Decaying Bonds

**Date Started:** 11 December, 2021
**Date Completed:** Ongoing
**Next Role-Play**: N/A
**Users Involved:** , User:Sekiro of the mist User:Ash9876
**Setting:** Seireitei, Kuchiki clan residence,
**Characters Involved**:
* **Shinigami**: Seikyoku Kuchiki Kurome Kuchiki

*Betrayal*
*The ties of family, falling into the temptation of infamy*

*I was Too Young, Too Naive*

*Told a lie, I foolishly believed*

*What knowledge I seek, the elders keep from my reach*

*Confronting her wont be easy.*

*But I Will find Peace*

## Brothers Pain

Deep within the Kuchik clan residence. A young man stood alone, his long jet black hair swaying with the gentle lift of the breeze. The young man's face was obscured by a Silver scarf that too blew in the wind. The smell of incense filled the air and gifted a sweet flavor into the nostrils of both him and the Kuchiki clan attendant. Slowly the young man went into the seiza position. In front of him was the gravestone of late Kuchiki clan member Kaima Kuchiki. the portrait looked so similar to Seikyoku, they could be mistaken as twins.

"Oniisama. It has been some time. I fear among the Kuchiki clan you are nothing but a faint memory. As it stands I am probably one of the only ones left to attend to your grave. How ironic. But I did not come here to berate a dead man, it would be shameful. No, I came to tell you that I will protect our sister even if I'm not as strong as either of you. Even though I'm not some prodigy like that lieutenant of the tenth division or even Kurome. I will still do my best, I'm sure that's how you ended up passing away isn't it." Seikyokus words were both bitter and filled with disdain. Contrary to most people's beliefs, he didn't have a good relationship with his brother unless they were in front of others. Kaima would constantly put down his younger brother behind closed doors. It was as if all of his love went to their older sister and there was nothing to spare for the youngest.

The attendant behind Seikyoku let out a small grunt. This sent Seikyoku to instantly change his poster and the manner he spoke. "My apologies. I let personal emotions best me. As a kuchiki, it is not my place to allow emotions to rule me. Much less speak out of turn towards someone of higher standing." Speaking these words Seikyoku's voice became bleak and almost robotic. His face was not so much as cracking a smile. As if he had been brainwashed to conform to a certain lifestyle. This made his next move all the more unsuspected.

rising from his position and bowing before the Grave of his older brother. Now was the time for him to find answers even if it meant extreme measures. Extending a finger behind his head. Seikyoku concentrated spiritual energy towards the tip. Before his attendant had known what was going on Seikyoku whispered the name of the first hado spell. *Hado #1. Shō*, an almost invisible energy blast shot from his finger straight for the temple of his target. With no defense up the attendant was hit with the full brunt of the force. Kinetic energy spread quickly through her body and shocked every system from its origin. Instantly blanking out the Attendant fell towards the floor. Catching her, Seikyoku placed the uncontious woman safely out of sight. Now he prepared for What comes next *Kurome*

Kurome had just let an attendant leave her chambers as she sat down. She was still in her shihakushō, stupefied by current events. "*...They're promoting me to Captain?*" Kurom left the room, heading towards a certain location. Before anyone in her clan could even approach her, Kurome had disappeared with the use of shunpo, to a location only a few knew of.

Minutes passed, and there she was. She stood in front of where she needed to go, as the wind flowed through her hair. The private cemetery of the Kuchiki Clan. Here was where the Kuchiki Clan buried their own, per the clan's customs. She walked up the stairs, slowly, taking in every scene.

Step after step, and the place she needed to be came into view. The gravesite of Kaima Kuchiki...

But there was already someone there. Someone she knew very well.

"...Seikyoku." Kurome said, acknowledging her younger brother. She should have guessed he would be here. After all she had been recently through, and all she put him through, it wasn't surprising.

"Were you here to pay your respects?"

Upon her arrival Seikyoku bowed to his sister. It dawned upon him she to came to respect their brother.

"Nee-san, I didnt expect you. Yes I came to dent to Kaima's grave" Seikyoku said, he spoke to his older sister in a much different manner than anyone else. She was trully the only one who let him be himself. Although in recent times even she changed.

"I wont get in your way until you finish."

"...Say, Seikyoku." Kurome quickly processed the meaning of Seikyoku's words and stood before him. "What do you know about how Kaima-niisama died?" It was a strange question for Kurome to ask, at least from Seikyoku's perspective. After all, he was already told the truth of the matter. In a collision of dangerous Kidō, Kaima's life was stolen. That was the long and short of it.

Suddenly stopping in his tracks. Seikyoku Felt his fist try to tighten in on itself. He couldn't believe how much Disliking he had for his older brother. Or rather was it pain, pain that Kurome had something he that hadn't. Even if the feelings Kaima showed to both of them were a mask. He still was more caring to Kurome than Seikyoku could ever hope for.

