Fireworks: Their Separation Ends...

[Kaoru Miyazaki]

(OOC: An RP thread meant solely for interaction between the brothers, Crimson and Flare. It takes place shortly after Blue Lightning, Red Flame, in which Flare was injured and dropped off at Fourth. He has since returned to Eleventh.)



Flare Shenkibeto

The trip from Fourth back to the Eleventh division was uneventful and rather pleasant. It was still early in the afternoon; the sun was shining and the clouds were drifting passively by overhead. There was a pleasant breeze blowing throughout the Seiretei, one which caressed his skin and rustled his hair as it passed him. He stopped walking to enjoy the wonderful weather for a moment, his lips forming a smile. He considered himself quite fortunate that all of his pain was gone, and he now had the opportunity to enjoy the day going forward.

Flare made the first half of the trip in a leisurely walk that allowed him to relax. However, just as he was making his way into the Eighth division, he realized that a few hours had passed. He recalled that the healer who had attended him had told him that Shadrin Kain was concerned for him, and he had now been gone much longer than he should have. While he had given the healer his word that he would do his best to take it easy for the rest of the day, he assumed that a few quick flash-steps wouldn't be anything too strenuous.

In five minutes' time, the red-haired youth had touched down within the boundaries of the Eleventh division. He was home, and didn't feel at all ill after having executed the flash-steps, so things were certainly moving in his favor today. Smiling, Flare set about on his next task; searching out the division's Fourth seat and his new Sensei, Shadrin Kain. Plenty of people within Eleventh either knew Shadrin or they at least knew where one might find him, and thus it didn't take very long for Flare to track the blond down.

Shadrin didn't seem too surprised to see him, and Flare did his best to assure the man that he was whole and healthy. That the healers had done an excellent job of fixing his rib. That all in all, he was perfectly fine and wasn't baring any sort of grudge about what had happened during their training match. Thankfully, Shadrin accepted his words without any sort of fuss, although Flare had assumed the man would simply take him at his word. The two parted ways with a smile and a wave, and Flare found himself wondering what he would do after that.

'You mean you're not going to train on your own?' The voice of his zanpakutou inquired curiously.

'I...don't think that would be a good idea. I told the nice healer lady that I wouldn't do anything to get myself sent back to Fourth for a while. I don't have any right to go causing trouble for them.'

'Then what are you going to do for the rest of the day?'

'I was actually thinking of going to see my brother...' Flare smiled hopefully at no one in particular since he was all by himself. I mean...we haven't had much time to see each other since I got here, and I did just get back from Fourth. I can at least tell him that I was injured but am perfectly fine now.

'Very well then. Enjoy your visit.' The Shinigami was almost positive that he felt, rather than saw, his zanpakutou spirit nod his head in quiet approval.

Having only been in Eleventh for a few days now, Flare did not possess much knowledge about the Division's infamous Fukutaichou...his brother. Only that Crimson was known for his sharp temper and violent outbursts...and perhaps that he often disappeared without telling anyone his whereabouts. Crimson also didn't remember him, which had been a massive crippling shock to Flare at the time. But Flare had known that there was that chance all along, and he accepted it, as he did his brother. With or without their memories of one another, the two were together again, and that was truly the only thing that mattered to Flare; being able to see his brother again.

Since Crimson was known to disappear, Flare surmised that he should start looking in the easiest place available to him, which was the Fukutaichou's office. It was a long shot, but it was still worth a shot. He made his way into the section of the division where the seated officers resided during the day. As he walked down the row of offices, moving steadily closer to his brother's, a slight apprehension had begun to take root and grow within him. It turned to cold dread and spilled throughout him, causing him to fidget nervously and nibble his bottom lip uncertainly.

The first time he had gone to his brother's office, he remembered carrying such hope, such happiness, and yet there was also a hint of fear. While he had wanted to see his brother more than anything, had gone through so much to reach him, he remembered thinking, “What kind of person has he become? Is he still the kind older brother or...?” And his fear had been realized when Crimson had informed him that he didn't remember him nor did he remember having a brother in the first place. Those words had shattered the world beneath Flare's feet and sent him plummeting into a pit of despair...at least until Crimson had welcomed him to the division, saying he could stay and do as he liked.

Flare came to a slow stop, and attempted to catch his breath. He leaned against the wall, closing his dark red eyes. In truth, there was really nothing Crimson could say to him that would be worse than him admitting to not knowing or remembering Flare. So then why did he suddenly feel so scared? Or...perhaps it was pain that he felt? He couldn't tell. As he began to settle down and regain his composure, he reminded himself that this was Crimson, his brother, whether he had his memories of them together or not. Crimson was still someone he cared very deeply for.

'It'll...it'll be fine. It's just a visit. Assuming he's there right now...'

The red-haired youth collected himself, ran a hand through his still unbound hair, and moved to continue walking toward the Fukutaichou's office. He took even measured steps, though they were now steady steps, and the air around him resonated with calm rather than anxiety. Several moments later, he came to a stop directly in front of the door that led into Crimson's office. There was no noise coming from inside, at least none that he could hear anyway; a bad sign that he might not be in. Still, Flare raised his hand and knocked on the door, giving three loud sharp taps on the wood, before moving a step back and proceeding to wait patiently.

