A young man stood in an abandoned town, surrounded by a forest. The man wore the standard garb of a Captain, with the addition of an Obi. The man's hair was blonde, his eyes blue, and his skin pale. His name was Niklas Einzbern, the captain of the 8th Division. The town was somewhat unique, as it was his Inner World; It showed the influence of his upbringing in the world of the living, and then his life in the Soul Society as a mix of european and asian architectural styles. Normally, it showed signs of being lived in, with the occasional shadowy figure of a memory. Now, however, it looked to have been abandoned, with the windows boarded up. Niklas shook his head at this, and briefly wondered if it had something to do with his current state of mind. For now, however, he needed to find the spirit of his Zanpakuto. Fortunately, Zantetsuken was fairly willing to share his wisdom, so it never took long to find the spirit, even if he didn't outright reveal himself.
Zantetsuken's spirit form appeared as an old man with long, white hair and wearing a white Kosode and Hakama. Despite his apparent advanced age, the spirit's body stood tall and well muscled. As such, in the village of Niklas' inner world, he was usually fairly easy to find. This time, the spirit was looking out into an empty town square. Without looking behind him, the spirit spoke. "Whenever you become occupied by something, your world becomes like this. It focuses, and the wandering thoughts and memories all head for the same location. However, this is slightly different. You can tell a war is imminent, and so your inner world reflects this." Niklas didn't say anything; As usual, his Zanpakuto knew what he was thinking, even if he himself didn't. "When you sense that battle is near, you become impatient, frustrated. You pace like a caged tiger, wishing to be let loose upon the enemy." He then sighed, and turned around finally, and said to Niklas with a somewhat exasperated tone, "In other words, as per usual, you have no concept of patience."
Niklas couldn't help but smile a little at that, but his face returned to a serious expression, as he said, "I'm more frustrated at the decision not to attack immediately. If we did so, there is a good chance we'd be able to wipe out the Hollow forces before they could properly muster." Zantetsuken sighed and shook his head, before saying, "There is just as good a possibility that the entire Shinigami force would be decimated, as well. Whether you like it or not, the wait is necessary." Niklas sighed, before saying, "I guess you're right. Looking back, I should've asked for a transfer to the 11th division when I had the chance". At this, Zantetsuken gave him a serious look, and replied, "And leave the 8th without leadership, when you know full well that proper leadership is far more important than satisfying yourself?" Niklas winced, realizing how selfish he had sounded.
After a moment of silence, he sighed, and finally said, "You're right. I need to focus on my duties as Captain more than on my differing viewpoint with the 1st Division. I've been letting the paperwork slip lately, and I need to remember to gather a few of my boys together to help fill out the 5th's patrols." He sighed, before saying, "In any case, any last words of wisdom for me before I head off, or is that all you wanted to talk to me about?" Zantetsuken smiled slightly, before saying, "Just this: patience leads to success, both on and off the battlefield." With those parting words, the inner world grew dark and disappeared, as Niklas emerged from his trance.
Wed Jan 02, 2013 5:26 am by 