" As far as I was told, He had a sparing session with you, But during that fight both of you- no he sent forth a powerful Kido spell. in retaliation, you defended yourself with one just as strong if not stronger. The clash led to Kaima's demise. Try as I may that is the only information I received." As Seikyoku spoke his voice began to waver as if he were on the verge of choking back tears.

"I searched everywhere. The records came up with nothing. The clan elders and attendants said nothing, Even pushing me away from it. It's as if they want him to be a memory. Yet the worst of it all, Every time you look at me. The look in your eyes is almost like I remind you of him. The closest person I Have. But I'm not even sure if you want me around sometimes." Seikyokus words were more than just a response, They were the built-up pain he felt for years on end not only from his brother. but the added pain that his sister began to shun him like the rest.

"..." Kurome was kept silent by the statements by her brother. But he wasn't completely wrong. As Seikyoku grew older, he did mature to become more like Kaima. That resemblance did make her...fearful. Unfortunately, Seikyoku didn't know why, and Kurome had silenced herself for so many years.

"I'll tell you the truth, Seikyoku." Kurome said, gripping her sword tightly in fear. "If you believe that I am a criminal after what I tell you, you're free to kill me afterwards." A soft smile gripped Kurome's face, while her eyes welled in sadness. "I won't hold it against you."

Seikyoku heard his sister speak. and instantly felt regret. He had only hoped that what she said next didn't send him over the edge. Quickly stepping over towards his sister, Seikyoku placed his hands on both of her shoulders. Although he looked down so his eyes were obscured by the hair that fell into his face.

Unsure he even wanted to hear the words. If he wanted to get past these feelings Seikyoku would have to learn the truth. No matter what happened he wouldn't lose himself.

"Tell me."

"Very well, take a seat." Kurome moved away from Seikyoku as she gathered herself.

"As you know, Kaima-niisama was not a particularly good person. Despite being the oldest brother of our family and in-line to succeeding as head of the clan, he had great insecurities over his strength." Kurome remembered several moments in their life where she would pass by Seikyoku and Kaima in the same room, often with Seikyoku's head hunched over. At the time, she felt powerless to stop anything, but she'd always support Seikyoku when she could.

"Unfortunately, he let that insecurity out on you. I had always suppressed that fact in an attempt to reconcile with him. I thought...maybe if I made him feel better about himself, he would learn to grow past that fear. Unfortunately...I might have been the person to trigger an even more violent part of him."

The memories made Kurome freeze for a moment. That malicious reiatsu that, to this day, Kikka Monshō fears...Just how did it get to that point?

Kurome could tell by Seikyoku's face that this wasn't new information to him, so she decided to tell him what he really wanted, no, needed to hear.

"Kaima-niisama died...because I had to kill him, Seikyoku."

Those words were met with complete silence. Even the wind didn't dare to move at Kurome's words. All so that Seikyoku could hear those words clearly and without interruption.

"Kaima-niisama...once he learned of my progress through the Academy, he sought to remove my spiritual powers during our training match. I felt it. With my own eyes, with my own senses...His spiritual pressure was so malignant that I really believed I would have died that day."

Kurome pulled down her Shihakushō slightly, revealing a scar just above the center of her chest, where her saketsu was located. "This...is my proof. His blow would have reached my saketsu if I hadn't fought back as fiercely as I did."

"I..." Kurome took a breath, composing herself. "I do not regret my actions. What I regret is...not being able to tell you sooner."

Gazing at the wound Seikyoku's eyes were as wide as they could go. The sheer expression on his face was one of horror. But of fear. It was almost instantly after the young boy began to shed tears. " Then why didn't you. All this time I was right here and you didn't say a thing." As he spoke Seikyoku felt some of his anger no all of it boil to the surface.

He wasn't upset with his sister for killing their older brother. He idolized her so much that it seemed like their late brother was the one in the wrong. Even if he was and Kurome was the victim in the situation. She did nothing but keep information to herself all these years.

"Kurome, I've held onto this for years. My pain has grown, my hatred has grown. not for Kaima, not for the Kuchiki. But all of you."

Speaking Seikyoku wiped his tears away and gave a furious look at his sister. He had read about a tradition some clans or groups partake in to solve their quarrels. A duel between the person offended and the one who offended them. In this case, Seikyoku had no one to turn his rage to but his sister.

Placing his hands on the twin zanpakuto at his hip. Seikyoku looked down and let out a grunt. The pain was almost eating away at him now. His normal controlled and slightly upbeat attitude was not gone. Only the fragments of festering hatred. "you said if I wish to kill you you wouldn't blame me. Then duel me here and now." He spoke words much like his brothers without knowing. However, in his thoughts, he held on to some fragments of his sanity. ( Please... I don't want to lose myself. But this is the only way I know how to let the pain go. As your younger brother, I could never truly speak my mind. Nor could I express my emotions, over the years it has eaten away at everything.)