'Big brother, it's me...' he called softly in his mind.

[Kaoru Miyazaki]

Crimson Shenkibeto

"Why did I have to let all this work pile up?" Crimson groaned to himself as he sat at his desk, looking over the stacks of paper sitting in front of him.

Considering his training schedule took him away from his office for hours on end, and sometimes a day or two, he knew the answer to his question, but still felt the need to ask. With the last few days of training he had let a massive amount of work pile up, most of it covering reports on other division members and a couple bills or receipts depicting the damage he'd caused to various areas due to training. All of it simply amounted to too much work, but work that he still had to do.

And because of the work he had to skip training for the day so he could focus on removing the eyesore of papers which hid him from view, should anyone have tried to see him that morning. The thought of missing his training made Crimson growl in frustration.

'Maybe I could get Kimura to do this for me...'

'That is incredibly irresponsible for someone of your position to do. You have never been one to back down from something.'

'Ah, shut it. I was just kidding about that...kinda. I'm not passing it along, so relax. And since when do you care?'

Waiting a few moments, Crimson sighed when no reply was given. It was normal for Hogoryuukou to chime in on something, then not answer back. He was like his conscience, if his conscience was a dragon that could tear someone apart. Shaking his head of the image invoked by the thought, he sat forward in his seat and grabbed a pen to start on his work.

~~~

Several hours later the pen was slammed onto the top of the desk as Crimson finished the last bit of paperwork. Taking in a deep breath, letting his body relax as he sat back in his seat. He wasn't sure what time it was, but after all that writing he found himself to be rather tired, his eyes doing their best to fall closed as he willed them to stay open.

"Damn... Well, I guess a nap won't kill me. I think I earned at least that..."

Lifting his legs up, Crimson brought them down on the table, leaning back fully in his seat. Arms crossed over his chest he allowed his eyes to fall closed, his chin resting on the top of his chest as his thoughts began to blur, sleep starting to wash over him. And just as he was about to drift away three sharp knocks at his door jarred his mind, shaking his body enough to send him, and his seat, backward onto the ground with a crash. In the process his foot manged to caught the bottom of his desk as it fought to stop his fall, sending it forward onto the ground before him, and sending his paperwork flying about the air around him in the office.

As he lay there, on his back, head pounding from having met the floor too suddenly and his body cramped with the chair, paper falling over him, only one word managed to escape his mouth: Damnit.

more to come...

[Kaoru Miyazaki]

Flare Shenkibeto

The calm state that Flare had managed to slip into for this visit with his brother was summarily shattered as a loud crash occurred inside the office and a tremor passed through the floor beneath his feet. Though the tremor lasted only a moment, it was enough to disrupt his balance (he had a weak sense of balance to begin with), and it was quite a sight to see the young redhead stumbling backward across the porch. Where the porch ended, so did his stumble, and he fell backward onto the ground, landing on his back with a heavy thud.

Flare yelped softly as he fell, and groaned in discomfort when he collided with the ground, a cloud of dusting being thrown up around his body. He laid still for a moment or two, trying to collect his senses, as well as avoid choking on the dust and dirt that was steadily settling on him. Then it clicked in his mind; that crash had obviously meant that something bad had caused it, or so he believed. Almost instantly, he was back on his feet and leaping up onto the porch, clearing the few steps to the office door in the blink of an eye.

It no longer mattered that he hadn't received an answer or permission to enter. This was now an emergency that he didn't want to take any chances on.

He threw open the door with a loud, resounding clack and was immediately standing within the office, one hand grasping the hilt of his zanpakutou, in case he found a worthy reason to draw it. However, what greeted him inside the office was a rather confusing and disorienting sight. There were documents and papers scattered everywhere, some of them still fluttering through the air; they covered the floor like a pristine white carpet. Aside from the paperwork, the Fukutaichou's desk was overturned, the obvious cause behind the now scattered paperwork. But there was no sign of his brother or anyone else, at least not until he moved around the desk...

“Big broth-” Flare caught himself and corrected himself before he could finish, “I mean...Fukutaichou, are you okay!?”

His brother was sprawled across an overturned chair, which seemed to match the rest of the chaos within the office. Upon a cursory glance, Crimson didn't appear to be injured, though if he had fallen like that, it was practically guaranteed that he'd hit his head or something along those lines. In his haste and fear that an emergency was afoot, Flare had simply forgotten that he too had fallen. But now, seeing that his brother was here and for the most part unharmed, he began to realize that he probably looked like a mess...possibly even an unwanted mess at that.

Despite an urge to reach out and help his brother up, the red-haired youth struggled to remember his place. Flare took a step back, kneeling on the ground before bowing so low that his forehead came to rest upon the floor and his unbound dusty red hair spilled over his shoulders. He remained motionless in that position, all the while listening for his brother's movements.

“Fukutaichou, I apologize for barging in, but I thought that there might have been trouble whenever I heard that crash so I...I came in to check on things...” he tried his best to calmly explain himself, his timid voice further muffled by the curtain that was his hair. “Are you okay? That sounded like a nasty fall... If you would like, I can assist you and pick up all this scattered paperwork...or turn the desk back over...anything you wish me to do, I'll do, Sir...”

