Another chapter for today!
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I stole a glance at the guy as he walked out, telling me to speak with my Zanpakuto, before closing my eyes again. When he carried me earlier... his back felt surprisingly broad. It was cozy. So cozy that I ended up blurting out something weird.
“Phew, pull yourself together, Tatsuki. He’s the monster who kidnapped you!”
I knew he was just like those Hollows, yet for some reason, I found myself drawn to him. Besides, what he said earlier—that Hollows were originally human—was weighing heavily on my mind. If that's true, does it mean I’ve been killing my own kind this whole time? A wave of guilt threatened to wash over me.
“Think about that later. Later. Right now, I need to talk to my Zanpakuto like he said.”
Feeling like I’d tumble into an endless spiral of doubt if I kept thinking about it, I closed my eyes and focused on communicating with the sword. I concentrated all my senses on the blade resting across my lap.
‘Talk to the Zanpakuto... Talk to the Zanpakuto... Talk to the Zanpakuto.’
With my eyes shut, I focused inward, emptying my mind of everything but the desire to speak. When I finally opened my eyes again, the inverted world from before greeted me. And standing right in front of me was the woman in the red robes.
“Welcome back.”
Just like last time, the woman in red was smiling, though her eyes were tinged with sadness.
“Yes. It’s been a while.”
I forced a smile and spoke to her. From there, the conversation began. It was mostly me peppered her with questions. I asked everything I’d been curious about—what a Soul Reaper is, what a Hollow really is, and all the things I didn't understand. To each question, she offered a gentle smile and an answer.
“So, in the end, Hollows used to be people too.”
“That is correct.”
I nodded slowly at her confirmation. It meant that guy was once human, too. And knowing that every Hollow I’ve killed will eventually go to a place called the Soul Society to wait for reincarnation... that crushing guilt I felt earlier vanished.
“By the way... what is your name?”
“Before I tell you my name, I have a question of my own to ask.”
“Huh? Go ahead.”
She was asking a question for the first time since we started talking, so I answered readily. But her next words caught me completely off guard.
“What do you think of the man named Lucifer La El?”
“Wh—what do I think of him? He’s a bad guy, obviously.”
“Are you aware? At first, you called him a ‘crazy bastard.’ Then he was a ‘perverted bastard.’ And now... you just call him ‘that guy.’”
The woman spoke with a melancholy smile. Looking back, she was right; the way I referred to him had changed. I hadn't even realized it. If she hadn't pointed it out, I might have never noticed the shift in my own heart.
“I—I don’t really care about a guy like him...”
His face suddenly flickered in my mind. That silver hair and those blue eyes. He always looked at everything with such a cold gaze, yet he would show this peculiar, faint smile whenever an experiment ended. Now that I was actually conscious of it, I felt a strange heat rising in my chest.
“I... I think he’s...”
“Then why do you wish to know my name?”
“Because... he told me to learn it...”
When I thought about it, the reason I wanted to know the name of the woman in red—my Zanpakuto—was because he told me to. Because if I did, he would smile. He’d laugh and say it was interesting. I wanted to see that smile, and that was why I was so desperate to hear her name.
“Just as I thought. Arisawa Tatsuki.”
“Yes...”
“My master, I shall test you once more.”
The woman in red stood up. Suddenly, a katana appeared in her hand. Simultaneously, an identical blade manifested in my own grip.
“Come. If you can land even a single strike on me, I will tell you my name.”
She spoke with that same sorrowful expression, yet the weight of her killing intent was undeniable. She was serious. Her aura completely shifted into that of a warrior. I gripped my sword tight and lunged at her.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
“If these feelings you hold for him are what people call love...”
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
“Ugh!”
Even while speaking, she parried my strikes with effortless grace and shoved me back with overwhelming force. Despite the sheer sadness etched into her features, I refused to back down and charged again.
“You will only find grief in the end. And the rain born from your sorrow will fall upon this world. For this place... is your Inner World.”
“I will!”
Dash!
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
“And yet, I cannot bear to see you suffer. You are my master, and I am the one who dwells here. I cannot stand by and watch you be broken. Because he... is your enemy.”
Her voice drifted through the storm of clashing steel. I could feel her genuine concern for me in every word. But even if she was worried about me...
“I won't!”
KA-CHING!
“I won’t give up on that guy! I can’t promise I won’t be sad, but I know I won’t regret it!”
“Very well. If you refuse to give up on him, then you must become strong enough to endure and overcome that sorrow. And I shall remain by your side forever to ensure you never fall to that despair. Tatsuki.”
I had realized it from the moment our blades first met. She never had any intention of hurting me. She just wanted to hear my resolve. The moment my determination became absolute, my blade carved through her sword, which had been parrying every move until then.
“My name is Yeomwol. I shall burn away everything that stands in your path.”
“My name is Arisawa Tatsuki. I look forward to working with you, Yeomwol.”
“Yes. Until next time, Tatsuki.”
With those parting words, I felt myself being pulled away from the Inner World.
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Hehehehe, hahaha! The Zanpakuto’s name is Yeomwol (炎月). It means ‘Flaming Moon.’
You can probably guess how broken Tatsuki is going to be now, right? It has ‘Moon’ in the name! Just like Zangetsu or Engetsu! If she can use something like Getsuga Tensho, it’s basically game over. Anyway, please help me come up with some skill names!
Getsuga Tensho is great, but isn't there something that fits the fire theme better? All I could think of was something like ‘Fire Dragon Flash,’ but that feels a bit generic. Please give me some cooler, more stylish names.
If Ichigo’s Getsuga Tensho is a blue crescent moon, Tatsuki’s will be a flickering, blazing red crescent. Anywhere the blade passes or cuts will be left smoldering with flames—sort of like Portgas D. Ace’s Fire Fist from One Piece. Imagine the wound itself burning away.
With this, I’ll wrap up the Tatsuki side-story in the next chapter and get back to the main plot. She isn’t learning Bankai just yet, though. It just means her specific POV arc is ending.
I mentioned before that the protagonist’s personality changes easily, but I think that explanation got lost in a previous draft. The protagonist’s personality can shift frequently because his Aspect of Death is ‘Death’ itself—it can't be pinned down to just one trait. Currently, he’s acting more like a cold scientist.
It feels like Tatsuki is turning into a hero of sorts, but that’s it for today!
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