Heavy silence. Like the world itself was holding its breath.Then came the weight. A dull, throbbing ache spread through his chest, down his side, across the place where his left arm should've ended—but didn't.He opened his mouth slowly. His voice came out hoarse, raw from screaming and exhaustion."…What… happened?"His blindfold was soaked with dried sweat and blood, but his expression was calm. "I remember stabbing myself… the spiders… I felt them crawling inside me. But after that—it felt like a dream.""Dream? Dream?!"A sharp CRACK echoed through the chamber as Yoruichi's boot smashed into his face, sending him sliding a few feet across the stone floor. Mohit groaned, tasting blood
"You idiot! You nearly died! Do you think this was some peaceful nap?" Her voice was trembling—not with rage, but with adrenaline and fear. "Have you even considered what Shunsui would've done if he found out you stabbed yourself in front of us?! How the hell do I explain that we let you do it?"Mohit spat out blood, wiped his mouth with his trembling, reformed left hand, and gave the faintest of smiles.
"…Sorry. I didn't think I'd make it either.""Damn right you didn't," she snapped, turning away, arms crossed tightly over her chest. But her next breath was shaky."Now now, Yoruichi-san," Urahara said gently, stepping closer, "the man did just die for a few hours and come back as something… very different. Maybe give him ten minutes before the beatings resume?"He crouched beside Mohit and flicked open a small scanner, its light glowing against the lieutenant's pale skin."You stabilized about an hour ago. But until then? Well, allow me to paint the picture."Urahara's voice was light, but the tone behind it was grim."You stabbed your blade straight into your own heart. And then your spiders—yes, hundreds of them—crawled inside you through the blade. We watched them literally re-stitch your chest, bone and vein and all. Then they decided to rebuild your missing arm. Not a prosthetic, Mohit. A living, moving, breathing arm—made of your Zanpakutō's spirit."He paused, waving the scanner off."You didn't just survive. You became the hive."Mohit sat in stunned silence. His breath came slow.He moved his fingers—the new fingers. The ones born of silk, bone, and Reiatsu. They responded. No lag. No pain.Only connection."…All of that… in Shikai?" he whispered.Yoruichi finally turned to look at him again. Her voice was calmer now, but harder.
"If that's your Shikai… then I don't even want to imagine what your Bankai will look like."Urahara nodded. "It's no wonder your Zanpakutō resisted you. It wasn't just a sword. It's a consciousness. A being that wants to survive, just like you. But to connect with something like that—""—you had to die first," Mohit finished.His voice was quiet.His blind eyes turned toward the ceiling."…I understand now."
From within his chest, faint vibrations buzzed under the skin—the spiders were still there, watching, waiting, and perhaps… protecting.
Urahara: (smiling) "You've made quite the miraculous comeback, Lieutenant. Most people don't survive stabbing themselves in the heart."
Mohit: (quietly) "It wasn't just a wound… it was a promise. My zanpakutō told me to keep it close to my heart. I did what was necessary."
Yoruichi: (snorting) "You nearly killed yourself is what you did. If I hadn't been here, Shunsui would've burned the whole Seireitei down looking for your sorry body."
Mohit: (smirking slightly) "Then I'm glad you were."
A tense silence followed, only broken by the soft clicks of a spider crawling over the hilt of Mohit's sealed blade.
Mohit: "Urahara-san… I have a request."
Urahara: (raising a brow) "Oh? I'm almost afraid to ask after that little stunt of yours."
Mohit: "I want to test my control. My connection with Supaidāgoddo has deepened, but I can feel something… wild underneath. I need to understand it. I need a duel."
Yoruichi: "You're insane.
Urahara: (chuckling softly) "And I like insane. Alright. You and me. But don't expect me to go easy.
Yoruichi: "If either of you destroy this place, I'm dragging you both to Captain Yamamoto personally."
[Scene: Center of the Underground Training Cavern]
A wide circular arena cleared. Stone ground scorched from past battles. Torches flared with spiritual pressure.
Urahara: (drawing his blade) "Benihime."
Mohit: "honour the arcane Supaidāgoddo."
His blade erupted with the soft chitter of hundreds of spiders spilling from the hilt, surrounding him like a living tide. The blade itself transformed into its long. Cat Ana with hundreds of tiny holes in it -like
Urahara: "You're controlling more than before…"
Mohit: "Five hundred now. And I can see through all of them."
Urahara: "Impressive. Let's see how well you fight."
[Clash Begins]
Urahara darted forward. Mohit's spiders responded instantly, forming a barrier. A red wave of Benihime's cutting blast crashed into the wall of spiders. Dozens evaporated in the blast.Mohit appeared behind Urahara, swinging his cleaver blade downward, but Urahara parried, sliding back
Mohit: (thinking) He's fast… but I'm faster now
He commanded his spiders to form two humanoid clones. One charged from the left, the other from the right.
Urahara: (amused) "Spider clones? That's new."
He leapt backward, slicing one clone apart with a flick of Benihime, then fired a wave of crimson energy at the other, which exploded into silk and smoke.
Before Urahara could regroup, Mohit slashed at him—but the captain-to-be deflected it with a crimson shield.
Urahara: "You're good, but…"He vanished in a flash step, appearing infront of Mohit and delivering a controlled cut to his his torso.Urahara: "You're too focused on overwhelming. Not enough on defending."
Blood dripped from Mohit's torso—but the spiders swarmed the wound instantly, forming tight silk bands, knitting his flesh with inhuman speed.
Yoruichi (from the sidelines): "He's healing… with his shikai. That's absurd."
Urahara: "It's brilliant. But unstable."
Mohit raised his sword again—but his expression twisted slightly in pain. Some of the spiders began moving erratically, scattering without command.
Mohit (gasping): "No—focus. Stay focused—!"
A wave of spider silk launched toward Urahara, who spun and evaded—only to be grazed by a smaller trap spider that exploded into sticky webbing, momentarily slowing his movement.
Urahara: "Alright, alright, I see you're not all show."
He cut himself free and sent a series of crimson slicing arcs at Mohit, who barely blocked with a spider wall.More spiders began crawling uncontrollably, forming malformed copies of Mohit's limbs, twitching and fusing with his real body. Urahara (concerned): "Your control's slipping!"Mohit: (gritting his teeth) "I'm trying—!"Urahara: "Then stop trying to force them! You're not leading an army. You're guiding a living weapon. They won't follow a tyrant—they'll follow a partner."Mohit froze for a moment. The wild spiders paused mid-crawl. With a breath, he lowered his sword slightly. The erratic twitching slowed.Mohit: (quietly) "…Guide. Not command."He focused, and the spiders reshaped into clean, organized lines behind him.
Mohit attempted a final move—stretching his awareness to all 500 spiders at once. His goal was to manipulate every thread laid in the cavern, creating a trap so dense even Urahara couldn't escape.
But then—
Mohit (screaming):
"AGH—!"
He clutched his head, knees buckling. Blood began to pour from his nose and ears, his spiritual pressure flickering wildly.
Yoruichi (shouting):"Stop! Kisuke—shut it down!" Urahara (concerned, lowering blade):"This is no longer a duel."Urahara flash-stepped behind him and caught him before he could collapse completely.Urahara (softly):"You're pushing too far. You don't master power like this in days. You endure it. Shape it over time. Or it shapes you."
Mohit (between ragged breaths):"I… had to know. How far I could reach…"
Yoruichi (kneeling beside them, placing a hand on Mohit's shoulder):"You reached far enough. Any further, and you wouldn't be breathing."
Mohit (smirking faintly):"Still not satisfied…"
Urahara (grinning wryly):"You Shinigami types really are all masochists."