'I never thought I would be bowing like this to him of all people...'

more to come...

[Kaoru Miyazaki]

Crimson Shenkibeto

Laying there a moment Crimson let his body’s pains ease away, his brother’s words still not sinking into his mind yet. For now the only real thoughts on his mind were on how he managed to get like how he was and how he was going to fix it. The second was a more easily solved issue for his mind as he slowly grabbed one of his Zanpakutou blades as his side, feeling the cloth unwrap the blade and wrap around his wrist. Without a second thought he suddenly thrust his arm upward into the air, releasing the blade so that it would pierce the ceiling deeply and anchoring itself there. Using this makeshift anchor for support Crimson grabbed hold of the cloth with both hands, pulling slowly but firmly, as he began to lift himself up off the floor and chair and away from the mess.

Just as he managed to get his feet under him his blade slipped out of the ceiling, taking a chunk a foot in diameter down after it to crash into the floor at his feet. Letting out a deep sigh he looked down to see that he’d even managed to land his feet in a puddle of ink that had built up from the tipped jar on the ground. Grinding his teeth silently he rewrapped his blade before setting it in place on his side with the other, making sure at least part of him was in the right place and fine.

“What were you saying?” Crimson suddenly asked as his eyes finally fell to Flare, leaving the mess around him ignored.

more to come...

[Kaoru Miyazaki]

Flare Shenkibeto

A strange, unfamiliar sound reached Flare's ears, something he couldn't identify right off the top of his head. He thought hard about it, mulled it over, and realized that it sort of sounded similar to a sword sinking into a solid surface, possibly that of wood. A small jolt of unease coursed through him. Had the Fukutaichou drawn his Zanpakutou and started stabbing things in a fit of anger or temporary insanity? It certainly wasn't outside the realm of possibility, but even so, Flare really wished that he was wrong, that he didn't have to look and find out.

Slowly, his body trembling with anxiety and caution, the young redhead raised his forehead from the floor and lifted his head, only to find himself staring at an increasingly strange sight. Crimson was still on his back on the floor, but one of his arms was raised and there was a length of ? was that a bandage? - cloth trailing upward from his arm toward the ceiling. Flare leaned his head back, his eyes following the bandage until he saw that the blade of Crimson's sword was embedded into the ceiling above. For a moment, all he could do was blink in confusion.

'What in the world is he doing...? Was it a bad reflex or something?'

His questions were soon answered as Crimson suddenly tugged hard on the length of cloth and pulled himself up, landing squarely on his feet with practiced ease. However, there was an ominous cracking sound, and Flare realized with blatant horror that a large chunk of the ceiling was tearing itself apart from the rest. Crimson had gotten to his feet, but the ceiling had paid the price. The chunk popped loose and plummeted toward them. Flare yelped, throwing himself backward with as much force as he could muster in a second, his back colliding with the wall in an unpleasant, painful meeting as the chunk of ceiling crashed down among the overturned papers, sending them scattering again.

Flare slid down the wall, landing squarely on his bottom, his legs sprawled awkwardly in front of him, fidgeting in both anxiety and pain as the papers and documents rained down, coating his lap in white. One such paper landed atop his head, covering his red hair like a sheer white veil. Without really thinking, he reached up and snatched the page, bringing it down so that he could read it. It was the absolute last thing he would have ever expected; a love letter hidden amongst all the work-related stuff, and, to his growing unease, it was from their Taichou.

The redhead's face grew as red as his hair and he quickly lowered the paper, desperately pretending that he hadn't just been reading it, hiding his guilt by attempting to quickly start gathering up the rest of the papers and organizing them into a semi-neat stack. In a moment of consideration, he carefully set the love letter on top of the stack, face-down so that its contents couldn't be read or seen. Finally, he heard his brother's voice speaking to him, and Flare looked up at Crimson, trying to regain some semblance of composure and grace.

“I...uh...um...that's a good question,” he admitted, secretly calling himself an idiot on the inside, “Let's see...I think I was just offering to help you clean this place up...and...I...well, I seem to have forgotten exactly why I stopped by in the first place...” He laughed nervously, attempting to straighten the stack of papers in front of him, anything to keep his hands busy.

Nearly being crushed by a falling piece of ceiling tends to do that. But that's beside the point. I guess I just really wanted to see him, but I feel like, if I say that, then it'll just make things awkward...er...more awkward than this place being a mess and him pulling down a piece of the roof.

more to come...

[Kaoru Miyazaki]

Crimson Shenkibeto

"I think I'll pass on cleaning this up right now." Crimson said, looking at Flare. "I've been in here way too long and I have no desire to stay in this office any longer."

Lifting his hands over his head Crimson stretched out, cracking his knuckles in the process. As he lowered his hands back down to his sides he stepped forward through the mess in his office, walking past Flare to step outside into the fresh air and freedom. Once outside he turned around to face his brother once more.

"I need to do something active or else I might kill something, or someone." He said to Flare. "Since you're here we should train. It's about the only thing I could even imagine doing right now. Haven't yet today and it's just about driving me insane."

