Cutting to the Heart of the Matter: Tsuji Unbound

This article, , is the third part of the story beginning with Cutting to the Heart of the Matter. This particular part deals with the initial stages of Kenji and Kusaka's battle with Oda Kōhai, which will be followed with an epilogue.

Kenji couldn’t keep the satisfaction from his face. Kentaro, Akiye, Hawke and David where one and all embroiled in deadly combat, though each gave just as good as they got. It was truly remarkable. They’d come so far in so short a time that Kenji couldn’t keep the pride from swelling in his chest. But that was enough of that. He had a job to perform here, but something was needling him. His job could wait on one more question.

“Before Kusaka and I paint the walls with your blood, tell me one thing: what happened to your arm?”

Oda bore noticeable burn marks along most of his body and his left arm was gone from the shoulder down. Judging by his injuries and the severity of those burns Kenji had a fair idea what had happened and who was responsible, but somehow he’d get much greater satisfaction hearing the name from Oda’s lips.

“Tyrell Nishiki exceeded my expectations.” Oda admitted. He spat the name.

Kusaka roared with laughter!

“Trust the hot-head to lose his head.”

“Indeed.” Kenji admitted. “I told him to soften you up, Oda; it appears instead he tried to kill you. What stopped him I wonder?”

“Ain’t it obvious?” Kusaka interjected, grinning. “You dispelled what stopped him when you snapped your fingers.”

It was true that Tyrell had never possessed any affinity for Kidō. The man was spiritual power on steroids with enough physical power to fell a mountain, true, but when it came to matters of finesse or fine spiritual control Tyrell was as useful as two tits on a bore. But then that was why he had his brother and sister with him. Together the three rounded out a perfect leader.

“Well,” Kenji declared at last. “Shall we, Kusaka?”

“I think we shall.”

The two released their Zanpakutō in unison. Kenji’s Raijin formed a protective layer of electrical currents around his body and Kusaka’s Shagetsu formed a similar barrier formed from the Reissen. It seemed both where going to give Oda the respect he deserved by leaving nothing to chance. Kenji held his daishō in a Form III opening stance; the hilt of his primary katana was parallel to his head and the smaller wakizashi held out before him at a forty-five degree angle. Kusaka, uniquely, never opened with the Form II stance. He instead kept his Zanpakutō sheathed even though it was currently released, for he favoured a swift drawing slash to begin with.

“You overestimate yourselves.” Oda claimed. “Your posse have already sealed your fates.”

“We know you’ll get stronger when your brothers die.” Kusaka answered.

“It means we just have to kill you before that happens!” Kenji continued on.

With that the Slayer of Gods and the Archon of Storms at last made their move. Kenji moved to flank him whilst Kusaka, ever the fighter seeking a good fight, went for the frontal assault. They ended up passing by one another as Oda took to the skies. He muttered incantations beneath his breathe and suddenly the effects of their Zanpakutō disappeared! Kenji attempted to summon his electrical armour only to be met with silence from Raijin, though the spirit remained within the blade.

“We got sloppy.” Kusaka admitted.

“You sealed away our Shinigami powers?”

Kenji could already feel his spiritual power draining away and something similar was happening to Kusaka. To their shared credit however neither of them looked to be phased by this development. Kusaka even managed a grin and Kenji merely shrugged his shoulders.

"It certainly makes it more interesting." Kusaka whispered.

“You are in the heart of my power now.” Oda claimed.

And to be fair he did dominate the battle from then on. Without the benfit of their Shinigami abilities Kenji and Kusaka simply couldn’t keep up with him. Their teamwork enabled them to hold out for a time but Kenji was sliced across the back and Kusaka took the subsequent strike intended to split Kenji’s head open! They backed up quickly and used a pillar as shielding against the beam Oda loosed from his palm.

“This is getting interesting…!”

