"We're all the same. No one really remembers the day he was born. We all have to trust another's word on the matter. It doesn't matter if it's true or not. Just having a birthday makes one happy I think." — Aizen Sōsuke.
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The Captain succession went successfully with Mayuri and Byakuya becoming Captain of both the Twelfth and Sixth Division respectively. There wasn't much fanfare about their succession mostly because there was no one more suitable for the role they both took up. The Twelfth Division probably didn't care while the Sixth Division was more than happy that their Captain's grandson was the one taking up his mantle that someone else.
"That's a surprisingly new look on you." Soi Fon remarked when she saw Itachi just absentmindedly gazing at the ceiling with what was almost a lost expression on his face.
"Welcome back, Soi Fon." He greeted her but otherwise remained just as he was when she came in.
Seeing him like this, Soi Fon couldn't help but ask worriedly. "Hey, Itachi, are you sure everything is alright? This isn't the first time I've seen you like this this week."
Itachi sat upright with a faint smile on his face as he waved her worry away. Having someone always worrying about his health was a relatively new thing for him, and one he greatly endeared.
"I'm fine, Soi Fon. Truly." He sighed good-naturedly before coming clean with her.
After hearing Itachi's words, Soi Fon sat beside him with a concerned frown on her face. "Your Bankai is… complicated to say the least."
"I'll figure it out sooner or later. Don't worry about it." He assured her.
"If you say so." She stood up to leave but remembered something important and paused her steps. "Are you deeply acquainted with Lieutenant Matsumoto? I think she's looking for you for some reason."
Seeing Itachi looking confused and oblivious, Soi Fon shrugged and went to her desk to organize but stopped when she saw that Itachi had organized everything for her.
Since he'd already done that for her she thought of going over and running her militia through a few drills when she remembered a conversation she had with Suzumebachi.
"Hey, Itachi."
"Soi Fon?"
"You once told me that your Zanpakutō spirits were different from everyone else's and from what you just told me they did, I can see it somewhat…"
Itachi looked at her with a brow raised. "Where are you going with this?"
"I'm getting there." She turned fully to him and pointed at him, his eyes in particular, and started, "You said that the foundation for those were the emotions of the user, right? If they are connected to your Zanpakutō spirit as I think they are, then shouldn't you achieving Bankai be dependent on your emotions towards… something else, rather than your 'qualification' for it?"
The room fell silent as they both stared at each other blankly, and Soi Fon, thinking Itachi still hadn't got what she was trying to say across, continued explaining the comparisons and differences between her and Suzumebachi and Itachi and his Zanpakutō spirits.
"Basically, Bankai isn't a release for you to achieve since you've 'technically achieved it', whatever that means, but instead what you need is the emotional equivalent." She finished with furrowed brows. "Your Zanpakutō spirits are weird, Itachi."
Itachi had, on a few occasions, explained to her how his eyes and some of his techniques worked and after outlining the similarities between his Chakra-based abilities and Reiatsu-based versions, proceeded to teach her a few.
Itachi abruptly stood up and grabbed his coat – a long black coat he wore over his shihakushō – and started walking for the door.
"Um, Itachi?"
"If nothing important comes up then I'll be seeing you in a few days, Soi Fon." And with that he was gone.
Soi Fon grumbled with dissatisfaction besides her as she watched Itachi leave. "He could at least tell me what he figured out."
...
[POV: With Itachi]
Itachi arrived at his special training spot and wasted no time in unsheathing his black blade.
"Come, Amaterasu."
Black flames bathed around him and in front of him was the female silhouette of Amaterasu conjured up of black flames with her blade in hand.
"I don't know whether to be offended or thrilled that you choose to fight me first before going for that old crow." Though she said that, Itachi could tell that she didn't care all that much either way.
All she cared about was the promised dance of flames and desolation between them.
"Your eyes. They have a new glimmer in them. Did you pick up something interesting on the way here?" She asked.
Itachi nodded. "Someone gave me a clue."
His words caused Amaterasu to fall into a laughing fit as if she just heard one of the funniest things ever said which naturally drew Itachi's questioning stare.
"Oh this is precious. The famous Itachi Uchiha, the unparalleled genius, needed someone to point out a clue. This should be interesting."
The flames that covered Itachi's blade blazed even higher in response to Amaterasu's mocking words.
"Hoh!"
Itachi made the first attack play which was perfectly parried by Amaterasu but he didn't stop there and pressed on the attack.
His passion — just like she had said the very first time they met, was the link between them and the fueling force behind his flames.
Except that he wasn't the best at expressing passion. Or rather, he has NEVER once in his life expressed his passion for anything.
He had told her that his desire was for a family, but he was yet to put out the passion for it.
'It is harder than I thought.' He thought as both of them once again clashed that swords, causing the flames around them to rise up.
The desolate dance, marred by black, continued between them with no one willing to give an inch to the other.
It wasn't that Itachi had closed the gap that existed between them during their last fight, no. There was no gap to close, he had realized. She had fought him with the passion to fight him, just that, while he had fought to defeat her. He had regarded her in the same way that other Shinigami regarded their Zanpakutō for a Bankai release – a spirit to be defeated. But that wasn't the case for him.
"Black Sea Conflagration."
"Black Sea Conflagration."
They were not an unknown. They had said it themselves even that Bankai was easy for him to achieve – his body and soul capacity was more than enough for it – but then something else was needed to cinch it, just like it had been with his Shikai.
In his defense, with how long he has lived in the Soul Society – which was now more than the years he spent alive – he had grown used to seeing himself as Itachi of the Second Division, which wasn't bad per se, but that wasn't all he was.
"Don't slow down now, Itachi. Turn that flicker into a blaze! I was afraid that you were growing too boring lately." Amaterasu appeared above him in a spin which he reacted to by skewering her with flames he raised from the Black Sea he stood on but she just dispersed the moment they touched her and suddenly was now mere inches in front of him on the ground.
'Is that what she was talking about? Fighting with the essence.' The way she moved was one of Itachi's biggest headaches as it simply rendered the Sharingan's prediction obsolete.
He couldn't move the way she did, not yet at least, but he could try and see if he could do what she was doing.
He drew from the flames around him and pushed them into the sword.
'All consuming and depthless.'
His blade met hers and sucked in everything her blade emitted which caused the flames around him and his blade to increase before they both blasted against her and threw her back.
Amaterasu threw her head backwards and laughed so hard that Itachi could feel the tremendous happiness and joy in her being. She was genuinely happy for them – the three of them.
"You cheeky brat. It's a rough concept, barely passable, but I can see what you tried to do there. Well we can't stop now if you're this eager."
Itachi didn't really understand but he nodded his head and locked blades with her once again.
Amaterasu stretched her other hand and another blade grew into it but when she turned to face Itachi she saw that he did the same thing and now they both wielded two blades.
"Well, aren't you a gentleman?"
"I promised a dance. I would be a poor partner if I didn't put my all into it."
Even though he couldn't see her facial features, he knew that she was wearing a huge grin on her face. "Then let's see how good your footwork is when we switch up the tempo."