At his side he could feel his zanpakutou pulse in what he assumed was anticipation. Crimson didn't know if his spirit liked to train as much as he did, but he felt that after everything today they'd both need the release.

"Shall we go?" He said more as a statement and less as a question to his brother.

more to come...

[Kaoru Miyazaki]

Flare Shenkibeto

'Oh, right... I was going to tell him that I just got back from Fourth.'

While he was stacking and straightening the ocean of paperwork that surrounded them, Flare recalled what he had originally planned to tell his brother. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, his hands still busy with papers and documents, he was summarily cut off as Crimson spoke first. The younger sibling closed his mouth and his head snapped up as he listened, suddenly finding himself staring into the mirror-like crimson-red of his brother's eyes. He went as motionless as a statue, silently listening to what Crimson said.

Somehow, he wasn't all that surprised when Crimson opted to pass on cleaning his office, ignore the paperwork, and get away from it all instead. This seemed to be the general attitude of nearly every Shinigami he'd ever met, inside and outside the Academy. That aside, this was how he remembered his brother; always wanting to be outside doing other things, always active whenever he could be. Flare smiled, genuinely happy to see the brother he remembered.

But as Crimson walked out of the office and announced that he needed to do something active or he might kill someone, Flare jumped, hard enough that it caused the stack of papers he'd been making to sway dangerously. Then his brother decided that they should train together, and all sense of balance and composure flew out the window, causing the redhead to fall face-first into the papers, scattering them about all over again. A muffled groan escaped him as he lay still for a moment.

'But...I just got back from Fourth for a broken rib... If I train with him, a Fukutaichou no less, then I might not survive long enough to make it to the Fourth again.'

'Relax. It can't possibly turn out that badly.'

'I don't even have my Shikai yet, and I'm pretty sure my brother already has Bankai! One good swipe from him and I'm dead!'

'How can you possibly know that unless you try?' In response to the pulse that Crimson's zanpakutou emitted, Flare's own zanpakutou pulsed as well, creating an almost twin-like resonance from one spirit to another, as if to say, “I will rise to your challenge, friend.”

Flare sighed, knowing full well that he wasn't going to get out of this in any case. At long last, he finally heaved himself up into a sitting position and brushed the papers off of himself, before standing up, moving one hand to the hilt of his zanpakutou which sat horizontally across the small of his back. The wakizashi was still secure, so he moved his hand away, looking back up at his brother. If this was really what Crimson wanted, even needed, then there was no way he could even think of saying no.

“Coming,” he called softly, smiling as he moved toward the door, closing it behind him as he exited the office. “But, um...” he trailed off, moving up to walk beside Crimson so that they could walk and talk, “I don't even have my Shikai yet so...I might not be the best partner for you... Oh, but, I'll gladly train with you, of course...it's just, I might not be very good at this stuff yet...though I'm sure I'll get the hang of it sooner or later.”

'At the very least, I get to spend some one-on-one time with him.'

last post made ^ continue from here...

[Crimson Shenkibeto]

Crimson Shenkibeto

Crimson looked back toward Flare once the second redhead had stood up to follow. Not having his own Shikai yet made things more difficult to get any actual training done, but he'd had to train with less before. Besides, if this kid was truly his brother as they'd been led to believe then this was a chance to spend some time with him. As that thought crossed his mind he almost paused, wondering why it was he wanted to spend time with him. Most of the time he wanted to be alone, even from Kaoru, but he didn't want to in this case. Pushing that from his mind Crimson turned his attention back in front of himself as he walked.

"You don't have Shikai yet." Crimson said, more as a statement than anything. "It doesn't matter. Training isn't supposed to be based on power. It's to build skill, which leads to strength. Maybe it'll be better for you than for me."

Again, Crimson nearly paused in his walking upon the thought. It wasn't like him to think of others as being helped through his training or normally solitary actions. He wasn't entirely sure why this was, that he was softening up around Flare, but it didn't matter. Maybe it was the fact that they were brothers and that a connection transcending their current lives and past lives was merely showing.

"Have you seen many Shikai?" He asked after his pause for thoughts. "Do you know what to expect from them? Being here should mean you do, but I guess it's something I should know anyways, if you're familiar with them or not."

[Kaoru Miyazaki]

Flare Shenkibeto

You see, Young One? Even your brother believes that this training might benefit you.

Well...yeah...I guess so.

Maybe he's finally starting to remember you, and your relationship.

You really think so? That would be...

A feeling of happiness began to spread throughout Flare's chest, and he cast a sidelong glance up at his brother's face, smiling a small smile. Crimson paused and for a brief moment, the younger Shinigami wondered if perhaps he'd been caught staring. However, rather than ask him what he was doing, Crimson asked if he'd ever seen a Shikai, and did he know what to expect from them. Flare stopped walking upon hearing the questions.

If he were to be honest, he couldn't remember for sure if he'd ever seen a Shikai or not. He closed his eyes, thinking hard, trying to remember. So much had happened before he'd gone into a centuries' long sleep, and a lot had happened to him during his years at the Academy. Through it all, his main focus had only been finding his brother, and he was sure he'd probably forgotten quite a few things because of that. He sighed, raising a hand to his head.

