The Quickening

The only thing Kusaka thought about as he done his four-hundredth push-up was how he had finally experienced what Ino had called “the quickening”. She told him all those years ago that, given time, his powers may very well return; but slowly and hardly to the level they once where. Regardless, for the first time in years, he was fit to exert a spiritual pulse all his own that didn’t equate to a fart in the wind! And now that he could he was bloody sure that he wasn’t going to spurn his chance. What were years to him, who had the longevity of a Shinigami? What was time? A number was all it was. He would reach his gaol. He would stand beside his allies as he once was; as Kusaka Kenpachi of the Ryū Order, and as the Slayer of Gods.

‘He’s really pushing himself, isn’t he?’ David said from the sidelines.

Long ago Kenji had built an underground training complex hidden by the same intricate Kidō barriers that protected Horiwari from being discovered by prying Human eyes for Kusaka and his future children to use. Here the sky never changed – the ceiling was blue with various clouds, a large light in the sky that gave the impression of the sun, and the ground was barren. Like a wasteland devoid of life.

‘He is,’ Hawke replied. ‘We should give him some room.’

The two brothers used the complex for training in order to keep their skills sharp. The death of Dave’s uncle left him without a trainer, so Kusaka had arranged the appearance of Fujimaru Namikaze every now and then to see how Dave’s skills where progressing. As a skilled Quincy himself, Fujimaru gave him good advice and pointers, and now Dave himself was a skilled young man. Of course, Hawke was as skilled in the Fullbringer arts as Dave was in the Quincy arts and their matches where always close; even when Hawke ditched his Human body in favour of his Shinigami state.

‘You ready, Hawke?’ Dave asked his brother.

‘Ding ding,’ he even pretended to hit the bell.

Dave started things off quickly and formed a bow constructed of pulsating blue reiryoku. From it he loosed arrows in quick succession. Hawke dodged to the side, ducked, jumped over another, and impacted the floor as he leaned to the side; which brought him safely past another. Now on his side he rolled across the rugged ground while Dave’s arrows struck where he had been only milliseconds prior. ‘Gijigetsu,’ Hawke called out as he took his Substitute Shinigami Badge in-hand. Armour formed along his forearms and a Shinigami Shihakushō replaced his beaten training vest and trousers. A guard less machete appeared in his right hand, which he used to quickly repel or break incoming arrows as they neared him. ‘You nearly had me that time,’ he said at last.

Dave lowered his arrow and breathed out a steady breathe. ‘I’ve been practicing my firing speed. They’re faster, but as you can see, I haven’t the reishi combination down yet.’

‘They did snap a little easier than they usually do. No matter, though. You’ll learn through practice. Come on!’

Dave began with a series of twenty arrows fired in a sweeping horizontal arc, which forced Hawke to take to the air to dodge them. Seeing what his brother planned, Dave seized the arrows at range and directed them into the air! ‘I did say I’d been practicing.’ Hawke narrowed his eyes and performed a spinning slash followed by a burst of Fullbring-induced high-speed movement. To his feet the air was like an elastic band which sprang him forward at speed, where he proceeded to engulf the threatening arrows with a miniature Rei Furashuu! ‘Licht Regen,’ Dave whispered to Hawke’s right, having appeared suddenly. A torrent of arrows that appeared like a column assaulted Hawke from the side, and forced him to rely on his Fullbring armour to mitigate the damage.

Dave touched down a tad breathless where he dispelled his bow. Hawke had landed amidst a cluster of rubble from one of their earlier bouts, his body ingrained into one of the stones beneath him.

‘What the hell was that?’ He asked in a pained voice.

The brothers had stopped holding back during their matches a long time ago. They loved each other like true birth brothers would, and had the same sibling rivalry that graced most households with multiple children. What was a little pain to them? They could look to their injuries after the battle. All they need not do was break each others necks.

‘Something Fujimaru gave me some pointers on.’ Dave replied, enjoying the respite their conversation brought. ‘With it I can fire a total of eight-hundred arrows almost simultaneously. They blend together, adding to the damage, though I’m still learning how to handle it all.’

