Kamiko had woken up. Not completely rested, she might have drifted back to sleep if she hadn’t noticed that she was no longer in her bed. She sprung up and looked around her. She wasn’t even in her room or even the Seireitei anymore. Well, technically, she still was. This was the dark forest of her inner world. She hadn’t woken here since…she had never woken up here before. The farthest she had ever arrived from the fortress was just in front of the bridge. Usually, she would immediately find herself on top of the tower directly in front of Chijogo. Why had her Zanpakuto brought her here? As she began to feel her environment close in on her, she walked with great urgency towards the glimpses of light peeking out between the trees. Once she had escaped the twisted treeline, she had immediately noticed something strange. The sky had already been tinted red. Chijogo never lifted the battlefield until they had already talked for a bit. Today seemed to be the day for firsts though. Kamiko had blushed at that thought.

She probably shouldn’t have been surprised. Chijogo had been acting strange for a couple of weeks. She was probably just anxious for real combat. Kamiko had been sparring and training for months now but she hadn’t been in a real fight since the war. She was anxious herself, but for different reasons. She had always hated crossing the bridge to the island. It was disconcertingly rickety and Kamiko didn’t know how to swim. If it fell apart, she could drown and die. The fact that this wouldn’t happen for a variety of reasons including her ability to walk on air didn’t ease the tension. Now all she had to do was walk up all of the stairs that spiraled around the island in order to come face to face with her Zanpakuto. Once again, it didn’t occur to her to simply flash step to the entrance to the fortress.

Along the way, she thought about her answer to Carlotta’s proposal. Carlotta had said that she loved her. Did she love Carlotta? She certainly hadn’t said it back. Kamiko knew that she cared about her. She was still confused about her feelings though. She cared about Carlotta more than anyone else alive. Carlotta had to have felt this way for a long time. It was only a few months ago that she had become so attached to her friend. When she had thought about all of the times she had talked about the late 7th Division Captain with her, she felt embarrassed. He was part of the reason she was unsure about how she felt. She wasn’t truly over him. She had come to a decision. She couldn’t marry Carlotta. At least, not right now. She had to be a bit more sure about how she felt. She wanted to be in a relationship with Carlotta longer. She wanted to not have a haori pulling at her one way while she was trying to move forward. She just didn’t know how to tell her. Guilt burned in her heart. Guilt and regret for the decision she had made. Maybe a fight was what she had needed.

Once again, Kamiko wasn't sure why she was surprised by what she was seeing before her. Yet she stood in awe of great structure before her. She had never seen the structure that held up the battlefield from the bottom. Unfortunately, she had no way to get up there. The staircase connected to the platform only reached towards the heavens. This had never been a problem before as Chijogo never raised the platform unless Kamiko was already on top of the tower. If her Zanpakuto wouldn't provide her with a way up, she would just make her own. She had used several flash steps in a row in order to reach the top. She was slightly exhausted, but at least she had finally reached the battlefield. She had always hated the amount of steps that she needed to get up there in the past and still did.


Standing before her was her other half: Chijogo. Like any Zanpakuto and their wielder, they had both their similarities and their differences. Chijogo resembled an older Kamiko. Blonde hair, pale skin. That was about where their similarities began and ended. Chijogo was tall and buxom, two things that her wielder couldn’t even attempt to claim. Kamiko’s weapon was sheathed on her back while Chijogo’s weapons floated around her as golden triangles in the formation of a toothy grin. While Kamiko was covered in layers of dark loose fabric, her Zanpakuto’s attire was bright, tight and revealing. If it could even be considered attire. She could never tell if it was some skimpy outfit, an extension of her skin, or both. Kamiko was shadowed by a dark sky while Chijogo shimmered in her own light. The former’s eyes were amethyst while the latter’s were turquoise. Even their hair was in different shades. The shinigami with her pale blonde hair and the spirit with locks of saturated yellow. There was one more significant difference between the two. Kamiko stood partially exhausted with her hands at her side. Chijogo was standing with her arms crossed, fully irritated.


“Chijogo, why am I here?”


“This  isn’t the time for talking…”


Her voice had become like venom as one of the golden triangles that hovered about her hips took the form of a red spear. This was her version of their shikai. Red with yellow accents. Flames of reiryoku erupted from her back and propelled her towards her opponent. With a flash of reiatsu, she reappeared in front of Kamiko.


