shape of the two dragons that encircle his arms. The fire that brought them to life still alive in the gleam they put off in the sunlight, not that they are visible most of the time anyway, unless he has called upon his shikai or bankai.

The time he had spent there caused him to grow, as he took up the power of the sword, which was now much more elegant than it had been before, he realised that he loved it. No, it was not a simple love he felt for it, but a desire. A lust that lay on the fringes of his mind, a lust for power that seemed more potent by the moment.

The acquisition of his Shikai actually created a stir within the Tenth Division, because up to this point he had not been considered to be that high in ranking, however, it harboured more power than many could imagine. With this he would later learn, that the dragon tattoos had also given him some power latently, as they had bonded with him deeply. This surge in power brought him up in strength according to the powers that be, and he began to take on harder missions, ever attempting to push himself. At this point in his life all that he looked for was the stronger opponent, the greater reward for his time put into training and just in general a rise in power. It was not some simple desire to better himself anymore, it had developed into something more

There was a man, he had gone rogue with some of the other Shinigami from the Second Division, Tai remembered that they called him The Dragon. That had enraged him for some reason, he felt as if that title belonged to someone else and he had been sent with a couple others to destroy the insurgency.

They travelled out, to the human world where they had holed themselves up in and they searched, it was not long before they found tracks of the party. He did not believe that they would be as easy to find as they were, however, he did not waste time in following the tracks. In hindsight it had seemed quite the formulated trap, however, they had not taken the time to analyze, Taichi in particular was there for only one reason; blood. He wanted to test his abilities to the fullest of their extent, he wanted to cleave a fellow Shinigami in half and he wanted most of all to know he had the power.

That single man, known to some as the Dragon stood waiting for them in a ring of buildings where he seemed most amused, his eyes full of a gleeful delight. One of them wanted to back out, to call for backup and re-evaluate the situation, however, Taichi was not ready to give up his prize. Instead, he ripped past the others with a ferocious speed, he ripped out his sword in a quick motion and went to slam it towards the other man. It seemed easy for him to strike back, however, that hadn't been even a tip of Shiuchi's strength, so he did not fear that he would win the battle ahead. Now, he could see others coming out, other battles breaking forward, but he did not pay attention.

Instead, he called out to his sword, "Hanawa watashi no teki,-Tomiraka!"

With his voice, the fire crackled from the end of his sword as it blasted the man, his hands coming up to protect his face. A chuckle escaped from his mouth as he moved back, the smoke and embers falling to the grass that made up the commons area of the cluster of houses. A trained eye might have found the oddity in their ability to sprout fire to the grass, igniting almost instantly, as other things around him took to fire.

"Poor boy, I expected more from you," The man told him as he brought up his sword to once again fight Taichi.

As they moved about, perhaps he noticed the movement of the ashes and the embers as the matched Taichi's stride, and suddenly the air was lit aflame with the smoke. Then, he brought the fire to the man as he fought, his clothes began to catch fire. He cursed as he tried to put it out, however, it slowly consumed him as he tried to fight both the flames and his enemies. He built up his reiatsu in an attempt to push it away, however, Taichi ended up countering with a slash that slashed him directly down his middle, cutting the man in half. As he lay there, still twitching before he disappeared, Taichi spit on his dying corpse.

He turned to walk away, as he muttered, "The Dragon does not take its name so lightly."

The success of this mission, along with the display of his power as he was able to subdue several other members, only killing the one labelled as their leader, he was able to climb up to the 10th seat position in the Tenth Division. With this he felt power, it brought him to life and he wanted more.

That memory of his wife, of his kids pushed him a long in the beginning. They were the reason he pushed himself, he killed the hollows, and it had been the reason he moved forward. Days had passed since then, months and years till now they were a faded memory, as if it were the remnants of a faint nightmare. His ambitions had pushed it out of his mind, now there was only one thing that motivated him. That feeling of power haunted him, it pushed him day and night as he moved towards a goal he had never quite defined. It was not to move up in the Gotei, or gain influence among his peers, instead his sole purpose was to make himself stronger. His aggressive display of power against the traitor had been seen as heroism, but the line between hero and the fallen will ever be thin.

The first ability he'd displayed with his Shikai had jump started his placement in the Tenth Division, however, he was quickly pushed up a couple seats to the 14th. The careful execution of each of his missions, the frequency of his success and careful atmosphere of power garnered the attention of those above him.

Heiatsu still talked to him quite often, they were partners now, more than teacher and student as they carried out their tasks flawlessly. Together, it seemed that nothing would ever be able to stop their progress.

