Jinzen Training arc

The Jinzen Training arc is told below. It's characters are Raian Getsueikirite, his Zanpakutō spirit, and his Inner Hollow. All chapters here are all named Shōten (昇天) which is Japanese for "the Ascension". Enjoy;

Chapter 1 - Shōten 1
The Soul Society Civil War was over...

So was the war with Datara Kawahiru.

So many lives were destroyed in these wars; including his. Raian Getsueikirite sat amongst the ruins of the Seireitei where he had sat for three days. Three days....that's how long it had been since the final battle with Datara. This war had cost him the ultimate price though; his family, and most of his friends were dead. Gone. In a few moments of battle, they had all fallen. All except Seireitou, his rival and friend. He was thankful for that, at least. At least one of them had made it out of the conflict alive. He hadn't even bothered to transform out of Bankai yet. His zanpakutō lie broken at his side, and oddly enough, he didn't care.

Stronger....

It had always been about getting stronger to him. To protect them? Yes. That was one of the reasons for it. But inside he knew that there was a more selfish reason for his thirst for power.

"I just had to get above him..." Raian mumbled to himself.

Seireitou. That had been his goal. To crush him. To show him that he wasn't beneath his power, and yet, in their last fight, he had been stomped on like he was nothing but fodder. He clenched his fist tightly. The pain in his heart had physically numbed his chest and was making it hard for him to breathe. If only he hadn't been so blinded for power. If only he'd focused his efforts on saving them, maybe they'd be here now. But they weren't here now. He had to face it.

Slowly, he picked up his broken sword and placed it on his lap, "I may have failed back then, but I never make the same mistake twice. I didn't listen to you," he was now speaking to his Zanpakutō. "I never did. You kept urging me to train harder, but I was so sure of myself."

Using what little Spiritual Power he had left he transfered himself into a Garganta and closed it behind him. He was now trapped in the dark world of the Garganta. He focused and slipped into his inner world, where he would stay until his training was truly complete.

001. Shōten 1 - Zanpakutō and Hollow
Rubble...

No, that description isn't quite truthful. It should be; More Rubble.

His inner world was in ruins. The sight of it brought tears to his eyes. Even the inner world was crumbling with his pain. Suddenly, there was a woosh noise from behind him. He turned to get a better view of whatever it was that had made the sound. There, in tattered green robes, stood Inyō Seikishutsu no Yaiba, the spirit of his Bankai.

"Long time no see, Raian." she said.

"I've been looking for you." he replied.

"I know." she snapped.

Something was off. She didn't look happy. What had happened in here? What was going on?

"You know what I'm here for, don't you? I'm here to master my Bankai." he declared.

"Is that so?" she jabbed. "Still grabbing for power, Raian? Have you learned nothing? Nothing?! Power solves absolutely no one's problems!"

Raian turned away from her. She was right, and he knew it, but he wasn't about to leave here. For once, he wasn't here for his own selfish reasons. Seireitou was the last friend he had who was still alive and it wouldn't be long before he got himself into another universe-altering fight. Raian knew he would need to be there when that happened. The thought of getting stomped on again and again was something he could not tolerate.

"Teach it to me, Inyō Seikishutsu no Yaiba..." he spoke up again. "I've heard you talk about it before; an 'ultimate truth of Cosmic Dual Forces'. I can't help but wonder if they're apart of your Bankai form somehow. So tell me already. What is the 'ultimate truth'?"

This brought her out of her rage, "So you know about it, huh? I don't want to teach you this, but it seems that you're finally ready to master me, aren't you?"

Suddenly, another form began to gather beside her, forming into none other than Raian's inner Hollow. "Fine then." she said again. "I'll teach it to you. I'll teach you the Ultimate Truth of the Cosmic Dual Forces...!"