“No...” he answered, looking back at Crimson. “No, I haven't seen an actual Shikai release yet, or at least none that I can remember. My memory is pretty messed up, so I might have seen one and just forgot about it. But, as for what to expect from one...I expect that if one were to be used against me, I would probably end up a flattened pulp on the ground.”

Don't say things like that. You're so close to hearing my name. You're not as weak as you think you are.

Er...I guess that is true. I could almost hear your name back at Fourth.

Flare removed his hand from his head, and moved it back to run his fingers along the hilt of his zanpakutou. The sword hummed with bristling energy, and almost seemed to purr at his touch. It gave him comfort, and perhaps even a bit of courage. He could do this, he knew that he could. Not wanting to hold his brother up any longer, the young redhead moved to walk at Crimson's side as the two of them continued to head toward the Eleventh's training arena.

“Oh, by the way, I meant to tell you when I first came in,” he spoke up, smiling at his brother. “I just got back from Fourth. I broke a rib during a training match with another division mate, but I'm okay now. While I was in Fourth, though, I was almost able to hear my zanpakutou's name, so maybe I'm closer to achieving my own Shikai than I thought I was.”

I really hope that I am.

[Crimson Shenkibeto]

Crimson Shenkibeto

"That's a start, I guess." Crimson said as they drew nearer to the training arena, his eyes looking forward to the structure.

Laying a hand on the zanpakutou on top on his side, he let his fingers slowly wrap around the hilt. The familiar fabric was always welcome to his finger, their rough yet comfortable feel an ever constant part of him. Slowly he brought his hand to the bottom of the hilt, feeling the metal dragon's head from which the cloth seemed to almost grow from, the metal always warm to the touch. It was a feeling he'd grown attached to, even if he wasn't fully aware of it. Always there for him in the end.

"You'll get a taste of what one can do today in any case." He said as the stepped into the arena at last. "Hogoryūkō will be a good show for you, I'd think."

Crimson grinned to himself as he said it. He knew the power that was within Hogoryūkō's blades, that the two shared between them. While he would have to take it easy on Flare at the same time he knew he'd have to show him how powerful one could be. Bankai would be a step too far, he thought, but showing him a Shikai would certainly do Flare some good, and give himself a much needed release in the form of the zanpakutou's power.

'This will be a learning experience for you as well, Crimson. I can promise you that.

What's that supposed to mean, Hogoryūkō?

As he moved just off to the center of the arena he listened for an answer, but wasn't surprised when there was none. It was typical of him, to say something only to not elaborate on it. However, Crimson knew that the meaning would be clear soon. His zanpakutou never lied to him and Crimson wasn't about to believe that this time would be any different.

Shaking the thoughts from his mind he turned to face Flare, giving a small smile.

"Sure you're up for this? It can't be easy to go up against a Lieutenant's power."

[Kaoru Miyazaki]

Flare Shenkibeto

A taste, huh? I'm sure I can survive this match if it's only a taste. Any more, and I might wind up with worse than a broken rib.

You must learn to have more confidence in yourself.

Flare gave a gentle nod of his head before realizing that he was nodding at a spirit that no one else could see or hear. Well, if Crimson happened to see it, then he might assume the nod was meant for him, so the redhead didn't worry too much about it. But he did acknowledge and agree with his zanpakutou spirit - he needed to build sufficient self-confidence. The first step toward that was the first step he took into the arena, and he took it without fear. He crossed the threshold, following along behind his brother.

This was his first time ever setting foot within the arena. His training match with the division's Fourth seat had taken place within the Academy grounds. Of course, he had seen the arena a few times while exploring the division, but he'd never actually gone inside. Being new to the division, he'd been under the impression that one required an invitation to actually enter the arena and make use of it, and he'd received just such an invitation from Crimson. Flare took a long moment where he simply stood still and looked around, observing the arena in all its glory.

The structure itself appeared to have been newly constructed, perhaps built atop the ruins of the former arena, which he'd heard was destroyed completely while their Taichou was experimenting with his Bankai. However, new though it may have been, there was plenty of evidence that daily training sessions took place within it. Some areas of the walls sported scorch marks or cracks or craters, as did the dirt that served as the arena's floor. Each mark represented another step taken on the path to becoming stronger, and he admired them.

Flare wondered how in the world he'd managed to come so far up through the ranks without ever having set foot inside this arena. How could one become the Eleventh division's Sixth seat without hitting that particular milestone? It seemed highly unlikely, and yet that was how it was for him. He closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath while trying to remember each event that had made him stronger throughout his afterlife. But his thoughts were interrupted as his brother spoke to him, and Flare quickly snapped to attention.

Crimson had walked to the very center of the arena and had turned around to face him. There was a smile on his face, and he was asking if Flare was sure about going through with their training match. This was the brother from his memories; the concerned older brother who graced him with kind smiles that warmed the heart.

Flare could not help but smile back, his expression melting into one of content happiness. The happiness paved the way for a sudden rush of courage and confidence; there was no way that he was going to back down from this match, no matter what came of it as a result. This was personal time with his brother. This was training to become stronger. This was his chance to break through and possibly achieve Shikai. Even if that did not happen, he could at least be proud of himself for trying.