One day, they would visit the human world as they destroyed high priority targets, sending Hollows to the other side, and generally trying to maintain their station as best they could. His friend seemed to fight for justice, they would spend their free time talking of the world, of the things they could do and places they would go some day. Both of them enjoyed to think aloud, Heiatsu had a habit of smoking a lot, which he seemed to pass off on Taichi as well. They would set up a fire on the outside of the districts, look out into the darkness that surrounded them, and talk of questions that never would have a true answer. Perhaps it was the thrill of the question itself, or their back and forth answers that created this rift, but they never got tired of these conversations.

They went off one day on a mission, it was what seemed like a normal sort of thing where they would just go there and be done in a moments time. Their objective was a hollow that was causing some problems for the Shinigami that was supposed to be in control of the area. The person was new to the job, so they assumed it was just going to be a clean up kind of job.

By the time they had gotten there, the Shinigami was already dead. It appeared as if the issue had spiraled out of control already, they set out to investigate the apparent murder, though. The area where he had last reported at was mostly untouched, there was some strange reiatsu that bothered them both, though. Still, they moved on with their investigation, following that reiatsu as the only lead they could bring upon them. There was also the report of some strange man by the Shinigami himself, claiming that the man had been definitely seen him and recoginised him. As improbable as it seemed, this might have something to do with this mysterious disappearance if it did turn out to be something.

They found their way into the heart of the city, where a strange man that carried some spiritual trinkets held up a shop to see if he knew anything about the situation. Unfortunately, if he did know anything he did a good job at keeping it secret, however, after they left Heiatsu claimed to have seen someone that looked suspicious on their way in. Moving back into the more busy streets, he motioned for Taichi to follow him silently as they trailed a man that had long brown hair that was pulled back unceremoniously into a ponytail. It almost seemed as if he had pulled it up to keep it out of his face in a hurry.

For a while it seemed as if he might simply be heading somewhere, however, quickly Taichi noticed that he was trying to lose them. They were fast, he seemed to be good at what he was doing until he took a look back that was a little longer than it should have been.

At this point, when their eyes met the man took off, running as fast as he could down the pavement. Taichi did not waste time in moving after him, his hand pulling out his sword as he did so. While the man was much faster than a human should have been, it did not take Tai long to catch up to him. His hand went to grab the shirt on his back as he swung back with a sword. Tomiraka clashed against his with a strange flash, as this person, or whatever he was held forth a strange looking sword.

His friend was pale in the background as he spoke to Taichi, "We need to leave this man alone, Taichi."

"Why?" He retorted as he took a step back from the man.

"He is afraid of us," The stranger spoke, looking quizzically at Heiatsu.

"Us?"

"You are quite the naive little recruit, aren't you? Shouldn't you still be learning how to treat that sword like something other than a club?" The man spat.

There was no hesitation this time, he only screamed, "Hanawa watashi no teki,-Tomiraka."

The blast smashed into the man, as a chuckle broke from his lips, even as they reflected the fire from Tai's sword. Soon, the fire began to consume a wooden building that was near him, a rage burned in his eyes as their swords clashed, the man though seemed able to push back the smoke, the embers with his strange Reiatsu. This only enraged Taichi more, the fire became more intense, and he fought quicker than he had ever before. The man seemed to match him pace for pace as they went through a strange type of dance. Heiatsu had vanished, he seemed to have wanted to get some kind of back up, he would not approve of the destruction that his friend was creating. That did not stop him, he only strengthened the inferno, the fire made him feel true power, it coursed through his veins. This was life.


He knew he needed more, he need to release his power for it was building in him. This man would not be able to hold the torrent should it hit him in complete. He took a leap backwards, as he probed inside him, the word seemed to be fresh on his tongue. He knew what he would need to say.

"Kono guraundo o hoji," He said, stoically now, fire burning on his tongue. The dragon on his wrist, now encasing the hilt of his sword flashed.

The fire around them began to swirl, the sound ripped into his ear as the fire began to pick up in intensity, only feeding to his power. A laugh ripped out of his tongue as he heard others come from behind, but he could not stop it now. The air twisted with the flame that took the moisture out of the air. It did not stifle him, it only brought him more power and he craved it. The man's screams were like nothing, they dimmed out as did the inferno. Eventually, his elation fell as finally the ashes were picked up by the wind and nothing was left of the man they had been fighting. Several houses had been burned quite badly, however, the vortex had put out all the surrounding fires as it had pulled them in.