The thoughts in his head were only heard by him alone. Not to be shared with his older sister.

## THE MOURNING

"...I see." Kurome did not believe that Seikyoku would be willing to raise his swords against her, but she was wrong. As disciplined as he was, Seikyoku was still a young man. He was suppressed his entire life. Suddenly revealing to have part of that life be a complete lie...without given being adequate explanation.

"*I suppose I should have known...*" Kurome began to think, as she drew her blade. "*That it would come to this...*"

"*Kurome.*" The voice of Kikka Monshō echoed in her mind. "*Are you sure?*"

"*...It's okay Kiku. I refuse to release your power in this fight.*" Kurome readied her stance. She had lost her edge recently in swordsmanship due to her focus on Kidō, but the process of acquiring her Bankai had polished her skills slightly. "*If I can't speak to my brother through his blade...then I am not worthy of being his sister.*"

"*Very well...I will watch this the whole way through.*" Kiku said her last words, as her voice disappeared briefly from Kurome's mind.

"Come, Seikyoku." Kurome spoke, "I will not cast a single spell on you. With our blades...let us reach a conclusion."

" *Sei-kun, it's not like you to act aggressive towards your sister. Now you want to duel her.*"

" *I won't lose myself, and won't hurt my sister.*" Seikyoku spoke to his zanpakuto spirit about the situation.

Seikyoku finally slowly drew the two blades at his hip. Pulling both blades out of their sheaths and rotating his hips to aid the unsheathing of two blades at the same hip. Taking up his stance Seikoku stood there for a few moments letting out small breaths.

finally, the boy surged forward with his blades at each side of his body. Nearing his sister Seikyoku turned the blades inwards making their blunt ends come forward and the bladed side point towards him. Leading with his right. Seikyoku brought his sword upwards towards Kurome's arm. "*Avoid her torso*"

"*A single blade, in other words, a ploy to scatter my attention.*" Kurome wasn't a specialist in swordsmanship unlike Seikyoku, but she was well-trained. As opposed to simply block the blade, Kurome swung her blade deftly to intercept Seikyoku's own, with the intent of causing his arm to flail back in the opposite direction. She hoped to temporarily have Seikyoku lose control of his balance, before slashing towards Seikyoku's left side, knowing that was where Seikyoku's next attack would come from.

Her counter was of course on point. On Seikyoku's end, while this normally was his forte. His mind wasn't right nor where his attacks. The right arm he lead with was flung behind his head and caused the left to come forward with more force. Meanwhile Kurome's sword struck true, cutting into the surface Seikyoku's left arm. He didn't even get the chance to parry due to his balance being shaken by his sister.

Falling back the young Kuchiki looked at the wound and watched blood start to trickle downward. His body swayed somewhat while turning his head to look behind them. Seikyoku then sought to suprise her with a trick attack. In one shallow move he turned and threw the sword in his left hand. As it spun through the air the sword looked like a disk, showing how much Seikyoku practiced the move.

If done correctly the sword would take up all of Kurome's attention. Making her miss him attacking with the blunt of his other sword. The most damage it would do would be cause heavy impact on her leg, either cracking or fracturing the bone.

"*Another trick...*" Kurome understood the intent, but this attack was faster. She wouldn't be able to deal with it as easily, but she knew the motions.

Rather than take the offensive, Kurome played defensively. The moment the disk-like blade neared Kurome's body, she swung her own blade against it while pushing it diagonally downwards, leading it to land on the ground close to where Seikyoku made his next attack. It wasn't enough to prevent Seikyoku from following through, but the brief quake gave her the opportunity to retreat her leg back enough so the attack didn't completely connect, preventing her from suffering serious injuries, though still causing her to wince in pain.

"Seikyoku..." Kurome spoke, she knew what she was about to say would infuriate the younger one even more, but it was necessary for her to do so. "Your swordsmanship should have long surpassed mine. Why are you still struggling?" Kurome knew that this wasn't the limit of Seikyoku's ability. Even if he resorted to tricks, his feints and techniques were a lot sharper than this. Kurome should not have been able to respond so easily to his attacks. His blade was being weakened by his hesitation.

"*She's right you know, the more you hold back the more you'll regret it. This is your sister we are talking about Sei-Kun. She wants you to get past this and unfortunately that means you need to go all out.*"

Seikyoku had been fearing this even when he attacked kurome it was with the blunt of his blades. Even going out of his way to avoid striking near her scars.