The red-haired Shinigami moved to stand approximately four yards away from his brother...his Fukutaichou, facing him directly. He gently tightened his grip around the hilt of his zanpakutou and swiftly drew it from its sheath, moving the sword in front of him while keeping the blade pointed toward the ground. In response, the sword pulsed with energy, letting him know that it was ready for the fight as well. Flare smiled, flexing his reiatsu as he would flex a muscle, testing his control over it.

"Don't worry about me, Fukutaichou," he answered, smiling at his brother. "I'm ready for this."

[Crimson Shenkibeto]

Crimson Shenkibeto

"All right, Flare."

For a moment he simply looked at his brother, watching him. After that brief moment he then reached to his side, pulling both of Hogoryūkō's blades free from his side. As soon as they were pulled free the cloth wrapping their blades unraveled, revealing their gleaming surfaces as he brought both out in front of him. Holding them up parallel to each other, pointing the tips at Flare, Crimson gave a small grin to his brother, the cloth hanging from the bottoms blowing around gently from a sudden gust of wind.

"Enkindle, Hogoryūkō!"

Immediately both blades burst into flames, coated entirely from tip to hilt, and began to creep down Crimson's arms all the way up to his shoulders. As the flames moved across his arms what used to be his swords shrank down in length at the same pace, the blades completely gone by the time his arms were engulfed in the fire. Then suddenly the fire stopped with a flash to reveal Crimson's Shikai, the metal plates almost sparkling in the aftermath of the fire.

"Now get ready, Flare." He said as he turned his body to the right a bit. As he did he brought his right arm down to his stomach, keeping the fingers pointed at Flare. Bringing his left arm down a bit he simply allowed it to bend down, hand open and pointing up to the sky, as he faced Flare.

"I'll give you the first go." Crimson finished with a grin.

[Kaoru Miyazaki]

Flare Shenkibeto

Flare stood motionless, silently observing his brother as Crimson drew the twin swords that were his zanpakutou and then proceeded to unseal his Shikai. As a sudden burst of flames enveloped the swords, a rush of heated spiritual pressure smacked into Flare's body, giving him a rather sharp jolt. Luckily, he had already raised his reiatsu and was therefore able to remain standing in one place and in one piece as Crimson's Shikai was birthed from the flames. He did not crumble beneath the impressively high spiritual pressure that was produced.

Somehow, he found that he was not surprised to find that his brother's Shikai was a unique set of gauntlets that coated Crimson's arms in shimmering red steel. Though his memories were normally still hazy these days, he remembered that Crimson had not had much preference for weapons – he liked to beat people up with his own two fists, if he could. The gauntlets could still count as a weapon, but their strength came directly from the strength of Crimson's arms. However, there was little doubt in the young Shinigami's mind that they also possessed some unique ability that he was likely to see sometime during this sparring match.

As for himself, Flare did not have much experience in the way of Hakuda, and using it in actual combat. He was far more accustomed to relying on his zanpakutou and kidou. Thus far, kidou had served him very well, and he thought he was finally starting to get the hang of using his zanpakutou more effectively than simply swinging it around and hoping to hit the enemy in a stroke of good luck. Still, the difference between them was obvious; Crimson had a Shikai, and he didn't.

Crimson spoke, and Flare's eyes shifted upward from the gauntlets to look at his brother's face. Crimson was giving him the opportunity to make the first move. Flare wasn't sure if he remembered correctly, but he thought he'd heard somewhere that the first move could set the entire course of the battle, and if he didn't choose wisely, then he would probably be on the losing side throughout it. This was exactly why he didn't much fancy having to make the first move, even in a training match. But he wasn't about to decline. He needed to learn to choose wisely, and create strategies.

“Very well then,” he answered, moving his free hand forward so that his palm was facing Crimson directly. “Ye Lord. Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man. Inferno and pandemonium. The sea barrier surges. March on to the south.”

Just when it seemed that the red-haired Shinigami was about to unleash the kidou, he simply vanished from sight. Only a faint swirl of dust moving in the air where he'd stood was left behind as a sign that he'd even been there. He emerged from his shunpou in the air directly behind and above his brother, his open palm pointed downward at his brother's exposed back. “Hadou Thirty-One: Shakkahou!” Flare shouted, launching the massive blast of fire in a fiery explosion.

[Crimson Shenkibeto]

Crimson Shenkibeto

Crimson watched as Flare moved his free hand to face him. He had an idea of what Flare was going to do, listening as the chant began. While kidou was never a strong suit of his, he knew others used it and it didn't come as a big surprise when Flare seemed to be using one against him. The only thing Crimson needed to be concerned with was how to deal with the attack when it came. As Flare finished his chanting Crimson focused in on him, ready to do what was needed, only to see the boy disappear.

'So that's how we're going to play it.' He thought to himself, quickly turning to face behind himself.

Using his momentum during the spin, Crimson extended his left foot into the air, toward the attack, slamming into it with the ball of his foot. Upon impact the explosion engulfed his foot and leg while sending him sliding back a few feet over the ground. Amazingly he kept his balance perfectly and as the smoke cleared over his leg it could be seen that he was relatively unharmed from the attack, despite his pant leg having been burned away partly. Swinging his leg back inward he stood himself back up on both, bringing his right arm back behind him.