As he turned, the look on their faces was some strange mix of fear, and adoration. It gave him pleasure.

They could not keep up with Taichi's progress as he moved along, they immediately gave him the position of 4th seat, as he took up reign as one of the strongest in the Gotei. People feared him, though, there was talk of insanity, that he had lost control of his senses. People walked fearfully by him, some seemed to distrust him even. This went on for some time after that incident, however, after showing them that he was capable of maintaining composure, the past was somewhat forgotten. They went along, their eyes downcast to what had happened because he was strong enough to make a difference. It still existed, though, not his passion but his obsession with power. The talks still went on, but they were about him and over time the wearied him. Taichi tried to cut Heiatsu out of his life.

At this time, his long time friend was offered a position as a captain of a different division, which gave him a perfect excuse not to talk to him. However, instead of being happy for the man, it seemed as if Taichi only got more angry. He was angry because he had not gotten the spot, he was stronger than that man, stronger than all of them. He was determined to show it to them.

It had been many years, Taichi was now the third seat of the Tenth Division, still lacking Bankai, still looking for more power. Hieatsu was sent on a mission with him, a remnant of the time that had once been, they both seemed to think that it would be beneficial to the task at hand. They had been told that Heuco Mundo had been disturbed and it was years ago before the current situation had arisen. They were told to go check it out, see if anything could be done to fix what was happening. They went with a contingent of other Shinigami, obviously worried about the situation at hand.

It seemed that one of the Shinigami had run away, reportedly to the forest of menos, their job was to retrieve him, and incarcerate him for killing his fellow Shinigami. He was not a weak man, and they were afraid that he would have recruited some kind of following while in these forsaken lands. They found the man, half crazed within the forest.

They went to subdue the man, but he was able to catch them off guard. His eyes seemed to be filled with a strange amount of strength and he had gained something they had not been expecting. The Arrancar was strangely human, it attacked with a strange ferocity.

When it changed from human, when it did its release some of the other Shinigami died, however, even Taichi's inferno was not working against it. He had tried to use both his main Shikai abilities but to no avail. Eventually he would probably win a fight of stamina, but the casualties were growing. As he fought, the was knocked aside, smashed into one of the trees of the forest. For a while he lay there, his eyes closed as he thought he might pass into whatever was after this existence. Eventually, a figure came up to him. She was bright and brilliant, she told him that he needed to help his friend and she passed to him two eggs. With this his eyes opened, and for the first time his raw voice screamed out new words. They were strange on his lips, but his eyes burst open as he said them, a rush of energy broke from him as he grabbed a hold of his sword with both hands.

His tattoos danced along his blade, as the two dragons moved towards the tip of his blade and seemed to pull themselves off altogether. They grew in the air as they came to their full stature, which was quite fearsome in and of itself. They rippled fire into the air, their scales reflecting the light of their own maw.

They screamed as their attack commenced, and he used them to his advantage as the Arrancar fell to its knees. After this he was able to use the two dragons to subdue the Shinigami.

He looked around for Heiatsu, his eyes searching for the man he had once been so deeply amazed by. His eyes were drawn to a place where the others he had brought with him stood, huddled in a circle. There lay the man, and quickly he rushed over to him as he left the two dragons to hold over his victim. He sat down next to his friend, a tear falling down his face. He was fading, Taichi could tell even as he tried to come up with some sort of Kidou to fix this. There was no true hope, the scars were far too grave. He had apparently fought while Taichi had been passed out. To think, the last thing he had thought of this man was how he could use him to make a step forward, how he could bring himself to power through this man. He had hated him at one point too, loathed his rise to fame, while Taichi was craving power. Now, all he felt was hate for himself. 

He cried out, for the friend he lost as the man's breath came out in ragged heaves, "Tai... Taichi..." The man gasped.

"Yes?" He said through his own pain.

"You must be strong... You always have been. Let go ofthis anger in you, and one day.... One day you'll be more powerful than any of them. Remember the flame, it was not always anger for you. Once it was peace," The man uttered the last word as darkness followed.

They brought the rogue Shinigami back, he was locked away within the confines of the dark prisons of the first division. However, they also brought back the man he had once admired so much in a body bag. With his death, almost everything about Taichi changed. He still smoked, however, he also brought back images of that flame, of the peace he had once felt and immersed himself within it. It became his life, all that he had ever been went into that flame. He still cannot use his Ban Kai at will, but he knows of its power and craves it. He had left a piece of himself in Hueco Mundo, a part of him that had once been his life. Drinking and smoking were the only friends he had left, as he shrugged emotions for stability.