"Nee-San, please forgive me." Seikyoku wispered under his breath. She was about to be the first person in the soul society to see how much he's really grown. **Guide, Shirogistune**

A sudden bright red flash his reishi rocketed into the sky. Fleeing and returning to its origin. The two swords he held where enveloped by the energy and began to change in shape. Elongating and forming into strait blades that hook near their tips. She shape of a guard forming around his hands as they lead into a point finnaly the energy around him calmed enough to reveal the two Chinese hook blades in his hands. The handles being a light golden with the actuall swords a sparkling white. Around him two fox spirits peaked out from behind.

"I see, so this is your Shikai. I do not believe you have shown it to me." Kurome spoke, keeping her guard up. "Come, let me observe how far your foxes guide you."

Raising his blades, The young Shinigami takes up a new guard befitting his weapons. "I have not Shown them to anyone" Stepping forward, Seikyoku's eyes where filled with the image of strands of spiritual pressure in the air This was the core of his zanpakuto's ability. Using his spirit energy as a guide. It grants him new pathways for attacks.

"But I was waiting to show it to you," The young Shinigami rose his swords in the air. What Kurome Doesn't see was the multiple lines of Reishi flowing around them like ribbons. Shifting his weight, The boy dug his toes into the dirt and charged forward. Raising his blades until the hooked ends aligned. He then connects them, allowing for controlling the two with just one hand like a non-flexible metallic whip of sorts. With this he begins to pour his spiritual energy into the swords. **"Aka Raiu"**, His words serving as a trigger. The swords lit up with the sheen of red light. Lighting springs forth form their metal the color of Ruby. As He imbued it with his spiritual energy Seikyoku. Pivoted his feet and spun. Bringing his blades down in a slam simultaneously. The swords sprang forth trailing crimson behind them. Hitting one of the ribbons on the downward arc. They exploded in a short ring, Which transferred his attack to the ribbon.

It raced onto the string on a dead course to Kurome. What she wouldn't see though, Is him follow the move with two more arced swings. Both met the ribbons the same as the first. However they would curve along the current of flexible ribbons. Seikyoku knew how much of a tactician his sister was sooner or later she would catch on to his attacks, but until then he will take full advantage of the unkown.

Kurome was a Kidō Master by the truest definition. She possessed an incredible sensitivity for changes in the surrounding spiritual power. When Seikyoku released his zanpakutō, Kurome could feel a change in the spiritual pressure emitting from him. There was something there she could not visibly see, but she held her breath. "*Red lightning...No, this is merely spiritual power.*"

Kurome observed Seikyoku disconnecting both swords once more and charging against her. It was a strong strike, but she chose not to evade. Instead, she gathered her strength in both arms and slashed upwards. The slash *was* definitely parried. Kurome felt the metal clash against one another. But something happened that she did not expect.

A slash stung her arm, weaker than the one undertaken by Seikyoku, but enough to sting. "Tch." Kurome grunted. She attempted to find the source of the slash, but before she could, two more stung her. One behind her, the other at her leg. "Argh." Kurome groaned and forced herself to take a back step.

She refocused her position, and began to observe what was in front of her. "*That was...*" Kurome began to think, as she closed her eyes. The vision of Seikyoku's spiritual pressure was clear before her. Seikyoku, his twin blades, and...the ribbons of reishi that surrounded his body.

Kurome opened her eyes, with her visible eyes adjusting to the reishi that surrounded Seikyoku's body. "I see. That is your Shikai." Kurome spoke, "You can transfer your attack along a ribbon formed by reishi in order to strike from any angle in exchange for sacrificing attack power. It is quite the trick."

Kurome returned to her stance, neutral with her blade's pointed tip parallel to Seikyoku's head. "But is it enough to sever your hatred?"

Pulling back his blades, Seikyoku's lip slightly curled into a smile. Getting praise from his sister even in a situation like this meant the world to him.

"It is not hatred that binds me. Its pain. Pain comes at the root of all grief. But that pain is only felt if love was present." Around him, a flutter of ribbons became visible. He knew full well she would discover his zanpakuto's abilities quickly after showing them. It drove him to push, to show the fruition of his training. What kind of person would he be if he couldn't even stand on his own two feet after a declaration like the one he had made earlier?

Bringing the hook swords up, He suddenly loosened the grip on them. The movement caused them to drop briefly before hooking back around and stopping in a reverse grip. Due to his knowledge of swordsmanship, he knew that it was normally unpractical. But the nature of his zanpakuto made up in versatility.

The ribbons guided him, pinpointing multiple areas he could attack. Dipping his body, Seikyoku carried the weight over and rose with a leaping slash. Both swords aimed for her neck. As they came down the sword closest to her would come down harmlessly, the true danger would be the other. For it would rip from his arm and sink its hooked tip into her