“...this is the time for fighting!!!”


The blunt end of her weapon had made direct contact with the side of Kamiko’s head, knocking her off of the platform.


Momentarily stunned, as soon as she came to she began to focus her reiatsu.


“Bakudo Number Thirty-Seven: Tsuriboshi!”

A blue ball of reiryoku shot out of her hand towards the ground before subsequently stretching out and attaching itself to the surrounding walls. Kamiko was bounced a bit before she had come to rest. As she ran her hand through her hair, she felt blood running out of a wound on the side of her head. She didn’t think she had ever been hit this hard. Certainly not by Chijogo. Her Zanpakuto was supposed to be just a bit stronger than her but she couldn’t muster a strike like that. Not to mention that burst of speed. She could barely keep up with it. Had Chijogo always been holding back before? Kamiko refused to fall for another surprise attack. As she noticed the spirit free falling towards her, she drew her own weapon in defense. That free hit that the woman had landed on her was a fluke. Kamiko was ready now.

“Hado Number Thirty-Three: Sokatsui!”

This wasn’t one of their normal spars. If Kamiko couldn’t tell this by the time that Chijogo had first attacked her, she knew by now. She almost never used Kido in their inner world. Though it was unspoken, it was tantamount to cheating during one of their duels. Chijogo had already broken several rules of engagement. She had raised the platform before Kamiko had arrived. She had attacked Kamiko with almost no warning and with the blunt end of her spear no less. Kamiko couldn’t just chalk this up to being another event in an eventful day that should have been over by now. Even if it was something as simple as an urgent need to fight, she had to know just what was going on. As the ball of blue fire approached the feral spirit, she chose to pierce the orb of energy with the end of her spear causing it to explode on contact. A blue cloud of smoke enveloped Chijogo before her smoking form emerged from the cloud still falling towards Kamiko. She was otherwise unscathed.

“Drink, Chijogo!”

Her own blade had morphed to match her counterpart’s except her weapon was black. Black and red, those were the colors of her version of their Shikai. Chijogo was close enough for Kamiko to see the whites of her eye. She was wearing the same smirk that she usually wore when they fought, but her eyes had a psychotic glint.

“Chijogo, what’s wrong with you?!!”

She didn’t give an answer as her descent began to come to an end. Kamiko was afraid. In desperation, she attempted to actually pierce Chijogo. The way they had fought before was best compared to fencing. She had never tried to actually hurt her Zanpakuto. Chijogo thrust her left hand out and not only caught her opponent’s weapon, but disarmed her as well. Her own spear just barely missed Kamiko’s head as it ran across her head wound. Kamiko had felt her blood begin to drain out of her and directly into the weapon.

“I’m just doing as I was told.”

As Chijogo drank her blood, she was becoming lightheaded. Their foreheads were touching. They were looking directly into each others eyes.

“What’s wrong, can’t cast another spell yet? I guess I win!”

She was right. Kamiko had no weapon. She couldn’t escape her opponent. At this range, any attempt to use Kido would likely be thwarted. She definitely couldn’t take her on hand to hand. Just as she began to admit defeat, Chijogo hit the girl in the belly with her knee knocking the air out of her. She then propelled both of them forward until she had smacked Kamiko into a wall with her knee still pressed into her victim. She was standing midair. Most of their fights ended up taking place midair

“Chijogo… why?”

She had struggled to choke out these words.

“Why? Why?!!”

She had sounded insulted. Chijogo had set both of her feet down on the ground. Kamiko took the opportunity to do the same as she had clutched her stomach. She felt like she was finally going to get an answer. As she looked back up at the normally tame spirit, she wasn’t so sure anymore. She had plunged both of their Zanpakuto into the wall as balance beams. She was in the middle of what had started as a front flip. Her foot slammed down into Kamiko’s back as she retrieved both of their weapons. After she had slammed face-down into the ground, Chijogo had taken the liberty of landing directly on top of her. Kamiko herself had managed to cough up some blood.

“Let me tell you why, Kamiko!!!”

There was a new emotion in her tone. Before her voice was filled with hatred, with wrath. This new feeling couldn’t be pinned down as easily. Sorrow? Distress? Pain? Kamiko had never seen her like this.