‘I’ll need to remember that,’ Hawke said as he got to his feet. ‘Anyways, let’s get back to it, bro.’ He squared his shoulders, bent his knees, and channelled a large degree of spiritual power! He already wore his power as his skin for Gijigetsu was a Clad-type Fullbring, though the sudden influx of reiatsu that filled the area caused Dave to gulp despite his own powers. He raised his spiritual energy in answer and summoned a pulsating red reishi sabre in his right hand and a hardened green shield in the left.

‘You asked for it, Hawke,’ he said in reply.

The brothers performed their respective high-speed techniques and met with a fierce display of swordsmanship that made Kusaka momentarily break off his exercises to watch them battle. They were still young so their individual styles where full of holes. Hawke preferred quick fluid strikes, as well as a hit-and-run, hit-and-dodge, hit-and-run strategy that he rarely deviated from. David, on the other hand, was more defence-based. He used the shield to mitigate damage and intercept strikes, where he then followed up with the sword. Should distance ever form between them he demonstrated the ability to fire an arrow from the sabre by mimicking the firing stance of a bow, though he could only do so to a certain level. A grin broke across the proud father’s face.

‘… Time to teach you two whose boss…’ his smile was close to demonic.

He took the weapon he had Kenji forge for him two years after he lost his Shinigami powers, which was fifteen years ago now, in total. The weapon was named Shagetsu in memory of his former partner and designed to appear like his first sealed state; which took the form of a katana with a razor sharp tip, a decorative U-shaped guard, and a hilt with a delicately bent hilt. He took the sword in-hand, weighed it, and finally set his own Substitute Shinigami Badge into the U-shaped slot which acted as a rather pathetic guard; where he gave a sharp twist. A “click” was heard and the sword shattered into a thousand pieces, which soon grafted themselves to Kusaka’s body as liquid armour, which began to take the shape of a black coat with the Substitute Shinigami Badge visible in the centre of the coat near his chest. In his right hand was a short sword not much longer than Hawke’s machete with no guard at all, while a buckler shield formed on his left forearm. The armour was the blades true form, and Kenji’s response to Kusaka’s lack of power. The weapon was powered by a self-restoring reishi battery. The power to run it had been donated by the nine captains of the Ryū Order including a tenth; Rosuto Shiba, in order to give Kusaka the means to protect himself. When in-use he gave off spiritual power in the league of any captain. The problem was that it didn’t last long.

Taking to the skies Kusaka parted his sons with two quick sword strikes. ‘What you say, kids? Wanna have a shot at the title?’

‘You’re funeral!’ Hawke and Dave roared together.

Kusaka brought all his experience in swordsmanship to bear. The temporary powers of his armour gave him the needed strength to perform the Wan’nesu techniques of the Yuengiri, and he sent both boys skidding back with one such attack. ‘What? Is that it? C’mon, I’m technically powerless here, you know!’ They were so easily goaded. They charged in blindly without a plan, so he rapped them in the backs with the blunt edge for their folly. ‘Calm down and have yourselves a breath, and try again. Now come on!’ They did so and, to their credit, they done a better job. But still Kusaka came out on top, where he sent both crashing to the floor below with an energy wave attack he used much like a Rei Furashuu. ‘Right, my cores spent,’ he said touching down. It wasn’t really. He just wanted an excuse. ‘Nice fighting, boys,’

Hawke pulled himself from the rubble their father had propelled them holding Dave. His arm was around his neck, while Hawke held him up. ‘I hope Ino’s right about this Quickening thing. ‘Cause I really wanna have a pop at you when you’re using your own Shagetsu.’

‘That’d… be something,’ Dave agreed. ‘Ouch, my bloody arm!’

‘We’ll get you patched up in a minute, bro. Damn it, though, pops. If only you hadn’t lost your powers… That armours impressive.’

Kusaka’s face was still and unreadable. ‘Yeah, that’s the problem, Hawke. The armour’s awesome. I’m not. Fuck it! I need to get my powers back. Somehow… someway,’

Next Story > Last Quincy: The Estranged Brother.