my test bok for fanfiction so i can use the tts

Shinji doesn't think he could describe what he's feeling right now if he tried. It's not fear, not really, nor excitement or anticipation or exhilaration, but some heady mix of all of them surging through his veins. His life is on the line, here--a single slip and Unohana will be on him like the wolf she is. There's no hostility, but there's no room for weakness either. Every instant has to be flawless . 

He hasn't felt so alive in centuries . 

He can tell that Retsu feels the same, her smile wilder than he's seen in many, many years, maybe since the last time he saw her and the Soutaicho really going at it, their last fight before the Kenpachi had sealed herself away and become the newest dog of Seireitei. Each time their swords meet, he can feel her soul singing against his, rising to the challenge and returning it, a feral, echoing warsong in two parts, neither participant missing a single beat. 

His illusory Kido skills are unparalleled among the Gotei, and he knows it. The only person capable of matching him would have been Aizen, as he hears the time-traveling duo tell it, and that man is dead, good riddance. 

Unohana, however, is keeping up with him effortlessly, illusions or no. She has the best reiatsu control of any of the old guard--has spent a millennium honing it, at the least--and that means that her senses are just as unmatched as his illusions. He's never actually seen anyone use sensory kido, if it can be considered kido at all, the way she is right now, actually, and if he had to take a wild guess he'd say she's actually closed her senses off except to the small area they're actually fighting in, focusing every ounce of that formidable control until it can tell her the faintest brush of reiatsu or air currents or even his intent . Somewhat ironically, it's also the most effective counter for his illusions that he could have conceived of, and it makes his usual bag of tricks all but obsolete. It's difficult to confuse the senses with contradictory input once the mind has the master key, so to speak. 

Luckily, he's got a whole new skillset to play with these days. 

He drops the kido that's been concealing Sakanade's true form, and another that flickered distractingly in the corner of his opponent's eyes when they're not looking, and a third that wove between their feet like slow water, concealing the ground they're standing on and occasionally condensing into abrupt obstacles beneath its surface. None of them are throwing Unohana off anyway, not that he'd truly expected them to. Still, an instant's advantage is still very much an advantage, when fighting an enemy of this caliber, which is why he'd tried them in the first place… that, and a little bit of the need to show off now that he doesn't really have to conceal so much of his capabilities anymore. He's always admired that about Retsu--she's never bothered to hide anything a day in her life. She's so strong that she's never had to; her opponents had gone in knowing her abilities and still wandered out broken and bleeding if at all. Shinji, no, Shinji's had his years of needing to conceal, to redirect and trick and play at being weaker or stronger than he was in order to hide from or scare away bigger predators. He's an illusion-type Zanpakuto with a flourish for Kido, neither of which are considered overly powerful in the world of Shinigami, and illusion-types were definitely looked down on in the centuries before the Gotei really grew into its own. Kido didn't even come until the second or third century of the Seireitei establishment, anyway. Everything before that was just generally designated as "Demon Arts" and any further study was up to the practitioner. 

Sometimes, he still has a hard time believing that there's an entire division dedicated to researching, experimenting on, and developing new Kido. Zanjutsu, sure. Hakuda, absolutely. Hohou? Why not? But Kido? 

Maybe it's just his history with the prejudiced little fucks who never made it past their third century, but a part of him is very gleefully appreciative, indeed. 

Anyway, he doesn't need to hide now, not with the dual assurance in his soul and at his back, safety net and offensive wall both. Now, should he so desire, Shinji can cut loose. 

Not that he intends to play his whole hand, old or new, and he still probably wouldn't even if his life depended on it, but there's a lot less urgency to that secrecy than there was two months ago. 

As the kido dissipate into bright little bursts of reiatsu--another attempt at disorienting an opponent who used every sense to such efficiency--he takes a quick step back into the air, cushioning himself lightly on the balls of his feet. Retsu will join him sooner rather than later, but Shinji had wanted a second to assess the battlefield around him, and he knows that the former Kenpachi will be taking the opportunity to do the same before they return their focus to each other to the exclusion of all else. No one seems particularly distressed at the moment, and he can feel Kurosaki's reiatsu curling through the air, suffusing the battlefield and countering the heavy weight of the Soutaicho's. He knows that the moment someone even appears to falter, their savior-leader (Alpha? hah ) will be there.

That's enough for him. Besides, that means that no one's been pressed hard enough to resort to anything, and that means that Shinji gets to be the first to debut this new power. 

Sakanade hums in his soul, and his Arrancar counterpart rumbles in agreement, eagerness flooding all three of them in perfect harmony.

In a gesture that's becoming more and more like second nature, Shinji brings his free hand up to his eyes and rakes downward. 

The burst of hollow-flavored reiatsu ripples across the battlefield, and Shinji and his mirror image flow into each other. It's a heady feeling, and they can't hold this form for too long yet without destabilizing, but they maintain their balance a little longer each time.

Sakanade howls , and they leap forward with more speed than they've yet shown, pouring themselves into a shunpo that would leave Yoruichi scrambling to keep up on a good day. They're behind Unohana in an instant, a clawed hand hidden behind a blade strike, and as she guides their blade past her, their spearhand slides in through her guard and rips into her flank, leaving a gash about the length of their own palm before the Captain manages to tear herself free. 

First blood is theirs . 