She trembled. As her weapons hovered above Kamiko’s back, she couldn’t keep a steady hand. She was panting, not out of exhaustion but out of frustration.

“I don’t like Carlotta! Or Matsuyama! Or Akio or Fumio or any o’ them! I never did but I didn’t say anything because being with them made you want to be with me!”

The spirit was screaming at the top of her lungs, as if she was on the tower all of the way on the other side of fortress instead of right above Kamiko, with the heels of her boots digging into her flesh. She couldn’t help herself, she was overflowing with emotion. Kamiko was surprised by her words. She knew her Zanpakuto didn’t trust other people but she never knew that woman had such strong opinions. How long had she felt like this? This was just like her experience with Carlotta.

“When that Captain Matsuyama was killed, I was glad! I was glad because I thought that maybe if he was gone…”

By now, all of the anger and bitterness had gone out of her voice. The mystery emotion was clear: broken-heartedness.

“...maybe you’d pay more attention to me…”

Kamiko could hear the pain in her voice.

“Chijogo…”

The name came out strained due to the weight of the woman on her back. Before she could say anything else,

“...and I tried to be a good Zanpakuto.”

The vulnerability in her voice had melted away. She had put up her barriers again.

“I tried to cheer you up after your poor old crush died.”

The last part was drawn out sarcastically.

“Remember, I got you out of bed! Not Carlotta or any of those silly guys. It was me, Chijogo! I told you that you could go on with your life without him but no matter how much we trained, you just couldn’t get over him.”

There it was again. She couldn’t pretend like she didn’t feel anything forever. Kamiko couldn’t see, but her head was bowed in resignation

“That was okay though. He had just died. Maybe you just needed some time. Maybe if I waited long enough…”

She had trailed off as if she was too embarassed by what she was about to say. Then she yoyo’d back to rage again.

“...but I guess I was wrong. I couldn’t put the smile back on your face, but that Carlotta sure could. I admit, I was a little bit… mad…”

By mad, she meant seething with rage, like she was presently.

“...but she could never be as close to you as I am. She could never be inside of your head no matter how much you thought about her. She could never have a relationship with you more special than the one we share… at least I thought that until tonight”

Kamiko blushed. She couldn’t possibly be talking about…

“You practically worshipped her.”

Her voice was filled with disgust.

“I shouldn’t have to compete with her! I’m your Zanpakuto!”

Kamiko’s eye widened. Maybe this was more like her experience with Carlotta than she had initially anticipated.

“So… you want what me and Car have?”

Her face had begun to light up even more.

“Wh-- No! I don’t want that! Don’t you get it? How can you not get it? Why don’t you understand?!!”

Chijogo was practically growling, but Kamiko was just relieved that she had misinterpreted her words.

“Ugh!!! I knew this was a mistake!!!”

She kneeled down on top Kamiko, straddling her waist. At that moment, Kamiko wasn’t entirely sure that the Zanpakuto understood her own feelings. Then she tore open the shinigami's shirt.

“Chijogo… what are you doing?”

“I saw you admiring those scars on the girl… I thought you could use some of your own.”

Chijogo positioned both of the spears above her partner’s back.

“Wait! Chijogo! Don--”

Her pleas were interrupted by the movement of Chijogo across her skin and her own scream. It stung terribly. In the middle of the last slash, she had returned to the Seireitei or perhaps saying that she had woken up would be more appropriate. She might have considered the possibility of it all somehow being a dream if she couldn’t still feel the sting of the spears in her back. As she reached inside of her shihakusho, she could even feel a little bit of blood staining her white undershirt. Not only that, she could feel the scar tissue. She couldn’t believe that Chijogo would do something like this. Immediately, her mind drifted to Carlotta. How could she explain these to her? Her Zanpakuto attacked her because she was jealous of their relationship. What would she do when she heard that? Kamiko didn’t know how to deal with this. Maybe she would have an answer in the morning. Pleased with the answer she had come up with, she began to drift to sleep. The last thing her eye saw before it closed was Carlotta’s sleeping face. She seemed distressed. Kamiko had really hoped that she would have a restful sleep for once. She could only hope that whatever nightmare was tormenting her wasn’t too heinous as she fell asleep.

[THREAD EXIT]