Gradually Kusaka’s blood was boiling. The Kori clan long possessed a trait that enabled them to “excite their soul”. Right now Kusaka’s spiritual power was beginning to rise even though his Shinigami powers had been mostly sealed.

“Shall we stop this charade?” Kenji asked.

“Heh, you think? Yeah. We’ve strung him along enough.”

Suddenly the demeanour of both men changed! Oda loosed yet another beam but instead of blasting his opposition to tiny bits Kenji caught it with his right hand and proceeded to throw it to the side like one would do with a caught ball. Oda, either from disbelief or surprise, was hard-pressed believing what he’d just seen.

“We are Tsuji.” Kusaka called. “Wielders of Shinigami power, Quincy power and Hollow power. Kenji, if you’d be so kind?”

“Certainly, Kusaka, I’d be honoured.” The sarcasm was laid on thick.

He placed the fingertips of his index and middle fingers on his forehead and the tip of his thumb on his left cheek and then ripped down swiftly with his hand. His Hollow mask formed. The Mask itself covered the upper-half of Kenji's head, possessed a ripple-like pattern and three tomoe-like holes; two of which where the Mask's eye-holes. In addition a cloak similar to that worn by the Excavado fell about his shoulders beneath Van’s haori.

“This is impossible!” Oda roared. “You lost the ability to Hollowfy!”

“And who do you think spread those rumours?” Kenji laughed. “It was me and Kusaka, in order to throw off idiots like you with knowledge of sealing techniques. We even made it look like Kusaka couldn’t Hollowfy anymore either. Kusaka, would you?”

“Of course,” Again the sarcasm was laid on thick.

Kusaka’s reiatsu darkened suddenly, his eyes took on a yellowish tone and dark waves emanated from his body. It was slightly different from how Kenji and the Visored accessed their Hollow powers but the end result was the same: both experienced a massive increase to their respective powers, enough that they where now much stronger than they where when Oda temporarily sealed away their Shinigami powers.

“I can also do this…!”

One moment Kenji was standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Kusaka. The next he was to Oda’s left, in-thanks to. Kenji’s Zanpakutō flashed and sparks flew! Oda, to his credit, had twisted around to block but the moment he committed himself Kusaka was upon him too! Kusaka cleaved down through his right shoulder and that arm too went flying.

“Oops.” Kusaka exclaimed. “Kenji, I may have maimed the bastard.”

“Kusaka! Not again! Really, you have to learn how to restrain yourself, for Pete’s sake.”

Despite their apparent “we’ll end this quickly” stance, it was obvious to all that these two titans where taking their time on purpose. Why? That was anyone’s guess. But as of right now the two wore wide smiles even as Oda, now armless, backed away with fearful eyes. His teeth where chattering and Kusaka couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

“I remember when you where something to be feared.” Kusaka claimed.

“You once pushed my mentor to the brink of his abilities.” Kenji continued. “He only won because he banished you to the depths of the Dangai.”

“Times and places were I lost much of what I once possessed.” Oda agreed. “What are you waiting for? Finish me.”

“… No.”

It was the first time Kenji and Kusaka had broken their back-and-forth banter. Kenji looked at Kusaka with a raised eyebrow as if to ask “the hell you doing”. Kusaka, for his part, merely grinned. Kenji caught the meaning immediately.

“You want to test yourself against his full power, don’t you?”

“I do. I’m stronger than I was when I lost my powers killing Averian, but I want to see the depths of these abilities.” Kusaka then shared a look with his oldest friend. “If he proves too powerful we’ll leave it in the hands of Rōnin. Agreed?”

“… Agreed,”

Perhaps Kenji couldn’t pass up a good challenge either? Or maybe his trust in Kusaka was too strong for him to doubt his friend? Whatever the reason Kenji sheathed his Zanpakutō and dispelled his Hollow mask. He turned around to watch the battles unfold around him and hoped he and Kusaka hadn’t made a terrible mistake…

End.

Next Story >.