"Enkingusari!"

Thrusting his hand forward his opened it up, fingers spread, to face Flare. Fire suddenly engulfed his bladed hand, building in intensity and luminosity. Grinning, Crimson looked to his brother just before the attack launched, wanting to see how he'd react. However, instead of the attack launching from his hand the fire simply grew brighter before suddenly exploding over his hand and arm, sending Crimson a few feet back and hard into the ground. The force of the propulsion knocked the wind from his lungs, leaving him stunned and winded on the ground, his arm smoking from the explosion, the metal appearing to have been scratched from finger to shoulder.

"What the fuck...?" Crimson said, gasping for air between words.

[Kaoru Miyazaki]

Flare Shenkibeto

From his position above the arena floor, Flare could just barely see his brother as the massive ball of flames soared through the air toward him. Everything seemed to happen as if in slow-motion. The flames were approaching Crimson's exposed back. Flare was slowly descending toward the ground, watching it happen. Then, mere seconds before impact, his brother swung around and demolished the sphere of fire with a punishing kick. The flames licked at his leg, but ultimately fizzled out, leaving only minor damage to his pant leg in their wake.

Crap...this is bad. He's so strong that he can destroy kidou with just a kick. Kidou is my only asset in this match...I am so screwed.

As if that weren't bad enough, Crimson managed to destroy the flames while still maintaining his balance, a feat which Flare knew without a doubt he would have had plenty of trouble accomplishing. He'd be thrilled if he managed not to screw up the landing he was about to make. The ground was coming up to meet him. He landed, stuck it, with both feet planted firmly, his balance secure this time around. In his mind, that was but one small personal victory.

The ultimate victory would be surviving this battle.

Flare blinked; why was he thinking like this? This was just a training match, not a fight to the death. Even if Crimson didn't remember him, he was positive that the man would never actually kill him. So, then, why was he exaggerating the importance of this battle so much?

Because a Shinigami must learn to treat all battles as if they are important, the difference between living and dying. A Hollow will not allow you to live simply out of kindness. It is kill or be killed, and there may also be other souls on the line, not just your own. The fact that you are taking this battle seriously is a positive sign. You must give it your all.

Flare smiled, knowing that his Zanpakutou spirit could most likely see it somehow. Yeah, I guess you're right. Thanks.

He returned his full attention to the match at hand, and watched as his brother slowly moved his hand. Tightening his grip on his Zanpakutou, the younger brother raised his reiatsu even higher, hoping to withstand whatever sort of attack was unleashed at him in retaliation. Across the distance that separated them, he saw his brother grin at him. This worried him; the attack that was coming was worth grinning about. Would it be strong enough to squash him flat into the ground?

Crimson's fist erupted in fresh flames that burned intensely. Flames and blades, double damage, extra pain. If this attack hit him, he wasn't sure how well he'd fair. Flare swallowed hard and held his ground, unwilling to flinch or step back. He had options on how to handle the attack; throw up a barrier, neutralize it with a kidou, dodge it and counter-attack. Now he just needed to decide which option he should try.

Fortunately, or rather unfortunately, he was not forced to make a decision. He wasn't even sure of what had happened. One minute Crimson was unleashing the attack. The next, his arm was engulfed in an explosion, and he was suddenly laying on his back, several feet from where he'd been standing, panting and gasping for air, clearly confused about what had just occurred.

Panic, pure and petrifying, consumed Flare in that instant. Immediately, he began to fear the worst – that his brother's arm would be gone, blown off or incinerated by the fire. For a brief moment, he remained where he was, his entire body trembling to the point that he simply let his Zanpakutou slip from his hand and clatter to the ground. Then he vanished, using a flash step to reach his brother's side without further delay.

Death had separated them. He'd spent centuries trying to find Crimson again. His whole life had been spent in the pursuit of being at his brother's side again. The thought of losing Crimson again terrified him beyond all rational thought, to the point that large tears formed in his eyes.

Disregarding all formalities and stations and personal space, he quickly made sure that Crimson's arm was still attached to the rest of him, and that it hadn't sustained any life-threatening injuries. The only injury he could find was an extremely long scratch in the gauntlet that ran from the top of Crimson's shoulder right down to the end of his finger. To his vast relief, Crimson was still conscious and at least semi-coherent, enough to realize that something bad had happened.

Flare sat back on his legs, his body still trembling like a leaf in a storm, the tears starting to fall from his eyes and slide down his cheeks, leaving glistening trails in their wake. He took a deep breath when he finally remembered how to breathe again, and then looked down at Crimson, utterly grateful that the accident hadn't caused any true damage other than stunning Crimson and scratching his gauntlet. But still, what had happened?

Was it in the nature of Shikai abilities to cause their users to explode? If that were the case, did he even want a Shikai now?

[Crimson Shenkibeto]

Crimson Shenkibeto

'Did I just explode?' Crimson thought to himself, oblivious of his brother's presence at his side.

