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Chapter 54: The Restless Voices II
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"I could never," Akashi said with a chuckle, "Not until I have truly learned everything from you."
That drew a subtle reaction from Shunsui, a twitch of the brow. For all his ease and slouch, Shunsui never gets close to others easily.
He wore distance like a second skin, although he doesn't show it.
But Rangiku leaned forward, pressing her body slightly against Akashi's arm, "See, see. He only ever ignores this beauty and focuses on you alone! If you weren't always paying, you wouldn't be here right now!"
"What?" Akashi raised a brow as if offended, "If Captain Shunsui wasn't here, I wouldn't want to be... Ahem, never mind."
"He said it! I knew it! You aren't here for the company at all! Bad husband! You must make it up to me," Rangiku complained like a resentful wife, her teasing a bit too extreme, but he was used to it by now.
They laughed. The moment softened the tension that had lingered since his encounter with Tokinada.
"Speaking of which, Captain Shunsui, do you have any regrets in life, or rather, If you had one piece of advice to give your younger self, what would it be?" Suddenly, Akashi turned the subject around.
'Speaking of which again!?' Shunsui was speechless, admonishing Akashi in his mind.
No matter what they were talking about, he'd always say, 'Speaking of which' and ask a completely unrelated question, so shameless.
Shunsui's mouth twitched, falling on the bottles of sake on the table, all paid for by Akashi, making him embarrassed to refuse giving advice, 'Aghh, he's bribing me again.'
It always happens, but the question tonight was... Such simple questions are often the most troublesome.
"When you're young, you think time is endless. You laugh off warnings... Don't do that. Train seriously. Say what needs saying. And for the gods' sake, cherish the fools who stick by you; even if they're troublesome."
Shunsui answered in a tispy manner. It seemed as if he had wanted to say more, but he stopped himself in time, keeping things vague.
Akashi stroked his chin in deep thought. It's rare for Shunsui to appear so serious, but he already trains seriously, and he says what needs to be said.
Akashi didn't feel like that benefited him at all, but still, he sent that quote to the Hive Queen, and had her send it to the worker horrors. Maybe there is something to it.
There is a reason Akashi values interacting with old people so much. They're very old. They've lived long and have experienced much.
He's unfortunately too young, and didn't feel like he could contend against experienced minds like those of Aizen and Urahara.
But he can stand on the shoulders of giants. He doesn't have to take the slow method of simply experiencing time.
There isn't enough time for him to be as experienced as they are before he has to stand against them.
Therefore, Akashi continued to ask questions. It doesn't matter if most of the time Shunsui's answers are half-hearted; his bribes still work, and sometimes he answers seriously.
It wasn't til Shunsui got too weary to answer seriously that Rangiku interrupted.
Despite her occasional tantrums, she was still very considerate and didn't interrupt Akashi's sought for progress.
"You owe me another flight," She said, poking him in the side.
Akashi sighed, "Again? You're starting to enjoy it too much."
She beamed, "Of course I do. Sitting on Zena, flying in the sky, wind in my hair, arms around you; how could I not?"
Akashi's eyes narrowed faintly, watching her expression. The way she leaned into him, the way she laughed just a bit longer around him, isn't it strange to her?
She'd become more intimate. More present. He couldn't tell if it was affection or just her open nature.
But her company is lovely, so it didn't matter much to him for now.
Flight, he could understand why she fell in love with the feeling. He didn't as well.
Flying high in the sky atop Zena and looking down at the earth far below... It was a special feeling.
Shinigami can not fly, not unless they use special means or unique powers, for example, Zena. It's what allows him to fly, or at least experience flight.
Otherwise, most Shinigami are stuck with using their Reiatsu as a platform to stand in the air, which is very inconvenient and requires a lot of experience.
Most seated officers should know how to do it. However, fighting in the air is such a severe disadvantage that maybe only Captains can circumvent or ignore.
Akashi and Rangiku walked out of the winehouse, taking a breath of fresh air before the former extended his hand to her, "Let's go."
"Hmm, this is better." Rangiku took his hand, but got even more intimate, resting into his arms and embracing him tightly.
Akashi shrugged and tapped the ground, leaping high into the air. What followed was a mass of darkness that erupted beneath his feet.
The darkness twisted and deformed, turning into Zena. Their feet landed directly upon it with perfect precision.
The giant creature flapped her wings, soaring into the sky, yet very few of Rukongai's residents around the winehouse were surprised.
The emergence of Zena was pretty much a weekly event, but it never got less miraculous to them.
Zena, in her wyvern form, soared over the darkened Rukongai, her scales reflecting the moonlight with a dull shimmer of silver and overwhelming black. She was gorgeous.
That's why even Rangiku still finds it to be such a unique power, "It's so cool. Aghh, I'm so jealous."
Rangiku sat behind Akashi, her arms snug around his waist, head resting on his back.
Below, the streets blurred, and from that height, the Soul Society seemed still. Peaceful.
"From what you told me about your Shikai, you should be able to achieve something similar. Your Shikai is very strong," Akashi pointed out.
"Huh? How?" Rangiku was surprised, and that surprised Akashi.
"Have you really not tried it? Just condense your ash into wings. With enough control, you should be able to fly, or maybe even construct a flying creature. That should do it."
Rangiku pouted in response, "I wish. My Zanpakuto spirit isn't very cooperative, very lazy. Even training my ability is hard."
"That's strange, but I guess it makes sense," Akashi nodded after thinking for a second, "You do lie to yourself a lot."
"Ah? How would you know?" Rangiku frowned.
"How do I explain it... Your darkness flares up sometimes when talking about yourself. I have learned to understand it, and yours most often than not signifies lies," Akashi explained.
The subject may have been sensitive for her, thus why she stayed silent, but it was the truth.
A Zanpakutō is a reflection of its wielder's soul, making self-understanding essential for mastery.
Achieving Shikai requires accepting the blade's nature, which mirrors one's own strengths and flaws; as denial creates discord between warrior and weapon.
This need deepens with Bankai, which demands full reconciliation with one's inner self.
Those who resist confronting their true nature, whether their fears, desires, or weaknesses, will find only hurdles in their path.
The bond between Shinigami and Zanpakutō thrives on honesty. Without acknowledging and embracing every part of oneself, from pride to vulnerability, progress stalls.
Obviously, Rangiku is the same. Although Akashi wasn't sure whether the problem with her soul plays a part in that.
It's just that from everything he saw about her, that seems unlikely. It's more like a personality problem.
"If you can see that, then how much else can you see about me?" Rangiku asked, still hugging him from behind, her expression hidden.
"Not much," Akashi shrugged, "I can only see when people lie so far. Different oddities in their darkness, I have yet to understand."
She let out a sigh of relief, and Akashi heard it, "Don't tell me you have been thinking bad things about me?"
"I have," Rangiku giggled, her flirty nature returning, breathing deeply in his ears, "I was thinking of what I'd do to you in bed."
"Tease me, then flee? That does indeed sound like a bad thing," Akashi nodded, "As I thought, Captain Unohana is the best."
"Akashi!!!"
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