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This article, Akira Hiroshi's Journal, is property of Kenji-Taichō. Permission is required to alter its content. Use of this page's contents is determined by the author of this page, unless otherwise specified.
This article, Akira Hiroshi's Journal, is part of Bleach: War for the King's Seal, which continues on from the opening segments of the site's former Fanon Canon project. Use of this page's contents is determined by the author of this page, unless otherwise specified.
I honestly don't know what I was thinking when I thought it was a good idea to cart my arse to Hueco Mundo and beg Ashido for help. The guy's got a fundamental screw loose! Who in their right mind looks at a plant growing in Hueco Mundo and goes "yum"!? "Snow grass" he calls it. And don't get me started on the meat! I'm terrified to ask him if its really Hollow or not. At this point I'm happy believing there's a butcher down here who gets his supplies from the Human World.
And they say ignorance is bliss! Soul King help me.
November[]
November 30th, 2003.
Trying to draw conversation out of Ashido is like trying to draw blood from a stone. You'd think I'd know how having trained under what's essentially the guy's goddamned twin! But he just sits there tinkering with his Kidō lights, or making juices and blends (I honestly don't know what he does to make them edible) from that foul snow grass stuff he collects. And did I mention he's reaaaally quiet?
I don't think he trusts me all that much.
December[]
December 25th, 2003.
This was my first Christmas away from my family and friends. I tried to jazz the hideout up a bit this month, like really make an effort. I cut down one of those rock-like trees -- the Menos, apparently, don't like that. Ashido had to pull my ass from the fire again. When we got back that day I hung a few of Ashido's lights from it and decorated it all with foul grass. It actually looked almost like a Christmas tree. I swear even Ashido smiled a little!
I think I'm starting to win him over. He's still quiet, except when he's directing me in battle, but I guess I made some progress. The proof was in the present. Ashido got me a fur cloak just like his!!
2004[]
April[]
April 2nd, 2004.
Sometimes I forget that this Ashido never learnt the Wan'nesu. It seems he thought my preferred Zanjutsu sequences was some kind of new direction being taught at the Shin'ō Academy, and that my Battle Aura was actually my Shikai. You should have seen his face when I used that without a name or release command! I honestly think Ashido thought I had already learned my Bankai!!
Honestly the first time I've seen him genuinely shocked since I told him I have Hollow powers.
Laughing at Ashido aside, I'm really starting to fall into a routine now. He has me battling Hollow almost every day, but even just moving from place-to-place down here is a battle in itself. Any Hollow we encounter runs the risk of alerting others to our presence, and it would surprise you how quickly they can surround you. And my mask doesn't help the stealth front any -- if anything it paints a massive target on my back, and for some reason or another it annoys the Menos down here no end. So yeah, my mask is a last resort, at least until I'm stronger. Which sucks! But there is an upside: my basic skills have already seen a massive improvement, and I feel myself stronger.
Onwards and upwards!!
2005[]
February[]
18th February, 2005.
We ran into something unexpected today: an Arrancar. I thought they usually stayed either in Las Noches or wandered the sands above? Shows you how much I don't know I suppose. This guy -- the Arrancar -- was strong. I probably wouldn't have survived if Ashido hadn't been with me. He didn't say who he was, but we obviously stumbled into his territory, but what I found odd is that he allowed us to leave when Ashido said we where drawing unwanted attention and that it was a bad idea for things to escalate further. For the first time since coming here our roles got flipped on their head and I got to try my hand at teaching. Let's just say that Ashido knows a great deal about Arrancar now (he called our red-haired adversary a Vasto-Lorde).
New goal now. If I can't beat that Arrancar then I have no chance of stopping my brother. I've already ran this past Ashido, and he's agreed to up the ante of my training. We start in earnest tomorrow.
May[]
26th May, 2005.
May's not out yet, but I had to get this down when it was still fresh. We ran into our old Arrancar friend from a couple months back today. He was fighting but not with other Hollow. He was surrounded by Quincy! I remember my dad's old war stories from when he fought against the Quincy during the Blood War and these Quincy were decked out just like them! Our Arrancar -- he's called Gundinger Drelairn -- was outnumbered, and I was shocked when Ashido stepped in to help! Here we where, back-to-back with a scarlet-haired Arrancar, killing Quincy. Gundinger called them "Soldat" and likened them to foot soldiers. As "thanks" Gundinger "allowed" us to leave. I asked Ashido about why he stepped in afterwards and his answer was surprisingly rational. Between Quincy and Hollow he reckoned that Quincy posed a greater danger to the Cycle of Souls than Hollow, and so he stepped in to stop the Quincy. Even if it meant helping the very enemy he had sworn to combat centuries ago and killing Humans instead.