The force of the impact with the ground left him stunned still despite having caught his breath by now. As Flare was looking at his arm to make sure it was still there, Crimson looked over at it to see the scratched surface of the plates. Something had gone terribly wrong with the attack, something that had never happened before. He wasn't sure how it happened, but he was starting to get pissed. He needed to know why.

Carefully he pushed himself up into a sitting position, his bladed fingers cutting deep into the ground without his meaning to. Surprising to him the world wasn't spinning, a minor victory considering what had just happened. After a moment to collect himself further Crimson moved to stand up, keeping steady until he was fully stood up on both of his feet. Looking down he could see the dust and dirt he'd thrown up when he fell had settled over his clothing. Reaching down to pat it off he stopped midway, realizing the his bladed fingers would shred his clothing more than help.

It was then that he remembered Flare. Looking to the side where his brother was he noticed the tear stains on his cheek as well as his trembling body. The sight caused him to pause. Crimson wasn't used to people crying over him or being scared for him. He wasn't used to seeing sadness or worry over his well being, aside from Kaoru. It was a little unsettling, but at the same time he felt bad for Flare.

"I'm all right, Flare." He said to his brother, trying his best to sound a little comforting. "I've been hit with worse than a misfire for my own attack. Though, this hasn't happened before."

As he finished the sentence he'd already begun planning on using another Shikai attack. If the first one was simply a fluke or if something was going on he'd have to find out now. Doing so in the middle of a real fight could kill him and he wasn't about to take that chance. With the thought now in place he brought his right hand back again, facing one of the arena walls, letting his reiatsu build up once more.

"Enkingusari!"

Thrusting his open hand forward once more it once ignited into flames. Must like the last time the fire burned brightly, growing in luminosity quickly. Unlike last time, however, it became even brighter, his anger at having failed the first time pouring more reiatsu into the attack which now exploded even more powerfully than last. Once again he was thrust back, this time far enough to smash into the wall directly behind him, creating cracks across the surface a few feet out from his impact. This time however he was more prepared and managed to avoid being stunned.

As the smoke cleared from his right arm again, instead of a mere scratch, the metal plates of his arm were torn open to reveal his slightly burnt skin and cut flesh where the metal plates had sliced him. Staring at his arm in disbelief it suddenly fell back down to his side, unable to hold itself up anymore.

"How is...?" Crimson started, trailing off as he lost the words.

[Kaoru Miyazaki]

Flare Shenkibeto

Crimson started to stand up, and Flare had to force himself to remain still and not try to stop him. If he felt well enough to stand, then that was a good sign and he didn't want to annoy his brother over something so trivial as standing up, even if he was still worried. Crimson spoke to him; his voice was comforting, as if he were trying to sooth him. That wasn't right at all. His brother was the one in trouble – he should be trying to comfort Crimson. Not the other way around.

Flare had a moment to be disgusted with himself. He raised his hand, rubbing at his eyes in an effort to clear away the remaining tears as well as erase their trails from his face. Here he was, sitting on the ground, crying like a baby, when he needed to be strong for his brother, to prove that he was reliable, so that Crimson didn't need to look out for him all the time, especially when Crimson had problems of his own to worry about. He needed to do better than this, much better.

Crimson informed him that he'd been hit by worse than a misfire from his own attack, but that this had also never happened before, which was alarming in its own right. Flare gave a gentle nod of his head to show that he understood, and then he too began to get to his feet. He was afforded no time to say or do anything before his brother moved to perform the same Shikai attack again. This caused his heart to race in his chest, and his eyes to grow slightly wide.

He can't be...he'll hurt himself again...

Perhaps if he had been smarter, he would have realized that the situation wasn't quite as serious as it seemed, but the panic consumed him again, too fast and too overwhelming, so that not even his Zanpakutou spirit's usual wave of calm could help him. He saw Crimson raise his arm again, and he moved without thinking, his body faster than his brain.

Before he was truly aware of it, he'd crossed the arena in a flash step, retrieved his Zanpakutou from where it was laying on the ground, and the moment that “Enkingusari” left Crimson's lips, Flare appeared behind him in another flash step, holding his Zanpakutou up and horizontally in front of him, so that the flat of the blade was acting as a shield rather than a weapon.

The ensuing explosion was bigger, brighter, and more violent than the one that had preceded it. It hurled Crimson backwards, right toward where Flare was standing, ready and waiting to act as a cushioning shield against the impact. Crimson's back pressed firmly against the flat of the blade, which also spared Flare's hands from being shredded by the blades on the armor. Flare felt his back slam into the wall, the impact such that it caused a spiderweb of cracks to form in the stone, but he was only a little winded from it.

His brother's safety was all that truly mattered to him in this instance.

Unfortunately, Crimson's arm was worse off this time around. Flare could see where the gauntlet was shattered, torn open, as if someone had taken a can-opener to it, and that underneath it, Crimson's arm was burned and bleeding from some deep-looking cuts he'd received from the sharp metal edges. He swallowed hard, trying to keep his wits about him, because Crimson couldn't seem to make sense of it, and he seemed at a loss for words, as if he couldn't believe this had happened.

“Are...you...okay...?” Flare murmured softly, trying to avoid startling his brother. Of course, he already knew the answer - his brother was not okay, and he hated that.