Rose and Love have been partners long before they were Shinigami. They'd entered the Academy together, sponsored by a particular grinning, long-haired Captain. They hadn't known it at the time, but Shinji had a habit of finding and recruiting Rukongai brats with more spiritual power and stubbornness than sense-- Hiyori, Mashiro, and Kensei also owe him their current positions, and probably their lives as well. While none of them had given too much thought to this tendency previously, they've all learned a great deal more about each other in the past few months. If Rose had to take a wild guess, he'd say that Shinji had a little more experience with Rukongai than just the theoretical. Most of the older Shinigami, the pre-Gotei Shinigami, do, if they're not directly from a noble clan, but… this feels pretty personal, and Rose has learned to trust his instincts about such things. 

Rukongai rats tend to recognize each other, no matter how many centuries and how much power separates now from then. 

His point is, he trusts Shinji, for all the trickster ex-Captain likes to play at being unreliable and shady and vaguely malicious. How the man manages that and still tends to come across as mostly harmless is a mystery for the ages. 

Urahara does the whole idiot shtick too now, and it's probably even more disconcerting coming from the former assassin. Well, as "former" as an assassin ever really gets, which considering the neat disposal of Aizen two months ago, clearly isn't saying much. He's good at it, too, and it's jarring given the shy, sheepish captain Rose had known before this whole mess happened. 

He has a terrible feeling that Kisuke picked up a thing or two from Shinji in the future-that-wasn't.

Worse, little Gin is clearly picking up things from both of them along with whatever the Shihouin goddess is teaching him, and Rose fears . 

In fact, the only thing that might scare him more than those three and their unholy trinity of mindfuckery is the way all three of them gravitate around Kurosaki/Shiba/Whoever Ichigo. 

Point is, the only thing on this entire battlefield that could scare him these days is busy with an extra-manic Shinji, and the uncouth, blood-drunk captain of the 11th didn't make that list even before they all got an upgrade. Frankly, he thinks that perhaps he and Love are a little overkill for this particular idiot, only he's still technically a Kenpachi and that should be afforded the respect due to the title. According to Kurosaki, the one that comes after is better in just about every way, but that just means that they have to be careful not to kill this one and end up saddled with the title themselves. Sure, fighting is fun, but neither of them are truly the brute-force berserkers best fitted for the position, ridiculous cudgel of Love's or not. 

It's almost insultingly easy to take Kiganjo apart, actually. Rose knows they've gotten stronger, but this is just sloppy. How is Seireitei supposed to survive if one of their biggest deterrents is getting led around the field by his nose because he's too angry to stop and think ? 

The man charges Love again--like the big weapon is the only threat, hah-- and Rose dances in from the side to take another bite out of his flank with Kinshara. The whip sings in his hand, amused and haughty. 

Let him underestimate us. By the time he realizes his folly it will be too late and he will be laid low. 

Rose hums in agreement with his older counterpart, and the newly-named Kakyoku tosses their feathered hair and chimes a laugh of their own. Rose might be biased, but he thinks he might have been one of the luckiest of the Vizored, as they're calling themselves now. Kakyoku has the dual tones of a Hollow, yes, but rather than manifesting in the typically rough rasp normal to the species, their voice carries the clear, dancing sound of wind chimes, layered into a single melody. 

Rose is plenty vain, certainly, but he doesn't think it vanity in the slightest to count himself truly lucky to have a soul bearing not one but two of the most beautiful beings he's ever encountered. Even now, so soon into his newly minted partnership with Kakyoku, he doesn't think he could give them up any more than he could give up Kinshara. The three of them exist in perfect balance and they're still finding their new limits and exploring their abilities and Rose thrives on it. 

He can't say he'd expected waking up in a cell with his own soul made Arrancar, at least partly, but it's worth all the chaos to date. 

Kiganjo howls in fury and pain and spins on his heel to snarl in Rose's direction. Rose waves Kinshara lazily back and forth, weaving her tip in front of the Kenpachi's eyes in time with the low, rhythmic hum of her vibration. The man's eyes track her involuntarily, charmed like a snake before a musician. In a long-practiced switch, Love takes advantage of their opponent's distraction and leaps forward to press the attack from behind. Kiganjo barely manages to get his zanpakuto up in time to catch the heavy blow of the mace. Rose grins and darts closer, crouching, and exactly on-beat, Tengumaru bursts into flames with a sudden roar. The Kenpachi recoils from the explosion of fire, right into Kinshara, who gleefully tangles between the man's legs, biting deeply with each coil. Rose sweeps her upwards, and Kiganjo falls as his legs are abruptly removed from underneath him, dangling in the air like an unsightly pinata. 

Love chuckles, and Rose can hear his partner's own Arrancar in the back of his voice. 

"Batter's up!"

Rose will never understand the man's obsession with ball sports, but he's got to admit, it's pretty satisfying to watch Tengumaru collide with their opponent's head with a heavy thud . Kiganjo hits the ground hard as Rose drops him, and Rose and Love both peer down at the man with a growing sense of dissatisfaction. 

"He's not out already, is he?"

Kinshara pokes at him carefully, once and then twice, more roughly, and then on the third jab a massive hand snaps out and wraps around her bladed tip without a thought for the damage being caused to the meaty appendage. 

"Hell no… I'm not done yet. You little shits ain't done near enough damage for that… I haven't even gotten started ."

Eh, it's probably more bravado than sense, but Rose isn't feeling particularly merciful today. He doesn't mind playing around to see how much longer the idiot keeps getting back up. Kinshara cracks and whistles as she coils around his shoulders like a living thing, and Love on the other side of their downed opponent is grinning at Rose in a very familiar way. 

Yes, they can play for a while longer.