I finally understand why my father respected Ashido so much. As far as duty and commitment goes there's quite a few Captains I've met who could learn a great deal from him. It's amazing. I trained under one Ashido, but I can honestly say I barely knew him. I'm glad I got this chance to rectify that.
2009[]
March[]
28th March, 2009.
It seems Ashido can have fun when he wants to after all! As a form of "training" we've been pinging my Cero blasts off his masks and seeing how good we do. We call it "Hollow Ricochet" after an old game I played in the World of the Living back when I was a kid, and we've been enjoying it a helluva lot. Fun aside it's really helped with my control (and Ashido's aim though I'll deny having wrote that). The days when a couple of minutes was my mask limit are long gone. Ashido's a little more at ease with the whole "I've got Hollow powers" thing, and we're really starting to work together effectively.
A few more months under my belt and I think I'll be able to seriously push Gundinger. Now the question becomes whether the recluse can be convinced to help with my training.
2010[]
July[]
12th July, 2010.
Ordinarily I'd be celebrating today's festivities with a few drinks. Father always did like bands, not to mention getting arseholed. Sadly that wasn't an option for me this year -- instead of nursing a killer hangover I'm nursing a moral dilemma. It seems that Hotaru's growing bolder. I ran into one of his so-called "Witches" today, and it was certainly interesting if nothing else. Gundinger got attacked in the World of the Living by Hotaru's followers and rather than wage a losing battle he retreated to the Forest, but it seems he miscalculated his Garganta. One of them got caught in it and ended up down here with him. She was relatively fresh and Gundinger was injured.
That was enough for me. You could say I've grown somewhat protective of the cantankerous old bastard in the last few years, so naturally I stepped in to help him.
Her name was Asuka Natsume. Hotaru definitely trained his followers well, but it seems he hasn't got around to giving anyone other than Sakae the means to travel the realms as they please. Or maybe that was intended? Regardless of my brother's motivations my Taiyōshin was enough to thoroughly confuse her and the rising temperature eventually sapped her strength. Luckily Gundinger kept the local Hollow population from intervening, or things could have got ugly quickly. It seems he's got a complicated sense of honor and fair-play. Go figure.
Naturally Gundinger wanted to kill her the moment she fell unconscious, while Ashido was indifferent to her fate. They left the choice up to me... and I let her go. I treated both her and Gundinger and waited for her to awaken. When she did, I explained her situation whilst pointedly telling her I was her only way home. The rub? I wasn't ready to head home yet. She accepted the situation more quickly than I expected she would and the only thing I heard her say was that her sister would be worried. She left but Ashido says she hasn't strayed far from our location.
So yeah, I've got a potentially vengeful chick hounding my steps who just so happens to be loyal to the brother who tried to kill me. Soul King preserve me! I came to the Forest to get away from this shit.
2012[]
June[]
3rd June, 2012.
It's the evening here, as far as I can tell. And I'm still alive! Which is nothing short of miraculous considering what I attempted today. Earlier this morning I sat chewing on a piece of snowgrass as I quietly strummed away on a hand-made guitar (the tuning is off 'cause it sounds Godawful). Whether it was the calm surroundings or the music, I had a bit of inspiration this morning and decided to experiment a bit. The Shiba family (at least in my world) always had a knack for Raikōhō: it was seen as something of a rite-of-passage, and as was expected it was my father who taught me this spell. Then there was Ashido's tutelage of the Wan'nesu back home. Which got me thinking: Can I combine the two?
It was flashy! It was destructive! And, more importantly than that, successful.
Using Armory I've managed to invoke a raiment that replicates some of my father's abilities. I can easily boost my physical strength and speed using this raiment and the results are nothing short of incredible when I combine it with my Hollow mask. It's too flashy for the Forest though. The second I used it, Ashido nearly glared a hole in my back! He just got done lecturing me about fighting smart, fighting quick, and maintaining stealth.
I'll have to cut this short. It seems the Hollow haven't given up the hunt for us yet.
2015[]
August[]
23rd August, 2015.
Things have been quiet down here lately. Topside, not so much. But I'll get into that in a minute. Ashido and I have taken the opportunity presented in the last couple of weeks to create something of a supply surplus, 'cause we've both got this niggling feeling that the quiet we're enjoying is just the calm before the storm. Tensions topside have been escalating -- it's only a matter of time until the Arrancar and Quincy are at each other's throats again. So we're gonna knuckle down and prepare.
We might have a storm to sit through. Or maybe it's time I got off my backside and done something about it? I'm certainly far stronger than I was when I first arrived here in the Forest, and I've learned a few tricks from Ashido and Gundinger since. How many Visored can claim that they can use a Gran Rey Cero? If this was a video log I'd be grinning from ear-to-ear!
My achievements aside, it was during one of these supply runs that I ran into Asuka again. Sometimes I forget she's still down here. Should I feel bad about essentially stranding her down here? I don't really know. I didn't do it to rob Hotaru of a powerful ally, though I won't deny wanting to get her away from him. I've spoken to her a few times in the last few years and I can honestly say that she isn't a bad person. She's certainly helped us out a couple times.
I've extended an invitation to her to join us. She declined of course -- but added that she wouldn't be against me stopping by and "hanging out". Did I miss something along the way? When did we become like that? And why is Ashido laughing at me!? Reclusive old bugger.
Maybe I'll take Asuka up on her off, if only to get away from Ashido for an hour or two.
2018[]
September[]
27th September, 2018.
Things are escalating! The Hollow down here are growing restless and unpredictable. Ashido says he hasn't seen them act up like this since the war with Aizen. But what's driving them this time? I went and asked Gundinger that exact thing -- you should have seen his face! He chased me away like an old man shooing annoying children off his lawn. I noticed he only divulged this information and told me to leave his territory after I stopped short of cutting his head off -- I need to point out that he forced the battle. Very Kusaka of me! I suppose I had to inherent some qualities from my godfather.
And he still had the gall to call me a kid! Still, I can't stay mad at the old bastard. I owe him a lot.
Gundinger didn't know what was driving the Hollow into such a frenzy (and I believe him) but he suggested that "two Shinigami who'll remain nameless should stay in their cave for a while". Whether that means what I think it means I'm not sure -- I just hope it doesn't mean Averian. This is eerily similar to how he appeared in my own world. But one thing is sure: Hotaru will wait for the most opportune time, and as far as I can see, that isn't too far off. The Wandereich are growing in power and so are the Arrancar. There's no better time to destabilize the Gotei 13 and move to acquire the Ōin.
I guess we'll see shortly whether I live up to my father's title of "Morning Prince". At this point I'd rather settle for his title of "Sword Saint", or Kusaka's title of "Sword Demon". All I know is that I'm the only one who can stop Hotaru. But how to do that? That's the million-dollar question. Maybe its finally time for the banner of the Ryū Order to fly once more?
And here people always said I took after my mother.
2019[]
January[]
January 1st, 2019.
This will be my last entry: to anyone reading through this, Akira Hiroshi was reborn here. Reading back through some of them myself, I realize why Ashido thought me naive and childish when he first met me. No wonder I lost to Hotaru. Thankfully I've done some growing up since then. Sixteen years in hell will do that to you.
I've made up my mind... I'm going to stop Hotaru, even if my decision robs me of my twin brother for good. Ashido agrees, though Gundinger says he doesn't care. That said, he'll help regardless because that seems to be his way. He wouldn't admit it, but he sees us as his companions now, and it's something he's been yearning for, if I had to guess. Asuka, meanwhile, has said she'll take me up on my offer now and leave Hueco Mundo with me; not to join Hotaru, however, but to join me and stop him. All she asks is that I help her get her own sister away from him. Huh, guess we had more in common than I though, eh? Heh.
Ashido and Gundinger will stay here, though. There's something brewing here in Hueco Mundo, and it might not necessarily be the situation between the Tres Pilares and the remnants of the Wandenreich, and quite frankly that terrifies me. We killed an Adjuchas not long ago whose final words happened to scare me shitless. Want to know the name that slipped past his lips? Teki: one of Averian's many names, if I remember my father's drunken ramblings any.
If Averian rears his ugly head in this world, at this exact time, Hotaru will be the least of our worries. I just hope I'm way off the mark here.
Author's notes[]
Behind the scenes[]
Rather than posting a series of individual chapters from the perspectives of Akira and Ashido, I decided instead to document the years Akira spent in the Forest of Menos a little differently and experiment a bit.
